#degenerative disc disease

[plague-parade]

happy disability pride to all of my fucked up spine havers

happy disability pride to those of us who have spinal cord injuries, degenerative disc disease, ankylosing spondylitis, scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis, spinal arthritis, cauda equina syndrome, tethered cord syndrome, spinal fusions, stenosis, myelopathy, radiculopathy, spondylolithesis, craniocervical instability, spina bifida, spinal tumors, syringomyelia, and anything else spine related

we are so very cool and i love you all so much

[thedisablednaturalist]

I think some of us ambulatory wheelchair users are getting pretty close to (or already are) throwing full time users and higher support needs disableds under the bus. And that shit needs to be shut down NOW.

It's the problem of: "how dare they treat us like those people!"

The problem with ableists isn't that they assume we can't walk The problem is they assume we don't need our wheelchairs if we can. That we don't need our handicapped placards or transport vehicles. That we are taking advantage of other "actually" disabled people, that the ableists also don't give a shit about unless they're using them as an excuse to be ableist.

The problem with ableists isn't that they assume we are intellectually and/or developmentally disabled. The problem is they assume that every intellectually/developmentally disabled person needs to be treated with baby talk, dismissal, and ignorance. That they don't see them as people and refuse to listen to intellectually and developmentally disabled voices without making fun of them.

Stop throwing people with higher support needs under the bus. Stop doing what the abled neurodivergent community did to all physically disabled people. Us cripples gotta stick together and fight for one another, not push one down to make ourselves somehow look better to ableist fucks.

[spacefacedtragedy]

Yes

Young people need wheelchairs and canes

Yes

Young people use State disability and social programs like Medicare and SSI

Yes

Young people can suffer from degenerative or stress based diseases

Yes

Young people need handicap spaces

Yes

Young people need serious surgery

Yes

Young people have serious disabilities!

AND NO THEY DONT NEED TO

"LoOk DiSaBlEd"

[becauseanders]

i hate you ehlers-danlos syndrome i hate you pots i hate you chronic migraines i hate you brainstem auras i hate you central nervous system complications i hate you degenerative disc disease i hate you hypotension i hate you osteoarthritis i hate you fibromyalgia i hate you tmj disorder i hate you carpal tunnel i hate you mcas

[chronic--experiences]

After years of putting it off, I finally got my first cane.

Definitely having mixed feelings about it. I’m worried about judgement coming from people who have seen me move around without a cane, and people claiming that I’m faking a disability because I’m young.

At the same time it’s such a relief to have something that provides me with more stability while moving around. My left leg has gotten so weak and I’m constantly scared of falling after my leg has given out multiple times (once on a flight of stairs)

I’ve got great friends who are super supportive of me finally getting a mobility aid and are willing to fight anyone who looks at me funny, but it’s definitely going to get some taking used to.

[nightmaretour]

is there a difference between a electric hot water bottle and a heating pad? I have a heating pad and I've never heard of an electric hot water bottle but I'm interested.

The main difference really is whereas a heating pad is always on and usually needs to be plugged in the whole time you're using it, an electric hot water bottle uses an electric heating element to heat up the water inside when plugged in, but when it's done you can just unplug it and take it anywhere and it'll stay warm for a long time (unlike heat packs which I find cool down really fast.)

The main upside to that for me is that it's completely safe to use it when you're sleeping, which is a total game changer because that's when I need it most. I used to use a regular hot water bottle for that, which is really dangerous and difficult to fill for someone who only has full use of one arm, and also requires standing and walking when I was already in a ton of pain.

Downsides are that it covers a smaller area and it does cool down eventually, but you don't have to wait to heat it again like with a microwave heat pack.

I actually hadn't heard of them either until my mom mentioned it to me after I changed meds recently, and then sent me one by surprise! It has made the past few weeks so much more bearable.

[oseberg-shipper]

I wish I could explain to other disabled people and to doctors how exercise works for me, so that doctors could do a better job of helping people get exercise and other disabled folks could use exercise the way I have if it works for them.

Cause the way exercise has been explained and sold to me my entire life has not worked for me at all. But the way I'm exercising now really helps.

I have EDS, degenerative disc disease, spinal nerve damage from Cauda Equina Syndrome, endometriosis, and many other issues. I used to laugh at people when they told me exercise would help. All I ever did trying to exercise was hurt my body and my feelings. I got repetitive stress injuries at the drop of a hat, so as soon as I'd established any kind of routine, I'd hurt myself and be unable to exercise, and then I'd lost my groove and just felt terrible and guilty about it.

