#hopefully this helps with my joint pain and fatigue

[idledreams-burninghearts]

Blood test results came back and I am severely low in vitamin d

Like my levels are 12 or 13 or something and the doctor said it should be in the 30s....

That explains a lot lol

[darkanddirtyknb]

Personal Update

Hello, my beautiful like-minded creatures in the flesh,

It’s been a while since I gave an update, and I thought one was long overdue. If I’m wrong about this and you don’t care to read about my personal life (I really don’t blame you), please go on about your day. I hope it’s a great one! If you are interested, I will clue you into what’s been happening.

As usual, I have already had many medical appointments this year and many more to come. I had a procedure done on my right shoulder last month (happy July, by the way!) to see if we can get a steroid concoction to help me. If it doesn’t (it’s been touch and go so far), I will need to have a different, more painful procedure done. I’m still playing around with medication, trying new things, getting new side effects, and finding out that my body is pretty much anti-all pills. It’s super frustrating, to be honest. I’m all for being clean, and I think that less is usually best, but in my case, I’m getting no relief anywhere. I’m not sleeping. The brain fog is worse than ever, my memory is awful, joint pain, neuropathy, and muscle fatigue are worse, etc… All in all, the physical stuff is different in a few ways, but pretty much the same.

However, I’ve been in a down spell with my mental health. The depression lately has been impressive, really. I work hard daily to stay positive and keep my head above water, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t back-breaking work. That alone makes it hard to be productive, but I’m forcing myself to do things—it’s unfortunate because writing hasn’t been one of them. I want to, and the urge is there, but my memory and ability to form sentences are making it extremely hard, and writing seems impossible right now. Even writing this has been a journey and not a good one. Very bad, in fact. Think boggy marsh full of mosquitoes, mud-filled shoes, and sweltering, humid heat. I’m working hard to get out of the swamp and onto a tropical island, but until then, this is where I’m at���overrun by anxiety, depression, and medical hang-ups. I’m working with my therapist, though. Soon, I will be starting EMDR. That should be fun. I’ve been touching on a lot of trauma lately, so hopefully unlocking all of it and putting it in the right place will help me move forward.

There’s more, but I think you’re all smart cookies, and you got the gist of things. This update has become long enough. I hope that you’re all doing well by staying happy, healthy, and living life to its fullest! I mean that. Truly. I care about all of you, even if we don’t talk much or at all in some cases.

Take care and be safe. The world is as terrifying as it is beautiful right now.

With all my love, Kai (your local disturbed homo)

[skeletonmancer]

do any of my fellow chronic joint pain people know of any stretches that helps them? my fatigue means i can't do big exercise anymore so i'm gonna attempt stretching, hopefully

[cozylilsoftgirl]

Bunny’s 60 Day Glow-Up Challenge!

Thank you so much @dreambunnynotes for creating this challenge!

I didn’t realize I should make a separate post 🤭 Sorry! So I reblogged with the template, but I am repost it so I can properly thank Bunny and have my own separate post 💜

I’m Sophie and this is my dream lifestyle side blog. I’m hoping this challenge will help motivate me to not only achieve good habits that will lead towards my dream life, but also help me post more here 🥰

Some things to know about me: I’m disabled, so my goals are sort of formed with that in mind. I already have a good meditation habit which I’m so proud of! And I am an aspiring author and writer, so hopefully this will help me on my way!

So! On with the challenge!

My Chosen Habits

1. Sleep 8-9 Hours Every Night -

For this goal, I aim to do my Bedtime/Night Routine at 11:45pm and be asleep by 1am, as l wake up at 10am to start my Morning Routine. I know this seems late, but l am a night owl and getting up early just does not work for me.

1. Be more active -

I have become very sedentary. This, paired with bad eating habits, has made me gain weight that is not healthy for my joints. I am also very low energy. I have already started to get my food habits in order, but I will also incorporate good eating habits when becoming more active. I have a physical therapy routine I do for strength, and I will take daily walks to help me lose weight and gain strength and endurance.

