#vagus nerve dysfunction

[helenwhiteart-blog]

Cervical instability at the core of fibromyalgia?

I just want to pick up the thread of cervical instability and its relationship with chronic pain again, as written about just the other day in the context of covid (having found numerous suggestions that covid can aggravate or even instigate cervical instability). In particular, I want to look at how this one, often unnoticed, structural issue might very well be lurking there right at the very…

[stephjacq]

2023.10.02 Baba Yaga’s hut

Spooktober Art journal prompts

[on-a-lucky-tide]

i am here thinking again. what could be the moment that price catches nikolai off-guard for once? surely even the smoothest men can be caught lacking, eh?

Nik has an allergic reaction to viagra and gives Price a small fright.

cw: allergic reaction, erectile dysfunction

"Nik, ah, Nik, stop."

Price shoved Nik's shoulders and tried to shuffle up the bed from beneath him. Something wasn't bloody right. Nik was mute, none of the usual guttural moans, or slurred Russian filth, delirious with pleasure. Nik was vocal. It was part of the fun and it got Price goin' like little else.

Hell, this was the first time they had fucked in months due to a range of different reasons, from clashing missions to meetings to Nik's schedule, and Price was expecting Nik to be ravenous. Instead, he seemed to be struggling; his brow creased, his eyes foggy.

Nik slumped to the side, propped on his elbow, his big chest heaving. "John, is there... was something wrong?"

"Yeah, you, I'm worried... Nik, look at me, oi, look at me." Price grabbed Nik's chin and lifted his head from where it was tilted forward. "Bloody 'ell, you don't look right. Think it was the resta--? Nik? Nik!"

Nik stumbled from the bed, almost tripping over the tangle of blankets and pillows wrapped around his legs. He just about made it to the toilet before the expensive three course meal and the few glasses of Macallan they'd knocked back after became a wasted investment.

Price walked into the en suite after him, rubbing a warm palm over his back. "Ay, you're alrigh', deep breaths between." As Nik's body continued to seize and tense, Price looked the rest of him over. There were hives on the back of the hands grasping the toilet bowl and his skin was cold to the touch, clammy, not the flushed heat it should have been from sex. "Nik, 'm gonna call the infirmary."

"Nyet!" Nik near shouted into the toilet bowl, reaching out to grab Price just behind the knee before he could walk away. "Nyet, John... It will pass."

"Don't be a muppet. They'll give you a look over and make sure you don't need A&E." Price grabbed one of his travel mugs and filled it with water from the tap. Nik took it from him in a shaking hand and managed several gulps before slumping back against the wall, throwing the toilet seat down as he went. His chin fell to his chest, one forearm slanted across a raised knee.

"This... This is self-inflicted," Nik said. "I am already embarrassed enough."

Price squinted, sitting slowly on the toilet lid, nudging the flush down with his elbow. "Start talkin'. This ain't like you. And if I don't think you're bein' honest, I'm callin' Janie."

"She is the doctor who signed you off for your ACL surgery."

"The very same."

"I would be in trouble."

"Yeah, loads. Stop delaying."

Nik sighed, pressing his fingers into his eyes before his palm flattened to his chest. Price could see the flush of shame up his neck, the way his eyes stayed fixed on the floor rather than look up as he spoke. "I have an allergy to sildenafil."

Price wracked his brains and then huffed an incredulous laugh. "Viagra, Nik, I..."

When Nik turned his face away, swallowing, Price wanted to kick himself with steel toe-capped size twelves for being an arsehole of a partner.

"Ay, ay, don't... I'm sorry, that was... I was just... Why the fuck are you takin' viagra?"

Nik's jaw twitched from where his teeth were clenched, and he wiped one big hand down his face. The shame rolling off of him was palpable. "I am having... problems."

"Are they... Are we talkin' life-threatening problems?"

"Nyet. I simply cannot... it will not... you know," Nik waved his hand vaguely, "I... I was screened for some things. They said perhaps it is nerve damage from some shrapnel in my back, or perhaps it is all in my head, but I am... too ashamed to pursue more."

Price slipped from the toilet to sit at Nik's side against the wall, gently sliding his hand into the one dangling over his knee. Nik always spoke openly about sex, about their relationship, chuckling when Price squirmed and blushed like a prude. To watch him fumble and close up made Price's heart ache. "Why'd ya not tell me?"

Nik huffed dismissively, still looking away. "Da, how to say to your handsome, vigorous partner that you are unable to satisfy him in bed? That your body is... useless. That you are less than a man."

"Oh yeah, so the obvious solution is to take viagra, which you are violently allergic to. Absolute banger of a solution, Nik. Top marks," Price squeezed his hand, "and all this B.S. about bein' less than a man? Wind it in. It's bollocks."

"Zatknis, John..."

"Yer a smart man, Nik. But sometimes yer a..."

"...Muppet."

"Yeah, one of those," Price growled. "Yer seein' Janie in the mornin'. Not just for the allergy, for the lot."

"John, I cannot, it--"

"It could be a lot of things. Some of them more dangerous than others. Mine was stress."

Nik looked up quickly. "You have...?"

"Oh yeah. Mine stopped workin' fer about seven months five years ago. Coincided with a few large scale international fuck ups, a crammed schedule, an injury and some physio. Couldn't get it up fer the hottest piece of arse on Grindr, even if ya paid me."

"I did not know..."

"Course you didn't, we weren't exactly bumpin' uglies back then, were we?"

Nik smiled. "You have such a way with words..."

"Mhm." Price stroked his thumb over the back of Nik's hand, studying his face carefully. "You solid? No tight throat? You can breathe? There's an epipen in the first aid kit in the hallway."

"I am fine. This... It was similar when I tested it, but without the--" he gestured at the toilet, "my breathing is fine. I would... like to go to bed."

"Course." Price climbed to his feet, grunting at the clashing sensation of clicking knees and a numb arse, before helping Nik do the same. "Brush yer bloody teeth so I can kiss you."

