ableism

On casual ableism (and Alexa's existential crisis)

17:40

I wish someone could sit me down and explain to me in easy terms why I reach heights of productivity at 1am when I have to wake up in 4 hours. I really wish.

——

As you probably noticed, despite it being a while since last post, the blog got total theme remake lately. So it's not exactly the fact of me being busy that kept me away. Sure, that's true for the first part of the January, when I had been finishing my midterms, but since the beginning of February I was basically free.
But I kept having doubts. As you know if you follow this blog regularly, my family is not exactly perfect. And abusive family can mess with your head pretty badly. And so I let myself believe for a while that what I have to say doesn't matter, and even more - that I have no right to say my opinion, as I'm in the wrong. In the wrong about my rights, my right to live, to be respected. That I should just shut up. That I have no right to help and to aids and so I should stop the fundraiser and hide cause people don't want to see me.
Luckily for you I have a bunch of lovely spoonie friends who called me out on my temporary existential crisis and here I am, as good as new. And with suspicion of lupus, currently in diagnosis. I'm not kidding you, guys. My friends call me a chronic illnesses collector. I think my body just really, really hates me. Can't blame it really, with amount of sweets I devour daily…
Anyway, the point is, I felt inadequate and wrong, and since I spend a lot of time on social media, I felt I'm not being a good person. So I tried to educate myself on the subjects I felt I know not enough about, and one of them was racism. Poland is… very white. So I read, and read, and read, and I started to notice things.
My mum is an awesome ally. She always supported me in all fields, when I came out as gay and then when I had been learning about my gender more and more. When I got sick, and then on the wheelchair. When she found out about how I was raped. Always, she was always there for me. And she is a really great, open minded person.
But, I realized my mum is very casually racist sometimes. And here is the thing - she is only on the topics where she doesn't know what she's talking about, and I'm sure I was the same. Like for example about the lack of Black movies out there. And there is one thing that hit me like a truck full of bad metaphors. It's a lot like people who piss me off everyday with their casual, thoughtless ableism.
Example: one of my teachers who keeps saying I need to go out and meet more people, when I’d LOVE TO meet more people but it's just not realistic when you're stuck in bed for 23 hours a day crying from pain and the remaining hour you try to do uni work. And when you live in a place where buses only visit occasionally and ramps are rarer than unicorns. You get my vibe. I am NOT secluded from people because I want to.
But then again, someone who's not in my skin have no idea about that, and they think they're helping. And I appreciate, really, but if I hear the same stuff twenty times a day, at the twenty first time I'm gonna get mad, cause how many times can you explain??? It's just that this 21st person is unlucky today.
And my point is, we need to explain, yes, but abled people - and not only abled abled, but anyone who doesn't have physical disability, should try their best to listen. We all suck sometimes and I know it took me a while - and knowing a Deaf girl I had a crush on - to start really listening to Deaf people and checking my own privilege. And, well, starting losing my hearing slowly. So my point is not to vilify or accuse people, but to try to explain to them - to you - why the fuck we get so angry when they try to help. And why I yell so much. Ooops.
I think that subconsciously until now I thought people who do that are vile. That they do it on purpose cause they're too lazy to try to listen to me. It took my mum to open my eyes, and make me realize that maybe no one ever explained it. Maybe I'm a first wheelchair bound person they ever met. Or first outspoken one. Or the disabled people they did meet were too pissed to explain, the reality I know all too well. I'm not a patient person, but I'll try to be more, cause that one’s on me.
Then again, it takes being comfortable with your disability to be able to educate people and be helpful and not eternally mad. It's been a year in February since I'm on a wheelchair and only now I keep realizing that I'm actually okay. That I'm not broken. I just happened to be different but world where everyone is the same would be awfully boring.
So - listen to your friendly disabled person, and as a friendly disabled person keep in mind not everyone is out there looking to take your rights away. Sure, sadly a whole lot of people are, but some are just uninformed, I think? We have all rights in the world to be angry, but, at least for me, knowing not everyone is out there hunting me down, helped me feel a tiny bit better.

In other news, I gave link to this blog to my English teacher as an example of both my activism and everyday English writing. I'm bilingual and I'm using English much more often then Polish (trust me on talking to my mum who doesn't speak it and halfway realize she has no fucking idea what I'm saying…), but majority of my work outside of activism is a WIP and I struggled to find finished stories, of the ones I know how to finish quickly. And this blog is what I'm a bit proud of, actually.
Why am I saying that? Cause here goes official apology for the amount of swears I use, I am sorry, I have a mouth like a sailor and I am aware of that, I feel my writing style lacking without it, and it's probably a vice on my behalf. However, I do not feel it appropriate to change it in my posts, cause it's genuine, it's how my train of thoughts goes, and that's how I just am, and this blog is to show a real - as much as that's possible online - me. So. Please keep my apology in mind when I inevitably break into cussing next time someone asks me how do I have sex.

