Thrown Off: Being Sick and Disabled
Hi Guys!
Sorry for not posting as usual on Wednesday. I've actually got a bit of a cold at the moment and I thought that's what I would talk today; disability and illness. Obviously many of those who live with chronic illness would identify themselves as disability but today what I want to talk about is rather the experience of minor illness or sickness (e.g. bugs, flus, etc.) with disability, as I think it's not something that is often talked about. I would like to talk about sickness in regards to both physical and neurological disabilities and why being sick when you already live with other conditions can be a potentially frustrating experience.
Please remember that when I am talking about physical symptoms that I am not a professional and that I am only talking from personal experience.
I think the experience of disability and sickness that is most understood is that of physical disability. It is completely understandable that if you already live and experience a condition that may affect aspects of your health such as mobility, strength, fatigue and pain, that additional minor illnesses may take a slightly larger toll. As an individual with cerebral palsy I can often find myself experiencing a fair amount of aching and tiredness when I have the common cold, mostly likely because I already live with a level of fatigue and muscle ache on a daily basis. It would make sense that if your body already has a lot to deal with on a more regular basis, that you will notice certain symptoms will be heightened. Additionally, I personally find that when I have a bug or cold I experience a lot of ear ache in my left ear, which is the ear in which I have a hole in my eardrum and in which I have the worst hearing.
I think it is far more instinctual for people to consider the additional impact of minor illness on physical disability than any other type of condition. What I think is thought about a lot less is the potential relationship between being sick and living with a neurological condition, in particular an autism spectrum condition. Post diagnosis I've been reading about other autistic folks' experiences of being ill on the spectrum and I find these experiences incredibly relatable. For someone who has lived their entire life with elements of disability, I have always been a terrible patient. Even the smallest cold can upset me, probably making me look terribly needy. However, what I can now recognise is that this is most likely because these types of sickness can be overwhelming. There are two reasons why I think I may struggle with being sick as someone on the spectrum:
1. Change - being ill, even if it's just a cold, is a change in your routine. These types of really minor sicknesses are often unpredictable and there's often nothing you can do to get rid of them, meaning you just have to wait it out. Illness is a change to both your situation and to your body, making it understandable for a person on the spectrum to struggle on the spectrum. I hate change! This means that something suddenly happening to my body that makes me feel really different and potentially changes what I'm capable of doing is not something I always find easy to accept.
2. Sensory Overload - This change to your body can also be difficult from a sensory perspective. There are aches and pains you don't usual have and there can also be gross elements that come hand in hand with some of these bugs (e.g. running noses and watery eyes). It can be a lot to process because everything feels different. You feel different, things can taste different, headaches can change how things sound, you may have to deal with the gross things you're bodies decided to do. I hate this feeling of different that comes with colds or bugs, meaning that I'm not always the most patient patient!
If you are ill with what people would consider 'minor' and also living with disability, don't feel bad about practising a little extra self-care. Only you know how your body feels, so as long as your still be kind to those around, you don't let others criticise how you're feeling. Treat yourself to the things that make you feel better, take some time for yourself, give your body the space to recuperate. Be kind to yourself.
Look after yourselves and I'll see you soon!
See you later Alligators!
Freya x
PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/209910032612918775/?lp=true
Sorry for not posting as usual on Wednesday. I've actually got a bit of a cold at the moment and I thought that's what I would talk today; disability and illness. Obviously many of those who live with chronic illness would identify themselves as disability but today what I want to talk about is rather the experience of minor illness or sickness (e.g. bugs, flus, etc.) with disability, as I think it's not something that is often talked about. I would like to talk about sickness in regards to both physical and neurological disabilities and why being sick when you already live with other conditions can be a potentially frustrating experience.
Please remember that when I am talking about physical symptoms that I am not a professional and that I am only talking from personal experience.
I think the experience of disability and sickness that is most understood is that of physical disability. It is completely understandable that if you already live and experience a condition that may affect aspects of your health such as mobility, strength, fatigue and pain, that additional minor illnesses may take a slightly larger toll. As an individual with cerebral palsy I can often find myself experiencing a fair amount of aching and tiredness when I have the common cold, mostly likely because I already live with a level of fatigue and muscle ache on a daily basis. It would make sense that if your body already has a lot to deal with on a more regular basis, that you will notice certain symptoms will be heightened. Additionally, I personally find that when I have a bug or cold I experience a lot of ear ache in my left ear, which is the ear in which I have a hole in my eardrum and in which I have the worst hearing.
I think it is far more instinctual for people to consider the additional impact of minor illness on physical disability than any other type of condition. What I think is thought about a lot less is the potential relationship between being sick and living with a neurological condition, in particular an autism spectrum condition. Post diagnosis I've been reading about other autistic folks' experiences of being ill on the spectrum and I find these experiences incredibly relatable. For someone who has lived their entire life with elements of disability, I have always been a terrible patient. Even the smallest cold can upset me, probably making me look terribly needy. However, what I can now recognise is that this is most likely because these types of sickness can be overwhelming. There are two reasons why I think I may struggle with being sick as someone on the spectrum:
1. Change - being ill, even if it's just a cold, is a change in your routine. These types of really minor sicknesses are often unpredictable and there's often nothing you can do to get rid of them, meaning you just have to wait it out. Illness is a change to both your situation and to your body, making it understandable for a person on the spectrum to struggle on the spectrum. I hate change! This means that something suddenly happening to my body that makes me feel really different and potentially changes what I'm capable of doing is not something I always find easy to accept.
2. Sensory Overload - This change to your body can also be difficult from a sensory perspective. There are aches and pains you don't usual have and there can also be gross elements that come hand in hand with some of these bugs (e.g. running noses and watery eyes). It can be a lot to process because everything feels different. You feel different, things can taste different, headaches can change how things sound, you may have to deal with the gross things you're bodies decided to do. I hate this feeling of different that comes with colds or bugs, meaning that I'm not always the most patient patient!
If you are ill with what people would consider 'minor' and also living with disability, don't feel bad about practising a little extra self-care. Only you know how your body feels, so as long as your still be kind to those around, you don't let others criticise how you're feeling. Treat yourself to the things that make you feel better, take some time for yourself, give your body the space to recuperate. Be kind to yourself.
Look after yourselves and I'll see you soon!
See you later Alligators!
Freya x
PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/209910032612918775/?lp=true
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