Disabled?

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docturtle91b

Gambusia
MFK Member
Nov 4, 2011
339
9
18
leland nc swampsylvania
Hey I was wondering if anyone else on MFK is disabled and how your disability affects your fish keeping and your fish keeping affects your disability? I speak to quite a few other disabled people (usually at the VA) and most of them have some form of pet, plant, or something that they take care of.

I have ptsd/tbi/hearing loss in one ear and my fish are an awesome way to de-stress especially when I go into the fish room the noise of the running water drowns (pun intended) out the outside world. Also, its nice to work with something non-canine (I have a service dog who I love but still its a nice change to watch fish). Down side is that I occasionally forget to feed, turn out lights, etc. (never long enough to cause a problem) but the upside is it adds to my daily routine which helps me to manage my day to day. :)
 
I am deaf, but not disabled. You might want to check with the others that you talk with, to see how they would interpret their differences.
 
Sorry if I struck a sensitive nerve. I didn't ask about whether or not being deaf is a disability, prawn. Nor did I say it was. Nor do I need lessons in deaf culture. I've had plenty of those. I simply stated my issues. I'm not trying to offend anyone just curious and reaching out to others in the community. I served as a combat medic in Iraq and had my brains scrambled by an IED (road side bomb) and that is disabling as is PTSD.
 
And as for speaking with others and their definition of disabled I would say that most people especially veterans like myself who have gone from operating at the top tier of their profession to being side lined by an injury would classify themselves as disabled. Here are a few examples of what I was asking about:

I have one friend who has ptsd who is into african cichilds and that is a huge source of joy for him.
Another soldier I know lost his left eye and a good portion of the maxilla on his left side and has limited vision in his right due to a mortar round. However, before he deployed he had a pet oscar. That oscar is still with him now. Just knowing that the oscar is around as well as the sound of the water is comforting to him.
Another man that I met lost both his legs to a mva. He had a koi pond put into his backyard so he can go work in that and have access to nature. He even does the planting around the pond as he can and gets help with the rest.
Those are just a few of the people that I have met who are disabled, differently abled, whatever nuanced, pc term you want that have their lives enriched via this hobby. All I was asking is if there are others in the MFK community who like me are disabled and how they gain joy and personal enrichment through this hobby.
 
Good and interesting post, I am not disabled however I have been having some health issues that have left me a little lethargic and even though its a little harder to do maintenance Ive never enjoyed this hobby more now that I dont have a ton of energery and dont sleep well I get a lot of time in front on my tanks. Much better than tv and I never get bored.
 
You should pitch this to TFH or one of the aquarium mags it could be an interesting and uplifting piece.
 
If you go to Arapaimag's 50,000 gallon setup in the articles section, you will see how he's built it to allow him to feed his fish in his wheelchair.
 
I know all about not sleeping well, brother. I used a blue compact florescent light bulb in a clamp lamp over the outlet for my knifefish's filter. The result is fish behaving as if the lights were off but I can still watch them and the entire reptile/fish room is covered in blue rippling light. It really helps to mellow me out and help me sleep when I watch the fish especially with that light on.
TheTankMates said:
Good and interesting post, I am not disabled however I have been having some health issues that have left me a little lethargic and even though its a little harder to do maintenance Ive never enjoyed this hobby more now that I dont have a ton of energery and dont sleep well I get a lot of time in front on my tanks. Much better than tv and I never get bored.
Click to expand...
 
I used to be partially disabled because of Lupus complications and kidney failure but it's been 2 years since my transplant and have never felt better. But while I was sick I couldn't go out in the sun for more than 20 minutes at a time so it put a damper on doing just about anything.
 
Congrats on the transplant! That is awesome that you are doing better.
 
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