Category: College

Danni

Where Danni is a Silly Sausage.

College, Computing, Danni, Physical Disability, Real Life

Last week, I pushed myself ridiculously hard in order to pass my AS Computing Comp 2 exam. I was in college Monday-Thursday, and in for far more hours than normal so I could revise. This was mostly because at the beginning of the week, I was only able to complete about 40% of a past paper, so needed to relearn most of the topics.

I managed the exam on Thursday, and I think I did well in it. I managed to answer all the questions and think I may have even got some marks on the essay-style question. My computing lecturer thinks I will get an A in it, and I think that’s a possibility. I even managed the computing lesson that evening, even though I’d had a very long day at the end of a long week.

I was expecting a bit of a relapse from this, and warned both Interface and my Computing lecturer that I may not be in on Monday (yesterday). What I wasn’t expecting was just how hard this relapse is hitting me. Yesterday, I was only able to sit up for about 50 minutes in total, split into a few periods of a few minutes each. Enough for me to get things done, and I lay in bed the rest of the time.

Today, I can’t sit up at all. I try, but I get really dizzy, my vision goes blurry and dark and I feel like I’m going to pass out, so I lie back down. This makes attempting to go to the toilet interesting, as I have to crawl there and lie down after a few seconds. When I get there and on the toilet, I’m having to sit as far forwards as I can without falling off. In total, the process for going to the toilet and then back into my bed is taking around 20 minutes, and then I’m even more exhausted than I was originally.

I’m also experiencing even more pain than normal (which considering I experience severe pain on a daily basis, is saying something), and other little weirdness like being too weak to hold my phone up and not tolerating Johan touching me at all. My temperature regulation is even worse than normal (it’s not that warm in here as the heating has been off, yet I’ve been sweating tons, and then I’ll get really really cold so I’m shivering under my duvet.

Despite feeling more ill than I’ve felt before, I’m in a super happy bouncy mood. My concentration isn’t that great, but it’s not as poor as it has been on other days, which I’m grateful for. Reading and things does make me more exhausted, but I’m managing it by having several 5-10 minute breaks in between stuff. My light sensitivity isn’t that bad, so I can tolerate the laptop (when I can cope with the weight on my legs or chest) and the light being on, though I have to close my eyes every so often. My sound sensitivity is worse, but not intolerable (though I may need to ask Johan to get my earplugs for me at some point).

Anyway, the result of this is that I can’t go to college, and I can’t do any work because I can’t sit at my computer. I’m hoping this is very temporary, and I’ll be more okay in a day or two. I can use the laptop to type for a few minutes at a time, and to browse for a bit longer. I’ve been writing this blog post since about 5.30pm, and I’m just about to finish it now, after 9pm. I’m going to go to sleep soon (I sent Johan out to meet Total Biscuit as I wanted to go but couldn’t) and will see how I am in the morning. If I’m no better, I’m going to ask Johan to contact my doctor to get reassurance that is just an M.E. relapse, and not anything more serious. Hopefully next time I blog it will be a bit happier.

Danni

Operation Payback

College, Computing, Danni, Physical Disability, Real Life, World of Warcraft

(Spot the WoW reference :P)

Yesterday I was really proud of how much I’d been able to do the last week- making microwave meals for both me and Johan, looking after Johan, keeping the kitchen clean (including washing dishes everyday). I even managed to do a past paper and some revision yesterday (which has shown me the areas I still need to revise).

Today: crash. My body is letting me know in every way it can that I’ve been pushing myself way too hard, and I have full blehness. I got up after 11 1/2 hours uninterrupted sleep (very unusual), sat at my computer, opened my post, and had to go straight back to bed. I alternated between reading and dozing in bed, before finally getting the energy to sit in my computer chair for a bit.

Luckily, I’m now feeling a bit better. At least I don’t feel like I’m going to faint every time I stand up, and can remain standing for more than a couple of seconds. I’m still feeling really weak and ill, more than normal, but I’m sure it will get better so long as I rest properly.

My exam is on Thursday. Not being able to get into college this week because of Johan’s flu means I’m feeling very unprepared. For various reasons revising at home is difficult, so most of my revision will have to take place at college. Does anyone know any online sites for revising for AS Computing, specifically the Comp 2 exam? My past paper shows that my main issue is wording- I know the material, I just don’t use the right words which would lose me marks. That’s something to be grateful for at least, as it means if I can get all the terminology into my head I should get a decent grade.

