Disability - Blog Posts
froggos got you covered for those low spoon days.
I dont know who needs to hear this
But I sure did:
You can and absolutely should modify the chore/self care task if it makes life easier. Sit on the floor while doing laundry. Clean dishes while in a chair. Sit in the shower.
Save your spoons. Accommodate your fatigue rather than fighting it.
hi guys!!! cripple is a slur!! being disabled is not an inherently bad thing!! people with brain fog aren't bad people or friends!! people with chronic pain should get accomodations and safe places to express themselves!! disabled people shouldn't be afraid to use mobility aids!! you shouldn't kick out someone's cane or crutches!! being neurodivergent is NOT the fucking same as being diaabled!!
choosing to allocate spoons to hanging out and having a good time at the cost of perfectly completing all your work is not a failing it is in fact an act of survival. “too sick to work = too sick to play” is in fact ableist bullshit that you don’t have to buy into. and the fact that leisure time is treated like a privilege is a fucking travesty
I love being a little freak.
I love using neopronouns and xenogenders.
I love being slightly greasy at all times and smelling vaguely of MSG.
I love having a bunch of peircings.
I love being an alterhuman.
I love using complex labels that most people don't like.
I love accommodating myself regardless of what people say.
I love being able to sniff out autism like a bomb dog.
I love knowing a little bit about everything but fully understanding maybe one thing.
I love looking like I am Not a Human Person.
I love that my speech is delayed from the movement of my lips.
I love being a creature.
I love being a thing.
Listen all my joints hurt and I’m tired all the time, but yesterday someone I love rested their head on my shoulder while we watched cartoons on our beat up couch, so I’m doing pretty good all things considered.
Apparently doctors are allowed to just
“Hey I’d like to become a patient here”
“Cool we’re excepting new patients gimme your records”
“Okay here”
“Hmmmmmmmmmmmm….. actually we don’t like you go away”
“Wait what? But you said you were accepting new—“
“Mmmmm yeah we’re accepting new patients, just not you :)”
“But you’re covered by my insurance, and you said—“
“Bye bye :) shoo :) no doctor for you :)”
So I’ve been on Celebrex for like 3 1/2 months now, had to stop taking it recently because it was giving me some GNARLY nausea and oh boy. Oh goodness. I did not realize HOW MUCH Celebrex was helping me until I had to stop taking it entirely.
Like it wasn’t completely curing me or anything, I was still having constant joint pain and fatigue, but it made my symptoms… semi-manageable? Kinda? Like I truly forgot just HOW bad it felt to have my pain go untreated.
Luckily after my last intense flare up I made sure to really build my work schedule around my pain and prepare things to run on their own incase I needed to take it easy for a while but holy shit. I feel Very Bad™️ right now.
Anyway don’t be like me, listen to your body and take breaks when you need to. That goes for stuff other than exercising too, like if you’re doing any type of activity and you feel your brain and body start to be like “heeeeeeeey can we slow down?” That’s a sign that you should take a breather, or dial it back, or whatever. Knowing how and when to listen to your body is your most important tool to manage your symptoms.
It’s also an important tool to help you like. Be a happier, chiller person.
Yet again stuck in the pattern of
Works out to help my fatigue -> experiences joint pain because I was too rough -> takes a day to rest because of my joint pain -> experiences fatigue because I haven’t been working out -> works out to help my fatigue -> becomes the chronically ill equivalent of Sisyphus, trapped in a self inflicted loop of being tired and achey all the time
Yet again stuck in the pattern of
Works out to help my fatigue -> experiences joint pain because I was too rough -> takes a day to rest because of my joint pain -> experiences fatigue because I haven’t been working out -> works out to help my fatigue -> becomes the chronically ill equivalent of Sisyphus, trapped in a self inflicted loop of being tired and achey all the time
It really sucks when my symptoms have been mostly manageable for like 2 weeks straight and then out of nowhere fatigue just hits me like a sack of bricks. Like at least it’s happening on my day off so I don’t have to worry about work but like. Damn dude it was really nice being a functioning person for a while, not enjoying the possibility of another flare up happening rn and wrecking my ass for the next week and a half.
(Tags from @releasedfromhiscage)
THANK YOU THATS WHAT IM SAYING. LIKE. Your life matters because EVERY life matters. Because you are a living thing and your experience and existence has inherent value.
And you GOTTA fucking remember that, okay??? Like I know it’s easy to forget sometimes but I swear, you are not worthless, you will never be worthless, because you are a person and that means something and it always will. Being unable or unwilling to do certain things does not make your life less valuable than anyone else’s. Life is life, mothefucker.
