My looks do not define me-Part Two

Welcome to part 2 of this series, today I'm going to talk about TV series that I like.

Might as well start off with the most ridiculous one-Dragonball Z, not sure if many people got my its over 500 reference but that's where its from. Dragonball Z is based on a manga series and is the sequel to Dragonball. In Dragonball Z we follow the story of Goku, who is now grown up, married and has a kid (he is a kid in Dragonball) and his friends on their adventures and battles and their quests to collect the magical Dragonballs which when collected allow them to make a wish. Some people will probably love the show and others think it is ridiculous nonsense but the main draw for me are probably the brilliant fights. I think it is awesome and I would still go back and watch episodes from time to time.

LOST is another ridiculous show but in a totally awesome addictive way. To give anything away would just be wrong but lets just say that these plane crash survivors have a lot more to worry about than just surviving. It spans 6 seasons and whilst it turns get ridiculous and confusing at times it is still far better than most TV shows, great acting, great story and great music. I highly recommend it.

Dexter, now this is definitely more for adults. It is based on the series of books by Jeff Lindsay but the TV show follows a different storyline to that of the books. It follows Dexter Morgan who by day works as a blood splatter analyst at Miami Metro Police Department but at night he is a serial killer. The unique thing is that Dexter does not just kill anyone instead he only kills those people who he thinks deserve it for example murderers and rapists who have escaped the law. It deals with how Dexter deals with his double life and you actually find yourself cheering for him and laughing when he gets into awkward situations.

Doctor Who, I never watched the old series but I understand it is quite different than those from after the revival. It tells the story of the man known as the Doctor (who is actually an alien) as he travels through time usually with one or more human companions having adventures. One unique thing about the Doctor is that he can regenerate which means he can change his body and his personality which is why 11 actors have been able to play him so far. I would recommend that you start from the beginning of the revival but it is not necessary to be able to follow whats going on but I would recommend that you at least start from the beginning of season 5 as with Matt Smith as the Doctor and Steven Moffat as head writer the storyline has been overarching over 2 seasons and into next season as well.

Smallville, I used to snigger at the adverts for this but I later got into it and I have now watched all 10 series of it. It follows the story of a young Clark Kent starting with the day he came to Earth and then skipping forward to his time at high school. We see how he deals with controlling his powers whilst developing new ones, his attempts to play football against his father's wishes, his crush on Lana Lang and his new friendship with Lex Luthor. Of course not all 10 series are set during his time at high school and as it progresses we start to see who he will become. As much I like this show I would say at 10 seasons it is rather long it also has a limited budget which means it does not fulfil its potential at times and some of the special effects/cgi are rather lacking on the positive side it features some great acting (Michael Rosenbaum is in my opinion a far better Lex Luthor than Kevin Spacey and Gene Hackman), great banter between characters and a good few funny moments as well.

Has the best theme song ever as well



This is obviously not the full list of shows that I like but its a good sample.

Thanks for reading!

A quick update

Sorry for lack of updates, they weren't kidding when they said level 2 at university was a step up.

For those wondering my lower eye lashes have grown back which is rather annoying but I will not be trying the laser treatment again no matter what.

Also found out about a new hearing aid that operates similarly to the BAHA but works through magnets which means that you don't have the implant sticking out which means no maintenance, no bald spot and it heals quicker than the BAHA site, http://sophono.com/products/, will definitely be keeping an eye on this but apparently its processor is not as strong as others and so it will not work for some people.

And finally, reached 600 views recently, thanks again for all the support and positive feedback!

Hearing aids

I thought I might as well post about hearing aids since as far as I know anyone affected with TCS will have hearing loss. I am old school in that I haven't upgraded to a digital aid but like with what happened with my radio mic system I will be forced to upgrade if it breaks as the parts aren't available any more.

There are several different types of hearing aids:
Behind the ear hearing aids-what most people use especially older people with hearing loss, not really suitable for people with TCS who don't have proper ears.
Bone conducting-this is what I have, it consists of two pieces on connected by a wire, it is mostly used on a removable metal band which is placed on the head with each piece on either side of the head but I find a fabric band to be much more comfortable.
Bone anchored hearing aid (or BAHA as it is more commonly known)-for this you have to get a screw implanted in the side of your head, once healed you can then attach the small hearing aid.

I have not included cochlear implant as apparently it is not considered a proper hearing aid.

Recently it seems every doctor I meet asks have I considered a BAHA and to be honest whilst I've thought about it I'm just not fussed on the idea of having a screw on the side of my head which requires surgery and which could possibly but not very likely be knocked out along with a bit of skull (I had asked a doctor about whether or not it could be knocked out and he said very rarely but told me of an instance where a mother had hers knocked out by her child's shoe...) The line I always seem to use is "what if something better comes along in the next few years that doesn't require surgery" but I may be kidding myself. The fact is I've heard a lot of positive things about the BAHA and also that it is a lot better than the bone conducting but for now I think I'll stick with the one I have at the moment as I've managed pretty well with it up to now.

Its over 500!

Over 500 views, have to say I'm thrilled with how successful this blog has been. I have had nothing but positive feedback and I hope to repay this by continuing to write as much as possible. Unfortunately since I'm back at uni it may be that I do not update as regularly but I will try and make each post as informative and interesting as possible.

Thanks for the support.

