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This post is for the ‘Patients for a Moment Blog Carnival’ hosted by Leslie at ‘Getting Closer to Myself‘.

This month’s theme is Social Media and illness, with which there are two parts!  The first part is to describe our illness using just 140 characters; just as if we were using Twitter to do so.  This could just be one statement characterising the illness experience, or a series of statements of 140 characters.

The second part of the challenge asks us to describe how social media has personally impacted our illness experience.

So, how can I describe my condition just using 140 characters?  Well, this could be extremely challenging giving the complexity and the unrecognised nature of my illness.  But here it goes…

Neurological condition affecting the brainstem. The effects include constant dizziness, vertigo and spastic paraparesis affecting the legs

The first part is self-explanatory, obviously the illness that I live with is a result of a neurological condition, known as a long-standing brain-stem lesion.  The lesion is scarring of the brainstem, possibly as a result of a head injury of birth, although as it was diagnosed years later, the exact cause of the lesion is unknown.  The effects that I listed are the main symptoms that I experience as a result of the neurological condition.  As the statement suggests this include the constant dizziness (feeling as if my world is unbalanced), vertigo (as if the world around me is spinning).  The spastic paraparesis is another symptoms that is troublesome to my daily life.  It affects primarily the legs as suggested by the above statement.  It causes stiffness and weakness of the legs which makes it uncomfortable and at times very difficult to walk.  Often due to the weakness, it can cause my legs to suddenly give way from under me.  Recently, I have been battling severe trembling in the legs, a jelly-like feeling in my legs, which above all is extremely uncomfortable and leaves me unable to stand for long.  Of course, there are other symptoms that I experience such as nausea, neuropathic pain and fatigue.

Are you able to describe your condition in 140 characters?  Give it a try!

 

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To the second part, then!  How has social media impacted my illness experience?  For starters, the impact upon my illness experience is mainly positive.  Social media, not only allows patients to connect with others and share their stories and experiences, it also allows patients to raise awareness of their particular chronic illness, and share with others what it is like to live with illness every day, and everything that goes with it, for example, I often tweet via Twitter on how I am feeling, and attempt to write how the symptoms affect me and what it is like to live with them.  Not only is social media fantastic and advocating and raising awareness of illness, but it is great to connect with others, particularly when we are experiencing a flare or relapse, and gain support from other patients in similar circumstances.  It provides camaraderie for those experiencing chronic illness, like myself.

Think about when you are ill in bed, it often involves being stuck in bed, alone whilst everyone else is busy living their lives.  Asa  result, it often leaves you feel lonely and isolated, right?  Think if illness was a regular part of your life; being stuck in bed, lonely in your bedroom with no company was a regular part of your routine.  That feeling of loneliness and isolation is also a regular part of your life, however Twitter and other forms of social media, provides patients with chronic illness a perfect tonic, as it allows to converse with other people even when in bed via new technologies such as smartphones and tablets.

It provides entertainment and diversion from illness.   Often, when I am bed bound due to the extreme weakness in my legs, or due to severe dizziness, I am very grateful for the supportive messages that I receive on Twitter from other chronically ill patients and friends; they really brighten the day, and also reminds me that I am not alone on the journey through illness.  Social media provides real-life perspectives on illness, and besides the entertainment and social aspects, perhaps the most valuable features of such sites is it’s a place free from judgement and stimatisation that many experience in the real-world, as well as educating others about particular medical conditions in order to tackle the problem of stigma .

 

Welcome to the fifth and final installment in the ‘A to Z of Chronic Illness’ series of posts.  A series of posts to use the letters of the alphabets and find words to describe what it is like to live with a chronic illness.  Today is the last post which covers the letters U through to Z.

If you have any suggestions, or comments on the words that you would use to describe chronic illness, then please feel free to leave a message below.

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U is for…

UNPREDICTABLE

Yes, an excellent word to describe what living with a chronic illness is like.  It is certainly very unpredictable to live with a chronic illness.  You never know when symptoms are going to kick in; what days you are going to be unwell.  One minute, you can be feeling well, and the next minute, the symptoms hit you, and it’s like being in the crutches of the particular health condition in which you live.  No days are the same; one day, one symptom such as the dizziness can be bothering you, and the next day it can disappear, only to be replaced by another symptom.  In addition, many chronic illnesses are also unpredictable, as often the course and progression of the health condition is unknown and unpredictable – it is not known what symptoms the patient will or will not develop; how quickly the condition will progress; or even, how severe the condition will affect the patient.  Everything about living with a chronic illness is unpredictable.

 

 

 

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V is for…

VERTIGO

Another hard letter to find a word that describes life with chronic illness.  Vertigo may not be a word that fits in with most chronic illnesses, but it certainly is an accurate word that describes my life with chronic illness. Vertigo is a subtype of the more common symptom of dizziness in which people inappropriately experience the perception of motion; such as a spinning sensation.  It is extremely unpleasant, and very difficult to live with, especially on a daily basis.  Vertigo is also associated with nausea and vomiting, as well as problems with balance; often resulting in difficulties with standing or walking.

