#healthposting

[squeakykins]

I think it's fascinating how so many people who experience post-exertional malaise (PEM) describe a certain aspect of it as 'feeling poisoned'. There's no clinical, diagnostic term for this deeply unpleasant sensation and it's impossible to explain it adequately, but

yeah, it do kinda feel like I've been poisoned. A heavy, aching burn in my muscles and bones accompanied by an activation of the sympathetic nervous system that manifests itself in a feeling of impending doom, dread, 'wrong'ness that makes it very difficult to lie still.

The running theory is that this is is caused by a buildup of lactic acid in the muscles, due to our bodies defaulting to using aerobic glycolysis to metabolize cellular energy. Less efficient, less energy created, more toxic byproducts like lactic acid.

So I guess in a way it is kinda like we've been poisoned? But not in a quacky, pseudoscience-y way.

[pluralrorschach]

You wish you had a cute dentist buddy like me.

[balaclava-trismegistus]

really bizarre thing happening rn. i'd go to the er if I didn't know it would be a complete waste of fucking time. right arm started feeling like a nerve got trapped, developed parasthesia. particularly in the bottom two fingers and bottom edge of my hand, along with the underside of my arm. moved my arm around to try and release the nerve if it was that. gradually got worse. bp slightly elevated but I did take 20mg adderall about 3 hours ago. blood vessel on the back of my right hand was bulging a lot more than usual. I could see it going up my arm in a way I've never noticed before. thought my right fingertips felt a little colder than the other so I checked with an IR thermometer and it said there was a 2 deg. f difference between my right and left fingertips, with the right slightly cooler. Then noticed there was a numb spot right on the back of my wrist. around the blood vessel. felt my hand was getting tired and weak for no reason. the muscle that was abnormal on EMG began to burn as though I had been exercising and that began to spread to the back of my hand and go up my arm and shoulder. this sort of thing has happened a few times. no fucking clue what it is. seems maybe vascular. Guess I should shoot my PCP a message about this and say im not gonna go to the ER cuz when I told the last neurologist she just said it was psychological.

cool!

[bugbyte]

Today I had the option of going and dunking my feet in the lake for a while and had to turn it down because despite being a “relaxed” activity it would have worn me down enough to be unable to cook dinner later. And like, that’s fine, kinda. I got to cook something good that I wanted and was a little more effort than normal. I wish I had more good cooking days, I love cooking.

But sometimes I really hate that I can’t just do spontaneous normal stuff anymore! It’s sad and it’s hard.

We’re gonna plan an afternoon doing lake stuff and set it up so having to cook dinner isn’t an issue and I can rest afterward and still enjoy everything, and the weather’s going to be good for it for a while. Summer stuff.

I just get sad thinking about how (if, when) we can financially do like, a little trip somewhere or something, how am I ever going to hold up physically? It’s hard to be in the car for the two hour round trip for some appointments, let alone more than that. And then doing something at an actual destination. I want to do cons again, I want to see more parks and nature. It’s hard to think about. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to realistically do, and then there’s never knowing when things with my body will change or get a bit worse and just stay that way. The new normal.

Ultimately this is all what ifs and things that can be resolved but I am finding there are moments where the consequences of becoming disabled are sometimes more emotional than the day to day of living it. I’m used to the everyday routine of dealing with the small stuff by now, but what about the rest of my life? The future?

Sometimes it’s just a little sad. I’m just having some feelings. I hope I can revisit this in a couple of years and reassure my past self that things actually did turn out ok, and we figured out how to make it all work, and life is different than expected but not less. Part of why I’ve been posting about this over time is being able to look back at it later. Also finding community, that’s been lovely too. But I’m hoping future me gets to do all the good stuff. If that makes sense.

[anachrosims]

TMI and I'll be fine, buuuuut this is one of the most, if not THE most, painful thing I've ever had to endure in my life. And I've had a spinal injury, PCOS, multiple surgeries in various places.

"Why are you blogging about this on a sims blog?" 1) Because I can. 2) Because it's my blog. 3) It's literally like... the only blog I have so you're just gonna have to deal.

"Details" (I am very, VERY vague) below.

The conclusion though, is that I'll have access to prescription-grade lidocane tomorrow (Sunday) and antibiotics; my partner is the delight of my life; I am truly, honestly grateful for my job that allows me to have good insurance and actually pays me enough to get by (in a 2 income household).

A cyst came back despite me not having a uterus - the good news is that it's on the exterior, so it's not life-threatening. Still, I can barely walk, and on a scale of 1-10, the pain is at an 8 or 9.

For reference, I put my hysterectomy at a solid 5, spinal injury b.s. at 7-8. Migraines hit anywhere between 6-8. Period cramps usually ran between 2-4.

I went to Planned Parenthood on Saturday because I can't get in to see anyone else until the end of the month. And I live in the US, so like fuck am I going to the ER, and urgent care ain't gonna do shit lol.

They've got me on antibiotics and prescription-strength lidocane, those are being delivered tomorrow morning (Sunday).

Al's been a damn godsend ferrying me to and from the doctor's office. We got ice cream afterward. I don't know how I'd still be around without him. <3

[56kilobits]

Epigenetic fingerprints link early-onset colon and rectal cancer to pesticide exposure - Nature Medicine

An analysis of exposome traits in patients with early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) (&lt;50 years) compared with late-onset CRC (≥70 years)

increased use of a specific herbicide does seem to be in line with what I had guessed was upstream of the millennial cancer crisis. microplastics theory is ofc still in play as long as it remains impossible to create a non-microplastic control group

[yuppiepsycho100]

i knew medikinet is a controlled substance but i didn't fully realize the implications of trying to get it until i saw the pharmacist visibly hesitate to go retrieve it, call her (I'm assuming) supervisor before asking me how much I need and nodding in relief when I said I only need one box of 30 pills

[skalidris]

physio is theoretically helping however that is at the cost of feeling more embodied (it hurts in here)