Nik huffed softly. "Da."

When they climbed back into bed, Price kissed Nik gently, and then gathered him to his chest. Nik rested his ear over Price's heart and Price stroked his fingers through his hair. There was no fuckin' way he was sleeping that night. He'd stay awake and watch Nik sleep, listening to his slow breathing, checking the pulse at his neck. In the morning, he would let Janie eviscerate him for being so laissez faire with his health.

Then, and only then, they were gonna have a long chat about honesty, openness and trust. Cause knowing that Nik would rather poison himself than 'fail' Price in any way - regardless of how legitimate Nik felt that belief was - left Price with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

[fairycosmos]

i think my vagus nerve is dysfunctional

[ineffablelara]

Loki's dysfunctional family

"I don’t want to hear your riddles and your vague excuses for him, I want the truth. Answer me!"

This is from wml, I consider the book to be its own canon but still, I think this sums up Loki's relationship with Frigga very well, he loves her and she loves him but her priority is always defending Odin, even if she has to lie to Loki to achieve that, she also created this persona where she is the wise, all-knowing queen who always knows better than everyone else, I love how it's the one thing that all the movies that feature her got right, she's probably the most consistent character from all the Thor movies bc she always behaves and speaks in the same way: "You're a little foolish child but I love you and I also know better than you'll ever know so just listen to me for I am you mother and I'm wiser than you"

Like, even in a deleted scene from the first Thor she displays this slightly narcissistic behavior (I didn't want to use the word narcissistic bc that migt be a bit extreme but rn I can't think of another word, please don't think I'm calling her a monster or something, I just think she displays a little arrogance in ways that can be considered funny, playful or harmless sometimes)

"Thor, just remember, you have something even the great Allfather never had" "What is that?" "Me for a mother, now don't keep you father waiting"

"Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself"

"You're no idiot, you're here aren't you? Seeking counsel from the wisest person in Asgard"

This is just from the movies, in the official tdw novelization she has a conversation with Jane that happens after the "don't let him hear you say that" scene that goes:

“I can’t remember the last time Thor brought a friend home to meet us,” Frigga said to Jane. “When a young man brings a young woman home to meet his parents…” Frigga began, implying a possible marriage between Thor and Jane. “Technically, I think we have only known each other for three days,” Jane said, surprised to be having this conversation so soon. “And if it were three million, would that change how you feel?”

This last one always makes laugh bc... girl I really don't know if my feelings for a man I met three days ago would remain the same after three million years, was that really supposed to sound wise and reasonable? lmao okayy

And the "Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself" one kinda makes me uncomfortable bc it sounds patronizing, this might just be my own traumas speaking but telling someone that they don't know how they feel but you do always strikes a nerve , it makes me so angry bc who are you to tell me that I'm wrong about my own feelings?

And also, is Loki really not perceptive about himself? Really? Is she going going full Thor with the "imagined slights" thing?

This is what bothers me the most about Loki's family dynamic, they NEVER take him or his complaints seriously, they always downplay his grievances to make him sound ungratefull or overly dramatic and this is one of the most hurtful things you can do to a person imo, Loki voices a discomfort he has with something about their family and they instantly try to silence him or make him feel bad for complaining, that's why I'm glad he started to stand his ground with her in the prison scene

I think he then understood how alone he truly was, Frigga didn't exactly wanted to hear what he had to say nor did she try to understand him and his motives for doing what he did, she just wanted him to accept that Odin was indeed his father, a great King who did no wrong and they were a perfect family

And this doesn't happen just with Frigga, Thor participates in that too and their behavior almost reads to me as gaslighting sometimes, there's a scene in wml that always stuck with me:

Thor let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what it is that I have done,” he said, his voice softer than usual. Loki snorted. “Oh, please.” “I’m trying to apologize.” “And yet you can’t even work out what for, so I don’t think it counts.” Thor stared at him, his hands working in and out of fists at his side. Loki braced himself, ready for Thor to strike something, possibly him, but instead he said, his tone soft with hurt, “You are so determined to despise me, aren’t you?” It would have been better to be struck. Loki flinched as though he had been. “I don’t—” But Thor held up a hand. “Spare me, brother. Whatever you hold against me, whatever I have done to wound you, I hope you know that I am not your enemy. I want to fight by your side, not against you.”

For those of you who haven't read the book here goes some context: (ohh and obviously this contains spoilers so be aware)

Loki and Thor were sent to a diplomatic mission in Alfheim and things got out of hand, Loki then came up with a scheme to turn things to their favor wich Thor promptly agreed, things obviously didn't turn well for them and they got caught, they were sent to Odin who demanded an explanation for their behavior, Thor then tossed all the blame on Loki, saying that it was all his idea and he had no choice but going along with it, Odin then scolded Thor and let him go and proceeded to HUMILATE Loki for his behavior and even insinuated that his son had a dark and evil nature and there was no point in trying to change that bc people can't change their hearts and who they really are deep down, Loki was really hurt after Odin's harsh words and Thor went to "apologize" to him, Loki was furious and said they could have at least shared the blame, but Thor said that he couldn't risk angering their father, Thor then says the first line of the dialogue I put here and well, I'm assuming you read the rest.

Like, I can't believe Thor's audacity in that book, he threw his own brother under the bus bc he was scared of angering Odin and then left Loki there, completely alone to face their terrifying father (they're both scared of him in the book, it's very clear), then he goes to his rooms with a half assed apology and expects Loki to just forgive him and his cowardice as if nothing happened and goes even further by saying that Loki just keeps trying to find reasons to despise him???

