Differently Abled (fly your freak flag high)

[SuperFemme]

A lot of invisible disabilities are often stigmatized in a very ugly way.
Bi-Polar is a medical condition, with a lot of social stigma attached to it that is inaccurate. Dyslexia often goes unseen in our educational systems and students are put in classes with the developmentally disabled.

People with Asperger are also so misunderstood most of the time as socially inept.

Brain injury is invisible, but often the behaviors that come along with it make people think the person is crazy or stupid.

Addiction is also a disability that is very stigmatized. It's a disease (although I am sure somebody will come in here and debate that)

At what point is it safe to reveal? I personally like to reveal it all upfront, because if you can't handle being around me I don't wanna fall in love with you only to lose you for the things I am not in control of.

I tire of how ugly our society has become that people like Sarah Palin can demand a Politician resign for using the word retard and then out the other side of her mouth defend Rush Limbaugh because he is being satirical so that is ok.

Rush, who suffered the disease of addiction should be more careful.

[Andrew, Jr.]

Yep, I get told that I am lying about my head injury all the time. However, when these people "see" the Cat Scan's, and MRI's you can see the color in their faces change to bright red. They are so embarassed by their words.

I also have multiple disabilities. My diabetes is the newest one. It has plaged me for years, but I was able to maintain my weight, and the highs/lows of my blood sugars so I didn't need to have insulin, or any pills. That has changed. The endo. that I see told me that what has been happeneing is that the sugar in my body has been acting like strands of glass and ripping and tearing my body appart inside out. That is why my body takes longer to heal when I cut my foot open when I walk barefoot in the summertime. Or I get pneumonia I am on antibiotics for months. So now I have to take the diabetic pills to help my body.

I am more verbal online than in real time. It is just that what is inside comes out moreso via the computer. Too many trolls, and favoritism kill threads like this. I hope and pray this one keeps going. For example, you have those who think something is wrong with me (well, yes there is), but don't want to talk about it. Or if they understand the deficit they run the opposite way. It is fear. Like trying to understand someone talking who is severely disabled and drools as they speak.

In school I failed. I had tutors, but no real help in getting me thru school. Today if you had me in school, I still would fail. I hated school. Just the memories of it give me a bad taste in my mouth. When folks talk about going to their high school reunions, I refuse to go. Why do I want to see the fruits of others successes, and families who bend over backwards to help their kids out, when all I could do was keep from drownding. Life is not fair. I learned that the hard way.

Now as I am aging, my disabilities are getting worse, and more visable. For example, my seizures. They are becoming more intense and longer.

The one thing that really upsets me to no end are the people who are corporate hotshots. We all know them. The ones who "talk" about being ceo of their family's insurance company, or the people who travel all over the world for certain companies to advertise xyz, or the ones who start up their new ventures, and so the list grows and grows. I am happy for these folks. Truely I am. But it is very hard to swollow someones glory when I am sitting in physical pain, and I can't verbally express it. It is isolating.

I just hope and pray nobody feels the isolation that I do. It is hell.

Andrew

[SuperFemme]

Andrew,

I think many of us feel the isolation that you do.

We met about seven years ago (can you believe it's been that long?) when you shared your brain injury with me. When I read your posts I read them with a special understanding that only a person with TBI can have.

You are NOT alone.

Hey? When you have seizures do your dogs sit on you? When I wake up my min pin has his face covering mine.

The people that TRULY love me and get me? They say nothing when I tell them the same story like 1000 times because I don't remember I told it in the first place. They understand my swiss cheese brain and love me BECAUSE of it, not in spite of it.

I've seen lots of people go to bat for you, and I know that you have friends. I think the biggest blessing you could strive for is to not isolate yourself. Does that make sense?

When I get embarassed, impassioned and make mistakes my first inclination is to isolate. Instead, I have learned to laugh at myself and accept that it's just who I am now. Don't get me wrong, I have strong moments of self doubt and anger. I just refuse to stay in that head space.

hugs,

adele

[Daywalker]

Originally Posted by SuperFemme

Andrew,

I think many of us feel the isolation that you do.

We met about seven years ago (can you believe it's been that long?) when you shared your brain injury with me. When I read your posts I read them with a special understanding that only a person with TBI can have.

You are NOT alone.

Hey? When you have seizures do your dogs sit on you? When I wake up my min pin has his face covering mine.

The people that TRULY love me and get me? They say nothing when I tell them the same story like 1000 times because I don't remember I told it in the first place. They understand my swiss cheese brain and love me BECAUSE of it, not in spite of it.

I've seen lots of people go to bat for you, and I know that you have friends. I think the biggest blessing you could strive for is to not isolate yourself. Does that make sense?

When I get embarassed, impassioned and make mistakes my first inclination is to isolate. Instead, I have learned to laugh at myself and accept that it's just who I am now. Don't get me wrong, I have strong moments of self doubt and anger. I just refuse to stay in that head space.

hugs,

adele

I laugh at Me all the time.

It has saved mah Gifted life more times than not.

I used to say
"If you cannot laugh at yourself, others will do it for you"

Beating them to the punch is unintentional, but a pleasure all the same.


I have more to share, very soon...promise.

[Andrew, Jr.]

Adele,

Yes, I do remember! I close my eyes and I see you. I remember our hug. It was fabulous. Like Indiana Jones and his woman friend (I can't think of her name).

As for Dino, yes. After my seizures, he is on my head, and starring at me. Eye to eye. I can't get over it. He is just my everything.

I am always laughing at myself. You have no idea. It is like an adventure with me every day. Nothing is normal in my life. But what I mean is like the everyday sort of thing with other people. They just have no idea. None. I just had someone call me a retard in the grocery store because I asked him 3 times for the aisle no. for oranges. There is none. Who knew? You would have thought I was shopping for milk, eggs, and tp, and God knows what else there was. We were having a snow storm.