Technology

Isn't it great? Well the answer is yes most of the time but if you depend on it and it does not work then it is a real pain in the rear. Because I am partially deaf I have to use a hearing aid so I am dependent on it, so there is always the worry of the battery dying when I'm out and about, it is rather surreal when you are walking along and suddenly its like someone is turning the volume down slowly. Its  even more worrying if you realise that you have forgotten to change it and then you hope that it will hold out until you can change it.

What's more annoying than the very occasional dead battery is the constant need to improve things. I use a radio mic system in order to hear the lecturer more clearly and have used the same one from primary school to high school. But last year I was told that if the university was going to supply a system it would have to be an upgrade as the one I had wasn't being made any more and if it broke the parts to fix it would not be available. What a lot of hassle it turned out to be, needed a new receiver, couldn't figure out how to work it properly, it wouldn't work etc. etc. So last year at uni I had just used my old system as it was a lot easier to use and it actually worked but of course the night before I go back to uni I check that its working only to find out that the mic cable has split open...Thankfully between today and yesterday it has decided that the new system will work but we shall see.

Lets compare the two systems shall we:
Old system:

• On/off switch
• Low battery indicator
• Requires one AA battery usually lasts more than a week
• Small and light, clip is built in
• Mic cable is removable, just need to remove it and plug in audio cable for music

New system:

• On/off switch
• Mic mute button
• Synch function
• Monitor function
• Menus with settings
• 3 level battery indicator
• Requires to be plugged in to charge
• Clip is removable but is very bulky
• Mic is much larger, removable but only with a lot more effort
• Has settings for audio devices which include general and ipod nano...and both don't seem to work properly with my mp3 player

Yes the new system has more features and is apparently an improvement, I just can't understand why people should be forced to upgrade when the old system works so well and they are used to it.

My looks do not define me-Part One

One problem that people with a facial disfigurement/disability etc. have is that people sometimes don't seem to understand that apart from that one thing that makes them stand out they are in fact no different from anyone else.

This is what this series of posts is about, I will post between regular posts every once in a while about something not related to TCS.

So after stating my deep appreciation to be able to listen to music I might as well talk about the bands/artists that I like.

My top 5 bands at this current time would have to be:

1. Radiohead-such an amazing and versatile band, top of my list even though their first album isn't that great and their most recent album is hard to get into.
2. Muse-I hate it when people say they are a Radiohead tribute act when they sound nothing like them. Three amazing musicians who know how to put on a show and write some cracking tunes.
3. Foo fighters-have to say I'm not a fan of some of their songs but they have such a list of hits that it doesn't matter. A truly modern rock band with a great sense of humour (see their videos for learn to fly, a long road to ruin etc.)
4. Biffy Clyro-another band who really know how to rock, watched their revolutions live dvd recently and was blown away at how fantastic they were.
5. The Killers-saw them live a few years ago and they smashed it out of the park. I remember when I got my first mp3 player and Mr. Brightside, Smile like you mean it and Somebody told me were three of my most played tracks.

Favourite songs at the minute are:

• Queens of the stone age-lost art of keeping a secret
• Tired Pony-that silver necklace 
• Red hot chili peppers-raindance maggie
• Two door cinema club-come back home
• Snow Patrol-called out in the dark

Also saw this the other day, not that fussed on the screaming/yelling but that chorus has been stuck in my head since I first heard it:

Treacher Collins Syndrome in the media

Thought I might as well talk about TCS in the media as TV especially has raised awareness of TCS through various programmes.

I might as well start with the man himself Jono Lancaster who has been in several different programmes, interviews and magazine articles.I am not going to repeat his story in its whole but the basics are that he was given up for adoption just 36 hours after being born because his parents couldn't or wouldn't cope with his condition. He was adopted but has had to deal with bullies up to this very day.

The first documentary he was involved in is called Love Me Love My Face, this is a documentary about his life and his quest to find his birth parents. And the second one he is featured in is called What if my baby is born like me, this talks about the decisions that he and his girlfriend Laura will have to make in terms of whether or not they should have a child and what options are available to them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00w4gkv-love me love my face
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010n37y-so what if my baby is born like me

Andy Tedder featured in an episode of the channel 4 series beauty and the beast-ugly face of prejudice. In this series people with facial disfigurements are brought together with people obsessed with their looks. Beauty queen Elicia is shocked by his looks and when she finds out he has not been in a relationship she asks him if he would ever consider a prostitute...this is made even more awkward by the fact that Andy is a firm believer in Christianity. But in the end I think the experience actually helps her and she may in fact spend a bit less time focusing on her looks.

Here is the link, as far as I'm aware you can still watch it:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/beauty-the-beast-ugly-face-of-prejudice/episode-guide/series-1/episode-3

Another documentry is born without a face which is the story of Juliana Wetmore who was born with a very severe form of TCS. It follows her and her parents and talks about the various surgeries she has had to undergo.

http://www.julianawetmore.net/story.php-her story on the website her parents and her nurse post updates on. (note of warning the pictures are pretty shocking if you haven't see her before)

TCS was also featured on:

Nip tuck in the episode "Blue Mondae" in which one of the plastic surgeons comes across a guy with TCS working in a coffee shop and for his own selfish reasons he offers to "fix" him for free, the surgery doesn't miraculously fix him and he then decides that it was a mistake and doesn't want to go through the pain and embarrassment of further treatment not the most uplifting piece of TV.

Also Greys Anatomy in "Start me up" in which their patient Sarah had TCS (although in my opinion not proper TCS as she was only missing cheekbones) she wanted surgery in order to be able to play sports without fear of getting injured through her lack of cheekbones.