My OT recommended that I try rowing alongside swimming because it doesn't involve any standing or running, so I was wondering if there were any rowers with POTS on here and if so, what has your experience been and what advice would you give to a beginner? Not giving or looking for medical advice.
For as long as I can remember I've had problems with my body. Here are all the symptoms that I can think of that may be related to hypermobility, but I could be forgetting some:
Some other things that I've heard could be related:
I'm going to try and speak with my OT or get in with a rheumatologist, but I'm not really sure if this is normal and what I should do.
A few days ago, my endocrinologist advised me to remove gluten from my diet due to suspected celiac disease and I see her again in 4 weeks, but I don't want to screw up any celiac tests that I may go for in the future. Google says I need to consume gluten for 6 weeks for my test results to be accurate, so if I've been gluten free for around 4 days, can I immediately restart gluten and then get tested within the next few days or will I need to eat gluten for 6 weeks consistently and then get tested? What should I do, should I try and call the doctor?
This sounds like a stupid question, but my doctor suspects that I may be celiac (still waiting on further testing) and has advised me to cut gluten from my diet. It hasn't been very long, so in terms of symptoms, nothing much has changed, but according to my family, my mood has significantly improved. For people who are confirmed to have celiac, did removing gluten from your diet improve your mood?
I’ve seen a lot of posts on here about people struggling with VCE because of mental or physical health issues, so I thought I’d put together some advice that I wish more people had told me. First of all, your health problems are not due to personal failure. You’re not lazy, stupid, weak, or “bad at school” because you’re struggling to function while dealing with health problems.
VCE can be demanding even when you’re completely healthy, so if you're not, it makes it even harder. Here are some things that I find can help as a person with both mental health issues and a chronic illness:
TL;DR
Tell someone at school.
Look into special considerations.
Don't treat rest as something you need to earn.
Lower the bar if you need to.
Get your priorities straight.
Break down big tasks into smaller ones.
Don't compare yourself to your healthy classmates.
Keep your teachers and other staff updated if you can.
Utilise your good days.
Have a minimum viable study routine.
Don't sacrifice your entire life for an ATAR.
Ask for help before you're at breaking point.
...
Tell someone at school e.g. year level coordinator, wellbeing team, VCE/senior year coordinator, teacher or other staff members. They can't help with problems they don't know about, but you don't have to disclose every personal detail either.
Look into special considerations and school based support as soon as you can. Don't wait until the last minute to ask for support so your school can let you know what VCAA support is available for your situation.
Don't treat rest as something you need to earn. Resting isn't procrastination. Sleep, appointments, eating and exercising well (if you're able to) or even just taking a break is all part of getting through VCE.
Lower the bar if you need to. If you're not coping, turn "I studied for hours and finished everything" into "I sat at my desk and submitted the important task". It's not giving up, it's adapting to the amount of energy you have.
Get your priorities straight. You can't always do everything, so work out what is actually worth your time and energy. Some tasks are less important than others, so if you're struggling, ask your teacher what you should prioritise.
Break down big tasks into smaller ones. "Study Biology" is overwhelming, while "Read 1 page" is not. Once you start, it's easier to do more.
Don't compare yourself to your healthy classmates. Just because someone else can study for six hours after school doesn't mean everyone can. Compare yourself to your own circumstances, not someone else's.
Keep your teachers and other staff updated if you can. If you disappear for two weeks and then suddenly email asking for extensions, it's much harder for everyone. Communicating early makes things considerably easier.
Utilise your good days. If you happen to have a day where you feel more motivated, you don't necessarily need to spend all of it catching up, but doing a little extra preparation can give you some breathing room when the bad days come back.
Have a minimum viable study routine. For example, on a really bad day, maybe your goal is simply to attend school, do one important task, eat something, shower, and sleep. On a better day, you can do more. Having different expectations for different levels of functioning can make things much more sustainable.
Don't sacrifice your entire life for an ATAR. Obviously VCE matters, but it is not worth destroying your physical or mental health over. There are pathways into university, TAFE, apprenticeships, further study, and careers that don't depend on getting one particular ATAR.
Ask for help before you're at breaking point. Friends, family, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, doctors and other professionals exist for a reason. You don't have to prove that you're “sick enough” to deserve support.
Most importantly, your VCE results are a description of how you performed during one particular period of your life, they aren't a measure of your intelligence, your worth, your future, or how hard you tried.
