#Low blood sugar problem or whatever it is

[amerasdreams]

~

[tj-crochets]

Hey y'all! Another weird question for you: How long do you have to fast for a blood sugar reading to count as a fasting blood sugar measurement? Also, does drinking soda (like, full sugar soda) slowly over the time before the blood test count as not-fasting? Asking because I keep testing* in the fasting blood sugar range when I am pretty sure I am not supposed to. Like, two hours after eating a meal when I've been slowly drinking soda the whole intervening time, or half an hour after drinking a whole full-sugar gatorade *with the home blood sugar test thing, not like doctor's office tests. though I test in the fasting range there too? I do know the word for the tester thing but I am brain fogged at the moment

[writinginatree]

Sugared Blood

Relationship(s): Lost boys & vampire!reader (Dwayne's pov)

Summary: Forcing you to stay home on Halloween, the boys have to get creative to keep you from sulking all night.

"Sweetie, you can't live off of candy."

You glared up at Dwayne from your place in your favorite old armchair, demonstratively shoving another piece of whatever candy your hand found first into your mouth.

He sighed. "I'm not saying you can't have candy. In fact, you can have as much as you want, as long as you promise to thoroughly brush your teeth before we sleep. But human food can't sustain you anymore. You need blood."

You just stuck your chocolate-stained tongue out at him, which earned you a laugh from Paul, who was using the distraction Dwayne provided to steal some of your candy for himself. The whole bag was stolen, anyway, since David had deemed trick-or-treating too dangerous for you.

Hunters were especially vigilant on Halloween, knowing many creatures saw it as the one day in the year they could show their true faces, and after the almost-disaster that Michael had brought on, David was refusing to take any chances. You had cried, raged, sulked, and pleaded with him, all to no avail. Maybe next year, he'd told you, but Dwayne was almost certain you would be staying home next year, too. And the year after that, and the next, and every other Halloweens that would follow. As much as he wished you could have your fun, Dwayne had to agree that safety came first, and unfortunately for you, that meant laying low when people on the street whispered about things lurking in the dark.

Despite begrudgingly accepting you had to stay home — not like you really had a choice, anyway — you were still very much unhappy with David and his overprotectiveness. All night, you'd done nothing but gorge yourself on candy and insist Dwayne read you scary stories, refusing any and all suggestions of other things to do — including drinking the bottled blood the boys kept for you.

They'd stocked up on the precious liquid a few nights ago, since Dwayne had suggested you'd feel better about having to stay home if they stayed in, too. Though everyone had agreed on the sentiment, all solidarity went out the figurative window this evening, when upon waking up, David had discovered he was out of cigarettes. The huge bag of candy he'd brought back with him to bribe you hadn't earned him your forgiveness as he'd hoped, nor did the Stephen King book covered in bloodstains which made it very clear how David had gotten it.

Dwayne held the bottle of blood out to you again, but you just pulled a face and continued eating candy.

"Come on, you've got to be hungry. Going on a hunger strike won't make David change his mind either," Dwayne tried to reason with you.

"I'm not hunger striking," you argued. "I'm just only having candy today. I don't want to drink blood all the time."

"You can't live off of candy."

"Sure I can."

"No, you can't. You're not human anymore. You're a vampire, and that means you need blood to live."

The way you drew a face, scrunching up your nose, drew you curious looks from all of them, even getting the attention of David, who'd been pointedly avoiding you all night in hopes of you forgetting about your grudge until tomorrow. But this sudden dislike for blood was more than a little peculiar. You'd never had a problem with the consumption of it, even when you'd been newly turned. Usually Dwayne or David went to feed with you alone, keeping things tamer than when they went without you, but despite your youth, it hadn't taken you long until you seemed to take as much joy in killing as the rest of them. So what was the issue now?

"What's wrong with blood?" Marko voiced the question going through all of their heads.

"Well, nothing, really..."

"But?"

"I just don't like having the same thing all the time," you whined, crossing your arms and leaning back in your seat to glare at them. "I can't stand it anymore. Can't we, like, make anything from the blood? I mean, vampires have been around for ages, and you're telling me none ever came up with some nice recipes because they got bored of having plain blood every day?"

"Y'know, I think the kid's got a point," Paul said. "We could totally come up with something more fun than boring old blood."

"Blood-candy!" you insisted, a chant Paul and Marko instantly added their voices to.

Dwayne shared a sceptical look with David. While they had added a small cooking corner in the cave since you joined them, it had turned out that despite your shared love for human food, none of you had much talent for producing anything actually edible. Trying something as complex as making your own candy — with blood as a special ingredient, no less — was bound to end in chaos. Still, if it kept you from further sulking, they'd let you try.

Not that there was any stopping the feral blonds, anyway, now that you'd put the idea into their heads. They were already on their feet, merrily letting you drag them to the cave's little kitchenette.

Dwayne and David had no choice but to follow, and try to keep the three of you from setting the whole cave on fire.

Bouncing excitedly on your feet, you threw a disarray of bowls, knifes and spoons onto the counter. "I bet we could make chocolate filled with blood!"

