Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is an illness characterised by extreme exhaustion. Other common symptoms include aching muscles, joint pains, headache, sore throat and flu-like feelings. The cause is unknown and recovery can take years. In some cases, people don’t recover and suffer relapses throughout their lives.

Exercise is often a problem for people with CFS because physical activity can worsen their symptoms. Medical opinion has been divided on whether people with CFS should attempt regular exercise or not – some believe that gentle exercise is helpful, while others caution against any form of aerobic activity.

Research has found that patient education on CFS and a graded exercise program can improve symptoms in many cases and, on average, is not likely to worsen outcomes.

Many people often assume that because you are disabled you have no right to play sport but tell that to the paralympics and the extremely successful Special Olympics. One of the most common disabled sports is wheelchair basketball. It is one of the most widely played sports by disabled people around the world.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an extremely debilitating condition that can occur after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that can trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults such as rape or mugging, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat.

Military troops who served in Vietnam and the Gulf Wars; rescue workers involved in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing; survivors of accidents, rape, physical and sexual abuse, as well as other crimes; immigrants fleeing violence in their home countries; survivors of the 1994 California earthquake, the 1997 South Dakota floods, and hurricanes Hugo and Andrew; and people who witness traumatic events are among the people who may develop PTSD. Families of victims can also develop the disorder.

Who Is Most Likely to Develop PTSD?

People who have been abused as children or who have had other previous traumatic experiences are more likely to develop the disorder. Research is continuing to pinpoint other factors that may lead to PTSD.

The bathroom is one of the places in your home where the ability to do things independently is extremely important. While in the bathroom, most people want to be alone if at all possible.

Showering, bathing, shaving, brushing your hair, brushing your teeth. Though these are activities that many take for granted, people with limb differences can find them very difficult to do alone. Your daily grooming routine is made up of movements that require hand and wrist dexterity and flexibility, arm extension and rotation, balance, strength and coordination. When these movements are difficult or painful, grooming can be a frustrating or even risky experience without the aid of assistive devices.

Unfortunately, because assistive devices for independent living are produced by only a small number of manufacturers and there is only a small market for them, they can be expensive. Moreover, Medicare does not cover the cost of bathing equipment, including bath seats, hand-held shower heads or grab bars.

With a little thought and ingenuity, however, you can find ways to do these activities with homemade or easily available and inexpensive aids. You shouldn’t neglect safety for convenience, however.

Perhaps one of the most confusing aspects of winning a Social Security (SSA) disability claim is completing the array of forms during the process. A question you will inevitably ask is, “Does SSA look at my forms and can they alone win or lose my case?”

SSA and/or judges don’t usually approve your case based on what you say on the forms. However, they often use what is said in the forms to support a denial of your claim. This is because if SSA or a judge is going to approve your claim, they will base it on more compelling objective evidence such as medical records and/or treating physicians’ opinions regarding your inability to work.

The inherent problem you have as a claimant is twofold. First, with all due respect, you don’t know what you need to prove in order to win your case. Second, you have spent the past several months or years consistently downplaying the severity of your medical problems to anyone you thought was listening (i.e. your employer, family, friends, doctors and SSA). Even though you are constantly in excruciating pain or exhausted; nobody wants to be viewed by others as a whiner.