This disability pride month start your day off with EXTREME HEART PALPITATIONS FROM WALKING TO THE BATHROOM HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO PASS OUT WHILST PISSING?
Tomorrow marks the beginning of Disability Pride Month. This pride month I'm here for the silent sufferers. I'm here for the ones who feel intense mental anguish. I'm here for the ones who have invisible disabilities. I'm here for the ones who have physical disabilities. I'm here for the ones with high support needs. I'm here for the ones with low support needs. I'm here for the ones with trauma. I'm here for the ones whose disability isn't taken seriously. I'm here for the ones who can't work or can't get a job due to discrimination. I'm here for the ones who are constantly trying to navigate an inaccessible world. I'm here for the ones who are being forced to lose themselves due to trying to assimilate to societal norms.
This disability pride month I'm BEGGING you to acknowledge and care about the people in this community who often fly under the radar when it comes to positivity and information. People who require equipment to live, like ventilators, pacemakers, and feeding tubes. People who are bedbound. People with visible differences. People who have disabilities caused by things like substance abuse, overdose, or self harm. People with conditions so rare that they've never met someone who has the same one. People who need full time care and have to have help to use social media.
If you want to support the community, that means supporting all of the community. Disability pride means being proud of every last one of us, and making sure everyone feels heard. Make sure to amplify the voices of those who need it this month, and ideally for the rest of the year too.
I really hate videos on tiktok that are like āhow I healed my dysautonomia by healing my traumaā or āhow I healed my chronic illness by cutting out meatā because these videos DELIBERATELY mislead vulnerable individuals and i genuinely believe they contribute as to why when someone talks about their chronic illness they get the advice āhave you tried yoga?ā
Iām glad that (if true) these people on tiktok managed to put their symptoms to near zero but disability is a very large spectrum.
The point about chronic illnesses is that they are CHRONIC. They are lifelong and I canāt actually think of any CI that has an actual cure. As in one that completely gets rid of the whole illness.
Yes not every CI is disabling but a vast majority of them ARE. There is a massive intersectionality between the two, people hear the word āillnessā and assume curable.
"why are you ALWAYS posting or scrolling on your phone??" first of all i'm not, second of all i'm physically disabled i can't leave the house very often - this is literally how i stay connected with people !
physically disabled people who are also fat deserve mobility aids just as much as physically disabled people who are skinny.
we also deserve to have mobility aids that fit us, we shouldnāt have to settle for ones that donāt meet our needs. whether itās having a high enough weight limit or being wide enough or being sturdy enough, we deserve that.
it doesnāt even matter whether a person is fat because of their disability/ies or if theyāre disabled because theyāre fat. that person still deserve good mobility aids that meet their needs.
[this is a post about fatness and physical disability, derail and i will steal your mail for three months and two days]
Inspiration porn is the objectification of disabled people as inspiration to non-disabled people due to their life circumstances. The term inspiration porn comes from an analogy with pornography, meaning that the material is objectifying disabled people for the benefit or gratification of non-disabled individuals.
Inspiration porn is a form of ableism.
An example of inspiration porn might be a photo of a child with a disability taking part in an ordinary activity, with captions targeted towards non-disabled people like "they didn't let their disability stop them". A common theme is people deriving gratification from a disabled person doing a normal, everyday activity.
This is harmful because it encourages the idea of disabled people being objects, and it reinforces the narrative that disabled people exist for the purpose of making abled people feel better about themselves. It also invites pity or unfitting sentimentality directed towards disabled people doing everyday things.
Iāve had strangers approach me, and tell me what an inspiration I am. Even when Iām doing something as simple as purchasing a bag of overpriced chips in my pyjamas. Iāve also had people who, after being told I was unable to work, told me that my purpose in life was to make people around me happy.
And while all of these interactions were meant with good intentions, theyāre still harmful. I donāt want to be seen as an object to be praised whenever I do a daily task. I donāt want to be seen as having my only purpose in life to bring others up, because they donāt have it āas badā as me.
A people who have an age-old tradition, that when warriors left home to go to war, their family that remains home prepare funeral goods for them while they wait, sewing them the clothes and preparing the tools and all that they will be buried with - to emotionally prepare them to the hard possibility that the one who left will not return home alive. If the warrior returns, their burial goods are all burned in a bonfire that is lit for the celebration of their return.
And to this modern day, mothers of the culture will tell their children "fine, but let me take your measures for burial clothes before you go" as a way of telling them that something they're about to do is lethally stupid. Sharing stories about just how dramatic their mothers are, someone tells their group of friends that his mother once actually took out a measuring tape to start taking his measures when he said he's leaving home for a work trip.
