#breathing disabilities

[sir-arlieosaurus-lung-struggler]

This post helped me alot around a year ago, id just found the disabled/spoonie side of tumblr & it took a minute to "understand" that I was disabled, I was just like "wait wat... ohhhhh" cause I'd just always been told I'm asthmatic, nothing more, nothing less.

I just needed to go to the nurses office daily till like 3rd grade to get my 2 inhailers & 2 nasal sprays & 20-30 minute nebulizer done. I just needed to cover my torso in icy-hot a couple times to make it through gym class while I had debilitating scar pain from lung surgery when I was 6 (years prior). I just ~was~. I hate(d) it but I expect(ed) it.

Then I realized, "oh well, shit." Like, ya maybe this dose effect me?

Then I looked into disability stuff & was like "wait, am I disabled?" Cause I didn't really see anything pertaining to chronic illnesses. Long mental debaits later and here I am with "limits/disrupts activities/daily life/etc."

Idk maybe lifelong medical issues could be traumatizing & effect my ability to function in my daily life both physically and mentally? Maybe me having a near death expirience at 6 (where almost everyone thought i was practically dead) will make me realize my morality at a very early age? Maybe it'll lead me to not trust people cause they either force feed me meds or brush all my shit off? Maybe, just maybe, everyone pushing me will lead me to not trust my own body to the point of pushing it so far as to not even **asking** for an elevator key at school when literally everyone ik has been trying to get me to get one for 2 years now?? Because "im fine. I can keep walking, I have to force it, but I CAN."/Sar (from here this (d)evolved into a rant so im stopping here lol, tlrd: my asthma & pain due to scars effect everything, all seasons suck, summer is so bad i anticipate wearing a respirator, I can't be around running vaccume cleaners & lawn mowers, i can barley handle my schedule of going up & down stairs @ school) ((on the elevator note, still don't have a key, but my moms gonna help me see what I can do next year since I have like, 3 weeks left, fuck ya))

But ya thx tumblr for helping me put a word to the shit I've been dealing with since I was 6, helped alot. Listening to my body is an up and down hill but I've gotten mostly better 👍

Shout out to people with breathing related disabilities because this shit sucks

People who need inhalers and nebulizers. People who use ox tanks. People who can’t stand or walk too much because it makes breathing harder. People who have given up important parts of their life because of their breathing issues. People who need assistance and caregivers. Especially huge shoutout to people whose breathing problems don’t have any treatments and/or are getting worse with time

In my experience, we are often left out of the disabled community, either implicitly or explicitly. Needing assistance with chores and errands is so common for disabled people yet when it’s a lung or airway issue that causes us to need that assistance, we’re left out of the convo. Conditions like cystic fibrosis, COPD, lung cancer, VCD, asthma, anaphylaxis, and more can all be seriously disabling. We deserve a voice

Anyways, big hugs for people with breathing issues that want one. We deserve more love <3

[thebibliosphere]

Still not over the head of cardiology, who said she wouldn't formally diagnose me with dysautonomia because she didn't want me to think of myself as disabled.

As if good vibes and a can-do attitude can stabalize autonomic dysfunction.

[swordsonnet]

i'm sorry but i don't think we should call this the "autism website" when there's still posts with tons of notes mocking people who:

struggle with social skills / have anxiety around social settings

are unemployed / unable to work certain jobs

have intense or "age-inappropriate" interests

haven't had certain life experiences that are deemed universal/essential

struggle with personal hygiene

don't have any friends or dating experience

don't go outside much or at all

take things literally / don't get sarcasm/jokes

have unusual ways of speaking

generally aren't "normal"

[demiboydemon]

Person: *is disabled*

Able bodied people:

[tsubaki94]

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[chronicallycouchbound]

PSA: Please don’t ask participants to do grounding/mindful/somatic/etc practices at your events

Grounding exercises should not be an activity in large group settings, especially unsolicited and without warning, especially if you’re not aware of every single person in the space’s mental health conditions, physical health conditions, and personal relationship to their body.

Practices such as mindfulness, grounding, somatic exercises, breathing techniques, body scans, etc. are very helpful therapeutic tools to help manage stress. They can (and do!) help plenty of people– when taught safely and used effectively!

