Accepting your limitations when you have a chronic illness or disability doesn’t mean you’re lazy or pessimistic. It’s more than ok to acknowledge and respect the fact that there are things you just can’t do. Don’t listen to anyone who tries to put you down or make you feel guilty for saying “no” when you aren’t able to do something. 

The worst part of a chronic illness is having the desire to be productive, but your body simply won’t. do. the. thing. 

Activated Charcoal = ineffective meds

Friendly reminder that activated charcoal, even when put into food as a black colorant, binds to medication and can make it ineffective. Yes, this includes birth control! I thought I’d put this PSA out there since people are making spooky “black” versions of normal foods.

To elaborate: activated charcoal is “detoxing” in the sense that if you have consumed a poisonous substance or overdosed, a hospital may give you charcoal in an attempt to render the substance inert.

It is NOT “detoxing” in the sense that you should take it on a regular basis to remove ordinary ‘toxins’ from your body, like you might take milk thistle or dandelion. It does you no good whatsoever unless you have recently consumed something harmful and charcoal could bind to it and thereby turn it useless.

Do not eat, drink, or take charcoal regularly, especially if you’re on medication.

laws about minimum wage should apply to disabled people

laws about minimum wage should apply to incarcerated people 

everyone deserves a fair living wage for their labor

Spoonie Problems: When you have so many different doctors in the same building that you can’t remember which doctor is on what floor or which office for what doctor or basically where you’re going, ever. Thank goodness for information desks.

Low on Salt, Low on Spell Slots #2

Don’t you just hate it when normal activities are impeded by your condition? I was able to leave the store without any problems after a short rest just sitting there for a while but it’s rather frustrating when you feel like you can’t do every-day tasks without problems. Stay safe out there, fellow spoonies!

Here’s to everyone with a progressive disability who is forced to watch their body slowly lose more movement and get worse. Here’s to everyone with a progressive disability who, every time you get hurt you cringe and fear because it means that body part probably won’t heal all the way and it just worsened your condition. Here’s to everyone with a progressive disability who has to constantly mourn your body and who you are are you lose your movement, your ability, as you see it get worse and you sit there trying to make your toes move, or your hand move and it just won’t happen and no one can really fully understand that mourning.

I go through it, I mourn with you, everyone with a progressive disability mourns with you, we are in this horribleness together.

You know your chronically ill when you can talk and relate with your grandparents about your aches and pains.

“Yeah but am I hurting enough to take a painkiller?”

- everyone with chronic pain ever

Sometimes I feel like being tired all the time isn’t “that bad.” That I should be able to push through fatigue and get things done like everybody else. But then I remind myself that extreme tiredness and sleep deprivation are forms of torture. I once read a study that suggested that healthy people would have to go without sleep for 3 to 4 days to experience the kind of fatigue that chronically ill people feel. 

Chronic fatigue is real, disabling, and not just something to “push through” or “get over.” 

Okay so, im gonna give a bit more detail into why you shouldnt ask someone why theyre taking their bag to the restroom/call them out on it/corner them on it.

The obvious reason thats been talked about before is a person who has their period needs their bag w them to carry their tampons/pads/etc.

But also, especially in schools, there are disabled people who have things in their bags that they cant risk shosing to others, such as,

What im trying to say here is that you should never ask anyone why theyre taking their bag w them to a restroom, or anywhere for that matter. Because not only is it none of your fucking business, but it can only be a complete invasion of someones privacy and a complete invasion of someone’s /health/. Being disabled is hard enough, especially in school, but its so much worse when we teach kids rhat they dont deserve privacy and a whole classroom needs to know about their disabilities and illnesses.

Normalize:

Normalize disabled girls with hairy legs.

Normalize disabled girls with unwashed hair.

Normalize disabled girls with “bad” teeth.

Normalize disabled girls with hairy underarms.

Normalize disabled girls who sit weird in their chair.

Normalize disabled girls who are loud when feeling any emotion.

Normalize disabled girls who eat with their hands.

Nomalize disabled girls who can’t sit or stand up straight.

Normalize disabled girls and everything that comes with them.

Normalize disabled girls. Period.

Your disability/illness/disorder is NOT “an excuse”, it’s a reality. Having limitations does not make you lazy. You should never feel guilty because you have limitations.

Fuck anyone who tries to make you feel ashamed of who you are. They don’t know jack shit about what you’ve survived, and you don’t owe them any explanation or apology. If you aren’t hurting anyone, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Be proud. You deserve it.

“You should try…”

“My sister’s friend’s cousin’s boyfriend had that and and __________ cured them”

“I heard _____ about your medical condition that I know absolutely nothing about and can’t even spell”

For my young friends with illnesses and symptoms more common in the elderly:

I see you.

You with the cane and arthritic hands, who has to ask for non-childlock caps on their medications lest they are unable to open them. Who has banged too many jars against counter tops trying to pop the seal to count. Who uses scissors to open everything possible, and rubs their knees when it rains. I see you.

You who has to wear diapers at night to keep their sheets dry, or during the day for incontinence. You who knows the best brands, which show through clothing the least, what stores have the best deals. I see you.

You with the cannula, wheeling your oxygen around, sitting on benches and leaning against walls, trying to catch your breath. I see you.

You with the catheter, who knows exactly how large your bladder is and how much you can drink, and has cathed themselves too many times to count.

You with the ostomy pouch, who knows just how to hide it but might be shy to wear a bathing suit. Who has become a pro at cleaning their skin and stoma. Who knows exactly what sorts of foods your body has trouble digesting. I see you.

You with the discolored or missing teeth, who is afraid to smile big. Who is terrified of judging by dentists, or expensive bills. Who winces when they see their mouth in photos, or has been ridiculed to have their mouth. I see you.

If you have memory problems, if you have rashes, if you have too many pills to count up without paper, if your hands shake, if your knees are weak, if you’ve been told you’re “Too young” to live with your illness or symptoms: I see you.

You are not too young. You are not gross. I see you, and you are valid. 

I see my doctors more than I see my friends

Psssst....

Vaccinate yourself and your children to help protect babies and people with low immune systems. 

Pass it on.