"Hmm, I guess," Dwayne said. "But maybe we should start with something a bit simpler, don't you think?"

"Fiiine. Then let's— Let's try making, like, a bloodshake!"

"A bloodshake?"

"Yeah. Like a milkshake, but with blood. That should be easy, right?"

"Alright, let's try," Dwayne agreed.

You clapped your hands. "Okay, what should we put in there besides the blood?"

"Milk," Paul and Marko answered as one.

"Duh. What else?"

"Cinnamon?" Dwayne offered, hoping to keep it simple.

"How about a banana to make it a bit thicker?"

"Yes to both."

"And some cocoa powder," Paul said.

You nodded. "And vanilla extract."

"Do we even have a blender?" Marko interrupted.

"Uhhh..." You scratched the back of your head, looking around. Since there was no electricity in the cave, you also didn't have any electrical kitchen equipment. "No?"

"Right, that's a no to the banana then."

"Right."

"Anything else then?" Paul asked.

Dwayne quickly shook his head, and David said, "Let's not add too much stuff, or it'll just taste like a mess."

Dwayne was half expecting you to contradict them, just to spite David, if nothing else, but apparently that grudge was now finally forgotten. You emptied a bottle of blood into a big mixing bowl, then added what Dwayne estimated to be about two cups of milk. He wanted to tell you that maybe you should measure out the ingredients to get the 'shake' to taste like you wanted, but you were already throwing in seemingly random amounts of the spices you'd agreed on.

When all ingredients were swimming in the bowl, Paul handed you a whisk, and you stirred everything together, droplets of the liquid splashing onto the counter and your arms with every circle the whisk made. Dwayne sighed internally. Cleaning up the mess would probably fall to him. Paul and you couldn't be trusted to do it properly, and David was too proud to bother with housework, which left only him or Marko, who much preferred causing chaos over eliminating it.

Once you deemed everything sufficiently mixed — minutes more than would have been necessary, if you asked Dwayne, which of course you didn't — you lifted the whisk from the bowl to lick it clean, only to have Paul snatch it away and do so instead of you.

"Hey!"

Paul only grinned and stepped out of your reach.

As David placed five mismatched glasses on the counter, Dwayne snatched the ladle to take filling the glasses upon himself before you could make an even bigger mess.

Since Paul eagerly started gulping his down as soon as he was handed it, Dwayne supposed the result had to be at least sort of edible. Then again, Paul's preferences in taste could be very questionable sometimes, so the first sip Dwayne took was small, just in case.

"Hey, that actually tastes good!"

Marko was right. The 'milkshake' was better than Dwayne had dared to hope.

"Could have used some sugar, though," you said.

David shook his head, and Dwayne found it fine as it was, too, but neither of them wanted to argue with you. They watched in silence as you dumped one spoon of sugar into your glass, then a second. After stirring and taking another sip, you added a third, and tried again.

"Ahh, perfect."

"Are you trying to fuck up your teeth?"

"My teeth are doing just fine," you argued. "They love sugar."

"Right..."

"Anyway, can we try making blood-chocolate now? And you have to tell me another scary story while we do. Please!"

Dwayne found himself unable to do anything but nod. This was going to be a long night, but as long as you were happy, that was fine.

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Psychic Self-Defense

Dion Fortune: submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the winged bull Fortune: its about a woman who falls in with an evil occult society run by this disgusting slug of a man hugo astley Aleister Crowley: haha couldn't be me Fortune: who also wears a pyramid hat Crowley: wait a minute

Fortune: now hugo Astley's occult society is irresponsible and wanton Fortune: not like mine Fortune: i like my occult societies to be socially acceptable and on the up and up Barker: this sucks Poe: clive

Fortune: see, the occult isn't about orgies and hashish Fortune: it's about morals and ethics and carnal forbearance Barker: oh my GOD Barker: i hate this SO much Crowley: hey wait a minute is that hugo Astley guy supposed to be me??

Crowley: ooo! so you think i'm real gross do you, dion? Crowley: well maybe you'll rethink what gross means Crowley: when you smell like cat piss! Crowley: I'M THE GREAT BEAST!!! DO WHAT THOU WILT!!

King: oh jeez! King: what's that awful smell? Barker: it smells like cat piss! King: Barker: Poe: Koontz: Lovecraft: why are you all looking at me?

Barker: well you do like cats soooo Lovecraft: edgar likes cats just as much! Barker: yeah but honestly Barker: you just seem like a cat piss sort of guy, howard

Dion Fortune: i'm sorry, everyone, it's me King: Poe: Koontz: Lovecraft: Barker: Poe: do you have a cat? Fortune: no it's a curse

Poe: it's a curse? Dion Fortune: yeah i got cursed to smell like cat piss Barker: damn that's real rough Barker: sounds like maybe you ought to read up on your psychic self-defense Poe: clive

Fortune: for your information Fortune: i wrote the book on psychic self-defense Barker: and yet here you are Barker: smelling of cat piss Fortune: Barker: and we're supposed to take you as an authority huh? Poe: clive

Mary Shelley: sup fuckers Shelley: what's UGHHH Shelley: the fuck is that unholy stench??? Dion Fortune: that's me Fortune: i was cursed to smell like cat piss Shelley: someone open a fucking window, jesus christ Shelley: what's wrong with you lot? Shelley: just stewing in it, ugh!

