Tag: disability

What a difference the right chair makes

Something exciting happened to me this week!

My new, made to measure work chair that was recommended on the back of my Access to Work office assessment finally arrived at my office, complete with a beast of a footrest that moves up and down as my feet do.

This might not sound very exciting to you, but it was for me and all of colleagues. We were all hoping it would reduce my pain, and you know what – it has. Way more than I dared to hope it would.

I would say my hip pain levels have improved by 80% across the board, by which I mean not only while I’m actually at work. I’ve been in a lot less pain in the evenings and on my commute too!

My back pain is also much better during work hours, and I haven’t felt like I am going to spasm and spring out of the chair once yet. I know it’s only been four working days, but I am so happy and grateful to my employer for investing in me like this that I could cry.

I miss writing

It’s 4am and I’m lying awake thinking about how much I miss writing. I have so many ideas but no creative energy left at the end of the day to act on them, leaving me with an uncomfortable blockage that right now feels impossible to shift. The only reason the words are coming out now is because I know there’s no chance of me getting back to sleep until they do.

This whole needing to manage my energy levels thing is new to me. People often assume that my cerebral palsy makes me tire easily, and while that’s true when I’m physically active, it’s not the case with my mental or creative energy.

Before I started working full time, I never really considered that a desk job would be physically demanding for me. I do after all, spend the entire day sitting at my desk typing. I guess I never really noticed how hard forcing my body to sit in one chair in one position for hours would be because, when I’m at home, I sprawl out, move around, and spend (probably too much) time lying flat on the floor.

My employers are great and let me work from home when I need to but I like to be in the office as much as possible, although I do ask for home days when I need them. I don’t like it, but I’m learning to accept it.

I feel like I’m having to fight against a lot more muscle spasms these days, and not just at Work, but at home and when I’m home too. At least, I think that’s what they are. My whole body feels wound too tightly and I can only take it for so long before I need to ‘spring’ and sitting still becomes almost impossible and too uncomfortable to bear.

This is new to me. Does it happen to any of you? If it does please let me know.

Anyway, I’ve just noticed that it’s turned light outside so I’d better try squeeze in some more sleep.

If you’re still reading This, thank you for giving me a reason to write and a space to clear my head a bit.

 

Love,

 

Nic x

Botox, orthotics & Hip Pain: a mini round-up

Okay, okay. I admit it: I knew it had been a while since I updated you guys on how things were going, but it turns out that it’s been almost a month!  I’ve had a fair bit going on so I thought I’d do one of my mini round-up posts to bring you up to speed.

Botox injections

I saw my consultant for my latest round of botox injections. I have these in my legs to try and ease the muscle tightness caused by my cerebral palsy.  The appointment also gave me chance to talk to my consultant about my increasing hip pain. She agreed that we need to do something to try and level off my pelvis, so she sent me back to orthotics to get a raise put on one of my shoes. If that hasn’t made much difference by the next time I see her (in about four months, this time) she’s going to look at referring me back to orthopedics to see if they have any suggestions. I haven’t seen anyone from that department once I’d finished having all my hip surgery just before I went to university, so that would be interesting but scary at the same time.

Orthotics

After seeing my consultant I was sent an appointment to go back to orthotics which I always dread (orthoics I go waaay back). I saw an orthotist I’ve never met before. She seemed nice and measured me up for a new pair of calipers (similar to the ones pictured) to go along with the shoes when I told her I don’t have a spare set. The new shoes will have a raise on one side, and she’s given me a wedge to put inside my current shoe until the new ones arrive.

Callipers
My callipers

I noticed straight away that it made my hip feel much more comfortable when I’m standing or walking but it hasn’t helped when I’ve been sitting and laying down. Maybe it will in time, but I’m not sure.

My back pain has also been much worse in the last few days. I’ll just need to see if this is a standard phase in my ‘pain cycle‘ or if it will last longer than that as we try and change my posture.

My first month of full-time work

Can you guys believe it’s been a month since I started my new job? I can’t.

That means I have successfully managed to get up (and start work on time) four Monday mornings in a row. This might not sound like a big achievement, but let’s not forget I’d been unemployed for five and a half years until I got this job. Getting up early on a Monday morning hasn’t been a feature in my life for a loooong time, but I’m adjusting. I think…

Continue reading “My first month of full-time work” →