u/Soft-Intern-3763

TW: MEDICAL ‼️‼️‼️ I started using a cane for autonomic nervous system issues after long covid to keep my balance. I’m only 2 days into high school and people are so fucking mean! They’ll help me do things as simple as opening a locker to make themselves feel like better people and show off for their friends, not because they wanna help, and treat me like I’m incompetent for having this rod of metal! And I don’t know what to do. I feel so bad and I’ve made zero friends in the few days… idk how I’m going to deal with this year. Even a security guard went up to me today and went “Ya getting around ok? If you’re ever feeling a certain way then let us know! We are here for you!” Which I appreciate and she seemed like she genuinely cared, i just wish that mobility aids were more socially normal. I’m so sick of the pity. They don’t get to decide what I am and am not capable of. I’m not dumb, I’m not unable to think, I just have stick for balance. Omg this is the worst.

I started using a cane for autonomic nervous system issues after long covid to keep my balance. I’m only 2 days into high school and people are so fucking mean! They’ll help me for moral high grounds and treat me like I’m incompetent for having this rod of metal! And I don’t know what to do. I feel so bad and I’ve made zero friends in the few days… idk how I’m going to deal with this year. Even a security guard went up to me today and went “Ya getting around ok? If you’re ever feeling a certain way then let us know! We are here for you!” I’m so sick of the pity. They don’t get to decide what I am and am not capable of. I’m not dumb, I’m not unable to think, I just have stick for balance. Omg this is the worst.

So, im a teen who was diagnosed with Long Covid last October due to frequent breathing issues, lung spasms, gagging, and random coughing after I got COVID. This was likely because I was born at 35 weeks and 6 days, with my lungs heavily compromised. Since then, the lung spasms have calmed down but I’ve started to experience POTS-like symptoms (fainting, dizziness, heartrate increase of 50-60 bpm upon standing, hard time regulating body temp, digestion issues, muffled hearing/blurred vision upon standing, frequent headaches, and exercise intolerance.) Not to mention the history of EDS in my family, AND my likelihood of neurodivergence (Im gonna be fr, I was a little surprised about the connection between neurodivergence and chronic illness, though I wasn’t shocked.) But I won’t be able to get a formal diagnosis until the 31st because of my GODDAMN insurance, my family has gotten me some compression garments that im soooooo grateful for, though they are nice for everyday use, im about to head back to school where there’s ALOOTTT of standing, and sitting, but mostly walking and standing. I’ve been dropping hints to my mom about wanting a cane because I genuinely don’t care if im seen as less than or “too young” because I’d rather be comfortable. I know they’re hesitant to get me anything like that before I get a diagnosis but when my likelihood of having it is ALREADY through the roof? And it’ll help either way, with or without a diagnosis. It could be because my mom has watched my grandfather move between wheelchair and cane for MS in his older years and now she’s nervous I’ll do that too? Idk why it’s a huge deal, I just wanna live as fruitfully as I can dude.

Last night I showered, in cool water as always because warm water lowky makes me almost faint, and I don’t have a shower chair. For the past couple of showers I’ve had I got really nauseous and sick from the dizziness. If anyone has ever experienced this, how was your experience? And how’d you fix/help it?

(would like to clarify that I drink half of a liquid IV electrolyte packet before showering and I make sure I eat enough so idk like… what’s up)

So, there’s this book called Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. It follows italian New Yorker, Louis Zamperini who takes up running as a sport to escape being a terrible child. He gets so good he qualifies and enters the Olympics. Though, during the Olympics, he is drafted into the WW2 military. During a flight, his plane crashes in the ocean and after being stuck at sea for 44 days, he is captured by the Japanese. After shifting between camps, he finally ends up at this Omori POW camp, with the Sergeant being Mutushiro Watanabe (nicknamed “The Bird”) who would abuse and beat Zamperini relentlessly, until just before the wars end, when he flees the camp. Now, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with the boiled one, but, hear me out. The Boiled One is Watanabe reincarnated. One of the recorded cases of the phenomenon that stood out was with Job Zamperini, a war vet. At the time The Boiled One Phenomenon is set, (August 2003) the real-life Zamperini was still alive, not passing until 2014. And he would be retired by this time, looking around the same age as the images used. Dunno, just a fun fact and it really shows how much research and interest The Doctor puts into his stories.

So, we got this new kitten, pebbles. He’s as sweet as can be and is very attached to my father. The problem is, unlike our other cats, pebbles is very vocal and wound up. He frequently climbs up my father using his claws, and I will admit, putting him on the floor and spraying him with a bottle seems like a measured response. Instead, my father instead tosses him, grabs him and yells at him, chases after him with the spray bottle and just keeps spraying, etc. Today, he tossed him because he was annoyed and our kitten hit his jaw on the wall. I went to go make sure he’s ok, and I gave my dad like… the worst look ever. That was what broke me. Here in a bit, I plan on calmly confronting him and asking him to maybe not do that. (he didn’t do this to any of our cats when they were babies, he’s just an ass to pebbles for some reason) The problem is, whenever he gets upset or starts to lecture or yells (He’s NEVER hit me) I cry very VERY easily. I need to be completely stone faced and serious during this conversation. Anyone have any tips so I can hold it together and maybe get it through to him?

(We haven’t brought anything up to him yet about it and he usually stops after the first time we say something, I just want to make sure he understands that I mean straight business.)

Thanks in advance for any advice!

(To Clarify, he didn’t toss him into the wall, it was just a byproduct of how close he tossed him near the wall)

Was hanging out with someone who has also sh’d in the past, and she kept talking about “Slash-Flashing” when we went down to a pool. I just kept nodding and I do feel for her, I do, but what really got to me was a few nights before when she said “I love how your coping mechanisms now are la la la la la [x, y, and z] and mine are [insert cutting motion here].” Kinda dismissing me/one-upping me in a way of how she’s… just more affected. And more hurt. And I’ve never had anything happen.
Now to be clear, I have scarred a teensy weensy bit on the top of my arms from when I scrubbed my flesh off with a pumice Stone, but the rest of what I’ve done hasn’t scarred.
I dont know if I’m valid to feel hurt or shut down by that comment and the constant need for her to try to one up me or if I’m being insensitive, I dont know. She is a very competitive person, so maybe that’s it? I dont know I haven’t spoken to anyone about it yet I just want some sort of validation.
Thank you.

So, I’m on my second tray and my first time changing. This is 150% worse than the first tray insertion and hurts like hell. Does anyone have any tips or tricks on how to deal with this? I’ve tried Tylenol and that helps to an extent but I was wondering what yall do when Tylenol isn’t available or you don’t have any. Thanks for any help!