Medical Problems and Anime Cels?

[Melle]

Out of complete curiosity does anyone on the forum have any medical problems...? How does this effect your cel collecting, or is cell collecting therapuetic to your mind in giving you something to look forward to...?

I'e got chronic wide spread pain, asthma, allergies, my fingers and hands go stiff a lot...have dysphagia...XD (yes, I'm falling apart! ) My friend actually has EDS and miltral valve issues. She collects ce ls too...

Persoanlly, I just started recollecting again to look forward to something since going many places tends to hurt. This gives me something to save my time and money toward to look forward to something good that'll make me smile....

Sadly, since thr majority of my money seems to go toward medical, my cel collecting gets squashed....XD bleh...

Just wondering if there are any others out there with this....?

[Nene]

I empathise with the hand pain, magnesium is my life saver or I'd probably be an arthritic mess lol! The cold weather doesn't help one bit either. Sorry to hear about the chronic pain though, that kinda thing is horrible.

I live with excessive tiredness, it's hard to explain to people when you say you're "tired" and the usual response is that everyone gets tired. I'm not quite narcoleptic but on the worst days, after a couple of hours of getting out of bed, I can feel like I've been up for 3 solid days and need to sleep again. If I stopped to sit down whilst in that state I'd be able to drop off to sleep within minutes lol.

It's good to find hobbies and things to collect though as it sets your mind to something and gives you something extra to look forward to. I've always liked cooking and trying out new things in the kitchen, it's something I can do at home and if I eat regularly it helps my condition so it's win-win. Relating directly to anime cels, it's always nice looking forward to that cel package in the mail as I'm sure we're all familiar with.

It's great though that you've found something to look forward to that doesn't require the pain of going out. We all need those little things to keep us going.

[sensei]

I have some kind of ideopathic (MD = ) hearing loss which has made me nearly deaf. With the help of some advanced hearing aids with tiny speakers that go into your ear canals like beans so they ride next to the eardrums, I can get by pretty well in public. But I have to concentrate on facial expressions and body language to make sense out of stage plays and theatrical-release movies, so I prefer to watch them on DVD with the subtitles turned on.

The bad news is that it's progressive and incurable; the good news is that therefore I don't need to afford some kind of expensive prescription to treat it. However, the hearing aids are outrageously expensive, about $2500 per ear. As my hearing gets progressively worse and as hearing aid technology advances, that means they need replacing every five years or so. My medical insurance pays $500 of that.

It's had some interesting effects. One obvious one was to force the end of my career as a traditional classroom-based college teacher and move more and more of my academic activity online, where my disability does not exist. Another is that I rely on my other senses to center myself, notably sight and smell. I feel like I see things much more intensely, especially art objects including (but not limited to) the anime art I collect. (I really thought the guards at the last art museum might ask me to leave, I stood so long in front of certain sketches and paintings with such a larcenious look on my face. They actually started following me.)

So I'd have to agree that cel collecting is a form of therapy. And the relatively modest expense means that I get a lot of pleasure for relatively little cost (vs. trying to sneak the Cezanne out of the art museum under my raincoat). Also, I've found that I'm a much more adventurous cook, trying and liking trace amounts of bold ingredients in recipes that formerly I'd toss together in a hurry for dinner.

It has obviously made my brain work much harder, which keeps Dr. Alzheimer in the closet. I can sometimes catch it scrolling through possible interpretations of something a person has said too indistinctly for me to hear. It's gotten pretty good at guessing: my audiologist says it's surprising that I function as well as I do with a deafness problem as profound as mine. Certainly it's made me aware of many things I like most people took for granted.

[Sui Kune]

I actually suffer from debilitating chronic fatigue, brain fog, and worsening widespread pain for ten years now, the cause of which is still unknown. It's prevented me from doing most things I love, even gives me a deep feeling of uselessness and hopelessness, but I've come to find collecting as a fun and rewarding hobby. In addition to production artwork, I collect toys and merchandise of the characters that I love most. (Sailor Saturn and the Pokémon Suicune, Entei, Raikou, Absol, and Land Forme Shaymin.)

