We’re all just temporarily abled • Hacker News Board

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#271

Post by justinator » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 1:33 PM UTC

Justsignedup wrote: post #233

How many people I know got hit by a car and had their life ruined horribly. Or a bad surgery. Things totally out of their control. We need to see disability as a cost to society we must pay, not a failure of individuals which is more or less what were treating it. The American disability system is basically proving (very painfully) that life is barely livable to get scraps of help. Like below poverty levels. I really…

I do share your dream - perhaps it's just empathy?

Maybe a good start is to believe people who tell us they're suffering, even if what they're suffering from isn't obvious and physical.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#272

Post by kibwen » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 1:33 PM UTC

k__ wrote: post #215

oblio wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a ton of weak sounds I'd want to hear. A baby's (or toddler's) voice, the meowing of a newborn kitten, quieter sections of my favorite songs, the sound of a car that's backing my way while I'm not looking in its direction...

I see. I still hear pretty well, I just also hear a constant high pitched sound, but it isn't very loud.

Some people have tinnitus worse than others, making it harder for them to ignore. In addition, some people become acclimated to it; my tinnitus used to make it impossible to sleep without some form of white noise, but nowadays I only remember that it's there when I read comment threads about people discussing their tinnitus. Time for some white noise...

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#273

Post by vekker » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 1:36 PM UTC

angrais wrote: post #104

vekker wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really enjoyed the Starting Strength program (I was going to abbreviate it at first, but then realized that sounds a bit sketchy out of context), and I noticed the benefits too. The only reason I quit a few years ago is because of my concerns about the strain it puts on the cardiovascular system. Especially for someone already doing mostly desk work, I wonder how healthy it really is. I still do resistance training…

Why do you have this concern? Did you notice any changes in breathing or such?

A family history of high blood pressure and pretty much any doctor I've spoken to advising against strength training with heavy weights.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#274

Post by ubermonkey » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 1:38 PM UTC

This is enormously true. You know it's true, intellectually. So did I, before it happened to me. But after November 2014, I knew it MUCH MORE INTIMATELY.

I broke my hip cycling, at 44. This is not an easy thing to do at 44, apparently, short of car crashes or explosions, but we were going (too) fast in the rain, and the person in front of me lost their line and went down, and I swerved to avoid running over them, and lost control and went down hard without being able to shed any speed first.

I say "broken hip" but they were pretty consistent about noting that what I had was a "high energy fracture of the femoral neck." Apparently, a "broken hip" is what happens if you're 75 and slip in the shower, but it's the same bone either way. A plate and several pins put me back together, but I couldn't put any weight on the leg for THREE MONTHS, using a walker. Even after PT, I used a cane well into the following summer -- ironically, because of atrophy, not the actual injury.

It was a life-changing period of time for me. I was already pretty aware of accessibility needs -- my mom was a physical therapist in her working life -- but you don't notice the little things until it's YOUR skin in the game.

The two best weeks of my recovery period were actually weeks we were out of town. See, we live in a three-story townhouse in an urban area. It's not big; it's just tall. That's no bueno if you can't really walk.

However, at Christmas we spent a week with my mother and stepfather in the home they had modified years before intending to live there until they died. The main hallway was wide enough to maneuver with my walker. The master bath was 100% accessible. And it was all on one level.

Then, towards the end, we took a cruise. We'd thought we were going to have to bail on it, but my surgeon pointing out "you know, you can rent wheelchairs on cruise ships, and it's really cheap." He was right; it cost me like $120 for the week, and I could GO ANYWHERE AND DO ANYTHING all on my own for the first time since before the accident. Think about it; what's more accessible than a vacation mode traditionally popular with older people?

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#275

Post by safety1st » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 1:38 PM UTC

Tenoke wrote: post #210

safety1st wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That link lists the averages among the 21,000 users of StrengthLog. I'm sure the average normal human who doesn't use a weight training logging app is way lower. For example the beginner on there is 76kg. I think it'd be a bad idea for a guy who's 40 years old, untrained and out of shape to rock up and deadlift 50kg, even just for one rep. He wouldn't know what to expect, he'd get the form wrong, he'd probably hurt h…

I believe beginner here is not untrained. There were a few links with different categories (all above the 30kg deadlift, 50kg squat for the lowest one). I only shared the first one in my comment. 30kg DL is 5kg on each side of a 20kg bar which is less than I've lifted my very first time and I was pretty unfit and I'm sure the vast majority of untrained people can lift that. Hell, that's easier than bar-only bench pre…

I am not clear on what conclusions we are discussing exactly.

