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Profiadau pobl ifanc sy'n dioddef yn dawel
The experiences of young people suffering in silence.
♥♥Llyfr y mis Awst 2019 - August Book of the Month♥♥
Genre: iechyd a lles, hunan-help / health & wellbeing, self-help
Negeseuon positif/positive messages: ◉◉◉◉◉
Themau trist,anodd/upsetting,tough themes: ◉◉◉◎◎
Trais, ofn/violence, scary: ◎◎◎◎◎
Iaith gref/language: ◉◎◎◎◎
Rhyw/sex: ◎◎◎◎◎
Her darllen/reading difficulty:: ◉◉◉◉◎
Dyfarniad/verdict: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Adolygiad gan Manon Elin James
Dyma gyfrol lle y mae dwsin o bobl ifanc rhwng 10 a 26 oed yn rhannu eu profiadau o fyw â chyflyrau iechyd hir dymor, a hynny’n gwbl agored ac yn onest.
Rhoddir sylw i amrywiaeth eang o gyflyrau: iselder, gorbryder, cancr y gwaed, anhwylder gorfodaeth obsesiynol (OCD), spina bifida, clefyd y siwgr math 1, epilepsi, ulcerative colitis, clefyd stargardt, CFS/ME, acne a Myasthenia Gravis. Mae enwau rhai o’r cyflyrau yn gyffredin, ond mae’n bosib mai dyma’r tro cyntaf i nifer ohonynt gael eu trafod yn gyhoeddus yn Gymraeg.
Egyr y gyfrol â rhagair gan y golygydd, Sioned Erin Hughes, sy’n egluro mai nod y gyfrol yw rhoi “llais i’r sawl sydd wedi ofni eu geiriau eu hunain cyhyd, a hynny ar gownt y stigma”, gan ddangos hefyd nad yw bywyd pobl ifanc yn fêl i gyd.
Ceir rhestr hynod ddefnyddiol o beth y dylid, ac na ddylid, ei ddweud wrth rywun sy’n byw â salwch neu gyflwr hirdymor. Er enghraifft, gall rhywbeth mor syml â gofyn ‘Sut wyt ti’n teimlo heddiw?’ fod o gymorth mawr. Rwy’n siŵr y bydd rhestr o’r fath yn annog sgyrsiau, gan fod pobl yn fwy hyderus eu bod yn gwybod beth i’w ddweud.
Ceir strwythur a fformat gwahanol i bob pennod, gyda rhai cyfranwyr yn rhannu sut mae’r salwch wedi effeithio arnynt wrth iddynt dyfu i fyny, ac eraill yn penderfynu canolbwyntio ar gyfnod penodol. Er enghraifft, cofnod o ddiwrnod gydag OCD a gawn gan Elis Derby, sy’n dangos bod symptomau ac effaith cyflyrau o’r fath yn amrywio yn ddyddiol. Pwysleisir hyn hefyd gan Mared Jarman, a ddywed nad yw ei golwg hi’n gyson: “mae’n newid o ddydd i ddydd, o awr i awr, o ystafell i ystafell, ac o berson i berson.”
Mae’r profiadau a rennir yn y gyfrol hefyd yn llwyddo i chwalu mythau am rai o’r cyflyrau. Wrth feddwl am epilepsi, mae’n siŵr y bydd y rhan fwyaf ohonom yn meddwl yn syth am ffitiau. Ond mae darn Liwsi Mô yn ein haddysgu am fath penodol o epilepsi, sef Atypical Absence Epilepsy. Yn yr un modd, mae Elis Derby yn chwalu’r stereoteip niweidiol mai gair i ddisgrifio person taclus neu drefnus yw OCD drwy ddisgrifio’r ‘meddyliau drwg’ a gâi: “darluniau o weld aelodau o fy nheulu yn cael eu hanafu’n ddifrifol mewn damwain car.”
Yr hyn sy’n gwneud y gyfrol yn arbennig yw’r modd y plethir cyflyrau corfforol a meddyliol. Wedi’r cyfan, mae’n anodd meddwl am unrhyw salwch neu gyflwr na fyddai’n cael effaith negyddol ar sut mae rhywun yn teimlo. Sonia Lois Mererid Williams am yr unigrwydd a deimla “fod ’na neb arall yn dallt ‘go iawn’”. Cofnoda Sioned Erin Hughes hefyd fod sgileffaith cyffuriau i drin Myasthenia Gravis yn medru cynnwys mathau o iselder, gorbryder, hysteria a pharanoia.
Drwy rannu eu profiadau personol mor agored ac onest, cawn ein haddysgu am realiti byw â chyflyrau hirdymor o ddydd i ddydd. Cawn ddarlun gonest a real o’r cyflyrau, a hynny heb fod yn orddramatig. Er bod y cyfraniadau yn bwerus ac yn ddirdynnol ar adegau, mae gobaith yn amlwg ym mhob un ohonynt.