Dion Fortune: don't worry everyone Fortune: i am highly skilled in the art of psychic self-defense Fortune: using the awesome power of my mind, i will defeat this curse Shelley: [flipping switchblade] i got a better way to defeat a curse

Shelley: look dion you just tell me who did this and i'll get em to lift that curse right quick Fortune: you can't just stab away a curse! Fortune: you have to use psychic vibrations! Shelley: stabbing is way easier Shelley: way easier than Shelley: Shelley: whatever the hell you're doing

Shelley: listen dion just tell me who did this Fortune: it's a mystery, it could be any one of my many many enemies Shelley: it was Crowley Fortune: how do you figure? Shelley: it's always Crowley innit

Fortune: when investigating a psychic attack, it's important to approach the problem methodically Fortune: first eliminate non-psychic possibilities, like, say, low blood sugar Fortune: or sick building syndrome Shelley: [shivving crowley] too late, i stabbed him

[lesb0]

donut shops are great in theory but they have a temporality problem. light fried airy pastries covered in sugar are delightful... but not something anyone would want to wake their system up to. at 6am youre slightly nauseous and starving and dehydrated for 6-9 hrs, angry and cold-sweaty, in ravenous need of protein and fruit juices and fatty salts to replenish you for a 9-5 workday.

donut shops that open at 6am and close at 12pm mean well. But the prime time you crave a sweettreat is at 2pm. when your blood sugar is low and you're crashing, trying to stay awake through work with an extra strong espresso in hand. THAT is when you desire a fluffy chocolatety pick me up.

alternatively at 1am, after you accidentally ruined your sleep schedule by having a drink or studying or having sex or watching a movie or whatever so you're completely awake and aware that you've been fasting for hours. that's the perfect time to consume a sneaky nighttime pastry. But at 7am???? In the searing broad daylight?? before you do ANYTHING else? It's insane.

[bhaalsdeepbat]

Astarion Stereotypical Old Man Behavior HCs because the idea has me laughing.

He gets that senior discount. Every. Single. Time. He isn't able to use his five finger discount to rob them blind.

He keeps candies / glucose tabs in his pockets for when he can taste that his partner's blood sugar is low.

When his romance partner needs them to settle down somewhere, he joins a local grandma needleworking club so he can gossip with them. He has ALL the juicy details of what is going on in town. He is also giving them advice that causes chaos across the city.

He is awful with kids but always (sneakily) reverse pickpockets a couple hundred gold in the pockets or Xan, Yenna, and Arabella anytime he runs into them. He will outright deny it if confronted.

He gets a copy of the daily paper in whatever town he's in to fill out their crosswords. He'll find old ones to take on the road. He will sit there in periods of silence that are randomly and loudly interrupted when he reads random crossword questions he can't figure out, unpromted and not even leading it with "hey can you help with this." They just have to know he is asking for help without asking for help.

Writes exclusively in cursive. No one can read it, except Wyll. No, he will not write in print. It's everyone else's problem of they can't read his handwriting.

It could be record heat across Faerûn and Astarion would still be dressed in his warmest clothes and a jacket.

He eats dinner at his night schedule version of 3 P.M. he is very cranky if he misses his dinner time.

He pretends to doze off sometimes, but really he's just done with the conversation and doesn't feel like walking away because he was there first.

Yelling at those damn kids to get off his lawn. They're not even on it he just doesn't want them in the vicinity. They definitely break his windows and the sun singes him a bit.

Going to the park at to play lanceboard, but it's in the middle of the night and it's actually quite terrifying when people just see his eyes reflecting like a cat before getting close enough to see this strange man who is playing lanceboard with some poor fool who has just lost the deed to his house bc Astarion gambles anytime he plays

he does teach a street kid how to swindle people using lanceboard. it's that typical old man/child mentorship but he's teaching this child how to deceive and cheat people out of all of their earthly possessions.

He cannot pass up a good estate sale. It's open permission to enter the estate and start stealing everything good before anyone can grab it.

[crazylittlejester]

Sending a second blood sugar question. Your Sky and Warriors fic inspired thoughts. ☺️ How would Twilight do if War had an episode and he was the only one who could help?

