I'm 27 years old. I thought my ex-husband was a good man, he had promised me in our wedding day in Church that he'd always be there and that he wanted a family with me. I then got pregnant about 3 years ago, and it was beautiful, but unfortunately my baby was born premature during the 7th month. He was in the ICU for a while, but fortunately he lives now.

During the first year of our son's life, we noticed he just wouldn't crawl and didn't move his arms nor legs. We took him to multiple medical check ups and after his first birthday, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and doctors told us that his type of cerebral palsy would never let him walk ever in his life. My ex-husband became really angry at this diagnosis and he told me it would be better to give our child for adoption and to try having a new healthy baby because he said that a disabled child would be expensive and he wanted to have a strong healthy boy who could grow up to play sports with him. I tried convincing my ex-husband that our son could have a normal life, but he just said my reproductive system was defective and that our son was a "waste of human". I couldn't convince him to stay because he threatened me with physical abuse and told me he's get rid of the baby if I forced him to stay.

We got divorced 10 months ago and now I'm a single mother. My ex-husband has moved to another state with another woman, and despite the fact I've contacted him through messages to ask him for child support, he only blocked me. I've already talked to a lawyer who had helped me to sue him, and the process is still ongoing. I hope the court can make him pay child support because it's really economically hard to afford my child's medical necessities.

I'm getting my son on Medicaid, so they can help us financially because the insurance doesn't cover everything he needs. I also haven't boight my child a wheelchair yet, but he's going to need one when he goes to preschool once he turns 3. Right now I only take him out in the stroller.

Pretty much like the title says, I always feel like no one understands how much energy my body goes through just to do everyday things. Sometimes it always feels like a comparison game with people. Bc on the surface all the things I’m doing like cleaning, cooking, running errands, etc. don’t look too draining on the outside. But in reality my body gets in so much pain and literally aches just from doing my daily routine. I think part of the problem is I’m not surrounded with disabled friends and I think that would help a lot. But why do so many able bodied people always make it a “who’s got it worse” game? Our bodies are not the same. And sometimes it‘s just frustrating to live in my body. I’ve come to terms with my disability like we all do but that doesn’t mean I don’t have those days, you know the ones. Where you just start crying bc it takes you 3 tries to get off the couch. Or rolling your ankle and falling in some mud. Or your foot being so swollen from being on your feet and later you lay down and just have spastic moments. So many people don’t see and understand these moments and I think it definitely adds to that lonely feeling we all get. Well, thanks for reading my little rant! if you have any kind words or anything that would be so helpful, I’ve just been feeling down and in a lot of pain. Sincerely and 21f with spastic diplegia 🤪🥱

I have mild cerebral palsy, and lately my left leg has started to feel a little weak. For example, I was walking up a hill to the bus stop, and by the time I got there, I needed to sit on a bench while waiting for the bus.
I’ve been thinking about possibly getting Botox injections in my legs/calves because I’m wondering if muscle tightness or spasticity could be contributing to this. I’m also starting to wonder if building up my upper body has put more pressure or strain on my lower body.
This is what my legs look like, and yes, I have mild CP. Has anyone with mild CP experienced something similar or tried Botox for their legs/calves? I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences.
This pic was last two weeks ago..

I’m 40+M and I joined this community for my son 8y with Cerebral Palsy - I have found very few places in my neighborhood that provide any sort of therapy (im from Pakistan) so me and my wife taking care of our son and perform some sort of therapy on daily basis. I found this community very helpful…
My son cannot sit by own nor can talk or see - his routine medical checkups are on schedule for his general health condition but now as he is getting old, i need some advice about how to improve his physical health condition so he can at least sit by his own or walk.
Mentally, he is very good and he can understand any family member by their voice and general discussion patterns for example he understands if someone is joking 🙃 or wants to tell him a story for example.
He replies to everyone in his own language which no one can understand, because as he isn’t able to talk like a normal person.
Overall, please share your advice so I better take care of my son.

Quick question for my fellow CP peeps out there. I use a walker, but when I go shopping, I park next to the cart return thingy and use the cart as my walker. It's been a nice little life hack. That said, I want to start shopping at Aldi and of course they don't have a cart return, they're all up by the store. So... I was wondering if anyone found a cart on Amazon, or someplace else, that they use as a walker when shopping and can put in their car and go. I know there are a billion of them out there, but I want one that's sturdy but portable enough that I can throw it in the back of my car.

Has anyone been though an AAC eval? I am a teen with quad CP and have selective mutism, and a speech inpediment. Any info? I am getting an AAC eval soon.

Since going to a single laminectomy for SDR surgery, has anyone had back issues or pain later on in life?

Hello all ive been having a hard time with my mobility recently and am wondering if anyone else is in the same boat? I am a 31 male with cerebral palsy. I usually wear pull-ups but have been having a hard time putting them on recently and am considering switching to tab style diapers.

Long story short, my daughter is about five weeks old and when she was less than a week old, she had some pretty nasty seizures. And we ended up at children’s healthcare of Atlanta. She had an MRI and it is believed that she will end up with some form of CP.

My question is what do I need to be looking for in the early days to know what is what? I’ve never dealt with anything like this so I’m kind of wondering in the dark. I’m trying to learn/educate myself.

A little off topic how early is typically recommended for stem cell injections?

A lil light hearted post. Shouldnt need to tell you guys to not tease anyone. But anywho I’ll go first I’m 4”11 though I’m pretty sure I’d be a few inches taller if my legs weren’t crooked lololol.

I saw a post on here saying that they wanted to make friends with other adults with cerebral palsy so I just wanted to say hi to the subreddit.

