#literally i have exercise induced asthma

[erasedcitizen2]

that post about people judging you for taking daily medication... saw a few people tagging it with things along the line of "would you tell a diabetic to just stop taking insulin"

and I get the sentiment because while I think MORE people generally understand that would be a bad idea and absolutely the more "invisible" disabilities like mental health issues get these weird comments more frequently buuuut... I can almost guarantee even the diabetics can relate to that post and have indeed heard someone tell them something like "you'll get reliant on it" or "just exercise more and eat better and you wont need that stuff".

literally we are all just united in this I think no matter the type of disability someone will always have an uneducated shitty opinion

[motherhenna]

So today was my first day teaching an after school elective theater class (10+ 2nd 3rd 4th grade girls) and holy shit y'all I have even more respect for teachers now than ever before because that was BRUTAL lmao it was like they could smell my fear and knew they could trample all over me. Maybe my viewpoint is skewed, seeing as I was a really meek, easygoing kid at that age, but I can't fathom just...blatantly ignoring the teacher when they tell you not to do something. I get theater is a bit more loosey goosey but damn I can't imagine treating any of my past theater teachers (or any adult for that matter) with such disregard. Hoping that they were just crazy because it was their first day back at school after summer break and they'll mellow out a tiny bit by next week.

There were two super sweet and responsible 4th graders that I'm probably going to have to lean on to get through to some of their classmates. Like appoint them "team leaders" or whatever.

Either way, no more Ms. Pushover next Wednesday--Miss Helen is gonna lay down the fucking LAW lol I'm going to print out a set of class rules and expectations and have the kids repeat them back to me, and I may invest in a fucking whistle to cut through how loud they can get. If any of y'all have a background in teaching or otherwise dealing with large groups of children, feel free to drop any tips or suggestions you might have to get a handle on a rowdy crowd of munchkins and gremlins without yelling or being overly strict.

[nicki0kaye]

Some dumbass in the comment section of a youtube vid about how AI Art bros are jersk tried to make the argument that genetics determine talent and I kind of popped of. Turns out the comment thread I replied to is like 200+ comments deep and now no one is going to see my small novella about genetics v talent, so I've decided to share it here...IN TWO SEPARATE PARTS bc apparently it is too long and tumblr cant handle it alskdjflskjdf.

Hi, I'm the genetically gifted artist you're trying to cite for your argument. Both of my birth parents were artists in several fields and despite being adopted by a different family, I know that I've inherited most of their interests and am proficient at all of the things they excelled in; art, writing and performance to be specific. I now make a living as an artist.

You're also entirely wrong about how 'talent' works and how inheriting 'talent' works. What I inherited from my parents were their mental disorders. Adhd, Autism and chronic depression. Autism forced me to be far more observant of my peers if I wanted to have a social life. Adhd gifted me time blindness and the ability to hyperfocus on whatever tasks gave me dopamine, and Autism complimented that nicely with a shock to the nervous system when I was expected to change gears out of what I felt was safe into something I did not.

I had many avenues before me because of this; theatre was what my adopted parents assumed I would pursue. But then chronic depression came in with the steel chair at the end of highschool and no, no I did not do theatre, that shit takes too much energy for too long of a period of time.

So. Art.

Why am I so genetically good at art? Well, and this is again Probably The Autism, I'm very good at recognizing and retaining visual patterns, I'm super interested in body language and costuming and micro-expressions--all things I need to pay attention to if I wanted to be liked by allistic classmates--and drawing quite literally regulates my nervous system, so I'm gonna do it often just to cope.

I don't have a fucking 'artists' gene. I have a brain that is predisposed to certain pattern recognition and through access to resources (GLASSES, I AM BLIND AS SHIT AND WITHOUT GLASSES NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE) was able to find and cultivate hobbies that either worked with or helped regulate the myriad of bullshit I won through the genetic lottery.