Thanks to everyone donating to my wheelchair fundraiser, I'm close to my goal but sadly I have to get a corset and it's urgent apparently, so that's what I'm gonna spend the money at firstly. Maybe one beautiful day I will stop getting new diagnoses and be able to finally, finally get this goddamn chair. For now, thank you for saving my pathetic life, and expect corset photos and maybe more writing if it actually works and helps me sit up more.
Stay strong!

ableism

On one minute friends

22:17

On one minute friends.



Oh how I love I just literally killed the first mosquito of 2017. In February.

But. To the point.
I want to formally apologize for the lack of posts lately. Who would know dying would be so exhausting. I crashed from maniacal episode (I'm a freshly diagnosed, still unmedicated, bipolar person) to depression and I just kinda…stare at the ceiling and wish I could cry.
But while I was hopelessly turning in my bed tonight, I remembered something that might have been a good idea for a blog post. Or bad. You decide.
I remembered when I was 18 I guess, I was writing a different blog, kind of my thoughts on different subjects. We need to estimate here that 18 y/o me was an undiagnosed, traumatized idiot, with the key word here being idiot. I was in pain everyone was saying was a psychological thing after rape, that was also in a huge part ignored by medical professionals around me. I suppose I wanted attention? Literally I have no idea why I did what I did. It's one of those things I can't remember actually doing, but I know I did. And maybe it was the attention thing, or the fact I was highly psychotic back then and couldn't differentiate between facts and reality if I tried, but the fact remains, I was a total disaster.
You see, I cannot lie. If I was a mythical being, I would be a faerie. It's not to say I don't lie, cause of course I do, don't we all? but I suck at it and it's super uncomfortable for me, i can't keep track and I just hate it. I'm this person who'll come out to you and tell you about all traumas 5 min after meeting you (ask Ki, I literally did that to her and we remain best friend). And when I lie, I almost always come clean, and usually try to escape the consequences if I'm to be honest, cause I'm a coward too.
Anyway, I have no idea why I lied on the blog then, or rather colored the reality as some will say. I'm highly suspicious it was the attention seeking thing, but I just…have no…idea?
I wrote a post about my ex high school, the one I was expelled from (or rather kindly asked to leave if I don't attend therapy, which for me is the same thing cause you cannot just blackmail someone with “stop being mentally ill or lose education” ya know?). I lied in the post about how I came out to my peers and that it was the reason I was expelled with a huge BOOM. Which didn't happen. I was asked to change schools cause yes, they minded me being an outed gay person very much (how I was outed is a whole another story, I didn't do it myself either) but they mostly minded my self destructive habits and was “worrying about me corrupting my classmates” I think was the quote? I have no idea why they'd think so, I was suicidal but not making some suicide pacts with friends! That came later? Anyway, I was half happy to leave and half mad they made me, my mum was pissed, and so I was taken from school and moved to another nearer my city, without a dorm so I lived at home, and put into a loving care of a psychiatrist who then sexually abused me, but hey you cannot have everything.
And so when I posted the Lie Post as I'll call it now, I got two comments - one from someone who recalled their days at boarding school, and one, anonymous, from who said was my former classmate.
And I remember two lines. One was “you're living in some kind of illusion” - which was true then just as is now so I cannot really say anything…
And the other “the saddest thing is, we liked you”.
You may think, as I did back then, and even couple of months ago still, that it's kinda cruel. To say thing thing to who turned out to be a terminally ill person. But the thing is, it was my fault, and they had right to be angry I suppose.
And I kept wondering who wrote it. Was it a girl I hated cause she was better than me at literally any conceivable thing? Something I would now admire as a person who is not disabled and has strength to do stuff, and is amazing at them. But that's post-dying-epiphany me. Cause one thing I learned this rainy cold November day was that life is unpredictable as fuck, and holding grudges will get you nowhere. But I think to forgive everyone and decide to learn to appreciate everyone you have to have this major life changing event happen to you. And it's not to say I'm in any way better, cause I'm not. In any way. I just had a fucked up thing happen to me and I see world differently after it.
Was it the perfect girl’s best friend who I always thought was looking down at me and was weirdly condescending- but she wasn't. It was my low self esteem and a victim complex speaking. She was kind. I wasn't.
Was it a girl who was perfect at English and we competed at it which was totally unfair cause as a bilingual person I shouldn't compete with someone still learning? And she was good. I was introduced to English at 4 y/o and listened to it a lot before that. She was just learning at school, and we were the same level. In which way that was fair? I didn't put effort into my English - she did.
Was it a girl who was so ethereally beautiful I couldn't speak a word to her cause I'd stutter? Who I'm still a bit in love with just cause I was then?
Or her best friend who made me realize I was a lesbian, and skip the whole major crisis connected to it, cause she was so fearless in her love to girls, so open, so beautiful. I owe her so much, she made me stop being afraid.
Or was it a girl I was crushing so hard at my abuser was jealous of her and would beat me over her. I think I still love her somehow, that amazing she was.

