Disability and Health

 First, welcome to the Living With Disabilities Advocacy Website. It's run by none other than Katrina Smith, who's a person with a learning disability. Her mission behind Living With Disabilities is to bring awareness to all people with disabilities.

Today, Living With Disabilities wants to talk about disability and health. When it comes to dealing with a disability, some people deal with other issues that stem from their disability. 

 Living With Disabilities will be sharing Katrina's story.

 At nine months old, Katrina Smith developed a disability because of an automobile accident. She had surgery to get a shunt placed because of a brain injury. and has a learning disability because of the brain-damaged accident that caused it. She was in a coma for six months and a semi-coma for three months. Not only does Katrina have a learning disability, But, she has hypothyroidism and osteoporosis because of the medication she takes for her thyroid issues, not to mention seizures. These are the two main medical conditions Katrina has and needs to take medication for.

At the age of twenty-two, she was diagnosed with osteoporosis. I have also taken Fosamax (Alendronate), the pill, and over-the-counter Vitamin D.

The first year on Fosamax became a scary road, that same year Fosamax made the news, a lot of patients who were on it had died. Katrina wasn't going to be another patient on the companies list. 

At the next doctor's appointment, Katrina stated her concerns and let her doctor know she did not want to take that medication. The doctor replied that I had to take something for my bones and kept pushing Fosamax.

 This doctor was all about the money that was behind this drug. They didn't even care to look up another prescription. Right then and there, I knew that was my last visit to see this doctor.

And off to see a new doctor, a doctor that cared to listen to and understand my medical needs. The doctor listened and shared that there was only another option: the pill.

They began to explain how the pill helps with bone loss. And since Katrina's osteoporosis was brought on by taking thyroid medication for long periods, Hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid.

When it comes to dealing with a disability, people who have a disability may have other health conditions that come from having a disability. Like, Katrina's Story. Katrina now does cardio, weight-bearing, and dance exercises. Plus, stay on top of taking vitamins daily. In particular, vitamin D, along with taking her thyroid medication and seizure medication, Katrina still continues to keep on moving. 

https://anchor.fm/livingwithdisabilites/episodes/Disability-and-Health-e1edb5p