I remember as a young girl, and even a teenager, having the phone pretty much attached to my ear all the time.  I remember being so excited when we got a cord long enough for me to bring the phone into my room.  I remember calling people, and being so frustrated at busy signals.  I don’t remember much of what I talked about for all those hours, but I liked it.

When I went to college, I went with an electronic typewriter with a 4 line display.  It was state of the art.  In my dorm there were computers in the common area and people were just beginning to really Email.  There were no cell phones.  We knocked on each other’s doors and spread word through friends when we were getting together.

It’s now been 23 years since I graduated from college.  I’m coming to understand the generations before me.  Perhaps some of the discontent with things changing was a foreboding sense of where it was leading.

I don’t go far without a cell phone in hand.  I “google” like it is my full-time job.  I’d rather text than call, and I am guilty of putting only the “perfect” images on my social media accounts.  I “keep in touch” through photos of friends children.  Some of these children are teenagers now.  Many of them I have never even met.

I wish “Happy Birthday” on Facebook after it reminds me, and rarely send a card.  I delude myself into feeling “in touch” when really we’ve lost all track of each other.

I’m watching a generation grow that thinks its acceptable to post all kinds of photos of themselves, inevitably trying to look older than they are, in a forum where nothing is truly private at all.

I’m not saying we had it all correct by any means.  I was guilty as the next of trying to impress “popular” kids, or to fit in.  There were mean kids.  There were those who isolated.  We passed notes.  But, we didn’t post our comings and goings for the world to see.  I was blissfully unaware of who went where, unless I was there.  If we took photos it was the real deal.  There were no filters.

The internet, and the social media craze that has followed is the proverbial “double-edged sword”.

Living with, and having a child with, a rare genetic disorder means I have to do most of our research here.  Most doctors lack the time, the knowledge, or the desire, to entertain my instincts.  I may not be a doctor, but I am an expert on Meghan.  I have been able to learn through trusted medical journals and intelligent internet connections, more than I would have ever been able to learn 25 or 30 years ago.

Meghan has had medical problems since day 1, and I have had the privilege of advocating for her since then.  I have “met” parents through online support groups, and have soaked up their advice like a dry sponge.  Parents go out of their way to help other parents, and it is a community like no other.  Without the internet I would have been traveling this journey largely alone.

There were multiple diagnoses before the PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome (Cowden’s Syndrome) diagnosis in 2011.  And, truth be told, I suspect there are still a few more coming our way.  During each step of the journey I have been able to connect with medical professionals and parents in ways that leave me forever grateful.

I am skilled at dealing with the insurance companies, the mail order pharmacy, and the collection agencies.  I am on-line so often, printing medical explanations of benefits, or fighting for treatment courses that I know are necessary.

I have become well versed in the laws surrounding Individualized Education Plans, (IEPs) and have secured necessary accommodations for an honor student battling PTSD largely from the fallout of a rare genetic disorder.

We fund raise for the PTEN Foundation, in hopes of one day soon allowing a patient powered registry that can lead us to treatment, and maybe even a cure.

All of this is possible through social media and the internet.

These are the same forums that allow people to think they are “in touch” without ever hearing each other speak.  These are the same forums that allow teens and adults alike to think it is ok to be insufferable or mean because they don’t have to look the other person in the eye while they do it.  It is these same forums that claim to bring us all together, that are causing what I fear is irreparable social damage.  A generation of children who aspire to impossible ideals and feel they are not good enough, are growing up.  They have the world at their fingertips.  Will they have the skills to access it through human interaction?

I don’t know what it is like to live anyone else’s life.  Maybe there are similarities, or maybe my views are odd.  I blog to give an honest account of life in this house, with these challenges, because I too have found comfort in knowing I am not alone.  At least theoretically.

I am always busy.  Sometimes I don’t choose it, and sometimes I choose it without realizing it.  I am so used to being in motion, not having a full agenda is confusing.  It is also very very rare.  My only speeds are “go” and “off”.

Chronic illness can easily run your life.  When every ounce of strength must be used to create the illusion of normalcy, there is not much time to be “normal”.  When you can not predict the health crises that exist daily, or the new ones that crop up at a moment’s notice, it is hard to make plans to do much.

We are a family of 3.  My child is an only child.  She has all the benefits, and all the downfalls of that status.  We have extended family.  I have friends.  Long time friends.  Old friends.   I know I could rely on them if it became time to wave the white flag.  But they are busy too.  And our time will come in a few short years when our children are off on their own.

My child does not have a built-in network.  My child has PTSD, and incredible anxiety.  She can sometimes have an abrasive personality.  But, she has more integrity and compassion in her than just about any other human I know.  You can’t pick any of that up off her Instagram. Or her SnapChat.  To really know her you’d have to talk to her.  The old-fashioned way.

That very network that has allowed me to learn so much, to do so much, and to help so much, has also caused harm.  For both of us.

For me, it represents the easy way out.  Aside from a few support groups, I know people will tire quickly of hearing the same story over and over. So, it is easy to click “like,” post a few comments, and have at least a visual in my head of what’s going on.  But, it also leaves me with feelings of inadequacy.  Why can’t I get us to the beach?  Why can’t I plan day trips with actual humans without fear of having to cancel?

For her, it is a constant reminder of a “normal” life that she doesn’t have.  Whether it’s pain, medical appointments, food allergies, or anxiety, there is an isolation inherent in this world of chronic illness.

She speaks of the “Sword of Damocles” with regularity.  The history channel gives this explanation History Channel- Sword of Damocles (Go ahead, and click the link. It’s a worthwhile read.)  This analogy explains a life hard to comprehend, and impossible to describe.

The internet probably saved us.  Social media brought me to some of the smartest parents, living variations of our life.

Social media altered the scope of human relations with consequences we will see for generations.

The irony of it all perhaps is that this message reaches you through the double-edged sword of the internet.

I’m interested in hearing your comments.

We remain

#beatingcowdens

With all it’s “side effects”

One day at a time…