I'm a good artist bc I put in the work. I put in the work bc my brain is wired to really like certain work. It didn't have to be art. If i were less depressed, it could have been theatre--either writing, performing or directing. If I was less autistic, it might have been something with more abstract thinking and less focused on decrypting human expression and repurposing it in ways that I Personally Like. If I was less ADHD, it could have been more academic studies, like Marine Biology since I really wanted to do that when I was little. If I didn't have exercised induced asthma, it could have been competitive swimming, bc my swim teacher really thought I had a gift for it. If I didn't have dyscalculia, it could have been something that involves number crunching and long distances, bc I don't understand that shit for beans, completely locking me out of a large chunk of possible careers.

And maybe without all of that, I wouldn't have had the perfect cocktail to give enough of a shit to be good at anything. Maybe I would have just been an office clerk, making a decent wage and filling my cubicle with anime figurines.

[anxiouslyextroverted]

i did one push up 12 hours ago and ever since then my heart has been hurting and my chest is tight and its hard to breathe and I feel like its agina or something and I have acid reflux and my stomachs gurgling ,my abdomen is in pain when i push down on it or when i breathe or move. Im scared i might have a heart attack. And my ribcage hurts when i press lightly under the bone. I have anemia and heart problems but my cardiologist told me several months ago that my heart problem healed. Im panicking rn sorry for randomly venting here but Idk what else to do. I think if i exercise ever again It might kill me in a literal sense as I do have exercised induced asthma afaik.

[lastoneout]

Several doctors have looked over my medical history and come to the conclusion that despite my multiple disabilities(hEDS, POTs, severe chronic migraines, constant chronic pain, fibromialgyia, arthritis, severe lower spinal issues, debilitating insomnia, ect) I should somehow have absolutely no problem holding down a normal job so like, god y'all gotta stop acting like doctors are infallible geniuses who can do no wrong.

My primary care physician said I should "just suck it up and get over my fear of covid" despite knowing the pandemic isn't over and that I have severe asthma so covid could very well kill me OR make my current medical conditions way worse. My neurologist thinks that I should only eat twice a day and stop eating literally all sugars, fats, and carbs, including fresh FRUIT, to lose weight(I'm not even a little fat by any stretch of the imagination but she thinks losing weight will fix me and refuses to entertain other treatment options). My cardiologist thinks that it's silly that my exercise induced asthma is triggered by exercise and that I should actually have no problem running for extended periods of time despite my fucked up everything.

Trust me babes, 50% of all doctors are the dumbest people you will ever fucking meet. Stop assuming they're always right about everything.

[cynthffxiv]

Had a dream where I was running in some marathon event and the entire time Emet would hover next to me and say smarmy or snarky comments

First of all I literally have exercise-induced asthma so wtf

Second of all, ??????????

[v3ntysheep]

cw for exercise, gender, ED and weight talk

Just got weighed at the neurologists, and I'm officially the heaviest I've ever been at 155 pounds. I've been fighting so hard recently to embrace intuitive eating and just let my body be where it needs to be, but it's definitely triggering old ED thoughts (how dare you get this fat, your lack of discipline got you here, you should be ashamed of yourself etc).

I've been wanting to get into a different shape because of gender euphoria reasons, but exercising is so hard for me.

When I was young, I had very intense exercise induced asthma. I fought through that with inhalers my entire time I was actively doing Taekwondo. Now as an adult with health anxiety, I'm terrified that any exercise will cause me to have a heart attack, move a blood clot, or an asthma attack and literally kill me.

I hate the feeling of the weight of my body as I move. It reminds me that I'm not a dude, that I don't carry weight like a dude, and that I don't look how I imagine myself. I'll start to workout and the immediate feeling of having the body I do sends me into a Dysphoria cycle.

I feel like working out is a complete waste of time. What do you MEAN I have to spend 200 dollars a month just to stand in a space that feels unsafe to stare at a wall and do nothing but lift weights? Even the idea of working out at home feels horrible - for my downstairs neighbors and for the idea of just spending an hour or two squatting or whatever. I barely have free time as it is between work, housework, and friends, and now I'm expected to do this just to not hate myself?

I love food. I love the different tastes and textures, and as much as I hate to admit it, it's all become a coping mechanism for me. A latte to ease through the day. Fast food when days are really hard. I've become my father within the span of 2 years and it's making my fucking skin crawl.