1. Start a daily writing habit

I want to start writing daily to write my first novel, and also to journal. Both of these types of writing will help me be my best self.

My Goals and Whys

1. I chose sleep as my first habit as nothing else I want to do can be achieved if I'm exhausted. I have chronic health issues which include chronic fatigue, so sleep is an essential part of achieving any goals I set.

2. I want to be more active to gain strength, energy via endurance, and feel healthy in my body. I don't believe in an ideal body type, but I definitely feel better if I'm stronger and between certain weight ranges. I have joint issues, so doing physical therapy exercises and walking helps me stay strong, have more energy, and stay at a healthy weight.

3. Recently I realized that I always wanted to be an author, so what was keeping me from becoming one? I did a meditation called "Ideal Self" and it opened my eyes to what my life could be if I worked for it, if I enjoyed my life to the fullest, and did not let fear dictate my choices. Building a writing habit is the first step.

My Habit Energy Tiers

1. Sleep:

• Low Energy: I will go to sleep early and also take an afternoon nap during my afternoon energy dip.

• Medium Energy: I will go to sleep early but try not to take a nap, so l get more done in my day.

• High Energy: I will go to bed at my designated Bedtime (I have Morning, Afternoon, and Night Routines) and get my 8-9 hours of sleep in one go.

1. Exercise:

• Low Energy: I will do 5 minutes of low effort exercises to just get my body moving. If my pain levels are high I will give myself a free pass, but l only have 5 free passes.

• Medium Energy: I will do 10 minutes of exercise and take a 10 minutes walk, working up to 10K

steps per day.

• High Energy: I will do 10 minutes of exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon, then take a longer walk over 10 minutes.

1. Writing:

• Low Energy: I will write in my Journal for 10 minutes, just writing whatever I can. I will also look at writing tips and save them for the next day.

• Medium Energy: I will write in my Journal for 15 minutes at least, and write for my novel for 30 minutes. I will also look at writing tips and do research for my book.

• High Energy: I will write in my journal Morning and Night for 15 minutes each. I will write in the afternoon for my book for 1 hour, and do 30 minutes worth of research.

I will be posting day 1 after this 💜

[chronically-online-anime-enjoyer]

Just ranting a little bit :)

Im seeing a new rheumatologist soon and hopefully starting treatment for my RA. Last time I tried immunosuppressants it didn’t help it just made me feel worse, so if the new treatment also doesn’t help I might get a wheelchair.

I feel bad about using a wheelchair because I can walk. I can usually handle walking for about 30 minutes before it becomes too painful, and I can technically walk for like 2 hours although at that point I’m in excruciating pain in all my lower joints, and I could injure myself if I walk for that long. I’d only need the wheelchair on rare occasions like going to anime conventions or the zoo or the amusement park. My cane and rollator arent enough for those kinds of outings.

Another aspect of my illness is the constant fatigue. I do literally anything and I am so so so tired. It’s so hard to function like this.

I hate feeling like a fraud because my disease fluctuates and is progressive. I often have to take precautionary measures like using a wheelchair to prevent pain, even if I’m not currently in pain. It’s stupid.

If I got a wheelchair I’d probably get a manual chair with a power assist bc I like the maneuverability of the manual chair but I don’t have the arm strength to push myself.

[eddieelliotmunson]

Last two days have been terrible with pain.

I had a headache yesterday at work, it felt like my brain was trying to crack my skull from the inside out. Then I had to go shopping after work, and when I was back I laid down for several hours trying to recover from the pain and fatigue. Pain in my knees, ankles, wrists, and fingers. I used my heated blanket and all the braces I could find--compression socks, ankle wraps, knee compression sleeves (had to take those off bc they are too small on my upper leg and hurt much more than they help). it still took hours for my pain to be relieved enough for me to sleep.

Today, my family and I went an hour north for a festival. We were out of the house for 5 hours, I brought my cane and taped my other knee, but it still put me in a lot of pain. I'm currently at home watching a movie, blanket on, wrist wraps on, compression socks and ankle wraps on to try to lessen my pain even a little. I took my daily fibro medication and prescription NSAID this morning, and a tylenol when we got back, and I'm still hurting so much in my knees and fingers.

