Doing Nothing

Greetings,

Why is it that as soon as you tell people you are on a Disability Pension, they assume that you sit around doing nothing for the day? Or they start asking questions why and start judging you? In response the first for my particular case, I will present the following post. For the second, I will simply state that several medical professionals and government officials agreed that it would be pointless for me to find work and that it was appropriate that I be placed on the pension. Unless you know my medical history and also have the requisite training of both sets of professionals, you can keep your opinions to yourself (apologies for the small rant). Now on to the important stuff.

Assumptions

In my particular case I do not sit in front of the television or computer playing games or watching videos all day. I feel I have more important things to do with my life. Sure there are days when I do these activities but there is a reason for this and it is the reason that I am on a Disability Pension. However, aside from the things that we all have to do each day, I do keep myself rather occupied. How?

Blogs

Including this one I have two other blogs which I work on in order to facilitate the spread of information on various subjects. Aside from this one which is my more personal one and has a general focus on fibromyalgia and what I do to deal with this particular condition, there are two others.

One is focused on the exploration of the English language, or to be more precise Elizabethan English it can be found here: http://oldewordes.blogspot.com.au/ This is not required research nor was it required in any other way I decided that it was a subject that I was interested in, so I started to research it. I started this particular investigation in to the language so that at some point in time I would be able to better understand it and even possibly, produce it. How did I become interested in it? Well, that leads on to my third and most popular blog.

The other blog, and my most popular one having: 19,000+ hits, 78 posts and 22 followers who have registered, is about fencing. It is also the blog which I have been writing the longest. It is about fencing, as in swordplay, not methods of keeping properties marked. For the most part I focus on general topics and issues with regard to the subject, but it does tend to reveal my greatest joy which is the research and participation in Western Martial Arts. This reveals something else that I do in order to improve myself, and maintain fitness.

Fencing

So, hopefully I will not have to explain what sort of fencing that I am talking about here as I already have above. If not, go back and read it as I am not explaining it again. Anyway, fencing was something I got into before I was diagnosed and before I started having all of my medical issues which have led me to be on the the Disability Support Pension. I started with foil during my first sojourn to university life and decided that I liked it... a lot.

When I found out that the medieval and recreation group, the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) did a form of fencing which was historically based, well I was set. I got to combine a physical activity which I was doing in with research into the history of it. Fencing nut plus history nut, throw that in and I did not look back. For the most part at the beginning I was doing it all for myself, this was to change.

Best way to find people to play with is to train them yourself, so I started training people. I was learning new techniques from manuals and all sorts of sources along the way as well. What can I say, but about 15 years later I suspect that I have had in excess of 30, possibly even more, students. There are still more. In fact much of my time is actually spent researching things to teach them so that they improve. Thus along with the blogs, you throw in two or three nights a week of training, and my "wasteful time" gets smaller and smaller I can tell you.

Research 

Research is something I do, and I do to keep my wits about me and so I can keep learning things. Best way to stop a brain from stagnating is to research, and this is something that I do. Sure I have mentioned my blogs and the research which is involved with them, and sure, they do take up the highest percentage of what I research, but there are always other subjects which will catch my eye.

Occasionally I will get interested due to a film, documentary or something I have read. Crazily enough, one of my lots of research was actually a result of watching my wife play a game, which was historically based. Some of the subjects are not "academically sound" for sure, but research is research. You find something you are interested in and you find more and more stuff about it. Sometimes there is no "final end result", but when you are doing it for yourself there is no problem here at all.

Conclusion

To say that I spend most of my time doing nothing is, quite frankly, insulting. Sure I do not have a regular job like most people do, but it sure as hell does not mean that I am sitting at home doing nothing. I can tell you that is the complete opposite of what I am doing most of the time. I have blogs, I have fencing and I have research to keep me occupied. Sure I do spend some time in front of the television playing games or watching movies, but I ask this "Who doesn't?" No one works all of the time.

Sure what I do is not paid and does not fill the usual work hours, but I think that what I do fills a function. I can tell you that there would be a lot of people who would notice its absence. In fact there are. I have been told so. Indeed if I decided that I should start being completely ruthless with my time and how much it is worth I would have a lot less students than I do now, and a lot less friends too.

