#rbgf.txt

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current favorite gaia outfits ♡

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rainbowgf ➡ rainbowgoth

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clairs is heaven!!!🌈

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recently drew my sweet again 💞

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it's my birth!!! finally 21 🎉🍻🍹🍸👌💗

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Little Things that have Helped my Chronic Illness/Pain

Since it's the start of the New Year, I wanted to make a post about little things I've personally found help me cope with my chronic illness/pain. Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, this is what helps for /me/, so please be sure to check with your doctor before trying any of these.

I hope this will help others in the community, and if you have any ideas yourself please let me know!

Supplements

Vitamin B12 Complex - This has helped so much for my chronic fatigue and hashimotos. It's not a complete fix but it's made a big change in my quality of life. It's even made me less depressed and more motivated.

Kratom - A natural leaf powder you can order online that has the same effects as a low dose opioid. Certain strains have certain effects, but in general it helps moderate pain, boost your mood, and gives a relaxing effect on the body. Just be sure to check your state laws since it's illegal in certain states. But it's really awesome, and the best part is it's completely natural. Some days when I'm having medium to low pain, I'll skip my pain medicine and just go for kratom instead.

Magnesium Supplements - Have helped soothe my muscle cramps at times, as well as help with constipation

Green Tea Supplements - Helps with constipation and gives you a bit of energy without jittery side effects.

Melatonin - A natural sleep aid that helps with those restless nights. I've used it religiously for the past 7 years.

Epsom Salts - Super cheap and can be bought just about anywhere. Taking a hot bath during a bad pain flare with epsom salts in it is just heaven. Works the best for muscle aches. Bonus if you can find the kind infused with lavender, which will produce a calming effect.

Teas

I always recommend tea for anyone with any kind of illness, be it mental or physical, since it has so many benefits and is just so calming to sip on. To get the best health benefits out of tea, I recommend drinking them without sugar.

Chamomile Tea - Great for anxiety, anxious stomach, and insomnia. We all have those days where we're just so irritable from our pain that our stress is through the roof, and when my prescribed medication isn't helping, I go for a cup of chamomile

Kava Kava - Another natural relaxing tea that has similar effects to common anxiety medication. Great for anxiety, insomnia, and for relaxing the body.

Ginger Tea - GREAT for nausea, stomach cramps, and helping suppress your appetite. (My friends on steroids will understand how fricken hungry we get on them lol)

Green Tea - Not only is it great for cleansing the system, just like I mentioned for the supplements, it simultaneously gives you a bit of energy while producing a calming effect.

Creams/Patches

Creams and patches can be a hit and miss, so always be sure to look up reviews before hand. I love menthol for my pain, so whenever I get creams I always be sure to look for creams that have a high percentage of it. Figure out what works for you.

Salonpas - These things have been a literal /godsend/ for pain. They're little sticky menthol patches you can put just about everywhere. They seem to work best for tender joint pain, but can be used for anything as well as be cut up smaller for tighter spots. Very strong formula that lasts about 4 hours.

Doan's Pain Relieving Cream with Lidocaine - This stuff is great and actually makes the area you applied it on a bit numb (from the lidocaine). It's actually helped me during severe flare-ups, and has a decent price.

Emu Oil ((Blue Emu)) - This stuff is kind of expensive, but it helped a bit for muscle pain, especially restless legs.

Arnicare Cream - Wouldn't recommend for pain but rather as a massage cream. If you have someone who can help you massage it into tender points, it really helps relax your muscles.

Plain Menthol Cream - You can get this at your local 99 cent store. It usually comes in a round container and looks blue. When you're low on cash and need something extra, it does the job.

Items

Heating pad/Ice packs.

Migraine sufferers - Try to get one of those sleeping masks with a built in ice pack, they're wonderful and so soothing.

Compression Stockings - Oh my god, I don't know what I'd do without these! I get super painful restless legs and nerve pain in my legs, and these work so well. Make sure you get the correct size so they can give your leg the proper tight squeeze to help with pain.

General Compression Items - Compression socks, tights, bands, back bands etc all work great according to the type of pain you have. The key is to make sure you get the right size. I actually prefer to order them online since they seem to be of better quality.

Body Massage Vibrating Mat - A little expensive but a great investment if you have widespread body pain. I was able to find a used one for about 25$.

Acupuncture Mat - Not for everyone but it's definitely helped me. They usually come with a little mat and a neck pillow and are covered with a bunch of little spikes. After laying on it for a while it feels like I've gotten a deep tissue massage.

Personal TENS Unit - TENS units have never really helped /my/ pain, but I wanted to add it to the list so people can know about them. I have friends where TENS units have done wonders for them. And they're pretty inexpensive if you order them online.

Mini Room Heater - My body cannot control it's temperature so I'm always super cold, even in the warm months. I set my mini heater (which was about 10$) on the desk by my bed and it keeps me nice and warm.

General

Keep Stress Under Control - Stress has always flared up my pain and illnesses. Being sick and in pain 24/7 can wreck havoc on your mental health, so please be sure to have a game-plan to keep stress under control, whether it be with meditation, therapy, seeing a psychologist, moderate exercise, or even self help books. (My personal favorite is Feeling Good by David Burns which even includes exercises on how to handle your depression and negative thoughts.)

Keeping a Journal - It's not healthy to keep in all your feelings. Get a journal, (it doesn't have to be fancy, a composition book will work just fine) and write your heart out. Don't care about making it pretty, just get all those feelings out if you can.

Join a Support Group - Ever since I discovered the #spoonie community it’s really helped me feel less alone. There are support groups everywhere, forums, and lots of facebook groups. Just make sure you look into it well to avoid toxic groups.

Remembering to take your Meds - I use the app MediSafe and it's wonderful at helping you keep track of your meds, reminders, and even has an option to remind to you to refill your meds.

Stay Hydrated

Follow positivity channels, blogs, look up inspirational quotes, see other’s stories and how they’ve triumphed, etc. Get as much positivity, inspiration, and motivation as you can. And if you want to take it a step further, get into the habit of keeping a gratitude journal.

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Happy Halloween!! 😈🎃✨

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lil gaster doodle i drew today

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here’s a present I made for V’s birthday! ILY fam, you’re my best friend, a sister, everything, so thankful you’re in my life 8") 💖💜

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tumblr marked my pics as ""sensitive"" uhh

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me & my mom are getting acupuncture today! i was so excited when my insurance added it to their plan. we're at that point where we're willing to try anything, and i'm all for natural remedies. i'm trying not to get my hopes too high but i really really hope it helps

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btw if anyone ever wants to talk I’m always happy to make new friends! i’d love to meet new peeps w similar interests and what not 💞

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updated my theme! i wanted something really simple that mainly focused on images, i’m pretty happy with it, hopefully it’ll be easier to navigate 8′)

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this filter’s 👌