And another one goes "pfft, yeah. This one time I went to a rock concert and came back home to mom sitting on her sewing machine, fucking making me a funeral coat."
fatigue is NOT getting tired from normal things . fatigue is "oh no i just stood up and it feels like i ran a marathon." . when even the most basic tasks like standing and sitting send your body into overdrive . i wish more people understood this.
Yes Iām disabled, yes Iām overweight. No, my weight didnāt cause my disability.
And even if it did, so what? At the end of the day Iām still a person, and Iām still disabled. I deserve access and adaptive equipment just as much as a thin disabled person.
Plus size disabled people deserve your respect no matter what caused their disability.
fainting can be extremely scary. if you donāt know what to do, that can make it even scarier. luckily for you (though not for me), Iāve been fainting since I was 13 years old, so Iāve got quite a bit of experience in dealing with these things, and educating the people around me about how to deal with these things. so here is my guide on what to do if someone faints!
{1} how to prevent a fainting episode
first things first, letās talk prevention. sometimes, people will experience symptoms before they actually faint. if youāre observant enough, you might be able to recognize these signs and take action before the person faints. some signs that someone might be about to faint include:
pale or ashy-looking skin
cold, clammy skin
flushed skin
sweating
slurred speech
dropping things
shakiness or tremors
complaints of a headache
appearing detached or out of it
looking or claiming they feel sick
unsteadiness (swaying, stumbling)
sensitivity to light (squinting, blocking their eyes)
if you notice someone exhibiting one or more of these signs, it's worth going up and asking if they're okay. sometimes people don't understand what's happening, or don't put the pieces together, and even asking if they are okay might be enough for them to work out that they are about to faint.
if they do say yes (or don't know but you suspect they are about to faint), it's time to take action. fainting can happen in the blink of an eye, so make sure you stand close by with your arms at the ready. if you can, help guide them down to the floor, making sure you tell them what you are doing. something like "let's get you on the floor" will work. that should be your top priority. if they cannot lay down, guide them to sit on the floor or the nearest available seat. get them as close to the ground as possible so if they do faint, they are at a lower risk of hurting themselves. guide them to place their head between their knees.
the steps for what to do next are virtually the same as in the next part, so to avoid repeating myself, I will just move on.
{2} if the person has fainted, check to make sure they aren't in immediate danger.
the first thing you should do if someone is unconscious is CHECK FOR A PULSE. if they do not have one, immediately start CPR, call for an ambulance. this should be your number one priority. everything else can come later.
once you've determined they are still alive, you can start checking for injuries. don't try to move them right away, especially if you think they may have hit their head. check for bleeding, bruising, broken bones, etc. if you see any major injuries, call for an ambulance.
also, take the time to check the environment around you. make sure they are not in a dangerous location (ex: near the top of a flight of stairs, on or very near the road, in areas with high foot traffic, etc). if they are, take the time to move them.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: if the person has a service dog, do not impede its duties!! do not try to move the dog. check for medical ID (either on the person or on the dog). if you find something that indicates something serious may be going on, or if the dog tries to alert you or get your attention, call for an ambulance.
{3} get the person conscious again.
if they are not in immediate peril, congratulations! now you get to start on the process of getting them conscious again. of course, it's very likely they will regain consciousness on their own after a few seconds, but even if they do, these are important steps to take to help them recover quicker.
here's some things you should do:
shift the person onto their back and elevate their feet above their heart. this helps get blood flowing back to the brain.
remove any excess layers and loosen any tight clothing.
get some water or a cool compress and apply it to areas like the face and the back of the neck.
make sure they have enough room to breathe. if there's a crowd, you should try to get them to back away.
if the person doesn't appear to be in any immediate danger, there is no need to call an ambulance at this point.
if the person has been unconscious for longer than a minute, call for an ambulance. this is a sign that something more serious may be going on. also, if the person has difficulty regaining consciousness, or lapses back into unconsciousness, that is also a sign you need to call for an ambulance.
if the person has a service dog, you can and should still do all of these things (without impeding the dog's tasks). do not distract the dog or assume that the dog will do everything.
{4} help the person recover after regaining consciousness.
once they have woken up, you can begin the post-fainting recovery process.
ask the person the following questions: 1) how are you feeling? 2) does anything hurt? 3) have you ever fainted before? (if they have not and there is no obvious cause for the fainting, call 911) 4) do you want me to call someone for you?
continue to have the person elevate their feet and apply a cold compress for at least ten minutes, or until they are feeling better.
once they are ready to stand, remain close by in case they lose consciousness again.
once they are upright again, offer them some water.
if they have fainted because of low blood sugar or they have a condition like POTS, try to find them something small to eat. again, only do this when they are upright again.
treat any (minor) injuries they might have sustained.
make sure they have a way to get home (or wherever they are going) safely. encourage them to rest, drink fluids, and eat.
