A Little about Me and My Hemiplegia
My name is Karen and I was born in a small country town in rural South Australia in the late Sixties. Our family had four children of which I was the third and my older siblings had no physical disabilities, nor did my younger sister.
I was a normal delivery. No issues were seen until ,at the age of six months, my Mother noticed while I was playing that I was only using my left side to pick up objects or move around. At about the same time I had a convulsion and she was concerned as I had had a fever post inoculation. Mum took me to the local GP as she believed I had had a reaction to the Triple Antigen. In typical country doctor fashion he reassured her that I was fine and merely "a little odd"!
After my mother insisted the doctor eventually referred me to a specialist at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide where I was assessed as having a right Hemiplegia. Over the years various things were tried to help me use my right side like "normal" people to varying effect, but as I grew up I realised I needed to create my own solutions to achieving everyday tasks. It is these solutions that I hope to share in my posts.
It would be so nice to say I had a great childhood, but let's not start off this by lying. Something that really added to the difficulty of coping with my life as a teenager was the onset of Epilepsy at puberty. This was largely uncontrolled by medication until I entered a clinical trial for new medication in my thirties and the constant uncertainty of when my next seizure would occur complicated my efforts to deal with my Hemiplegia.
Today I have a family, a full time job, I can drive and I have a home. Most people take these for granted but these are all things I was told as a child that I would never achieve. I never accepted that and nor should you.
My name is Karen and I was born in a small country town in rural South Australia in the late Sixties. Our family had four children of which I was the third and my older siblings had no physical disabilities, nor did my younger sister.
I was a normal delivery. No issues were seen until ,at the age of six months, my Mother noticed while I was playing that I was only using my left side to pick up objects or move around. At about the same time I had a convulsion and she was concerned as I had had a fever post inoculation. Mum took me to the local GP as she believed I had had a reaction to the Triple Antigen. In typical country doctor fashion he reassured her that I was fine and merely "a little odd"!
After my mother insisted the doctor eventually referred me to a specialist at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide where I was assessed as having a right Hemiplegia. Over the years various things were tried to help me use my right side like "normal" people to varying effect, but as I grew up I realised I needed to create my own solutions to achieving everyday tasks. It is these solutions that I hope to share in my posts.
It would be so nice to say I had a great childhood, but let's not start off this by lying. Something that really added to the difficulty of coping with my life as a teenager was the onset of Epilepsy at puberty. This was largely uncontrolled by medication until I entered a clinical trial for new medication in my thirties and the constant uncertainty of when my next seizure would occur complicated my efforts to deal with my Hemiplegia.
Today I have a family, a full time job, I can drive and I have a home. Most people take these for granted but these are all things I was told as a child that I would never achieve. I never accepted that and nor should you.
You are an inspiration and knowing you and your strength and courage to overcome things makes you so admirable. I am honoured to call you friend.
ReplyDeleteYou are an inspiration and knowing you and your strength and courage to overcome things makes you so admirable. I am honoured to call you friend.
ReplyDeleteLove Rosey Bartolo