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Love and ...

Happiness! 0.45945945945946 45.9% [ 17 ]
Food! 0.13513513513514 13.5% [ 5 ]
Spoons! 0.40540540540541 40.5% [ 15 ]
Total Votes:[ 37 ]
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UPDATE (07/02/2013):

I decided to have my thread moved to Friends Chat since I've not been actively questing or running the thread! I'm so sorry I haven't been here crying

However, I also decided to give away a bit of my gold, so if you get a trade, that's what it's for! heart If you did not receive one and you've been a regular, don't worry! I've only sent trades to folks who have been active lately. If you become active, just let me know here or on facebook and I'll include you! heart



However, I'm also on Facebook and I'm more able to keep up on there! Just send me a PM, and I'll friend you! smile

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my quest thread!

We also have another quest on our hands; the one I plan to hold for Chronic Illness awareness. You'll learn more about that later. In fact, I'll show you exactly where!

1. Table of Contents (you are here)
2. About Me and Quest
3. Rules
4. Chronic Illness Awareness Quest
5. The Spoon Theory Summarized
6. Dishes and Spoons - Regulars
7. The lovely contests!
8. Updates and Announcements
9. Spotlight Awareness!
10. Spotlight Awareness! Part Two!
11. Avatar Art
12. Links In
13. Links Out
14. Thread Theme Song
15. Donators
_____________________________________________________



This thread contains detailed explanations of various medical conditions. It's advisable not to click the Wikipedia links unless you're prepared for possibly graphic medical information.

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*I'm Ginger!
*I'm located in central Pennsylvania, in the USA.
*I'm 23 years old.
*I attend college at Millersville University of Pennsylvania!
*I'm double majoring in Sociology and Philosophy
*I work part-time as a sales leader at the apparel retailer, Aeropostale.


Current Quest: Cerynitian's Blessing

User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.

Quest BACK ON TRACK!! Can you dig it??
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STAFF
0. Gin-Gin_version2 (Ginger) - Pennsylvania, US
1. Azure Felis (Jack) - Wales, UK
2. lnk1001 (Laura) - New Mexico, US
3. SuperSingingSox (Teal) - Ohio, US
4. Valkyrie-Chii Chan (Chii) - Holland
5. Ikki Minowara (Ikki) - British Columbia, Canada


*Staff members are listed in approximate order of activity: lower numbers being most active, higher numbers being a bit less active within this thread.

*Names that the staff prefer to be called are noted in parentheses and underlined.

*Locations are given for time zone purposes, to make it easier to estimate a proper time of contact.

Have an issue? PM me or look for staff members who might be listed as "online".

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I plan to run this thread with an iron spoon! Follow these rules!

RULES:
-Please do not bully/torment/make fun of others.
-Do not ask for donations.
-Keep swearing to a minimum and avoid any potentially lewd content in conversation.
-Feel free to join in the conversation. Emotes and graphics are nice to look at, but include a greeting or piece of conversation along with them.

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The quest of this charity is harder to explain. It's a quest to spread chronic illness awareness across Gaia.
Chronic illness is very misunderstood. Sometimes, it's hard to understand why someone can be sick every single day of their lives. It seems impossible, but people with chronic illnesses really are sick every day. They've created somewhat of a mask to put on to hide their pain so they seem slightly normal in public and to make it seem like they're fine, so no one thinks they've "become sick" just for attention.

However, this can be their downfall. They get told that they don't "look sick" and therefore aren't sick. This isn't true. The sad thing about chronic illness is that the illness is often invisible. If some of the people with chronic illness had it somehow on the outside of their bodies, you would run away screaming. There are hundreds of thousands of chronic illnesses out there, and that means millions of patients are misunderstood. This makes every aspect of life harder for them.

So help me, Gaia. Help me spread the word that people with chronic illnesses are trying to live lives to their fullest, every day.

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Picture made by Minasuke. Thanks!

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There was a lady named Christine who made explaining chronic illness a whole lot easier for the rest of us. And, oddly, it referred to spoons. She was sitting in a diner one night with her friend when her friend asked her what having Lupus was really like.

She then proceeded to take every spoon from the diner tables, and handed them to her friend, telling her friend that she now had lupus. Christine had her friend recite her daily routine, but had her break down steps that take extra energy for people with chronic illness.

Her friend said that she would first wake up and get ready. Christine then stopped her, saying that first she had to find the energy to get out of bed. And with that, she took a spoon from her friend.

The spoons represented her energy level, kind of like what you see in video games (like the hearts in Zelda). As she went through her routine, the number of spoons quickly decreased as she came to the end of her day. She was down to one spoon, but she still had to make something to eat OR take her medicine, but not both. Without the food, she couldn't hold down her medicine and without her medicine, she could become very sick.

It's sad, but such decisions have to be made every day for some people. We can never tell how many "spoons" we have in a day. Some days we can have 20 and the very next we can have 2. I believe that with more awareness, maybe we could ALL have some extra spoons that we didn't even know were there.

Now I hope you understand this! If you didn't get what I was saying, then PM me please, or visit here to read the full thing! It will require PDF format.
If you've read this, type "spoons for all" in one of your posts.

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[made by ikiJigoku]

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Here is a list of my "extra spoons". These are basically the regulars of the thread biggrin

1. Kilomech
2. Valkyrie-Chii-Chan
3. Treint
4. SuperSingingSox
5. Moon Lightning
6. Minasuke
7. Shade551
8. Kreiystahl
9. Lnk1001
10. Jayce Reinhardt
11. City of Delusion
12. RainbowRainz
13. Lady Aleria
14. Azure Felis
15. Evil A
16. Prostiboots
17. SacredDemon17
18. x-Silent Friend-x
19. Lady Callie G
20. Ikki Minowara
21. iluvmyipod14
22. The Noob Basher
23. Sanguis Insontium
24. Maja81
25. Nazo400
26. Karu Black

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PAGE CONTEST:
Every 100 pages, there will be a prize winner! Be the first on page 5700 to post and win 10k.

WINNERS:
Page 50: Morgan the seer
Page 100: Morgan the seer
Page 150: Morgan the seer
Page 200: Naru_RA
Page 250: Valkyrie-Chii-Chan
Page 300: Valkyrie-Chii-Chan
Page 350: Rakiz
Page 400: Morgan the seer
Page 450: Ezichen-Ryoma
Page 500: Rakiz
Page 550: Pinksugar11
Page 600: Menta Caramel
Page 650: Cheezieball
Page 700: Minasuke
Page 750: Kilomech
Page 800: Valkyrie-Chii-Chan
Page 850: Ink1001
Page 900: B-Boy_Smile
Page 950: Spirited Sparky
PAGE 1000: The Last Soul Reaper
Page 1050: B-Boy_Smile
Page 1100: Akibe Josephus
Page 1150: Pinksugar11
Page 1200: XLoveblossoms
Page 1250: lnk1001
Page 1300: Morgan the seer
Page 1350: Morgan the seer
Page 1400: Kreiystahl
Page 1450: Kreiystahl
Page 1500: Fuzia
Page 1550: Minasuke
Page 1600: lnk1001
Page 1650: Valkyrie-Chii-Chan
Page 1700: Kreiystahl
Page 1750: city of delusion
Page 1800: Minasuke
Page 1850: Minasuke
Page 1900: SuperSingingSox
Page 1950: city of delusion
PAGE 2000: Valkyrie-Chii-Chan
Page 2050: Kreiystahl
Page 2100: Minasuke
Page 2150: city of delusion
Page 2200: Prostiboots
Page 2250: Prostiboots
Page 2300: Silk_G-String
*From this point on, it will be every 100 pages, not 50.*
__________________________________
Page 2400: XxPrincessZeexX (chose to give her prize to TimeTravellingCat)
Page 2500: Prostiboots
Page 2600: fiendpyrotica
*From this point on, the prize will be 10k.*
__________________________________
Page 2700: Prostiboots
Page 2800: fiendpyrotica
Page 2900: dap024
SUPER 3000 CONTEST WINNER: Prostiboots
Page 3100: Prostiboots
Page 3200: Minasuke
Page 3300: Prostiboots
Page 3400: dap024
Page 3500: Prostiboots
Page 3600: Prostiboots
Page 3700: SunTrap
Page 3800: EternalPeace
Page 3900: Versatile-Memory
PAGE 4000: Valkyrie-Chii-Chan
Page 4100: Ice Kyrstal
Page 4200: Minasuke
Page 4300: Minasuke
Page 4400: Prostiboots
Page 4500: Ikki Minowara
Page 4600: city of delusion
Page 4700: city of delusion
Page 4800: lnk1001
Page 4900: lnk1001

PAGE 5000: Prostiboots
Page 5100: The Noob Basher
Page 5200: SuperSingingSox
Page 5300: Jayce Reinhardt
Page 5400: Teh H
Page 5500: Miss Missie
Page 5600: lnk1001
_________________________________________________________

PREVIOUS CONTESTS CAN BE FOUND HERE NOW!

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1/1/08: Thread opens
6/7/09: Angelic sash quest completed.
6/17/09: Other dream avatar items obtained.
4/18/10: Mini Angel Wings quest completed.