Mae’r gyfrol yn rhoi llais i’r cyfranwyr i rannu eu profiadau, a thrwy hynny addysgu’r darllenwyr am gyflyrau y mae nifer ohonynt yn ddieithr. Mi wnes i yn sicr ddysgu llawer am gyflyrau a dysgu rhywbeth gan bob un o’r cyfranwyr. Rwy’n siŵr bod darllenwyr sydd â phrofiad o’r cyflyrau hefyd yn cael budd a chysur o fedru uniaethu â’r profiadau a rennir.
Er mai cyfraniadau gan bobl ifanc a geir yma, mi fyddwn i’n annog pawb i’w ddarllen, gan fod y cyflyrau iechyd a drafodir yn medru effeithio ar unrhyw un o unrhyw oed.
Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.
Cyfranwyr: Erin Hughes - Myasthenia gravis; Iestyn Tyne - Clefyd Siwgr Teip 1; Caryl Bryn - Iselder a gorbryder; Lois Mererid - Ulcerative Colitis; Arddun Rhiannon - Iselder a gorbryder; Rhiannon Lloyd Williams - ME; Liwsi Mo - Epilepsi; George Bowen Phillips - Spina Bifida; Mared Jarman - colli golwg, clefyd Stargardst; Elis Derby - OCD, Beatrice Edwards - canser y gwaed yn 17 oed; Sioned Rowlands - Acne
Review by Manon Elin James
This is a volume in which a dozen young people between the ages of 10 and 26 share their experiences of living with long-term health conditions, quite openly and honestly.
A wide range of conditions are covered: depression, anxiety, blood cancer, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Spina bifida, type 1 diabetes, epilepsy, ulcerative colitis, Stargardt disease, CFS/ME, acne and myasthenia gravis. Some of the conditions are common, but this may be the first time that a number of them have been discussed in public in Welsh.
The volume is opened by a preface by the editor, Sioned Erin Hughes, who explains that the volume aims to give "a voice to those who have feared their own words for so long, and experienced stigma", and also shows that young people's lives are not all rosy.
There is an extremely useful list of what should and should not be said to someone living with a long-term illness or condition. For example, something as simple as asking ' how do you feel today? ' can be very helpful. I am sure that such a list will encourage conversations, as people are more confident that they know what to say.
Each chapter has a different structure and format, with some contributors sharing how the illness has affected them as they grow up, while others decide to focus on a set period. For example, a record of a day with OCD that we get from Elis Derby, which shows that the symptoms and impact of such conditions vary on a daily basis. This is also emphasised by Mared Jarman, who says that her eyesight is not consistent: "It changes from day to day, from hour to hour, from room to room, and from person to person."
The shared experiences in the volume also succeed in dispelling myths about some of the conditions. When I think of epilepsy, most of us will probably think immediately about fits. But Mô 's colourful piece teaches us about a particular type of epilepsy, Atypical Absence epilepsy. Similarly, Elis Derby breaks down the pernicious stereotype that OCD is a word to describe a tidy or organised person by describing the 'bad thoughts' that they would get: "Pictures of seeing members of my family being seriously injured in a car crash."
What makes the volume special is the way in which physical and mental conditions are interwoven. After all, it is difficult to think of any illness or condition that would not have a negative impact on how one feels. Lois Mererid Williams talks about the loneliness she feels "that no one else really understands." Sioned Erin Hughes also records that the side effects of drugs to treat myasthenia gravis can include types of depression, anxiety, hysteria and paranoia.
By sharing their personal experiences so openly and honestly, we are taught about the realities of living with long-term day-to-day conditions. We have an honest and real picture of the conditions, and that is not overly-dramatic. While the contributions are sometimes powerful and upsetting, hope is evident in all of them.
The volume gives contributors a voice to share their experiences, thereby educating the readers about conditions many of which are unfamiliar to us. I certainly learned a lot about conditions and learned something from each of the contributors. I am sure that readers who have experience of the conditions also benefit and are able to relate to the shared experiences.
Although there are contributions from young people here, I would encourage everyone to read it, because the health conditions that are discussed can affect anyone of any age.
A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Books Council of Wales.
Contibutors:
Erin Hughes - Myasthenia gravis; Iestyn Tyne - Diabetes type 1; Caryl Bryn - depression and anxiety; Lois Mererid - Ulcerative Colitis; Arddun Rhiannon - depression and anxiety; Rhiannon Lloyd Williams - ME; Liwsi Mo - Epilepsy; George Bowen Phillips - Spina Bifida; Mared Jarman - losing her sight, Stargardst syndrome; Elis Derby - OCD, Beatrice Edwards - cancer of the blood aged 17; Sioned Rowlands - Acne