After its established that this is like, a thing that just happens, he’d probably handle it pretty well. I think the biggest struggle for him would be pre Wolfie reveal, because dogs can sense when our blood sugar is too low, and he’d be able to warn Wars before it got too bad, but to protect his identity he wouldn’t be able to just shift into a hylian and tell him to sit down, he’d have to paw and scream at him and jump on him until he got the message

After the Wolfie reveal, (or honestly just once Wars figures out what Wolfie is getting at), it’ll be a HUGE help for him. Wars’s blood sugar problems are based off mine and the first sign for me is usually just a headache which is super unhelpful because i get those all the time for random reasons (i literally have one rn), and so Wars would just push through the headaches and then all the other symptoms would hit him ‘suddenly out of the blue’, and he’d be down for the count very quickly, but if Wolfie can warn him BEFORE that and save him the trouble? That’d be so good for him

I think if they were in a scenario where only Twilight could help and it was pre reveal he’d do whatever he needed to do to get something for Wars to eat as quickly as possible, because like, Wars would start feeling very sick very fast and the worse it gets the longer it takes to recover. I personally have had to lay on the floor for an hour once before i could properly sit up again without feeling like i was going to pass out or get sick. That’s not the usual for me, but like, it does happen. Typically for me i gotta lay down for like 15-20 minutes with my eyes closed before I’m up again if I go too long without eating, and I’m usually still a little dizzy after, so for Wars it’d be so good if Twilight could warn him BEFORE it gets that bad so that was he’s not vulnerable like that if something attacks them out of nowhere

[zebulontheplanet]

My relationship with ADLs is complicated and like a toxic Ex. Sometimes I have really good days and I can do one or two ADLs without assistance or prompting. However, my good days are far inbetween and aren’t common at all for me.

On an everyday basis I need help and prompting with a lot of things. So, here are things I can’t do.

I can’t do finances besides a very basic bank account. Someone puts money into my bank account and I’m allowed to spend it as I please, however that is the extent of it. I can’t pay bills, I can’t write a check, I don’t understand how money works that well. I understand that money is taken and I understand prices but I don’t really have it grasped how budgeting works.

With household chores it’s complicated. There are some chores I can do! But it’s things that have been taught to me with very specific instructions. I can’t make lists, I don’t understand the concept of things needing to be done once a week or everyday. I need a lot of assistance with things and step by step explanations. Note that the chores I do are very basic and aren’t at all substantial to running a full house on my own.

I can’t shower without prompting or I shower once it becomes physically painful, which is a reminder. I have eczema so if I don’t shower regularly then it becomes painful.

I don’t brush my teeth unless I’m going somewhere, which isn’t often. No one seems to care about this so I don’t get prompting for this one.

I can’t and don’t grocery shop. I sometimes do go and assist but it’s with someone and I’m not really much of a help. I used to be able too, but it seems to be a skill I’ve lost. I just get very confused and lost.

I do and can handle my own medication, however I’m really bad at it. I’ll forget to take it and I just won’t take it sometimes for whatever reason. This is mostly a executive dysfunction and memory problem.

I can’t food prep and don’t.

I’m not involved with my community

I can’t go out in public alone.

I need help with communicating with others.

I can’t be left alone for long periods of time.

I don’t change my clothes often and need prompting or reminders often.

I don’t remember to eat and struggle with this. I often need reminders. Some days I realize I have to eat but that’s only because my blood sugar goes really low and I notice.

These are just some basic things I can’t do as a medium support needs individual. I know I’m on the low end of medium support needs. There are more things I can’t do that I probably haven’t listed here but yeah, this is just the gist of it.

[rainyfestivalsweets]

10/20/23 Things I did to help myself.... what did I have to change? Seems like everything some days.

Healthy Tips

Realistically evaluated my eating habits. It was either not enough or too much, no in-between. That was part of my problem.

Most restaurant meals are too much, even if you think you are ordering the 'healthy option'

It is not normal to gorge yourself on appetizers, drinks, & a giant entree. Choose a moderation mindset: Pick one or 2. Share an app. One drink. Pack half your entree 'to go'.

Our society is driven by consumerism. I had to take steps to stop that. Meet people to do activities, not to consume things.

Water- I shoot for 200 oz of water a day.

I take low cal beverages with me... nearly everywhere. Tea, coffee, sparkling water.

Try all kinds of different tea.

Meals focus on protein and produce. If you are still hungry- eat another portion of meat and produce.

Try to eat as unprocessed as possible. They add stuff to our food to make our brains light the F up. It isn't natural and devastating to people like me who are especially susceptible. Often when I have issues (yesterday!) It is because I had a processed item.

Sometimes I add a fiber supplement to my drink. Adds calories yes but I don't worry about it.

Try to only have 1 sweet thing a day. The later in the day, the better. I will actually be shooting for every 3 days or so.

Some of my craving issues were blood sugar related because I was pre-diabetic and had PCOS- which has an insulin problem.

If you haven't eaten, plan and eat a healthy meal that has a substantial amount of protein.

If you have eaten already, try to distract yourself with a task. If you are still truly hungry 20 minutes later- have another bit of protein & veggies.

Walk daily. But don't count it as your cardio.

If you work at a desk, get a standing desk and try to work up to standing daily.

Cardio 3x a week. Whatever you enjoy. Yes, you have to enjoy it. If you don't, you haven't found your activity yet.

Weight training 3x a week. Lift all the weights you can, as often as you can manage. You are now in training. For life!

