Tag: body

Posted in Archive, February 2022

Saturday Spent in A&E

Posted on by dystoniaandme

This morning was meant to be normal. For us that meant breakfast, chair yoga, meds, get the kids ready for their football club and rush out the door. Then it quitens down from midday. We do homework, see family, and enjoy nature. Today life had other ideas. Damon had already tried to relocate my jaw several times with no success before the kids football. By the time we were on our way home I was crying and asked to be dropped at the hospital.

I knew in myself that this was the right call. I don’t get upset over pain easily. If I’m like this then I need to be seen. Despite being rushed off their feet I was called through and quickly wheeled in to resus very quickly. The reason for this being that jaw dislocations can pose a risk for compromising ones airway. Normally they don’t bother x-raying me, but today they did. A number of drs were shocked at how bad it was, and that I’d let it stay like that since Wednesday.

The doctor looking after me wanted to try a few different methods before resorting to sedation. So a wad of tongue depressors were inserted into my mouth for half an hour to attempt to tire the muscles. Personally I don’t find this helpful, it just hurts, but I’ll do what I’m asked if it gets me treatment that I need eventually.

In the end they did have to sedate me. The Dr told me after that it was a extremely strong spasms pushing the jaw out and it was very difficult to relocate. The first time they got it in the jaw dislocated again immediately. Once they managed it for a second time they quickly bandaged me up to encourage/help support the jaw to remain in place.

I’m now home feeling worn down, emotional, bruised and tired. I’ve got to remain bandaged for a while as it settles and start being more conscious of my jaw movements. Not the sort of headwear I’d been planning on wearing to church tomorrow but heyho. Got to keep laughing.

Posted in Archive, January 2022, September

Day to Day Management

Posted on by dystoniaandme

No day is ever the same when living with chronic illness. The routine may be vaguely the same but each day revolves around adapting to what symptoms are presenting that day and the severity of them in the moment. What may be rather bad in the morning may be insignificant in comparison to another symptom by midday

A good example of this is today. Sundays are always our family rest days. We go to church, sometimes have family to us but generally speaking we are at home together. Now I was already shattered after a bad night sleep with nerve pain in lower right leg and lower back pain. However upon getting up my neck spasm started pulling my head down towards my shoulder. It’s a particularly nasty spasm that’s hard to break. I have a percriped Aspen collar for when my neck does which I alternate with wearing a TENS unit and a heat pack.

Picture of me ready for church wearing my Aspen collar to been help support and straighten my neck

I’ve not had to wear this collar in a while. The overly nervous me did my best to disguise it with a scarf as we sent out for church. It deffinently took some getting used to wearing it out and about and learning to ignore the second glances once again. But it’s worth to help ease off the painful spasms somewhat.

Off to church. Scarf ‘hiding’ my neck support

My Botox appointment is extremely late this time round having being schedule for almost six months instead of three. Whilst I’m hoping for a cancilation to come up, I am in the mean time going to ask my general practitioner to allow me to my Trihexyphenidyl untill I’ve had my injections

Posted in Archive, December 2020

So This Is Energy?

Posted on by dystoniaandme

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, or if you’ve been here since the beginning, you’ll know that pacing (for many years) was like a swear word to me. The doctors threw it around a lot, really pressed the importance of it, but no-one really explained how to implement it properly into my life. I felt like I was being told to sit down and accept my fate of not being able to do anything, anymore. As someone who likes to be busy, I didn’t accept this instruction.


Don’t misunderstand me, I tried. I’d manage a few days of what I viewed as pacing and then I’d slip back into my old habits, trying to live a normal life of activity with no adjustments. The consequences of doing this was that I hit that ’empty spoon’ wall hard and often. Each time regretting it as I then took days to recuperate.


I’m currently coming towards the end of the 3 diplomas I’ve been studying, in Health, Wellness and Life Coaching – specialising in life management with chronic illnesses. I’ve loved the course itself but seeing the difference applying it to my daily life has had, has been amazing. It’s completely changed my understanding of pacing and therefore helped me to apply it to my life with ease.


Yesterday, for example, I was feeling much better than usual so I asked my son what activities he would like to do. I had already decided I would say yes to whatever he chose to do and would find a way to adapt it if needed. He asked to cook with me. So we got the soup maker out to eliminate the amount of cutting and hot heavy lifting of pans. He loved peeling the onion and garlic, cutting out the amount of herbs. It was a gentle session, sat down and full of laughter.
I know energy filled days won’t always be here even when I’m 100% on track, but by pacing, asking for help more etc.it reduces how often flare ups will happen. It’s making a huge difference not just to how I’m coping physically but also to my mental health which has had a real boost.

