What's your condition? (Friendly discussion)
Hello there! It's EmpatheticJem!
I've seen a few threads on this site and have commented on some. But I thought it'd be cool if we could introduce ourselves and (if comfortable) discuss our disability and answer any questions people may have.
So to start, I have nemaline myopathy. It is a rare genetic disorder that makes my muscles weak and my joints loose. It also means that I am in chronic pain.
It doesn't get me down though! It is a part of me, and I wouldn't want to live without it 💕
Tell me about your beautiful selves. I'd love to hear from you and provide whatever support I can.
We're all in this together.
I don't have one but I think I went down the Psychology rabbit hole a bit too much and dabbled in the party scene for a while 😂😂😂 takes it toll lol
I'm the analyser, not the analysand
@sensibleStrawberries9877 But there's a difference between an undergrad and a post grad.
You may not see my mind, but I do a killer analyses.
I have migraines, hypermobility syndrome, neurocardiogenic syncope (similar to POTS, but mine isn't dependant on postural changes), L4-L4 herniated disc, and eosinophilic esophagitis. Thankful that I am now using my personal experiences to help others!
I suffer from diabetes. It does not cause me any trouble holding me back, but it weakens my immune system. Since it is a chronic disease, I am one of the groups most at risk of causing anxiety from the Coronavirus.
I have a lot of them. Yay me!
To start off I just found out I have crohn's disease and inflammatory arthritis so that's fun.
I have a processing disorder as well as dyslexia. Makes life a blast.
On top of that, I'm Bipolar and schizoaffective plus a form of OCD. I also have PTSD and insomnia
I'm also hearing impaired due to never damage in my ears.
Life has been very kind to me as you can tell haha. But I keep marching on
I would say, throughout my life, I have struggled with bi-polar disorder, high-functioning autism, OCD, anxiety, depression, psychosis, dissociation, PTSD, insomnia and more recently, which is somewhat troubling, early signs of paranoid schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder (unsure yet which one)...
However, I recently found out I have a genius IQ and am exceptionally artistic, creative, ambitious, driven; so I don't see all of this as being a curse, it may well have been a blessing in disguise.
I am 30. Some of these conditions have affected me for at least 15 years, if not longer. The last one is fairly recent within the last few years.
I am learning how to manage and cope with such challenges. I have never lived anything close to a normal life, my existence has been filled with extreme highs and lows, achievements, successes, failures, grief, pain, suffering, trials, ordeals, conquering demons. It's been intense.
I can only hold on to hope that some of this will have a greater reason that I have not yet discovered or understood yet.
I am keen to find out and keep on living. I've been on rock bottom too many times to give up now. I want to make something of my life. I have achieved an enormous amount in my life however I still have plenty of unfulfilled dreams that I was getting so close to attaining. I must continue.
I wish you all the very best.
@SilverbackTiger
I will however say that despite my long list of 'conditions' they all seem to feed into each other. They may seem like they are not linked but with further research they all seem to overlap.
I wish there was one term to use that just linked them all and made it all less confusing.
I have a rare autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia, TMJ, ptsd, anxiety, and depression. I am NOT my illnesses.
PTSD
Anxiety
Depression
Making steps to get a service dog
I am Deaf. I can't hear anything. I can't hear small things. I was 3 years old and I was diagnosed with meningitis and then it is permanent effect was losing my hearing
I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and then osteoarthritis in my early 20s. later I was hit by an uninsured drunk driver which broke and sprained various parts of my lumbar and sacral spine. i have spinal stenosis, and 3 bone spurs. both shoulders, rotator cuffs torn. current doc says fibromyalgia but I think that's overlap from RA. diastolic dysfunction with orthostatic hypotension (when I stand up, my blood pressure and oxygen drops very fast). i just keep walking as much as I can, I just can't give into a wheelchair yet. i do modified yoga and abdominal deep breathing to keep a mindful state of mind all day. my Fitbit reminds me.
It's like opening something which I hid from many years because I was not confident about it. . I wanted to be known as me as individual ,not as someone who is epileptic. Epilepsy, a phase where liquid from nose,mouth falls, and I involuntarily shake my head.Sometimes involuntarily knee movement makes it difficult and sometimes even that happens.
@Ladoo mine isn't a physical disability but I have something called Turners Syndrome. And I got lucky with my symptoms because it could be a lot worse. I am very short and cannot have children of my own. I have come to terms with that though
@Ladoo Hey. Thank you for sharing your story. I admire your bravery. Remember, your condition is a part of you, but it does not define you. It is just a part of you. There is so much more to who you are. ❤️
@Ladoo My condition is kinda weird because I have been told "There isn't anything actually wrong with you". I deal with chronic pain as well as some other muscle/ skeletal issues since age 13, and a rheumatologist told me that pain is associated with being hypermobile (double jointed) but that there isn't really anything actually wrong. So, in some ways I wish I had some sort of "real" condition so I would maybe feel a bit more validated, but maybe I should be thankful that things aren't worse. IDK if that made sense at all, lol
@faithfulShade5407 I went through very similar things since that age until recently. Its terrible to be in pain and having doctors tell you there's nothing there when you are feeling it every day. Hang in there!
@faithfulShade5407 I would like to tell you my life story what my conditions are mine is autism and I been diagnosed with anxiety disorder stomach ulcer ovarian cyst and depression ptsd I'm hurting
@faithfulShade5407
This was me a few years ago. They just kept saying I was healthy when I KNOW something is wrong. Your pain is proof of it. Thank you for sharing. I hope you know that you're not alone and that I acknowledge what you're going through.
@Ladoo hey!
I want to start off by saying I completely understand and feel you when you say you feel insecure about your illness, and hiding your illness because of it. I can relate to that a lot.
I have a heart decease, and due to a horrible mistake during a big operation I have brain damage as well. I hide it, run from it, pretend it doesn't exist but in the end it always catches up with you, doesn't it?