And you know, my predicted lifespan is 40, and I'm 22 now, so I'm not going anywhere yet. But I want to, in some way, say goodbye to those girls. Thank them. Cause I have a fast paced life ahead me, full of trying to fit a whole life in couple of years. And I think it's time to say goodbye to the past.
And I doubt they'll read it, they'll find a way to this blog. But maybe they will.
So here you go.
Thank you B (what was your real name? We always called you that) for being someone I still can look up to. Thank you Z for laughing with me when I was sad and wanted to die - I'm not sure did you know? Or was it just that you're always so nice? Thank you M for being a fair rival, someone I admire and wish best. Thank you Be for allowing me to learn to love someone unconditionally from afar and showing me beauty. Thank you O for making me who I am now, for being unafraid and teaching me to be so as well. Thank you C for everything, every smile and small talk, oh gods how I loved you.
Thank you P for being the loveliest roommate and caring about me even after I left, you're an amazing person, you're gonna be famous one day, I know it. I hope to see it. Thank you E for being my best friend back then. You saved my life and I love you still, even though we lost touch.
And to the rest, thank you too. For being for me when I needed you and laughing at me when I was sad. For just being friends in a class, you know?

And you may think this post is weird, and excessive, and unnecessary cause who thinks about high school like that? But it's not why I write it, I don't even write it cause I'm ill.
The year I was at this school I was every weekend at home beaten, raped repeatedly and psychologically abused and tortured, and it's not a hyperbolic speech. And when I came back to school for a week days, it turned out my school psychologist I couldn't trust. But the girls were always there and had my back. Even though I was a terrible, terrible person. And this is about that, cause I'm making my peace with the past.

But it's not only that.
This post is about friendship. About people who are important in your life journey even if they're there only for 5 months, or 2, or a day. About kind people who make me want to fight my uneven fight still.
Maybe my point comes across, but if not, I'll make it clear.
When I found out I'm incurably ill, my world kinda shifted? And I'm in some weird change moment now. And I'm trying to learn to be kind and good. To be nice to everyone. I learn how to say thank you.
Learn with me.

ableism

Gotta Love People or how not to ask questions to strangers

23:54

Every time when I in my good will reach out to people and want to believe they're not so stupid they prove me otherwise. I swear. Every. Single. Time.  

 You might've notice I was off from this blog for a month or so - mostly because Christmas happened and my family outside of me are devout Catholics so there was the whole cleaning cooking suffering ordeal (my mum was cleaning, sister was cooking and I was suffering, don't make the mistake), but also cause no matter how chill I seem on the outside, dealing with upcoming death is…depressing to say at least. I got a little bit antisocial, a little bit sleepy all the time and a whole lot sad. Oh, and I stopped showering, that too.

 Anyway, I’ve been forced to postpone my depression to after midterms, because uni doesn't discriminate and no matter how Dying you are you gotta study. And sometimes beg. Yesterday it was the latter, and I was forced to meet my sculpture teach who somehow cannot understand the term “accommodation” and forces me to do sculptures in clay I literally cannot do cause of my shitty hands and muscle loss in arms. So I went to beg her to let me pass somehow, cause I'm in no way gonna be a sculptor, I just need this goddamn course so I can happily live as a painter slash high school teacher. Ya feel me.

 As I arrived to the uni building, and my uni is intersected into three (or four? Could be wrong) different buildings, I found out, surprise surprise, a staircase with no elevator, even tho the teach said the building is accessible but again maybe that word is also not in her vocabulary not gonna judge. So I was happily and calmly (oh the joys of opiates treatment) in the corridor when this older gentleman spotted me. He was busy boring some poor other student to death, but she went out so it was me - the next victim. 

 And you see, no matter how salty I am on this blog, in real life I'm like the most polite, gentle girl ever. What bites me in the ass quite often but what can you do when you were raised by a woman who apologizes for existing and also is moderately autistic in this quiet, a little bit withdrawn way. I'm a daughter of my own mother and so I am like that too, and also autistic as well, so there wasn't much hope for me. 

 The guy started asking if I'm a student and he seemed just okay-ish in this boring way cause he cracked some unfunny jokes and in general we had a quite pleasant chat. Until. Oh until. Until he went all in, 0 to 100 real quick - and posed one of question I've never, legit never, heard asked so far, and that's an achievement considering bullshit I put up with everyday.