I get to go to the doctor on Monday, and will hopefully get some x-rays to check for osteoarthritis. I'm young for it, but there's a family history, plus I'm already young in my family for having my gallbladder taken out and probably for developing fibromyalgia so it would fit the pattern.

My fibro meds are not helping the joint pain, at all. It's in multiple areas, which really sucks, and gets worse in weather changes and the cold.

So hopefully, answers. My stupid EEG already came back normal, unfortunately, but I'm crossing my fingers that the appt on Monday will get me help or answers or both.

[fuzzzilla]

Hey y’all

My beloved rescue dog and I need some help raising funds for health-related expenses. My dog, Mia, needs a major dental procedure with several extractions. Our current vet gave an estimate of “$2015-4000, probably on the higher side”, which is just completely overwhelming. Mia has an appointment this afternoon (11/7) with another vet to do a consult and hopefully give us a lower estimate. Fingers crossed!

Mia’s face has swollen up multiple times recently because of her teeth. She’s a tough kid, but it’s clear that she is uncomfortable when that happens, and seeing her sweet face all puffed up and being unable to help her just breaks my heart. Believe it or not, it looks even puffier irl

I am in desperate need of a new mattress. I’ve been bedbound for many years due to chronic pain and fatigue related to hEDS, POTS and other autonomic dysfunction, Hashimoto’s, adrenal insufficiency, etc, so my bed is basically my world. My current mattress is old and broken and it is hastening the progression of my joint damage. I’ve found a great mattress that should be safe and comfortable, and it has a great warranty.

My PayPal:

Our GFM, co-organized by my best friend:

[asimmingpunsquared]

life udpate

hello everybody! i am still around and i am still playing the sims, i just don't have any edited pictures to post. i am still deep in the trenches of organizing my cc, which is a lifelong battle, i guess.

i go by any pronouns now. accepting my autism has also led me to accepting that i'm pretty much agender. i'm still a huge feminist, but i don't care about how the world perceives me/i don't put a lot of effort into perceiving myself. "any pronouns, agender" is the best way i've come up with to express this.

my med change process ended up being completely moot, i'm just back on the original medication. however, there is an update regarding the fatigue that set it all off. i'm pretty sure i have lupus. i have family members that have it and two weeks ago i got a bunch of autoimmune symptoms at once (that i'm still experiencing). i also have the classic butterfly rash that i've had for years. i have a doctor's appointment on wednesday to address this. they say lupus starts appearing around age 30 and i'm 27, so the timeline is right.

what does this mean? honestly, not a lot. i already work from home as an independent contractor, so my lifestyle isn't going to be that affected. if anything, getting treatment will only improve my life. my major symptoms are general fatigue, migraine headaches, and bipolar-like psychiatric symptoms, so hopefully i'll be able to address these. i also get low-grade fevers (especially when exhausted), i'm prone to rashes and hives, and this flare-up has caused joint swelling on both my wrists which is pretty miserable.

the wrist thing is the biggest issue, since all my hobbies and work involve typing or holding a pen. luckily, if it is lupus, lupus joint pain doesn't really cause any lasting damage, unlike other forms of arthritis. i've tried a bunch of stuff and nothing has taken the swelling down, so i'm hoping to get a brace from the rheumatologist on wednesday. my ankles also bother me sometimes, but that's more manageable.

my partner is amazing throughout all this and very accepting, of course. it helps that he's a veterinarian which means he has enough medical knowledge (animals also get lupus, apparently!) to help me with my symptoms.

i used to want biological children, quite badly, but then i got with my partner, and we don't have the matching biology to make a baby naturally. we started talking about adoption (in the future, like when we're near 40) and i'm fully on board with adopting, especially in brazil where we live, as the system is much better for the children. now that i'm aware of the autoimmune disease that runs in my family, i definitely don't want to have biological children. i've considered (if we can afford it) implanting my partner's eggs into my womb to carry, but i think pregnancy would be much too rough on me, much less the baby. our ideal situation would be being financially stable, established, and adopting an older sibling pair or trio. we'll see how it goes with my autoimmune disease.

anyway, back to the sims. i'm in year 4 week 5 of stilla and everything is still hanging on. i fully plan on playing it through to the end and updating all my challenges. it gives me joy. and now that i've accepted my life might be a little more slow-paced, that's okay.

