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QuickLink Index: Anxiety Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorders, Crohn's and Colitis, Dyslexia, Dealing with Hand Pain, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Migraines. • Noodles' Panic-Anxiety Page (tAPIr), Anxiety Checklist, Panic Info.
Attention Deficit Disorder • ADD FAQ.
Crohn's and Colitis • I highly recommend www.ccfa.org, to obtain more information on either of these conditions.
Dyslexia • Dyslexia is thought to be the result of a communication imbalance between the left and right halves of the brain. It is not a sign of stupidity, mental illness, or laziness. People with dyslexia may have problems telling right from left. They may become confused if given more than 2 commands at one time. Tying shoelaces and arranging objects in order may be difficult due to dyslexia. Since I am dyslexic, I must take special care to ensure I don't type "N" when I mean "M", or "q" when I mean "d". Letters sometimes stretch out of shape, and simple words can become unrecognizable. The good news is: you can beat dyslexia and lead a productive life! Other benefits include the fact that many dyslexics are also highly intelligent, including such people as Albert Einstein, and (it is suspected) Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, and sculptor Auguste Rodin. Note that these people were all highly creative, imaginative, and didn't let dyslexia stand in their way. If you, or someone you love, shows signs of dyslexia, please contact your family doctor and/or learning specialists, to obtain a proper diagnosis and information on available treatment. Dyslexia.com is a good starting point, and the Shriners have a page with excellent links.
Dealing with Hand Pain • If, like me, you experience a great deal of pain in your hands, consider visiting the Handwel Glove site. I have no affiliation with this company; I simply use their products 24 hours a day so I can continue with a semblance of normal hand motions.
Fibromyalgia
The 3 Fibrostages
Stage One: The Basics.
Irritable Bowel
Syndrome (IBS) • Canadian IBS Self Help Group.
Migraine Links
•
general migraine info,
lots of links to migraine-related sites,
children using self-hypnosis to deal with migraines.
My thanks to all the fibrans who contributed ideas and links for this page.
Some Housekeeping Tips [http://mrsbill.www2.50megs.com/fmsa.htm]
updated February 28th, 2001. Entertain me. Where it all begins.
When first dx'd (that's "diagnosed", btw),
you seem to want all the information you can possibly find.
Is this symptom normal? Is this progressive? Is there a cure?
Is there hope? Great basic information is in the
Fibro FAQ.
Stage Two: Uh-Oh.
Then, you realize you have
new limitations with this syndrome, and you want support. Sheri Graber's page
is an excellent reference point.
Stage Three: Yes!
At this stage, PWFMS (People With
Fibromyalgia Symptoms) realize life goes on.
You can offer support
and laughter and love to those who need it, including yourself.
You work within your limitations, not against them.
1. Whatever you do, it's the correct thing to have done.
2. If someone questions your actions, be understanding; clearly, *they*
are having trouble with reality, so nothing you give as an explanation
will make sense to them. Therefore, logical answers are not required.
3. If someone continues to question your actions, ask them what colour
the sky is in *their* world.
4. Criticism merely indicates the person criticizing you doesn't
understand that life is an experiment. Explain, in gentle terms, that
you are logging the results of all experiments and would appreciate
seeing their written report on this particular experiment, double-spaced for
easier reading.
5. When frustration starts to take over, refer to Rule #1.
Some of us are unable to do laundry on a regular basis. This generally
means 1) someone else in the house does the laundry, or 2) we use our
creative talents to build Mount Laundy (courtesy of Crazy Patty).
To understand the next part, it is important to remember that household
appliances, like all machines, have feelings.
Now, if someone else in the house has done the laundry regularly,
your washing machine will be surprised, perhaps even shocked, when you
arrive with a load of clothes to be washed. If, on the other hand, no
one else has done laundry in a while, your arrival at the machine
awakens the machine to the fact that Mount Laundry is arriving with
you. In either case, this is clearly a frightening situation for the
machine.
In my experience, it is best to start slowly. Often it is not a good
idea to start the washing machine by dumping clothes in. This can
result in blown fuses, split hoses, or other signs of stress as the
washing machine attempts to deal with a frightening situation.
So, I suggest the "plain water" load first, as so many of us have done.
This gives the machine a chance to adjust to your arrival (and the
arrival of however many clothes also need washing). This "test run"
give the machine a chance to adjust at it's own pace, thereby safely
preparing it for a real load of clothes.
If, in spite of these precautions, you inadvertently toss clothes in
for the first load some day (after all, pwfms have no need to remember
everything, that's what mere mortals are for!), I recommend returning
to your kitchen area and relaxing with a soothing drink and some
gentle stretches before returning to the laundry. It is important that
you maintain a calm and peaceful outlook to avoid causing the machine
further stress.