HOWEVER for people with conditions that cause psychosis and/or dissociative conditions such as depersonalization/derealization, these techniques are contraindicated and can make their symptoms significantly worse. They should only be used with guidance from their mental health team and adapted to their needs. For people with conditions like anxiety and PTSD, being aware of breathing can trigger a trauma response or anxiety attacks.

And for people with conditions that cause chronic pain or other uncomfortable bodily sensations, becoming re-centered with their bodies can cause more awareness of the pain they are in, which a level of (ideally functional) dissociation is actually helpful. For people in wheelchairs and powerchairs, touching the ground beneath their feet isn’t always an option. For people with cardiac and pulmonary conditions, deep breathing can be impossible or can trigger asthma attacks. For disabled people in general, doing body scans can be impossible due to paralysis or limb differences. They can bring awareness to things the person wasn’t aware were wrong to begin with (which is helpful in certain spaces, but not a great ice breaker at a retreat!)

And for trans people, binders and other garments can restrict breathing, and taking repeated deep breaths while binding can cause rib damage (which is why you shouldn't bind at night, while coughing from sickness, while exercising, etc). Becoming centered in a body that makes you dysphoric can be deeply distressing, again, a level of functional dissociation helps.

This also goes for plenty of other people in marginalized bodies, such as people of color, people who use substances, queer people, and more. Becoming grounded in your own marginalized body can be a heavy weight to carry, and needs appropriate and individualized care to be a beneficial experience.

As an alternative, I suggest doing a round of gratitudes instead, it allows for people to choose their level of vulnerability in spaces, while not being generally contraindicated for many people. Doing fun (and appropriate to the setting) icebreakers are great. Ask what brings someone to the space. Check-ins about basic needs such as if people need to use the restroom, eat, drink water, are rested, etc. can be more appropriate body check-ins for folks to do.

I don’t recommend doing these exercises even with a warning beforehand. If I'm in the room while someone is leading a breathing exercise, even if I try to ignore it, I (and most people) would automatically become aware of my breathing. The same goes for any other techniques. These techniques can cause real, life-threatening levels of harm for some people, and can even just be deeply uncomfortable or distressing for others. Dissociation is not inherently evil or bad or harmful. It is the way the body and mind naturally respond to adverse experiences (note: it can also cause distress and at higher levels, can be disordered) it is best to allow people to exist as they are in communal spaces. Let people show up as they are.

Most spaces are not equipped or appropriate to respond to emergencies, difficult feelings, and all the varied responses that can come from folks doing mindfulness in group settings.

I personally do some things before large gatherings and events to feel centered on the activity I’ll be doing, and afterward, I decompress. Encourage participants to lean on their natural supports and offer suggestions for it! Be creative in your caring!

This also doesn’t mean to discourage these practices! If you see someone doing deep breathing, check in with them, offer a space for them to decompress, care for them! Worksheets or posters on techniques like square breathing and 5 senses check-ins are great for a quiet room or spaces where participants can decide if they want/are able to engage with those tools. It should be a fully consensual opt-in, rather than being forced to opt-out. Having to leave a room when a group leader says “We’re going to start a mindful breathing meditation, please feel free to leave if you have psychosis, chronic pain, or are trans” is obviously othering and outs people.

Sincerely, someone who has psychotic symptoms, dissociation, chronic pain, is trans and whose body is marginalized in many ways and is really tired from trying to explain this at every event I go to

[yourfavebooklrsfavebooklr]

Some books I’d recommend that feature disabled characters to read this July!

image IDs in alt text!

Note: I’m aware that not all everyone in every community represented on this list considers themself disabled. As an outsider, it’s not my place to say- they are included because some people in these communities do consider themselves disabled, especially with many being spectrums where different people will experience different severities.

Cosmoknights - Amputee side character (major character in book 2)

Nimona - Amputee main character

Before the Devil Knows You’re Here - Dyslexic love interest

The Spirit Bares its Teeth - Autistic main character, autistic side character

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue - Love interest with epilepsy, main character becomes deaf in one ear, MC with anxiety in the third book of the series

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath - Autistic major side character, wheelchair user minor side character

A Lady For a Duke - Love interest with PTSD

Cemetery Boys - Love interest with undiagnosed ADHD (confirmed by author)

Into the Drowning Deep - Autistic character, two Deaf characters

Don’t Be a Drag - MC with depression and anxiety

Iron Widow - Wheelchair user MC with chronic pain

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - Little person character

[retrogamingblog2]

A father built a custom accessibility controller for the Nintendo Switch so that his disabled daughter could play Breath of the Wild

[manufacturedrainbows]

Link enjoying some spiced meat skewers 😋

I wanted to experiment with how Link would look in my upcoming Botw fan comic – with a simplified character design, no gradients and no shading (except for the eyes)

I don't think every panel will have colored lineart, but it's such a nice touch that maybe I'll include it for "important" panels y'know??

