h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

>>I bit my lip a bit when I read your first entry and -in a moment of selfishness thought - "Damn! That's someone else I may never get to know as well as I'd have liked."<<

Well come leave me a message then, and we'll see what we can sort out

>>What I can say hand on heart is "Be proud of yourself that you've given so much joy and pleasure to so many people"<<

I do try to think about it that way, but I hate that it hurts people. I'm one of those people, I want to hug the world and make it better!

>>It's good that you say you are not afraid of death itself Jack, 'cos most of us are. Fear of the unknown, fear of being in pain, fear of being alone when it happens. <<

The whole of life *is* the unknown, you cant always predict what'll happen tomorrow. Maybe I'll finally get some chocolte to make me feel better! When it comes to death, we all die sometime. I know I'm going to die, I just wish I could somehow fix it so it didnt hurt anyone when I did. anyone got a magic fixing device? .........No? Damn! Plan foiled again!

To explain, Cal who just appeared is my much loved better half *many more s*

Everybody must love him and be nice, or I'll come and get you all with a chainsaw and blame it on my drugs I'm emotionally unstable, look out!

Moaning about it is fruitless

Cheers Jack - I may well come visit; thanks for your offer You're emotionally unsatbel - and for all my waffle, I'm reserved, believe it or not! I've been on this site on the edges for 3 years and I've just plucked up courage to expand a litttle from my own little bit of PS.

LW - "moaning about it" may well be fruitless - but a good *constructive* rant, and a sharing of coping skills is surely better than ignoring a situation and hoping it may go away. We are all entitled to "how we feel" at any given time.

It's what we *do* and how we express our feelings that may well help each other as a race. Or on a smaller scale, as a community. Or on an even smaller scale, our fmaillies and friends. Or even, ourselves.

Or maybe you don't see it that way? I don't know.

Well I have known about my Muscular Dystrophy since I was 9 in 1977 and went into an electric wheelchair at age 15, so I have been in an electric wheelchair full time for 22 years I kind of think I know a thing or two about it by now. Yes, we all have good and bad days. But the good outweigh the bad in my case. I try to smile and laugh everyday.

Has that become easier for you to do over the years?

Or, as you grew from childhood, to adolescence thru to adulthood, did you go through changing phases?

It can be difficult enough "growing up" anyway, without the added bonus (joke) of a wheelchair and MD to come to terms with, I imagine - how have you, as person coped?

How do you achieve an emotional equilibrium that you feel keeps you on an even keel? What personal "coping stratagies" have you learned, and are willing to share with us?

Has it felt easier for you since you married and have a supportive partner now

Or had you come to terms with it earlier in your life?

Has that become easier for you to do over the years? yes

Or, as you grew from childhood, to adolescence thru to adulthood, did you go through changing phases? yes some good some bad

It can be difficult enough "growing up" anyway, without the added bonus (joke) of a wheelchair and MD to come to terms with, I imagine - how have you, as person coped? very well considering still got a Fine Art degree 2.1

How do you achieve an emotional equilibrium that you feel keeps you on an even keel? just comes naturally and have a supportive family and friends

What personal "coping stratagies" have you learned, and are willing to share with us? well it is a case of mind over matter just count to ten and try to relax if i get stressed

Has it felt easier for you since you married and have a supportive partner now? again not a bed of roses but it does help but my wfe has her own share of problems with mental health issues

Or had you come to terms with it earlier in your life? Came to terms with is at 18

What happened at 18 to cause you to come to terms with it?

Well I was about to commit suiside at a dock in Seahouses Northumberland but something or someone stopped me and I relised life was to short to waist it in self pity

Realising self pity is not a good way to go about living is a good step;

I'd never attempt to top myself thru self pity, but I do find the option comforting, should the pain I experience become too much for me to tolerate, and interferes in my quality of lifeto too much detriment for me.

Knowing I *can* is a safe guard to me not doing it.


- how did you go about *not* being self pitying and accept things?

What's been the most difficult thing to come to terms with, for you?

how did you go about *not* being self pitying and accept things? dunno really it kind of just happened

What's been the most difficult thing to come to terms with, for you? no being able to walk

That's a big first step - how did you go about changing your way of thinking?

What's been the hardest part of your illness for you to cope with?

see Post: 150

There's some very useful advice happening here, thanks both Evadne & Wolf

zdt

a pleasure

I find one of the hardest things is the unprdictablity of it all, i can have days when i literally find it almost impossible to get out of bed & others, like today, where i have managed to walk (slowly!!!) to the market & even do some gardening in the sunshine.

But yesterday was hellish. There doesn't seem any rhyme or reason to it.

When you got diagnosed as a kid Wolf, did you go to a special school or mainstream one? The attitude now seems to be "integrate all kids with problems into mainstream schools" but often this isn't really doing them many favours 'cos they need specialised help, which is much easier to provide in a school geared up for wheelchairs etc.

zdt

I stayed on an extra year at a mainstream junior school in Tysoe, Warwickshire then at 12 went to Exhall Grange Special School in Coventry.

I just wanted to say well done LW, for getting involved in this thread and posting some more helpful/inciteful comments than your first post a few weeks ago.

Sorry I was in a rush before

Ok.

So you forgive me