I had writer’s block big time. Then I thought I’d just share how I’ve been feeling. I’ve always been stubborn. I want nothing to slow me down most certainly not my condition, but sometimes it does. As a child, I had seizures (not uncommon for kids with CP). I was even on medication for it. As I got older, they went away. Then I became a teenager and my body went haywire. I started having what I term spells. The best we could figure was that they were small seizures. I went to my neurologist. He runs all kinds of tests to try and trigger them. No such luck.
What do spells feel like? They feel like all over muscle spasms. To put it mildly, they hurt bad. The day after I’m usually really tired. During one phone conversation with my brother/journey a few years ago: I had a bad one. I was embarrassed, but he handled it like a champ. He realized I was holding my breath trying to lock down my muscles. I was on the verge of tears from pain and embarrassment and he just said, “Let me hear you breathe.” The deepest breaths I could take helped. From then on I told myself to breathe out loud when I had one. All the breathing in the world didn’t stop them from coming. They were getting progressively worse. I didn’t want to admit it, but they were. I thought I needed to go see a neurologist as an adult. It was a scary prospect.
In June when I went to get paperwork filled out for my chair repair, my doctor asked how I was. He is my doctor again after switching practices. I knew he wanted me to be honest, so I told him about the spells getting worse along with other symptoms. He researched options on the computer with me in the room. Vitamin B6 and Vitamin E came up as possible options to help. He said, “Give it a try and we’ll see how you’re doing when you come for your physical in November.” A few weeks after I started taking them, my spells had significantly decreased as well as my other symptoms I’ve had two spells since starting the vitamins. As best as I can tell: the spells were caused by a hormonal imbalance. I feel so much better and I look forward to telling my doctor. I’m here to tell you all: if you don’t feel good go talk to your doctor. The fix is not always medicine. Sometimes, it can be a vitamin combination. Just don’t give up on yourself. Feeling better is possible, and the world needs you in it.