[littlemoondarling]

i don't know your characters yet, but i want to, sooo... 9, 12, 26, 30, 35, 42, 48, 50 and 57 for both ezra and theodore! hopefully it's not too much... 😅

Awww ty so much!! No ask is too much so never worry ab it! I'll answer under the read more bc I talk alot~

Starting off with dear ol Ezra Woodburn because he's a bit more down to earth than Teddy

[9] What is their love language?

His love language is physical affection, if he initiates it with you then you are sure to be his favourite person in the whole world because he despises being touched. That was how his husband discovered that "oh shit there may be something more than friendship here" when Ezra randomly cuddled next to him while watching movies on the couch.

[12] How high is their self-esteem?

Ezra's self esteem is so low it migot as well be in the center of earth XD

He was never able to accept anything about himself and always felt like a mistake that shouldn't have been born, but still, he makes it to over 50.

[26] Do they have any physical or mental ilness, how do they handle it and how open they are about it?

He has both, he has chronic joint pain and fatigue that he has been struggling with since childhood, he also suffers from terrible social anxiety, depression and autism but he never got diagnosed because he refuses to go to a psychiatrist. His family is a very conservative "pull yourself by your bootstraps" kinda family so he was raised to feel immense shame at his disabilities and so he is only open about them with his husband, but it isn't too difficult for people around him to guess given his behaviour.

[30] What are their most healthy and most unhealthy coping mechanisms?

The healthiest is definitely writing and spending quality time with his husband and cat, the unhealthy is sh and smoking :|

[35] Do they like their own appearance, and what do they do, if anything, to alter it in any way?

He really really doesn't, if he is given the chance to look like anyone else he would take it in a heartbeat. He got both top and bottom surgery to ease the dysphoria of being born in the wrong body and he has thought about going to the gym to lose some weight but his pain immediately flares up, but he is getting slightly better at accepting himself given how many kisses his husband gives the areas he considers flawed.

[42] What is their idea of a perfect friendly hangout and/or romantic date?

Going out to the library or a picnic in nature, maybe even a trip to the shelter so he can pet all the animals and coo at them and beg you for seven more cats, three birds, a turtle and a snake.

[48] Are they, or were they at some point in their life, a part of any subculture?

He experimented with the leather goth subculture in his 20s but he immediately discovered that he doesn't have the energy to melt in the summer, so for now it is only a winter and bedroom subculture XD

[50] What are they really good and really bad at?

He's good at cooking, writing, organizing, cleaning and giving orders, he sucks at teamwork, asking for help, singing and knowing when to take a break (and socializing, my man has 0 friends outside of the ones his husband introduced him to)

[57] What was the most stupid or dangerous thing they have ever done?

The most stupidly dangerous thing was to let a stranger that ten years before was his bully at summer camp into his home because he (The bully) had all his money stolen and had nowhere to stay, it ended well for him tho.

The most dangerous thing is probably having 7 attempts at his own life before he turned 25. He eventually met a guy in the psych ward who was fostering a mother cat and her kittens and that is how he got his little angel cat Pumpkin (the guy at the psych ward was Theodore)

Now for Theodore Malik!

[9] What is their love language?

Giving gifts and acts of survice, he will cook for you and make you the best outfits you've ever seen all for the small price of tolerating his existence and listening to him ramble about Batman for way waaaay too long. On the more extreme end he will kill for the people he cares about ♡

[12] How high is their self-esteem?

It fluctuates between I am a gift from god blessing you with my mere existence to I am the worst thing to ever happen to this planet and if i don't stop existing right now the whole world will explode.

[26] Do they have any physical or mental ilness, how do they handle it and how open they are about it?