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Western Zodiac
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A special place where illnesses are told through the people who have them or have a loved one who is affected.

See an error in information? PM ME ABOUT IT! Try to be kind to me in your message, I don't try to make mistakes on purpose!

**In this post:**
-Asperger Syndrome
-Autism
-PDD-NOS
-Cystic Fibrosis
-RSD
-Type 1 Diabetes
-RAD
-DID
-Addison's Disease
-PMDD
-CSP
-IBS

[Note: Western Zodiac on display because this used to be an "Items for Sale" section. It has already sold.]

Asperger Syndrome as told by Machiavellite:
"It's a special segement in the Autistic Spectrum (around light yellow to lime green)" [Note: Autistic spectrum goes from violet to red, violet being most mild, red being the worst]
You are permitted to PM him with any questions about Asperger's
Thanks to Arianias for correcting the Wiki link!

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Autism as told by Machiavellite:
"Right, my brother Sam has autism. And its pretty bad. Autism is generally just bits of the brain in different emotional sectors that don't quite link up. Autism is measured in a spectrum, going from red (really terribly bad) to violet (very mild). Sam is about an orange, maybe reddy orange. No two autistic people are the same. Everyone has different symptoms and "quirks". Sam's specific symptoms are inability to recognise emotions, trouble making friends and constant repetition of catchphrases from TV shows and a fascination with swearwords and their effects on people. He takes medication called Prozit, which is basically liquid Prozac, its the drug with the least side effects. One other medication, the name evades me, causes weight gain. Thats another of his problems, inability to lose weight. People with autism usually make up for what they lack.
Sam makes up for his other inabilities like speech problems and stuff with amazing memory and art skills.
Basically, if you meet someone with autism, you'll most likely not notice it. It much more common than people think and most autistic people live completely normal lives. Sam will never be normal, due to the severity though, but we say if he wasn't autistic, he wouldn't be Sam. Two key points are to never physically restrain an autistic person by grabbing because it seriously messes with them and the other point is that almost every autistic person is obsessed with making and finding patterns.
Embrace it!"
You are permitted to PM him in with any questions about Autism
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PDD-NOS as told by Aislanaire:
Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) is a 'subthreshold' condition in which some - but not all - features of autism or another explicitly identified Pervasive Developmental Disorder are identified. PDD-NOS is often incorrectly referred to as simply "PDD." The term PDD refers to the class of conditions to which autism belongs. PDD is NOT itself a diagnosis, while PDD-NOS IS a diagnosis. The term Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS; also referred to as "atypical personality development," "atypical PDD," or "atypical autism" ) is included in DSM-IV to encompass cases where there is marked impairment of social interaction, communication, and/or stereotyped behavior patterns or interest, but when full features for autism or another explicitly defined PDD are not met.

It should be emphasized that this ''subthreshold'' category is thus defined implicitly, that is, no specific guidelines for diagnosis are provided. While deficits in peer relations and unusual sensitivities are typically noted, social skills are less impaired than in classical autism. The lack of definition(s) for this relatively heterogeneous group of children presents problems for research on this condition. The limited available evidence suggest that children with PDD-NOS probably come to professional attention rather later than is the case with autistic children, and that intellectual deficits are less common.
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Cystic Fibrosis as told by Rakiz:
"To most of us, the term ‘cystic fibrosis’ should sound vaguely or very familiar. Maybe you have a family member diagnosed with this chronic disorder, or you know a friend with a family member who does, as I do. But even if you don’t recognize this disorder, it affects one in every 2,500 Caucasians living in the United States. One in every 29 of Americans are what we would call “carriers” of the disorder, having one ‘gene’ of the two, and though not exhibiting any of the effects of cystic fibrosis, are able to pass it on to their children.

The first time it was recognized in the medical field was in 1938, when Dr. Dorothy Anderson released a medical report concerning cystic fibrosis. At the time, near to nothing was known about the chronic disorder. Most children that were discovered afflicted died before their 1st birthday, most less than a half year old.

Putting it as simply as possible, in the patients with cystic fibrosis, the DNA (which affects how someone appears and how our body operates) has a tiny change that is bigger than you can imagine. In the sequences of base pair triplets that make the protein, the key base pair triplet that is used in the protein coding for cystic fibrosis is completely deleted. Think of it as a chain reaction. In the patient’s DNA, the base pair triplet is deleted. Thus, the amino acid that this triplet produced, phenylalanine, also disappears. In turn, a faulty protein is produced, which is partially or completely destroyed by the body because it is labeled as a hazard.

This protein, which we will call CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, in full) is a ‘tool’ that the body uses to pass chloride ions in and out of the lining of the glands and lungs. Because the proteins are extremely faulty or destroyed by the body, these ions are not picked up back into the body and are released into the sweat glands. Consequentially, sodium is also not picked up, and the sodium and chloride are both released (keep in mind that sodium and chloride together is commonly known as salt). This is the direct cause of the most common symptom, which is extremely salty sweat: on an average five times saltier than a nonaffiliated persons’ sweat. Other symptoms are commonly frequent chest and sinus infections because the lungs are filled with thick non-absorbed mucus that blocks the passageways, or bronchial tubes, in the lungs, wheezing and shortness of breath, poor weight and height gain (even with an adequate diet) and can sometimes lead to abnormal heart rhythms.

Complications caused by cystic fibrosis vary depending on severity. Common complications medically are sinusitis, which is the inflammation of the nasal sinuses (cavities in the skull behind, above, and on both sides of the nose), clubbing, which is the rounding and/or enlargement of the appendages, nasal polyps, or fleshy growth inside the nose, hemoptysis, or the coughing of blood, abdominal pain and discomfort, pneumothorax, which is the rupture of lung tissue and the trapping of air between the lung and the chest wall, enlargement of the right side of the heart, protrusion of the rectum, and too much gas in the intestines. As well as these complications, indirectly, liver disease, inflammation of the pancreas, gallstones and diabetes can also occur.

Most patients with cystic fibrosis are diagnosed at birth or before the age of two, typically with procedures known as ‘sweat tests.’ Most cystic fibrosis patients receive specialized plans for their own needs. Most commonly, patients will be told to take medication to thin the mucus that collects in their lungs, known as mucus thinners. These prescriptions help thin mucus buildup in the lungs, so that it can be coughed up. Other antibiotics like ‘Tobramycin for Inhalation’ are used to halt the process of harmful bacteria while anti-inflammatory drugs help to reduce inflammation, especially in the lung area, since that is the most common area of inflammation in cystic fibrosis patients. Medicines are also prescribed to help patients open airways for easier breathing, known as bronchodilators. Through treatment, most patients are able to live to around 36 years, compared to the 2 years in 1950.

As noted before, cystic fibrosis is most often passed from a carrier to their children. Most carriers go undetected; there are an estimated 12 million people that go through their lives not knowing that they are carriers of the cystic fibrosis disorder. However, anyone can take a test screening to determine whether they are carriers of the cystic fibrosis disorder. The chance of being a carrier increases if you have a relative that is afflicted with the disease or is also a carrier, though it is not an impossibility to be a carrier or be afflicted without having a relative having the gene.

Though, currently, there are no known cures, or preventions or gene therapy, many scientists continue to work for creating one. The Cystic Fibrosis Research Center have done much research on the disorder. Many researchers are beginning to experiment with adding working, redesigned proteins of CFTR back into the epithelial skin cells of the afflicted patients.

And thus, cystic fibrosis, with no cure, remains the biggest chronic illness “killer” in the United States, ever since it was named in 1938. But even then, we must hope for the best and look to the future because always that is where the key lies.

For more information, try the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the CysticFibrosis.com."
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RSD as explained by Madralyn:
"According to RSDSA (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association):
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD) - also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) - is a chronic neurological syndrome characterized by:
• severe burning pain
• pathological changes in bone and skin
• excessive sweating
• tissue swelling
• extreme sensitivity to touch
There are Two Types of CRPS - Type I and Type II.
• CRPS Type I (also referred to as RSD) - cases in which the nerve injury cannot be immediately identified
• CRPS Type II (also referred to as Causalgia) - cases in which a distinct "major" nerve injury has occurred
• RSD/CRPS is best described in terms of an injury to a nerve or soft tissue (e.g. broken bone) that does not follow the normal healing path
• RSD/CRPS development does not appear to depend on the magnitude of the injury. The sympathetic nervous system seems to assume an abnormal function after an injury
• Since there is no single laboratory test to diagnose RSD/CRPS, the physician must assess and document both subjective complaints (medical history) and, if present, objective findings (physical examination).

