Spoon Theory, Spoonie, Spooning: . Spoon Theory... - NRAS

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Spoon Theory, Spoonie, Spooning

Kai-- profile image
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Spoon Theory, Spoonie, Spooning

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"Spoon Theory" from Christine Miserandino:

To share with loved ones (or anyone) trying to understand the depth of exhaustion, fatigue, lack of energy that accompanies chronic illness/ autoimmune conditions.

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Christine Miserandino (CM) reads her "Spoon Theory":

m.youtube.com/watch?v=jn5IB...

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Kai-- Profile: healthunlocked.com/user/kai... [Click on blue "Read more" text (at top of page) to read full profile.]

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Kai--
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Kai-- profile image
Kai--

"Spoon Theory" brief explanation ( en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spo... ):

"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 an intangible unit of measurement used to track how much energy a person has throughout a given day. Each activity requires a given number of spoons, which will only be replaced as the person "recharges" through rest. A person who runs out of spoons has no choice but to rest until their spoons are replenished.

One of the tenets of the spoon theory is that many people with disabilities or chronic illness must carefully plan their daily activities to conserve their spoons, while most people without any disabilities or chronic illnesses do not need to worry about running out.[1] Because healthy people do not feel the impact of spending spoons for mundane tasks such as bathing and getting dressed, they may not realize the amount of energy expended by chronically ill or disabled people to get through the day.[2]

Spoons are widely discussed within autoimmune, disability, and other chronic illness communities,[3][4] but the concept of spoons is otherwise considered a neologism. The term Spoonie is sometimes used to refer to a person with a chronic illness that can be explained with the spoon theory.[2]"

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Kai-- profile image
Kai-- in reply to Kai--

Supplemental info on Christine Miserandino's (CM's) "Spoon Theory":

🎀 CM's full, written "Spoon Theory" from ButYouDontLookSick website: butyoudontlooksick.com/arti...

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🎀 CM's videos:

butyoudontlooksick.com/cate...

m.youtube.com/channel/UCbbM...

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🎀 CM's Pictarams:

pictaram.com/media/10185134...

pictaram.com/user/butyoudon...

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🎀 "Spoon Theory" search results in:

• HU forums: healthunlocked.com/search/s...

• Google: google.ca/search?as_q=&as_e...

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bradfordjoanna profile image
bradfordjoanna

Thank you

Kai-- profile image
Kai-- in reply to bradfordjoanna

Very welcome, bradfordjoanna. 🙏 ☺️

Bit of fun with 'simulation suits' below if that type of thing interests you. 👍

I loved this brilliant story. It is really hard for people to understand without personal experience, but at least this gives them a baseline, huh?

BTW - Really cute picture too!

Kai-- profile image
Kai-- in reply to

Precisely, CaerylUSA! 👍

A baseline indeed. 👍

[Even as it was happening to me, I couldn't understand it, grasp it -- never mind try to explain it to anyone else -- (even nearest & dearest) who witnessed it! 😳 😬 😂 Can't imagine anyone who's never experienced, observed, or heard about it to truly grasp it.]

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They are so cute . . adorable . . . "nibble-able" -- conveniently stacked like a shish kabob 🍢 (& perhaps just as tasty 😋 😳 😆 🙃 ).

[More (delectable) cuties above under "Spooning".]

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Kai-- profile image
Kai--

Other creations (Age Simulation Suits) that attempt to convey physical impairments of 'aging', declining health -- debilitations of RA & other crippling diseases:

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Age Simulation Suit - Walking in our patients' shoes:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=32C8l...

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Age simulation suit shows healthcare professionals what it's like being old:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=vDUMI...

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Introducing The Genworth R70 Age Simulation Suit:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=nCfn9...

