Memoirs of a Young Fan

[Sarah]

oh! I totally know what you're talking about! When I was in my early teens, 13 or 14 ish - I went to the emergency ward, and I had this doctor who had just come from another country, and it was his belief and in his original living place that neither pain medicine should be given, nor could anyone be 'put to sleep' for such a thing. Ack! I tried to convince him I needed it, but it didn't work. So I do know exactly what you are talking about.My god, that was an experience!

I've had so many dislocations and people always ask me if it hurts, and yeah, it hurts, but I've had so many that I'm used to it. Plus I seem handle pain really easily. But after a few hours, it starts to really hurt!!

I've never put one back in myself, but whenever it happens, I always 'hold' the side of my knee.

It is hard emotionally and psychologically, and I went thru a very hard time when I was about 15-16, and I have to try really hard not to think about certain things, because it is traumatic. I've always been really strong though, and very positive, and I'm very spiritual, not so much in the religious sense, but in the more new agey and philisophical way. I've been given alot, yes, but I'll help to change and save the world! : ) and life is never boring : )

[FanChan]

I've always been able to tolerate pain pretty well, too. Sometimes I think I must have a really low threshhold for pain, but I've come to realize that the fact is, generally when I'm in pain, I'm in a LOT of pain.

I mean, I've had twelve teeth pulled (baby and adult), gone through having an expander to widen the top of my mouth, and then braces on top of that. I used to drive the orthodontist crazy because I wouldn't complain if they were hurting me. One woman finally said "Am I hurting you? You have to tell me so I can stop!" But I don't like to complain @_@

And yeah, the one time mine was fully dislocated for a long period of time, I was clinging to it, mostly to keep it from moving. The slightest muscle twitch was agony. And do all ambulances universally have terrible shock-absorbers? I seriously felt every bump on the way to the hospital >.<

Right now I don't take pain meds for anything but cramps, simply because my tolerance for pain meds increases each time I use them, and the cramps are horrid enough to really, really need them. I was really good friends with the nurse in high school xD I must've visited her on average once a week. Come to get my knee iced, advil for cramps, a nap thanks to the sleep disorder. Then there was that one time I got sun poison on my shoulders...saw her twice a day for some burn cream and bandages for a couple of weeks for that xD I try my best to grin and bear the pain. I was at work the day after my car accident, though after a few days of having to leave early due to a serious headache (which turned out to be a sinus infection and completely unrelated to the accident) my boss convinced me to take as much time as I needed to recover.

Are you able to excercise? I've found that to be the hardest thing with my knees. Running is extremely difficult. Surprisingly riding my bike hardly bothers my knees at all. The bad joints overall make most excercise really difficult or painful..

[Sarah]

I am SO glad I met you! : ) I used to think that about myself too. And I'm exactly the same way with the pain thing. My tolerance seems to backfire on me sometimes - because I can tolerate pain so well, when I do feel it, it's really bad, but then people just think I'm faking it or complaining.

I've been lucky with my teeth, ironically, everything else seems to go to crap, but teeth are fine other than a chiped tooth that keeps on chipping.

I'm the exact same with doctors and dentists : ) and I don't like complaining either! People like to complain SO much, and over the stupidest stuff, and I just think that is annoying. I'd rather think positive than to bitch.

ha! ha! I laughed so hard at what you said about the shock absorbers! That is SO true, I mean it's so bad. and our roads really suck here too, which doesn't help. When I went to the clinic, about a month after my last one in April, I had to take a non-emergency stretcher service, and it took almost an hour to get there. That was one of the scariest things I've ever done! I just kept thinking 'please don't let me die!'. When I was in grade 8, the first time that one of my knees dislocated without going back in, instead of calling an ambulence like the prinicpal should have - even though every kid in class including me raised an uproar - he called my dad - he had to pick me up, and take me to the hospital with my leg balancing on the truck (so now I hate trucks!). That was fun.

I don't take pain meds, I do take Tylenol arthritis, 4 a day usually from Oct/Nov - Feb/March. I don't like cold weather one bit, and here it gets COLD! I don't think it helps very much, but I do more to pasify others.

I know what you mean about the nurse being your friend. : ) I've been to so many doctors and so many hospitals, and so many specialists - it all feels normal for me, and when I go to a hospital, it's like coming home.