Posted in Archive, December 2012

Testing the Boundaries

Posted on by dystoniaandme

Since I became ill last summer, I have tried to be careful in everything I do. My body has limits and I have to learn to respect that. However it’s hard to keep within the limits when they keep changing, and when outside factors alter them constantly. I often tend to step over the boundaries, simply because I know that if I don’t test them now and then, I’ll never know what my body’s full potential is. Though I must admit I also do this simply due to craving the freedom my body once had. 

A couple of weeks ago the college phoned me and asked if I would like to attend the Clothes Show Live 2013 at the NEC in Birmingham. After a discussion with mum about if this would be beyond my bodies limitations I decided that I would go. I was extremely nervous as the furthest I have been from mum since I got ill is when I ride, and that’s not far at all. If something happened, I knew that I would most likely wake up in a strange hospital before mum could get there. A situation I did not want to end up in. Thankfully all my worries were for nothing.

I had two of my learning support staff with me to make sure I was safe and to push me around. It was a truly fantastic experience that I am incredibly thankful for. The college had booked a coach that had access for my wheelchair in, and for the main runway show we had the best seats! Other than the odd twitch and my right knee paralyzing on and off, which I’m used to now, my body was perfect. I think I have shopped for this years christmas presents and everyone’s birthday presents for next year!

I expected my body to have a complete meltdown today, but other than being very achy it’s behaved well. I have managed to go to the opticians and have a couple of Coke’s out in town with my family, without any issues.

Below is my favourite photo from yesterday :-p

Image

 

Posted in Archive, January

Staying Strong!

Posted on by dystoniaandme

I saw this photo/quote, and felt like I should share it with you all.

I, personally, find its words to ring true. As much as we wish life was perfect, nobody’s life is. Everyone has their own struggles in life, be it financial, domestic, illness, loss etc. At some point in life we will ask ourselves, why me?! Why am I having to go through this, I can’t deal with it! If you have not asked yourself this yet, then I am sorry to inform you that eventually you will. However when it comes to that point in time, when you are asking why me? That is when you must remember that if you were not strong enough to deal with it, then you would not be going through it. The experience may make you feel like it will never get better, and that is the moment you must remember that it will get better and that whatever you have had to struggle through, will make you a better and even stronger person at the end of it.

I have asked myself, why me, so many times recently. The question normally arises when I am going through a particularly bad spasm or am in a lot of pain. However, each time the pain stops and I relax, I can think more clearly, and I know that I would much rather go through this than see a member of my family, or anyone else go through it. I know that I am strong enough to deal with it and that’s why it is me who has Dystonia.

It is up to us to make the best out of a bad situation. For me, I have decided that instead of curling up in a ball and letting myself become a ‘sufferer’, I shall instead be an advocate for the condition. I shall try my best to make a difference! You never know, I might!

So if you ever are thinking, Why me?! Remember the above quote and know that if you were not strong enough for this life, you would not have been given it!

 

Posted in September

Laughter is the best medicine!

Posted on by dystoniaandme

Having Dystonia means that no day will be the same as any other. Some days may be a good day and others are not so good. This is a fact I have readily accepted. However what I was not prepared for was the spasms that would give everyone around me a shock yet provide amusement simultaneously.

The other day I went to put a knife away and all of a sudden the little dystonia alien decided to act up. Before anyone could help me, the spasm had caused the knife to be flung out of hand, clattering on the ground at the other side of the room. This incident could be one to fear, knife throwing after all is rather dangerous, however all of us could not help ourselves, we all burst into laughter. It was such a random and sudden incident that was shocking yet amusing. Then the next day when my body decided to spasm I sent a plastic cup full of juice flying across the room, making a mess of myself and the floor, but again none of us could help ourselves we had to laugh.

The way I see it is that you have to very clear cut options with dystonia, you can either be angry and become reclusive and isolate yourself so as to avoid potentially embarrassing situations or you can accept that this is what your body is doing, accept the fact you will have good and bad days, yet be able to laugh at the situation, find the positive side to life. After all it is widely known that laughter is the best medicine.