 “I suppose it's not my business but how do you pee?”

 Lol. Hint hint you were right not your business. But. I'm polite yeah? So I bite my tongue while my brain screams at me to tell him “I call ghostbusters how do you pee?” In real Alexa style, and I force this very insincere smile and say I ask mom for help.
 But you see, as I mentioned, real Alexa style would be a rude salty answer and, you see, incidentally real Alexa is me… so before I could bite my tongue again and cherish in the taste of blood, I continue “…why do you wanna watch?” He was offended, obviously, but at least I was true to myself I suppose.

 This post is basically just me telling you an anecdote of how once in my life ableism turned quite funny, but also you know, I had this thought: it's 2017 and we have internet so instead of asking rude questions to wheelchair using strangers on the streets you coulda just google them. But then I wondered: if you google it, will you get an answer? Cause I bet I'm not the only disabled person who's quite pissed (pun intended) with obnoxious strangers irl, and so I doubt anyone wants to continue the same online. 

 So. Here you go and no judgement cause you were smart and googled (or maybe you just read my blog regularly, then full judgement cause I'm fucking terrible what are you doing here).

How do disabled people pee - not paralyzed just EDS edition.
 Let's assume the bathroom is accessible - then I just hold to the railings and move myself and done.  Let's assume the bathroom is inaccessible aka your normal home bathroom for example - then that's why I carry my portable cane with me all the time, shit is tiny and fits into my backpack and it's a lifesaver when I need to get to a place wheelchair won't fit.

 Here you go, mystery solved! So many spoonies saved from obnoxious creeps! Nah just kidding obnoxious creeps don't google their shit. But you did and so I'm proud of you.

 And here's an advice for everyone who's abled and reading this: maybe don't ask strangers how do they pee, cause it's rude, and also they do it just like yourself.

 Since it's midterms and since I'm typing it waiting for my ride to my piano class, I'll just fuck off now. Have nice January people and to lucky polish ones who start winter break soon you're awful awful people and I envy you cause guess who's finals are going through whole January AND February, unbelievable I know.  

 Kiss kiss bye bye and see you next post.

ableism

On narratives about dying

03:03

Hey guys! I'm glad you stuck around.
I got a bit behind with posts cause my life went hectic lately.
I only have a short PSA before we get started

I have been told my family read this blog. And now it puts me in a peculiar situation where I am wondering about if what I'm saying is gonna anger someone. And that... that is not how I can be a good activist, when I keep wondering about hurting someone's feelings.
So, if you are reading my posts, and you're my family, and you have something to say: feel free. But in all honesty? I am not gonna care.

I had an unexpected death happen in my family last week. Which in itself is horrible. My mum is devastated, I am shocked, we're all just very very sad. I do not want to, or am allowed to, talk about it more, so just please believe me I am truly sad and mourning. But I also have things to say, and I realize I may seem cold or uncaring here - but that is not the case.

Because what the things happening recently also did, is silenced my narrative about death and dying.
Since I found out I'm ill and I have about 10 expected years of being abled enough to function actively as I do now, and about 20 to live in general, I became very loud and outspoken in the question of ableism narratives in how we treat dying people.
Because... I started to feel pretty alone. The only person I could tell about my fears and pain, and shock, about my time being so constricted and short, was my therapist. One short hour a week was not nearly enough, when I started to have trouble sleeping and felt so empty, so scared.
And what I want you to understand is I do not blame anyone here and I am sad about the dead person (I ask you to respect my mum’s privacy, as she asked me not to say anyone about what happened) but I also feel like I'm suffocating. Talking at home is not really an option - not only is my mum in mourning, so it would be unbelievably cruel of me to talk about my death to add to it all - but she is also in very active denial about what's happening. And everyone has coping methods, right? So I decided to accept hers.

Generally, my friends (and in general people I talked about it to) make it into two categories when I tell them about my prognosis:
One is pity. The “oh no you poor thing” kind. The “but I'm sure they'll come up with a way to treat you soon!” Kind. And I do understand it's hard for them, I do understand it's awkward and you don't really know what to say. I've been there and I am in no way perfect. But this is silencing me. The “it will be fine” thing is silencing.
The other is fake cheerful. The “it's a lot of time still!” one. And honestly, I like this one better. It's at least acknowledging it's actually happening.
Because I do not look for a perfect reaction here. I just look for someone to listen to me.
And I am scared. I am sad. I am so so angry! Why is it happening to me? What did I do? It's so not fair!
I wanted to have children. I can't, and with the disability I have I cannot even adopt if I don't have an abled partner. But I won't see my eventual kids grow up. I'll die when they're in their teens, and it'll traumatize them! There is not a good option here!
Please let me cry, please listen to me when I rant. I don't know what to say either, but I need you to try to understand.

