Disabled DS Members - what's your disability?

[Deleted User] · 22/10/10 - 11:04

Reading the "what medication are you on and why?" thread has made me curious as to how many disabled DS members there are, and what disabilities we all have.

I am paraplegic. A lot of people seem to presume this mean I only can't use my legs, or that I'm paralyzed from the waist down. Some paraplegics ARE paralyzed from the waist down, but I'm not one of them. I can't move or feel anything from the chest down.
My hands and arms are fine though.

As a youngish (early 30s) active fulltime wheelchair user, I get a LOT of stares. I can fully understand people want to know what's wrong with me. Heck, even I look at other people using wheelchairs. But, I don't like blatant staring. That's just rude!

So yeah, that's me. How about you?

molliepops · 22/10/10 - 11:09

I have MS but I am very lucky in that I have occasional bouts but when they subside I can live life relatively normally.

stud u like · 22/10/10 - 11:12

Dysgraphia,dyspraxia,dyscalculia,vertigo and autism.

lordOfTime · 22/10/10 - 11:15

Dyspraxia for me. Although I tend not to think of it as a disabilty but more of a Specific Learning Difficulty (SLD)

Finlay Reader · 22/10/10 - 11:25

Yep I'm inactive most of the time and cant get out much

[Deleted User] · 22/10/10 - 11:32

I used to have Windows Me. Does that count?

Đirona · 22/10/10 - 11:46

lordOfTime wrote: »

Dyspraxia for me. Although I tend not to think of it as a disabilty but more of a Specific Learning Difficulty (SLD)

how has it impacted on your life? did you get help when at school?

RussellIan · 22/10/10 - 11:47

Working

Achtung! · 22/10/10 - 11:49

Good grief! What's your mental illness? What's your medication? Now, What's your disability? This is David Lynch territory...:eek::eek:

[Deleted User] · 22/10/10 - 11:55

Achtung! wrote: »

Good grief! What's your mental illness? What's your medication? Now, What's your disability? This is David Lynch territory...:eek::eek:

I thought it was Top Trumps!!

epicurian · 22/10/10 - 11:57

Old ma oggy wrote: »

I thought it was Top Trumps!!

How do we determine the winner?

garyessex · 22/10/10 - 11:58

How do these effect your life? Do you work? Can you work but find employers won't employ you? Do you work and get annoyed that other people can use disabilities not too? Do you think Disabilty allowance is fair, do you get enough?

Enough questions for a dull day on DS i think

Đirona · 22/10/10 - 12:00

tut, so many jaded posters!

lordOfTime · 22/10/10 - 12:01

Đirona wrote: »

how has it impacted on your life? did you get help when at school?

I certainly wouldn't have noticed any discernable difference if I wasn't diagnosed that's for sure. Before I knew abouyt my conditoon, I could have lived quite happily considering Dyspraxia is considered an invisible disability. I was diagnosed not long before I did my GCSE's.

Now that I know I can see what my problems are and were. I learned a lot more about how I was as a child and the problems I had. I used to get all sorts of childhood treatment through occupation therapists and up to my GCSE's I was on a Statement of Educational Needs.

My parents were told that because of my problems I would never cope with mainstream education. However through hard work over the years i've always overcome the odds, even through the hardest times. Now, i'm in my Final Year at University.

I feel my Dyspraxia every day... inside my brain messing me up, but I don't let it win and I only do things I know I'm capable of.

Đirona · 22/10/10 - 12:06

lordOfTime wrote: »

I certainly wouldn't have noticed any discernable difference if I wasn't diagnosed that's for sure. Before I knew abouyt my conditoon, I could have lived quite happily considering Dyspraxia is considered an invisible disability. I was diagnosed not long before I did my GCSE's.

Now that I know I can see what my problems are and were. I learned a lot more about how I was as a child and the problems I had. I used to get all sorts of childhood treatment through occupation therapists and up to my GCSE's I was on a Statement of Educational Needs.

My parents were told that because of my problems I would never cope with mainstream education. However through hard work over the years i've always overcome the odds, even through the hardest times. Now, i'm in my Final Year at University.