[SuperFemme]

Originally Posted by Andrew, Jr.

Adele,

Yes, I do remember! I close my eyes and I see you. I remember our hug. It was fabulous. Like Indiana Jones and his woman friend (I can't think of her name).

As for Dino, yes. After my seizures, he is on my head, and starring at me. Eye to eye. I can't get over it. He is just my everything.

I am always laughing at myself. You have no idea. It is like an adventure with me every day. Nothing is normal in my life. But what I mean is like the everyday sort of thing with other people. They just have no idea. None. I just had someone call me a retard in the grocery store because I asked him 3 times for the aisle no. for oranges. There is none. Who knew? You would have thought I was shopping for milk, eggs, and tp, and God knows what else there was. We were having a snow storm.

Right? I LOSE it in the grocery store. Somebody finally clued me into the fact that you can get a map of the grocery store from customer service. Then again, that would require me remembering to make my list in accordance with the map. Which I never do. Which means I criss-cross the store about twenty times.

God forbid I have to do something OUT of my routine. ACK! Then there are the things that are simple for most. Cooking for example. I tend to start fires. Remembering to rinse the conditioner out of my hair BEFORE I get out of the shower. Not using Benadryl cream for toothpaste. Taking the plastic cover OFF my razor before shaving.

I'm a laugh a minute. BUT I've learned to tell the guy I'm asking for the aisle oranges are on that I am disabled the first time around. Then we can laugh at me together the fifth time I ask.

Ha!

[Andrew, Jr.]

Adele,

You know what, I used Rosie's hairspray for deod. today. My underarm hairs had no idea of what was going on. And brushing my teeth with Benedryl is typical in my house. We just go with the flow here.

As for my routines, I have to stay with them. If I go off my routines, I have more anxiety than Mt. Everest.

Oh, yeah, I just go with the flow. I just wish society was more compassionate towards folks like us here in this thread. It seems that society is going backyards instead of forewards. And the lack of compassion is growing each day. Look at handicapped parking spots. That is just a nightmare. So many are willing to start a fight over parking spots. How much more petty can we get than that?

[Rockinonahigh]

I laugh at myself a lot for the same reason Mr.Day dose,cause if I dont they will, being profoundly deff on one hand is a blessing and on the other a royal pain in the ass.I have learned to deal with the hearing world far better than it has with me.Acctually not hearing other peoples bs is a good thing,with my aids on its way to much to process so lots of times I dont have them on.G-d help me when the vertago hits and im like a saterday night drunk.Since I quit rideing my balance is worse at times....then there is the stuttering that with as much therapy I have had over the years pops up now and then.All in all I just keep going on cause its the way my world is,the peeps that count are ok with it,the ones who arent..well its there prob not mine.
Rock

[friskyfemme]

Originally Posted by SuperFemme

A lot of invisible disabilities are often stigmatized in a very ugly way.
Bi-Polar is a medical condition, with a lot of social stigma attached to it that is inaccurate. Dyslexia often goes unseen in our educational systems and students are put in classes with the developmentally disabled.

People with Asperger are also so misunderstood most of the time as socially inept.

Brain injury is invisible, but often the behaviors that come along with it make people think the person is crazy or stupid.

Addiction is also a disability that is very stigmatized. It's a disease (although I am sure somebody will come in here and debate that)

At what point is it safe to reveal? I personally like to reveal it all upfront, because if you can't handle being around me I don't wanna fall in love with you only to lose you for the things I am not in control of.

I tire of how ugly our society has become that people like Sarah Palin can demand a Politician resign for using the word retard and then out the other side of her mouth defend Rush Limbaugh because he is being satirical so that is ok.

Rush, who suffered the disease of addiction should be more careful.

I have always tried to hide the fact I have dyslexia with my clients and my coworkers. I would spend hours rewritng my reports until they were perfect so as not to appear ingnorant or illiterate. I still do this for the legal documents, but the rest I don't worry about. I do laugh myself sometimes when I read what I wrote. I actually dated someone fo a very short time, who thought it was funny to stress my out to the point I could not talk. I am not easily rattled but I do have my 'buttons' . When I talk I have to think about what words I am saying and if they are the correct words. When I am tired or stressed it is more difficult. I used to worry about others not thinking well of me, now I am not. Now when I tell people I am having a dyslexic moment they laugh with me not at me. Sharing with others gives them the opportunity learn and show compassion and be
relieved they don't have to deal with your issues.

[Rockinonahigh]

Dyslexia....yep that little devil often plagues me far more than I can count.recently I have desided to go back to work on a full time basics,so I revamped my resume' with info for the last five years...well u gessd it,the person doing the redo called and ask me to either come in and read what I wrote cause it looked like pig latin to her.Letters/numbers backwards,scentences made no sence,some letters wrighten in caps in the middle of lines.I told her to chill out cause its the world of dyslexia moment.
Seriously all in all cosidering I was a very small preemie that weighed 1 pound and 14oz way back in 1947 when they didnt have all the modern medical advances of today haveing to deal with the deffness and its odd goings on as well as dyslexia with the goofy stuff it dose.Acctualy I feel blessed to have delt better with all this than ppl who dont have such issues cause it has taught me more about liveing than more able ppl do.I too hide it as best as possable cause some peeps just dont get it or care how the comments they say make me feel or anyone else who is diffrently abled.

[FR]

--hi guys i dont post much but i thought this issue important to me so i wanted to share. if u are like me disabled or not and depend on supplements for ur health please take action. ty

http://www.care2.com/causes/health-p...ealth-freedom/