If you have a diagnosis for more than one health condition/disability/learning disabilities.. How do they interact and how do you manage?

In the end I'm just me. But I have what seems a long list of issues and I keep wondering which bits are for what diagnosis and how to deal with them. Or do I just  accept everything as a whole.. If you have multiple health issues or multiple diversity how do you manage? 

Parents
  • Hi Misfit61 and ,

    About 2 years ago I discovered a gym that has a strong rehabilitation and inclusion emphasis. The person who started it has some YouTube clips for what he calls Body Awareness. Search on YouTube: Rowan Ellis Body Synergy Gym. There are 6 rep and 12 rep. Start with the 6, it looks easy but you will find it makes you sweat. They are about building core strength.

    Technique is important, so do listen carefully and use a mirror to check your form. If you are under the care of an OT or physio, show them and feel free to share the clips.

    I did these for 3  months with static bike (he even has advice on posture on a bike), now I do weights. The staff constantly check technique.

    It's not fun but it's great for well-being

  • Quirkyfriend I am uncertain about the overlaps. We both have dcd and I have adhd and am autistic and you have ADHD and autism in your family. Plus I know some people with dyslexia also have overlap too. The business of coordination, balance and spatial awareness.. do you notice distinct differences between you or is it similar or is it yet again down to the individual? Mines much worse when I'm tired. And are the overlapping bits really all part of one thing?  Today has been quite yukky I could use some of your wisdom. 

  • My big deficit is proprioceptive. My fine motor skills and coarse motorskills are task specific in their mapping which frustrates me a lot.

    At the same time as I was getting repeatedly failed on my pen test (which we had too pass to move from pencil to pen) I got the best in school award for needle craft and won my first cake decorating competition against adults in a local fair.

    I see ND like a landscape. The diagnostic labels are windows...you don't see the whole view.

    I'm almost past the painful part of my injury but I can still feel it is "not right" a few years back I would have weeks of residual issues with proprioception difficulty with the affected leg. The consequence - tripping over  on minor surface variation. Rowan's videos for body awareness helped me address a fairly flat footed movement in my stride and I now have good foot dorsiflexion, I can feel it and it reduces the tendency to trip. My family have noticed too!

    I'm considering how I can work on improving my left and right identification. I'm pretty sure it in part anxiety driven as I make mistakes when stressed but can catch things like balls on my non-dominant side of the task is spontaneous. Learning to deescalate anxiety using mindfulness seems to be the obvious option...hard work when a chunk of it is socially ascribed - people finding it funny I can't do things.

    I would like to do this because my SO likes to dance and I would love to dance with him. If we get into the right space and I stop resisting he says I'm great because I can intuitively follow him, but we haven't cracked the key to the right space spontaneously.

    This is where it gets really odd. I've used ritalin a couple of times and my proprioception issues vanished for the 3 hours a 10 mg dose (which is very low given my total dose for ADHD would be 70-80mg/kg daily) was in my system. I sometimes use the lay description that DCD is the ADHD of the motor area of the brain. I was an oxygen starved delivery, and there was a few months of anxiety I would end up with CP as a result, and that is of course a direct impact on motor areas.

    Although it kind of focuses my brain it's not as acute as the effect for the ADHDers. Unfortunately I've not found a psychiatrist ready to use an off licence script as a trial for me to evaluate the impact of a 3 month course... because I know I can learn new motor skills...and if the Ritalin let me do so with less interference it would be great.

    Last bit of wisdom/experience before my bus gets to work. I  suspect my depression is in part rooted in how much mental effort managing my unruly sensory system takes. I tire easily. I'm late to work because I am exhausted today. 4 days of SO in new work, getting back to exercise and juggling the first week back at work alongside a job interview. Thank goodness it's spring and I'm getting both warmth and bright daylight at the ends of the day! That helps.

Reply
  • My big deficit is proprioceptive. My fine motor skills and coarse motorskills are task specific in their mapping which frustrates me a lot.

    At the same time as I was getting repeatedly failed on my pen test (which we had too pass to move from pencil to pen) I got the best in school award for needle craft and won my first cake decorating competition against adults in a local fair.

    I see ND like a landscape. The diagnostic labels are windows...you don't see the whole view.

    I'm almost past the painful part of my injury but I can still feel it is "not right" a few years back I would have weeks of residual issues with proprioception difficulty with the affected leg. The consequence - tripping over  on minor surface variation. Rowan's videos for body awareness helped me address a fairly flat footed movement in my stride and I now have good foot dorsiflexion, I can feel it and it reduces the tendency to trip. My family have noticed too!

    I'm considering how I can work on improving my left and right identification. I'm pretty sure it in part anxiety driven as I make mistakes when stressed but can catch things like balls on my non-dominant side of the task is spontaneous. Learning to deescalate anxiety using mindfulness seems to be the obvious option...hard work when a chunk of it is socially ascribed - people finding it funny I can't do things.