I'm in Year 10 and debating whether to do regular VCE or VCE VM. I am a very high achieving student, naturally gifted, a multiple academic award recipient and member of prestigious academic programs. I am currently accelerating 2 VCE subjects, which is all good and well, but I don't know if I will manage Year 11 and 12. I struggle a lot with my mental health, and when I get stressed, I shut down. Sometimes the school pressure gets bad enough that I end up in hospital. Neither option is "better" per se, I just don't know what to do. I don't want VCE to be the be all and end all of my life. This system is bullshit. I want to go into a BaDes at Swinburne, which I can do via VCE VM through their UniLink program, or I can go direct through VCE. I'm also worried that I will start one, get halfway through and then change my mind. I'm tossing up between so many options, can someone help?
I'm thinking of becoming an inclusive education teacher, what should I know beforehand?
I have POTS, ME/CFS and possibly other chronic illnesses, and VCE has been a struggle for me. Luckily, I have semi-managed to work out how to cope and balance my health with my studies.
TL;DR
First of all, you need to be able to advocate for yourself. This doesn't necessarily mean you yourself have to communicate with your school, but having some kind of way, like parents or professionals to do it if you can't, but even better if you can! Another important thing is being at a school that understands your position in the first place. I know this is not possible in every case, but for me, I had to move schools in order to feel heard. If this is not possible for you, advocating for yourself and having people to back you up is key. Homeschool is also a perfectly valid option if you feel like that works for you. Attendance can be complicated with a chronic illness because your energy levels and condition is always fluctuating, so if you can't commit to the VCE attendance requirements, unscored or VM may also work, as they have more flexibility. Asking for provisions is also important. Personally, I have typing provisions, permission to complete exams in a separate room and written instruction as opposed to verbal. I also have permission to use extensions on tasks when I have a bad health period. You should talk to a professional or school support to work out what provisions may be helpful for you. In terms of studying, I like to think of it as a "study menu", with course 1 being low energy tasks, course 2 being moderate energy tasks and course 3 being high energy tasks, that way I can tailor my study session to my needs of the day. A lot of other helpful study tips are described in my post about managing motivation with ADHD. Sometimes, I ask my teachers for online resources so that I can try and stay on top of work when I can't physically make it to school and having a plan for catching up sustainably also helps. Most of all, having a support system will either make or break your experience. Talk to your parents/guardians, counsellor, psychology, OT, doctor or anyone else that you trust if you need help!
Writing this made me very tired, so please let me know if you want me to go into any more detail in the comments.
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I have made a post about dealing with VCE as a chronically-ill teen in the past, but I deleted it by accident, so I was wondering if anyone would be interested in hearing my point of view and any advice I have to offer?
If you have ADHD like me, it's likely that you will have experienced this: a short period of intense motivation where you get a lot done, followed by a crash where you can't bring yourself to do anything for days or even weeks. My question is, how do you combat this?
TL;DR
I've found that stopping work after a reasonable amount of time (30-120mins), even when I feel extremely productive, helps me from burning out. Think of it as leaving some fuel in the tank for your next ride. The next thing that helps me is creating small achievable goals to measure my success. For example, treat 10 minutes as a successful study day. This means once you're done with your 10 minutes, if it's a good day, you can do more, but if it's a bad day, that's all you have to do. Another big tip is taking breaks even when you're not exhausted. As someone who also has a chronic illness, this has been one of the best ways to conserve energy. I like to allocate breaks into my study time so I know when to stop and rest instead of waiting until I can barely keep going. For example: 15 minutes study > 5 minute break > 15 minutes study > 5 minute break. Using routines instead of motivation helps to create reliability. Your break should actually feel like a break, so get up and walk around, rest your head on the desk or drink some water, but don't doomscroll! Another tip is to make starting the goal of your study session. Instead of telling yourself you'll do x tonight, say: "at 6pm, I'm going to sit at my desk and answer 1 question". Once you're there, you can decide whether or not you are able to continue. Finally, create a plan for all levels of energy, or as I like to call it, my "study menu". Course number 1 is for high energy or good days, so you can study for as long as you need (but not enough to cause you to crash!), course 2 is for your meh days, so just study for half an hour if needed and course 3 is for terrible days, where the goal is just to do 10 minutes. Terrible days aren't meant to help you catch up, it's to keep your routine. If you're reading this, you've made it to the end (phew, that was intense), and I hope this helps! You've got this my ADHD baddie.
