eloisavaldes - Tumblr blog

[eloisavaldes]

I guess it just became easier to remain isolated, with time. I can't remember when exactly I stepped into this loneliness of sorts bubble. I recall being at odds with being, and feeling isolated, somewhere around 2011/12, and even tried to get out of it. And I did, in a way. That's how I made some of my current friends, in Porto and elsewhere. And how I met my partner, too. When I came back to Coimbra I got into the habit of getting myself more out there, by going to some classes, and even after I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a few weeks later I was shooting 📸 at a cosplay event, and then meeting lots of new people thanks to Pokémon Go! I was finally feeling like my old self, the Eloísa pre-isolation times, that I knew. And I was happy about it. What changed? When? I'm not sure if I truly wanna know anymore, but if I had to take a guess I'd say my loss of mobility and need for more physiotherapy than before was at play here. Hmmm... Yeah, maybe that whole year without PT didn't help, but stillllll... Can I point it as the sole cause for me currently feeling at ease with my isolation? Well, it's not 100%, and this year I'm having visits over at home, and I have friends, still... So maybe it's just a new form of dealing with things that makes me feel like I'm isolated, but not really being so, and thus me feeling so much at ease with it, maybe? 😅 Am I making any sense to you!? I mean, sure, I'd like to be able to go places more, and more easily. But at the same time, when I have friends coming over here instead that makes me more at ease with not getting out so much. Minus the REALLY ODD times I miss going out at night 🎶🍻 🕺🏻, I'm mostly just fine and dandy being at home, as long as I have my Wi-Fi and snacks... 🤷🏻‍♂️ When did that happen? Was it last year, after I missed WebSummit? Could that be the trigger for how I am, now? A psychological response of adjustment to my current mobility status? Is this making sense to my #MS sisters? __ #Blog #MSwarriors #MSlife #msawareness #FuckMS #MSwarrior #IhaveMS #thisiswhatmslookslike #personal #isolation #isolated #selfie https://www.instagram.com/p/B0urzehAU8A/?igshid=qp1fda5ewhj3

[eloisavaldes]

My 'don't mess with me' face. I don't use it much. Most of the times it's, sadly, when people are not respecting me or other people with disabilities. It really puts me on edge. _ #ThisIsMS #MSlife #MSwarriors #MSwarrior #MultipleSclerosis #Fieldnotes #selfie #cork #dontmesswithme #blog https://www.instagram.com/p/BxlkMOXFSmG/?igshid=1xve58p3gpds1

[eloisavaldes]

An old #poem of mine about the Carnations Revolution in Portugal. __ #25deAbril #Liberdade https://www.instagram.com/p/BwroWW_ggg8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=cnc6wt70gkkz

[eloisavaldes]

Help welcome!

Every time I ask for help there's 10 more occasions where I need and/or welcome it and I don't say a peep about it. Mostly out of shame or embarrassment.

This is a time that I can't see a resolution without the help of my friends and acquaintances and their social networks, though.

So here I am, heart in my hands, asking you for help.

The windows of my house have been failing me A LOT.

I've fixed them twice already. They're very very old, and most of them have custom sizes and weird systems that one doesn't easily find pieces to replace - if at all, so now they really need to be substituted.

As some of you already know, ever since I got the Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis I've been adrift in bills and spending all my savings so I can just keep walking, you know?

Literally!

Physiotherapy in the hospital was taken away from me for a year, and now I have it back but at a 5th of what I once had, and it's not enough.

So, with the help of some friends' donations I've been able to pay for some more physio sessions in the private practice. And OMG, the difference!

Thank you!!! <3

In just a few months I recovered the "damage" of a full year of no physio at all. It's something that my body immediately complaints about, when I'm spacing my sessions a bit further, because money is tight.

Anyway...

I need your help, once again. :3

My windows are fucked, just like my legs.

I've been keeping myself at bay with less physio sessions because I don't like to beg for money every time I need a new pack, but this time I am begging you.

With the windows like this I won't be able to air my house properly, which will only decay the house even further, as long as my health. One of them is broken in a way that lets a lot of sun come in, into my room.

Which is good for the house, but bad for my MS because it's starting to warm up my room too much and my MS symptoms are starting to act up on me again on account of that temperature rise...

And it's not even Summer! D:

Every euro counts - as well as shares of this post among your friends!

If you could spare some, or just one, I'll give you my NIB / IBAN!