Dude for real though your worth as a human being is not dependent on how productive or “useful” you are. You could do nothing but lay in bed all today and you’d still be worthy of respect and care. Bro you are a living breathing human being and your life has inherent value. Like straight up you don’t have to do something impossible or world changing with your time on earth in order for you to matter. We are all specks of dust in the cosmos and the fact that you exist at all means you are important. Dude you don’t have to earn the right to live bro, like I swear bro, like no cap.
Dude for real though your worth as a human being is not dependent on how productive or “useful” you are. You could do nothing but lay in bed all today and you’d still be worthy of respect and care. Bro you are a living breathing human being and your life has inherent value. Like straight up you don’t have to do something impossible or world changing with your time on earth in order for you to matter. We are all specks of dust in the cosmos and the fact that you exist at all means you are important. Dude you don’t have to earn the right to live bro, like I swear bro, like no cap.
It’s so weird having my physical health tank when my mental health is the best it’s ever been.
Like whenever someone asks me how I am I’m just like “well my bones hurt, and my muscles hurt, and I can work maybe 3 hours a day before I collapse from chronic fatigue. But like the world keeps on turning, so I’m vibing dude B) ”
Also I just googled the couch potato to 5k program I trained with when I was a kid and they don’t recommend the program for kids under 11 because it’s considered “too intense.” And I just found a picture from when I finished my first race in 2012 when I was 9 years old which is…. younger than 11.
So yeah maybe also don’t put your children on adult exercise regimens that are not designed for their tiny bodies lmao what the fuck
So fun fact when I was a kid my mom decided I wasn’t active enough. So she bought me absurdly expensive running shoes I did not ask for, dragged me out in the below freezing east coast weather, and started me on this “couch potato to 5k” challenge.
Every day after school, we ran. First it was 5 minutes a day, then 7, then 10… you get the gist. I think after 2 months we were running about an hour every day. By the time I quit running when I was 10, my mom and I had run 3 5ks together over the span of a little over a year.
A little after stopped running, I noticed some pain in my right knee. It got a little bit worse, and a little bit worse, and a little bit worse… and then five years later, when it had gotten to the point where I couldn’t pay attention in geography class because I was in constant pain from having to sit all day, I finally went to the doctor.
They told me the cartilage under my kneecap was worn down from overuse. It’s called chondromalacia patellae—also known as “runners knee.”
The thing is: When we were in races, and I was overwhelmed, I told my mom I wanted to stop. I told her I was in pain and I needed to slow down. I told her I didn’t like running.
And you know what she said to me?
“Suck it up.”
And I’m not saying “don’t tell your kids to exercise.” Your kids SHOULD exercise—not because of any bullshit weight reason or anything, but because they’re kids, and it’s good for them. Good for their bones, or whatever.
And I’m not saying “don’t exercise WITH your kids” either, because again, they should be exercising a little. And if you being there helps them stay motivated, that’s great.
What I am saying is: Listen to your kids. Trust that they know their own limits better than you do. Even if you think that they’re being over dramatic, or whiny, or whatever—don’t take the chance.
I’m 20 years old now. My knee still hurts. I have a whole suite of other, unrelated chronic conditions that would be improved if I exercised more. And I try to, I really do. But it’s kind of hard to do squats when just one makes your knee feel like it’s on fire for the rest of the week.
Listen. To. Your. Kids.
For the record I do really enjoy yoga, but when my ADHD’s real ramped up the idea of pulling up a yoga video and spending ten minutes stretching and being alone with my thoughts is just not on the table. Like I need something I can do completely independently so I can pop on a really dumb podcast and stop thinking about being in pain for five seconds. And yoga is great but I don’t have the concentration to guide myself through it without instructions.
Really wish all the “low impact” exercise routines I find weren’t hyper focused on like squats and lunges and shit. Like bro, my knees DO NOT WORK. They simply do not function properly. If I do 15 squats today I’m not going to be able to walk properly for literal days.
…….but like I’m so tired and I NEED to work out to help with my fatigue, and I don’t have the attention span for yoga right now. So I do the five bajillion squats anyway.
And I’m stupid so I forget that that’s a bad idea, so when I’m in an incredible amount of pain just walking up and down the stairs for the rest of the week, I’ll be like
Really wish all the “low impact” exercise routines I find weren’t hyper focused on like squats and lunges and shit. Like bro, my knees DO NOT WORK. They simply do not function properly. If I do 15 squats today I’m not going to be able to walk properly for literal days.
…….but like I’m so tired and I NEED to work out to help with my fatigue, and I don’t have the attention span for yoga right now. So I do the five bajillion squats anyway.
And I’m stupid so I forget that that’s a bad idea, so when I’m in an incredible amount of pain just walking up and down the stairs for the rest of the week, I’ll be like
Doctors be like “before we refill your medication you need to make an appointment” and then I show up to the appointment and it’s just
“Does it hurt?”
“Yes, literally all the time.”
“Cool here’s your drugs, see you in three months.”