Criteria for Diagnosing

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I (RSD)
• The presence of an initiating noxious event, or a cause of immobilization
• Continuing pain, allodynia, or hyperalgesia with which the pain is disproportionate to any inciting event
• Evidence at some time of edema, changes in skin blood flow (skin color changes, skin temperature changes more than 1.1°C difference from the homologous body part), or abnormal sudomotor activity in the region of the pain
• This diagnosis is excluded by the existence of conditions that would otherwise account for the degree of pain and dysfunction
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type II (Causalgia)
• The presence of continuing pain, allodynia, or hyperalgesia after a nerve injury, not necessarily limited to the distribution of the injured nerve
• Evidence at some time of edema, changes in skin blood flow (skin color changes, skin temperature changes more than 1.1°C difference from the homologous body part), or abnormal sudomotor activity in the region of pain
• This diagnosis is excluded by the existence of conditions that would otherwise account for the degree of pain and dysfunction.
For more information from RSDSA please visit their website at: http://www.rsds.org

In addition to RSDSA, there is also another very informative National RSDS/CRPS group called American RSDHope. Their site has extensive descriptions of RSDS/CRPS, treaments, medications, the list truly goes on and on. http://www.rsdhope.org/"
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Type 1 Diabetes as told by LNK1001:
"What I have: I have Diabetes Type 1, often called Juvenile Diabetes. It is a disease where your body has destroyed the beta cells in your pancreas. Beta cells make insulin for your body. Insulin is the thing that turns carbohydrates into energy that your body runs on. Without it, your body eats up its fat until its gone to make adrenaline as a substitute energy form, and without anything to make energy you die.

Treatment/Medicine: There are many ways to treat diabetes, but no cure. All of the treatments include taking insulin. There are at least four kinds of insulin I know of. A fast acting insulin (immediate), a 3 hour insulin, a 12 hour insulin, and a 24 hour insulin. The insulin can be taken as a shot or breathed in as far as I'm aware. If you take the shot, there are different ways of working with the insulin. I have been on the treatments of a 12 hour insulin when I wake up and before I sleep and eat at specific times with specific amounts of carbohydrates in each meal. I have also been on a 24 hour insulin shot and taken short acting insulin for when I need to eat food in a dose relative to what I'm eating. The method I'm on now is all short acting insulin. I use a pump, which is a device that constantly gives small amounts of insulin throughout the day like a normal person's pancreas and I take more insulin when I eat in ratio to how many carbohydrates are in the meal.

Diagnosis: I was diagnosed January 31, 2006. So, a am a relatively new member of this world. About a month before I was diagnosed, I progressively drank more, ate less, lost weight, slept all the time, and had to pee many more times than needed a day. It was hard to convince my parents there was something wrong because there was no fever, or something we relate to a person being sick. When I had convinced them to take me, the doctors could see something was wrong, but not what. So, they took seven vials of my blood to be tested that day and sent me back to school. That day at school, I drank the equivalent of 5 gallons of water, apple juice, soda, and vending machine juices. I also took a two hour nap at school in the nurses office, and had two tests plus a presentation in class. I was stubborn and refused to stop moving and continued through the day. When the day ended I stayed after school to go with my friend to her poetry club because I was too tired to walk home and I could bump a ride off of my friend's mom. Right after the club ended and my friend and I were waiting for her mom, my dad drove up and told me I had to go straight to the hospital. When I got there, I was immediately hooked up to many strange IVs, and they took blood from an artery in my wrist (which hurt to move for two weeks after). I was moved to another hospital because the hospital I was in had no real emergency ward. At the new hospital, I was told that I was in a conscious coma and that I had Diabetes Type 1 and that if I had not come to the hospital that night, I would have been dead the next day. Two months before diagnosis, I had weighed 125 pound. When I checked in, I weighed a slim 85 pounds, 20 of those pounds lost in the past week. So, in the hospital, I learned what I had and learned what it was.

Ways diabetes affects my life: Diabetes is hard. It takes a lot of responsibility to stay on top of what my blood sugars are and I'm constantly watching for signs that it's not. Some of the sucky things about diabetes include: I cannot have liquid sugar (which includes icing, regular soda, juice of any kind, hard candies, and most chocolate), I always have a spot that is healing from me poking it to bleed to find my blood sugar, IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY! Good things about diabetes: It gave me a reason to find myself (I was kind of lost before), I can connect with people all the time about it, I know that even if they find a cure I will have experienced a life changing event, it made me be positive about what I do and who I am.

Story: One time, I had a low blood sugar at a band competition. It was very entertaining due to the fact that I cannot leave lineup or anything. I ended up sitting on the field when the awards show was going on and had to be walked off to drink one of those disgustingly super large Sprites."
You are permitted to PM LNK1001 with any questions about Type 1 Diabetes
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RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder) as told by Chariizard:

"My biggest issue.
Well here's the Wikipedia. But still.
I have the "Inhibited" form. I have a hard time trusting adults. I take everything personally. I think people hate me. I feel worthless, and undeserving. I feel lonely all the time. Physical affection from adults makes me very uncomfortable. I have bad physical boundries with my peers. [Meaning I get too close too fast.] I get hurt very easily. I feel like I have to take care of myself because no one else will or can. [Refered to as "Prisoner of War" mindset. PoW. By ny old therapist at least.] I'm afraid of rejection, to a point where I won't ask directly for things in fear they will say no. So I learned to be manipulative and sneaky. I made it so hard for people to say no, that they just gave into me. I got RAD from things called "Attachment Breaks". [AB] Think of developing attachment as a chain. If one link is broken, that chain becomes a little shorter, and it puts strain on either end of the chain, as if it were holding two things together.
My life story;; I was adopted at birth. Being torn away from my biological parents would be distressing for any child. This is a good example of an AB. My adopted parents didn't really get along too well. My dad had Asperger's. He didn't know how to really take care of a child. D:> I was neglected a bit by him. Another AB. An example is one day my mom came home to find me strapped in my carseat, in the house, in another room, SCREAMING and crying and I had soiled myself and just miserable, with my dad in the other room with the TV blaring to drown out the noise I was making. My mother was livid. He said I wouldn't shut up and didn't know what to do. I had a bunch of different caregivers [nannies, babysitters, whatever.] the first couple years of my life. A big AB. I didn't form an attachment with anyone, because so many people were around me all the time. Different too, always changing. My parents got divorced when I was two. Another AB. I went back and forth between houses for years. AB. I had bad seperation anxiety a day or two before the switch every week and I'd act downright witch-like. I prefered being with my dad though. I would hide from my mom when it was time to go back. I blamed her for the divorce and not seeing my dad as much. My dad killed himself when I was seven. [My BIGGEST AB.] I grew up thinking it was just a heart attack. It wasn't until July of last year they told me it was suicide. They being my mom and step-dad. But anyway, we'll get to that. My mom got remarried a couple years later. I fought with him all the time. I didn't fit in at school. I was very socially awkward. [Almost Asperger-like, but this was probably learned behaviors from my father.] Kids hated me. I had poor boundaries. [Physical again.] Nobody wanted to be around me. AB. I felt alone. Around the age of ten was when I really started noticing how lonely I was. I started cutting lying through my teeth and drinking and having sex at twelve, as a means to feel more grown-up and adult. Thinking that adults don't have problems [so untrue]. But none the less. This was the begining of my vicious downfall. I was manipulative with my boyfriends. I started being promiscious on the internet. [Cybering with older men, being provacative.] Meeting up with people I met on Gaia. Not a good scene you know? So my parents found a Theraputic Wilderness Program for me. It was a real life changer. Not in and of itself, but it got me away from the troubles of my normal life. I was in a VERY controlled invironment. We had staff watching and listening to us at all times. We got our boots taken every night so we wouldn't run away. The normal amount of time one is expected to spend there is 6 weeks. Well I was there eleven. My parents found my RTC while I was there, and when I finished the program they came and got me and took me to Utah the next morning. I had all my stuff poked and proded. I'm sure you're familiar with these routines. I was terrified. I was alone. I was defensive. I hated being touched. Affection scarred me. I wasn't used to it. I had been fighting with my parents for so long that it was alien almost. Over the months, I loosened up and let people in. It finally got through to me that I was okay. I was worth something. This school is where I was diagnosed with RAD. It's something I can never get rid of completely, but I can learn to control it. Control the thoughts, to an extent."
You are permitted to PM Chariizard with any questions about RAD.
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Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) as told by Shade 551:

"Dissociative Identity Disorder is when a person displays multiple distinct personalities, each having its own way of looking at and interacting with the world. The diagnosis requires that at least two personalities that routinely take over the individual's behavior, which usually results in a persons' loss of memory, that is more than the occasional forgetfulness. Also, the memory loss cannot be due to substance abuse or medical condition. This disorder used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder. There is a huge controversy over the existence, possible causes, the prevalence across cultures, and the epidemiology (factors effecting the health and illness of populations) of the condition.

The most literature on the subject can be found in North America, where it was believed to be confined to that continent. But even with North American psychiatrists, there is much controversy about the validity of DID. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) states that patients with DID often report having a history of severe physical or sexual abuse. There is a lot of controversy about this because childhood memories may be distorted, and DID patients are easy to hypnotize and are very vulnerable to suggestion in certain situations. The reports of patients suffering from DID are often confirmed by objective evidence. The diagnosis of Multiple Personalities peaked in the 1990's then sharply declined and may now not have widespread scientific acceptance.

