Being ill doesn’t have to mean watching tv all day… but it can

February 26, 2013

There is a stereotype of people with chronic illnesses sitting on the couch or lying in bed and watching tv all day long. That’s it. They don’t do anything else.

Is this true for everyone? NO! DEFINITELY NOT!

Is this true for some people? YES! OF COURSE!

The point? Don’t generalize. Just because something is true for some people doesn’t mean it’s true for everyone. Do some gay men have great fashion sense? Yes. Do they all? No. Do some women love clothes shopping? Yes. Do they all? No. (I’m one that doesn’t!) Do some sick people lay around all day watching tv? Yes. Do they all? No. If they do, do they have a good reason? Some yes, some no.

I’ve encountered this stereotype a lot. Of course, it doesn’t just apply to ill people who don’t work. I’ve seen it applied to all people who don’t work. When I quit my job several years ago, people kept asking me what I did all day. Apparently they lacked the imagination or interests to figure out what anyone could possibly do besides work at a job for those extra 40+ hours a week. The truth was, I was incredibly busy. People were shocked to hear that I was watching less tv than ever before, and I’d had to stop watching some shows altogether because I just didn’t have time. What did I do? I hung out with other unemployed friends (this was at the height of the recession, so there were several to hang out with.) I read a lot. I exercised regularly. I learned to cook. I started some interesting new projects. I volunteered twice a week at a nonprofit. I socialized a lot more – I rested during the day so I could go out at night, even several nights in a row. I did laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, and other chores on weekdays so I could go out with friends on weekends. I slept healthy amounts every night. I did my physical therapy nearly every day. When I found time, I squeezed in looking for a new job. It was a fun, busy time, and I loved it all. Who had time to watch tv? Not me.

Of course, being out of work this time around is completely different. I don’t have the energy for most of those things. I have entire days where I don’t leave the house. So I have to find other ways to fill my days.

For starters, each thing I do takes longer than it used to. Taking a shower and getting dressed takes a while. Cooking takes a while. Doing dishes takes a while. I also have to cook a lot more than I used to, since I’m not eating any processed foods. In between those at-home activities, I do leave the house. My friends are all working now, but during the day I can visit with relatives who aren’t working. Or I buy groceries. I do laundry. And I read. I read a lot. I read a lot every day and that’s what I spend most of my time doing. And yes, I do watch a lot of tv. I’ve noticed that the amount of tv I watch is directly proportional to my cognitive problems. When I have good focus and my mind is working properly, I don’t watch much tv at all. When things are fuzzy, I watch more.

This is why on a typical day at home, I watch an hour or so of tv while I eat lunch, then shut it off. It comes back on while I eat dinner. If I feel clear-headed, I usually have no patience for tv and I’d rather be doing something mentally active, so I shut it off after I eat. If I’m tired or not thinking clearly, I watch until bedtime, which could be several hours. This is also why I watch almost non-stop during my waking hours when I have a fever; I just don’t have the focus to do anything else. When I get sick of watching tv then I know the fever is breaking and I’m getting better.

On Saturday I had a lovely day. I rested all morning and early afternoon. In the late afternoon I played with my friend’s kids, chatted with my friend, helped get the kids to bed, then played board games. And since then I’ve been paying the price. It started with some fatigue on Sunday afternoon. By yesterday, I felt really crappy. I’ve had a sore throat since then, so I think my thyroid is enlarged. And I feel fuzzy-headed. I spent a lot of yesterday watching tv. I tried to read in the afternoon, but I read the same paragraph 5 times before giving up. Then I took a nap. And then I watched more tv. It was a miserable day. I composed a version of this post in my head, but didn’t have the energy or desire to type it out. I felt lousy and just wanted to ignore everything. Checking Facebook or reading a blog seemed to take too much effort. Tv is easy. It’s passive. And it was perfect.

Today is a mix. I watched for a couple hours around lunchtime before shutting it off. But when I tried to read, I only got through a few paragraphs and I just didn’t feel like I was following along. I managed to participate in the HAchat today, and now I’m typing this, so maybe I’m getting better. I hope so. But then, I’ve had to retype words over and over to get them right. It’s hard to compose sentences. So who knows. I haven’t left the house in over 48 hours and it’s a bit much. I could use to buy groceries. (A downside to living alone is having no one to get food when you feel like crap.) But I probably shouldn’t drive at this point, and I’m definitely not up to walking. Maybe tomorrow.

So to all those who assume that because I’m ill and not working that I spend all day watching tv because I’m lazy, I want to say that I find small ways to contribute to society. I’m a good friend, daughter, granddaughter, and auntie. And if I do spend all day watching tv, that’s none of your damn business!

2 Comments | Educating, Fatigue, Frustration, Insensitive, Isolation, Limitations, Rants, Symptoms | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

And the insurance system screws me even more

February 23, 2013

The kid tells his teacher that his book report will be late.