Spite and hatred for my parents got me through my childhood. I told myself I would never be like them: fat, in debt, coping with food and impulse buys and weed and booze. I would be better. I would live better than I had as a child.

And here I am, doing the exact same shit, eating the exact same shit, justifying it to myself. "Life is hard. Capitalism is a fuck. I deserve nice things."

Ugh. Just rough.

[metalgearemily]

Went on a run and threw up and it was all just phlegm. I have issues with my lungs and I’m not consistently on inhalers even tho I should be. Cuz when I work out typically I just do weight training ❌NO CARDIO!!! Cuz I hate it because erm I have exercise induced asthma 🤓 and it’s pretty bad my lungs constrict when I run and it closes up and traps fluid in my lungs where I literally cannot breathe. But I’m stubborn so I keep running which causes me to throw up. I need to get back on my inhalers because I have no idea how I’m supposed to run a half a marathon like this! Btw I’m running a half marathon

[light-wrath-paradise]

Actually, come to think of it, what do healthy people mean when they say they "can't breathe"? Like during running and stuff. Because I've always thought that they mean the same thing I mean, but considering that I have exercise-induced asthma, I assume that me actually being unable to physically breathe is not normal.

Because I personally literally can't breathe. When I try to, I just feel pain as the air refuses to go inside my lungs. My lungs will not expand and if I attempt to force them to, it hurts really bad. I can get air out during coughing fits but nothing can get in. I also spit out mucus during the coughing fits. I just start coughing and suddenly mucus' everywhere.

[thirty-five-portland-row]

my mom needs to stop letting everyone else in the family use my inhalers. i have a rescue inhaler for exercise induced asthma and a steroid one for other asthma reason and any time anyone so much as has a cough she tells them to use it. she literally fill my prescriptions so that there is an inhaler they can use. like THATS NOT WHAT ITS FOR. its not to help with a fucking cough its because my lungs dont work. you especially shouldnt be telling them to use my steroid one without at least a doctor or someone saying to. Its for my asthma not a cold and they are my inhalers, not for the whole family.

[toixxx-ace]

while im not feeling well i decided to start critical role! i have never watched it before but i want to get more into dnd as i prepare for my next game with my family

and this seems like the most entertaining way

[proudcatgirl]

fhalsjkdfhalsdkj my boyfriend is hypomanic and he made me go on a jog with him today and now hes trying to get me to learn Norwegian with him

[copperbadge]

Hi, Sam! In your research, have you found any connection between ADHD and digestive issues? While none of us are diagnosed (yet, on my part), it seems likely that my mom and I both have it and I'd be shocked if my 6yo doesn't get diagnosed in a year or two. But my mom has Crohns, and I was wondering if her inability to eat certain things parallels yours, or was just a coincidence. Thanks!

It's not something I've done a lot of research on in any kind of formal way, so I don't have any good resources to hand I'm afraid (readers, if you have any, please feel free to share in comments or reblogs; remember as always that I don't post asks sent in response to other asks). My own digestive issues are pretty clearly from a combination of getting older and that pesky missing gallbladder -- I've had issues previously, but of the acute (ulcer, gallbladder, etc) variety, rather than chronic IBS/Celiac/etc related. So far, at least, knock wood.

Now, that being said, there is absolutely a link between chronic digestive issues and Autism, and Autism and ADHD appear to have quite a strong link as well, so it wouldn't shock me at all if ADHD comes with comorbid digestive issues. (My brother, who is Autistic, began experiencing Crohn's flare-ups when he was ten or twelve, so I'm generally familiar with the condition.) It seems to be that the link is actually between Autism and autoimmune issues; Crohn's is an immune issue which can affect any body part, but the gut is the most common manifestation. Autism runs in my family right alongside Crohn's, IBS, and psoriasis, all linked in some way to autoimmune conditions. One of the other reasons we didn't suspect me of being neurodiverse in any way is that until the last few years I was literally the only member of my family without semi-serious immune issues. (My respiratory issues were not considered serious until I was in my thirties and started experiencing exercise-induced asthma, at which point my doctor said "You've had bronchitis how many times?" in a worried voice.)