Individuals with DID demonstrate a wide variety of symptoms with wide fluctuations across time; functioning can vary from severe impairment in daily functioning to normal or high abilities.
Symptoms may include:
-multiple mannerisms, attitudes and beliefs that are dissimilar to each other
-headaches and other body aches
-distortion or loss of subjective time
-depersonalization
-amnesia
-depression
Patients may experience a wide variety of symptoms that resemble epilepsy, schizophrenia, anxiety, mood disorders, post traumatic stress, personality, and eating disorders.

The causes of dissociative identity disorder have not been identified, but are theoretically linked with the overwhelming stress, traumatic antecedents, insufficient childhood nurturing, and an innate ability to dissociate memories or experiences from consciousness. Prolonged childhood abuse is frequently a factor, with a very high percentage of patients reporting documented abuse often confirmed by objective evidence.

Others believe DID is created iatrogenically (adverse effects or complications caused by or resulting from medical treatment or advice) by therapists using certain treatment techniques with suggestible patients, though this idea is not confirmed nor accepted universally by all.

The diagnostic criteria in DSM-IV Dissociative disorders section 300.14 require:
The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states, each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self.
At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person's behavior.
Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.
The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during Alcohol Intoxication) or a general medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures). In children, the symptoms are not attributable to imaginary playmates or other fantasy play. A patient history, x-rays, blood tests, and other procedures can be used to eliminate symptoms being due to traumatic brain injury, medication, sleep deprivation, or intoxicants, all of which can mimic symptoms of DID.
Diagnosis should be performed by a psychiatrist or psychologist who may use specially designed interviews (such as the SCID-D) and personality assessment tools to evaluate a person for a dissociative disorder.
The psychiatric history of individuals diagnosed with DID frequently contain multiple previous diagnoses of various mental disorders and treatment failures. The belief by some doctors that the diagnosis is fallacious may contribute to the frequency of its misdiagnoses. DID is frequently misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder due to mood changes between alter states being mistaken for the cyclical mood changes accompanying bipolarity. Another frequent misdiagnoses is psychotic disorder as dialogues between alters may be mistaken for auditory hallucinations.

The SCID-D may be used to make a diagnosis. This interview takes about 30 to 90 minutes depending on the subject's experiences.
The Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS) is a highly structured interview which discriminates between various DSM-IV diagnoses. The DDIS can usually be administered in 30-45 minutes.
The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) is a simple, quick, and validated questionnaire that has been widely used to screen for dissociative symptoms. Tests such as the DES provide a quick method of screening subjects so that the more time-consuming structured clinical interview can be used in the group with high DES scores. Depending on where the cutoff is set, people who would subsequently be diagnosed can be missed. An early recommended cutoff was 15-20 and in one study a DES with a cutoff of 30 missed 46 percent of the positive SCID-D diagnoses and a cutoff of 20 missed 25%. The reliability of the DES in non-clinical samples has been questioned. There is also a DES scale for children and DES scale for adolescents. One study argued that old and new trauma may interact, causing higher DID item test scores.

Treatment of DID may attempt to “reconnect” the identities of the alters into a single functioning identity and/or may be symptomatic to relieve the distressing aspects of the condition and ensure the safety of the individual. Treatment methods may include psychotherapy and medications for any other disorders that the individual may have. Some behavior therapists initially use behavior treatments such as only responding to a single identity, and using more traditional therapy once a consistent response is established. It has been stated that treatment recommendations that follow from models that do not believe in the traumatic origins of DID might be harmful due to the fact that they ignore the post traumatic symptomatology of people with DID.

DID does not resolve spontaneously, and symptoms vary over time. Individuals with primary dissociative symptoms and features of post traumatic stress disorder normally recover with treatment. Those with comorbid (the presence of one or more disorders) addictions, personality, mood or eating disorders face a longer, slower, more complicated recovery process. Individuals still attached to their abusers face the poorest prognosis; treatment may be long-term and consist solely of symptom relief rather that personality integration. Changes in identity, loss of memory, and awaking in unexplained locations and situations often leads to chaotic personal lives.



I was diagnosed with DID in February of 2005 after a hospitalization for depression and suicidal thoughts. I was also diagnosed with major depression, post traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder and now anxiety and panic attacks. For the first two years after being diagnosed, I was in and out of the psychiatric hospital a lot. At first I would be admitted for 2 weeks, out for 1 week and then back again for another 2 weeks. This went on for a couple of months. The doctors suggested that I have EC T's (electro convulsive therapy or electro shock therapy) for the depression. In essence, I was given an anesthetic and a muscle relaxant and then they would place 2 electrodes on my head and then the electrodes would deliver a shock to my brain. After this was done, they would place me back in my room and when I woke up I would be confused and disoriented and I would suffer from short term memory loss. Now I have long term and short term memory loss in addition to the loss of time due to my alters taking control.

Having DID has completely changed my life and explained a lot of things about me that were confusing to me. I am no longer able to work or be around a lot of people. I have a hard time with stress and making even minor decisions. While I was undergoing EC T's and shortly thereafter, I was like a child. My husband would have to tell me that it was time to take a shower, that I had to get dressed, that it was time to eat; without him I would not be here today. His love and support and the support and love of my family is what has kept me alive and fighting for this long. It is a daily struggle to even live. My father-in-law just had a stroke and kept saying how no one knew what it was like to almost die and then to have to fight to live, and I finally told him that “Yes I did know what that was like, because I fight to live every single day.”

I have to fight the stereotyping and the laughter of people when they find out that I have DID or as they like to say “multiple personalities”. When people hear that, they think of the show Sybil. No that is not what my life is like at all. I have seen the movie and there are few similarities between me and her. I don't switch into men and change my voice, or behave like a prostitute; yes sometimes I lose time and I “misplace” a lot of thing, but I am still a person and I still have feelings.

This is what it is like for me: It is like I have people talking to me all of the time, the only difference is only I can hear them. I have a white room in my mind where I go when someone else is in control. Sometimes some of my alters come into my room with me and sometimes I am alone. I am able to watch and listen when most of my alters are in control. It's like I am at the back of the crowd watching a movie, I can listen and observe but I can't change what is coming out of my mouth, even if I am completely horrified by what I am saying. And I can't change doing whatever it is that I am doing at the time. Sometime I am thrust out and have control again, but in a completely unknown situation. I rely a lot on “feelers”, I don't know how I do it, but I can put out feelers and know what you want before you even do and usually supply it before it is asked for. I make up new personalities all of the time, I make one for each person that I am around. If I have one for my mom and then have one for my dad, when they are together I have one for the 2 of them together, where I merge to 2 personalities together to form a new one. It gets pretty stressful when I am in a crowd because it is an ever changing situation.

During therapy, we are discovering new identities that I have had for certain situations. We just found a new on and her name is Suzie, and she is my protector. She comes out in situations of very high stress and when I feel like I am in some kind of danger, and she then pops out and takes control and I don't know what happens. With her, I lose time completely, which means that I am not allowed to listen and watch while she is in control. Most of my alters don't have names, they are colors and they coexist in circles in my mind. I can see them and hear them at all times, and when I can't I get very upset. There are times that they have gotten mad at me and left me. It is the worst feeling in the whole world. Imagine that you are living at home with your parents and siblings and you are all together having fun and all of a sudden they just disappear and you are running from room to room calling their names and trying to find them and they are not answering and you panic and run faster and call louder, but they still don't respond. That is what it is like when my alters don't talk to me.

My family is the most important thing in my life. If it weren't for them and all of their love and support, I wouldn't be around today. My husband and I have never been closer than we are today. I am able to interact with my children again and live a little. Even though therapy is the hardest work I have ever done in my entire life, I go there willingly, to get healthier and stronger for my family and myself.

If there are any questions you have about DID, please feel free to PM me or ask me in the thread. I am very open and willing to talk about my illness, even if it is only curiosity. Ask questions, because it is the only way you will learn about this disorder."
You are permitted to PM Shade551 with any questions about DID.
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Lupus as told by Kreiystahl:

"Lupus is actually the cause of my heart troubles. And the stroke I had, and a eventually fatal lung disease {Pulmonary Hypertension} beyond my severe asthma."
You are permitted to PM Kreiystahl with any questions about Lupus
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Addison's Disease as told by Zoey_100:

"Last summer my mother was diagnosed with Addison’s disease. This happened because one day after a surgery I found her lying in her bed unconscious talking nonsense. She had soiled herself and basically lost all control of her body. I had to call my brother. Him, his girlfriend and my next-door neighbour had to come over. We had to call an ambulance and she was taken to ICU. My brother went with her in the ambulance and later on that night the hospital told him to call me and tell me to be there. They had told him I should be there in case I need to say goodbye. At this point the doctors did not know what was wrong with her. Also, her heart had stopped for FIVE MINUTES. They told us she might be brain damaged because of it. We pretty much lived in the ICU waiting room for 9 days. She doesn’t remember any of it. I saw my mother with breath tubes coming out of her and at least 10 ******** needles pumping things in and out of her body. They didn’t figure out what was wrong with her until more then halfway through the first night. If the doctor didn’t figure it out she would have died. They sent her home too early and she has been sick ever since."
You are permitted to PM Zoey_100 with any questions about Addison's Disease
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PMDD and CSP as told by iSillie:
"PMDD - Pre-Mentrual Dysphoric Disorder
Every girl that has hit puberty all the way up to 50 or 60 years old will have a monthly period. It is what allows us to have children, and though unpleasent to all, it is important in life. Now, most girls have emotional/physical "side-effects" before and/or during their period. They feel down, hungry, bloated, whatever. It's all normal, and can be treated with OTC mydol.