  • Kid: But it’s not my fault! I didn’t have enough time!
  • Teacher: You knew about this 2 months ago.
  • Kid: But the library was closed!
  • Teacher: When did you go to the library?
  • Kid: Yesterday.

You have no sympathy for the kid, right? He should have gotten the book much, much sooner. Procrastination isn’t an excuse.

Of course, what my insurance company did is even worse. You can read the basics here. After sending in the appeal, the insurance company by law has 45 days to respond. At that point, they can request an addition 45 days, which of course they did. So I counted down those 90 days, anticipating and dreading the result, but thankful that at least I’d know, one way or the other. I was glad that I could move out of limbo. I waited impatiently for my lawyer’s call. Almost a week after the deadline, I emailed my lawyer, and she responded that she hadn’t heard anything yet. So I waited more. Finally, more than a week after the deadline, I got the word: they need more time.

And this is where it gets all book report-y. They say they need more time because they need to talk to my rheumatologist. They contacted her and didn’t hear back. I asked when they contacted her. The answer: the day before the deadline. They reached out to her on day 89 of the 90 day response period. So WHY THE FUCK DID THEY WAIT SO LONG?!? Probably, because they can.

There’s nothing I can do, of course. My only recourse is to sue the insurance company, and my lawyer insists that won’t help. The company will argue before a judge that they didn’t get to speak with all of my doctors and the judge will rule that they should get that chance and in the meantime I’ll be paying the legal fees.

So I’m waiting again. I’m waiting and waiting and waiting. I did call my doctor to find out when she’ll respond to the insurance company and I am waiting to hear back from her. And that’s all I can do.

I’m furious. How can this happen? Don’t they realize there’s an actual person whose life is being affected? Who needs to make plans for the future, like whether or not she’ll be able to pay the rent next month? Who needs to know how much she can afford to spend on medical treatments? Where’s the respect for a fellow human being? Why doesn’t the patient have any rights?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: when I get healthy I’m going to try, somehow, to fix this system. Because this is simply not ok.

Leave a Comment » | Educating, Expectations, Frustration, Insensitive, Politics, Rants | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

One day at home too many

February 21, 2013

I used to stay home when I didn’t feel up to going out. These days I stay home when I have no place to go. Ok, and also when I don’t feel up to going out. But it’s the having no place to go that really bothers me right now, because I feel up to leaving, but I stay in anyway.

Tuesday was a busy day. I sat in a coffee shop, had some tea, and read a book. Then I took the longer route home, so I got in some extra walking. After lunch, I picked up groceries, then I saw my naturopath for a brief meeting. That would have been plenty for one day. But just as I was getting ready to head out for the groceries, I got a text message from the guy I’m sleeping with. He wanted to know if I was free that night and if I could stay over. Sleepovers are rare for logistical reasons, but the stars aligned and he thought it would be a nice surprise. So even though I knew it was too much, I went. I drove 45 minutes in the pouring rain and arrived exhausted (but quickly got a second wind when he kissed me.)

After sex it was still early, so we curled up in the living room and read for a bit. I headed to bed feeling nice and sleepy – between the busy day, the orgasms and the reading, it was definitely time for some sleep. But I’m not used to sharing a bed with anyone, much less with two people. Well, actually it was one person and one dog, but the dog is the size of a small person, and she hogs much more of the bed. And the bed is too soft (I had a wicked backache the next day.) And the pillows are too squishy (my neck is still a bit sore – next time I’ll bring my own pillow.) And the room was way too warm (I sleep with my windows open, even this time of year!) And D gets up to pee at least a half dozen times a night. And the dog repositioned herself during the night to take up even more of my space. So I didn’t get much sleep. When I did sleep, I slept deeply, but there wasn’t too much of it.

And then I woke up way too early. Normally at that hour I’d have gone back to sleep, but I had a partially naked guy next to me and a high libido, so I started something and he gladly gave up on sleep too. It’s a good thing I started it when I did – he barely made it to work on time. And when he left, I could have gone back to sleep, but what was the point? I just wasn’t sleeping well there. So I showered with him and got dressed, and despite his offers I decided not to eat breakfast there. I just hopped in the car and drove home. I made great time, but hit rush hour traffic two miles from home and that slowed me down. The drive took an hour. I dropped my stuff in the bedroom and then headed for the kitchen for breakfast. At an hour when I’d normally be in bed, I was showered, dressed, and eating. And exhausted.

So that’s how I ended up spending all day Wednesday at home. I figured I could push myself to go out, but what was the point? And I hadn’t made any particular plans anyway. I knew was going out Thursday (today) and I wanted to be rested. Between the lack of sleep and the more-than-normal activity and exercise of the previous day (and that morning) I figured a day at home would be good.

And it was. I read and watched tv, cleaned up around the house a bit, and generally relaxed. It felt great.