So, short answer, yes it's entirely possible that there is a link between your family's gut health and neurology; how that link works is not well-understood, and I'm afraid I can't explicate what little we do know. But I would try to source a GI doctor who has some experience treating neurodiverse patients and see what you come up with. Because of the preponderance of absolute fucking garbage online surrounding grain-free diets, diet-based Autism "cures" (NOT A THING), and gluten intolerance, the internet is going to throw a lot of real bullshit at you before you get to anything legit, unfortunately.

I do wish you luck with diagnosis and treatment for yourself and your family! It's great that you're recognizing it and preparing to have your kid evaluated when it's appropriate to do so.

(ETA: Adjusted language from immunodeficiency to autoimmune, thanks @geekerypeekery, I knew I was fucking something up there.) 

[writingwithcolor]

Iam wanting to write a story about a girl who has asthma, a learning disability and is considered by society to be less than average. She is also a little over weight. When she has been given immortality other immortals shun her and want her dead. To escape from this she goes to a martial arts temple in China. She is also an American. I was wondering how I could incorporate both cultures in my story?

Overweight Chinese American girl with asthma & learning disability, martial arts, & China

Disclaimer: I’ve written this response assuming that the main character herself is Chinese or Chinese-American. 

Some stuff I’d like to discuss point-by-point:

Being an Asthmatic

Asthmatics don’t exactly have the best representation in media, so I’m worried about a non-Asthmatic writing a story where the main conflict is centered around the MC’s method of coping with ableism.

Especially considering how we’re portrayed as stereotypical nerds/geeks for not being absolute athletes (haha maybe because pushing ourselves that far will literally result in an asthma attack-)

I have a feeling that in addition to the point where Chinese people are already stereotyped as nerds, having her be asthmatic as well does mean you’ll have to be more careful in how you present her. We already have the whole “model minority, East Asian = nerd” thing going for us.

Being “overweight”

America’s definition of “overweight” looks different for all kinds of people! 

Someone who’s statistically considered “overweight” by American standards might pass as being “average” (in American standards once again) and vice-versa! The existence of the word actually insinuates the existence of an ideal weight-- pretty fatphobic.

If you mean to say that she’s fat, chubby, and/or plump, then do so. Don’t dance around the term just because it’s deemed ‘undesirable’ by our Eurocentric beauty standards. 

(Additionally, being chubby is associated with the nerd trope as well. More to watch out when developing her character.)

Mod Rune mentions the specific way you’ve phrased how as a result of her being overweight and asthmatic, she’s “considered by society to be less than average” and she’s shunned/wanted dead specifically for these two reasons.

Being disabled =/= incompetency or being less than an abled person. Once again, an OwnVoices situation would make sense; However I would still worry about infantilizing Asthmatic/chubby people this way.

The plot… oof.

I’m worried that your method of combating the already-delicate conflict (that she’s looking for a way to cope with her feelings of inadequacy induced by ableism/fatphobia), is pretty insulting. You specifically word her trip to China as an “escape” which I feel could have a much better reason-- your excuse as is sounds to lead into a story of “refinding myself at the home of my birth culture” or something like that- especially with the fact that she’ll be doing this at a martial arts temple. A very cultural aspect of China.

Martial Arts?

That being said; Even though a Chinese martial artist does feel rather stereotypical, it does help with asthma (source: me and Taekwondo)

Specifically, according to this study from NCBI on the correlation between asthmatic children and Taichichuan, results have shown that “12 weeks of Tai-Chi-Chuan could improve the pulmonary function, decrease airway inflammation, and improve quality of life in children with mild asthma”.

However Northern Shaolin, Hung Ga, Wing Chun, and other Chinese forms of martial arts could work as well! Please do research on the specific techniques and differentiate between them. Appropriating Chinese martial arts on top of the fact that it’s already rather tropey- very bad.

A different plot?

Perhaps don’t send her off to China to quote, "escape from how other [immortals shun her and want her dead]". 