The worst part is: It works, Loki wishes that Thor had just striked him bc his words hurt more than a punch, nevermind that he was the one who just got betrayed, Thor finds a way to paint him as the bad guy and Loki buys it, istg they're so toxic, it's painful to read but at the same time I feel it's so accurate

Also, I'm not hating on Thor for behaving like that btw, yes it was fucked up and he was a coward but that's only a symptom of Odin's bad parentage, his influence destroyed any chance Loki and Thor had of being normal, loving siblings, they were so terrified of him that they were willing to do anything to stay on his good graces, even if that meant betraying each other

Ans my point is, Loki's family is used to turn his words and actions against him, even if they're not aware of what they're doing, they manipulate him to invalidate his feelings and that only alienates him further from them, he gets more and more alone bc no one ever tries to show him genuine understanding and compassion, they only ever have accusing words for him and make him feel like he's a monster for criticizing them and their crappy behavior, he knows that he can't count on the two people he loves the most (Thor and Frigga) to share his pain and suffering so what does he do? He drowns in his own sorrow and heartbreak and lets those negative feelings fester inside him bc he has no one willing to listen to him, willing to be a friend

That's part of his tragedy, stuck in a toxic family that makes him feel awful for daring to complain about their behavior and spending his whole life without ever making a real friend (I mean, OG Loki at least), always isolated, always misunderstood, vilanized by the very people who claimed to love him, and I mean, if his own family thought he was a monster how could he allow himself to show vulnerability to others? They would hate him even more right?

And just like that Loki stayed stuck in his toxic family for nearly his whole life, bc he was unable to let himself be seen by others, the irony I think, is if he left them he would see how fucked up they were and would surely break free from their toxicity but his fear of being misunderstood kept him chained with them forever basically, and the longer he stayed the worse his self esteem got, and the worse his self esteem got the longer he stayed.

Thanks for reading all this, I don't think I ever yapped that much about Loki but I really could spend a whole day talking about his dysfunctional family lol

[max1461]

does it feel any more caesarean now

It feels like there's (in addition to partial seizures) something wrong with my vagus nerve, because I also can't vomit, yawn, or orgasm, which all involved said nerve. Well see I can start to do those things, but they get half way through and then stop, they don't complete. Very unpleasant on its own, but worse is that evidently the vagus nerve is also responsible for activating calming the brain when activity gets too high i.e. helping to prevent seizures, so this is presumably making the seizures worse. The doctor said I've probably always had mild TLE and something about the dentist visit set it off and made the symptoms much worse. I lowkey hypothesize, granted with no medical knowledge, that what happened is that the anesthetic drizzled down and fucked with my vagus nerve (I have various circumstantial pieces of evidence in terms of the pain I felt in my neck and so on), and that this allowed my preexisting seizure disorder to run wild. Doctor thinks it's the other way around, vagus nerve fuckery is a product of the seizures. If vagus nerve dysfunction is the prime mover here I'm looking for a way to treat it so if anyone has thoughts about that I'd be open to hearing them (of course I will run them past my doctor first).

Yeah one of the nonstop symptoms of this has been that my GI tract has like stopped fucking moving I literally only want to eat liquid foods because I have no sense of hunger at all even after two weeks and no sense of a need to poop. So. That's rather "caesarean" isn't it, the caesarean section, where they cut the baby out, it's like that.

[covid-safer-hotties]

An interesting perspective article about Long Covid

Should we be fighting gene damage instead of individual symptoms?

The pathogenesis of long COVID (LC) still presents many areas of uncertainty. This leads to difficulties in finding an effective specific therapy. We hypothesize that the key to LC pathogenesis lies in the presence of chronic functional damage to the main anti-inflammatory mechanisms of our body: the three reflexes mediated by the vagus nerve, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hormonal axis, and the mitochondrial redox status. We will illustrate that this neuro-endocrine-metabolic axis is closely interconnected and how the SARS-CoV-2 can damage it at all stages through direct, immune-inflammatory, epigenetic damage mechanisms, as well as through the reactivation of neurotropic viruses. According to our theory, the direct mitochondrial damage carried out by the virus, which replicates within these organelles, and the cellular oxidative imbalance, cannot be countered in patients who develop LC. This is because their anti-inflammatory mechanisms are inconsistent due to reduced vagal tone and direct damage to the endocrine glands of the HPA axis. We will illustrate how acetylcholine (ACh) and cortisol, with its cytoplasmatic and cellular receptors respectively, are fundamental players in the LC process. Both Ach and cortisol play multifaceted and synergistic roles in reducing inflammation. They achieve this by modulating the activity of innate and cell-mediated immunity, attenuating endothelial and platelet activation, and modulating mitochondrial function, which is crucial for cellular energy production and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. In our opinion, it is essential to study the sensitivity of the glucocorticoids receptor in people who develop LC and whether SARS-CoV-2 can cause long-term epigenetic variations in its expression and function.

[azulcrescent]

Hi Azul! :) I started following your silly scribbles about a year ago, and seeing Cheryl model how she came out to her friends and family in the comic helped me articulate my gender experience better with my wife and even come out to my friends and family. Thanks for sharing your art! I also wanted to say that I'm sorry that you're experiencing poor sleep and burnout lately. :( Those can make you feel awful. I've had a chronic illness for the past six years -- and I'm fully aware that's something separate, nor do I want to equate it with your experiences -- but, at risk of giving any unsolicited advice, I do wish someone had said something to me about this when I first felt those as well. Because I was pushing myself to work for 2 hours a day as a special education paraprofessional in a wheelchair due to fatigue and systemic dysfunctions throughout my body -- so I had to quit my job since I was making my health even worse. When I stopped working, I was fully bed bound for a time but even still kept pushing myself to attempt grad school online despite only being able to sit up for 5-10% of the day. My point is that, even when our bodies are burnt out, we still push ourselves because that's generally just our human nature to do. And I wish that during that time someone had gently said it's okay to slow everything down and listen to what my body was telling me it needed.