What's most therapeutic for me is collecting Hotaru/Sailor Saturn. I feel a deep connection to her because of my illness, and how alike in personality we are. Collecting artwork of her especially makes me feel closer to her, since those are literally pieces of her. Finding and holding in my hands not only great pieces, but pieces of artwork very meaningful in the series is an indescribable feeling. It also brings on a great sense of responsibility, as the caretaker of artwork. Currently I'm battling Vinegar Syndrome in two of my cels with pieces of Microchamber paper (slid in front of course), and all but one of my stuck cels are currently at SR Labs for unsticking.

Relating to how meaningful I find the character of Hotaru Tomoe to me, I even sew my own cosplays of her. That's equally as therapeutic to me as collecting, since I pour my sweat and tears into making each costume perfect, and then get the fun of pretendy fun times at cons. XD (I actually bought my very first cel at a con, IN Hotaru cosplay! Sadly it wasn't the same outfit as the cel, but my second-ever cel was.)

[Eternal Wind]

I first began collecting cels in high school, and I was indeed quite ill. Countless tests showed nothing. I had chronic fatigue, brain fog, muscle tenderness, chronic diarrhea that alternated with constipation, excessive weight gain... the list went on and on. My (then) primary care provider suggested a psychiatric evaluation before he would continue testing. I passed with flying colors and a note from the therapist scolding him. I think cel collecting gave me a hobby I could do regardless of my constant sickness, and a non-traditional social outlet to boot. Collectors make good conversationalists, as some of you already know.

Fast-forward to my early twenties, and I took a different shot-in-the-dark test that showed I had a lot of food intolerance issues, gluten specifically. I feel much better these days. I made it through undergraduate school and into graduate school, giving birth to my firstborn during the first week of classes. I think my tiredness comes from, well, parenthood. My daughter is now 16 months and extremely active. I got back into cel collecting late 2009, and I was much healthier and happier. I still have bad days, but they are fewer and farther between.

So anyone with unexplained illness, especially with brain fog, you might want to check out potential food intolerance issues, and not via blood testing or needle-type allergy testing. I could go on, but that's not the point of the topic. Should be saved for PMs or something!

[Nene]

That's a great point actually, Eternal Wind. I have a wheat (not all gluten) and dairy intolerance so I've been gradually cutting that down. Wheat especially can make you bloated and give you joint pain, headaches, etc, if your body doesn't like it. The brain fog is very annoying though, I remember getting it from a very young age so I've gotten used to coping mechanisms over the years. I have to make sure I give my eyes time to focus after waking up (like a few hours) otherwise I'm prone to migraines. Reading on the train journey to work = bad idea. ^_^;

I use lots of methods to try and bring balance to my body though and I'm in the middle of learning numerous techniques professionally after I've had a personal interest for many years. You're right that some things blood tests just can't pick up and often you have to go with your instincts on things.

[Eternal Wind]

I still have my bad days where I fall off the wagon and order a pizza. It's mostly for the days my husband and I are both our straight and don't get home until late. And I pay for it every time. This year we've vowed to make meals ahead and put them in the freezer. With food intolerance issues, it usually requires a strict adherence to see any benefits. I was 100% strict with everything (milk, too) while pregnant, and as I had the nine month period, my body had time to heal and I felt GREAT. Right now we're doing well.

I had "real" allergy testing done last year after I had unexplained allergic reactions (anaphylaxtic and quite scary ones) after giving birth. They started in the hospital, and naturally we assumed the food was cross-contaminated. Turns out I have a lot of environmental reactions. I've been able to eat dairy again, but not gluten, and to me that's a lifesaver anyway.

Now we're using natural-based laundry detergents and cleaners, and I have virtually no allergic reactions now, provided I stay away from the gluten. I hadn't considered this, at all, until I was desperate from the post-pregnancy reactions. I was so upset because I was eating strictly and still in misery. The brain fog is the worst. It's hard to help people understand what it means to say, "I. Can't. Think."

[Nene]

Ack those kinds of reactions are scary! I don't profess to know everything about environmental factors, only what I've learnt from other people but I've definitely been warned about chemical reactions in cleaning products. The big one for me to try and control is electromagnetic radiation which is super hard to avoid in this day and age but I've been shown methods of cleansing it from the body. It's something that hinders the ability to shut your brain activity off at night so you end up with a terrible night's sleep, brings on fatigue, tiredness, etc. Turning the wi-fi/router off at home whenever possible is a good idea since it emits the stuff even when the computers and TVs are off.