I think a better motivation for this change in landscape would be “She wanted to train to get stronger and improve her health with how it was negatively impacted because of her asthma.” 

The thing with a lot of disabled people is that-- we don’t want to have to “keep up” with abled people. We don’t want to need to take all these extra measures just to be able to function ‘normally’ (or at least the one defined by society). I feel that the motives in your original plot panders to that idea that she must get stronger or else she’ll never be accepted by the other immortals. A Chinese-American asthmatic myself, I’d much rather see her self-worth measured through her own growth as an individual than how well she ‘fits in’ with non-asthmatics.

Marika mentions that people also often do martial arts for culturally-relevant exercise-- so this could also be a way for her to reconnect with her birth culture.

Sophia also mentions that being overweight has little on one’s skills as a martial artist; So it shouldn’t be used as an argument as to why someone shouldn’t be taking on a certain expertise. (Seconded, as someone who did kendo: some of the better kendoka were overweight and had more precision than I did --Jess)

Incorporating TCK Culture:

Look for stuff written by actual Chinese-American third-culture kids!

Every little part of life- from the stories parents tell their kids before bed to the kind of food we eat daily- is 100% influenced by both our caregivers and the community we live in. For me personally, we’d have hotpot dinners with other Asian families during the Lunar New Year and I’d typically be sent to Chinese school on Sundays as well. 

Mods Jess and Lesya touch up on some TCK elements in this ask as well! (Wanting to Learn More About Culture Because of Chinese Name) However your MC celebrates her cultures will also depend on how assimilated into America her family is.

Like I said earlier: look for materials that Chinese-American TCKs and immigrants have written! There’s no better way to learn about certain customs than getting them from the actual source.

My ending thoughts!

These are honestly traits that I’d love to see more, as an asthmatic Chinese-American myself who has done martial arts in the past, haha.

Be extra careful when a ton of your character’s traits are found in East Asian (Chinese) caricatures! Be sure to flesh her out as a three-dimensional character as this description that you’ve given us (regarding her conflict) makes me go >.>-- I don’t like it as is.

Give her motivations for herself that aren’t purely to conform to others (per the submissive Asian girl trope). Having a bullied Asian girl does feel like it plays into this, so please don’t have her measure her worth as an individual based off of the standards set by abled people!

Do tons of research on Chinese martial arts! Marika mentions huge points below that I want you to consider when giving her a specific speciality-- just saying “a martial arts temple” doesn’t cut it. 

(As always, any reader feedback/additions would be appreciated!)

~ Mod Emme

These are my thoughts as someone who has practiced various styles of Chinese martial arts. 

While the quality of the instructor and the student’s efforts are crucial, I think you need to be clear on the following:

The style of martial arts your character will be doing

Their physical limitations

The type of learning disability they have. 

Different fighting styles suit the limitations of different body types in different ways

A person who is overweight may find styles with explosive movements that put weight on vulnerable joints like the knees to be painful. Styles that favor stable stances may be more feasible than those that emphasize movements with lots of air time, crouching and jumping.

A person who is inflexible will need a style that encourages them to keep limber to avoid getting hurt.

A person with diminished lung capacity will need a style that safely challenges their endurance.

Different learning disabilities might make certain styles more or less difficult to learn

ADHD may favor fast fighting styles with complex move sets and a wide variety of weapons.

Issues associated with memory retention may make styles that emphasize sparring easier than those that focus on memorizing forms

Make no mistake, the culture of a style will be as much of a consideration for your character as the Chinese and American cultural influences. Do your research, and inquire with practitioners as to what styles would work well for your characters. 

The tumblr blog How to Fight Write would likely be a good resource on the physical logistics of different styles. 