I slept very deeply last night and felt pretty decent today. I was ready to go out! Unfortunately, the person I was going out with didn’t feel as well and we agreed to put it off until tomorrow. Luckily, everyone involved is free then. But suddenly, I had no plans for today. My friends were all at work. My family was either at work or out of town or part of the plans that fell apart. There was no place I needed to be.

I spent another day at home reading and watching tv and reading more. In the evening I finally took a walk. I hadn’t left the house since I got home from that overnight, about 33 hours earlier, and the fresh air felt good. Still, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t see anyone. I didn’t do anything worthwhile outside of my own little world. I felt lonely.

This is one of the many things that’s hard to describe to people. No, I don’t feel up to working, because I have too many days like yesterday. And even on a day like today I probably couldn’t work for a full 8 hours. On the other hand, I need something to do, a reason to get out of the house, to see people, to socialize, to share. Just not every day, because that would be too much. They don’t get it, because they take these things for granted. But I know that at least some of you reading this know exactly what I’m talking about.

This is the part of the feel-good-happy-ending movie/tv show/book where I offer some profound solutions to this problem. But this is real life, and in real life I’m not sure what to do about this. I make plans to get out as much as I can, or to at least make sure I don’t have too many days in a row at home. If I have free days, I try to buy groceries or something. I knew I had no plans for Wednesday or Friday this week, but I had at least one thing for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, so I figured that would be enough. And when Thursday fell through there was no way to quickly come up with a replacement. If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them. In the meantime, I’m just glad that I have enough interests that I don’t spend all day watching tv. Still, I’d like to spend fewer hours inside these walls.

2 Comments | Educating, Fatigue, Frustration, Isolation, Limitations, Rants, Relationships: Family & Friends & Dating & Sex, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Ergonomics: Our bodies deserve nothing less

February 18, 2013

Pain is bad.

Everyone has experienced some level of pain. It could be a stubbed toe, a paper cut, or chronic pain that never goes away. It could be a broken leg, a bumped head, or childbirth. There are many causes of pain and many ways to experience it. We all tryErgonomic position to avoid it and lessen it. Why, then, don’t we help others avoid it too?

I got a call last night from a friend who has “tendinitis.” I put that in quotation marks because I was told that I had tendinitis for several years as a teenager, and of course what I had turned out to be something entirely different, so I’m skeptical of catch-all diagnoses now. Still, this is what he was told. He graduated from college last spring, and the pain started within a month of starting his first full-time office job. He had worked during the summers before, but never at jobs that required so much time at a computer. Now, he’s spending 10 hours a day at work (or sometimes more) and almost all of that time is spent looking at and typing on a computer. He called me because he knows about my history of pain in my wrists (among many other joints) and he figured I’d know all about ergonomic positioning. I told him all about that and more, of course (such as warning signs of other problems.)

What angers me is that no one had told him this before. I only know so much because I have made it a point to study it. I look things up online. I ask questions of my doctors, my physical therapists, etc. I have had two ergonomic assessments done. If you don’t know about ergonomic setups, here are some great tips that I found online. I read it through and it’s fairly accurate and and thorough. I would emphasize the need to take more breaks, though. But anyway, as I was saying, I found this information on my own. Why wasn’t it shoved in my face? Why didn’t someone offer it to me on a silver platter?

Some people are ignorant about these things. Others assume it’s obvious and everyone knows. Many people try to help but their knowledge is lacking or plain wrong, and they do more damage than good. Of course, there’s an easy way to fix this: every employer should be required to provide ergonomic assessments, and then make the necessary changes for their employees, such as providing footrests and height-adjustable chairs. I had one employer who was willing to pay to have a professional come to our office to assess the workers. This was fantastic! Of course, it only happened because I found the professional and then was insistent with the boss. But it happened. Another employer was quite large and had their own assessor on staff. It was her job to work with any employee who made the request. I found out about this after I asked for certain accommodations, such as a different kind of mouse. Even though I’d had an assessment done before, they wanted one by their person before they would provide anything. And if I hadn’t asked for accommodations? Well then I’d never have known that this service was available. My coworkers had no idea.

This should be standard in all offices. Every one is at risk for repetitive motion injuries, postural problems, etc., from using a computer for many hours a day. The human body was not made for this. Why not reduce the risk? So much money is spent on bottled water (most tap water is just fine,) plastic forks (is it so hard to wash real ones?), holiday office parties (that most people really hate,) and other wasteful things. Wouldn’t it be better to spend that money on the health of employees? In fact, I bet health insurance companies would back this idea. Think of the many tendinitis, carpal tunnel, and other cases they could avoid through these preventative measures.

Some pain can’t be avoided. Tomorrow I could slip and fall on the ice. Today I got scratched by a cat (I definitely get along better with dogs.) Why not avoid the pain that can be avoided? We should all insist on better accommodations at work and be sure to make the necessary changes at home. Our bodies deserve nothing less.

2 Comments | Educating, Frustration, Job, Pain, Rants, Symptoms | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

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