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HAWMC Day 9: Keep calm and carry on…

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Well another day, which means a brand new post, still soldiering on with the WEGO Health  Activist Writer’s Month Challenge.  And today’s prompt is:

 Keep calm and carry on…Write (and create) your own Keep Calm and Carry On poster.  Can you make it about your condition? Then go to (http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/) and actually make an image to post to your blog.

First, I thought I would give you all a quick history of the (now) iconic ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster.  The poster was first designed in 1939 by the British Ministry of Information, intended to send a message to the British public in time of war, ‘to steel their resolve and boost their morale’.

However, while similar posters were found at the time across the country during World War II, the Keep Calm and Carry on posters were never used and were eventually forgotten about.

They were later rediscovered in 2000 at a second-hand bookstore in Northumberland called Barrier Books.  Since copyright on any works created by the British government expires after 50 years, the poster became known to the public, and the shop started selling reprinted copies of the poster.  Now, the poster is instantly recognisable and has since inspired countless products featuring the original poster as well as a number of parodies of it.

So, I have actually created two versions of the poster to reflect my condition:

I have chosen this image, as it is something that is constantly being said to be, particularly by my parents.  As, it has been previously mentioned, due to spastic paraparesis, my legs are considerably weak, often collapsing from under me.  As a result, I am unable to stand for long, and lately have been experiencing terrible trembling, or ‘jelly-like’ feeling in my legs.  When I am doing chores, or am standing up in the house I often stumble and fall, often being able to grab onto something so I don’t end up on the floor, and so my whomever I’m with, usually Mum tells me ‘to go and sit down’…

And the other poster I have created is the following:

With neurological conditions no one person will experience the exact same symptoms, as it depends on which part of the brain is affected as different parts of the brain is responsible for different functions.  Therefore, no two patients with neurological disorders are alike, just  like snowflakes…

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HAWMC Day 8: Best Conversation I had this week…

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Happy Easter Everyone!!  Hope you are all enjoying your Easter Eggs… Well, it’s now day 8 of WEGO Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge, which means a brand new post, and today’s prompt reads:

Best conversation I had this week…Try writing script-style (or with dialogue) today to recap an awesome conversation you had this week

Well, unfortunately, today I am not feeling well today, and am unable to vividly remember any conversation I had this week.  However, quite recently a very nice woman got in touch with me via a website that I am a member of, she recently moved into the area and was looking to meet new people.  Anyway, she first came to my house a few weeks ago, and last week we arranged to go out into our local town for lunch.  We were talking about my blog and she said something that stayed with me:

Your blog is a great idea, is a great way to educate people about your condition and you never who you are going to help by writing it.  Some person may read it, and having the same symptoms as you and go to the doctor’s with the information and get a diagnosis.

I have never really though about it that way, sure I wanted to educate people about my condition and to raise awareness of hidden disabilities in general.  But would be amazing to think that maybe someone could helped by my blog, especially as it took me years and years to get a definitive diagnosis, instead doctor’s telling me it was all down to anxiety and my problems ‘were in my head.’

It was also probably the best conversation I have had this week, as for one it wasn’t with one of my parents, who I spend most of my time with. And second of all, going out with someone and having a fun conversation enabled me to forget about my problems for a while, and just have some fun…

Anyway, I am going to keep this short for today, especially as I don’t feel well, so will see you all tomorrow…

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HAWMC Day 7: ‘In a Perfect World’…

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Hello Everyone, me again!  Time for Day 7 of WEGO Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge.  Today it is up to the Health Activist to choose what to write about.  So, I have decided to have a look at the bonus prompts that were given to us at the start of the challenge:

In a perfect world…Wrote about one thing you wish you could change.  It can be in your own life or the world at large.

So, I though I would choose ‘world peace’ but though that would be too obvious!

As my blog is about my daily struggles with my condition…I would obviously choose to change so that I would not have to endure the daily symptoms or the struggles that I have to face.

It would certainly make my life so much easier, I would be able to have so much more independence and would not be a burden on my parents or family.

I remember when I was younger, approximately 15 or 16 I was so excited and looking forward for the time when I would be able to start driving lessons.  I would imagine how exciting to would be to pass my driving test and then having my own car – being able to take myself off and going where I wanted, anytime I wanted.

In addition, after finishing my psychology degree, I originally wanted to work within the mental health sector, perhaps as a support worker for those suffering with psychological disorders.  However, in recent years emphasis has been placed on community care and away from hospitals.  Therefore, this means that the majority of jobs in the field require employees to visit people at home, and so is now a job that requires being able to drive or at least the ability to use public transportation.

However, due to the condition that I have – and the constant dizziness, as well as the unpredictability of the vertigo and visual disturbances that I experience, it means that I am not allowed to drive as it would be too dangerous for me to do so…and due to the spastic paraparesis, the weakness in my legs, and due to the fact that they very often give way with no warning and I am unable to stand for very long, would make it near impossible for me to be able to use public transportation and walk long distances to visit people in their homes.

