Sometimes I really resent society trying to make disabled folk ‘fit into’ a society not designed for us. And when we don’t do it, we get scolded.

IF YOU ASKED OUR NEEDS INSTEAD OF TREATING US LIKE DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN WE WOULDN’T HAVE TO BE RESENTFUL.

Scenario.

My left hand can’t hold mugs.

“Just try!”

I try. The mug slips, and hot tea scalds me as the mug smashes on the floor.

“Well, you weren’t trying hard enough!”

Bitch, I’ve tried for 25 years. I KNOW MY BODY’S LIMITATIONS.

I have significant physical disabilities that aren’t always visible. I will never have fine motor movement in my left hand. I’ve never had it. That’s life. But I absolutely loathe when people push me to do things with my hand that it can’t do, or are dangerous for me, or both.

Suddenly this seems even more relevant given the news about that bullshit NICE recommendation against painkillers for chronic pain.

Abled people pushing for ‘solutions’ that don’t solve the issue are infuriating and perpetuating harm towards disabled and chronically ill folk.

You cannot force disabled people into a box and go ‘ta-da!’ when you’ve done jack shit to help us actually solve our problems.

(Acupuncture and CBT are not universal solutions to chronic pain! Especially when it feels like your body is nothing BUT pain and you can’t cope!)

I don’t know about you, but I sure as shit can’t meditate or practise mindfulness when my entire nervous and musculoskeletal systems feel like they’re on fire. Painkillers are the ONLY things that dull my pain enough for me to actually think straight.

Also, I’m not even on the “hardcore” pain meds. My doctors have all flatly refused. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve nearly cried because they’re not listening or are so anti-meds their biases are causing me harm.

And they wonder why so many patients go private.

Referring back to the first tweet in this thread - this decision by NICE feels very much like they think we can’t be trusted with painkillers. As if we ARE disobedient children.

We’re adults. We have a say in how we deal with pain. To use a well-known phrase: my body, my choice.