He is immortal and has otherworldly physical strength and immunity but you will find him with very sever injuries more times than not, mentally he has a little cocktail that consists of depression, general anxiety, bipolar, ptsd and some psychotic hallucinations. He is very open about everything and you WILL know when he is upset because nothing on God's green earth will stop this man from complaining.

[30] What are their most healthy and most unhealthy coping mechanisms?

The healthy ones are cooking, embroidery and chatting with his friends, the unhealthy ones are smoking, drinking, driving off of cliffs and other destructive actions

[35] Do they like their own appearance, and what do they do, if anything, to alter it in any way?

He is obsessed with his appearance, narcissus levels of self love, all except his eyes, they are blue like his mother but he would very much prefer if he had inherited the warm brown of his father's.

[42] What is their idea of a perfect friendly hangout and/or romantic date?

Theodore's perfect date would be going to the club, getting wasted and forgetting about everything the next day, but if you're not a fan of that he would settle to going to a convention with you.

[48] Are they, or were they at some point in their life, a part of any subculture?

Punk goth, from the 60s till now, before that he just dressed in frilly dressed with floral patterns

[50] What are they really good and really bad at?

He is good at listening, taking care of people, cooking, making and fixing clothes, making friends, and making enemies, he's terrible and mainting a healthy long term relationship, taking care of himself, cleaning, and making good life decisions

[57] What was the most stupid or dangerous thing they have ever done?

Every choice he has ever done is stupid and dangerous, the honorable mentions being running away from home at 16 to go live with the man who stalked him, didn't end well at all. Attempting to kill his ex's abusive ex but he is the most powerful vampire so the only damage Theodore managed to do was burning half of that man's face (and getting himself on a hitlist) and having a thing for mafia bosses which isn't that good when you date two people from opposing sides at the same time :)

[campirebitesarchive]

more medical garbage bitching dont mind me (feel free to blacklist camyellsOW to ignore these)

im liking being able to look back on these before other appointments

im currently on hold with my insurance because my rheumatologist listened to me and he wrote me a prescription for ring splints and I called around to physical therapy offices and found one that has hand therapy and can take my and my appointment is in less than 3 weeks which for PT in my area and PT as specific as this thats AMAZING holy shit. Its actually closer to two weeks than 3 but I feel like im doxxing myself if i say specifics lmao

so im calling my insurance company to see if they can tell me ahead of time if there are a fuckload of hoops im going to have to jump through in order to get my splints

for the first time ever I feel kind of hopeful about my joint health. Were doing a lyme disease blood panel to see if thats the source of my nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and headaches. He ordered a couple more things Im going to google

I told him that I know we need to do physical therapy first but eventually id love to talk to him about a wheelchair and he said no and I started crying again and he was like I think thats a bad idea let me tell you why and I was like NO thats internalized ableism and thats a YOU problem! Wheelchairs are mobility they are FREEDOM. I cannot currently lift enough laundry at once to fill the washer without subluxing my shoulder/collarbone so I have to take multiple trips and frequently have to sit down between trips but with a wheelchair Id have the freedom and capability to just do a load of laundry. I already cook having to sit down. You can have an amazing wonderful fulfillling life in wheelchair that you cant have when youre in bed every day because everything hurts so much. You can tell me not right now or maybe in the future but just a no is the most hopeless answer you can give me. That is a YOU problem.

and he like did a little head tilt like a dog and was like. You know what? Youre right. Thats something I need to reevaluate in my own head. So, youre right I wont tell you know, but Ill tell you first we need to try physical therapy

that fucking honesty is why I love him so much. He was like "you need a therapist" and i was like dude if you tell me that one more time im going to start crying again I KNOW

and I apologized and thanked him for dealing with my anger because i just angry cried at him basically the entire appointment and he just said Its okay, I know Im not who youre mad at. I wont take it personally and holy shit that was just the biggest load off of my back and I was like no youre right im literally just mad at my body. At one point he said "you know im empathetic, I bet it does hurt that bad." Like holy shit Dr G you are a king amongst doctors. He had knee surgery recently and I used it against him and he didnt even get mad. In my angry crying I was like you just had knee surgery. Sitting in bed wallowing in pain all day. It fucking sucks doesnt it? Imagine twenty five fucking YEARS of that! and he just nodded and digested that and was like yeah, I hear you.

