The Girl With Arthritis

With all the wonders of science and technology, researchers have found a new therapy that is able to help with chronic pain, depression, and all sorts of diseases: Touch therapy. Different from massage therapy, touch therapy is simply a person touching certain points on the body to relax a person. Touch is also known to release chemicals in the brain that reduce pain and give joy. It's amazing what our bodies can do from touch, so why has it never been pleasant for me? I've had arthritis since I was extremely young. There was evidence since I began walking when I was one year old. My uncles were very... Playful. They loved to toss around their nieces and nephews but I never had much of that. I recall it being very painful, and to think that was only the beginning! I didn't like games in school very much either as they tended to involve touch that was often a slap as they ran by (I was always rubbish at running anyway). I was about eleven when my 'friends' thought ...

"If you didn’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings or being prim and proper, what would ask for or want people to know?" The one thing I would ask is for people to learn how to properly hug a chronically ill body. I've had hundreds of hugs in my life, and I can count on one hand how many were 'just right. ' There are times I really just need a hug. Unfortunately it can often be very painful: People squeeze too tight or are very distant and cold. People tend to not want to touch me because they know it hurts sometimes, and it's horrible to know people are afraid. The ideal hug would be that given by gentle arms. Even though squeezes are painful, you can certainly wrap your arms around me. Don't be afraid of me; I promise I won't break or pass on my chronic illness. I might feel awkward and stiff, but I'm not trying to be cold: It's just how my body works. And please excuse my freezing hands! After all, don't they say cold h...

Yes, I have already posted about touch before but this is quite different. Yesterday evening I was at a party and I was dancing with some friends when someone pulled out a camera. Not wanting to be in the picture, my friends began hiding behind each other or pushing one another into the lense. I don't know how I got involved but they started touching my back, trying to shove me into the lense. I snapped at them not to touch my back as it really did hurt. But they didn't stop even when I tried to get away from the group. Finally someone did it: the one touch that hurt so badly, I stormed off and sat with my head cradled in my hands with my back arched. My mum knew I was in pain and tried to calm me down, and the mother of my best friend (my friend has arthritis) looked as if she was ready to kill (not literally) my friends. Honestly, it wasn't all my friends and they didn't mean to hurt me but I have told them many a time to never, ever poke my back, grab my shoulder f...