- Marika

[boag]

I actually want to lose weight like being overweight is starting to take a toll on my health . Like just as a personal decision, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being fat but for me….. my body is getting weaker and I’ve been more clumsy and hurting myself more bc my legs are literally struggling to hold up the weight of the rest of my body. My knees have been buckling and it makes me stumble like I’m drunk sometimes…. I want to get into shape but it’s soooo daunting bc I get exercise induced asthma attacks and I get the wind knocked out of me whenever I do any slightly rigorous activity… it’s so embarrassing but I just need advice . Like on how to do this in a healthy way. The only time in my life when I wasn’t considered overweight or obese is when I was actively anorexic and bulimic, which took an even bigger toll on my health than being overweight ever has like bulimia literally gave me an incurable disease and my esophagus doesn’t work properly so now stomach acid leaks into my throat and mouth constantly

[absolutely-bunbelievable]

Uji & OOC Update

I once again apologize for not responding to the asks I’ve received in any meaningful amount of time. I want to provide an explanation, as well as let anyone (who would like to know) in on a life update. And maybe give a little bit of insight of where Uji comes from, and why he means as much as he does to me.

I will keep the details under the cut, that way those who may not be comfortable reading about the following topics won’t be put in a compromised position, and save space on everyone’s timeline.

That said, I’ll be discussing my experiences with: asthma, disability, and self-image.

I apologize in advance if I come off as scatter-brained or rambling or if things don’t make sense. I don’t usually talk about myself, my life, or put myself out there. This is a first for me, so thank you very much for reading.

I’ve struggled with chronic asthma my entire life. It’s a mix of a number of different types: exercise induced, seasonal, allergy induced... Since I was a child, it’s been incredibly debilitating, to where I’ve lost count of the days being bedridden and frustrated. I feel like I’ve tried every medication, stretch, exercise, diet, and lifestyle change -- just short of living in a bubble -- under the sun at recommendations of my specialist, with varying degrees of success. This, coupled with a deformity at birth (concave chest), has only exacerbated the condition. At worst, my symptoms would persist for two-week spans (sometimes a month depending on the severity); at best, a few days. Thankfully after two decades, I feel like I’ve finally gotten to a place where the latter is more often the case than not.

If nothing else, all that literal downtime has allowed me to fall in love with characters who push past their limits, be it out of compassion or purpose. To immerse myself in stories and animations of heroes and characters who exceed well past their breaking point to prove to themselves or others of what they stand for. I’ve always identified with characters like that... Who have such heavy limitations, such crushing weight to them. Who face seemingly insurmountable odds, yet persevere. It’s fascinating to see how it’s internalized, how they struggle with it. How they make peace with it, find their inner strength, and finally move forward stronger than before.

I’ve always considered myself disabled because of my condition... Though it feels almost wrong or unfair to say, knowing that there are others who suffer significantly more than myself, both visibly and invisibly. But I think to some degree, I understand the struggle of falling short in spite of myself. In spite of wanting more from the body I’ve been given. I’ve always thought I would never be able to live “normally” because of the constant up-and-down that came with this. Some days I still think I can’t. And to be even more painfully honest, I’d never thought I’d make it as far as I have or even accomplish half the things I have due to it. It has been an immensely painful road, but I’m thankful that I have and that I’ve continued to push myself for more. Because anything less than harboring that idea would be an injustice to the heroes of my childhood who’d taught me that limits can be overcome. The path may not be clear, but there is one. Sometimes it’s through force, sometimes through creativity, sometimes through gently making peace.

If nothing else, after so many years, these stories have helped me realize that in spite of my limitations, I can be strong too. That I have things I can be strong for. That others can rely on me. That I can make a story or character for someone who was where I was, and hope that it can give them a similar idea. And for Uji as a character -- I want to portray that feeling. To have someone who is strong in their own right, but can also help be a voice that can help push others and realize strength of themselves as well.

And in my push for more, I’ve decided to take up the hardest thing I’ve ever done: running. Hopefully one day to run a full marathon, but for now, starting at a 5K (3 miles). I’ve been trying to run every weekday. So far, I’m only able to consistently get 2/3 of the way there... but I don’t see it as a failure. I’m improving at my pace. And while that’s unfortunately taken a significant amount of time out of my day, I know that one day I can do it.

From muse and mun, if there’s a limit you’ve hit or a change you’ve wanted to make. For yourself, for others, or just picking up a new skill. Try it! You might fail, and you might even fail a few times. But if you get back up and keep trying you can definitely push past your limit.

Thank you for reading.