Hello, hearing 21y/o woman learning ASL interpretation

GammaRae

GammaRae

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Hello all,
My names Rae. I'm 21 years old (until September 20th!). I was born with a developmental delay causing my speach to be very delayed, at first the doctors thought I was mentally challenged, autistic or even hard of hearing. One day I suddenly and surprisingly caught up and started talking very quickly. My IQ tests all came back above average later in life and that and autism were ruled out. I have no idea why my speach was delayed but I suspect my parenting and home environment may have had something to do with it. At 16 I was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease.. this basically makes me more achey than most people, more pain sensitive and have a weaker immune system but it's nothing I can't live with. In highschool I had a deaf friend, at the time all I knew was how to finger spell, so we did a lot of that and note passing. I'd known even before meeting her I wanted to learn ASL it wasn't until after graduation I knew I wasnted to do work with it. I'm getting my associates currently working on that in state (Virginia) but I hope to get a bachelors from Gallaudet University. I've spoken to them and I know they do accept undergraduates that are hearing but I've heard from people and students that it's quite a bit harder for hearing students with only an ASL interpretation certification and associates to be get in, I'm not sure if that's true or not though.. :hmm: Any opinions or experiences?
Anyway I'm basically here to make new friends doing the same thing I am and also hopefully those within the deaf/hard of hearing community, especially but not exclusively those that use ASL. Obviously I'd also like to learn a bit too hopefully from reading threads and getting to know people. I sincerely hope no one feels I'm intruding here or offended that a hearing person joined this forum.
Thanks for taking the time to read,
Rae
:wave:
 
Welcome. :D

may i ask, what do you mean by that more pain sensitive and have a weaker immune system? health issue or feeling issue?
 
Frisky Feline said:
Welcome. :D

may i ask, what do you mean by that more pain sensitive and have a weaker immune system? health issue or feeling issue?
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Thanks! And it's a physical Health issue. Pain is physically more sensitive for me, say for example walking quickly on a treadmill for thirty minutes makes my joints and muscles hurt pretty badly where as most people don't even get sore in that amount of time. When I go to theme/amusement parks I have to sit down somewhat frequently. If I fall and have no broken bones or visible bruises I still feel seering pain in my muscles, joints and places of impact. By weak immune system I mean I tend to catch everything, stomach virus, strep throat, colds, if it's going around I always get it. I got the flu twice both times it turned into pneumonia and I was in the ICU for several days now my insurance pays for vaccines for the flu and pneumonia each year because I'm considered "high risk". I still do everything most people do however, I try and work out as much as my body will allow, I go to the beach and walk, I swim a lot (this actually really helps my muscle pains!), and I do still go to amusement parks.. I actually just went to Bush Gardens, Williamsburg last weekend and Kings Dominion. I just needed to stop hydrate and rest a bit more often than the person I was with needed to. The second day though of walking and stair climbing all day I was very sore and weak and had to have help getting up into the truck to leave. As I said it's nothing I can't live with it just kinda sucks sometimes haha! :)
 
Gotcha, i m sorry but you are right. Keep going on. However i hope you continue to see better doctors for getting better result or something. I dont think it isnt related with mulitple sceleros aka MS. My sister has MS. I agree about swimming is the best workout with less impact. anyway, Welcome. ASL is the best medicine. LOL
 
Thanks again for the welcome :) I take tramadol/ultram (mild painkiller) and flexaril (muscle relaxer). They make most days normal so long as I don't severely over exerte myself. Swimming definitely does help! I don't think MS and MCTD are related except for the muscle pains I assume those sufferers have. I think correct me if I'm wrong but MS is degenerative and eventually causes loss of muscle use.. I knew a guy with it whom sadly died of it and was wheelchair bound the entire duration of my knowing him. I wish your sister all the best! Good treatments, doctors, meds and therapies. I actually do agree with you about ASL, it's a beautiful language (at least to a hearing person) and I find learning more of it and practicing it relaxing. :)
 
Frisky Feline said:
Gotcha, i m sorry but you are right. Keep going on. However i hope you continue to see better doctors for getting better result or something. I dont think it isnt related with mulitple sceleros aka MS. My sister has MS. I agree about swimming is the best workout with less impact. anyway, Welcome. ASL is the best medicine. LOL
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Our friend Nan has MCT. I think it's more related to Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
 
Yes, it is similar to lupus.. it's kind of it's little bitty baby sister. It's not nearly as severe but is also in the noncontagious autoimmune disease family. :)
Arthritis is related to both illnesses as well. :(
 
hello, GammaRae.

I was also speech delayed and in special education for speech and language. Born very premature and in NICU for quite a while and doctors told my mom I had bones missing in my inner ear.

When I was in high school I went to arts-oriented high school and I remember there was a student there who happened to have severe RA and she was out of school a lot. She was one of the top visual artists in the school.

It seems that the AI things like Lupus and RA and Fibro and so on are becoming more common - or do you think it's because there is just more awareness so they are being diagnosed more?
 
dogmom, I'm not sure how I feel about Fibro to be honest a lot of doctors have the opinion that their pain is pschologically related. I think with MCTD there's more awareness and tests, for example high antinuclear antibodies indicate lupus or MCTD, the symptoms dictate which. If the organs are severely weak or becoming damaged or a butterfly rash or the face that'd most likely be lupus. Mctd doesn't have such severe symptoms, as I've said I can live with it mostly without many problems regularly. People I've known to have lupus seem to always be in and out of the hospital with something extreme going on. My opinion on Firbro is unclear because my psychologist said he did not believe in it as did my internal medicine doctor, but they prescribe nuerontin or smething similar because it can help with pain and also psychological issues like anxiety and depression. I've known two people that were diagnosed and treated for Fribro. One is a 22 year old girl whom has attempted suicide multiple times and is diagnosed bipolar with psychotic episodes. The other is a woman in her late 40s who went through a nasty divorce a few years before and has been in treatment for severe depression ever since. I honestly don't know, I'm not a doctor Fibro could be very legitimate and I'd hate to offend anyone here who might be suffering from it, this was just my experience with it.

Also btw I was born 2 weeks late my mother was 16 and in labor for 30 hours before they did an emergency c-section as I was "stuck" and not getting enough oxygen. I didn't require special education in school I started talking at 2 1/2 maybe almost 3 but when I did I caught up quickly. I'd been "adopted" by my grandmother on my father's side and she knew much better how to care for and treat a child. I think she helped me a lot whereas my parents were a mess themselves and of no help or clue about babies and children. My father was only 17 when I was born too, so they were both clueless and quite negligent to be honest.
 
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