My life kinda halted its course now. I'm not sure I want to do uni, what for exactly? I won't even use my degree. I'm not sure what I want to do with my time and I feel it running out.
Sometimes I wish I was dead already, or I want to commit suicide just to get it over with. Funny, no? I'm scared of death so much I wanna die.
And at the same time… I feel really empty. Like it's not actually happening. I'm pretty sure this is what shock looks like? And I am so very tired of it.
I'm actually starting to understand how serious my illness it, it hit me all at once when my parents (my dad is a cardiologist) started talking about possible heart surgeries for me. It's scary, and it's exhausting to be scared all the time.

This post is a plea.
Maybe there's someone in my position near you. Maybe it is you.
Listen. Listen to your dying friends and relatives about how they feel. Let them talk if they want to talk. Don't suffocate us in silence.
We are so very tired of being silenced.

I hope maybe I lit a light in someone, or in you, to help someone like me. Cause the truth is… we're all around you. Most of us just don't start talking anymore, we've been ignored so many times.

On the end of this post is an update: thank you all for prayers and thoughts for my gran, she is okay and surgery went well. I am so very grateful for your help.

I know most of people reading this blog are my friends, and so I wanted to thank you for being interested in what is in my head. For wanting to listen to me. For taking your time to actually think about me.
W., the meeting with you made me so endlessly happy and let me find optimism in me. Cause it you care about me, and cared all this time, and we didn't even talk for years, and we wasn't even close in high school, if you didn't forget me or think me as pathetic - maybe people are good. Maybe it was that I am surrounded by negativity, but there is light out there in people like you.
Usually after seeing someone I come home and cry, but after seeing you I was smiling. I need more people like you in my life and thank you for giving me hope.

***

ableism

On abled people - once again

09:47

Blogging with Alex - your everyday dose of angry screaming!  

 Okay, I wanna start with thanks to everyone who messages me about this blog. You guys keep this angry lesbian going, I wouldn't have any motivation without you. You're great. Kisses to you.  

 And shoutout to my dad’s girlfriend who’s stalking me on social media! I wonder of you found me here as well?  

 Today is one of the shittiest days of my life. And considering my past that is a huge thing. You see, there are days when I’m happily and patiently enduring abled people's antics.  
Today is not that day.

 Sure, every time I go out with my dad it's An Adventure, so I shouldn't really expect anything else, but apparently life can still surprise me.
 Today my dear father told a person helping me with opening door..not to help me. Which proves further he still doesn't believe me that I'm actually, you know, slowly dying.
But hey, it's not like we spoonies have to prove our disability over and over again! It's not like I carry my geneticist opinion with me everywhere! And my disability ID! Not at all!
 Except we totally do and I totally am.   

 We have to prove ourselves all the fucking time. Everyone around thinks we’re faking for social benefits.  Ask any disabled person and you’ll learn that those so called benefits are literally nonexistent (I just learned it's actually nonexistent and not “unexistent”. Huh. The joys of foreign speaker.).

 Abled people want our things. They want our bathroom, our ramps, our accessibility devices. Everyone around me keeps saying I only have my iPad cause I wanted a new toy.  Since i got it along with my stylus, I relearned how to draw, I started writing my novel and new fics again, I actually am able to take notes on lectures and I, reading books again cause I finally can hold it. All in less than two weeks.
 But the thing is people don't want to see. They don't want to see my progress and be happy with me, they choose to be jealous over accessibility devices I have.
I've got people saying that I'm lucky I cant take care of myself cause I don't have to worry about future. They don't understand that I do. I have to. More than them. I have to deal with fact I'll be dead before 50. You will never understand how that feels unless you're dealing with that. I dread everyday, cause I'm on a countdown. Not to mention I have no one to take care of me in case something happened to my mum. I literally will be left to die.
 But hey, I don't have to worry about finding a job!  

 You see, you all want our stuff without taking actual disability, you don't want wheelchair, shitty hands, pain, dying. You just wanna nice stuff.  

 And I know I've written about this before and I'm repeating myself. But maybe, just maybe, it'll stick with someone. It'll change someone. So I'll keep saying that.  

 On the other news, uni started today and I still have no idea what I should do. On Wednesday I'm supposed to try to meet some of my teachers..and beg them to let me work from home?  The thing is, begging…well. It's not my style. I'm more of a “you won't get me accessible classroom, I will see ya in court” person. So. Await updates on my hopeless case. 

 And if you're religious could you maybe pray for my gran? She's having a major surgery and I'm really scared she won't make it.   

 Thank you for all your support. 

ableism

on acessibilities

04:24

Today, guys, I’m gonna keep it short. We have several stuff to talk about, thanks to people messaging me about this blog. And me? I am mad and I am bitter – so the usual.
Let me start with my fave one.

