SCI and Body Temperature Regulation

Did you know that many quadriplegics cannot regulate their body temperature?  Not only that but their bodies do not sweat to cool down or shiver to warm up.  It can be a pain in the butt for a person just wanting to get out of the house.  For caregivers, why this happens, how to avoid hypo-  and hyperthermia is extremely important (pretty much as important as how to manage autonomic dysreflexia).  Even more important than that is how to treat someone who has become overheated or under heated.  The excerpt below from Apparelyzed explains what is know as poikilothermia, or variable body temperature.

Quality of Life & Independence

For many of us who strive every day to overcome our disabilities, seeking help seems to be the opposite of independence.  We have already lost enough of our abilities, so why would we want to give up control of basic daily activities to a helper?  It makes sense on the surface, however, this article from Craig Hospital makes a good point: when it comes to being self-sufficient, being able to everything does not mean you have to do everything. “Hang on to the activities that really matter to you, and delegate or negotiate away the ones that don’t.”

In other words, getting help with the basic daily activities such as getting dressed, fixing a meal, or keeping up with household chores should not be viewed as a cop-out. Rather, when it comes to doing what you love, ask yourself: Am I spending more time and energy on the unimportant things and less on doing what I want to do?  What is more valuable to you: being able to do live your life the way you want to or trying to do everything on your own?  When it came to being a good parent despite my disability, I had to ask my self this same question.

What Makes You Happy?

Ask anyone what their idea of happiness is and you are likely to get many different answers.  For most of us, happiness comes in the form of family or friends.  Others find happiness in the car they drive, or the world they explore. Still, for others, happiness comes in the simple pleasures- cooking, crafting, enjoying art, volunteering.  But, for some of us, these joys can seem out of reach because of a physical disability, cognitive impairment, or limiting disease or age.