Supplements- figure out what works for you. I am currently on: Sam-E, NAC, Nomorbidity, Alkemi, allergy stuff, and some other stuff I rotate in.

Read books that help your mindset. Atomic habits, mindset books. 10 mins a day, make it a habit to improve yourself.

Watch YouTube videos that build your motivation and determination.

Things can get better. I also utilize therapy! There is no shame in needing help!

I am becoming a healthier person and every choice reflects that.

[issdisgrace]

YOUR SUGAR DADDY​

WARNINGS: None​

I check my suit in the mirror one more time before heading out to start the promo for my upcoming match with CM Punk. It was going good as always until Punk came out and ruined it. 

“How about you tell everyone about your sugar daddy?”

God that made my fucking blood boil. Ever since I got with my fiance, he’s been called my sugar daddy and it’s fucking annoying.

“He’s not my sugar daddy and you damn well know that Punk.”

“You sure. If I remember correctly, the suit your wearing was bought by him, as well as the watch and shoes your wearing. Oh, wait sorry I remember now your whole wardrobe was bought by him.”

“He did not buy my whole wardrobe for you information. I’m making plenty to buy my own things. Oh, wait I got it now. You're jealous that I have someone that doesn’t sit on their ass and do nothing like your wife. What she hasn’t been relevant since you were.”

 “Max, your only clam to fame is your sugar daddy.”

“Fuck you, he isn’t my fucking sugar daddy. I get it. He’s 8 years older than me, but that doesn’t mean he’s my sugar daddy.”

“Your sure about that, Max. What do you call a man that pays for all your flights, hotels, rentals cars, suits, watches, and those ugly scarves you wear?”

“Go suck it Punk. He’s not the only one who spends money in our relationship. I pay for all our vacations, hobbies, and dinners. Also, even if he paid for everything what’s the big deal? Huh, he has the money to do so. It’s not like he’s going to break the bank doing so what the problem,”

“The problem is, he has made you think you're so fucking high and mighty. You are nothing, Max. You will never be anything, Max. You're just a pathetic little boy that gets whatever he wants when he wants from his sugar daddy.”

Punk says, getting in my face. I take the opportunity to deliver a low blow. God, do I love low blows. They’re so fun and it’s amazing to see their pain when it happens. Punk hunches forward, clutching his crotch before he can say anything I say,

“That’s what you get, Punk. Now keep my fucking fiance out of your mouth or next time it will be much worst.” After I drop the mike onto the mat and leave. Well, that was eventful. I bet Y/n’s gonna get a kick out of this later.

[macgyvermedical]

Curious if you know much about food sensitivity testing. My cousin's SIL is purportedly a wellness NP and has their whole family getting their sensitivities checked every 3-6 months with lab draws. I always thought allergy testing was done with scratch test on skin. And like how do you cast a wide enough net to test for everything? I didn't think labs really worked like that? I thought you kind of had to test for specific things and almost like a process of elimination.

It seems as though every time cousin gets tested there is a whole list of foods she should remove from her diet because she is "sensitive" to them. It always feels like that list is whatever she's been eating most recently (and usually that food is something that she used as a replacement for something she was sensitive to last time) for example she cut out cow's milk and went oat because oat was ok on the list. Then all of a sudden oat wasn't ok anymore and she went coconut. Now coconut is supposedly causing trouble. Cousin said she didn't think she was having issues with it but is now looking for alternatives and I'm just worried about her.

When I asked the SIL what the sensitivities mean the response was that it causes inflammation which can lead to skin conditions, weight gain, problems in the digestive tract, or cancer.

Obviously I know food sensitivities exist and that there's a lot of processed garbage in our food the whole thing just feels off.

No worries if you don't want to answer thing or if you don't know. This is partially me venting in your askbox

Before we can talk about what your SIL is probably doing, we have to talk about food allergies, food sensitivities, and how we test for them.

A food allergy is an inappropriate immune reaction to a chemical that is present in a food.

The first type is the "immediate" type. When the food is ingested, the body's immune system misidentifies one or more proteins in that food as dangerous and "overreacts" by creating an antibody called immunoglobulin E. Immunoglobulin E (aka IgE), triggers the release of histamine and other chemicals that, in the extreme excess caused by IgE, cause symptoms like itching, swelling, hives, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, vomiting and diarrhea. These symptoms can be life threatening. Less severe versions of this can trigger gastritis, brain fog, asthma, and non-life-threatening versions of the symptoms listed above.

Proteins from peanuts, tree nuts, cow's milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, and sesame cause about 90% of these allergic reactions.

There are other immune reactions and other Immunoglobulins. For example, there is immunoglobulin G, which serves as a "memory" and helps protects against viruses and bacteria. IgG essentially makes an impression of everything that comes into the body. When you get titers drawn to determine whether you're immune to something (a test you might need to get if you work in the medical field), the test looks for specific types of IgG to determine whether your body still remembers the virus or bacteria you were immunized against or exposed to. More about this later.