I took gym until it got so bad, that by grade 9, I just started taking other classes. Which was kind of nice, because I was the smallest, worst player in gym class. I've tried probably every exercise probably known to the world, nothing ever seemed to work. and I've come to sense physiotherapists really well, and I've never met a therapist I've liked. None of them understood, even with pilates. So I've been doing pilates for about 15 years now (a little less), and it's the only thing that's worked, and even then I have to do things a little differently, and be really strong about standing up for myself when I can't do something. I really like the 'reformer work', but I'd like to get into the mat work back again. I'd also like to give yoga a go. My ligaments and such are so super loose, that I like that focus, and it helps me to control my body. I've been working out every day for almost 2 hours, since I was 10 I guess. Well, not every day, but most.

Until this last dislocation and etc. Now I can barely get out of the house, so I'm really excited for the help that the surgery will give me

: )

[FanChan]

It's nice to compare stories with someone who understands ^_^

And I hope the surgery goes well for you.

Hospitals are pretty regular for me, too. I've had my array of un-diagnosable problems that I'm in and out of the hospital quite a lot. Though, now that I'm too old to be on my dad's military insurance plan, I have to really pick and choose when I go to the hospital. My current insurance isn't so great. I've never had to stay overnight at a hospital, though. My mom was kept for three days one time last year - she's got an unknown allergy that lands her in the ER quite often, four or five times a year at least, but this was the first time she actually passed out during the allergic reaction. Turned out her blood pressure was really high and they had trouble getting it down...

I've been in the hospital to visit people as often as I have for myself, I think. And I've grown to not at all be afraid of needles. My high tolerance for pain helps with that, especially since I have awful veins, and getting any kind of needle usually takes anywhere from three to ten tries -.-;; When I had to have an iodine contrast after my accident (to see if I had a concussion, which was how they found the sinus infection) I had two nurses, one on either arm, trying to get it. What a nightmare. Getting them in the back of the hand is the worst. My mom's the same way, but she HATES needles, so it's torture for her >.< I wish I'd been there the first time she used an epipen. No one told her it was this huge needle.

Oh yeah. I'm hydrophobic, too. That popped up right around the time everything else did, when I was thirteen. It was horrendous back then. The sound of running water made me cringe. I'd have panic attacks when presented with huge bodies of water - my parents never really understood it, and even dragged me to the beach on my sixteenth birthday T-T These days, though, it's not so bad. I just can't stand being submerged in water, and I hate feeling wet. I can't stand it. I don't mind getting wet, like in the rain or for a shower, but I cannot stand the time between no longer getting wet and being dry. *shudder* Just can't stand it. I do like going to the beach, though, if only to sit and watch the water, or explore the beach. I also love exploring streams. But once the water gets above my knee, I'm ready to turn back. I don't swim, but I love being on boats, so long as I don't get chucked in the water. Kayaks are great only on placid water where the only way of falling in is if I'm an idiot.

But anyway ^^;

[Sarah]

I can't even think of all of the medical problems I have, or have had. Every time I see a new doctor, or if I have to fill out forms, it's like an event, and it's like ugh! oh well. I'm always the one that the doctors can't figure out, or if I have something, they can never figure out why : ) Everyone says I'm an enigma, or a mystery girl : ) I like it : )

I've had SO many needles, that it's totally lost it's ack factor. As long as I don't look at it, I'm fine : ) and I'm lucky, I'm so naturally pale, my veins are pretty noticeable.

I'm not really terrified of anything much - I just can't think of anything scary for too long, and if it comes, I try to get it out of my head quick - I'm squeemish, and with all of my medical stuff, it can be hard to forgot how something feels or something that happened. I am pretty scared of ice, like winter ice. and we have really long winters, from Oct- end of April, and this year, with all of the things wrong with my knee, and having to go to countless specialists, appointments, preopp stuff, and my surgery in a few days in February, I've had a lot of scary/terrifying adventures. Especially when January and February are the iciest months.
I mean, typically it scares the crap out of me, but to be injured AND go on the ice, is very hard to do. After this year, nothing could ever scare me again, and I'm certain I can get thru pretty much anything : )

I don't really go in swimming type water, mostly because of the knee thing. But I LOVE looking at water, I've never seen a beach or the ocean, but I can't wait to go someday. I'd like to go on a cruise ship to Hawaii one day, and just look out at the water. : )

[FanChan]

Oooh. Man. I'd love to take you to a beach xD My and a few friends spent a week in a beach house that belongs to the family of one of them, down in South Carolina. It was really gorgeous. Assateague in Virginia is incredible, too, especially with the ponies ^__^ I've been all over the US, and seen just about every type of landscape this continent has to offer, from the frozen plains in Alaska and Canada, to the gorgeous beaches of Cali and the southeast, to the deserts in the southwest. Every place has something incredible to offer. The ocean offers something really special, though. Sitting out on the water, fishing for flounder in the early dawn, listening to kingfishers and seagulls, and catching that first glimpse of sun peeking up around the edge of the world, with no trees, or mountains, or skyscrapers in the way. *shiver* I love it.