I also have Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/eloisa85

Thank you, in any case, and for your attention,

With love, Eloísa Valdes

[eloisavaldes]

@koldtec is heaven! I've used it in physiotherapy and for the first time in years I didn't get all sweaty after 15 minutes of exercise! Not only that, I got to keep my t-shirt dry, which was a first for me. It has also helped me not feel so fatigued during and post-workout. This is why I've been talking about it so much. My only regret is that of not having bought an extra one. I now want it as a 'just in case'. 😍 Love it! Wanna help me get more? If you're considering buying one please use my referral link which is in my bio in IG: https://www.koldtec.com/?afmc=29 If you check my Instagram stories you'll also see me talking more about it and why I love it so much. https://www.instagram.com/p/BvWjVC3Hiub/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=t1k4q9cggy6e

[eloisavaldes]

Yet another X-ray, yet another waiting line. Love how the 'ghosts' around this person turned out. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu_N2fBHKNA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=czk5uovr0rxl

[eloisavaldes]

My SO and I went to CoimbraBD last week for an impromptu and really quick look at it. I don't think we were there for even an hour, as I wasn't feeling so hot after a while. :/ Damn you, MS! *shakes fist* Cosplay day wasn't until the last one, and they moved the movies screenings from Motelx to another side of the city, so we were left with comics. And by golly, so much more comics, it seemed to me! 😍 It was hard not to buy some... Ivo gave me this Betty Boop pop and a back issue from Ms. Marvel, and I bought a couple of national artist's comic books, one of which from @andrecaetano_illustrations, whose work I've been following for long, now. ♥ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu8o-4dltYU/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ekfqhrh47gjm

[eloisavaldes]

I got a chance to test this print of a photograph of mine in acrylic by @saaldigital_pt and I gotta say I'm loving it! It came with a kit to hold it in the wall as you can see in the last pic, but I'm loving my lil' square in different places in the room according to my mood! As always, the printing is super clean and the software very easy to use. 10/10 super recommend their services! -- 🇵🇹 Amei o quadro personalizado que tive oportunidade de fazer através do programa de testes da @saal_digital! Super recomendo os serviços deles, tanto em impressão em acrílico, como em papel - que podem ver num post meu do ano passado! ♥ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu6Lv_KFme4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=8fhzl6brjbnl

[eloisavaldes]

Meet my #succulent! It was a gift from my mother last Summer and my first ever #plant. I'm amazed I haven't killed it, yet! Good thing it doesn't need much water, uh? I low-key want more, now! 🌵 https://www.instagram.com/p/Buljf7wnoyy/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1soka18rcall5

[eloisavaldes]

J'Accuse!

We can’t in good conscience condone or support Tumblr’s recent decision to arbitrarily remove and censor any and all content they deem “adult” in nature! Especially since their definition is so broad, that anything remotely resembling naked skin is potentially subject to censorship and deletion. They have already begun rolling out their faulty algorithms, and so far we have had several posts “flagged” that didn’t even come close to depicting anything “adult”, let alone nude.

Nudity in and of itself is not sexual. The naked human body has been portrayed in art throughout all the ages of Man - at least since the Upper Paleolithic over 30,000 years ago. It is the single most common depiction of the Human Being in all art forms since the very dawn of civilization. While we absolutely understand the need to crack down on unlawful pornographic material, tumblr’s decision to wipe out nudity in all its forms across the site is an act of extreme overreaction and overreach. It takes away the very freedom of artistic expression which attracts people to this site in the first place. And to add insult to injury, they leave this monumental task of grotesque censorship to a mindless code - an algorithm that can’t even tell the difference between a human foot and someone’s naughty bits. 

Is this what the internet will ultimately come down to in the end? 30,000 years of human expression stomped out by a line of corporate computer code, because a bunch of frightened shareholders are more prudish and uptight than the entire Victorian temperance movement put together? 

We foresee that this awful decision by tumblr will vastly reduce the number of users and ultimately spell the end of the site down the line. We can only recommend that anyone who disagrees with this destructive choice, voice their objections directly to the staff  as we have done. 

And spread the word! 

https://staff.tumblr.com/

[eloisavaldes]

It has been some really rough months health-wise since the heat started in May. I had two MS mini-relapses this Summer, and a whole lot of exacerbations in-between. #Tecfidera is helping me. I have this feeling that if it wasn't for Tecfidera those would be major relapses like 2 years ago. Anyway, this post isn't about MultipleSclerosis, despite the fact that I'm giving you an update on a part of my life. I came here today to say thank you to my friends who've been supporting me, either through donations or other ways, like listening to my rants, asking if I need anything; still asking me out for a drink, etc. It all counts! Thank you! ♥ I also want to thank my friend @ricardjorg who sent me this awesome game that I'll write about later on my blog! 🤗

[eloisavaldes]

Hi, everyone!

