443 words
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TW: GIF warning
As I get older with CP, it continually feels like I am entering unknown territory.
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| [Image: Elsa sings Into the Unknown from Frozen 2] |
Cerebral Palsy is still widely considered to be a childhood disability...but most of us do grow up...and yet there is still so little information out there as far as what to expect. As far as what is common.
So here are 10 things no one tells you about aging with CP.
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1. Cerebral Palsy is not progressive, but it can change over time. The wear and tear on our muscles and joints due to spasticity or just plain old growth does happen. It doesn't mean you've done anything wrong.
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2. This may mean you experience capacity shifts more often and more intensely than you did before. This is okay.
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3. Even if you have been an independent walker earlier in life, you may find you need adaptive equipment in certain situations as you get older. This is not a failure on your part. This is your body communicating to you what it needs to be the most safe.
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4. You might find incontinence to be more of an issue for you sooner than other nondisabled people. I can't say what's usual for everyone, but I can say it's usual for me. You are not alone. Or bad. Or an embarrassment.
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5. You may begin to experience chronic pain as an adult, even if you never have before. Staying as warm as possible helps me. Finding affordable pain management options helps me.
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6. Exercising can be tricky. While movement is good for us, it's not always easy or possible in traditional ways. Finding low-impact ways to work out has been key for me.
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7. Finding medical care with a doctor versed in CP can be challenging. (I've gone in for minor CP-related things and had to explain Cerebral Palsy to the person working in the minute-clinic...)
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8. CP and trauma can go hand in hand (because many of us experience so much medical trauma, ableism and / or abuse.
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9. CP is often spoken of as a physical disability. (That's how I understood it growing up.) But it's our brains that are different. We are neurodivergent. We see the world differently...and that's okay.
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10. As an adult, you might finally be free to figure out who you are. You might love your CP and connect to your community. Or you might find you identify with another part of yourself more strongly. However you feel is okay.
Tonia,
ReplyDeleteOnce again your posts articulate so well so many of the feelings I have begun to experience as a young adult with cerebral palsy. Thank you for writing, and making me feel understood in a world where I feel misunderstood all too often.
I'm so glad you find these posts helpful. We often feel isolated but the truth is there are a lot of people out there who know how we feel. I'm glad I can be one of them for you <3
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