The Disabled Gamer Thread

[Eloah]

I don't feel like I have the right to post on threads like this, I know I have what would constitute as disabilities, but I always worry that mine aren't as severe as someone else's or that I'm just being lazy; I know I'm not but thoughts like that always pop into my head. I have Depression, Social Anxiety, and Asperger syndrome for my mental state, but I also suffer from Chronic Fatigue and structural damage in my feet, which causes pain to travel up my legs if I stand for too long; and I work on my feet, fun, T.T. I'm always scared to mention these things to most people since I feel the responses I'd get would be that I'm just making excuses. I know there are people who have it a lot worse then me, and I don't want to take anything away from them, but I would like to express myself more without feeling like I'm just trying to get attention. Does anyone else know what that is like?

[Jwrigh7784]

I don't feel like I have the right to post on threads like this, I know I have what would constitute as disabilities, but I always worry that mine aren't as severe as someone else's or that I'm just being lazy; I know I'm not but thoughts like that always pop into my head. I have Depression, Social Anxiety, and Asperger syndrome for my mental state, but I also suffer from Chronic Fatigue and structural damage in my feet, which causes pain to travel up my legs if I stand for too long; andI work on my feet, fun, T.T. I'm always scared to mention these things to most people since I feel the responses I'd get would be that I'm just making excuses. I know there are people who have it a lot worse then me, and I don't want to take anything away from them, but I would like to express myself more without feeling like I'm just trying to get attention. Does anyone else know what that is like?

I totally get what you are saying. I have been accused of both being lazy and seeking attention. For awhile I started believing that I was just lazy because people accused me of it so much. After years passed I began to realize that no, I was not lazy. I had real conditions which made my life difficult. I was angry at myself for allowing people to get into my head. After awhile I forgave myself and those people as well. I knew that some of those people didn't understand and the others were just jerks. For me personally, I feel like any condition that is uncontrollable that impairs a persons quality of life is a disability. It sounds like your conditions do affect your quality of life for which I am sorry. It can be tough. As far as I am concerned this thread should be a safe place for people to express themselves and openly talk about their situation without judgement. So far from what I have seen a lot of people posting here also have conditions that make their life hard so I don't see them judging. The non disabled people posting here seem very reasonable and understanding for which I am grateful. I am glad this thread is getting the positive responses it is. I was a bit scared this would blow up into a big mess of negativity. I am happy to see it thriving with real people who have real disabilities and I am glad everyone seems so understanding. Thank you all.

[Texa]

I don't feel like I have the right to post on threads like this, I know I have what would constitute as disabilities, but I always worry that mine aren't as severe as someone else's or that I'm just being lazy;

Disability is a deeply personal experience it's always going to be completely different for each person that experiences it. It's important to always remember that all pain is subjective and that instead of wondering how you compare with other people you should focus on how your own life is affected by your condition. You're not stealing from other people by wanting to talk about your own life and anyone who tries to act like you are is probably one of those pricks who like to play pain olympics.

[Tillie]

hey I've been pretty shy about posting in this thread

I have chronic pain something fierce, and as I live in the northern Midwest of the united states, winters can be pretty damn brutal in terms of pain. Due to an accident when I was 16 that ended with me needing multiple pins put into my foot to hold my bones together. Also, I have a picture. Please view at your own discretion. I mean... it's a foot with pins sticking out of it. If that stuff makes you squeamish, might not want to click this link!

Six years later, I have severe arthritis in my foot. Due to favoring my right foot for so long, naturally my left foot developed arthritis, too. So a big mess, really. I still have broken bones in my foot that will not be able to heal because it will require me to not move my foot for up to six months. As such, the bones are constantly inflamed and I have to take care to keep my feet elevated or they swell to the point of becoming numb. This winter, with how frigid it has been, many nights were spent crying myself to sleep because of how much pain I was in. I believe I acquired a lot of micro-fractures over the winter simply by working at my job or standing on my tiptoes. My pain starts from the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning to the moment I put my feet up at night. As such, much of my time during the day is spent lying down or sitting. Many times I have to schedule my day around my pain. It is extremely frustrating. FFXIV helps because it takes my mind off of my pain.