I hate abled people.

If you ever used the disabled parking spot, this post is for you specifically. Offended? Suck my dick.

It all started with my hands going bad. I used to use my laptop for everything, as writing by hand became impossible about a year ago. But hey, we live in the age of internet, so I’m gonna be fine. Right? Wrong.

About a month ago I started having trouble typing. On a good day, after twice the dose amount of oxy, it was…kinda…possible. Today, for example, I’m typing with my fingers taped and after what I think was 40mg of oxycodone, and later some blessed soul will beta my typos. Team work, guys.

The thing is, I’m starting uni soon, and while I’m gonna study most classes at home, there are two I’m gonna attend. And I cannot take notes.

Along with mum we decided to buy me an ipad. Ya know, I’ll be able to record stuff, notes are easier done typing on screen, this stuff. Also drawing on better days. But for me and my unemployed single mother of two it’s a HUGE thing to spend 2k on a tablet. Or anything, really. We had our gas almost cut last month and it didn’t happen only cause the guy was a good guy and saw me on wheelchair and took pity. Hashtag wheelchair privileges I suppose.
I have a rich dad. Maybe not insanely rich, but positively loaded. Said dad is abusive asshole too, and perpetual child support avoider. Also tax fraud. You get my vibe.
Yea, you guessed that, I gritted my teeth and begged dad for help. Hence my rant.

You see, when a disabled person gets accommodations, literally EVERYONE wants to use it, steal it, take it away. I got to uni and everyday have to wait cause someone with two working legs is going on my ramp. Someone abled is using my accessible toilet so I peed myself couple of times. People take places in my queue spots. Not to mention the usual, aka parking spots. You get my vibe.

They – you! – want my accessibility and “cool stuff” without actual disability.

So I have this to say to you: TAKE IT. Take my pain, my not working legs, take my loose joints and constant headache. Take my hands I cannot use anymore and my fucked future I dread. Take my inability to get to uni classes and a grocery shop. Take my hand ache from wheelchair. Take uneven pavements. Take it! It’s yours! And then you can also have my cool tablet, my cool chair, my toilets and spots.

Cause guess what? I need it! To live! To survive! Like you do every day without even thinking! To be on the same level as you! And yet I never am, am I? Cause you take everything and then leave me to literally die, refusing my disability level and welfare.
So. Wanna my stuff? Take my pain too.

--------------------------------------------------------------

One thing done. Now the other.
I do not approve of people who sexualize me and this blog. I talk about sexuality and masturbation and sex FOR DISABLED PEOPLE WHO NEED TO HEAR IT. I write for people who need to be empowered. Not for you to jerk it! So stop messaging me how hot is it that I masturbate. I don’t wanna hear it and I don’t want you. I’m gay, always was and always will be. That means NO MEN. I’m a lesbian and I won’t sleep with you. It’s not the purpose of this blog. Come on guys, let’s behave like adults. I know I’m sexy, you know I’m sexy, we do not need to talk about something that is obvious and established.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I’m pretty bad lately with my back going worse and since it’s hard to type lying flat in bed I’m not sure when the next update will be. Sorry. Hopefully tablet will let me write more often.

And also, if any if you are reading this and need to talk to me, to just rant, to address something I wrote or not at all, I am available at bitterlesbiangrandma.tumblr.com, hit me up at private messenger. I know some things are not to be said in comments here, so you can talk to me there.

And in the end, thank you for being so warm and positive about me writing this blog. I hope I managed to at least entertain someone, if not teach or empower. It means a lot you appreciate it.


ableism

on giving non self sufficient folks a voice

03:18


There comes a time I wonder, really really Wonder, why am I an activist. Why do I give huge part of me to strangers on the internet. Why do I out myself, tell you everything about me. When like 99% of you either do not care, or care from a completely wrong standpoint, seeing me as nothing as a freak and short time entertainment.

Well, the thing is that here, on this forgotten part of the web, I get to speak for the most forgotten. I am the voice for non self-sufficient disabled people who will never tell you all the things I’m telling you – just because in other ways, we can’t.

I ditched tumblr. I’m gonna give my address to friends and say goodbye. Why? Cause I stopped doing good there, and harm was done to me.
This is not any huge thing, or tumblr drama, so if you’re here for that you can with safe conscience close the tab – I’m not gonna say anything shocking. What I’m gonna talk is about how reality as not self-sufficient person looks like. How everyday looks like. You didn’t see it on this blog, lost in topics I thought more important. In all honesty – they are. But I am just so so tired, so please take a moment to read.

In reality, everyday, we are spoken over. By more independent disabled folks even, or just, like all of us spoonies, by abled people. I heard so many times “I am disabled too so I’ll say what I want”. And okay. Go say whatever you want. I can’t make you change.
What I can do is tell you my truth.