IgG, along with IgA and IgM can contribute to autoimmune conditions like MS, graves disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus (which are very technically allergic reactions to oneself).

A food sensitivity or intolerance on the other hand is a condition caused when a person doesn't have the necessary enzymes or microbiome to digest a particular sugar or protein in a food. Food sensitivities do not have anything to do with the immune system. Instead, they have to do with digestion. A food sensitivity often results in bloating, gas, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. While unpleasant, you won't die from an intolerance or sensitivity.

While not technically an allergy or a sensitivity, people also may have conditions that are exacerbated by certain foods, such as sugar or wheat exacerbating arthritis.

Now onto the testing. Allergy testing comes in several forms. You can do blood testing for specific allergens by looking for specific IgE allergens. For example, if you suspect you are allergic to peanuts, you can have blood drawn to check for peanut IgEs. You can also do a skin test, where a section of skin is marked with a grid and small amounts of allergens, along with control solutions, are injected into each section. A welt forms if the substance triggers histamine, and means the person is allergic to the substance. Another test is simply to give the food (in a controlled setting) in increasing amounts until the person has an observable reaction.

For non-dangerous allergic reactions and intolerances, an elimination diet can be done, where a person limits themselves to foods they know are completely safe, wait for symptoms to go away, and then start adding in foods one by one and documenting responses. This can take several months but can be worth it for someone who feels they have many foods that trigger unpleasant symptoms.

What your SIL is probably doing:

There are many companies that offer home allergy testing. This is usually done with a card, where someone places a few drops of blood on the card, mails it in, and gets results for between 90 and 100 different substances.

The problem is, home allergy tests do not test for IgEs. They test for IgGs. Remember that IgGs don't have anything to do with allergic reactions- just the presence or absence of a recent ingestion. All IgG testing does is say "yup, dude ate some peanuts recently".

You might then connect "hey, when I eat wheat my arthritis gets worse, and you said arthritis is partially caused by IgGs" well yes, but your arthritis is caused by IgGs that have identified your cells (among other things), while the antibodies tested for in the test are the ones which have identified the wheat proteins. Just any ol IgG won't do- it's gotta be specific. Wheat may be doing something to aggravate your arthritis, but wheat IgG's aren't what that is.

To be clear, this isn't just my opinion. Every allergy-related organization in the world is in agreement- IgG testing does nothing to determine what you're actually allergic to. We have lots of tests that work for that. IgG testing just tests for what you've eaten or been exposed to recently. Which sounds exactly like what your cousin is experiencing.

R E F E R E N C E S

[4nn4m14]

Heyy im gonna be fasting for 72 hours and keeping progress of how it feels/ whats going on, etc 🥰

Sw: 171.2

Cw: 167.4

1-4 hours

After eating, i was still hungry and having cravings. BUT i stayed strong. I started my fast after dinner yesterday. So i was able to sleep off the cravings.

I woke up around 10-13 hours??

16-18 hours:

I was HUNGRY like rly hungry. I think its bc my body just switched to fat burning mode.

20-21 hours:

Not as hungry actually, i used no cal juice to suppress everything. Also did some research. At 24 hours your body goes into ketosis and you may lack an appetite. Its actually one of the signs your body is in ketosis:)!. So i keep telling myself, after that, i wont be as hungry🥰 AND then tomorrow, its just whatever i did today. But with less of an appetite. So this alll seems so easy. Ill keep an update.

26 hours

Hi. 26 hours amd 48 minute update:

I have forced my girlfriend to eat a strawberry mochi and she got full. So i then forced my grandparents eat mochi as i sat there and intensely watched them. Now im watching mochi mukbangs😭 i love mochi. And its SO tempting bc ✨only 80 caloriessss✨ but ITLL BREAL MY FAST and im convincing myself im doing this for you guys teehee 🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️

ALSO i was reading more on fasting and apparently day two is actually the hardest. Which lowkey i think gives me MORE motivation bc after day two it should be slightly downhill from there. I know i have it in me, i can do it. Tomorrow when i wale up i am going to be SO proud of myself when i see the fast time on my app. Ugh. Also so excited to weigh myself😗 gn bbs

36 hours:

I HAVE MORNING SKINNYYY EEKK anyways. Last night i fell asleep to mukbangs of all sorts. Mainly sweets and stuff (i normally eat a sweet before bed to stabilize my blood sugar so im not fatigued in the morning). Anyways, im actually feeling great today. I woke up before my alarm. Pretty energized tbh. Im going to watch a breakfast mukbang while i guzzle my very low cal mango juice💅🏻 thinking i might try some matcha tea today (i stole some stevia from work bc that shit is EXPENSIVE). But imma weigh myself when i get uo and go on a walk. Ill update then <3

SW: 171.2

CW: 167.4

Lost: 3.2

48 hours

The signs are rlyyy starting to show. Im getting hunger pains, still not craving as much as i did the first day tho. Only problem is im completely and totally bitchy and literally about to lose my fuccin noodle. Anywhosies, weighing myself tomorrow, stay tuned🥰

56 hours:

Cw: 165.8

Cw wl: 5.4 lbs

End:

Ended at 58 hours and 55 minutes with a pb and j sandwhich because i started my period and the cramping is ABSOLUTELY horrible. Plus im at work so i cant just rot in bed to deal with them. I actually have to move and stuff. Anyways, it was fun while it lasted. I plan to do it again soon. Depending on if i can keep the weight off or not. I think im going to do 24-48 hour fast so my body doesnt Go into starvation mode. BUT if i can keep the weight off after this, ill continue to fast for long periods of time.