With slowing down, I also get that finances are a thing, and I wouldn't have been able to recover from severe to moderate ME/CFS without my wife working her butt off for us to cover medical expenses by switching jobs and upskilling. (She jokes that she has no more butt anymore because of those years :'(... )

So, although this is stepping into unsolicited advice, but as someone who was burnt out and constantly eepy for years, I feel like it would be remiss of me to not try to say something and just give a bullet point list of free things that helped my nervous system not be so overstimulated and tired but wired that I couldn't sleep and even when I did it was unrefreshing and yucky to wake up the next day:

•Search for "ally boothroyd yoga nidra" on YouTube and pick a 10 minute video •Do belly breathing to expand the diaphragm (one of the few ways we can give input to our parasympathetic nervous systems -- the rest, digest, and heal system) •When breathing, breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4, repeat to tell your body it can be calm •Spinal flossing in bed: start from your lowest vertebrae you can, try to isolate it with your muscles, and shift it up down left and right, then go up to the next one •Listen to how your body responds to foods: maybe try cutting out gluten and refined sugars for a week to see if it helps in any way; a lot of our immune system is in the gut, and being in a stressed state can cause our immune systems to mistake food molecules for pathogens which then activates the immune system and turns off the parasympathetic nervous system •Drop your jaw fully open like you're going to yawn, then stretch your tongue upward outside your mouth as far as it can go and stretch it around. This is a stretch for the muscles near your vagus nerve near your ear/neck behind the jaw to help them relax •Plan a bedtime routine for the thirty minutes before you go to bed and be consistent •Brain retraining: When you feel stressed or anxious about sleep or being burnt out, compassionately tell yourself "Stop, stop, stop." Thank that part of you for bringing up its concern, then remind that part of yourself that it doesn't need to worry anymore because you are working on recovering and healing. And if the insomnia or fatigue do happen, you have plans for what to do and will be okay. •Remember the conclusion from the American TV show Mythbusters: https://www.tumblr.com/gretchensinister/678474387179077632/one-of-the-most-life-changing-things-i-ever You're still getting rest even if you just close your eyes. You've talked about having ADHD, and while I don't have it, I get that it messes up brain chemicals and can contribute to both insomnia and burn out. There might be a reddit discussion that speaks to you better about medications or deficiencies. I hope you get to rest. Cheering for you. It's always fun to see your art. Thanks for what you do! :) Sleepy cat tax:

Glad to hear you like my comics! And thank you for the very informative and helpful info on sleeping better! Ill try to put your advice to use!

[bisonofyesterday]

PHENOMENAL!

THAT'S RIGHT IT'S A LORE POST FOR THE SITCOM OCs

In the vibrant fantasy comic book world of New York City, the Phenomenal Family seek to make their corporate stake in it through costumed ennui and comical dysfunction! Starring!:

RANDY: Doctor Phenomenal! Dr. Randall Reed's a technical engineering wiz and has the powers of elasticity (as well as electricity via static shock but I forgot to add effects around that!), due to a rocky childhood he has a lot of emotional walls up but regardless of his rather rude attitude his family'll always manage to knock them down.

MILLIE: ALSO Doctor Phenomenal! They share the title, Mildred Rojas is a biogenetics/chemical wiz and has power over the classical set of elements (except air, it's green earth, blue fire, red ice, etc, with potential for more!), she's jaded by the life she's found herself in and responds to this with a deep level of snark, something that gets on the neurotic Randy's nerves, but they do love eachother! They're just WEEEEIRD about it, they're neither dating nor married but some kind of third thing.

DANI: Millie's useless young adult sister whom both she and Randy raised from birth, as such the product of two brash minds is an even brashder mind, despite Danielle Rojas's punk-rock attitude she's rather secluded, being mostly isolated during her childhood, her mad science skills are still in their infancy and her powers are vague and quantum in nature, but she can float and go fast! She and Randy hate eachother, she's also transgender!

GARY: Randy's best friend from childhood (he might also be his brother? I'm not married to that idea yet), Gary's the family's fun uncle, his powers made him into an alien freak of nature, but he doesn't mind all that much (in-fact, he seems MORE comfortable in this form than his old one?), due to a lack of vocal cords, he utilizes apparent psychic abilities to talk to people, giving him an eternally echoey inflection (he sounds like John Ratzenberger! Real voice claim!).

[macgyvermedical]

Okay I'm a whump fan and nursing student, and this seems like a dumb question but I cannot find information fucking anywhere. How do spinal fractures/nerve damage only paralyze the skeletal muscles and not cause organs to stop working? Is there a specific type of injury or point in the spine that's the dividing line between death and paraplegia? Also, is there anything that works in reverse? Either a smaller injury or medication to the spine or nerves. The area being numb or not and skeletal muscle control don't matter as long as the organs and nervous system communication required for life are stopped

The short answer is that it is very common to have some level of organ dysfunction after a spinal injury. Some vital organs just don't need the brain to tell them what to do to be effective, or rely on other signals, such as hormones or the vagus nerve to transmit those signals instead of the spinal nerves.

For example:

The heart needs signals from the vagus nerve, but that exits the skull at a different place than the spinal column, so it is usually unaffected in a spinal injury.

The kidneys and liver are mostly controlled via hormones.

The stomach gets some nerve supply from the vagus nerve, but some from the T6-T9 area of the spine. The stomach may be weakened if a spinal cord injury is higher than T6.

The rest of the gastrointestinal tract and bladder is affected by just about any spinal injury, though whether this is an inability to pass stool or stooling without meaning to depends on where the injury is.

Lungs/diaphragm are controlled at the level of C8 and above, causing difficulty or weakness in breathing.

Spinal cord injuries come in 2 main types: Complete and incomplete.

Complete spinal cord injuries mean generally that the spinal cord has been severed and most or all signals have been stopped. This is usually a loss of sensation, muscle control, and possibly a problem with smooth muscle tissue like that in veins and arteries (causing low blood pressure).

Incomplete means the spinal cord has been torn or otherwise injured but some nerves can still send signals to areas below the site of injury. Incomplete is more of a choose your own adventure writing-wise, since it might mean there is movement but no sensation, sensation but no movement, some organ dysfunction, or a combination.

Having a vertebra break doesn't necessarily mean the spinal cord will be injured, but it does mean it is more likely.