Before you make an assumption about what a person does or does not do and about how they do  or do not spend their time, think. Decide whether you would like the same assumption made about you. If not, don't do it. Find out what they really do, you never know you might find something and someone interesting and worthwhile.

Cheers,

Henry.

Good News/Bad News

Greetings,

This is going to be one of those good news/bad news situations. I am thinking that this post will not be particularly long or involved, and I do apologise if the brevity of this post puts people off. In a nut-shell this one is more of a status update rather than the sort of discussion that I usually like.

Good News...
Went and saw the respiratory specialist at the hospital who gave me the good old once over with regard to things. Had a listen to my chest, looked at latest blood tests, all that sort of stuff. Seems that things are tracking really well to a good conclusion at this stage. The medication is working and the sarcoidosis is gradually clearing from my lungs.

Bad News...
First, why is it the case that the good news always has to come with some bad news? Why can it not be just all good news? So, sarcoidosis is an auto-immune disease. What this means is that my immune systems have been working over time and unfortunately attacking my own body. What this also means is that I have been blissfully immune to the flu and all like bugs while I have had the condition in its full-fledged state. In order to get rid of the sarcoidosis I am on medications which pummel the crap out of my immune system. Unfortunately this means that I am now prone to every cough and cold all over the place, how do I know this? Got my first cold this weekend, and it sucks. Needless to say it is taking its sweet time to bugger off again.

Just to complicate things a little more. I was out doing the dutiful taking the garbage out job a couple of evenings ago. It was wet, I was in thongs/flip-flops whatever. Well the step was a little wet and a little slick. I put my foot on it and was not stable. Off the edge of the step. The foot did not land correctly and resulting is a twisted ankle. Not impressed I can tell you on that one. So I have had the ankle strapped and elevated for the past couple of days and finally it is beginning to come good. I mean I did not even twist it that badly. You combine fibromyalgia with bad weather and a damaged joint and everything is not good.

Anyway enough of that rot. The ankle is improving, the cold is gradually disappearing. It all just means that I am going to have to be a little more careful with myself. Dumb thing is that I thought I was being careful. All I can say is that both the cold and the ankle had better be fixed by tomorrow as I have training to go to and I do not like missing them. The fencing really does help my FM thanks to the regular relatively gentle movement. Hopefully my next post will be more interesting and less of an update. Or at least a good update.

Cheers,

Henry.

Recovery and Inspiration

Greetings,

Well, what can I say, the "crash" happened and I got hit hard. I basically was taken "out of service" for a full week and really I am not back up and running completely again. This was one of those times where the body made the statement that "You will rest." I tend to push myself to breaking point and past it often so this is the result. What can I say? In this particular case the pushing was well worth it.

I traveled to Glenworth Valley on the Easter weekend via Sydney and Gosford for one day of a week-long medieval festival which happens around Sydney each year. My purpose was to examine a Guildmaster's Prize, which is essentially the last examination for the top grade in a Western Martial Arts organisation I am a part of. It was a lot of fun, but taxing on the body. Ok, so it was not just the Prize it was the "pick-up" fights which I spent most of the weekend fighting and the traveling that really did it, but it was fun so I have no regrets.

So I mentioned "inspiration" in my title. The source, here: http://positivityinpain.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/a-letter-to-my-condition/. This is a blog written by a lady with fibromyalgia like myself, and reading it I found a little inspiration to explain a couple of things which may not be as apparent as they might be. These are some things about my life, so you will forgive the "thought-writing" process that follows.

I have had fibromyalgia now officially for about a decade or so. It has torn my life apart. It has ruined opportunities and plans which I had in place for many years. I do not doubt that it has also destroyed some friendships and also made some of my friends look at me quite differently. It causes me pain on a daily basis and makes my activity levels so random that is difficult to plan anything ahead. It causes me to be inactive for weeks on end causing me stress and feelings of uselessness. I have no doubt that some of my friends have abandoned me due to the random nature of my condition, and also due to a lack of understanding of what I go through.