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Perhaps these types of ingenious contraptions give able-bodied folks a glimpse -- a tiny taste -- of disability. 😳 😱 🙃

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Fortunately, no one's required to sleep in these simulation suits -- thereby missing the more unrelenting, 'round-the-clock' experience. 😳 🙃

Could you imagine that?! 😂

Perhaps too (cruel? inhumane?) heavy a dose of reality⁉️ 😳 😱 😂

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Also, these suits don't appear to (yet) be able to 'simulate' chronic fatigue (which CM's 'Spoon Theory' addresses), brain fog, nor unrelenting pain . . . 😳 😱 😂

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Perhaps additional implements may help convey a more full experience:

🔪 🔨 🗜 ⛏ 📌 ⚒ 🔥 ❄️ 💥

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😂 😂 😂

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[Sorry, sorry . . . odd sense of humour . . . 😳 🙃 😂 ]

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Oh, just noticed acronym for Age Simulation Suit is: 🌙🌙

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😳 😄 🙃

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Hmm . . . What about renaming to Age-Related Simulation Endevour . . . 🤔

(Hmm . . . guess that doesn't quite work either . . . 😉 )

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in reply to Kai--

Ha ha ha - I dunno - I really like the other implements!

Kai-- profile image
Kai-- in reply to

Don't know of this would be taking it too far:

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💣💥 . . . 💥🔫 . . . 🚬 ☠ . . . 🍸🍾

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(Perhaps a bit heavy handed. 😳 🙃 😁 )

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🙈 🙉 🙊

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😂 🐒

Kai-- profile image
Kai--

Established that number of spoons identifies amount of energy: thumbpress.com/wp-content/u...

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Wonder if size of spoon affects level of energy? 🤔

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Cereal spoon: previews.123rf.com/images/k...

Soup spoon: erstarnews.com/wp-content/u...

Wonton spoon: 3.bp.blogspot.com/-5N1_fVda...

Fruit spoon: andoutcomethetimberwolves.f...

Meat spoon: 3.bp.blogspot.com/_f02pKKs1...

Kibble spoon: 3.bp.blogspot.com/_f02pKKs1...

All-purpose spoon: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...

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For a 'burst of energy'? sarahsnotebook.co.uk/wp-con...

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Kai-- profile image
Kai--

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Fatigue/ Exhaustion, Inflammation, “Spoon Theory" 🥄

(simple layman’s thoughts/ understanding)

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[Originally posted at: healthunlocked.com/nras/pos... ]

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Exactly!

It’s ‘battling disease’, manwithnoname, precisely as Gnarli noted.

It’s a 24/7 battle that quietly ‘rages on’ that all our bodily energy expends ‘fighting’ ⚔️ 🤺 the war around the clock 🕐🕕🕚 , day 📅 after day 📆 after day 🗓 . . .

Your body is rightfully exhausted 😴 💤 from wrestling 🤼‍♀️ a never-ending battle each & every day.

[Maybe think of it as something like you’re body is running a marathon every day? 🏃‍♂️ . . .🏃‍♂️ . . .🏃‍♂️ Your body’s tired, exhausted, run-down from running it’s ‘daily marathon’. It needs a lot of sleep/ rest 🛌 to recuperate.]

Until disease/ inflammation 🔥 (the daily marathon) subsides — becomes ‘well managed’ — exhaustion will remain ‘the norm’.

Wishing you well working with your medics to find ways to improve disease management, manwithnoname. 😌 🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞

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Aside: If you’re interested in a bit more about deep, restorative sleep 🛌 , Gnarli & manwithnoname, sleep scientist 👨‍🔬 Matthew Walker’s work might be of interest ( healthunlocked.com/cure-art... ) — provided it doesn’t put you to sleep 😴 💤 . . . . ☺️

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[Originally posted at: healthunlocked.com/nras/pos... ]

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Bingo, Dunk! 👍👍 Don’t know if you’ve already heard of Dr. Brooke Goldner 👩🏻‍⚕️ ( healthunlocked.com/cure-art... ), but her work with Lupus & Autoimmune illness might interest you? 🤔

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Ditto, YanniBaci/ ‘Deb from Australia’ 🇦🇺 . ☺️ 👍

If such things interest you, kindly pop over & have a look-see 👀 .

While disease is ‘active’, your body is busy at work — around the clock 🕐 🕕 🕙 (24/7) — "fighting" 😖🥊🥊 the disease.