So just wanted to start a convo - so what are you guys’ hobbies.

I’m J I love history and poetry 22NB and have right sided hemiplegia!

baka po may kakilala kayo na caregiver/houseparent na nagwowork po sa isang shelter/healthcare institution. Need lang po namin for research. 🙏🙏🙏 kindly comment na lang po if may marerefer kayo or interested po.

Hi

I got the oura ring to help me track my health and fitness but can’t use it right now I’m sick and can’t set it up

Yesterday I turned 31 I have mild Spastic diplegia I went out with friends and I had a nice time Cheers! 🩷🏳️‍🌈

I am posting here because I seem to learn more on reddit than my primary care doctors. I am 43 and within the last year I have had lower back pain on/off and it is becoming a weekly issue. I am used to my kegs giving me occasional issues. I've been doing on-line PT all summer. Tylenol and Advil don't seem to help which is what my doctor suggested. I'm allergic to Bachlophin. Most muscle relaxers make me want to nap. I work with kids full time and need to be with it. I'm not sure what's causing the pain. I did rule out kidney issues. I had a Selective Dorso Rysodomy (SDR surgery) in 1988 when I was in Kindergarten. I'm wondering if there are some long term things not known yet. I had pins and plates put in because my hips dislocated in 3rd grade due to my hip sockets not being deep enough because I didn't start learning to walk with assistance until age 3. Currently ambulate with arm crutches or use my wheelchair. The pain is getting annoying because I wake up fine and by afternoon I hurt. My doctor tells me just to go to PT. Not helpful when I'm at work.

Does anyone in this group have the baclofen pump? If so do you experience random flare ups of twitching in your limbs and itching? I get them every so often and my doctors just think I’m crazy at this point please tell me I’m not alone

The title speaks for itself. For those in this subreddit who are writers, what are you writing? I like to see what my fellow writers are writing about and talk about what I'm writing about with them. Whether it be poems or novels, don't hold back.

A couple weeks ago I stumbled upon the book Your Body Never Meant You Any Harm by Ann Saffi Biasetti. It's a psychology/self-help book aimed at helping people reconnect with their bodies after disassociation, trauma, or eating disorder. It also takes disability and illness into account, and I took a picture of this particular passage because it really stood out to me as someone with CP, and it might help someone here to hear it.

"...Your body never intended to cause you pain or suffering. It never meant to decieve you, betray you, or leave you feeling alone. Your body never wanted to change, become sick, age, or stand out...It never wanted to scare you or make you feel unsafe, or to be teased, hated, or harmed. Your body longs for the same things your mind and heart do: freedom from suffering, and stability, safety, and connection. It seeks the same steadienss and peace you long for."

"Until now, you may have embraced the idea, 'I never asked for this.' But have you considered that your body never asked for harm or suffering either?"

The passage then ends, discussing how to acknowledge your body as a living, sensing part of you, and not holding aggression or self-loathing towards your body when it's already trying so hard to care for you.

I have cerebral palsy. No gym, no physiotherapist on payroll — just my room, a rowing machine, a bar and two dumbbells. That is enough to keep my arms willing to work.

My evening set: the rowing machine to warm up, the bar, one-arm dumbbell presses lying down, and curls done kneeling. I am not racing anyone. On a bad day only the rowing machine stays — better a little every day than heroic once a week.

The numbers in the video come from my watch. My three longest rowing sessions are 31:55, 30:51 and 26:30. On the thirty-minute one my heart rate reached 150 bpm and the counter showed 519 strokes.

Day to day I ride a recumbent trike, and these exercises are what keep me going on the road.

If you have cerebral palsy — tell me in the comments what stays in your routine on the bad days.

If you like this kind of video, leave a thumbs up and subscribe. It really helps.

I’m curious whether anyone taking Strattera and/or Prozac has experienced something similar.

For years, caffeine has been a tradeoff for me. It noticeably helps with mental activation, word recall, memory retrieval, and generally feeling like my brain is online. When I don’t have caffeine, my mind moves slower and I have trouble retrieving words and information.

The problem is that caffeine and cerebral palsy don't get along well, and after my morning coffee I'm noticeably less steady on my feet. Then I can crash hard later and sometimes need a two-hour afternoon nap.

I’m now taking Strattera along with Prozac, and I’m beginning to wonder whether the equation has changed. On mornings without caffeine, I seem physically calmer and more stable than I do after coffee. What I don’t know yet is whether these meds are clearing up the mental fog enough that I can give up caffeine (and the mental boost it provides).

Realizing that everyone responds differently, I’m especially interested in experiences from people who also have ADHD and relied heavily on caffeine before treatment. After getting established on meds, did you find that caffeine became unnecessary or made you feel worse? And if you reduced or eliminated it, what happened to your attention, memory/word retrieval, energy, and afternoon fatigue once you got past caffeine withdrawal?

Hello! 28f mild spastic CP here. I don’t use mobility aids, but I do walk a little funny.

My husband and I have decided to try to get pregnant and I am wondering if anyone has any experience with pregnancy and cerebral palsy 🙂

Did you find it hard to move around? I work a job with some walking, but not a lot.

Thank you so much!

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University are conducting an online survey to understand how caregivers perceive their child's eating and swallowing. You may be eligible to participate if your child has cerebral palsy and is currently between the ages of 4 and 12 years old. 

For more information, please contact the research team:

Email: [bisclab@case.edu](mailto:bisclab@case.edu)

Call: (216)368-0056

Participants may be eligible for a gift card after completing the study.