This man is the best doctor in the world

at the very least im on my way to my ring splints which will help my quality of life SO fucking much holy shit

I also told him about the highly unprofessional cardiologist i saw who just told me I was fat and showed me his grandsons fortnite youtube channel and he was like wow literally what? and I was like I dont know man. And then he talked shit about cardiologists and how they tend to be fuckin weirdos with egos and i was like yo go off my shady king

but on the bright side in less than a week were placing that heart monitor and it will be recording for two weeks and hopefully after that i can obtain my POTS diagnosis and hopefully thatll put me one step closer to being an ambulatory wheelchair user. Id love to still be upright and use my cane when I can but a wheelchair for bad days would be lifechanging

my oldest childhood friend is able bodied the idea of being able to just get a coffee and walk around target with her pain free makes me want to cry THAT is a hopeful future

[capricioussun]

No one sent any so I did all of these for Abstract <3

~~~

scars:  how many scars does my muse have? where are they located on my muse’s body? how did they get them? what do they look like?

Abstract has many scars, however, they change! Being a metaphysical creature, Abstract scars are more “mental” than physical, represented in different ways. The patchwork make up of his cloth body and the literal cracks and chips on his bones can be greater or lesser in number depending on his mental state. The stuffing inside his cloth body, surrounding his bones, can also vary, either being a soft, fluffy white, or a rough, scratchy grey. Unfortunately, he’ll never look “scarless”, and the cracks on his skull are some of his most permanent, but he doesn’t mind them at all.

sleep: how many hours a night does my muse sleep? do they take naps? how restful is their sleep? do they experience nightmares? if so, how often? 

Technically, Abstract doesn’t need to sleep, since he’s…a dream being. But! He likes spending time in dreams and resting often!! He experiences quite a lot of chronic aches and pains in his “physical” body, so he likes to spend time snuggled up in a nest with lots of soft things and hopefully a loved one or two. As for dream time, he loves to go into dreams, preferably of loved ones, to keep the bad things away and give them “good” dreams (good in quotes because…he hasn’t quite mastered it, they’re often fairly strange, but usually still pleasant!).

His equivalent to a nightmare is basically anxiety and/or PTSD. He gets overwhelmed by negative feelings and, in a mind, can cause terrible nightmares for whoever’s head he’s in, or in the physical world, cause a lot of “distortion” (extremely bad vibes that can cause serious hallucinations). But with time and practice, he doesn’t get those very often.

meals: how many meals does my muse eat a day? what do they generally consist of?

He also doesn’t need to eat! But he sure does enjoy it!! While he has a sensitive body in the physical world and prefers to touch mostly soft things, conversely, he loves textures in eating and drinking. Loves how every food or beverage feels different and causes different sensations. He’s happy to eat whatever everyone else is! (Though one of his favorites is definitely s’mores)

routine: does my muse have a consistent routine in their lives? do they find it difficult to stick to a routine?

Yes and no. Back in the day, yes, but it was a pretty loose routine. Find a host, attach to their mind until it’s no longer sufficient, leave, and repeat. Post recovery, he’s subject to following the routine of whoever he’s staying with at any time. Routine is actually pretty good for him, as long as there’s some room for give if he needs breaks to rest.

chronic: does my muse have any chronic health conditions / illnesses? how do these affect them from day-to-day?

Yep, but they’re not exactly like what humans or monsters might have. Whenever he’s in his body to exist in the physical world, he experiences a lot of chronic pain from his form being a bit unstable. He also tends to shift form depending on mood which can cause pain to worsen, or bring on other symptoms like leaking magic from his joints and skull or sprouting “thorns” (jagged bone that tears through his cloth body (mostly painless) and is just generally uncomfortable). In the dream space or whatever it should be called, this pain manifests more as fatigue and general gross feelings more mentally.

That being said, he really just deals with it by resting and distracting himself with positive things (people he cares about or movies he likes, positive emotions help ease his pain literally).

doctor: how often does my muse visit the doctor? do they tend to go routinely, or only when something is wrong? 