[Sarah]

I'd love to try all of that southern cuisine : ) from what I've read about or seen on tv, it all looks SO good. Tropical food (especially Caribbean!), is my absolute favorite, besides carnival food : )

I haven't really traveled much anywhere, but one day I will. I'm most drawn to the oceans, so Hawaii is calling my name, but anywhere tropical I'd love to visit (Disney cruise!!), and I'd love to travel anywhere on either coast, especially on any boardwalks, like in the north U.S. (east? I'm so bad with geography!). A carnival by the ocean is my bliss, even though I've never been.

Actually, I almost wanted to live in Cali, but I'm sure Las Vegas will win because I love lights so much! : )

So I figure, live in Las Vegas, and travel to the ocean as much as I can : )

I could probably look at the water or lights for hours!! : )

I'm in Canada right now thou, do you mind me asking where you live?

[FanChan]

Hawaii is a fantastic place. I went there when I was five or six, and have great memories of this one parade. I'd learned while there about the \\nn// hang loose symbol, and that if you do that to anyone in Hawaii, they'll do it right back to you. So while watching the parade, I saw one of the guys on the floats looking at me, and I did the hang loose symbol to him, and he did it back! xD It was the awesome-est thing ever.

Plus, while at a dinner club there, we got to see Charo sing, and we have a picture of her leaning down at the edge of the stage singing right to me xD
And at the resort there, they had penguins. It was really awesome. What else did we do... We went on this one boat ride where this guy told us all about the pearl industry, and he raffled off a black pearl, and I won ^__^ My mom has it set in her engagement ring now (I flushed the first one down the toilet when I was two T-T and the original pearl fell out of the setting and got lost somewhere, but it was also from Hawaii). And we climbed Diamondhead, the dormant volcano on the main island - that was fantastic, I highly recommend it if you get the opportunity. The Pearl Harbor memorial over the USS Arizona (I think that's the right one) is fantastic, as well. I have very faint memories of that, but we've got lots of pictures. Hawaii's just an awesome place.

I'm currently from South-east Ohio, right across the state line of that tiny little north tip of West Virginia, which is only about twenty miles across before you reach Pennsylvania. I used to live in Baltimore, Maryland, which is just north of Washington DC. Ocean City is in Maryland and Virginia, and has the most famous east coast Boardwalk, and is within driving distance of Assateague and Chincoteague, the islands with the wild ponies. So many fond memories of that place. I can remember seeing a little foal hiding in the tall grass. One of these days I want to see the famous swim they make from the island across the channel to the mainland, where they sell off some of the population and give all of the new foals shots and what not.

Las Vegas is a dangerous place to live. And not so much crime-wise as integrity wise. I've known a few people who were born and raised in Vegas, and just about everyone in their families and themselves had or have gambling problems. If you do move down in that area, make sure you go see the Grand Canyon! I lived in Tuscon, Arizona, which is only a little ways from the GC. The electric storms that happen over the desert are one of the most fantastic sites you can witness. No matter where down there you move to, though, keep your shoes turned upsidedown when you're not wearing them, and always shake them out before putting them on. Scorpions and venomous spiders are real problems.

[Sarah]

where ever I end up, I want to be without ice and winter and snow : )

is there anywhere in the north east that doesn't get snow?

Ocean city! That's one of the places I read about on wiki.

what are 'electrical storms'? thunderstorms?

So you got to live where the Lisa Frank headquarters are! Lucky girl! : )

[FanChan]

Lisa Frank hq? Where was that, Baltimore? I was totally into LF, but never knew I lived where she did @_@

I love winter ^^;; I was born in Alaska, and living in the frigid northern Japan. I love experiencing all four seasons. There's something fun to do for each of them. Though, yeah, I could do without the ice on the roads. My car accident was thanks to piled up plowed ice on the shoulder of the road after a huge ice storm this time two years ago.

There's no place in 'north' east US that doesn't get snow. But the south east, the Carolinas and Georgia, they've got great beaches and boardwalks and stuff and they don't get snow. That's just hurricane territory. You might be able to find some place in southern North Carolina that's just out of reach of most of the hurricane stuff but south enough to have very mild winters. And yeah, Ocean City's pretty great. We used to camp at Frontier Town every summer with some of my dad's family.

Electrical storms are lightning storms. No rain. They're storms that happen out over the desert, and they're incredible. Perfect, brilliant lightning bolts happening all across the sky off in the distance. We used to watch them from our house on the military base.