Post by kerig3 on May 27, 2008 20:01:29 GMT -5
My name is Kerig (pronounced Care-ig) and I have a recent interest in Ball Pythons. As a kid I always loved and kept reptiles as pets, my last being a Boa named Spot. But for almost 30 years afterwards I was away from the hobby. As my own children grew they established their own affection for reptiles and amphibians and our home was once again filled with all sorts of herps as pets.
Five years ago I developed a nervous system disease which took over 2 years and 11 doctors to finally give me a diagnosis; CRPS or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This disease eventually worsened making it difficult, and at times impossible, to walk without pain to my feet and ankles. The pain is always there, whether I'm on my feet or not, and I can only liken it to the acute electrical pain that one experiences when they they try to stand on a foot that is asleep...yet my pain doesn't go away, ever. Walking intensifies the pain to make me feel as if I'm walking on glass, and even sitting for long periods of time will heighten the pain I experience. It's a conundrum of a disease!
Three years ago I had a modern, high-tech medicinal pump implanted in my abdomen which supplies medicine directly to my spinal column. This allows me to function better, somewhat reducing my pain intensity levels, but is not a cure by any means. Being part robot isn't as glamorous as it would seem!
The last 2 years of my life have been a heck of a roller coaster ride; I lost my job as a web designer for a magazine publisher, and finding a new job in my physical condition was all but impossible. So in 2007 I applied for Social Security disability, which was something that both my wife and pain-management doctor encouraged that I do well before I lost my job. But being a male and sole bread-winner in the household I felt that I would be less of a man to file for disability...I was conditioned by society to take whatever was thrown at me, even at the expense of my own health and well-being.
So here I am at 46 years old with lots of time on my hands, although not the mental and physical ability to make normal use of it. That's where my love for reptiles, and especially snakes, comes in!
Last December I found myself taking my kids to a local reptile swap, and it was there that I was first introduced to Ball Pythons. This swap opened my eyes to these wonderful pets, their ease of care, small size, and gentle manner. After the swap I went home and did my homework on the web and read as much as I could absorb about Balls and their care, and decided to buy one for myself as a pet, only after getting permission from my wife, of course. But she had no problem with it! In fact she encouraged me to get one since she thought it may be good therapy for me and my chronic pain.
After I set up a proper cage, and with all this new knowledge in my head, I returned to the swap a few weeks later to find myself a new pet! Sure, if my budget was ample I could have gotten any number of beautiful morphs that were available, but I had a limit and was more concerned about finding a healthy Ball with personality (yes, I believe each snake does have an individual personality). When I found Monty I just knew he was the right pet, as did my 11 year-old son. Monty had that nice, thick shape, nice coloring (for a normal), and he seemed gentle but curious and didn't shy away from being held. Just what I was looking for!
I have since added 2 more normal Ball females to my collection. I hope to eventually grow my hobby further, and possibly give a try at breeding them. But I'm still learning the hobby and will continue to learn through online networking, along with attending expos and swaps.
And the best part of this hobby (for me at least) is that it's helped me tremendously, both physically and mentally, to better cope with my disease and its associated pain. Holding and caring for my new pets calms me, calms my nerves, thus relaxing my pain!
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me and I'll try my best to visit often!
-Kerig
Five years ago I developed a nervous system disease which took over 2 years and 11 doctors to finally give me a diagnosis; CRPS or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This disease eventually worsened making it difficult, and at times impossible, to walk without pain to my feet and ankles. The pain is always there, whether I'm on my feet or not, and I can only liken it to the acute electrical pain that one experiences when they they try to stand on a foot that is asleep...yet my pain doesn't go away, ever. Walking intensifies the pain to make me feel as if I'm walking on glass, and even sitting for long periods of time will heighten the pain I experience. It's a conundrum of a disease!
Three years ago I had a modern, high-tech medicinal pump implanted in my abdomen which supplies medicine directly to my spinal column. This allows me to function better, somewhat reducing my pain intensity levels, but is not a cure by any means. Being part robot isn't as glamorous as it would seem!
The last 2 years of my life have been a heck of a roller coaster ride; I lost my job as a web designer for a magazine publisher, and finding a new job in my physical condition was all but impossible. So in 2007 I applied for Social Security disability, which was something that both my wife and pain-management doctor encouraged that I do well before I lost my job. But being a male and sole bread-winner in the household I felt that I would be less of a man to file for disability...I was conditioned by society to take whatever was thrown at me, even at the expense of my own health and well-being.
So here I am at 46 years old with lots of time on my hands, although not the mental and physical ability to make normal use of it. That's where my love for reptiles, and especially snakes, comes in!
Last December I found myself taking my kids to a local reptile swap, and it was there that I was first introduced to Ball Pythons. This swap opened my eyes to these wonderful pets, their ease of care, small size, and gentle manner. After the swap I went home and did my homework on the web and read as much as I could absorb about Balls and their care, and decided to buy one for myself as a pet, only after getting permission from my wife, of course. But she had no problem with it! In fact she encouraged me to get one since she thought it may be good therapy for me and my chronic pain.
After I set up a proper cage, and with all this new knowledge in my head, I returned to the swap a few weeks later to find myself a new pet! Sure, if my budget was ample I could have gotten any number of beautiful morphs that were available, but I had a limit and was more concerned about finding a healthy Ball with personality (yes, I believe each snake does have an individual personality). When I found Monty I just knew he was the right pet, as did my 11 year-old son. Monty had that nice, thick shape, nice coloring (for a normal), and he seemed gentle but curious and didn't shy away from being held. Just what I was looking for!
I have since added 2 more normal Ball females to my collection. I hope to eventually grow my hobby further, and possibly give a try at breeding them. But I'm still learning the hobby and will continue to learn through online networking, along with attending expos and swaps.
And the best part of this hobby (for me at least) is that it's helped me tremendously, both physically and mentally, to better cope with my disease and its associated pain. Holding and caring for my new pets calms me, calms my nerves, thus relaxing my pain!
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me and I'll try my best to visit often!
-Kerig
