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Post by KarlatheLHFan on Oct 18, 2008 23:15:56 GMT -5
OK, so here's the deal: I'm really annoyed, and I don't complain much, so I hope everyone does not mind me venting for a few minutes!! OK, so, this summer, when I was coming home from summer camp, the back to my old wheelchair was apparently not secured well enough in the back of my parents truck, and it flew off! Since then, since I can't survive without a wheelchair, my aunt let me borrow one from her. (God Bless her for that, and I love my aunt a lot), but this chair is one of those simple hospital chairs that has no seat belt, and it's basically built for the elderly. Well, when we realized that I was NOT going to be able to survive in New Orleans without a customized chair that is tailored for my needs, we decided to go to a physical therapist to get me fit and evaluated for a new one. Well, my mom and I have been constantly calling them bc it has to go through medicaid first, and it turns out that they have not sent in the file to them yet, and they have the chair picked out! It's driving me insane, and I hate all of the pain this chair has been giving my back and every other part of my body because I need a customized chair!!  Just do me a favor and pray that medicaid gets it approved before I get to Tulane and New Orleans in January! Argh....  Thanks for letting me vent; it means a lot! |
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Post by cayters on Oct 19, 2008 1:07:46 GMT -5
aww, i'm sorry karla.. i do hope that gets fixed soon.
btw.. why do you need a wheelchair? i'm not sure if i know.
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Post by KarlatheLHFan on Oct 19, 2008 17:20:11 GMT -5
aww, i'm sorry karla.. i do hope that gets fixed soon. btw.. why do you need a wheelchair? i'm not sure if i know. Hey Cayte, I have Cerebral Palsy.. Are you familiar with that? If not, I'll be glad to explain  |
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Post by cayters on Oct 19, 2008 23:04:27 GMT -5
ohh ok. yeah, i am familiar with it.
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Post by allie on Oct 19, 2008 23:36:27 GMT -5
oh i want an explanation if you dont mind. i mean, ive heard of it, but i dont really know what it means, you know?
and good luck on the wheelchair thing though.. i hope you get the one you need soon!
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Post by sylviagrace on Oct 19, 2008 23:43:32 GMT -5
That's rough. It's true, you don't complain much. I was impressed how you reacted when you had to miss that LH show. I would have been totally bummed if that happened to me - and I'm sure it was pretty devastating at the time, but you seemed to focus on the good rather than the bad. Anyway, sorry to hear about your wheelchair. January - that seems like a long time to be waiting for a wheelchair. I hope it gets resolved soon.
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Post by KarlatheLHFan on Oct 20, 2008 0:54:28 GMT -5
oh i want an explanation if you dont mind. i mean, ive heard of it, but i dont really know what it means, you know? and good luck on the wheelchair thing though.. i hope you get the one you need soon! Sure! I don't mind explaining at all. Now, there are about six different types of this disorder, but I'll explain mine. I have spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy, which means that both my upper and lower extremities are affected. However, my upper are much less affected than my lower. So, in essence, the problems that I have with my arms such as my fingers and wrists are only minor. I can't turn over my hands, I have some problems grasping some small things such as change (pennies, dimes.. that kind of change, not the literal idea) My lower extremities are another story. They are basically the reason I'm confined to my chair. My legs are sort of turned in and my ankles are fused, which basically means I cannot move my feet in an up and down motion. They do not flex. My legs are tight, and when they get tired or I get nervous (anytime and every time I have met the LH boys, they shake uncontrollably.) It's also harder for me to talk when I'm nervous and shaking, and when I do, it sort of comes out like I'm about to cry, and it takes FOREVER to come to the surface. That is very ANNOYING. The guys, especially Jason have always been very kind and patient while waiting for me to speak. <3 (Yes, every bit of my existence must include Lifehouse, but what's wrong with that??)  Anyway, on to what Cerebral Palsy is specifically: It is a neurological disorder that may occur at birth or after depending on the circumstances. Mine occurred due to premature birth! I was born 3.5 months early, and my mom actually named me after my nurse Karla, who basically tended to me and kept me alive during my 5 months in the hospital. I weighed in at 2 lbs 3 ounces, so as you can imagine, I had many health complications at the time. Ok, So, it's basically a disorder which causes tightened and intense trouble with movement. It is specifically a nervous system disorder, which I'm sure you all know deals with the brain and the spinal cord. It takes longer for the messages to travel up my spinal cord to the brain. For example, if someone tells you all to pick up your foot, you can do it automatically, right? Well, if someone tells me to pick up my foot, I not only have to think about it, but I have to strain to do it while someone is holding me up. It's usually not a pretty picture in most cases, haha! Yeah, so, I'm basically shit out of luck when it comes to functioning within my legs bc of the tightness in the muscles and all other things mentioned above, BUT I'm blessed with exceptional use of my hands! I'm very thankful for that; there are many cases of CP where use of the hands is pretty much out of the question. I dated someone who could not use his hands at all, and I had to feed him and everything! It was a very tough situation considering the fact that we both had Cerebral Palsy, but dating him taught me a lot and really opened my eyes as a person. I also have to mention that I have horrific pain with my body most of the time, but it's mostly with my back. Sometimes I take pain pills for that, and other times I just use sleeping aids to dull the pain. I know many of you are probably wondering why I've never had surgery. The answer to that one is.. I don't find surgery that effective. I know two people personally with CP , and surgery has really not improved their condition in any way. Even though there's sometimes more complications than I can handle sometimes, I'm pretty happy with myself and my condition. Let it be known that I haven't always been that way though. I have been thorough some pretty, to put it lightly, teasing and discrimination in my life time, but Lifehouse and their music saved me from the deep depression that all of those things eventually caused, along with my best friend, who is a gay man (sucks, I know, but I love him to death for accepting me as is). He took me to my junior and senior proms when I was in high school (particularly bad times for me) and just danced with me and really made me feel special. It is a sincere hope of mine that I will someday find an able bodied man to take care of me and love me for who I am, but it has not happened yet. As a matter of fact, I've only had one boyfriend, and we're no longer together due to the constraints. It's a simple and straight forward fact that people in this society are shallow. I'm hoping that going to graduate school, especially in New Orleans will secure my quest for a mate, heh. Yes, the dating issue is something I struggle with, among many. BUT this is why I'm an aspiring social worker! I hope to inspire others and HELP others. I'm out there to provide a voice to those who have not yet had their chance to stand out in the bias society. One can only hope that my future practices as a social worker will allow for a more caring and accepting world. If anyone knows anything about social "stigmas", it's me! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed my half ass explanation, LOL!!! For more information on Cerebral Palsy, you may visit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsyAlso, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask; I'd be more than glad to answer them! |
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Post by KarlatheLHFan on Oct 20, 2008 1:02:31 GMT -5
That's rough. It's true, you don't complain much. I was impressed how you reacted when you had to miss that LH show. I would have been totally bummed if that happened to me - and I'm sure it was pretty devastating at the time, but you seemed to focus on the good rather than the bad. Anyway, sorry to hear about your wheelchair. January - that seems like a long time to be waiting for a wheelchair. I hope it gets resolved soon. Yeah, I was EXTREMELY bummed out! Don't get me wrong! But you know, you can't do anything about it! I have learned to adapt to many things; it's just a part of my lifestyle as a disabled person! |
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Post by sylviagrace on Oct 20, 2008 9:59:40 GMT -5
As a matter of fact, I've only had one boyfriend, and we're no longer together due to the constraints. It's a simple and straight forward fact that people in this society are shallow. I'm hoping that going to graduate school, especially in New Orleans will secure my quest for a mate, heh. Yes, the dating issue is something I struggle with, among many. Well, I've never had a relationship, but I think it's because I'm shy and I don't meet people very well. Also me and my friends (especially the male ones) are the type of people who are waiting for the one right person - not too quick to get into a relationship. But I also plan to go to grad school, and that's a good way to meet people. Anyway, I always think that when you do find the right guy, he'll love you for who you are and not what he sees on the surface. I'm always impressed at how the people who live through the most hard times seem to be the most positive. I guess you just have to learn how to cope with life and end up doing it better than most people. Thanks for sharing. |
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Post by Jessi on Oct 20, 2008 10:26:41 GMT -5
Wow, you are such a strong person. Thanks for all the information I got a little lesson on all of this. I was born almost 2 months early, I didn't know premature birth and Cerebral Palsy were related. I hope you are able to sort everything out with the chair, it sucks a lot that you are having to go without a comfortable one, especially since you are in it for so much of the day. Good luck!
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Post by KarlatheLHFan on Oct 20, 2008 11:26:31 GMT -5
Thanks for the compliments. guys! They mean a lot! Jessi, did you have any complications? Glad you could learn something. After all, they say you learn something new everyday! Edit: I did not become strong by myself. Lifehouse is a huge part of my success in getting through the tough stuff. "Simon" literally saved my life, and helped me cope with all of the ugly teasing I went through. Hence my signature line: "don't believe the lies that they have told to you not one word was true. <3!!! I would really like to tell Jason my FULL story one day, but I'm afraid while I'm doing it, I would bust out crying and feel like an idiot. Any suggestions? |
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Post by Jessi on Oct 20, 2008 13:07:22 GMT -5
No I didn't have any complications when I was born, I just had to stay in the hospital until I reach 5lbs.
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Post by KarlatheLHFan on Oct 20, 2008 13:09:45 GMT -5
No I didn't have any complications when I was born, I just had to stay in the hospital until I reach 5lbs. Oh, ok. Well, thank goodness for that!!! |
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Post by KarlatheLHFan on Oct 20, 2008 13:50:01 GMT -5
OK, so good news!! I got a call from the guy today, and they're working on ordering it and getting it set the way that I want and need it!  |
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Post by cayters on Oct 20, 2008 14:26:37 GMT -5
yayy. |
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Thanks for letting me vent; it means a lot!
Anyway, on to what Cerebral Palsy is specifically: It is a neurological disorder that may occur at birth or after depending on the circumstances. Mine occurred due to premature birth! I was born 3.5 months early, and my mom actually named me after my nurse Karla, who basically tended to me and kept me alive during my 5 months in the hospital. I weighed in at 2 lbs 3 ounces, so as you can imagine, I had many health complications at the time. Ok, So, it's basically a disorder which causes tightened and intense trouble with movement. It is specifically a nervous system disorder, which I'm sure you all know deals with the brain and the spinal cord. It takes longer for the messages to travel up my spinal cord to the brain. For example, if someone tells you all to pick up your foot, you can do it automatically, right? Well, if someone tells me to pick up my foot, I not only have to think about it, but I have to strain to do it while someone is holding me up. It's usually not a pretty picture in most cases, haha! Yeah, so, I'm basically shit out of luck when it comes to functioning within my legs bc of the tightness in the muscles and all other things mentioned above, BUT I'm blessed with exceptional use of my hands! I'm very thankful for that; there are many cases of CP where use of the hands is pretty much out of the question. I dated someone who could not use his hands at all, and I had to feed him and everything! It was a very tough situation considering the fact that we both had Cerebral Palsy, but dating him taught me a lot and really opened my eyes as a person. 
. I'd also like to know if anybody has an HD copy of Lifehouse at Pinkpop 2003. BY far their best concert ever