u/BooksNCats11

Just as a head's up a bunch of companies are changing food dyes as part of RFKs nonsense and it just hit Gatorade here. The fruit punch now says the food coloring is "fruit juice" but doesn't say anything at all about WHICH fruit is being using. I emailed them to ask but I am betting I don't get an answer OR get an answer like "depends".

Just a wanted to let others know in case you missed the way the color looks different and I know the MCAS/POTS crossover is high.

I’ve seen it as a symptom of VM and I’m curious what that means for you when you experience it.

Is it just everything is too loud? Certain things annoying that aren’t usually?

I’m sitting here with a startle response to damn near every noise especially when I’m trying to relax to fall asleep and wondering if that’s part of this or something else.

Sure am exhausted, though. Like, husband hitting the enter key “too hard” on the laptop should NOT be startling me to the same level as finding a spider crawling on me, but here we are…

This is a weird one. I think I am in flare up. My skin is so itchy. My sinuses are *mad*. I know ragweed is really high where I am right now so I am not super shocked by that.

But, there's a new symptom lately and I dunno what to make of it. MCAS? POTS? hEDS? Something.

You know how when you're dealing with restless leg syndrome you get this really strong like...almost tightness in the muscles before you move them to ease up the sensation? Well I've been dealing with that since last night except it's *along my spine* near my shoulder blades.

I don't know what to make of it. I sure don't like it, though.

Thoughts? Ideas? Opinions?

For those without* RLS it's *almost* like that feeling you get before you shiver from the cold. Or when you're startled. Like a tiny little not quite adrenaline dump but just down the spine.

I am probably going to end up at the doctors for it but I can't even figure out the right words to properly convey wtf is going on. It's *so* uncomfortable.

I am just wondering what tips/tricks people have for being in the car and avoiding VM?

It's my #1 and most obvious trigger. I don't even have to be driving. It took YEARS to figure out that I wasn't having "panic attacks" while driving, that it was actually migraine. It took neuro-opth and then the big dog neuro-opth to finally clue me in that it was migraine causing it.

They said it was the result of dual strabismus surgery as a toddler since I went so long without my eyes working together they just never learned to do it and as I got older it became more of a problem. I am guessing my hEDS (wasn't dx'ed at the time) plays a part in that too.

But like...being housebound kinda sucks?? I can't be in the car at all some days without issues. Others I can make it like a mile away. But I am rural so everything is at least 5-10 miles away.

Any ideas to help get me out of the house to more things? What can I try?

Rabies drop starting on the 31st from low flying helicopters.

https://preview.redd.it/spwo2nnbfegh1.png?width=1136&format=png&auto=webp&s=9fc5ec331eb78b08d853eab1d0edd630f1d08f5f

If you're using Slynd for your progestrone/progestin component but don't have regular periods, how did you start it? Did you wait an unknown amount of time for your period to show? Did you just start it when you got it? Obvs if you start it whenever it won't "work" for BCP reasons for awhile but in terms of safety etc?

Now sure what my best course of action here is. It COULD be 10 days to my next bleeding or it could be 3 months, WHO KNOWS?!

So I've discovered I really like plot forward books. I don't enjoy books like Theo of Golden, God of the Wood, or The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet because they are so character focused.

Books I've read this year and really enjoyed include: Trad Wife (the one by Saratoga Shaeffer), Everyone is Lying to You, Yesteryear, Hemlock and Silver, Japanese Gothic, We Spread, and The Barren Grounds.

I am open to any genre though I do tend to read more horror/fantasy (but I adored First Time Caller last year).

I just like..things to happen in the books. Any good suggestions??

The new ones go into effect soon (August 1 I think??).

Anyone know if they auto-fail for check engine lights still?? I've been trying to get mine inspected for literal years now but it wouldn't pass because the light is on and it's giving off weird ass codes like for brakes my car doesn't even have.

Normally I'd just not bother with it but I've got a kid that's gonna be driving soon and I'd *prefer* to send them out in an actually legal car. But I dunno how the fuck to MAKE it legal because of the light.

I've been to three different shops with it for them to shrug, reset it, and tell me to drive it awhile and come back...but the light always comes back on.

Anyway, with the whole "immediate safety risk" wording I was semi-hopeful that maybe it'll be all right? It's *CLEARLY* not an immediate risk because I just kept being sent out to drive it more....

I know what's happening, it's the same thing that happened when I was postpartum and my body was trying to get periods again.

Have cycle.... body tries to ovulate, fails, and then there's light bleeding (more than spotting, less than a period)...and then it does it all over again every 10-14 days until it finally decides it's a wash and I have a proper period to reset.

I can't cycle progestrone because I *need* it to sleep. I can't do an IUD because my body HATES them (tried twice, both times I had to have them removed in under a month due to non-functional levels of pain). I tried the regular mini pill and gained FORTY freakin pouds in 2 months. That's not gonna happen again.

I can try slynd? Maybe?

Do I just try to get a hyst? I'd really rather not deal with the recovery...and also the appt to discuss why, the ultrasound that would be needed, the probable biopsy they'd want (I REFUSE to do one of those without being put under)...meaning even in the best of cases I probably couldn't get a hyst for another 6+ months.

Stupid organ. Is there some other option I'm missing/not thinking of?

I've been on 100mg oral progestrone with my estrogen patch (0.75) for a couple years now. I was looking to get rid of that part and replace it with Slynd. That *is* an acceptable replacement option, right? I've got a uterus so I wanted to make sure it "counts" as the progestrone component needed for HRT.

I was looking to have something with actual birth control and I've failed the IUD twice so I am not playing THAT game again.

One of my kids has been spending time in queer spaces locally recently and said they were caught off guard hearing "f*ggot" quite a lot. Again, this is a queer space, and the supervising adults didn't say anything (queer adults).

I will *never* forget the first time a queer group came to my high school and talked about reclaiming the word queer and how jarring it was for me to hear it spoken in a positive light (it was like Y2K)....so I was wondering if maybe that's happening now in younger queer spaces with the f slur? Or maybe it's just local to us?

I told them I'd ask somewhere and this is the only place that I could think of!