Total wl: 5.4 lbs

[raindrop2401]

Ok so for some context before I post this, I have been questioning my gender for a while now (2.5 years minimum) and I am somewhat confident that I might be genderfluid (he/she) but idk for certain yet. I am also aware that I do not need others reinforcing this to make it more valid or whatever. What I am about to ask is just out of curiosity because I am experiencing something that I have never seen anyone else talk about before:

To any people who have problems with hypoglycemia (low blood sugars) due to diabeties or other issues who also happen to be genderfluid, do any of y'all ever feel like your gender sometimes switches due to said low blood sugars? Like you get a low and along with the regular symptoms your gender just switches and then goes back to what you were feeling like before once you deal with it? This has happened to me a lot over the past year (I have been a type one diabetic for over a decade) and idk if it's just a me thing or if it's common or what. I really hope this isn't a dumb question. Hope someone sees this.

[notsocheezy]

V-Day - Up and Down, In and Out

Recovery, as anyone with experience will tell you, is not linear. You can't look at yourself doing okay and think, "this is the worst I'll be from here on out." It's a lie.

Monday morning, I received a call from my surgeon on her personal number. The message had finally gotten to her and she was concerned that I hadn't been able to dilate, reminding me that it could close up if I wasn't dutiful. I sent her a photo and she immediately knew what I needed to do.

Following her instructions (put pressure on the outer wall, not the inner one), I was able to get the dilator all the way in again with some discomfort. It was a relief. Or, well, it would have been if not for the constipation. I'll spare you the details but I quit the Oxy again and used some dark magic to solve that problem. I didn't escape entirely unscathed, but whatever.

Wednesday night I was feeling great. I got all three dilation sessions in, my bowels were working, and the pain wasn't so bad. I sat in bed with some microwave popcorn and a gentrified toaster pastry, legitimately happy for the first time in too long.

Something happened that night that kept me awake (unrelated to surgery) and I slept in late. I didn't have enough time to dilate thrice and my pain was trending back up. Very upsetting. There was blood and I wasn't entirely sure where it came from, but it subsided.

This morning, there was more blood. And I found where it was coming from, too: an area I thought had healed by now, in the middle of a seam further up the groin. That's not even the side that hurts the most.

So yeah: pain's not getting much better right now, I'm running low on Tylenol, and I still hesitate when I dilate. It takes me twenty minutes just to work up the courage. I'm doing better than when I last checked in here, but I'm not what I would call "well."

I'm only pain-free when I'm asleep, and not always even then. This morning I dreamt that my stitches came undone and my vulva had turned to a gory cross between an octopus and a hibiscus flower.

I feel gross. There's always stuff oozing out of me, which is sometimes blood and mostly unidentifiable translucent yellowish goop. I have a new smell I'm not used to yet. Even with the pain at its lowest, I have not reached the point where I'm glad I did this. It's not worth it, not yet at least.

I'm not going to tell you that your experience will be like this. Especially not if your digestive system can handle Ibuprofen (mine cannot). But if you go in for vaginoplasty, you need to be prepared for a month of hell. I'm not gonna sugar coat it like everyone else.

This is worse than electrolysis. It is dysregulating and difficult to adapt to. You have to rest but you also need to shove something into your wound three times a day or else. It's an impossible task treated like it's no big deal, and I need to complete it - which, in a way, makes me more of a woman than the new configuration of my genitals ever could.

One day at a time though, right? One day at a time.

[oberthinkin]

Pwease writr dio wif trans boy little who’s on his period? :<<

Sure thing buddy! I'm sorry it took so long

++++++++

Dio is not bothered by the blood at all. He is a vampire, after all! He knows you're frustrated that you still get your blood, but he comforts (you in his own way). It can be frustrating to get your menstruation. But you're not the only boy to have problems like this. Many boys and men bleed from awful stomach aches on a regular basis. You should have seen the Victorian era: One of the biggest diseases was cholera, and many men were bleeding from their nethers then too. They also had cramps. Stomach aches and bleeding is part of the human condition.

It's not... As comforting as he hoped. He knows they're not the same, but he was trying to help.

Dio moves on quickly, ordering his servants to fetch you whatever you desire: sweets, toys, books, medicine. He also makes them prepare you iron-enriched meals. Losing blood may make you faint. He knows from experience what might happen if you get lightheaded, or get low blood sugar from the blood loss, or aren't hydrated.

His skin is cold to the touch, so while you've got a heating pad pressed to your cramps, he will hold you close so his bare skin can cool the rest of you down from heat flashes.