The following are common consequences of complete or near-complete spinal cord injuries:

C1-C4: "neck down" paralysis, difficulty breathing on own, difficulty urinating or defecating on own, difficulty speaking. trouble with maintaining blood pressure.

C5-C6: "Shoulder down" paralysis. Weak breathing but able to breathe and speak on own, difficulty urinating and defecating. Trouble with maintaining blood pressure. Can raise arms and bend elbows, difficulty moving hands and wrists.

C7-C8: "Armpit down" paralysis. Potentially weak breathing, able to use arms and hands, sometimes able to drive an adapted vehicle, may be able to transfer from bed to wheelchair, trouble maintaining blood pressure, bowel or bladder must be managed with catheter, medications, etc..

T1-T5: "Belly down" paralysis. Breathing is intact, but may not be able to hold themselves up due to weakness of back and abdominal muscles. Trouble maintaining blood pressure. Bowel or bladder must be managed with catheter, medications, etc..

T6-T12: "Pelvis down" paralysis. Can probably hold themselves up in a wheelchair, may walk with braces or walking frame, bowel or bladder must be managed with catheter, medications, etc..

L1-L5: "Buttock down" paralysis. May have difficulties with bowel and bladder that can be managed with incontinence supplies, may be able to walk with braces or walking frame, may have some specific movements in legs.

S1-S4: "Buttock down" weakness. Difficulties with controlling bowel and bladder that can be managed with incontinence supplies, probably able to walk with braces. Depending on level of injury may have some leg movements but not others.

[crippleprophet]

forgive me for the question, but do you know what counts as a subluxation? my SI joint frequently needs to be popped when it’s painful and feels weirdly “out of place” when it does so, but i always figured an actual subluxation would be way more painful than what i experience LOL

so what a subluxation looks like / “counts” as can to a certain extent vary depending on the joint, but pain with a feeling of something being out of place are imo the key signs of a subluxation. remember that this is a smaller movement out of place than a dislocation so you aren’t dealing with the same extent of damage (tendon & ligament tears, greater nerve damage, etc) that would cause the type of severe acute pain you’re thinking of.

not that subluxations can’t be very painful! but for me (obv this is just anecdotal) the vast majority of my si joint subluxations aren’t a sharp, acute pain but a dull, vague, intense ache or offness that i often don’t realize how bad it is until i do a lumbar extension stretch or something similar. for years the only recognizable symptoms of my si joint dysfunction were knee pain & migraines (both of which had other causal factors as well but improved/worsened in tandem with relocation/subluxation).

a surefire sign of si joint subluxation is if it feels like something in your lower back that’s “out of line” is physically blocking you from standing upright at the hips. i’ve only had this issue severely/significantly twice, with a handful of more minor times, so it’s definitely not a requirement though!

relatedly, si joint dysfunction is often worsened by sitting upright, so if you recognize worse pain, stiffness, out of place ness, etc after standing up from sitting in a chair that’s probably what’s happening

the si joint is not supposed to have much movement so imo it’s safe to assume you have some sort of si joint dysfunction going on! it’s super common in ankylosing spondylitis but also can occur with any kind of more generalized hypermobility.

i’ve been meaning to make a post about the stretches i do because i’ve modified some for accessibility but until i get that up feel free to dm me for the sources i use! there are a lot of good sets out there if you just look at si joint dysfunction articles, i’d just suggest really going gentle & staying within your limits because i once herniated a disc trying to get my si joint back in place & let me tell you that was Worse.

an si belt has been absolutely lifesaving for me. started typing up my other product recommendations but it got so long i’m gonna make it its own post 😂 anyway best of luck to you i hope that was helpful!!

[cosmic-adventurers]

Yay, chapter 2! This submission is for @fandom-free-bingo Tolkien Edition (Prompt: Hunted)

Summary: Having trouble sleeping and desperate to finally get some peace, Elena mistakenly eats some vervain cookies she finds in her freezer that Jeremy made before he left for Colorado when he was too high to tell the difference between vervain and weed, making her temporarily resistant to compulsion at just the right moment. So, when she arrives to save Damon from Rebekah the next day, he can’t exactly get her to leave.

Takes place during 3X18.

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Damon/Elena

Rating: M

Banter, mutual pining, unresolved sexual tension, unresolved romantic tension, rescue mission, humor, hunted

Word count: 1,824

(No CW for this chapter, but the previous one has aftermath of torture, canonical.)

When the world around Elena returned, the swirling wind and scenery finally coalescing into stationary surroundings, she found herself in the passenger seat of her car, trembling from adrenaline. Through her panting breaths and thunderous cacophony in her chest, she vaguely noted Damon's hand gently fastening her seatbelt and closing her door, before he was right next to her in the driver's seat in the very next instant.

"I – I could've done that," she finally found the will to say, as her respiratory levels returned to fairly manageable levels, though the dizziness had yet to abate. That, or there were two Damons next to her.

Now, there's an idea…

Forcing herself to focus on definitely not all the exciting possibilities of finding herself in the company of Damon and his no-less-sexy twin, Elena cleared her throat weakly, looking for a distraction.

Any distraction. Because she especially didn't want to acknowledge those – the even scarier, deeper, hidden feelings that her mind was desperately trying to cover with unabashed desire.

Elena felt like a veritable nesting doll of denial, yearning for any diversion from the tempest in her heart when – wait a minute…

And the perfect opportunity presented itself.

She balked when she finally realized that Damon was in the driver's seat – of her car! The nerve. And, as a bonus, she'd have a viable outlet for all this pent-up frustration that was definitely not her mind and body wanting to celebrate barely escaping a dangerous situation through copious amounts of –

Nope, not going there.

With the one she –

Nope, nope, nope. Danger zone. Avoid.

Focusing all that not-sexual, nope, and definitely not that, not-at-all tension into her tone, she leveled Damon with the most annoyed look she could muster as he started the ignition and pulled out of her 'parking spot' – her car haphazardly abandoned outside of the mansion while she ran inside for her impulsive rescue mission. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting us as far away from Dysfunction Junction as possible," he replied distractedly, pulling the car onto the road with a speed kindly described as leisurely tornado. "I think Mystic Falls' highway mall cops are the least of our problems now."