Not having this condition, would also make it much easier to be able to make friends – and keep the ones I have made.  This condition, and the dizziness that I have endured for so many years, have made it so difficult to make and keep friends.  At school, I was often ostracised from my peers as many often thought I was strange.  And even at university when I did make friends, they have not stayed in contact, although I do not know the reason why, it more than likely is due to my condition due to the fact that the dizziness makes it very difficult for me to go out to places, such as large shopping centres or to nightclubs due to the way that they make me feel and how they can bring on episodes of vertigo.  Unfortunately, these places are incredibly popular with my age group and where most people my age want to go when going out with friends.

I have tried to make contact with those who I were closest to at university but none have made contact… So, it seems at the moment I lead a very lonely existence, sure I have my parents, but would be nice to be able to spend time with other people, or even people my own age.

It also incredibly difficult leading a normal life with the spastic paraparesis…especially as I am unable to stand for very long – no more than around 10 minutes,  This obviously causes a problem when thinking about going shopping, hence the reason why I still live at home, as Mum and Dad are able to do the majority of chores such as food shopping, and the like.  And if I do go out then I have to take regular breaks, such as going for a drink so am able to sit down – making it an expensive trip out!!

Also, causes a problem with being able to perform chores effectively – I have to regular breaks and sit downs when I have chores to do, making it take twice as long to do.

Therefore, I would choose to change the dizziness and spastic paraparesis so I would be able to live a normal and more to the point a life that I would want to live….

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HAWMC Day 6: Health Haiku

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It’s Good Friday, so I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. I’s the 6th of April, so that means it’s the sixth post in the WEGO Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge. Here is today’s prompt:

Health Haiku…Write a haiku about your health focus. 5 syllables/7 syllables/5 syllables. Write as many as you like!

I have to say, I was pretty nervous when I read the prompt. While I used to love to write poetry as a child, I haven’t done so in some years, and what’s more is I have never written a haiku before!! But I signed up to the Challenge promising myself I will write something everyday. So here it goes…

Image: http://happyhaiku.blogspot.co.uk/2000/07/theory-5-7-5.html

I may look normal

But I am not invisible

Cannot see what is wrong

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Silent deep and hides

Within my brain lies a lesion

Dizzy, weak legs and falls

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Are now part of my life

Feeling all alone in the world

Nobody understands

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Room is spinning fast

Legs weak buckling beneath me – fall!

Pick myself up…again!

Although there are 4 separate Haikus I written them so that they all link together, creating a story about my condition.

I hope you enjoyed them…

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HAWMC Day 5: Ekphrasis Post

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Another day has come upon us…so it’s now the fifth day of the WEGO Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge. Th prompt for today reads:

Ekphrasis Post…Go to flickr.com/explore and write a post inspired by the image. Can you link it to your health focus? Don’t forget to post the image!

Ekphrasis is defined as ‘a description of a visual work of art…and is considered generally to be a rhetorical device in which one medium of art tries to relate to another medium dy defining and describing its essence and form’.

Anyway, this is the image that flickr chose for me:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/star_gazer_32/2052442753/

For copyright reasons, I was unable to upload the photograph to the post itself.

So, how would this image relate to my health condition? Well for one, this image really sums up my world how it looks whilst I am dealing with the visual disturbances in my daily life – everything out of focus, and blurred, so not being able to clearly make out objects, people or places, which when they come on can be frightening indeed…

Also, it is ironic that the image that appeared was of a carousel – they obviously go round and round, often producing feeling of dizziness and nausea. Two symptoms which I suffer from every day!!  Often, after coming off a carousel or other rides such as these, often leave your legs feeling like jelly, which is a sensation similar I experience everyday with my legs which continuously feels weak and wobbly, as if at any moment I will fall as if my legs are unable to support my weight.

Living with a chronic illness can in many ways be symbolised by the movement of the carousel horses, like the one in the image – up, and down, up and down. Many chronic illnesses, or illnesses which cannot be seen are very often fluctuating condition, so that one day you may be feel on top of the world, have lots of energy… whilst the next day you may be at rock bottom, feeling incredibly unwell, lethargic.

The colours and the lights are that are depicted in the image are problematic for me – strobe lights like these often being on episodes of vertigo and visual disturbances when I am faced with them. So being in the location of the carousel from the picture would probably leave me feeling very unwell indeed!!

The image has evoked a feeling of deja vu in me, as if the image itself describes my everyday life – the spinning of the carousel itself depicting the continuous dizziness and episodes of vertigo.  The image being blurred and out of focus depicting the visual disturbances which come and go throughout the day.  And the feelings after coming off a carousel reflecting the jelly like feelings in my legs and the weakness in them.

Well, that’s all folks.  I hope you enjoyed the post – I myself have found this particular prompt very difficult indeed, and not sure that I have done well with it all.  If you have any comments or thoughts, please feel free to share them, i would love to know what you all think

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