In other words (in perhaps over simple terms), your body’s in ‘overdrive’ wrestling 🤼‍♀️ with inflammation 🔥, so you’re going to be thoroughly, utterly exhausted. 🤤

(It’s not ‘lack of willpower’ or ‘laziness’ or whatever ‘label’ uninformed onlookers may mistakenly slap on to the debilitating exhaustion. 😵 )

It’s your body relentlessly, tirelessly, heroically, fighting 👊👊 a mighty foe 🐉 — keeping you alive. 🤯

So, until that inflammation/ disease dissipates/ subdues, you’ll likely continue to be chronically exhausted/ fatigued. 😴 🤤 😵

Please 🙏 , kindly try to take as a good a care of yourself as you possibly can, YanniBaci/ Deb, to subdue ‘the beast’ 🐲🐉 .

Wishing you both, Dunk & Deb, the very best. 😌 🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞

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[Oh . . . if this helps at all in grasping the nature/ depth of the fatigue/ exhaustion, “The Spoon Theory" 🥄 ( healthunlocked.com/nras/pos... ) sometimes does the trick 🤹‍♀️ .]

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[Originally posted at: healthunlocked.com/nras/pos... ]

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If this ( healthunlocked.com/nras/pos... , healthunlocked.com/nras/pos... ) helps put anything into perspective/ context, Nettac? 🤔

(Merely my simple (simplistic?) understanding of exhaustion/ fatigue? 🤷‍♀️ )

Don’t think trying to do ‘more’ exercise is going to do anything towards increasing energy 🔋⚡️⚡️ — decreasing exhaustion 🤤 😴 . In fact, quite the opposite. 😳

Sounds like your body is already busily expending all its energy ⚡️⚡️ fighting/ battling inflammation around the clock (thus the fatigue/ exhaustion) & is desperately seeking respite — restorative rest, recuperation. (Merely my layman’s opinion. 🤷‍♂️ )

Maybe ‘disease activity’ is busy percolating (using up your precious energy ⚡️⚡️ ) & needs to be better managed/ controlled by whatever means works well for you? 🤔

Hoping you find the deep, restorative energy soon, Nettac. 😌 🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞

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__ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __

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Fully, understood. 😌 🙏 Snail-paced 🐌 walk where a turtle 🐢 could easily outrun us. 😯

[Similarly, had near bed-bound periods of utter, relentless exhaustion 🤤 😴 😵. Could barely manage ‘essentials’: toilet 🚽 , feeding 🥣 , ‘resting’ 🛌 . Forget bathing 🛀 ! 😳 (That had to be ‘worked up to’. 😳 Pee yew 🙊 . Could scrape ‘the stink’ 🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️ off!) 🤯 😆 . ]

Vitamin D 💊 (physician testing/ prescribing high-loading dose followed by lower maintenance dose) & anaemia of chronic illness (which tie into chronic fatigue/ exhaustion noted above) may be a points of research 🕵️‍♀️ 🔎, if interested , Nettac? 🤔

Yes indeed, gawd help those with children 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 to raise, careers (👮‍♀️👷‍♂️💂‍♀️🕵️‍♂️👩‍⚕️👨‍🌾👩‍🍳👨‍🎓👩‍🏫👨‍🏭👩‍💻👨‍💼👩‍🔧👨‍🔬👩‍🎨👨‍🚒👩‍✈️👩‍🚀👩‍⚖️🎅 ) to maintain — demanding lives 🙍‍♀️🙍‍♂️ to ‘live’ while struggling 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️ with illness 🤕 🤢 😵 .

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As far as up-keeping house chores 🏠 , why remove 'protective layer of coating' (aka ‘dust’) from furnishings? Why 'hoover free-range wildlife grazings’ (‘crumbs’ for critters) from floors/ carpets? ☺️

Easing up on ‘unrealistic expectations’ of ourselves, ‘letting go’ of less important things, & ‘asking for help’ when we need it is sometimes a mind-easing way to go? 🤔

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😌 🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞

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