Since I mentioned narcolepsy in an earlier post, I probably did have a form of it before I trained myself to sleep with my eyes closed. Up until the age of about 9 or 10 I used to sleep with my eyes open. When I was tired, I just used to see darkness and it was like my consciousness was switched off. Teachers used to accuse me of daydreaming for years lol! Truth was that because I could sleep within seconds of being tired, my body just naturally did it even when I was in public. I sometimes miss that ability.

[graymouser]

Since I mentioned narcolepsy in an earlier post, I probably did have a form of it before I trained myself to sleep with my eyes closed. Up until the age of about 9 or 10 I used to sleep with my eyes open. When I was tired, I just used to see darkness and it was like my consciousness was switched off.

A little off topic, but I have to admit I find this interesting. I have also done this since I was a child. I once scared the heck out of my grandmother when she peeked in on me. She could see me staring blankly, but since I was covered with blankets she couldn't see me breathing. I still occasionally do it at 45 years old, though not nearly as much as before. I guess I am lucky since it does not seem to interfere with how rested I feel in the morning.

To get back on topic, I have to admit that I don't have any major medical problems. I like to collect because it is a nice relief from the stress of work.

[Sui Kune]

That's really interesting that gluten intolerance really can cause issues identical to mine. I had it checked out actually several years back, which lead to easily the most miserable time I've had during this illness. On top of everything I have a bizarre eating disorder, which I've had since I was a toddler, which basically makes most food taste horrible to me. I even have taste so sensitive, I can easily tell if someone tries to hide vegetables in my food. Anyway, this lead to absolute hell when I was on a gluten-free diet. I became very underweight and my symptoms only got worse as a result, since if I can't eat what tastes good to me I outright refuse to eat at all, so I was taken back off it and it was back to square one. (Unbelievably, a few years later I was finally actually tested for Celiac Disease, and surprise surprise, I didn't have it. Why they didn't test me for it before, I'll never know.)

Environmental factors too were one of the very first things I was tested for, since a close friend of mine's wife became so seriously sick from toxic mold in their house, they had to move out of state. No toxic mold was found in my living space, and allergy tests revealed nothing but an allergy to dust mites, which while is unrelated to this illness, coincidentally became absolutely debilitating during the dry weather of 2011. Also, my symptoms are very consistent with travel to different environments anyway.

Right now my two theories, which also happen to be extremely difficult to get a diagnosis of, are Fibromyalgia or MS. Hopefully this year when my insurance is sorted out I can look into Fibromyalgia, but until then, everything's still the same.

I have to say too, I can't describe how I feel to know that I'm not alone here. At least two of you share my same symptoms even. I've honestly always felt alone in having something no one can figure out, or sometimes even understand. (It doesn't help either that on top of everything, I have severe Asperger's Syndrome.) Thank you guys so much for sharing your stories, and your suggestions as to what could be the problem. ;-; I won't give up, that's for sure. In fact, this entire experience has made me certain that I want to become a doctor, specifically in diagnostics, and fight for a dedicated diagnostics department.

[Nene]

Since I mentioned narcolepsy in an earlier post, I probably did have a form of it before I trained myself to sleep with my eyes closed. Up until the age of about 9 or 10 I used to sleep with my eyes open. When I was tired, I just used to see darkness and it was like my consciousness was switched off.

A little off topic, but I have to admit I find this interesting. I have also done this since I was a child. I once scared the heck out of my grandmother when she peeked in on me. She could see me staring blankly, but since I was covered with blankets she couldn't see me breathing. I still occasionally do it at 45 years old, though not nearly as much as before. I guess I am lucky since it does not seem to interfere with how rested I feel in the morning.

They should do some kind of scientific study on it, I reckon more people sleep like that than we could really know. I remember the feeling of switching off and sleeping but just can't induce that kind of daydream-to-sleep process anymore. Nowadays my eye lids feel heavy when tired but before they didn't. I felt like I wasn't "normal" at the time because I slept with my eyes open but I wish I'd been more self-confident at that age to not train myself out of it.