His little prince is feeling sensitive, so excessive crying will be tolerated... Even if your tears and snot are smeared on his shoulder while he holds you. Or you start biting him from frustration like a mutt. Pain makes little boys irritable, after all.

Dio knows this will be over soon, and you'll feel right as rain again. That doesn't make the week any easier, as you're still in pain and upset. But it doesn't last long, he reminds you. You will be fine. And he'll be here until its over.

[sucktacular]

Cw health scare, passing out, food mention, weed + being high, mention of blood work/needles

Had a yucky time last night that was very scary and wanna vent about it

and honestly kinda hope maybe someone that has low blood sugar moments or panic attacks or whatever the fuck could give me some insight if you're comfy doing so!!

Other wise just ignore this post :3 I'm okay now! But obv will get it looked at, prommy.

Also cw disordered eating... I don't mean to do it for any particular reasons I'm just very bad at remembering to eat, eating enough, and having too low energy to make anything lately. I got fresh groceries yesterday night tho so I'll be back to eating right for a bit.

So I uh nearly passed out at 3am alone in my kitchen trying to make a sandwich and I'm kinda pissed that my body is shitting out on me and now I gotta go to the human mechanic and get my stuff looked over cuz uh... Not normal happenings

I got up after laying down in bed for a while trying to sleep but got hungry and I was a little zooted too to be fair. Collected myself. Got all dressed to leave my room and was totally fine. If it was from standing up too fast it should have definitely hit me by that point but I was fine.

Went down and took all the things out of the fridge I needed for a sandwich. Slow and meticulous , not too fast cuz I was stoned and like to take my time to be quiet. Opened the bread, got a plate, opened the mayo, mayo'd my bread, then I went to open the deli chicken and started greying out and getting really light headed and weak and shakey and cold. So I waited a moment and it kept getting worse so I sat down and propped myself in the corner of my cabinets to try and help. Drank my chocolate milk and tried to wait it out. I've had low blood sugar act like that before- cold, shakey, grey vision, weak, etc - cuz I've kind of always been really bad at making sure I eat meals and last night i had just been eating chips, crackers, and chocolate pretzels all night. Snjcjsbjdks. I've been snackless for a few days so I NEEDED snack overload.

Anyway it kept getting worse over the minute or two to the point my vision was like white and black tv static with tunnel vision. my head felt super pressurized and I couldn't hear? I've had tinnitus since I was a tiny child but it really felt like those movies when everything is muffled and all you can hear is a very tiny faint high pitch ring. I could barely hear my tinnitus which was ... Deafeningly silent and that's WEIRD. I've never heard... Nothing? So that was scary. My whole body felt sweaty and hot and I just didn't know really what to do.

I think it was low blood sugar but + weed made me have a panic attack? Maybe? Or really bad low blood sugar. Because I HAVE been having light headed episodes and feeling weak lately... Which I chocked up to vitamin deficiencies (B12, D, or iron are problems of the past so I started taking those every day for the past week or so.)

Kind of super mad doctor I saw last week insisted I don't need blood work and to just take my new meds, cuz there's definitely something going on here and while blood work probably wouldn't have stopped last night's episode from happening, at the very least I could be a step closer today than i am. :(

Uhm... Yeah anyway it was really scary and I was on the floor in the kitchen with just Frankie watching me for a hot maybe 2-5minutes... Hard to tell how long. Not a super long time but more than just like 1-2 minutes. Felt better. Tried to get up and finish sandwich making. Got grey and weak again. Sat down some more. EVENTUALLY my vision and hearing went back to normal. Finished my sandwich weakly and packed the stuff away sloppily and had to turn the hallway light on cuz I couldn't see in the dark at all. Went to my bed and ate my sandwich and still felt fucked but eventually went right back to normal.

I do still feel airy headed and not totally alert but that's been kinda how it's been this past few weeks.

So uh... Mmm. Don't like that at all. Phone on me all the time now. Doctor visit again soon for this issue specifically. Partner suggested it sounded like a panic attack or when they get a vasovagal response to needles and nearly pass out. I definitely got scared and panicked cuz it was awful and scary and felt like I was dying. I did some 5seconds in 5 seconds out breathing exercises and it helped quite a bit to calm and focus me in the moment. Which was neat! They ain't lying about those exercises even if you don't know what you're doing. Focus on the counting and the breathing in and out softly.

Uhm.... So yeah if anyone actually genuinely has a comment or experience with that I'd love to hear. Otherwise I'm okay so far today and keeping an eye on it...

Problem also is I don't... Well, I have agoraphobia basically and it's very hard for me to go to a doctor without help from a friend or my partner and I can't figure out any online telehealth things in Ontario that don't cost money or aren't just for prescription renewals so uh not sure what to really do. I know I need to get it looked into but my GOD you know how fear will make you not care for yourself? Gestures. I'm trying so hard not to jump to the conclusion that it might be pre diabetes because my family has no history thankfully but the signs arent looking good..