"I meant – why are you driving? It's my car."

"Because your very human equilibrium is probably a mess for now from being carried at 200 miles per hour, and I'm not exactly in the mood to become a humanoid pretzel when you wrap us around a tree," Damon said, turning a corner as the car steadily accelerated.

"Hey, it's a step up from 'avant-garde blood fountain,' right?" The slight upturn of Damon's lips created a worrisome flutter in her heart and Elena ardently fought to sober herself. "I'm fine."

"Okay." Both Damons looked at her dubiously, their voices so in sync that they vocally merged into one smug jackass, raising their right hands. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Four. Or, at least each of them was holding up two. Right. Looks like no sexy identical twin, then.

"You could have just run slower." She pouted. Her arms crossed over her chest of their own accord, as she waited for that terribly inconvenient dizziness to abate.

"Couldn't let you one-up me on the gallant rescue, now could I?"

She wanted to slap, no kiss – no, slap that smug look right off his unfairly handsome face. "So, you just wanted to play the snarky knight in snooty, haute-couture armor?"

Damon pulled an expression straight out of her great-aunt Myrtle's pearl-clutching collection. She'd have to ask him someday where he learned to look so theatrically offended. "I'm not a medieval cop, Elena! That's Stefan." He grinned. "I'm the guy who robs his fancy stagecoach."

Elena's lips curved into a smile, genuinely amused. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to offend your … rebellious sensibilities."

"Well, you did. Because I'm more of a dashing rogue."

"Then again, I'm the one who saved you. So maybe I'm the dashing rogue," Elena replied cheekily, barely restraining herself from sticking her tongue out at him.

"You've got a ways to go from blood hustler to rogue. Lucky for you, I'm an excellent teacher." The sultry timbre was just unfair, and she knew that he knew exactly what he was doing. Jerk.

Time to call his bluff. "Oh yeah? And what exactly do these lessons entail?"

He smirked, leveling her with that 'eye thing' that had the frustrating side-effect of turning everything inside her to jelly. Thankfully, it was at that precise moment that Stefan decided to call, because Damon absolutely looked like he was about to go in for the kill, and a girl's innate sense of denial only went so far.

"Excellent timing as always, Stef," Damon drawled, looking every bit as frustrated as she felt. Good. That'll show him. "Don't tell me you took time away from sculpting your hair to check up. You're going to make me blush –"

"Where are you?" Baby bro sounded like he was prepping to film a commercial for Preparation H – not that this was out of the ordinary for him or anything.

"Taking a scenic joyride with my favorite dashing rogue padawan," Damon purred, sending a sultry wink over to Elena, mostly to watch her squirm against her own frustration, but also to watch that adorable blush coat her cheeks.

"Damon, this isn't the time!" Stefan sounded so wound-up and emotionally constipated that Damon could practically see the vein protruding on his already overcrowded forehead. Jealousy was not a good look for him, Damon thought, hilarious as it was.

"See, Stef, if you'd learn to diversify your nutrition a bit," Damon said. "Maybe if you ate the occasional hipster, you'd have more fiber in your diet, and –"

Elena took the opportunity to smack Damon on the shoulder, though this did absolutely nothing to hide the smile curving her lips as she tried to sound oh-so-serious. "What is it, Stefan?" She shot Damon a look that he was pretty sure she meant to appear exasperated and admonishing, but the subtle shake of her head and escaped hushed chuckle told an entirely different story. "What's wrong?"

"You both need to get somewhere safe."

"We're on our way back – " Elena began.

"No, it can't be here. They'll know to look for you here. Is there any place the two of you can lay low?"

"What's with all the gravitas and ominous warnings there, Cassandra? Care to vague it up a bit more?"

"Yeah, well, thanks to Elena sneaking away, Klaus apparently no longer trusts us to keep his blood bag safe, so he says he's taking her. And Rebekah wants to kill her. So don't ask me how that's going to work."

"Ooh, a Mikaelson hissy fit? What else is new?"

"You both need to disappear," Stefan stressed, sounding terse, like Paul Mitchell just declared bankruptcy and an everlasting love of natural hair. Klaus and Rebekah want to make an example out of you, Damon. According to them, Elena's little rescue mission humiliated them. It makes them look weak. They're on a rampage – especially since Finn is dead –"

"I don't understand," Elena interrupted. "I thought they were linked – wouldn't that have taken care of both Klaus and Rebekah?"

"Bonnie had to unlink them," Stefan said.

"Has Witchy completely lost it? Why would she do that?"

Stefan was quiet for a moment, and Damon could practically feel the tension coiling in Elena's form before he finally spoke. "Klaus threatened Jeremy. He knows he's in Denver, and he said –"

"Jeremy!?" Elena cried, gripping the seat so hard that she would have crushed it if she even had a fraction of a vampire's strength. "No, I have to go save him. I –"

"Bonnie and I will get him. You two just lay low. I mean it," Stefan said. "You're safer together." Damon could tell how annoyed Stefan was when he said that, and it was so satisfying.

"But – !"

"We're already at the airport. Bonnie's getting the tickets, Elena. He'll be safe. She won't let anything happen to him."

"He'll be fine, Elena," Damon said, his voice low enough that the gesture was meant exclusively for her, despite knowing that his brother's supernatural hearing would still catch it. "He's in good hands."

The abject terror and helplessness on Elena's face stole any joy he felt at Stefan's frustration, and Damon reached over to gingerly take her hand. She met his gaze immediately, her dark gaze shimmering in the early dusk as she bravely kept her tears from spilling down her cheeks.

"Okay," she whispered softly, her own hand squeezing Damon's in return. "I – thank you." Her lips were parted as though she wanted to say more, her eyes darting helplessly between Damon's who juggled watching the road and comforting the woman next to him. "I – I trust you."