Some girls, however, experience great pains. They become so depressed, they cannot cope with daily life. Relationships are difficult to maintain because of monthly emotional spikes. A girl can even become suicidal for the week before her period, sometimes lasting all the way through it.
I have PMDD. Ever since I was 11 and got my first period, I noticed I would scream and cry the for 2 weeks or every month; the week before and the week during my period. I didn't think I was special. My mom told me "every girl gets emotional, you're just too sensative," but I knew there was something different. I felt like I didn't want to live for those 2 weeks. I has such extreame cramps and bloating, I couldn't get out of bed. Sometimes I would be so tired, I would just fall asleep doing whatever I was doing.

PMDD is a serious disorder that cannot be fully treated. Hormonal Birth Control, like Yaz, can help. And antidepressants help, too. But you still always feel like things are just too hard. I am currently taking Yazmin, Lexapro, and Effexor XR for my depression, anxiety, and PMDD. Even with all this treatment and therapy, I always have a rough spot during the month. It's very difficult to deal with, but I don't let it ruin my life anymore. I have a wonderful boyfriend of over a year, which isn't easy with PMDD, and he helps me through every rough patch.

The best treatment, to me, is knowledge. Without it, you feel more confused and stressed, which aggravates almost all chronic-illnesses.


CSP - Compulsive Skin Picking
CSP is self-explanitory; picking at your skin. What many people don't understand is the extent to which skin-picking is done. I, myself, pick and the skin on my brests. I have multiple scars and my brests are very tender because of it, but I can't stop. I use tweezers and literally tear away the skin. It's uncomfortable, unsightly, and very hard to control.

For me, picking at my skin is an addiction. I have gone weeks without picking, only to start up again like nothing ever happened. It all started after a tramatic relationship [no details, sorry] I was in. It's been over 2 years since this relationship, and I am happily with a much better man, but the fear and pain from that year haunt me every night. I started picking as a way to "be more beautiful." I picked at zits, first just a small bit, then more and more until I started tearing at anything I could see, and even things I couldn't. Now, I do it as a way to fall asleep, a stress reliever, when I'm angry, when I'm sad, when I feel ugly. It's become a life-style for me.

I am currently working with my therapist and my family to stop picking. It's not going very well at all, as I have picked almost every day without even caring that it's hurting me or others. I am going to try seeing a dermatologist for help, so please wish me luck."
You are permitted to PM iSillie with any questions about PMDD or CSP
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IBS as told by City of Delusion:

"This anecdote pretty much sums it up for me:
'You need to relax so you go out with your friends for dinner. You eat too much of "the wrong thing" and you end up rushing to the restroom. While your friends are having fun, you sit on the toilet clutching your stomach in agonizing pain having horrible diarrhea. How embarrassing... Living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is no fun!'

It is hard to define what IBS is caused by or what it exactly is but it isn't a disease but a disorder that occurs in individuals bowels, meaning that the bowel doesn’t work, or function, correctly. It isn't serious and dosent actually affect your health but makes day to day living harder, due to the pain. In women the pain can also seem worst during thier periods.

I did my research when the doctor diagnosed me, and to my surprise it was a common problem that quite alot of people suffer from, but the way it can affect your life can differ in different ways according to the individual. It can be explained as the stretching of the bowel which make the nerves in your body react to the movement resulting in pain. This happens in everybody but with IBS sufferers it is believed that they have extra sensitive muscles and nerves and therefore cause a vast amount of pain to the individual.

Symptoms include abdominal pain or discomfort in the abdomen, often relieved by or associated with a bowel movement, which isn't pretty. Visits to the toilet increase as your bowel movements may worsten - eg: Chronic Diarrhea. Other symptoms include a swollen or bloated abdomen and also the feeling that you have not finished a bowel movement.

The main reason I think that I was diagnosed is because of stress and because of my diet. Constant stress now equals constant stomache pains for me. This has affected my everyday life especially at university, mostly my concentration, but also what i eat. The pain is set off by certain foods such as curry, baked beans, ice cream, alcohol and even chocolate.

I am an extremely fussy eater, therefore the stress that is placed on eating certain foods is even worst than most people have. Getting vegetables and wholegrain into an everyday diet , when you do not really like then together with not eating the above foods is hard, not to mentain keeping a note of how much you eat.

One of the other ways it affects my life is through the consumption of alcohol. I do not drink alot anyway but when i go out and socialise with my friends on a night out i have to watch what i drink and can usually result in me returning home early with cripling stomache ache. Again changing my life style...

The medicine the doctor gave me I can not remember but now i take painkillers such as Codeine or paracetamol depending on the pain i am in.

But i try not to talk tablets unless i necessary have to so i turn to alternative medicine like herbal teas, specifically peppermint tea, which is an essential part of my life now and will be for the future."
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... PART TWO!

**In this post**:
-Type 2 Diabetes
-Schizophrenia
-Trichotillomania
-Bipolar Disorder
-General Anxiety Disorder/Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
-Bipolar Disorder (another story)
-Autism, Asperger's, and Autism vs Asperger's
-Iron Deficiency Anemia
-Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
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Type 2 Diabetes as told by Miss_Moon_Shine:

"I wanted to bring to light Type 2 Diabetes. I noticed Type 1 had been discussed, but they are two different things despite the same kind of name. Type 2 diabetes the symptoms develop gradually over a period of time; this is due to the person's body still making insulin but it is not making enough for your body's needs. Usually Type 2 is seen as only occuring in older people, say over the age of 40, but it can occur in younger people. It is common in people who are overweight and it does tend to run in families.

I was diagnosed almost 2 years ago now. I was being tested for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome [PCOS] and had to have some blood tests done, which flagged up this problem as well. I hadn't been feeling myself to be truthful a while before this, but as I was being tested for PCOS, which can give the same symptoms as Type 2, nothing was done about it. My Nan had Type 2 when she was alive and I knew some of the symptoms I was having were simular to what she had before she past away. The thing was, I didn't relate it to this straight away either as my Nan isn't mt biological Nan, as my Mum was adopted.

On a day to day basis, it doesn't always affect me, but I know its there. It can cause fatigue some days, when my blood sugars have dropped, for example, yet as Type 2 is maintained by the person themselves, there is no quick 'treatmeant' to restore them. I do have to diet and exercise when I can, which I will admit since doing my degree has gone downhill a little; I have been the same weight now for 3 years running, and it isn't exactly a healthy weight either! Saying that though, I am not obess for my height, just a little chunky! I do suffer a little when I have my periods, as this also affects the blood sugars and so on, and sometimes I do have to take a day off from College/Work when it makes me feel really rough. My glucose count isn't very high, unlike some people who get diagnosed with Type 2, but it is high enough to flag up the problem. I am current at 5.9, and the 'safe' point is 5.5. It has been much higher before now.

As mentioned above, there isn't really a way to treat Type 2, other then diet and exercise. The 'threat' can decrease the more weight you loose, but it will never fully go away. There are some tablets that can be given to you if despite your healthy lifestyle, the blood glucose remains high, a doctor may prescribe Metformin. Metformin is a biguanide drug. It lowers blood glucose mainly by decreasing the amount of glucose that your liver releases into the bloodstream. It also increases the sensitivity of your body's cells to insulin. I may have to be put on this myself and I am not looking forward to the side effects of sickness and mild diarrhoea!

One funny thing that did happen since I was diagnose happened at College. I had to tell my course Tutor that I had been diagnosed and I handed her a covering letter to go on my college record. A few months later I went to see her after my checkup and told her things had leveled out for the first time, and my count had fallen to 5.8. She smiled and clapped 'Hey well done! Does that me it will go away now?'. That was a total facepalm moment and all I could do was raise an eyebrow and say 'Uh no. Once you have it thats it.. forever type thing!'."
You are permitted to PM Miss_Moon_Shine with any questions about Type 2 Diabetes
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Schizophrenia as told by Tybalt In Monochrome:

"Schizophrenia is defined as "a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality" on Wikipedia. I was diagnosed when I was fourteen...

It started with auditory hallucinations. I would hear a cacophony of voices that no one else heard. These voices varied in volume, tone, and gender; I can kind of remember recognizing some of them but then not, so I couldn't place them at all. They would discuss different topics constantly, and they all pretty much gave the same message: I was going to die.

I honestly don't remember much from that time in my life. I was cutting every night, varying in depth from scratches to bloody gashes. I kept up a smiling front, knowing that if anyone knew me, what I thought, what I felt...I would die. I was, I remember, terrified of dying at someone else's hand. Part of the reason I cut was because it gave me a power that no one else had: the power to control my own mortality. This control was kind of like a high, and the voices egged me on. I stopped eating, because it was just one more thing I could have power over.