* 20kg-30kg makes sense for an untrained person's first lift, it sounds like we agree. With DL you need some plates on the bar to get the right height so 5kg bumper plates or something is common.

* All of this is still way below the numbers even for beginners on the site you linked, which again I stress, is a self-selected group of people who were hardcore enough to opt into a performance tracking app of some kind, this is way different from the general population.

* I actually don't agree that the vast majority of people could just bust out, let's say, 10 reps at 30kg of any lift. Women and older men who have never lifted? I really doubt it. A year ago it was hard for me to do 10 body weight squats, no bar no nothing, and most of my middle aged friends who have never exercised are probably still in the same boat. 40% of the US is obese... I think this perspective is biased basically towards young men (lets say under 40).

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#276

Post by raygelogic » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 1:39 PM UTC

I think about this a lot as I get older. what I've realized is that being young (like under 30) is a pretty big deviation as far as physiology goes. the rest of life is a long slow decline, so you gotta set yourself up to manage it.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#277

Post by Technotroll » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 1:39 PM UTC

98Windows wrote: post #195

I became disabled after a music festival last year. The music was too loud and something broke in my ear. Now every sound hurts me, my voice is far too painful, going for a walk outside is too painful. Basically I can't do anything but sit in a silent room and browse the internet. Pain hyperacusis sucks. I wish I'd been more careful with my hearing.

Got Tinnitus from working as a concert photographer. It's not so bad. I've learned to live with it. But yeah... It's permanent. So, to not make it worse, I've bought protection that I carry with me when I go to loud clubs or concerts. I use it religiously. Highly recommended! Especially if you work in a bar or club, or in some capacity at concerts. Do it now, because Tinnitus doesn't go away. Some of them are very discrete, but if you like making a splash there are ones that look quite stylish as well.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#278

Post by kortex » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 1:41 PM UTC

eitally wrote: post #259

nlawalker wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for this! Do you (or does anyone) have any suggested resources for transitioning out of powerlifting into something more maintenance/lifestyle? I got a good base of coaching in high school and later in life came back to lifting through Starting Strength. Recently I’ve gotten a lot out of Stronglifts 5x5 and a modest garage barbell setup to reach kind of a local maxima. I could keep going with it, and it would…

Well, one of the easiest paths is to stop doing oly lifts and start using DBs instead of a bar where possible. If you don't think you might have great form with DBs, just spend a few sessions at the beginning with a coach. The one thing it's hard to emulate with DBs are heavy deadlifts. For that, I built myself a resistance band platform similar to this: https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/kx57ho/i_made_a_re...…

Can you define the technical terms? Oly, DB, C2?

I'm guessing DB is dumbbell (and bar is barbell).

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#279

Post by Justsignedup » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 1:42 PM UTC

justinator wrote: post #271

Justsignedup wrote: post #233

How many people I know got hit by a car and had their life ruined horribly. Or a bad surgery. Things totally out of their control. We need to see disability as a cost to society we must pay, not a failure of individuals which is more or less what were treating it. The American disability system is basically proving (very painfully) that life is barely livable to get scraps of help. Like below poverty levels. I really…

I do share your dream - perhaps it's just empathy? Maybe a good start is to believe people who tell us they're suffering, even if what they're suffering from isn't obvious and physical.

My fiance had intercranial hypertension. Which is a complex way of saying "we don't know the root cause of why your spinal fluid is causing so much pressure in your head that you want to take a ice pick and poke a hole in it!" which also decreases EVERYTHING due to brain pressure, so more tired, less ability to think, less sensitive to all senses, less emotional control (especially because you're in constant pain / fear of sudden motions causing a lot of pain).

Hard to explain to people that she's not just lazy. Thankfully a relatively easy procedure helped and now she's on the road to a slow recovery.

Edit: Maybe it is just empathy. It is hard to see my tax money going towards turning brown kids into skeletons, and not making people who's life already sucks suck a lot less.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#280

Post by jnovek » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 1:50 PM UTC

Justsignedup wrote: post #233

How many people I know got hit by a car and had their life ruined horribly. Or a bad surgery. Things totally out of their control. We need to see disability as a cost to society we must pay, not a failure of individuals which is more or less what were treating it. The American disability system is basically proving (very painfully) that life is barely livable to get scraps of help. Like below poverty levels. I really…

It's not even pain-oriented. It's visibility-oriented.

I deal with chronic migraine and it's extremely difficult to get on SSDI for that disorder (unless it is secondary to something more visible, like a TBI). Other invisible chronic pain conditions (e.g. fibromyalgia) are similarly dismissed.