Last post Tue, Jun 24 2008 2:58 PM by ducky01. 10 replies.
I'll bite:
1) I have mild athetoid cerebral palsy that mainly affects my hands
2) From toe-walking from the CP I developed a chronic pain syndrome and gait dysfunction, now walking with a cane.
3) Type 1 diabetes on insulin pump for past year and a half
4-8) 5 other chronic illness diagnoses that aren't actual disabilities. But when my inhalers share space in my purse with my glucometer, the lines get blurred a bit. . .
since I'm wandering aroun looking around the site, I'll stop in & say hello. My name is Becky.
My husband has Spastic Cerebral Palsy.It affects his legs, speech, and vision. so, he uses a wheelchair and a white cane.
Even though his visual & physical impairments both are because of the CP, they really are two different monsters, so to speak :). and he also has asthma.
Hope you are all doing well!
Fibromyalgia, chronic migraines and polyneuropathy. In essence, pain on top of pain. The good news is I walked about 8 blocks today.
8 blocks? great job!
Welcome to you and your husband!
Asthma is on my list too. . . I've been told to collect stamps instead of diagnoses!
I have an immuodeficiency illness, a sister to Lupus, called systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma-difffuse variety; which has caused paralyzed intestines with total obstipation, severe reflux, COPD with oxygen use, spasticity of muscles with lack of balance resulting in wheelchair use, hearing and some vision loss, mitral valve prolapse, Reynauds’ Syndrome, fibro, dental loss resulting in an upcoming total oral surgical reconstruction, all adding up to extreme pain. I am also a cancer survivor. Because of the last, and the fact that I have survived these conditions for over 20 years, I still count myself lucky.
Mild CP with mobility worsening & BIpolar II (most always depressed). I'm lucky that I have always been working, besides the 6 or so months off in last 2yrs due to ankle surgeries. Oh, and the occasions of not working due to severe depression with drug use (self medicating) and suicide attempts.I'm glad to have that behind me and that I have a job with a better company and where I can sit most if the time. I hope to get rid of all the foot pain with the last surgery in March (still on disability).
rhales199, I knew a man who had CP, with the same symptoms you describe, though I didn't know the full name for his condition. He was the sweetest, dearest man I'd ever met, with the Biggest heart. Both older adults, I met him at college. He fell in love with me, and we saw a lot of each other. I'm legally blind and partially deaf. I wish I had the courage and strength to have stayed with him- I never felt a love like he had for me, and I miss him dearly.
Sincerely, Ariel
I'm partially blind and partially deaf, I also have arthritis and one knee has a ligament that was damaged when I was 12, occasionally it goes out of place, but I can fix it myself. Recently the arthritis has been a real bugger, it's likely the osteoperosis kind, I also got tendonitis, too. The whole "Itis" family is no good. The only man in my life is Arthur Itis. He sure is a real playboy, that one! Many years ago on a bus, an elderly passenger said she had a date with Arthur Itis, she also said to drink lots of water, and said she was a retired nurse. I listened to her and the water has helped some. Thankfully I can walk alright, though my good knee sometimes feels like it's gonna tear a ligament, too. Losing weight seems to help, as well as moving downstairs, and being careful, of course. I have some trouble with my neck and back, too, and some nervous habits that often cause pain. I went to a school for the blind, and also attended camps for people of all disabilities. There were many very talented people, some were severely brain damaged, but had some wonderful talent. Being around disabled people taught me to be sensitive to them, and educated me to many of their needs and concerns. I'd love to be an advocate for disabled of all ages and make sure they're being treated well. I hate seeing anyone being abused, even animals. My family was abusive to me, which caused me to be abusive, too, but thankfully I was able to quit being that way because I'm really a gentle soul who only wants to share love and be loved.
My main trouble is my eyes, though the hearing impairment can be inconvenient, too. I'm usually too embarrassed to ask people to repeat, or speak up, they don't need to shout, just speak a little louder and enunciate more clearly. Noisy situations are the worst. If I really need to know what I missed, I will ask, but first I try to figure it out, taking the sounds of the words, comparing them to the context of the sentence and what they sound like. Often this works, and often, my Intuition tells me what was said. This is quite a juggling act, all this is done withing seconds.
Other ailments that often are part of me being disabled include some learning difficulty, and depression. I did manage to improve my memory some years ago though, which I'm very proud of, among my other accomplishments. I have some other problems too which are directly related to the conditions I was born under. The depression is mostly environmental. I tried many things to manage it, nothing worked very well, so I quit any medications and other things, and found better relief in creative art, especially music; and various natural healing techniques. Most my life I'm either ignored, avoided, or made fun of, but there were some very kind people along the way who encouraged me to fulfill my dreams and achieve my full potential- some took the time to help guide me and help me. My childhood was spent alone in a room, with a radio, and a few toys. Later I also had a phonograph and records, and a few more toys. My adulthood turned out the same way, but with the addition of various musical instruments, books, tapes, records, and computer related items. What kept me going was my hopes and dreams, fueled by the music I heard, along with a few TV shows. Occasionally I was accepted into various activism groups, where I helped with mailings and related tasks. They treated me very kindly.
Romantically I bombed terribly, though I did have some luck, but with other disabled people.
I'm very nearsighted and wear glasses, and use magnifyers to read, even on the computer. I had hearing aids for awhile but can't wear them long. Despite these problems, I can do many things, draw, use the computer for art and word processing, can surf the net, taught myself basic HTML and taught it to others, too. My best talent is singing. I'm also a musician, songwriter, and author. My other abilities include using my Intuition and compassionate nature to help anyone I can. Helping people, sharing joy and offering comfort are part of my life's mission. I can also improvise and invent things from everyday items, which help improve my life, and I share that with people. too.
I've overcome many barriers in my life, found creative ways to manage my impairments, find some joy comfort, and purpose, and hold onto a small glimmer of hope. As long as I can remain independent, able to care for myself and do the things I enjoy, I can manage ok. I'd gladly work if I could, too.
My main concern besides my fingers now is my good eye, it has symptoms of detatched retina, but the doctors can't find anything wrong.
Here's my"laundry list," too!
Right leg BKA
Type I diabetes (used to be type II, but I got promoted) insulin dependent
Degenerative disc disease
Osteoarthritis in the lower spine and in one hand
COPD
CAD
Hypertension
Hyperlipidemia
Increasing vision problems
Chronic diabetic foot ulcers and infections
Seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying...Wait, that was something else. Sorry, wrong list. There's probably more, but does singing like a she-banshee in heat really count as a disability?
Good thread topic. Glad to know I'm not alone in my multi-tasking on the disability front.
hugs from ducky
