#SundayQuestions: What is a #Spoonie?

What is a Spoonie?

Spoonie is a metaphor to explain chronic illness. Spoon Theory came into existence through Christine Miserandino. She created this theory by using literal spoons to describe having lupus to a friend while at a restaurant. People who related and understood this fell in love with this explanation and people ascribe to it.

Now, not everyone who deal with chronic diseases/pain use the phrase Spoonie. But many of us do use it and use hashtags inside social media websites to find one another. We have a wide variety of chronic illnesses and things we deal with in life.

Spoon Theory from Wikipedia:

The Spoon Theory is a disability metaphor used to explain the reduced amount of energy available for activities of daily living and productive tasks that may result from disability or chronic illness. "Spoons" are a visual representation used as a unit of measurement used to quantify how much energy a person has throughout a given day.

Each activity requires a given number of spoons, which will only be replaced as a person 'recharges' through rest. A person who runs out of spoons has no choice but to rest to replenish spoons.

Spoons are widely discussed within autoimmune, disability, mental and other chronic illness online communities. Spoonies is sometimes used to refer to a person with a chronic illness that can be explained with the spoon theory.

According to Spoon theory, spoons (unit of energy) may be replaced after rest or a night of sleep. However, people with chronic diseases such as autoimmune diseases and various disabilities may have sleep difficulties. This may result in low supply of energy.

But everyone has to rest/recharge ...

This isn't the same thing as someone who has done their daily activity and going to bed. This is the lack of energy due to an ongoing health problem. What you do through today if you do too much you may cause yourself to be so tired that you cannot function or cause pain levels to worsen.

For example, on some days if I decide to do a lot of physical activity one day.. I may have to cut out things I do the next few days because they're going to be filled with laying in bed and ice pack/ heating blanket to calm down my pain.

This isn't the same to having a cold or flu. The energy drained from these things is drastic and frustrating, however, you'll get well and move on. If you can imagine having to deal with low energy and pain 24/7 due to your flu/cold experience...that's someone with chronic health's problem every day with little relief.

But there's medication for that...

Medication is not a magical cure all. Just as people who occasionally take over the counter medication .. have things that don't work for them while other temp meds do. That is the same with someone with chronic problems.

I'm currently working toward another set of medication to fight my Rheumatoid Arthritis. Which is where my Immune System is attacking my body's tissue -- the stuff that cushions and protects my joints.

 I take medication that is fighting my immune system. Unlike other medications..where you take the stuff and your problem goes away. Mine doesn't because.. to be honest.. if my problem went away I'd be dead because my problem is my immune system.

I like to explain Autoimmune disorder as: Your Immune system is confused, panicked and is too embarrassed to say it's wrong so it keeps battling on. Not probably accurate but that's what I like to imagine as my medication slowly stops working because my Immune System is working against it.

I mean it took 2.5 years before my first medication completely pooped out. So, I mean it did pretty well. However, my new meds? I have to SLOWLY take them with the meds I'm currently on because it can take up to 6 months for them to MAYBE WORK.

Tl;dr -- Basically, you are working against your body when trying to ease pain and problems. It isn't 100% and you will have to dance around new medication in hopes of something working .. at least temporarily.

There is a homeopathy that can cure it all...

HA. HA. Okay, I am fine with people using alternative medication and things. But I disagree with pushing this onto other people. I use a chiropractor desperate for pain relief. But that's something I chose to try and have no interest in drinking, chanting or doing odd and end things.



Anyway, this has started to turn into a rant/answer previous questions I've dealt with. But that's a spoonie & problems/things that go on with Spoonie-ness.

What does being a Spoonie have to do with books and reviews?

Because I am a Spoonie! I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia and other symptoms that feel like they don't have a reason & just harassing me.

It takes energy to make posts! While it honestly doesn't physically take me awhile -- even with blog posts that are this long and include pictures. It is still energy consuming and need to rest/relax from it sometimes.

But this is also what I do to help keep my mind off my health problems. Talk about one of my favorite hobbies ---reading!

It is combined in this book blog in hopes of possibly helping someone else who has a mystery health problem. Sometimes you  know something is wrong but all you have are very vague symptoms and it's hard to Google vague issues. So, talking about my symptoms, the length it's taken to get a diagnoses and doctor battles... show someone looking for their answers.. that they're not alone.

If you read through all this. Thanks for sticking through it! I hope this has helped you get to know me just a bit more.

Are you a spoonie blogger? What do you write about? Drop your links in the comment section!