(no subject)
Sep. 16th, 2009 12:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wendyzskiApparently this is National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness week.
For a really good take here is![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
seananmcguire's post on the subject. As usual she nails it with "remember that appearances are deceiving; like books and their covers, you can't judge a person's health by how fast they're moving. They may just be outrunning the collapse."
Wow - you don't LOOK like you have asthma?
This was actually said to me in a doctor's office my a staff member. It was one of those moments where I wish I had said any of a number of things that came to mind later, such as "Wow - you don't look like you have X-ray vision" or "Wow - you don't look like a judgemental asshole."
But it also nicely illustrates the point of this post - that just because someone LOOKS perfectly healthy does not mean they aren't dealing with something you don't know about. Or in other words - don't be a judgemental asshole.
I have a friend who has MS and diabetes. As a result of treatments for both as well as the physical limitations she has because of these conditions, she is a large woman. She has to regularly deal with discrimination because of the perception that she is "just fat and lazy" - a phrase she overhears in stores all the time. To the point that she feels pressured to not use assistive technology like carts or walkers because of the reactions of the ignorant people around her.
I am overweight. Some of that is due to my asthma affecting my activity levels, some happened after rounds of steroidal enti-inflammatories for severe bronchitis that I suffer several times a year - and I admit some is due to my own choices. But at least I have a doctor that understands this and works with me to address my medical needs. I have several friends who are regularly told by their physicians that their medical problems with just go away if they lose weight. I'm not unhealthy because I'm overweight - I'm overweight because I'm unhealthy.
I recently had issues with an workplace injury to my knee. My doctor was pressuring me not to use a cane or wear my brace, but while I understood the reasons for that I also told him that without the cane I was unable to get a "handicapped" seat while my knee was still not stable enough to stand on a moving express bus. In other words, I felt I needed to carry a prop just to be able to get my physical needs met.
I have friends with fibromyalgia and active CFIDS who have to constantly deal with the perception that their diseases are imaginary. I have friends with mental illness who are told to "just suck it up" and get better. I know someone with a service dog that happens to be a chihuahua. Well, that tiny little animal can smell changes in her body chemistry that indicate that she is in danger of a diabetic seizure.
Most of the time I "don't look like I have asthma". But anyone who was at Stronghold last year may have noticed that I wasn't around the site much except for during my shows. That is because I was having so much trouble breathing that I had to go lie down in the dorm and rest because I was on antibiotics, steroidal anti inflammatories and 2 different medications requiring a nebulizer. I get severe bronchitis requiring this kind of treatment 3-6 times a year because my lungs are always irritated. I'm on the priority list for both regular and swine flu shots as well as the pneumovax because of my susceptibility to severe secondary infection. (and I'll be getting my regular flu shot on Saturday)
I know that I'm mostly preaching to the choir here, as by and large my readers try to be aware and enlightened people. But just a reminder for the rest of you - don't be a judgemental asshole.
For a really good take here is
seananmcguire's post on the subject. As usual she nails it with "remember that appearances are deceiving; like books and their covers, you can't judge a person's health by how fast they're moving. They may just be outrunning the collapse."Wow - you don't LOOK like you have asthma?
This was actually said to me in a doctor's office my a staff member. It was one of those moments where I wish I had said any of a number of things that came to mind later, such as "Wow - you don't look like you have X-ray vision" or "Wow - you don't look like a judgemental asshole."
But it also nicely illustrates the point of this post - that just because someone LOOKS perfectly healthy does not mean they aren't dealing with something you don't know about. Or in other words - don't be a judgemental asshole.
I have a friend who has MS and diabetes. As a result of treatments for both as well as the physical limitations she has because of these conditions, she is a large woman. She has to regularly deal with discrimination because of the perception that she is "just fat and lazy" - a phrase she overhears in stores all the time. To the point that she feels pressured to not use assistive technology like carts or walkers because of the reactions of the ignorant people around her.
I am overweight. Some of that is due to my asthma affecting my activity levels, some happened after rounds of steroidal enti-inflammatories for severe bronchitis that I suffer several times a year - and I admit some is due to my own choices. But at least I have a doctor that understands this and works with me to address my medical needs. I have several friends who are regularly told by their physicians that their medical problems with just go away if they lose weight. I'm not unhealthy because I'm overweight - I'm overweight because I'm unhealthy.
I recently had issues with an workplace injury to my knee. My doctor was pressuring me not to use a cane or wear my brace, but while I understood the reasons for that I also told him that without the cane I was unable to get a "handicapped" seat while my knee was still not stable enough to stand on a moving express bus. In other words, I felt I needed to carry a prop just to be able to get my physical needs met.
I have friends with fibromyalgia and active CFIDS who have to constantly deal with the perception that their diseases are imaginary. I have friends with mental illness who are told to "just suck it up" and get better. I know someone with a service dog that happens to be a chihuahua. Well, that tiny little animal can smell changes in her body chemistry that indicate that she is in danger of a diabetic seizure.
Most of the time I "don't look like I have asthma". But anyone who was at Stronghold last year may have noticed that I wasn't around the site much except for during my shows. That is because I was having so much trouble breathing that I had to go lie down in the dorm and rest because I was on antibiotics, steroidal anti inflammatories and 2 different medications requiring a nebulizer. I get severe bronchitis requiring this kind of treatment 3-6 times a year because my lungs are always irritated. I'm on the priority list for both regular and swine flu shots as well as the pneumovax because of my susceptibility to severe secondary infection. (and I'll be getting my regular flu shot on Saturday)
I know that I'm mostly preaching to the choir here, as by and large my readers try to be aware and enlightened people. But just a reminder for the rest of you - don't be a judgemental asshole.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 06:30 pm (UTC)(For those not familiar with this med, it's a really effective anti-inflammatory with serious side effects. It can affect blood sugar so you're ALWAYS hungry as well as sleep disturbances and a whole package of nasties. But it is really the ONLY thing that can take down the inflammation of my bronchitis before I start coughing blood)
no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 06:48 pm (UTC)Throws off my entire period too. Ugh. (I know...TMI...but having periods that last for two weeks...not fun.)
But it does work like a charm. And I like stuff like...oh...WALKING.
Are you doing that tiny Four Kingdom's Faire? I was there last year and thought it was really relaxing. (I had the beagle-mix dog with the backpack.)
no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 07:49 pm (UTC)Nopes on 4K - they wanted to change things up a bit and we had been there the last two years. We just did a weekend at Bristol and will be at Stronghold again next month.