My condition has placed lots of stresses on my personal life and interactions as well. I believe that I have had relationships end due to the effects of the condition and the resulting limitations of it. My wife is one of the most understanding people in the world, she understands some of what I go through. She hates my pain almost as much as I do as it limits our interactions and what we want to do. My family has always been supportive, but I suspect that they do not always understand what is going on with me and do not understand the things that I do. I hope that one day that they will.

However, my condition has also changed my life and changed the way that I view my life. I do not have a "normal" life. I do not get up in the morning and go to work. I do not even get up and look for work. I do not have work in the traditional sense. My work consists of researching pieces of history and Historical European Martial Arts in order that I can teach my students the things that I have learnt. My work consists of  going to training and teaching students the arts of the Renaissance period. My work consists of writing my blogs of which I have three, this one and two others; one is about fencing and the other is about Elizabethan language.

If I did not have FM I would be at a job every day of the week. Instead I spend my time doing things that I can and more importantly things that I love. My condition has resulted in me changing my life and focusing on the things that I can do rather than the things that I cannot. I do not doubt that without my condition I would not know my fencing as much as I do, nor would I be as skilled as I am. I would not also have students whose achievements are a source of pride.

Sure FM has closed a lot of doors and caused lots of issues, but it has also opened other doors and allowed me to experience life in a different but valuable way. Doors which have opened would not have otherwise been opened. My life is different from the "normal", this I know and accept. I live my life as it is and get as much enjoyment and fulfillment out of it as I can. Everyone should seek to do the same.

Cheers,

Henry.

Master of the Six Ps

Greetings,

Yes, I know the title for this one is a little odd but there will be an explanation of what I am talking about very shortly. For starters, this particular entry is all about preparation. Preparation is important in many different facets of our lives.

The six P's are as such: "Proper Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance" and it is the concept which goes with this that I am attempting to master. This is obviously a long-term project and applies not only to my fencing, which takes up a big part of my life, but many other parts of life. It is a statement which was made by my father some time ago. I thought, at the time that it was an awesome saying, and needless to say it has stuck in my head.

So, time for a bit of examination. For starters we look at the concept behind it. It points toward what a person does before an event in order that the event goes off properly. However, underlying this particular idea is also the point that if the event does not go off, there is the high likelihood that the person only has their self to blame for the outcome. These two are the important elements overall, but it is also useful to look a little closer.

The statement could have said "Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance", but this would not be as accurate. We can prepare for an event of any kind, be it an examination, a tournament of some kind, or a performance piece. The level of preparation is important we can prepare a little and brush over the important bits, and this can lead to a substandard performance. This highlights the importance of proper preparation. It is proper preparation which is of the greatest use in preparing for an event.

The next part to look at is the word "Prevents". The word "prevents" implies that the thing goes a great deal toward something not happening. However it is important that it is not complete. There are things in our lives which we cannot control which can affect a performance. For an outside performance, the weather is a big factor in this one. Of course, it could be argued that a wet-weather back-up plan could be part of the preparation. There are things we cannot control, injury, illness and family issues, all of these things can affect the performance, and in some cases whether it happens or not. What this does say is that proper preparation puts you in the greatest position, for elements you can control, to succeed.

With a little more focus on the medical side of things, making sure that the appropriate medications are taken at the correct times goes a long way to ensuring that the day works out. In some ways it can be argued that the taking of such medication is the proper preparation for the performance of the next day. For the individual with fibromyalgia preparation can be difficult. However, we all know the signs of a bad day coming up, the creeping pain issues building and general feelings of not being well. In the case of preparation in these cases it is ensuring that there is nothing important planned for that day, or cancelling it if there is.

I am still in the process of mastering the Six Ps, but I can guarantee that life gets easier the more that you are prepared for things. Hell, preventative preparation counts on this one. Of course we can never take into account everything that may happen, but there is a lot that we can examine and take into account. Preparation helps with regard to this. Putting in the preparation even if the event does not happen is a good thing as it gets you used to the idea, and will make things easier for you in the long-run.

Cheers,

Henry.