It was my sister that saved me. She came in on me having a serious panic attack; I was on the floor shaking and whispering things in response to what I heard, and she found me there.

The next few weeks are also a blur. Cat took me to the Mental Health Clinic at our school, to the social worker who was there, and she sat me down and we talked. I didn't tell about the pain, or the pleasure, I got from self-inflicted harm, but we did talk about the voices. After a while, a conclusion was arrived at: I needed to be taken to a psychiatrist, and in order for that to happen, my parents had to know. A meeting was called, and Deb, the social worker I had talked to for almost two months by that time, told my mom and dad that I needed to be taken to someone who could help me.

I ran myself around in circles, trying so hard to trust people and yet fearing everything. I kept up the cutting; I was scared to death and then...I hit the breaking point the day before my appointment. I just kind of snapped; stopped feeling, stopped talking... Stopped being.

Then the appointment came, and the psychiatrist watched me as I calmly explained my plan to kill myself; I did not cry, show any emotion at all; my voice was flat, and I just told him the different ways I meant to ensure that I would, when I chose, die without any interruption or interference.

Then he told my parents he was having me hospitalized. That night, I was taken to the psych ward at a local hospital, and I was left there by my parents.

It...wasn't so bad, at first. I was irritated, at most, and completely blank, at the least; those were really the only things I could recognize. Family came in pairs to visit, but I didn't really care. I came to a single conclusion: I would get out. They were trying to control me; control whether I lived or died. They were controlling my intake of food, my medicine intake, what I did, what I wore, where I went... It was hell for me. But I promised myself - the voices made me promise - that I would do whatever it took to get out.

Then it happened. The medicine I was taking in high doses began to kick in, and I began to feel again. It came in stages, and in each stage I earned a new emotion, it seemed, and in earning the new one, the old one would fade.

The first thing I felt was fear. Everyone was doing this to control me, control my life, gain control over whether I lived or died, and why? So they could kill me, of course. What other reason was there?

The second thing I felt was anger. I was being punished for things beyond my control, I thought; I was being punished for being afraid when in reality it was everyone else's fault I was afraid in the first place. If they weren't all so evil, so frightening, if they didn't all want to kill me I wouldn't have to be afraid.

The third thing I felt was loneliness. I didn't want to be afraid. I just wanted friends and to have a normal life. Why was this happening to me? And why did everyone look at me so...like they were so sad that this was happening to me, when they had no idea? No one knew what it was like.

In this third stage was when I experienced mental silence for the first time in as long as I could remember. The voices had faded. It was kind of lonely and exhilarating at the same time. I had forgotten what it felt like, to hear silence. I was released at this time, and I steadily improved.

Then...the psychiatrist decided he wanted to see if I could take a different medicine with less side effects than the one I was taking. It went extremely poorly and, when I started to hallucinate worse than before, he tried to switch me back to the original antipsychotic and it didn't work. I fell into another depression and when I got caught cutting again, I was hospitalized for the second time in as many years.

This time, however, I was feeling the high from experiencing silence, and happiness. I was determined to get better fast and get out and start living a real life, without pain or hatred or fear.

When I was discharged, I kept up the medication regimen, doing whatever I needed to be "sane." I stopped cutting, started forcing myself to eat, but I couldn't escape the fear and panic attacks that came with crowds and strangers. I still can't. But I fight it.

The medications I take cause symptoms very much like Parkinson's disease, as well as make me sick. I took one for a while that made me gain a hundred pounds, and that triggered my anorexic tendencies again for a long time.

Life isn't a fun thing, most of the time. Depressive episodes still crash me from time to time; the medications have so many side effects, and I take seven of them every day; I still have panic attacks sometimes... but I'm coping. I am not so afraid of everyone anymore, and I can talk to strangers and try to help them too, when they need it. I don't dream of dying anymore, or of killing myself... I can be happy sometimes, more often than ever before.

I think I've talked enough, but I want anyone who reads this (if you put it up) to know that I'm here. I can't really express what it was like to go through all this in something that isn't too annoyingly long to read, so I guess if anyone has any questions, they can PM me?"
You are permitted to PM Tybalt In Monochrome with any questions about Schizophrenia.
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Trichotillomania as told by Ninja43009.

"I have Trichotillomania, commonly referred to as "trich" since it has such a long name. It is medically referred to as TTM and also Trichotillosis. I had to look it up to make sure I had spelled it right, and I have it! Anyway, trich is defined as an impulse control disorder characterized by the repeated urge to pull out various hairs on the body, sometimes so much so that bald spots are noticeable. This has happened to me so many times that people ask me weird questions like, "Hey, did you get your eyebrows waxed?", and "Hey, what happened? It looks like some of your eyebrow got burned off." At one point I was called "No Eyelash Boy". I had to try really hard not to punch them in the face on that one, but I pulled through without incident.

I was diagnosed with trich when I was about 11, while I had a really mean teacher. My mom noticed my lack of eyelashes and took me to a psychiatrist, where I was diagnosed. Living with trich, for me, is like trying to live without stress as much as possible to avoid what is called 'pulling', as in pulling out hair. (Stress is the main cause of this disorder) Mainly, I never notice when I pull. It is completely involuntary and impulsive, and I have to try to be aware of it all day. It's hard on my mind and is a distraction in class. Because I mainly pull eyelashes and eyebrows, many people notice. I try my best to avoid the inevitable conversation. A vicious cycle can ensue, where I stress so much about people noticing my missing lashes and brows that I pull more and don't realize until later what happened.

When I was diagnosed, I was prescribed sertraline (Zoloft), an anxiety-reducing medicine. A side effect of this is an increase in appetite, which shows because I am slightly heavier than my brother, even though he is taller. That much, I don't mind. What I do mind is that it doesn't completely work. I still haven't gotten another medication for my disorder, so I'm still having some trouble, but I'm working through it.

If anyone has any questions concerning trich, just PM me and I'll be happy to answer you!"
You are permitted to PM Ninja43009 with any questions about Trichotillomania.
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Bipoloar Disorder as told by Anonymous.

"I haven't yet been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but I have a special case. Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder with very different mood swings. When you are bipolar, you are either very manic [high, or happy], or very depressive [low, or sad]. What's odd is your personality changes so much, and you feel either on top of the world, or at the bottom. It's hard to live with because sometimes you lose your friends because of the way you act.
My story: Since I was 11, I had feelings I was bipolar, because I was aware that my emotions were not normal at all. I was also informed about what bipolar disorder actually was, and the symptoms.
When I was 12, I began taking the online tests and for each one, I got: "Your chances of having Bipolar Disorder are very high, you should see a doctor", or "You have severe Bipolar symptoms". It was terrible, and I wanted help so badly. Then, I told my parents. They laughed at me and made fun of me, saying "You're not Bipolar, if we took you to get tested, they would just SAY you're bipolar to get us to pay for medication." It was terrible. I cried myself to sleep that night.
My parents never understand, and still make fun of me for it. Inside, I am burning, but I just shut up, because they can't help. I am 13 today, and I hope that soon, I can get the help I need.
How to treat a person with bipolar disorder: I'm not quite sure. Just understand when they flip out if they're you're friend. I have a few great friends that actually do. <3 I also wish some people wouldn't think that I'm lying. Some people actually do lie to get attention, but sometimes you can tell.
Symptoms are that they frequently have periods or great creativity or much dullness. They sometimes seem very interested in sex. Seem distant sometimes, then clingy. Basically, very huge opposites in personalities.
Something to add: before you declare yourself bipolar, do some reading about the disorder, and take lots of online tests. It really helps, and what bothers me most is when people who aren't bipolar think they are."
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as told by Penskii.

"-How it affects your everyday life.
Horribly. Okay, it's not so bad as it seems. But it can get pretty bad. It used to be okay, I'd just get minor chest pains and short of breath for no reason. Not that that's okay, but it was just the occassional attack that I didn't understand. Once I got diagnosed, I started to realize things that were causing my panic attacks, and I started to avoid them. It's starting to interferre with my daily life. As a senior in Highschool (Graduated now, thanks!) I didn't want to go to prom, because I have a horrible irrational fear of having a seizure (GAD can make you worry about medical things that probably will never happen to you) and at prom there was a flashing strobe-light type thing in a dark room.

-Personal anecdotes
Oh man, I have so many of these stories where I have panic attacks. Let's see, below I described stacking my food that relates to my OCD. I also feel the need to pray every night despite not being deeply religious for fear of being smitted. Don't laugh. People with OCD really do things like that.