I have to say too, I can't describe how I feel to know that I'm not alone here. At least two of you share my same symptoms even. I've honestly always felt alone in having something no one can figure out, or sometimes even understand. (It doesn't help either that on top of everything, I have severe Asperger's Syndrome.) Thank you guys so much for sharing your stories, and your suggestions as to what could be the problem. ;-; I won't give up, that's for sure. In fact, this entire experience has made me certain that I want to become a doctor, specifically in diagnostics, and fight for a dedicated diagnostics department.

If you ever wanted to talk about anything, just shoot me a PM if you don't want to say it on the forum. On another collectibles forum I belong to, we talk about practically anything medical/pet/etc related so it's nice that it brings people together and keeps the forum ticking over a bit more regularly. I've always scored low on the Asperger's/autism scale so I'm not severely affected by it but it does creep in sometimes around people. I also used to have physical tourettes from a young age but learnt to control it by my early teens. If I'm feeling uncomfortable though I can often feel my eyes and blinking start to become a bit erratic but it's hardly noticeable these days. But hey, all these little things make us unique right?

It's great that you want to become a doctor, I'm going to be studying Medical Science in the new term. Some of the best medics I know are also Reiki healers so I'm enjoying combining my two fields of interest into something that'll make me more rounded.

[Eternal Wind]

I'm always up for talking as well. Any time!

I just wanted to say that I had environmental and food allergy testing (a huge round of it... I pretty much had any needle/jabby thing there) and not a single item showed a reaction. And yet, after I left the office I swelled up like a balloon, itched for days, and could barely breathe on the drive home. I've lost my faith in typical medical testing throughout the years. I've had to go on instinct now.

It's too bad that a gluten-free diet didn't work out for you, Sui. What foods do you like to eat? I've found that when I first started, most of the food was terrible, but now they are creating new products that actually taste like food. There is nothing to prove it, but many parents and adults living with Aspergers give anecdotes that a gluten-free/casein-free diet helps improve their symptoms. I've also heard (and experienced within the family) that bread, cheese and other dairy products are what everyone craves. There is a lot of autism in my family as well, to the point it is easier to ask who doesn't have it as opposed to who does. One of the more important things I've learned about any form of autism is that what works for one doesn't always work for another, so a gluten-free diet may not be for you at all. I just ask you take caution with allergy testing in general, because Celiac testing and some allergy testings aren't always reliable.

I was finally diagnosed with "angioedema", which doesn't help anything. It's basically a case of being told, "Wow, this is weird. You're having extreme swelling and anaphylaxtic reactions, but we don't know the cause or the cure!" Thanks guys. I eat a lot of protein to help manage it, and staying away from a lot of chemicals has helped.

I miss perfume.

I suppose in the end, we're all living and finding ways to manage. I'm glad to hear there are others out there dealing with similar issues, too. I wish you all well!

[Melle]

It is great to have some one to relate to n here! I didn't think I'd gt nearly half as many replies with stories! thank tou everyone for sharing your stories and personal advice!

I have one to suggest too, I've been experiencing pain in my tongue due to...who knows what... I think I have Fibromyalgia really...but, anyway, RUM!! Swish with RUM t helps to soothe the tongue pain.nit'll burn and umb a little of your mouth, but, it elps SOOOOOO much!

[star-phoenix]

Coming from a doctor, one great and natural way to help with a lot of pains and ailments is exercise a couple times a week. Even helps with anxiety and depression. Exercise releases endorphins, which help to reduce pain in the body and it has also been shown to combat problems with depression and anxiety as well. Will also help reduce other physical complications (heart disease, etc).

When I was getting very nervous and anxious going through med school, I did more martial arts training to help with the anxiety. Also did some walking a couple times a week during my breaks. Helped a lot.

Cel collecting was great to keep my mind away from medical school and work.

[Eternal Wind]

Coming from a mental health professional perspective, I also agree that exercise should be a critical component in anyone's life. I cannot emphasize enough about the goodness exercise does for the brain. Happy and natural chemicals are released all throughout, and like Star said, helps the body better cope with what goes on.

Stress kills, and exercise is a natural coping mechanism for stress.