A is for... About Alley

Hello Folks,

Decided to revive the old blog, and thought it would be good to give you all an update/introduction as to my current situations! I'll also be proposing plans for this blog but don't expect me to stick to them, my health is erratic as ever!

So, the boring stuff first, diagnoses and health issues;

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (also known as ASD or Asperger's Syndrome)
• Clinical Depression (but 145 days self harm free!)
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder
• Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (also known as ME or misdiagnosed as CFS)
• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type 3 (also known as EDS3)
• Asthma
• As yet to be diagnosed Seizures (present as epilepsy tonic-clonic but we've ruled out epilepsy and psychological/somataform conversion disorders)
• Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (verbally diagnosed, awaiting official letter)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (again no investigations yet for IBD type stuff)
• Gastrointestinal Issues (awaiting GI consultation)
• Chronic Pain from Riding Accident in 2012 (as well as from ME and EDS)
• Bladder Dysfunction

All this gubbins means I am a 90% wheelchair user (only standing/walking on extremely good days and even then only a few steps) and require carers twice a day to help me with personal care, meal preparation and essentially see to my basic needs. I have a lovely 1 bedroom bungalow with a wet room and level access (once they finally build a proper ramp! Using a temporary one for now.) I have to self-catheterise about 3-4 times a day, as I cannot urinate properly, and am taking a whole bunch of pills, liquids, powders and patches to keep me semi-functional. I have a profiling bed with padded sides, a folding manual wheelchair and a large electric wheelchair that has leg raisers, tilt and recline and much more, and I tend to use that outside of the house (inside the house it's just too big.) I used to be very healthy (aside from EDS stuff which I didn't realise was EDS stuff) young person, so the last four and a half years have taken a lot of adjusting too, but I think I'm there. I also apologise if there's anything missing from this, it's 02:15AM! 

Now, onto some more interesting stuff about me;

• I'm an Animal Science student just going into their second half-year
• I'm asexual and panromantic, meaning I feel little-no sexual attraction to anyone, but romantically I fall in love with anyone of any gender orientation
• I have an amazing sweetheart Robin, we've been together 7 and a half months now, they're incredible and keep me going through the rough times
• I adore the singers KT Tunstall, Mary Lambert, Beth Prior and Kimya Dawson, and I'm so excited to meet KT next weekend!
• I love hippy things- wall hangings, tie dyed stuff, loose clothes, incense etc. My house is filled with all sorts of gorgeous hippy items
• I have 6 nephews and 2 nieces and I love them with all my heart, I'm so lucky to have so many wonderful little people in my life: Ethan, Harvey, Ollie, Rachel, Dylan, Lewis, Aimee and Zachary. Obviously I have siblings, 3 sisters and a brother, all of whom have 2 kids each
• I only live about half an hour away from where I grew up, but I like it here
• I'm so grateful for my friends who always manage to put a smile on my face
• I love painting my nails but I never have the patience to reapply it every few days!
• This year I went to my first Pride Event, and my first Festival in years; LFEST (that's right, it's a bunch of lesbians in a field, what more could you want.
• I'm genderqueer, meaning I identify as non-binary. My pronouns are they/them and although I usually look femme, I can regularly fluctuate between identifying as a guy, a girl, both, or neither. I'm lucky in the sense that it doesn't affect me too badly mentally, thank goodness.
• My sweetheart and I have a running extended metaphor that I'm a mermaid and that's why I can't walk/function so well on land (also in water but that's besides the point.) 
• I like to consider myself a creative person, my Myers Briggs Test results are: INFJ and I'm about 70% Hufflepuff and 30% Ravenclaw (yes I'm that sad) So technically a Huffleclaw. 
• I love Casualty and Holby city, they're my guilty pleasure, but I also love The Great British Bake Off, The Great Pottery Throwdown and other TV shows of that nature, as well as a lot of comedy, panel shows and stuff like DIY SOS, and social/crime documentaries.
• My favourite food is Pizza, and my favourite drink is either Lactofree Chocolate Milk or Red Grape Juice. I love chocolate and cheesecake and all the bad things, but also granny smith apples, berries, salad, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots and lots of other fruit and veg so it balances itself out right? 
• I love hugs but only on my terms, I talk too much and am a little too self-absorbed, I have many flaws but as long as they aren't hurting anyone, that's just me...

So that's all the introductions needed for tonight, I hope to be blogging daily at most and weekly at least, but my health is so erratic I may miss a few days/weeks. I plan on choosing a letter per month and running the full alphabet (will take me just over 2 years) to give me something to strive to achieve.

AlleyCat xx

© Alice Daley 2016