For my GAD, there's so many. GAD is having irrational fears of things that probably won't happen to you, but you can't stop worrying about them. They fill up your thoughts and as bad as you want to change it or not worry about it anymore you can't. People will tell you to get over it, it's just in your head, but you just can't let it go.
Me? I have tons of irrational fears. Most of mine are medial. I don't know why, but they are. I'm a hypocondriac. If it's medical, and I see it, I think it's going to happen to me. I think it all started when I was little and the substitute teacher said we shouldn't throw pencils or they'd get stuck in our eye and we'd have to have a terrible precedure where we'd get a glass eye. It seriously freaked me out. Anyway, at the tippity top of the 'penskii fears' list is Seizures.
I have never, ever had a seizure. I don't have epilepsy. I probably won't ever have a seizure. But something makes me worry about it. I don't know. Whenever I see flashing lights, I close my eyes and turn away. I've not taken medication I needed because it said 'if you have a seizure call...'. If I read a video game seizure warning, I don't want to play that game. Just seeing the word seizure sets me off. Typing it is taking a toll on me, you have no idea.

I've had anxiety attacks at major school dances because of their strobe lights.
In English Class, I had to sit next to a girl who had regular seizures because the teacher thought I was nice and would take care of her. Every time she would have a seziure, I'd have a bad panic attack. I'd feel disconnected from everything. Chest hurt, couldn't breath.
She bit me once. Not during a seizure, but kind of like "haha, I'm gonna bite you." And for a few minutes I was obsessively washing my hands because I didn't want to get it.
YES, I KNOW you can't transfer Epilepsy via saliva. I KNOW this, but with GAD you can't stop the worry.
When I was little I'd get bad chest pains and my hands would go numb and I'd freak out and think I was having some sort of heart attack. I constantly felt like I was dying because I'd get these strange feelings and they were unexplainable.
My doctor once said my Anxiety attacks are so bad they make grown people feel like they're having heart attacks. The worst part was not knowing what it was.

I had a crush on the APA of my Highschool, Mr. C. At Homecomming a girl had a seizure. I had the biggest panic attack. I couldn't breath. Mr. C came and sat next to me and the fact that he was there rubbing my back made it worse. I ended up having to leave for a few minutes to get some air.
Whenever I hit my head I panic. I try not to, but I can't help it. I think coma, seizure, stroke, death. My fingers going numb can make me think I'm dying, even if I've been leaning on my hand the whole day and I KNOW that's what caused it. I admit, a panic attack isn't as big as lupus or cancer, but it's HARD too.
It's like living in this constant state of fear. Always worrying over something you know won't happen, and it fustrates you because you can't stop the worrying nomatter how hard you try.

-How you came to the diagnosis.
My pediatrician would tell me I just had Anxiety. She never actually said I have Anxiety Disorder, but I did the research. I have all the signs. Hell, I had it as a child, but no one caught it. Anyway, I'd call her sometimes at 11 o clock and night and freak out and be like "I have a headache, am I having a seizure?" or "My heart skipped a beat. Is this a heartattack? Am I goin' to die?" And these phonecalls would be seriously erratic, I'd be so panic'd. But she never tested me for anything, just said I have anxiety and gave me tips to calm myself down. These tips didn't work, by the way.
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disoder) can come from having an Anxiety Related Disorder. A lot of people claim to be OCD and aren't, but I seriously am. It's more of an unconcious habit, then a concious one. Like, for me, I stack things in neat little piles. Sometimes people count things or unconciously organize things. I stack. It started with food, first. I didn't even realize I did it, but when I had cookies or something I would start stacking them into little piles. Just making them nice and neat. (This started recently, by the way.) My fiance' would have to take my hands and be like "Honey, you're stacking again." And I'd be like "Hunh?"
So, recently, as in just a week ago, I went to my first adult doctor. The first question he asked me when he came in was "Are you happy?" And I didn't want to sound crazy, so I said "Not all of the time, no one''s happy all of the time...right?" But I don't think he bought it. They asked me a lot of questions. "Do you feel paranoid?" Yes, I answered. Not that people were out to get me, because I know they aren't, but of medical things (just reading the spoon page sets off an anxiety attack. I know the things won't happen to me, but I still panic) or of my future. I'm paranoid that I won't have money, won't go to college. They asked me if I ever tried to kill myself and I said no.
Then my Doctor sat me down and said "Cheyanne, you have a severe personality disorder. You are not crazy, you are not schitzophrenic or depressive, but you have a mental disorder and it needs to be fixed. There are medicines that can help, but I reccommend you get therapy before we try any of it. There's certain behavior techniques you can try to beat this. It isn't funny, and it's hard to live with, but you can learn to deal with this."

I was torn between two things. I wanted to cry of happiness, because for once someone had ACTUALLY SAID IT. Said what I have. Made it real. Is taking me seriously.
And at the same time, I wanted to cry of sadness. I was told I have a severe personality disorder. It made me think that my personality- the very core of who I am and the way I act, is wrong.
Now I know, though, it's not. I worry, and it interferes with my daily life. That's NOT okay, but it's fixable. My worry is a part of my personality, that's true, but it's a bad part that's holding back all the good things I can become without being in that constant state of fear and panic.
Think of the Dark Reflection item on Gaia.
While others live in this happy little world, your trapped in this distorted place filled with worry and fear and you are constantly fighting to get out.

-How to treat someone with your condition.
Medication and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
-Medication recommended/not recommended for your condition.
Quoting a website here:
"Medications do not, 'cure,' anxiety disorders. Medications do keep symptoms of anxiety disorder under control while a person receives psychotherapy. A physician or psychiatrist can prescribe medications to help control the symptoms of an anxiety disorder, and work with other healthcare professionals. Psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and counselors can provide psychotherapy to relieve anxiety disorders. Medications used for anxiety disorders include antidepressants, beta-blockers, and anti-anxiety medications."

Basically, anti-anxiety/anti-depression medications will be what they give you. But they won't control what you have, just make the symptoms go away. You've got to learn to control it.

-Anything else you want to add!
Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder:
Common obsessive thoughts in OCD include:
Fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt or contaminating others
Fear of causing harm to yourself or others
Intrusive sexually explicit or violent thoughts and images
Excessive focus on religious or moral ideas
Fear of losing or not having things you might need
Order and symmetry: the idea that everything must line up “just right.”
Superstitions; excessive attention to something considered lucky or unlucky
Common compulsive behaviors in OCD include:
Excessive double-checking of things, such as locks, appliances, and switches.
Repeatedly checking in on loved ones to make sure they’re safe.
Counting, tapping, repeating certain words, or doing other senseless things to reduce anxiety.
Spending a lot of time washing or cleaning.
Ordering, evening out, or arranging things “just so.”
Praying excessively or engaging in rituals triggered by religious fear.
Accumulating “junk” such as old newspapers, magazines, and empty food containers, or other things you don’t have a use for.

Symptoms of General Anxiety Disorder:
Physical symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Muscle tension, aches, or soreness
Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
Stomach problems, nausea, diarrhea Jumpiness or unsteadiness
Edginess or restlessness
Tiring easily
Psychological symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Irritability
Feelings of dread
Inability to control anxious thoughts Inability to relax
Difficulty concentrating
Fear of losing control or being rejected

I HIGHLY recommend this site:
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/generalized_anxiety_disorder.htm

-If not anonymous, give permission on whether people can PM you for further information.
HECK YES People can PM me for information about this. It's common, and a lot of people have the chest pains and the feelings of panic and don't know what it is. Their friends and family write it off, saying "Your afraid, get over it." But I'm OUT HERE.
I know what it's like.
I know you just can't get over it. I know it's not just being afraid.
And if you feel this way, and you want more information or someone to talk to, PLEASE PM me."
You are permitted to PM Penskii with any questions about GAD or OCD.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Bipolar Disorder as told by Sesshoumaru`:

"I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in early 2009. I began seeing a therapist two years prior to this period due to depression and a sudden inability to cooperate with others, but it became obvious to my therapist that depression wasn't the only illness affecting my life. For as long as I can remember, I have suffered from an inability to remain interested, happy and content. Generally, I become snappy, irritable and simply unpleasant to be around (which is in direct contrast from my happy demeanor). Though, there have been occasions where I'd become violently outraged without reasonable cause. These are the hardest moments for me to deal with, because I always hate myself afterward.

I use to be one of those nonbelievers. I didn't think bipolar disorder was a valid illness. I thought it was just a silly name for people who were just irritating and incapable of controlling themselves due to horrible parenting. After my therapist explained to me that people who suffer from bipolar disorder can have a variety of symptoms, and – after she helped me understand exactly what I was dealing with – I began to look at it from a different angle. For the first time in my life I felt completely out of control. I felt that if I can't regulate my own mood, what can I do? I was devastated, and I was scared.

My friends and family are my life line. I can always, always rely on them when I'm at my worst. I've always been wary about taking medications, but I did agree to take a minor mood suppressant (as I am extremely sensitive to medications). There was an improvement, but I still have symptoms. It's not something that can be cured, after all. So, to combat those remaining mood swings, I take time to myself, I relax, I avoid stressful situations, people and activities. I've surrounded myself with...happier things.