    I would like to do this because my SO likes to dance and I would love to dance with him. If we get into the right space and I stop resisting he says I'm great because I can intuitively follow him, but we haven't cracked the key to the right space spontaneously.

    This is where it gets really odd. I've used ritalin a couple of times and my proprioception issues vanished for the 3 hours a 10 mg dose (which is very low given my total dose for ADHD would be 70-80mg/kg daily) was in my system. I sometimes use the lay description that DCD is the ADHD of the motor area of the brain. I was an oxygen starved delivery, and there was a few months of anxiety I would end up with CP as a result, and that is of course a direct impact on motor areas.

    Although it kind of focuses my brain it's not as acute as the effect for the ADHDers. Unfortunately I've not found a psychiatrist ready to use an off licence script as a trial for me to evaluate the impact of a 3 month course... because I know I can learn new motor skills...and if the Ritalin let me do so with less interference it would be great.

    Last bit of wisdom/experience before my bus gets to work. I  suspect my depression is in part rooted in how much mental effort managing my unruly sensory system takes. I tire easily. I'm late to work because I am exhausted today. 4 days of SO in new work, getting back to exercise and juggling the first week back at work alongside a job interview. Thank goodness it's spring and I'm getting both warmth and bright daylight at the ends of the day! That helps.

Children
  • I think I spent such a lot of time researching to get to where I am now that I haven't consolidated that since. So I need to start reading again and maybe it will fit together more plus I might remember it better. I do identify with the podcasts I listen to but that's not the same thing. I have always had trouble with both fine and gross motor skills ( even worse if it requires balance as well). I'm heavy with a pencil, can't keep within a line when colouring in but can knit and crochet as long as it's not too fine. I like sewing too I think it varies with needle skills. Can't manage any bouncing wheel or ball skills and knife skills not good and family don't let me near any dangerous tools! I like the landscape and windows analogy. Yep people find it funny or annoying that I can't do things too plus being slower than them in most activities and not quick enough to follow instructions . I tried line dancing and aerobics both were a disaster. I like dancing too or I did haven't danced for years. But if it's a ceilidh or something ..watch your toes steel cap boots and bumping into people.. does spoil the fun. And dcd is adhd of motor part .. what a way to put it.. does seem very much like that. Fascinated that the Ritalin helps would never have thought of that and again wouldn't have linked dcd with cp but yes even my tremors fit with that..

    As for spatial awareness I can bump into people in wide spaces, have absolutely no sense of direction, need lots of room on a footpath.. Bodies brains hormones .. how clever but how complicated they are. Have you come across Christopher Germer and Zabat Zin? Yes I do think depression( as is the cfs/fibro) is very much part of the equation and a result of all the effort needed. But I don't get on with anti depressants so just learned to live with it. I am finding everyone's strategies and tips very interesting, almost need to log them somewhere to refer back to easily. Yes a good psychiatrist psychologist and coach! I'm tired today too so just replying to you and Spotty today. Hope work was ok but you'll be asleep now that's another spatial awareness thing I can't do put myself in the shoes of another time zone… ar well.

  • The thing with ritalin is they start you on low doses of short acting and work up as tolerated. SD20s first fortnight on meds was challenging because they suited her but she had to dose every 3-4 hours. She is just like her Dad and uses just over half her dose as controlled release (long acting) with two short acting tablets for key times of day

    Our big finding recently is if she has a racing brain affecting sleep a 5mg dose gets her to sleep.

    Meds are always a gamble, adverse reactions are more common in ND patients, but if you get something you can tolerate and benefits you, it's great. I have some odd side effects with my antidepressant but I can't do without so I'm prepared to put up with this as a 'least bad' option. 

    I think my GP would off-licence ritalin if he could for me, but it's not how this med is issued in NZ. If I win the lottery I will find a private psychiatrist!

  • Bless you. It's bedtime so will read again tomorrow. I found what you have told me very informative and a lot to think about. I haven't had any meds for my ADHD as bit scared of them especially as I have trouble with most meds anyway and I wonder if it would work as it should due to the asd. Never thought of meds for my motor skills but they do for ms and Parkinson's. When I was on teacher training there was a fellow student with cp. she managed very well . Yes you have had a heavy duty week. I hope it's not long before you hear about the interview. Will reply again tomorrow. I have been thinking about the inclusive gym but we don't really have one nearby. I kept looking and discovered there was an outdoor green gym ( just a few pieces) in a village about an hour away ( too far) so I contacted the town council to tell them about it and they've already got it in mind. I am very pleased. We are going the other way, nights starting to draw in earlier. But at least the sun was out this afternoon. Have a good day.