As promised in my Insta Stories earlier this week, today I bring you a review of a photo album I made thanks to Saal-Digital.pt!

The process of creating an album is simple and fast, thanks to Saal's software. You can edit stuff within it, and even make a collage-like album, without using any other app.

The album arrived within a week, counting from the moment of the order - inside a plastic, which in turn was inside a half-foamed plastic that came inside a cardboard envelope. I loved this!

I wanted to test the quality of the printing service, so I decided to use mobile-only photos. Most of them you can see in my Instagram account. Annnd, Saal Digital did NOT disappoint! :D

I was so pleased when I opened the envelope and I could feel its soft matte texture, composed of 26 pages on photographic paper, which was also matte. Soft, beautiful, perfect!

Even in the center of the pages (where I feared that the folds would create a strange effect on the photos) the photos were displayed in an impeccable manner!

FINAL GRADE:

In the future I will use this company to print some photographic projects that I have in mind.

About this album:

I wanted the whole project, from start to finish, including materials, to have the same feel, as if the album itself were a poem.

A visual poem about vanishing; vanishing vanishing points; farewell(s); memory(ies) lost and (re)encountered, and even rehearsed. In the background of it all, memory essay(s).

I hope I managed to get the message across with it. And yes, I know, there will always be different interpretations, but that is also the beauty of poetry, and photography! :,)

P.S.: Would you like to have an album of mine? :)

- For 50€ (I need to have some profit, to help pay for my physiotherapy) you may have an album of my photos customized by me just with you in mind. Would you like something like that? DM me!

– DISCLAIMER: I want to make it clear that I got the opportunity to try this Saal Digital product for free thanks to a discount code of €30 that was provided to me after my instagram and PT blog profile got reviewed by Saal Digital’s staff.

My review was, as always, unbiased. Otherwise I would not agree to do so. In fact, one of the things that made me want to participate in this experience was to read that SAAL itself wants our feedback, as bloggers, influencers, photographers, instagram addicts, whatever, to be genuine - and so here we are. :)

[eloisavaldes]

The #disabledandcute / #spoonie life is having to be the one to wear a mask when it's the other people who are sick and coughing. You're also sick, but that's #chronic and non-contagious and yet YOU are the one treated as such when they see you in a mask. The only good thing coming out of this is that no one else sits by you and so you can have some personal space for you and your cane/crutch. *sigh* When I say you I mean me, but I have a hint I'm not the only one who goes through this. #MSlife #MultipleSclerosis #MSwarrior #blog #fieldnotes #selfie #vscocam #oneplus3t

[eloisavaldes]

Will you help me? Please?

Hi! You may already know this from my previous post, but...

It's my B-day and I’m asking (read: begging) for your help!

Today I’m going to be a 32 years old unemployed girl with Multiple Sclerosis.

I have mobility and balance issues amongst other sequels from my lesions.

It’s like having a malfunctioning wire running through your whole body and no amount of medicine will ever fix it. So, sometimes I’m okay, sometimes I’m not and other times it’s like hell on earth. :\

Physiotherapy used to help me manage my pain and also regain a bit of my strength, balance, mobility and, in the end, independence.

Ever since I was left without it my condition only worsened. Both physical and mentally. I felt and still feel lost and left away to drift in a sea of nothingness without it. :x

So... Right now I need money for physiotherapy in the private practice, since I'm without it at the Hospital since March 2017, with no prospects of getting my time in the waiting line any time soon.

My ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/A468FZS as well as my paypal https://www.paypal.me/eloisa85 pages are open for donations.

Every cent helps! 

Yes, really.

Thank you in advance for any sharing of this among your social media and/or donation!

P.S.: It'd also be cool, though seriously not essential, to have some:

📚: https://www.bookdepository.com/wishlists/WF965Y

🎮: http://steamcommunity.com/id/eloisavaldes/wishlist

<3,

Eloísa

[eloisavaldes]

Thanks to you, I have my Sea Lion & Shark tattoos! <3

Remember last year when I made a blog post asking for your help to make a dream come true? No? Are you new to my blog? Please read that post before continuing this one so it can make more sense. ^_^

Or, if you prefer, I’ll do a TL;DR recap:

Young adult gets diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, has whole life upside down since then. Spends her get-back-to-Uni fund in meds, trips to Hospital and whatnot, begs the internet for help for a tattoo she wanted to make since she was 15 years old. Does this in the brink of her 31st B-day with tears in her eyes, filled with despair, shame and... well, you name it. Just doing this recap is starting to make my eyes shed a tear.