I feel my Dyspraxia every day... inside my brain messing me up, but I don't let it win and I only do things I know I'm capable of.

thanks for answering

i do wonder sometimes how much have a diagnosed 'thing' actually helps some individuals, i don't believe it does help in some cases, particularly if it's a mild case of it

lordOfTime · 22/10/10 - 12:08

Đirona wrote: »

thanks for answering

i do wonder sometimes how much have a diagnosed 'thing' actually helps some individuals, i don't believe it does help in some cases, particularly if it's a mild case of it

I doubt it could do much harm. If can give a person a sense of ease knowing that they now have a label for what's wrong with them and it can give you the help and support that you need.

Đirona · 22/10/10 - 12:10

lordOfTime wrote: »

I doubt it could do much harm. If can give a person a sense of ease knowing that they now have a label for what's wrong with them and it can give you the help and support that you need.

true, sometimes the labels can be unhelpful tho'

darkjedimaster · 22/10/10 - 12:41

I have Arnold Chiari Malformation Type 1. Which is where the brain is too big for the skull & descends into the spinal cord, which results in blocking the flow of CSF (Cerebrospinal fluid) & cause it to build up around the brain putting pressure on it.

The Symptoms I get are

Balance problems & never being able to walk in a straight line
Headaches & pressure pain behind the eyes
Dizziness
Blackouts
Constant tingling (pins n needles sensation) in the body
Sleep Apnea & other sleep issues.
Loss of feeling down 1 side of the body

There are 2 ways of getting Chiari, 1st is that you are born with it & secondly is via head trauma like a car accident. I was born with it but the majority of my symptoms started in my early 20's.

There are sufferers who have different symptoms & some sufferers have died from the condition as their brain suddenly collapses

.

There is no daily treatment for the condition & there is no cure. There is only risky brain surgery which I have had done with no success.

Bill Clinton · 22/10/10 - 12:45

Maybe a bit brave to post this in here, I have Aspergers Syndrome (whether that is a disability or a difference) and for the last 3 years although undiagnosed I have had real problems with tiredness and energy levels, my legs are always achy and have tension and I feel sort of slumpy a lot.
The symptoms are a bit similar to Fibromyalgia or part Chronic Fatigue, I'm not actually sure what's going on.

Velvet Glove · 22/10/10 - 12:47

Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA. Happy googling. :cool:

Đirona · 22/10/10 - 12:47

Bill Clinton wrote: »

Maybe a bit brave to post this in here, I have Aspergers Syndrome (whether that is a disability or a difference) and for the last 3 years although undiagnosed I have had real problems with tiredness and energy levels, my legs are always achy and have tension and I feel sort of slumpy a lot.
The symptoms are a bit similar to Fibromyalgia or part Chronic Fatigue, I'm not actually sure what's going on.

sounds like you have 2 separate things going on there

[Deleted User] · 22/10/10 - 12:56

My condition is very mild cerebal palsy, you'll hardly notice it. I can do all the things everyone else can do, just maybe 0.5 seconds slower lol

Also my speech is slower but everyone understands what I say.

Other than that, i'm as 'healthy as a horse' as the saying goes lol

Bom Diddly Wo · 22/10/10 - 13:02

I am quite lazy which does affect the sort of work that I am prepared to do. It is my aim to get it recognised as a proper illness with all the atendant benifits but as you might imagine that would require quite a lot of effort that I cannot really willingly enter into without damaging my "lazy" status. It is very much a catch 22.

jules1000 · 22/10/10 - 13:05

Bom Diddly Wo wrote: »

I am quite lazy which does affect the sort of work that I am prepared to do. It is my aim to get it recognised as a proper illness with all the atendant benifits but as you might imagine that would require quite a lot of effort that I cannot really willingly enter into without damaging my "lazy" status. It is very much a catch 22.

:D:D

BcUhTrTyEeRdCUP · 22/10/10 - 13:30

I am dyslixic(sp?) if that counts

mathertron · 22/10/10 - 13:32

Psycho hose beast

Hey there!

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Disabled DS Members - what's your disability?

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