Exercise was sold to me as the least I could do to buy my right to exist as a fat cripple.

Last year, I had a lull in active health disasters, and I was worried about becoming so deconditioned that I'd catastrophically injure my back again. So I started a walking program under the guidance of my PT, who knows about EDS. She helped me get fitted with walking sticks to keep my form and give me more of a whole body exercise. She also showed me how to walk. I went to a great little medical shoe shop and got two pairs of sneakers and orthotics fitted by a butch.

I started with 15 minutes of walking, and .25 miles of walking, every other day. I didn't have to do anything else, just on the day it said, walk either 15 min or .25 miles based on what it said on my paper. Eventually, in a few months, I got up to a reliable 3 miles/1 hour walk. I saw the river in all the seasons. I felt the wind on my face and the rain and the sun. I bought exercise clothes and suited up, even for short walks, to make sure my parts all stayed where they should be.

The hardest part was not going ham. Not extending my walk, not going further and faster. The second hardest thing was getting back on the horse when a flare or injury made me take more rest. Also, the distances I was doing were actually too much. My legs hurt all the time and I had to take meds to help with the pain sometimes.

Then, this mystery stomach problem I have started. Intense epigastric pain and vomiting. I had to stop exercising because I was simply not taking in enough nutrition to be safe.

Once I got the vomiting under control, and was able to consume more calories and especially protein, I got back out there. Now, as long as I'm not desperately ill, I walk 1 mile around my neighborhood with my sticks. My back feels better while I'm walking. When I skip a day, my back hurts more. My bowels move better when I walk. Essentially, I've gotten my body physically dependent on exercise. Because that's what our bodies evolved to do, and we offloaded some things like digestion onto the assumption that we'd be moving our bodies.

I hate hate hate the way we talk about exercise in this culture, because it's denying people in pain a tool that could really help them, by wrapping it all up in this horrifying morality play.

I wish there were apps out there for folks like us, that encourage you to exercise but don't link stuff to shame or weight and don't punish you for taking time to recover or prioritize other things. Because it was really really hard to get into exercise and I had to spend a lot of time doing something I really really didn't enjoy, that stole spoons from me, before getting to a point of fitness that allowed me to actually benefit.

[a-deep-purple-feeling]

PAINKILLERS, 29.03.23; 10" x 12 " acrylic on canvas board

INSTAGRAM

[randomslasher]

Back pain question: 

I have a bad back (random assortment of nonspecific diagnoses generally ranging from slipped/degenerating discs to stenosis to Bertolloti Syndrome). When I experienced my first ‘blow out’ I was around 20, and my doc prescribed a muscle relaxant. Instead of helping, it left me unable to walk at all, since the tensed muscles around my spine were the only thing keeping me stable.  I am now almost 40 and I’m having a minor incident. I’m already on Tramadol and ibuprofen but doc wants me to try a muscle relaxant again. I was nervous at first thinking the same bad thing might happen, but then @thuriweaver pointed out that I’ve been doing edibles at night to help me sleep and that they also cause relaxed muscles.  Does anyone know if that’s a good comparison? A muscle relaxant and an edible? Do they do similar things to your muscles? I’m torn on this fence between “muscle relaxant might make it better” and “muscle relaxant might make it much worse” and wanting to know if the two are comparable. If so the relaxant will probably help a lot. If not it could lay me out. I’m nervous. 

[thedisablednaturalist]

The amount of owie in my body could level a small town

[giulianafavello]

DDD

by Giuliana Favello

It is mourning.

I rise, but my body remains crippled,

Weighed down by invisible chains,

The ghostly grip of degenerative decay.

So many pills,

Swallowed with hopeful desperation,

A gift from the gods of temporary relief.

Ever so fleeting.

Each step- agony.

My mind- distracted by the relentless ache.

This body- a haven of destruction.

I wear a smile like a painted mask,

Hiding the tears that threaten

To spill.

The world demands strength,

Who am I to deny?

[fin1915]

SPN Family If anyone could help or share, I'd appreciate it very much.

https://gofund.me/25f52f60

[chronic--experiences]

Apparently I did NOT have enough spoons to go shopping today, just walking through the store was such a challenge.

[nightmaretour]

Ever since I got an electric hot water bottle I think I understand how that woman who married the Eiffel tower feels

[jackgoodfellow]

"... I'll go look."

[image descriptions in alt-text]

My OCs - based on my experience losing my back brace last week.

[daddysothermusic]

Yup I'm cyborg.