The ministry of silly walks

Finished week two at the hospice. Here’s a quick update on how I’m feeling and doing...

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End of day two at the hospice. Very sore but going great -I’m so lucky to be here as not many EDS patients get a place on this programme. I’ve been doing physio so far but will also have occupational therapy at some stage, and tomorrow I start in the hydrotherapy pool which I’m really excited about. The staff are fantastic. This evening I had a massive pressure headache with vertigo and queasy stomach- symptoms of my Chiari Malformation. It was very bad, after a groggy nap I took painkillers. It’s such a pity there aren’t more places like this in the country for EDS patients, although in saying that if you end up here you are probably quite deconditioned. We need to ensure patients don’t get to that stage, especially when they are young. We need services in Ireland that help people like me from a young age, early intervention and diagnoses is key in not ending up in wheelchair like myself. A real, qualified consultant, a hypermobility clinic that can handle our comorbidities, qualified physiotherapists in each county. Healthcare shouldn’t be a geographical lottery and we should have the services available that prevent hypermobile people ending up here (a place patients go for rehabilitation). I’m going to try and make the most of this experience, while also educating the staff on Ehlers-Danlos syndrome at every opportunity. Luckily they are quite interested on the topic. I’ve ordered some #EDS4IRE badges and hoping to receive them in the post before the end of my stay! I’ll also bring in a printed copy of the petition next week and try get everyone to sign it -never miss a chance to spread awareness and fight for your rights 💪🏻 www.eds4ire.ie • • • #occupationaltherapy #hydrotherapy #cripplebabyblog #edsandhsd #irisheds #irishedsandhsd #ehlersdanlos #ehlersdanlossyndrome #fightlikeagirl #ehelrsdanlosawareness #physiotherapy #hypermobile #hypermobility #hypermobilitysyndrome #hypermobilityspectrumdisorder #spoonie #chronicpain #chronicillness #disabilityrights #disabilitypride #chiari #chiarimalformation #intercranialhypertension

A post shared by ☾Kitty Colbert☽ (@kittypotpie85) on Oct 24, 2018 at 1:48pm PDT

I’m extremely lucky to be here. I don’t want to take anything for granted. I try not to make a big deal of the dislocations, I can’t do much to prevent them any way but also I don’t want on record that it’s an issue -I feel like I’m responsible for any other hypermobile patient who gets referred to here in the future. I'm extra carful not to faint or fall over or show any signs of dysautonomia. I’m getting more information recently from the community, and it’s even harder to get in here with EDS than I first thought. Some are refused by letter, not even being met with because they quote “don’t treat Ehlers-Danlos syndrome”. I feel my acceptance into here may be partly because of my hip dysplasia and damage to the joint because of that. The HSE cites this place to deny us treatment abroad under that scheme, but while they can help with the rheumatology side of things (in some cases anyway), EDS is a multi-systematic condition. Dislocating joints and weak muscles are only a part of it. But if the HSE says we can get treatment here in Ireland, we are not eligible under the treatment abroad scheme.

Health updates - Summer 2017

So it's been a while since I've updated the blog with any health news, and as always things are progressing slowly while the journey to receive any suitable medical care is dragging behind -and it's a constant battle to keep up against the increasing de-conditioning. 

Disability Aids

I suppose the main thing has been that I finally applied, and successfully managed to get, disability payments. It's still means tested, but not as harshly as job seekers, so I get a tiny bit more than I did on job seekers (Bicky works so I'm accessed on that of course). Most importantly though, it goes straight into my bank account. They also just sent me a free travel card, plus companion! Didn't have to apply for it. Delighted. 

I also applied for, and received, a blue parking badge. The rollator doesn't fit in the boot unfortunately, so it can be hard to get it out from the back seat (space wise, between cars). So feeling like an absolute king with all my extra space and rollator. Outa me way, bitches. GP was shocked I hadn't already applied for one, making me feeling an utter gobshite (seriously, there's needs to a how to guide for disabled adults!).

She also said I should also really apply for something called a primary health certificate -they are hard to get, will require a  medical assessment and probably an appeal, but she thinks I will get it and should have one. I've only actually heard that term for the first time a while ago, but from what I gather it makes applying for things (like disability parking permit) a lot easier... Had one of those moments of "Ah, I am so disabled". Which sounds ridiculous -I fucking write about disability for goodness sake, I just completed an art piece for an exhibition on the subject of chronic pain. My social welfare payment is called DISABILITY. Yet and all, when I'm with a GP or at a physio assessment, I'm almost... shocked, I guess, taken a back when they refer to it. I'm not in denial really... I guess I'm just dumb? LOL. Or used to it. Yeah, it's probably that.