I find the simplified style very cute and it'll definitely make the comic process easier!! I can't wait to use it ☺️

[hellyeahsickaf]

Your disability ever have your pets worrying about you? Makes me feel like a monster because I can't even tell them I'll be okay and I'm just experiencing The Illnesses

[9ofspades]

It’s disability pride month, and if you are disabled in the U.S. from Long Covid I want you to know that you’re not alone, and you’re valid in whatever you feel. Whether that’s sorrow at your new problems or rage at society for failing you, you are valid, and it is truly messed up that society is continuing to fail you.

[milomaxxy]

Something I wish I could vent about without IMMEDIATELY getting fucking dogpiled by people who have zero fucking critical thinking skills and automatically assume shit about me, is how covid (and having long covid) has affected my ability to mask.

I got covid (at least) twice- and that's what I tested positive for. I have long covid now, and that affects so much that I do. I can't walk as far, I can't tolerate the heat as well, I can't eat or drink some of the things I used to, my sense of taste has wildly changed, and more; but the worst part is how it affects my breathing. I can't breathe without basically panting anymore. Even lying in bed right now, I can't breathe properly and have to breathe through my mouth to get proper air flow. If I get too hot, or even too warm sometimes, I end up gasping for air like I'm actually choking on the air I'm breathing. My head gets light, my vision blurs and gets dark spots, my mouth gets numb, my limbs tingle and prickle, and I get an overall weakness. Hell, there's been times I've almost passed out from it and had to sit down bc I couldn't stand.

How does this affect masking, you ask? Bc with my regular breathing being hindered already, any kind of extra hindrance can really fuck me. Like, quick in-and-out, less than 5 minutes? I can do it, not perfectly fine, but not really worse off. If I have to actually take time somewhere tho? Like, if I have to do grocery shopping, or go to an appointment, or do my taxes? It has made me actually end up having AMR (the ambulance) called for me by staff before. Bc I basically fainted (for like 5 seconds), fell over, and looked like I was actively dying. I've had to take breaks while grocery shopping bc I have issues breathing as is, but wearing a mask makes it genuinely Difficult To Breathe to the point of hurting me.

And it fucking sucks, bc I DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE THIS. I don't want to sound like a fucking anti-masker who probably thinks covid was made by the U.S. government when I try to explain my health problems. I don't want to have to disclose the fact that, even tho I followed ALL THE PROTOCOLS, other people got me so sick that I can't wear a mask without hurting myself. I don't want to have to disclose my medical information to have a "valid reason" to "break the rules" bc I KNOW how important masking is. I KNOW what the risks are, and I DON'T WANT to take those risks. I'm basically stuck between the decisions of "wear a mask, but not be able to breathe and end up in the hospital *again*" or "don't mask, risk getting sick again, and deal with people who don't want to hear eXcUsEs". As if "I genuinely can't breathe even sitting down and resting, much less moving around with a mask on and I HATE that" is an excuse and not me trying to explain how much I don't want to have to even think about not masking.

I just really wish I could vent about how much I want to cry about this, without someone accusing me of lying about my health. Without someone accusing me of being a fucking fascist, anti-masker, antivaxxer, POS just bc they don't believe me. Fuck

[silvermoon424]

Getting a (minor) surgery tomorrow so there's a good chance I'll be blogging from a hospital bed lmao

[tsubaki94]

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[goldkirk]

10 year old me had no idea that she’d be in this much pain on a regular basis but she also had no idea that she’d have things like self-trust and friends and Chappell Roan in the midst of it so it does even out

[qoldenskies]

hey gang i am going to try very very hard not to leave you all on a cliffhanger for too long but my momentum has just been carpet bombed by the turnout of what's been going on in the US so give me a bit thankies