Danni

A Worgen Named Prudence

College, Danni, Gaming, Interface, Physical Disability, Real Life, World of Warcraft

So my near-daily blog posts haven’t happened. I’ve been too tired. I was off college for a week because of the snow, then struggled in for the next week, having to go backwards most of the time. The snow then cleared up, and I finished college for the term with the Interface Christmas party, which was way too noisy, but I enjoyed it by hiding and talking to friends.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has been released, and my copy arrived very late from Amazon- 6 days late. Danní is currently level 83, and I have a Worgen named Prudence. She was named by asking a well-read friend of mine to give me lists of female names that would have been in use in Victorian Britain, and I kept trying them until I found one that wasn’t taken. Prudence was it 😛 The Worgen starting area is epic.

I also have a Goblin called Dannileia. The Goblin starting area is extremely funny. I loved it 🙂 I want the Hot Rod on Danní now, even though she’s Alliance and can’t get it.

I’ve not been playing as much World of Warcraft as I’d originally wanted because my M.E. is pretty bad, and I’ve been going out way more than I should have been. I’ve also had a rough couple of weeks due to being premenstrual for the first time in almost 2 years (yay coil!). As well as the Christmas party, I went to the MetroCentre to do Christmas shopping and the next day to a meal in Newcastle for my sister Meggy’s birthday. Both involved noise, crowds and socialisation (the second more than the first). It was hard. Luckily I’m pretty much finished with my Christmas shopping now, and just have to wrap everything.

Plan for tomorrow/later today: wrap presents, get someone to deliver them, tidy living room, sleep.

Danni

The End of NaBloPoMo

Autism, College, Computing, Danni, Gaming, Interface, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Prisoner, Real Life, World of Warcraft

This is my 30th daily blog post for November, which means I’ve successfully completed NaBloPoMo. Some blog posts were pretty short, just a YouTube video and a few words, and others have been a bit longer. This month started with Autistics Speaking Day, and finished with me being housebound because of the snow. In between were lots of posts about college (especially missing it quite a lot because of illness and snow). I cut down my hours at college near the beginning of the month, sorted out a problem with support on a Wednesday, and overdid it a lot, meaning I was firmly in a boom and bust cycle of ME. I played a lot of World of Warcraft, was discharged from the mental health service, got sucked into TV Tropes for over a week, bought a new hoody (that has been worn more days than not), and spent most of the month in severe, chronic pain that my painkillers don’t come close to touching.

I also met a couple of the stars from one of my favourite shows from my childhood, caught (and mostly got over) a cold, took part in a big launch event for an online film, played Quasar Laser in my wheelchair, and rewatched season 1 of Dollhouse. My mood dipped a bit for a few days while I struggled to cope with a worsening in pain, but has mostly improved now, possibly with the enforced rest the snow has given me.

Overall, a rather mixed month. Today again I was stuck indoors due to the snow, but tomorrow is the Christmas meal and cinema trip with my tutor group, which I will be going to even if I need to get a taxi to go there. I will be attempting to go to college in the morning, but will need to see based on what the weather is, what the buses are doing and what the roads and pavements are like near here. We do have a plan that involves pulling my wheelchair backwards in the snow, as the bigger wheels should mean it works better.

I shall try to keep blogging daily, or near daily, but I won’t put myself under the pressure I did this month. At least there won’t be any more panicked blog posts just before midnight because I’d forgotten earlier in the day 🙂

Danni

Snow and the Equality Act

College, Danni, Physical Disability, Real Life, World of Warcraft

Snow breaks the Equality Act 2010 (which mostly replaced the Disability Discrimination Act 1995). It does not treat all people equally, and is in fact biased towards those without physical disabilities. Instead of being nice and easy to move in, it is sticky and thick, which makes it difficult or impossible to move in. If you have balance problems, dyspraxia or similar, then Snow makes you more likely to fall over and injure yourself. If you require mobility aids such as walking sticks, walking frames or crutches, Snow is slippy, prevents the walking aids from getting a grip, or gets caught on them, making walking very difficult. If you require a wheelchair to get around, snow gets caught in the wheels and traps the chair, making it impossible to move. Abled bodied people, though inconvenienced, are able to move in Snow, and are also able to enjoy the more pleasant aspects easier, including making snowmen and having snowball fights.

The first step in combating this problem should be to send Snow a warning, and make some suggestions. These include giving a lot more warning when it decides it wants to come play, avoiding roads and pavements, spreading a bit more evenly across the country so we don’t have a situation like now where some parts have none and others have too much, and being less slippy and sticky. If Snow does not heed this warning, it should be shut down altogether, or expelled from the country.

(Note about today’s post- it is a joke. I am annoyed because I couldn’t get out to college today, as my wheelchair got stuck in the snow. I am aware that weather cannot be held to any human laws, and I also know that this post isn’t very well written (I blame pain). Instead of being in college, I spent most of the day playing World of Warcraft. At least that was fun :)).