You open my page, whether Instagram on tumblr or whatever else, and you see a smiling, glamorous Alex. Face in makeup, colorful clothes, heels. You read about my travel, my last trip to cinema, my new shopping. You read about me being excited about uni.

Well. That is one side. Side I want you to see. In any shoot you see, behind my smiling face in hip wheelchair, is my sister typing the message under the pic for me when my hands won’t cooperate. There’s my mum helping me sit on the toilet. There’s both of them holding a bowl when I puke in the mornings. They fasten my bra, hold me up so I could do my makeup with all assistive devices in the world. They push my chair cause wheeling myself on non-automatic thing will break my bones or dislocate my joints. They check if I breathe cause I took so many pills and went to sleep not to feel bone pain reaching 10. There’s a whole shelf of meds and whole team of doctors. There’s a list of prescriptions longer than all my job applies.

There’s a paper I just got stamped as “completely unable to work, completely unable to function in society without everyday help.”
Guys. I’m 22. And I cannot take a shit without help.

But I am lucky. First, I have good days like ones you see, when I can even do my hair myself and go out without passing out. I am coherent – I can speak clearly and I even sign. I am deemed sane, which means my medical consent (usually) counts. And I have a blog where I can speak up.

If you have disability, you’re valid. You should have a voice, and your voice should be heard.
But please, make space in the community, and please give voice to folks like me.
Who won’t work. Won’t be useful. Will never leave alone, will never be independent. Will never make money for themselves. Will be family-tied and so will never be able to live as who they are – either trans, gay, or do the work they want to do.

You know, my lifelong dream is being a wheelchair bound cam girl. Or wheelchair bound porn star. I love sex, I love talking as sex-positive blogger and activist, I love telling you about disabled sex. But I also want to show you.

Well, here’s for dreams to never come true I suppose.

If you walk, don’t speak for those who can’t. If you see, don’t speak for the blind, if you hear don’t speak for Deaf.
I can only speak for myself, and I can’t even speak for all EDS folks! I’ll never try to say a Deaf person I know better their struggle – cause I don’t.

So why do you think you know better how I feel? Stop.

Maybe if some of you tried to listen, you’d hear totally awesome things! Cause we, not contributing to the society people, are awesome.

And I feel bad for those who will never know us, cause their prejudice won’t let them.
***


ableism

On hapiness.

20:50

I was to my new therapy, only a second meeting, when it was said.
“Well, you have to let yourself feel grief. Be scared. Be afraid.”
And it got me thinking, cause it’s not the first time I was told this when I confess I do not cry. Like, at all. Like people think I need to be scared, like it’s taken for granted I MUST be scared.

The thing is. I am *not* afraid. I worry. A lot. I overthink. I can't sleep. But I am not scared.
It's sad, when you look at it - someone so used to pain they are not scared of their whole future life being pain, worse pain. But it is what it is.
I am okay with my chair. I am happy I'm on my chair.
And that's what people can't seem to understand.

I have a stalker. My relationship, one where I ended up raped, abused, severely beaten up, was as you can imagine a rather dramatic thing, with a rather dramatic ending. I cut all the ties connecting me with my ex – except my facebook account. How do you ever chance your facebook account after something like that? I blocked her, that was all I could do.
But I forgot she had friends, simply cause for three years she didn’t let me have any. And one of her friends (at least I think it’s her friend) is actively stalking me. And by stalking I mean obsessive checking my account, liking posts, always lurking – and messaging me. I also met her couple of times outside, but she was never trying to approach me, so I let it be. 
Today my stalker found out I am on a wheelchair, and started to write a huge soliloquy about how sorry she is. And me, being my borderline self, and having no self control whatsoever, flipped my lid. Cause it’s my big pet peeve – people saying how sorry they are I am disabled. I wrote her a message, as nice and proper as I could be (which is not much usually, let’s be honest) telling that there’s no need to be sorry because I am happy, and I refuse to be treated as worse.
And she was SOOOOOO SHOCKED. She couldn’t comprehend I could be a wheelchair user – and happy. Happy??? I should be weeping, mourning my lost legs, I should be suicidal and seeking active help.

We all should, shouldn’t we? How many times had you someone expect you to be sad because you are disabled.
Surprise! I am not sad. I am happy. I live a full life, with wonderful friends, great family, travelling, hobbies, nice clothes and pretty makeup and fucking awesome wheelchair gear. I am perfectly okay with being an EDS baby. Sure, there are bad side, a shitload of them. But I am not gonna be stopped by that.
I live with chronic depression, caused by EDS. And I am not gonna be stopped by that either.