"Great," Stefan replied, distracted by Bonnie calling him over to their gate. "We'll be in touch."

When the call ended, and suddenly, any façade of levity their earlier banter provided was shattered with the blow of Stefan's news. The Originals were unlinked and all their proclivity toward fighting over who gets to be the most dramatic person in any room seems to have put Damon and Elena at the center.

"Where will we go?" Elena asked, both hands now wrapped around his.

"I have a few ideas," Damon said, reaching his thumb to stroke her knuckles to soothe her. "But we'll have to lose our tails first."

She nodded mutely, somehow straddling a look both worried and resolved. It pulled at a part of him he'd long ago resigned to her, laughing at the once-naïve fool who genuinely believed he could keep his humanity locked up in her presence. Needing to see her smile again, to see hope return to her gaze, with the same urgency that he somehow still needed air despite being undead, he resorted to a tried-and-true method – one that seemed to work on her quite well.

"Aw, what's the matter, Pouty?" He teased, leaning over to softly purr in her ear. "Afraid you'll lose your hustler cred if blood your contraband isn't enough for an extended trip?"

"Eyes on the road!" She straightened, probably making some feeble attempt to hide her racing heartbeat, dilated pupils, and oh yeah, that tantalizing scent. Definitely worked. "Actually, get out of the driver's seat. I'm fine now." She declared, arms crossed over her chest to emphasize her point.

"Nope! First lesson in dashing rogue lore," Damon said importantly. "Creating false trails for annoying supernatural clingers."

"Hmm." Elena frowned theatrically, tapping her chin. "Does that come before or after swimming in enough bourbon to power a pirate ship?"

He grinned. There she is. "Obviously, you need both, Elena. You're lucky I offered to teach you, because you clearly have a lot to learn."

[lancedoncrimsonwings]

hi I think I know what might be your medical issue?

Long story short I am in a server where you talked about your “mystery” dysautonomia a while back (I was looking for another comment and saw that one) and I have the exact same symptoms, tho slightly milder at their worst. I have hyperadrenic POTS, a rare subtype of POTS where bp goes UP when triggered rather than down and which is caused by an overproduction of stress hormones in the body rather than solely a lack of vein strength or fluid production. I take propranolol for it, because hyperPOTS means chronic high blood pressure and the prop also helps w the heart rate. POTS is also oftentimes comorbid with nerve issues, especially hyperPOTS, since hyperPOTS can oftentimes be caused by stuff like damage to the brain stem. A lot of docs and cardiologists don’t know abt hyperpots cus it was super rare until covid hit, and I only got my diagnosis after seeking out a specialist bc 8 doctors and 2 ER trips had everyone scratching their heads. I’d be fine then I’d stand up and my bp would hit 170/100 and my HR would be 130. I’m sorry you’re dealing with medical issues and sorry for just dropping this in your inbox but I KNOW how scary and frustrating these situations can be. Hopefully this points you in the right direction??? Idk I’m no medical professional but that sounds like what I have.

Hi Anon!

I am personally grateful you did reach out, but I do have to put a statement here that I don't want people to reach out with unsolicited medical advice, please ask if its ok first!

I am happy to openly talk about my disabilities, BUT NOT EVERY DISABLED PERSON IS.

In my case, due to medical gaslighting I have medical PTSD, and sometimes even without it when people give unsolicited advice it can feel like I'm being told I'm not trying hard enough. (In reality, I'm on the losing end of the postcode lottery with a severely underfunded NHS and no ability to go private, with doctors that do not listen or care, whilst struggling alone against these debilitating and life altering symptoms.)

I do not remotely think you are doing that, Anon, and again I'm grateful for your ask, but such is the way I have to put a disclaimer up.

With that out of the way!

I have suspected HyperPOTs for a while, sadly my doctors have no interest in exploring further, they won't do the tests, they won't test my cortisol, they won't look into it, and given they have labelled me histrionic in the past I can't risk pushing more than I have.

I have tried propranolol in the past and sadly didn't get on with it, due to comorbidities, but have general sinus tachycardia (I meet criteria for IST, as my average HR over 24hrs is 99-110, anything over 90 is considered IST but I don't have an official diagnosis of it. My HR does come down to the 70-80s when asleep, but awake its usually over 100bpm. Case in point, its currently 137 and I'm only sat at the desk at work, alone, writing this)

The diagnosed they did give me were Vasovagal syncope and I have occasional episodes of SVT. (Documented) My official Dysautonomia diagnosis (Vasovagal Syncope aside) is "disorders of autonomic nervous system". I mean. Vague and nondescript as it is, it's fairly accurate I suppose.

High cortisol would make sense, given my cPTSD, or some form of adrenal fatigue in general. I do also have MECFS, ADHD, and we suspect EDs- all VERY commonly comorbid conditions with Dysautonomia in general. If I do indeed have Ehlers Danlos syndrome, (in referral stage atm) then this could be the overall cause, connective tissue disease resulting in a general brainstem dysfunction. (Which would explain the nerve problems, the numbness, sporadic muscle weakness, the Non Epileptic Seizures, severe motion sickness, episodes mimic the signs of stroke- potentially silent migranes, etc etc etc etc...)

Causes are great to know, and I wish I had the luxury of even that, but I suppose in the end they still give me little to no hope of treatment given there isn't really any that I'm not already doing, they will never offer me anything else. So long as MS remains ruled out, I'll be happy enough to survive with the mediocrity I get from my doctors.

Hopefully I get some answers one day. I don't imagine I really will, though.

Dysautonomias are awful to deal with and I hope that yours is tolerable, Anon. May you have many low symptom days!

(Sorry if this rambling mess made no sense!)

[nparunalaya]

Role of Physiotherapy in Chronic Pain Management

Introduction

Chronic pain is a very complex and persistent condition which can affect millions of people worldwide, which often leads to a significant and a long term decline in quality of life of individuals suffering from it. First the patient suffers from acute pain which serves as a warning signal for injury which further changes with time into chronic pain persisting for weeks,  months or even years, even long after the initial cause has resolved. Managing these  chronic pain effectively requires a multidisciplinary approach, and skills of a physiotherapy which can play a critical role in the process of treatment. We at ArunaLaya put our efforts with our skills and through targeted interventions and personalized treatment plans help patients to regain their mobility, reduce discomfort, and improve their overall well being.