I think the type and strength of medication that someone takes entirely depends on their own body. I suggest taking small doses of a minor medication and slowly increase the dosage until you can see improvements. This takes time and patience, and you must be willing to cooperate. You can't look for happiness halfheartedly."
You are permitted to PM Sesshoumaru` with any questions about Bipolar Disorder
______________________________________________________________________________

Autism and Asperger's Syndrome as told by Aislanaire:

Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) is a 'subthreshold' condition in which some - but not all - features of autism or another explicitly identified Pervasive Developmental Disorder are identified. PDD-NOS is often incorrectly referred to as simply "PDD." The term PDD refers to the class of conditions to which autism belongs. PDD is NOT itself a diagnosis, while PDD-NOS IS a diagnosis. The term Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS; also referred to as "atypical personality development," "atypical PDD," or "atypical autism" ) is included in DSM-IV to encompass cases where there is marked impairment of social interaction, communication, and/or stereotyped behavior patterns or interest, but when full features for autism or another explicitly defined PDD are not met.

It should be emphasized that this ''subthreshold'' category is thus defined implicitly, that is, no specific guidelines for diagnosis are provided. While deficits in peer relations and unusual sensitivities are typically noted, social skills are less impaired than in classical autism. The lack of definition(s) for this relatively heterogeneous group of children presents problems for research on this condition. The limited available evidence suggest that children with PDD-NOS probably come to professional attention rather later than is the case with autistic children, and that intellectual deficits are less common.
You are premitted to PM Aislanaire with any questions about Autism or Asperger's
_______________________________________________________________________________

Iron Deficiency Anemia as told by RainbowRainz:

"
Anemia is basically a medical condition in which the hemoglobin/red blood cell count is less than it should be. Many people believe it to be an iron defficiency- which isn't entirely wrong, because iron makes up a large part of haemoglobin and is needed for it to function properly but that refers to a specific form of the illness- iron deficiency anemia. This is probably the most common kind, and the one I suffer from.
-
Iron deficiency anemia can vary in severeness- mild forms can be caused by something as simple as a diet lacking in iron while others are a result of blood loss [e.g. trauma or menstural]. Due to the fact that women lose blood on a monthly basis- this form of anemia is more commonly occuring in females.
-
From the age of seven I remember being asked in the playground by teachers "Are you feeling ill? You look so pale!"- but I'd felt no different to how I usually would, and so would dismiss them with a simple shake of my head and resume playing. I found I would need more sleep than most and would tire easily during the day, but it was always put down to me being a child, overworking my small body and being unfit.
It was only when I hit puberty at the age of 11 that I started developing further symptoms- the first being- I was losing more blood than I should. At first, my doctors set this aside as irregularity and convinced my mum that it'd clear up within the next year... unfortunately, it didn't. The pains were unbareable, at one point in school I remember passing out on my desk- everyone assumed I had fallen asleep, but when I came to, I knew that the last thing I recollected was being fully alert despite the pain. I began feeling physically sick when the pains continued and was prescribed anti-nausea medication by my doctor who told us "some people are just unlucky, but it's normal". This medication I can't remember the name of, but the pills were miniscule, I was told I was allowed only half twice a day and that they would make me feel drowzy. Too correct.
Anyway, the pain decreased overtime, while the ireegularity hadn't- if anything it had gotten far worse. We then changed doctors a few times before eventually one took the time to listen to my story at the age of fifteen. He called me in, did a few routine checks before asking me to lean forward and lightly pulling the skin under my eye down. He then suggested a blood test. I freaked out.
Though a needle is pathetic in comparison to so many other procedures people undergo for different conditions- I am deathly afraid. I have always been, and I will always be.
Regardless, I was forced to go into the hospital where a nurse prodded my arm with the needle and struck the vain instantly. Lucky- I am aware. She removed a single vial of blood and ran a full blood count. When I was called in soon after, the results indicated that my hormone levels were fairly normal but that my iron levels were low.
He set me on a course of iron medication "ferrous sulphate" [which is basically the correct chemical name for iron] and gradually the symptoms were reduced. The side effects aren't pretty, which is why I'm often reluctant to take them- but when I don't- I soon regret it.
-
Many people with this suffer from constant fatigue despite regular sleeping patterns and weakness despite no strain on the body. They can sometimes appear pale as the red blood cells are lacking- and this is often most visible on the waterline of the eye. However, these symptoms can apply to other medical conditions. If you suspect anemia, consult your doctor and have them run a full blood count.
Do not treat the fatigue with caffiene medication or over consumption of caffinated/glucose-filled beverages or foods. This only offers a very temporary energy boost before presenting you with a worse-than-before crash.
Vitamin C is known to heighten the absorbtion rate of iron into the blood- so stock up!
If you're a female suffering from severe cramps and have yet to be prescribed stronger meds, take over-the-counter pain killers or anti-inflammatries in doses as instructed on the box. Heat patches also offer relief but make sure not to apply them directly to your skin, and finally, I find the most effective method of soothing the pain to bathe it in warm/hot water. So take your medication followed by a soak in the tub or spray the water with the shower head directly on the abdomen- it is honestly such a relief. "

You are permitted to PM questions about Iron Deficiency Anemia to RainbowRainz.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) as told by Karu Black:

"I didn't see this in the list of syndromes (or maybe I passed it which is very well possible icon_sweatdrop.gif) but I thought that IBS, better known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, should be mentioned. I've had this since college, my senior year, and it's not fun. Pretty much you get these horrible cramps that makes you not want to move. The only way you feel better temporarily is you have to use the bathroom. But it can happen again very quickly, so it's not a good thing because it will lead to diarrhea.

And you never really feel like everything is ok with your stomach and intestines, it just feels horrible still. Stress seems to trigger this. I work at a pharmacy now and when I'm inputting a patients prescription and trying to make sure everything is right I can get these cramps, and it's very not professional having to run to the bathroom to make sure nothing goes wrong in the middle of a work day.

From what I understand there is no cure. You just have to keep the stress level down, some say you can change your diet and that will help some, but pretty much it's just something that I have to live with everyday."
_______________________________________________________________________________

Want to tell your story? Want to tell it anonymously? PM me with your story on your illness, and I will keep anonyminity if you wish!
Things to tell me in your message:
-What your illness is.
-How it affects your everyday life.
-Personal anecdotes
-How you came to the diagnosis.
-How to treat someone with your condition.
-Medication recommended/not recommended for your condition.
-Anything else you want to add!
-If not anonymous, give permission on whether people can PM you for further information.


-articles on the first page all provided by Wikipedia
-testimonials provided by Gaians

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"Tomorrow", an original song written by SuperSingingSox.

"Life can be so hard at times
And there might be days you just want to cry.
But just keep clinging to hope,
and tell yourself tomorow's gonna be alright.
Tomorow's gonna be alright...

When you feel lost,
someone will find you.
When you feel lonely,
someone will befriend you.
Live for the moment,
for it could be your last.
Just remember, tomorow's gonna be alright.

Don't let rainy skies ruin your days.
You gotta learn to live with what you've got.
Put all your worries under the bed,
and tell yourself tomorow's gonna be alright.
Tomorow's gonna be alright....

When you feel lost,
someone will find you.
When you feel lonely,
someone will befriend you.
Live for the moment,
for it could be your last.
Just remember, tomorow's gonna be alright.

Ignore the remarks that other people give.
They don't know you.
Just smile and wave and continue on.
Because tomorow's gonna be alright.
Tomorow's gonna be alright.

When you feel lost,
someone will find you.
When you feel lonely,
someone will befriend you.
Live for the moment,
for it could be your last.
Just remember, tomorow's gonna be alright.

Yeah.. Tomorow's gonna be alright."

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The following is a list of donations to my current quest only.
For a complete list of donators, please go here

Jayce Reinhardt - Puggleston, The Nibbler, Mabase's One Life, Summer Citron Obi, Deep Shadow Obi, Black Floral Short Kimono, Owlocolypse,

Valkyrie-Chii-Chan - Perfect Tragedy

Azure Felis - SD Plus #171 - Butterfly, The Love Song, Kottan Bell Reunion, Kottan Bell, Gin the Kitty, Grunny (named Frederic), Princess Kaguya, Secret Retreat, Lunar Sash, RuRu Kitty Plushie, Purple Butterflies Kimono Dress x3, Pebbled Heart, Music Notes Kimono Dress, Darkened Cello, Kameha the Sea Turtle, Ranunculus, Celestial Array, Compass of Seidh 2nd Gen, Scarlet Rose, Ilmacchiato, Unsavory Cactus, Spring Groom, Commedia, Hermes' Moon 12th Gen, Fruitkerchief, Imaginary Friend 5th Gen, Mana Seed, Red Sweetheart Mary-Janes, Moon Lantern, Raider Shih's Garment, White Sweetheart Ruffled Dress, Sky Sparkle Empire Dress, Red Sweetheart Ruffled Dress, Silver Champagne Party Dress, June Birthstone Cape, 10k, Owlocolypse,

Maja81 - 50k

suuzyli - 1mil

Solcrailtis - 40k

Wolfhawk13 - 10k

city of delusion - a LOT of assorted items!

Alternate Ace - Head of Night

MissMissie - Sasha's Teal Sarong

13Scarlett13 - Order of the Iron Rhino

IceKyrstal - Gerard the Otter

Lady Callie G - Bani the Bunny

Prostiboots - Kameha the Sea Turtle

Anonymous - Kameha the Sea Turtle

Please do not contact anyone on this list for donations.
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