Back to now: tomorrow I’m going to be 32 years old and am here to show you what my dream came true looks like! :,)

And thank you!

The Sea Lion & the Shark Tattoo

Sea-lions swim away from danger very fast as soon as they spot it. Sharks are their main predator, so they zig-zag away from them unless they sense running away is of no use because the shark is too close. When that happens they just play dead in front of its mouth.

I wanted a sea-lion in one leg, and the shark in another, so they’ll always be swimming for it unless I’m stopped in my tracks. It’s a way to represent my struggle with Multiple Sclerosis, but also of how I face life.

And so I’m now swirling away like a sea-lion, with hope. Or else I’d be in play dead mode already. Something I don’t plan to do...

A note about pricing & my luck

Ah! This was done at a really neat price because I was lucky enough to find an excellent tattoo artist who read my story (that link I gave you in the top of this post) and was kind enough to tell me she’d tattoo me for the money I ended up raising.

I raised almost half of my goal (as you can see by my ko-fi page), which was based on the standard pricing for this kind of tattoos in my country with a decent (and not rookie) professional tattoo artist.

I also had a bonus tattoo with her, which wasn’t planned beforehand. At least not in the sense of planning that I had for the Sea Lion & the Shark tattoo.

A note about pain

It doesn’t hurt too much. But then again, due to my chronic pain my pain tolerance threshold is constantly being “upgraded”, so take that with a grain of salt.

Also, I had the chance to notice the difference between one leg and another. In my tight leg, where I have chronic paresthesia, I didn’t feel as much pain as I did in my left one, where I feel everything normal. It wasn’t until I started being tattooed in my left side that I felt the need to bite something in order not to say a swear word. Even then, I think I said it. xD

Anyway, guess it really depends on the person, tattoo artist and also on the placement of the tattoo itself.

To me, it was a piece of cake. To you it can be different. Nothing like trying it out to see, right? I mean, if you WANT a tattoo!

I’m not trying to sell the idea of having a tattoo to people who never thought about it and/or don’t like them. I’m talking to those who want/like them. :)

The Semicolon Tattoo

I always wanted to have stars in my body, nay, the whole cosmos. I also wanted to have a semicolon inked, representative of my struggle with depression and other mental health issues. So, we combined the two elements and thus my semicolon star filled with the universe came to life!

Because it’s not a dot, but a semicolon, “Your story is not over yet” is the motto of this tattoo, which is a tribute to Project Semicolon.

THANK YOU! <3

Thank you, everyone who donated and shared my post and RT’d, etc.

And thank you, Valentina, for the most awesome ink work I have in my skin, and for being your kind, generous and good-vibes self! I’ll always recommend your work to people!

Hey, you! Wanna get a tattoo?

Consider Valentina Gazalez Vargas, she picks up on your idea and researches everything about it so you can have something representative of your idea.

I’m talking anatomy, color symbolism, etc. She’s great with that. Also, if there are enough requests she can even travel to your country, if the expenses are met with comparable work.

If you can’t gather around many people, she’s a traveler anyway, so keep your eyes peeled on her social media feeds, like Facebook and Instagram and check if she’s going to be in your are soon and be quick in asking for an appointment. You won’t regret it!

Credits: Photos by Stran Ger, for whose work and company during those hours I also have thanks to give. A tattoo is always easier to get when you have someone to talk to. Time flew by.

Thank you for your attention if you’ve reached this far,

Love,

always,

Eloísa Valdes!

kofiwidget2.init('Help me get Physiotherapy!', '#ff8345', 'A468FZS');kofiwidget2.draw();

P.S.: Right now I need money to be able to pay for physiotherapy, so I’ll keep my ko-fi page up.

That's how the money I get from you from now on will be spent, in my health and mobility.

Thank you!!!

[eloisavaldes]

I have some less than bubbly thoughts about #WebSummit, especially #websummit17 and the treatment of #WomenInTech at the event that I need to share, but don't even know where to start... 🤔

[eloisavaldes]

All around #WebSummit we had these questions around, to which we replied with stickers. There were also some posters and flyers with other pertinent questions. I found this very interesting.