How ArunaLaya Helps Manage Chronic Pain

Our approaches are non medicinal and we work with evidence based practice in which we focus on addressing your underlying causes of pain rather than merely masking the symptoms and treating them vaguely without any scientific proof. Chronic pain can often result from a combination of factors which includes musculoskeletal imbalances, poor posture, lack of physical activity, or nerve dysfunction or injuries from the past which has not been treated. Firstly our Physiotherapist assesses each patient’s condition comprehensively to identify their root cause and then we create a tailored treatment plan which differs from patient to patient.

Some of the key benefits which we at ArunaLaya gives you  in treating the chronic pain

– Pain Relief : Techniques such as electrical stimulation, mobilization, moist heat, manual therapy, tapping and dry needling can help you to reduce your pain. 

– Improved Mobility : Stretching exercises and then tailored strengthening exercises enhance your joint function and muscle flexibility. 

– Education and Awareness:  We educate patients on pain management strategies and preventive measures which are to be taken in account of day to day living for better management.

– Psychological Support: Chronic pain often affects mental health, and we offer a sense of friendly environment at our facility which empowers and control over one’s condition.

Physiotherapy Modalities for reducing the Chronic Pain:

At our facility we have a variety of modalities to target your chronic pain effectively. Our advanced techniques are often combined to provide a comprehensive approach in treating your condition.

Manual Therapy: Our hands on techniques such as deep tissue release, joint mobilization, soft tissue mobilization, KKMT, 3-D manipulation can improve circulation, reduce stiffness, and relieve tension. 

Heat and Cold Therapy: Moist Heat promotes blood flow and reduces muscle tightness, while patients who have joint soreness and fracture contractures are treated with cold compression therapy to minimize inflammation and numbs pain. 

TENS, IFT, Wireless devices : in these  methods we use electrical impulses to block pain signals and stimulate the release of endorphins which further leads to decrease in the sensation of pain. 

Ultrasound Therapy: High-frequency sound waves are used to penetrate deep tissues, alleviating inflammation and promoting healing. 

Class 4 Laser: We at our facility use high intensity laser therapy  which is a non invasive treatment that uses light energy to treat a variety of chronic conditions. It helps in reducing pain, increasing the blood flow, promotes healing, nerve regeneration, cell metabolism and also increases the immune system.

Shock wave therapy: Our BTL shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses acoustic waves to treat a variety of chronic pain conditions. Which reduces the deep knots and promotes heeling.

Dry Needling and cupping therapy: Dry needling techniques target trigger points to relieve muscle knots and tension, whereas cupping therapy is used to suction and to draw blood away from specific areas of the body. This further helps in healing, reduces pain.

Exercise for Chronic Pain

Exercise is the further step which is taken by us in managing the chronic pain. It’s scientifically proven that regular, low impact physical activity improves strength, flexibility, and endurance, all of which are essential for reducing pain and preventing future injuries and laps in the body. For you we design exercise programs which are tailored to the patient’s specific condition and fitness level. 

Key types of exercises for the management of chronic pain relief include: 

Stretching: It enhances your flexibility and also helps to reduce stiffness in affected muscles and joints. 

Strengthening Exercises: We focus on building muscle which will  support the surrounding joint which will further help in increasing the strength and reducing the pain. 

Aerobic Activities: We focus on low impact activities like walking on a trademill and aerobic exercise with BFR cuffs on static cycling and elliptical machines can improve cardiovascular health and release natural painkillers which are known as endorphins.

Mind Body Exercises: We help patients to practice things like tai chi and Pilates which will help in reduce stress and improve body awareness. 

Conclusion

Chronic pain can be a debilitating condition and can lead to depression and lowering self esteem, but with the right approach and evidence based practice  it is possible to manage and alleviate its impact on daily life. ArunaLaya physiotherapist offers you a holistic non medicinal  and effective solution for treating and managing your chronic pain. By combining with our various modalities, manual therapy and exercises, with educating patients, we ArunaLaya physiotherapists can empower patients to take control of their life and restore their quality of life.

If you’re struggling with chronic pain, seeking out our help with our skilled physiotherapist team could be the first step toward lasting relief. 

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[thelongcovidhil]

Oh, the (Vagus) Nerve!

As explained in the following video, the vagus nerve is the software that controls all of our hardware — it controls how our hearts beat, how we breathe, how we swallow, how we speak, how we metabolize and digest, how our blood vessels constrict and dilate, inflammatory responses, healing… the list is endless. Vagus health is essential for overall health and survival. It ensures homeostasis.

When the “rest and digest system” is inflamed and/or damaged and can’t do its job, a vicious cycle ensues: the body becomes more inflamed, stressed, and exhausted, which causes even more inflammation, damage, and imbalance.

It’s also clear that the vagus nerve is especially susceptible to the Covid virus and its damage. Honestly, it appears Covid targets the most important nerve in our bodies…

The following quotes are from this medical journal: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10412500/

Overall, our data show that the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the vagus nerve as well as vagus nerve inflammation and dysfunction are widespread in COVID-19. This is in line with large observational studies reporting dysautonomia as a common symptom of long COVID.

The vagus nerve could be particularly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, as it is directly innervating the respiratory tract, which is the primary site of infection. Other entry routes could be direct axonal infection, since the receptors of SARS-CoV-2 are highly abundant on the vagus nerve, or through endothelial cells similar to central nervous system infection. This is supported by our findings of strong endothelial inflammatory responses in vagus nerves of COVID-19 patients

SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been identified at the entry site of the vagus nerve into the brainstem of COVID-19 patients which implies that SARS-CoV-RNA is detectable along the entire route of the vagus nerve.