P.S. If you're regularly unable to study for weeks to months or longer after periods of intense effort, speak to a parent/guardian, counsellor/therapist or doctor who can help you navigate supports.
I don't know if this is a thing already, or if I came up with it, but my favourite way to study consistently is to create a "study menu". This "menu" has 3 "courses" or levels for different levels of energy. 1 is for high energy, 2 is for moderate energy and 3 is for low energy. I break my study sessions into 15-30 minute blocks for each subject with 5-10 minute breaks in between and pick 1-2 activities from the "menu" to do in that session. This prevents boredom and tailors my study to my energy levels so that I can stay consistent. I also like to have my "study menu" printed and easily accessible so that I can see all my options. Hope this helps! Let me know if you want any ideas for activities...
I have POTS and ME/CFS as well as ADHD and ASD, and here is how I manage VCE. Depending on your school and level of severity, everyone with a condition that affect their learning should be eligible for some type of adjustment or accommodation. Having someone to advocate for you or being able to advocate for yourself is key, as well as finding a school that is happy to accommodate your condition. For me, I try and communicate my needs from the get-go, as well as utilising the voice of my parents and external supports (like OTs, psychologists and psychiatrists). Unfortunately, these kind of things are largely situationally dependent, and not everyone has access to these supports, so being your own biggest cheerleader is important, as well as asking for advice from other people in similar situations. You can comment or send me a DM if you need any ideas about accommodations for your specific situation.
Another big part of VCE is studying, so finding a way to study that works for you is important. I find the best way to study based on my condition is having a "study menu", where each activity is tailored towards my energy levels. Also remember, its ok to take a break if you're having a bad flare, your health should come first! I organise my "study menu" into 3 categories: 1: High Energy, 2: Moderate Energy, 3: Low Energy. I also keep my studying on a strict time limit with consistent breaks e.g. 15 minutes for each subject with 5 minute breaks in between. If this doesn't work for you, you can also set yourself a small goal for each session like doing 1 maths question or reading 1 paragraph.
I could go into more detail, but I'm getting tired writing this, so if you have specific questions, please feel free to comment or send me a DM!
I have been trying to lose weight on and off for years, but I have always struggled. I've learnt that what works for me is creating a day by day plan to follow that prioritises protein and fibre and doesn't exclude treats, but instead swaps them for a healthier option. The problem with losing weight and my chronic illness is that I'm not medically fit to exercise. I can walk small amounts, but nothing else. What can I do to make losing weight easier as someone with a chronic illness?
I’m making a dopamine menu of things I can do instead of doomscrolling, and I’m not sure what to add. So far, I have: jewelry making, crochet (I still need to learn) and reading. Does anyone have any other recommendations?
Lately, I haven't been feeling fulfilled in life, so I've decided to make some major (or at least major for me) decisions. I've gone vegan, I'm starting yoga, I'm trying to prioritise healthy habits and become more spiritual. It sounds extreme, but I really want to as some people would say "find my best self". How can I become more spiritual?
Basically what the title says. I've had my blue-tongue for a while but he still hisses when I go to pick him up and occassionally poops on me. How do I stop this and teach him that I am safe?
I'm currently doing VCE and am actively scoring 90+ on SACs and exams across all of my subjects. I figure that I can offer a relatable perspective and some solid advice.
My experience primarily lies with maths (gm, methods, spesh), sciences (bio, chem, physics, psych), english (language, literature) and health (hhd, pe).
I can help with: SAC/Exam preparation, study methods, time management/scheduling and subject specific questions.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have. I'm happy to help. Comment below or send me a DM if you'd rather ask privately.
Feel free to ask me any questions about VCE studying, exams, or subject selection! As someone who averaged high 90s across my VCE subjects, I'm happy to help with:
I have experience with:
Feel free to comment below or send me a DM if you have any questions!
I ruin everything I touch. Every relationship I have falls apart and I can't shake the feeling that if it wasn't for what I said they'd still be here.
The loneliness is honestly unbearable sometimes. I crave connection so badly, but I'm terrified of getting close because it feels inevitable that I'll somehow mess it up. It's like I'm stuck in this cycle of wanting people near me, then feeling convinced they'll leave, and somehow acting in ways that make that fear come true.
I hate how intense everything feels, but I'm the common denominator, so it must be my fault. I can't make friends and I miss not feeling so alone all the time.
I got very sick around a year ago and had to temporarily stop my competitive dance career. I was by no means good, but I'd like to get back to where I used to be. Can anyone give me advice on a routine to get back into it?