Who do I talk to about like. NOT being disabled anymore.
Like it’s been very fun I’ve a had a lot of character growth blah blah blah but I’m getting tired of Feeling Bad All The Time™
The Tanach writing Moses as having a bad stutter from burning his mouth as a baby and needing his brother Aaron to come with him to talk to the Pharaoh and still not being questioned once as God's prophet has done more for Jewish disability rep than 95% of current media.
Pre-chopped fruits and veggies make it possible for so many people with various disabilities to prepare healthy meals and maintain their energy.
Full stop, I hate how disabled people are ripped off when it comes to buying basic items. Why the fuck is an electric wheelchair $4000, ableds can buy a used car cheaper than that. Ableds get everything catered to them yet I’m trying to get a new wheelchair and can’t afford it. That’s my fucking legs. This also applies to things that disabled people want, like I shouldn’t have to pay $1000 for an adapted guitar. You’re ripping one of the poorest population in the world.
There needs to be a cap on how much vendors can charge for equipment rentals and items that are needed or wanted by disabled people but y’all not ready to talk about that.
Ableds, stop monopolizing off disabled people. (Ableds can reblog this - actually it’s encouraged - but don’t comment!)
Here’s to the people with disabilities that aren’t talked about often. People who don’t see tumblr posts about their disability or cute buttons about their disability or infographics about their disability or even the slightest scrap of representation. People who have several disabilities or a disability with a name that they can’t pronounce. I see you. We exist.
here's your friendly reminder that disability advocacy has to be intersectional!
happy disability pride month to BIPOC disabled folk!
happy disability pride month to queer disabled folk!
happy disability pride month to disabled women!
happy disability pride month to those with physical disabilities!
happy disability pride month to those with mental disabilities!
happy disability pride month to those with invisible disabilities!
happy disability pride month to those with visible disabilities!
happy disability pride month who are unable to work due to their disability!
happy disability pride month to those who are seen as "Not Disabled Enough"!
happy disability pride month to those whose disabilities arent recognised as a disability!
happy disability pride month to those who require any amount of mobility aids!
happy disability pride month to those with high support needs!
happy disability pride month to those with low support needs!
happy disability pride month to people who are demonised because of their disability!
happy disability pride month to literally every kind of disabled person!!
my friend is raising money for a service dog!! they got long covid and got put in a wheelchair because of it. please donate if you can and reblog if you can’t 💛
i saw somebody ( @ruff-ing ) say that people need to stop minimizing disabilities so i drew this little guy ! i really like my squilf one so it’s the same kind of idea but new coloring method.
the lines are all messed up every time i upload the picture, i don’t know why lmao. also, ruffin, lmk if you don’t want to be tagged
In case anyone finds it helpful because mobility aids are horrifically expensive and inaccessible…
And for those people who have access to mobility devices but might benefit from a second chair they can abuse without risking expensive damage…
Erik Kondo has made a website, Open Source Innovations, that details plans for DIY wheelchairs. These wheelchairs can be made from common materials like wood, plastic, and pvc. They are lightweight and can be custom fit to the user allowing from the same degree of movement you would get from a custom chair. And they are durable and easily repairable. (he has been stress testing his latest design by dropping it down stairs, dropping it out of a car, launching it across a driveway, and throwing it off a deck). Its 12lbs and I think he said its was in the $200 ish range for parts.
He also is working on cheap, open source, accessible designs for beach chairs, off road chairs, motorized attachments (think smart drive), and so on. Plus he skateboards in his wheelchair. Cool dude, helpful info, pass it on.
I have often caught myself thinking this way and then realized how silly it is. But lately I've been working on not punishing myself for having such thoughts. I just go "Hey, brain, I actually don't want cancer. What could make me think that I want cancer? Ah, I don't feel seen or taken seriously." And then all that's needed is the complete restructuring of society to fulfill everyone's needs, easy!
(the last part was sarcasm)
"i wish i had cancer/a wheelchair/severe disability so i would be taken seriously." so you've automatically assumed that these people are taken seriously or treated well (which they aren't) without even thinking about it huh. the assumed premise undermines your very point. if you took these people seriously then you wouldn't idly wish to have their struggles
Ally pt. 2
Just because something doesn’t directly affect you, doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect someone else. If you are going to support something then it is your responsibility to look at it from all angles, not just from where you sit. Not everyone has the privilege that you might possess. To be a public voice means to also be a voice for those who do not have one. It means to use your interests and passions to create a safe place for everyone, not just everyone like you.
Something interesting just happened, I'm on the bus home and in the middle of the trip we pulled into the depot, turns out it was to switch buses. For context, I'm wheelchair bound and the bus we were initially on was old and couldn't be lowered, the absolute Chad of a driver switched entire buses just so I could have a safe experience getting off of said bus, probably the best experience I've ever had.