Eighth Dimension: #24 Spoon Theory

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I read something on a forum for EDS that I frequent every day - for those of you that do not know EDS is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. It is a condition that affects the soft tissues in the body and different subtypes of the condition affect different parts of the body most.

I have Type 3, Hypermobility - my joints sublux and dislocate near constantly, it is classified as a chronic pain condition as well as a mobility disability. However my problems are not limited to my joints being painful - I also have to be careful with bruising, whether or not I can eat without damaging my stomach, how careful I have to be that my skin doesn't break, little things like that.

The version of this I read on the forum was from a woman with Lupus, I have adapted it for a more EDS themed variation, also to make it more relavent.

The woman in the story was in a diner with her best friend trying to explain what it was like to have lupus, she gathered up a handful of spoons and handed them to her friend

Imagine you have 12 'spoons' these count as your actions for the day, what decisions and choices you can 'safely' make. Be careful not to drop any or lose count of how many you have left.

First thing you do in the morning? Most people have a morning routine - get up, shower, get dressed, brush hair, go to work/uni.

Get up out of bed... one spoon gone. Getting a shower, there goes another spoon. Getting dressed can be troublesome, depending on how bad my joints are, so there's possibly another spoon gone as well. Brushing hair, lately that has got so hard for me - that will cost you a spoon. So there is four spoons gone already. I haven't even got to uni yet.

Getting around to get to uni, depends, if I have too few spoons, like in this example, I will need my wheelchair, I will also probably need help to move my own chair, if I'm lucky, this won't take me a spoon, having to push myself would take a spoon AT LEAST, walking on my own would take two spoons.

University I have to be careful, writing with a pen for more than fifteen minutes - that's a spoon. Typing for over an hour, that's a spoon. Sitting still for two hours plus, that's a spoon. So if I'm in a wheelchair that's pretty much two spoons gone automatically simply because I lack the energy to be mobile enough to avoid it.

With the number of spoons I'm down to I can pretty much gauruntee I'm on meds, so I'll need to eat (bye bye spoon!) to take meds. In the morning I tend to have something small and sugary to keep my tablets down, because it's small and always at the same time every day it doesn't take a spoon.

Getting home from uni... no spoons if pushed, two spoons if walking or one if pushing myself, but only because it's downhill.

So presuming it's a bad day in a wheelchair with Alex helping me, I've probably burnt 8 spoons already, and it's early evening most likely.

Having dinner will probably cost another spoon - Alex will usually cook for me, but if I'm on meds it will be harder to stomach.

Going into town will cost another spoon.
Roleplaying group tends to take about three spoons
Each half an hour of coursework will cost a spoon
Kareoke night takes two spoons
pub quiz will take a spoon
Painting for half an hour takes a spoon
Car journey will take a spoon for every forty five minutes to an hour

It all adds up quite quickly...
Some days I'll have more spoons, some I won't have enough to get up in the morning.
If I have to I can use spoons from the next day, but pushing myself often isn't worth it when I realise I don't have the energy tomorrow. I've never been able to 'save up' spoons either. Any unused are lost. I have to try and use my spoons wisely.

Unucky for you guys *****ing doesn't take up any spoons ;¬)