After initial recovery and making him a physical body to manifest, he only really needs to go when somethings wrong, which wouldn’t be very often given there’s little they can actually help him with.

relaxation: what does my muse do to relax? do they find it easy to carve out time to relax? 

He just likes spending time with loved ones =o) Really, his idea of relaxing is just, being around them or them snuggling up with him. He kind of needs to carve out time to relax, to help keep himself stable and less achy, but he’s always extra happy with he’s joined for moments of calmer peace.

aches: does my muse have any frequent aches? ie, muscle aches, joint aches? how do these affect them from day-to-day? 

Already answered above! But I’ll add here that he manages it pretty well, honestly, and his loved ones always make sure he gets plenty of time to rest.

stress: does my muse handle stress well? what is a surefire sign for others to tell that they’ve become stressed? how does stress affect them mentally / physically? 

Terribly. He handles most negative emotions terribly, honestly. He’s very sensitive to atmosphere and vibes, and strong negative emotions from others or even himself can set him off pretty badly. Once he’s locked in a spiral it will pretty much only get worse until he’d received help. Early warning signs are that he starts to twitch and flinch a lot, gets more quiet, looks anxious or scared, might tremble, and will either shrink into his smaller form or shift into his larger form and try to get closer to someone he trusts. At that point, it’s best to find a good place to rest away from others and have a loved one help him destress, otherwise it will eventually progress to aggressive, fearful behavior and projecting distortions.

mind: does my muse have any mental conditions that affect their lives? what are they? how do they handle them? what coping methods do they use most? 

He has pretty severe ptsd, anxiety, and paranoia, which causes a lot of general mood instability and stress, but…he’s working on it. To cope, honestly, he mostly needs outside intervention. It’s pretty much why he needs to live with others who take care of him after being recovered. Once he’s locked himself into a negative feelings spiral, he pretty much can’t pull himself out of it. Positivity and people who care about him are really the only things that help pull him back, but it get easier to pull him back with time.

To end this on a softer note, Abstract likes nature a lot! He struggles with it a little, and some animals intimidate him, but he loves watching nature or lying in the grass in the sun. Loves the look of snow but doesn’t like the cold as much as the warmth, so he’d rather watch from a window than actively participate ahdidjsh But! He really likes staying at places closer to nature and with lots of windows.

[frogboi2023]

🥲 Hopefully I can find something to help with my joint pain and fatigue so I can write again

[scarecrowgolem]

So happy bc i got a cane today and it relieves so much pain when I walk omg

[bustedslime]

Hey hey!! I saw your post where you customized your forearm crutches! I was wondering, what’s the difference between those and a cane? Like, what are the pros and cons of each? I have FND and am hopefully going to get a cane for leg weakness in a week or so but just wondering about this too! Thanks! I love the stickers, btw! :D

Hi!!! I used mobility aids for hEDS, a cane was my first one! I got those crutches from mobility designed later! They are called combo stix, they're designed at an angle that makes them much more supportive than a cane cause you can put a lot more weight onto your forearms without injuring your wrists and hands or causing a lot of fatigue in them. I use my cane mostly for balance now, and usually use one crutch in a similar way to a cane but it's much more supportive & capable of taking more of the burden off my legs because I can distribute my weight more evenly! Those crutches also convert to a platform mode, where the arm cradles are completely horizontal & they are GREAT for standing with. Like waiting in line, concerts, etc bc they really support you, but they're kinda clunky to walk around with for too long in platform mode for my taste!! Forearm crutches are also a lot more expensive tho, I got my canes for like $30 USD & got those crutches for like $250 maybe? I was able to fundraise for them, and they are my favorite mobility aid!! I'd definitely recommend trying some out if you find yourself needing more support than a cane can give you or you find yourself tiring out your wrist & hand by trying to lean on the cane a lot. All of my joints hurt so its a big deal for me that these save the joints in my arms & hands from pain while they take over for my legs a lil bit! Both aids have saved me a lot of fatigue & helped me immensely, I'm rly excited for you!!! Sorry this was rambly probably, let me know if there's anything else you wanna know that I didn't address!!!

