This is a post I have been planning to write for a long time. I had been asked awhile ago to try and explain how having Cerebral Palsy feels and how I feel after spasms etc. it has taken me a long time to write this post because I was not exactly sure how to describe the feeling. Before I go any further, let me stress that this post is about my experiences and my feelings and it doesn’t mean that everybody with Cerebral Palsy feels the same way.
My muscles always have tension and are never completely relaxed but when they spasm it is as if they are being pulled even tighter but then they are released very quickly. It is kind of like releasing one of those wind up toy cars that little kids have. It is very painful but most of the time I am able to distract myself from the pain and it usually only lasts a few minutes.
After spasms the body part that has been spasming will ache for awhile depending upon how much that body part has been spasming. Fortunately it doesn’t hurt anywhere near as bad as the actual spasming.
Some days along with the spasms I shake a lot (especially in the hands) also. This makes even the simplest task (like drinking/eating without making a mess) and leaves me even tireder than normal. On the days when the shaking is particularly bad I find it really hard to concentrate and I often find I am nauseous as well. I have no idea if it’s all related to the shaking but it seems to happen every time I have a bad day with the shakiness so I thought I would mention it anyway.
That pretty much covers how the Cerebral Palsy makes me feel physically. The upshot of it all is I am in some degree of pain every day (I have spasm everyday) but I can usually control it with distraction and don’t use pain medication unless it is a particularly bad day.
Today has been a good and productive day. I am almost organised for the semester and have begun some work already. I have also been trying to sort out carers to take me to the v8 supercars in September but haven’t had any luck so far which is disappointing. I am in the process of writing a post answering some of the questions that you may have always wanted to ask a wheelchair user but have never had the chance to do so. If you have any questions along those lines please leave them in the guestbook and don’t be afraid of offending me or anything because I see this kind of thing as a way of educating people and helping them understand what my life is like.
2 comments:
Hi Karen
I hope you get to the supercars in September.
What type of CP do you have? Have you ever had problems with your hips?
L,
Jacqui
What kinda spasms? Are they like a seizures or cramping. I had no idea that CP hurt the person!I to am interested in your hips as this is a major concern as a parents of a CP child to do the best we can to avoid any further discomfort and operations.
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