We are normal people. We live normal lives. We are happy, we are sad, we are mad, but we’re not mourning the fact we’re spoonies like society expects us to. WE ARE NOT WORSE. We are just as worthy as an abled person. It’s that simple.

I refuse to be told I am supposed to be mourning. Yesterday I got officially diagnosed with EDS hypermobile type 1 or 2. An I am celebrating, cause official diagnosis equals a whole lot of benefits. And yes, I am gonna have heart issues, I am not gonna walk again, I am gonna be in pain my whole life and I am not gonna be able to be who I wanted to be AKA teacher and interpreter cause I’m losing hearing and my hands are in very bad state already. AND I AM HAPPY. It’s May. There are flowers, I have lilacs in my room and I can feed my bunny fresh grass. I am going back to Uni in September and I have a date next week. My hair is long enough for updos and I bought killer pink-ish nail polish. I live. I am gonna live. I am gonna live till my illness kills me, but I am not gonna be sad. I am a person who happened to be born with a bad gene. So is my sister, and so is lots of my friends. And this is not who we are.

I refuse for it to define me. I do define myself as a wheelchair user or EDS baby on social sites, I do, just as I did with BPD and autism before my official diagnosis. It’s simple – easier to find people like me this way, easier to connect. That’s why I have EDS in my tinder profile – as it made me meet a great girl who also has EDS and we probably would never meet irl among thousands of people on streets of the city. But I refuse for my illnesses to decide what I can or cannot do or who I’m gonna be. You can bet your ass I am gonna try that art school before my hurting hands stop me, and I’m gonna try interpreting before I go deaf. And I’m gonna wear short sleeve even though I have huge scars and I’m gonna go out and laugh and smile even though – and BECAUSE – I am on a wheelchair.

And I am not gonna cry cause this is who I am. But there are going to be spoonies who cry. Who mourn. Who are sad and depressed BECAUSE they’re ill. But then they’re gonna go out and be happy. And that’s what I want all you abled folks there to understand. That is what you cannot fathom. We are just as whole as you, and we are just as able to have a range of emotions not connected to our disability as you do.
Cause guess what? We’re people too.

*mic drop*

chronic illness

on being told "it's normal".

11:42

I feel like I should probably wait with saying that for when this blog has more followers – or any followers for that matter. But I can’t hold it in. I am ANGRY.

I came back from yet another geneticist saying that yes, it’s probably EDS I have, but they can’t be sure, cause I apparently only show symptoms since I was 16. And I cried so much, cause I literally have ALL EDS symptoms, and the ignorance of doctor’s on the topic of rare illnesses significantly holds my progress back. So I sat my mum, and gave her a list of collagen disorder symptoms, and asked her if I had any as a kid.

And my mum was like “All of them. But we were said this is normal.”
And I fucking flipped.

How harmful the trend of saying “she’ll grow up from this” or “it’s normal for a kid” is. I was born with two dislocated hips – a typical EDS thing for babies. My parents were told it’s normal for a baby to be born like that. Then later, I kept dislocating joints, I was almost always in some kind of cast or whatnot, but what doctors said? She’s fragile built, she’s delicate, it’s normal.

I have heart issues. I probably have POTS. I was told “it’s typical for menstruating teenage girls”.

I have ongoing depression since I was like 6. “Emotional female”.

So, I scanned myself. I asked myself: “what things here you have but thought are normal and everyone does?”

Bendy fingers (I can do 90 degrees flip back with one of my fingers. DISGUSTING.). Chronic headaches. Poor eyesight. Always cold. Too delicate skin getting red easily. Legs pain (not connected to joints pain), feet pain. Muscle aches everywhere. Exercises making me worse. Constant fatigue. Trouble breathing. Arrhythmia and suffocating feeling when in pain without connection to actual heartbeat issues (idk how to phrase this one, sorry if it’s wrong.).
And on. And on. And on.

I never told my doctors that, cause, obviously, I thought it’s not connected to my loose joints, pain, and my chronic illness problems in general.

How many more people like me are out there? Who never knew they can NOT BE in pain, they can LIVE NORMALLY, that life is not that fucking hard, they’re just ill?

It’s so fucking harmful we don’t talk more about it. That no, life is not supposed to hurt. You can get help. IT’S NOT NORMAL TO BE HURTING.

I’m seeing another doctor on Wednesday, and I hope this one will listen to me. And I’ll keep looking, I’ll keep fighting for an actual diagnosis, for official diagnosis, even though there is really no doubt here I’m an EDS baby. I’ll fight for a wheelchair refund, fingers braces refund, wrist braces refund, SO MANY FUCKING REFUNDS GOOOOD.

But, most importantly. I am gonna spread awareness. Because I’ll be damned if I let other kids and adults suffer like I did for almost 22 years.

If there are any EDS babes like me reading this, please let me know? The more of us, the better.

***