Another jigsaw piece
I’ve been very open and honest about my struggles. I still continue to be open about my struggles and although I am okay, it comes at a cost when I continue to find out yet even more about myself.
I’ve also been honest about and not hiding from the fact that until the age of 46 I didn’t know I had cerebral palsy, even though I had been diagnosed at 2. But instead of ignoring my issues, I look in the mirror every day. I shine the torch on myself and my symptoms, so that I can work out exactly what I deal with, using my experiences as a base line.
I have never stopped working things out, how I present through my neurological impairments. Through social media I have also been able to piece some of my symptoms together. By reading other people’s tweets and stories and finding out about their symptoms, I have been able to compare theirs with my own.
It doesn’t come as any great surprise then to learn then that through cerebral palsy I have co-occurring disorders (comorbidity) that form part of the original cerebral palsy diagnosis.
As a result of cerebral palsy and comorbidity, I have ASD (“Autism Spectrum Disorder”). As part of ASD I have other co-occurring disorders. Everything I have written to date in my blog form part of those, co-occurring disorders. This blog continues on.
Comorbidity, “is the presence of one or more additional diseases or disorders co-occurring with a primary disease or disorder.” In my case cerebral palsy. “In the sense of the term, a comorbidity (plural comorbidity) is each additional disease or disorder. The additional disorder may be a behavioural or mental disorder.” – Wikipedia
A memory comes to mind. Having gone to see an orthotics specialist for problems with my walking, having seen me walk, he confirmed that he thought I had cerebral palsy. Although I felt slightly numb at being told he thought it was cerebral palsy, his diagnosis brought about a sense of peace for two minutes.
I finally had a name to something I knew nothing about and that felt easier. It felt like my life meant something. What his diagnosis did was bring a reason for my disability.
Years on and with 8+ years of more research behind me and now potentially a final piece to the jigsaw, it brings about explanations for my experiences. I have something more I can draw on that explains my behaviour traits ‘and me.’
In my next more personal blog, I will elaborate more on my ASD diagnosis and try to piece more of what that really means for me.
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