u/fia324

Hey all! Posting this in human massage subs and equine subs. So I am 27 and kind of lost. I was a veterinary technician with cats and dogs for five years. I always wanted to work in large animal either as a tech or vet, but I cannot seem to get my foot in the door without having a degree as a tech and schooling for a DVM doesn’t seem worth the time and cost for salary you get (I do not want to do small animal or mixed. Exclusively equine).

For the past couple of years I have been on and off pursuing my certification as a Masterson Method Practitioner. I do love it, but the income seems really variable and I think I will need a lot more CE to be competitive in my area.

I am a dressage rider that has a LOT of imbalances due to a gnarly vestibular disorder. Pilates and learning about human/rider anatomy and biomechanics has been incredibly fun and life changing for me. I go in public and watch peoples postures and how they walk. I love it. I read anatomy books for fun on both horses and people.

Dressage/natural horsemanship is my favorite, but I love all disciplines/breeds and I would love an excuse to branch out. I have a strong interest in equine veterinary medicine but also sports rehab and different modalities. Saddle fit and bit fit is something I’d really like to get into because it seems every where I go it’s a problem and no one knows anything about it. I also have an interest in how the teeth and hooves affect the entire horse (although I don’t think I want to be a farrier and I believe only veterinarians should float teeth). I like diagnostic imaging too.

Would it be worth it to go to school to become a human LMT and possibly personal trainer and advertise a horse/rider therapy combo business? I would be interested in doing horses and humans individually, but my dressage education has been 75% do x y z with your body and your horse will follow. Maybe throwing in some saddle fit/bit fit and learning enough about teeth and feet to know when to refer out?

I’ve been struggling financially for so many years and I’m tired of it. I want to get into my vain of work. I tried going to school to become a radiology tech for people and I loved the anatomy, but working in a hospital under fluorescent lights and possible shitty management with people’s feces vomit blood etc sounded like a nightmare. Due to my vestibular stuff I do like the idea of running my own business one day doing a whole horse and rider approach.

Does it sound like there’s a market for this? Beyond LMT/PT and some additional equine certs what else would I need? Would a vet tech license be beneficial for the equine aspect? Any experience, pro/cons, of either job, tuition time expectations and salary expectations are greatly appreciated!

27yo female 144lbs 5’3 non smoker no drugs and very occasional drinking (maybe once every other month)

Diagnosed with Persistent perceptual postural dizziness and vestibular migraine. I’ve had symptoms since I was 9 and only found a specialist who could “figure it out” (I’m still some degree of dizzy 24/7) in 2021. Also bipolar and anxiety since I was a teen if not earlier.

I take lamotrigine 25mg twice daily for dizziness symptoms

I’m not currently using any vitamins or supplements. My eating habits are kind of inconsistent, but I would say it’s a 50/50 mix of very clean healthy eating versus snacks and processed food. I crave sugar if I’m eating it often, but if I go a while without it then I don’t crave it. However, I always crave salt/savory things. Some days I feel like I could eat a salt block.

Whenever I eat something salty (pickles, jerky, wings, chips, etc.) my vision gets crystal clear. It’s been this way as long as I can remember. It’s like I can suddenly see 100x clearer and I adjust much better to bright lights too. It lasts maybe an hour to three hours or so.

I wear glasses/contacts. I have astigmatism. With all of my weird central nervous system stuff sometimes my vision gets blurry (which is also a side effect of my medication but I had that before starting it years ago) or I get sensitive to light (even if not having a migraine). But eating salty stuff instantly makes my vision ridiculously clear. Every time without fail.

What does this mean?

My nurse friend thinks it might be pots. I don’t have trouble standing up quickly (despite dizziness problems this doesn’t bother me) but my face hands and feet swell easily. No pitting edema or anything crazy. I’m the only one who can notice the swelling so maybe that’s in my head. Sometimes if I lay just right my heart feels like it’s fluttering or skipping kind of. It’s not painful in any way it just feels really weird. I can also hear my heart beat really loudly if I move my head just right (I’m not sure if that’s normal or not).

My dizziness has been incredibly debilitating and the salt vision thing doesn’t bother me at all so it’s never gotten any attention over the years. I tried googling it today and all I could see were articles about salt causing blurry vision, which is the opposite of what I experience.

Could this possibly be something serious? I don’t have insurance right now so I only want to get checked out if I really need to. TIA!