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

If you are still up for sanders sides prompts I have one. No pressure, it's understandable if not.

I've been struggling with a lot of joint pain and fatigue lately, and it would be lovely and cathartic to see Janus dealing with the same. Especially if he feels guilty or "lazy" for needing help and not being as productive as usual. Double especially if the other sides reassure him and talk him into letting them help and care for him.

Your specific flavor of hurt comfort is always a soothing balm for my soul. So either way, thank you for everything you post💖

soothing balm incoming hopefully

[backslashmagpie]

Hi! I recently got my diagnosis and am awaiting an appointment with my local ME/CFS specialist team. I’m based in the U.K. and I’m not sure where you are, so there may be some regional differences here, and I’m definitely on the milder end of the severity spectrum, but I can share my experiences and hopefully you’ll find it somewhat useful.

I first started experiencing symptoms in 2019 (I was 19 at the time)—nausea, fatigue, more sleep disturbance than usual, feeling unusually overwhelmed, appetite changes, ‘episodes’ where I would lie down in bed and be so tired I couldn’t move for hours. I spoke to the therapist I was seeing at the time, and she told me to speak to my GP, and I did, and they were… less than helpful. Did a blood draw, diagnosed me with some vitamin deficiencies, gave me supplements that did little to alleviate my symptoms and sent me on my way.

I spent the next few years going to doctors on and off, being told to eat healthy and exercise, to take this medication for my sleep, to try therapy, and doing all of those things, all the while experiencing periods where my symptoms were quite pronounced followed by periods of partial remission where I felt nearly normal. I missed a lot of classes and somehow managed to scrape by getting my degree. I got sick a handful of times over that period, and each time I’d come away from it with a new chronic symptom: sore throat, chronic cough, joint pains, phantom fevers, headaches, GI issues.

2023 feels like it was the final nail in the coffin for me: over the course of the year I slowly started losing functionality and those periods of partial remission all but vanished. I’m definitely more well than a lot of people with this illness, and I’m grateful for it, but I’m no longer able to stand for more than 15 minutes without pain; I’m no longer to leave my house for more than a couple hours without nausea and dizziness setting in; if I don’t lie down as soon as I finish work in the evenings (I work from home) I start shaking uncontrollably and manifest more symptoms throughout the course of the evening. I have days where I can’t get out of bed at all.

Last year I moved to a new town and registered with a new GP, and I decided to go and see if they could be any help at all after giving up on my last doctors. The main symptoms I highlighted were being tired all the time and those ‘episodes’ where I was unable to move; I also highlighted the effect it was having on my life and on my job and how long I’d been having the symptoms. They took me seriously enough to order multiple rounds of blood tests (which no doctor had ever done before), and the doctor who ended up becoming the ‘main’ doctor I saw asked me about the other core symptoms they use to diagnose ME/CFS in the U.K.: sleep disturbance and cognitive dysfunction. When all my blood work came back clear we had an appointment where she went through a list of symptoms with me and I told her which ones I was experiencing; she then made the diagnosis and referred me to the specialist (who I’m still waiting to see).

This is a very simplified version of my story, so if you have any more questions feel free to ask! I hope you at least found this interesting, if not helpful.

heyyyy folks with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. tell me your stories. really starting to think that's been my problem that ive had for years and has only gotten worse with my covid (and now flu) infections...

what's the process like for getting diagnosed? what symptoms clued you in that made you think you had it? how do you manage it? what was the factor that got your doctor to believe you? HAVE you even been officially diagnosed? how do you manage it? how old were you when you noticed it/how long has it been/what has managing it for however long it's been been like?

I'll be doing my own research as well but i would love first hand accounts from anyone who has it (or know someone who does) who is willing to talk about it