{5} what not to do if someone faints.
do not panic. fainting is very common and usually no cause for concern. a healthy amount of worry is good, but don't get too worked up about it. that could impair your ability to help.
do not call an ambulance if the person tells you not to call an ambulance, especially if this person has a history of fainting. not every fainting episode warrants a trip to the ER, and having paramedics hovering over you can be way more stress than it's worth.
do not elevate the head. the reason you collapse is because your body is trying to get bloodflow back to the brain. elevating the head usually will either not help, or it may be actively harmful. this include placing items like pillows or folded clothing under the person's head, or placing their head in your lap.
do not get them up too quickly. ease them into standing after they have been laying down for several minutes (or when they feel ready to stand). getting them up too quickly raises the chances of having another fainting spell.
do not shake the person aggressively or try to "shock" them awake by slapping them.
do not give them anything to eat or drink while they are laying down or while they are still unconscious.
don't pour water on them, especially not on their face. get a damp cloth, a water bottle, or ice pack instead.
don't leave them alone. if you must leave, make sure someone stays with them until they are up on their feet again.
don't force treatments onto them. if they say they don't need water, food, or your further assistance, listen to them.
{6} times when you should and shouldn't call an ambulance.
you should call an ambulance if:
the person has been unconscious for more than one minute.
the person is not breathing and/or does not have a pulse.
the person has a serious injury, or there is a risk they may have hit their head.
the person is pregnant.
the person is having difficulty waking, or appears extremely confused upon waking up.
the person faints multiple times.
it is the person's first time fainting.
you suspect there may be a more dangerous reason that the person has fainted (ex: stroke, heart attack, etc.)
the person has a seizure or begins exhibiting symptoms not associated with normal fainting (ex: shortness of breath, chest pains, arrythmia, difficulty moving).
you probably don't need to call an ambulance if none of the above are true, but especially so if:
the person has a history of fainting.
the person fainted for a known and non-serious reason (ex: low blood sugar, dehydration, heat, stress, etc).
the person is alert, talking, and improving afterward.
the person is young, healthy, and has no other symptoms.
there are no signs of major injury.
the person regains consciousness quickly.
hopefully you'll never have to use any of this, but if you do, now you know! feel free to drop more suggestions.
Many FND patients have been told that it is unwise to use mobility aids because it will āencourage the brain to keep producing symptoms.ā This is based on the idea of conversion disorder, made by Stinkmund Freud, which has been since been disproved.
Despite this idea, my experience with using mobility aids is much different than what doctors told me it would be. Personally, using mobility aids and supporting myself has actually lessened my symptoms, and, most importantly, the impact they have on my life.
My wheelchair has been the most helpful of all the mobility aids Iāve had. I started using my chair because of my paralysis, but itās done so much more for me. Itās eliminated the worry of being stuck somewhere and not being able to walk, and prevented me from many falls.
I also used crutches and a cane once upon a time, and they helped me greatly with my needs back then. they provided support and stability, and I found that they helped me get out of flare ups easier and gave me more energy to expend on things I actually wanted to do.
Of course, whatās right for me may not be right for you. Everyoneās FND is different and will react differently to mobility aids. But I donāt want anyone to think that mobility aids are always out of the picture for usage in management of FND.
Lastly, using a mobility aid without any medical guidance can be dangerous. Itās important to get in touch with a professional who can help teach you how to use the aid. If you donāt have access, make sure you do thorough research on the topic from reliable sources.
Never not gonna be wild hearing able people be like āyeah if I live past like 60 Iāll just kill myself.ā Girl youāre just cool with like quality of life for disabled people being so poor you have a time limit on life? Also you know you can like be in a car accident or something at any time. These people are not worried enough.
real talk like. YES many fat people eat a healthy diet! lots of fat people don't eat sweets! lots of fat people love veggies! there are fat vegans!
BUT sometimes I see this being used as a gotcha in a way that says "it's okay to be fat because it doesn't mean you're eating Immorally" and I resent that.
I am fat and today I ate three cookies for breakfast. big ones. and that doesn't change the fact that my fatness is amoral and my diet - while objectively not very healthy, this cookie thing is part of a pattern in my life as a stressed out grad student - is also amoral.
it's okay to be fat and love little debbies. and it's okay to be fat and eat little debbies more than you "should." you don't owe your health or nutrition to anyone. everyone should fuck off
visibly disabled people will present others with the most basic and easy to understand request like āplease donāt talk to me like I am a small childā and in response people will just start monologuing about how difficult and confusing this is for them and how theyāre doing their best and how they need patience and understanding too and itās so fucking tiring lol
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