 

 

 

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W is for…

WEAKNESS

There were a few possibilities for W; such as walking or war, but I thought I would choose weakness instead.  Due to chronic illness, most patients often feel feeling very weak, as their bodies are crippling under the effects of the symptoms that their health condition can cause.  Patients often feel so weak that everything is extremely difficult; taking up all of our energy until we have run out of ‘spoons’ (see ‘Spoonie’ for an explanation).  Certain part of our bodies may also show weakness, for example, I suffer with what is known as ‘spastic paraparesis’, which is severe stiffness and weakness of the legs.  It is because of this weakness that I am unable to stand for more than ten minutes, as they often give way with no warning.  Weakness can be seen as a loss of strength and control of movement in the arms, legs or whatever part of the body that is affected by the chronic illness.

 

 

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X is for…

XEROSTOMIA

This letter was a massive challenge!  Especially as there are a limited number of words that start with the letter ‘x’ to begin with!  Xerostomia is the medical term for a dry mouth.  And how does this word tie in with chromic illness, you ask?  Well, a dry mouth can be a symptom of systemic diseases such as Sjogren’s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma to name but a few.  However, a dry mouth can also be a side effect of a number of different medications.  It is certainly a side effect that I have to deal with, and has resulted in me always carrying some minutes of chewing gum to help combat this

 

 

 

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Y is for

YO-YO

Just as I have mentioned previously that chronic illness is extremely unpredictable, it is also a lot like a yo-yo.  There are many ups and downs whilst living with chronic illness; there are good days and bad days; there are days where you feel well and those where you feel extremely unwell.  The ups and downs, of course, do not only apply to the physical aspects of illness, but can also describe the psychological side of illness.  There are days that I am sure everyone feels depressed, and wallowing in misery because of the effects that the illness is impacting on their lives.  But there are also the days that are good emotionally, where we feel positive, and that we could take on the world!

 

 

 

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Z is for…

ZEBRA

I really could not think of any other word for the letter ‘z’!  Consider this famous quote:

“When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras” –
Dr Theodore Woodward

Now zebra is used as the medical slang, and symbol for rare diseases.  Often when a patient becomes unwell and are going through tests to search of a diagnosis, doctors will always consider the more common medical conditions, and rarely think outside the box for an uncommon cause, as of course like horses the majority of chronic illnesses are often commonplace.  However, not all patients will arrive at a simple, commonplace diagnosis, like my diagnosis some are rare and unusual, such as hearing hoofbeats and finding a zebra behind you!

 

THE END!

 

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Welcome to the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge brought together by WEGO Health – a social network for all health activists.  Again, I am participating in the annual Writer’s Month Challenge in which I will be writing about my health activism and health condition based upon prompts given.

Today’s prompt is as follows:

Post a picture that symbolises your condition and your experiences 

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Taken from: Matt Lassen Cartoons: Word of the Day  – May 28 2011

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Welcome to another post for the ’12 Days of being Chronically Thankful’, a revised version of the famous ’12 Days of Christmas’ for those living with chronic illness, like me.

On the ‘6th Day of Christmas’ I was chronically thankful for…a theatre production!

Now, living with a chronic condition like mine, I am unable to attend a theatre production in person – most theatres are very big with high ceilings, as most of you are aware, high ceilings, and flashing fluorescent lights are a trigger for the episodes of severe vertigo that I often experience, and hence going to see a theatre production would make me extremely unwell.

However, a few weeks back, during one of my first trips out with my P.A, we visited my local library, and lo and behold I found a copy of a DVD of a production of ‘Les Misèrables’ that was filmed at the O2 for the show’s 25 year Anniversary.  I was so excited as  it is a show that I haven’t wanted to see for years, but because of my condition I have been unable to go and see it in London.

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As a result, I instantly decided that I would rent it from the library, and on a day in which I felt really bad, leaving me unable to get out of bed, I managed to watch it on my computer.  And I instantly fell in love with the musical – the story, the songs just everything about it!  And for a couple of hours, I forgot about how bad I felt, I was still aware of the dizziness and vertigo as they are hard to ignore!  However, I was so engrossed with the production of this amazing musical that I was able to ignore it, and just really enjoy the DVD!

And now I am equally excited for the film version of Les Misérables, starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway among others – and perhaps even planning a trip to the cinema with my Personal Assistant, it will be difficult for me being in the building but I am determined to achieve this feat!

And for that I am ‘chronically’ thankful!

Welcome everybody; am writing this post on a quiet Sunday afternoon.  For today I have chosen a short prompt as this particular day I really am not feeling well.  I have chosen a prompt from an earlier date.  In the prompt entitled ‘Anatomy Post’ it was asked that we re-labelled an anatomy picture with new names or descriptions the body parts.  I have chosen to label the different parts of the body which are affected by the differing symptoms that are caused by my condition; some of them are invisible such as the dizziness and vertigo so I have used the body part in which these symptoms originate (i.e. the brain).

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