u/marigoldjune

Hello! Curious to hear from you all. My mantra lately has been “I’d be happy with one, I’d be happy with none.” I’m 30 years old, with a wonderful partner who I think would be a wonderful dad, but I have some concerns of my own. To name a few: I’m AuDHD with chronic pain, PCOS, and a severe fear of childbirth. Seriously, I’d have nightmares about it as a kid, but just figured “I’ll have to do it someday!” Well now I’m seeing lots of women going childfree by choice and I find that empowering. It’s such a huge decision and I’m really trying to look inward to decide if having a kid aligns with my life. I don’t ever want to do something because of pressure from family, friends, society, or my biological clock. Most of my previous jobs have involved working with babies and children, which is TOTALLY different from being a parent, but all that is to say I love children and have changed many a diaper lol. Currently, my life feels peaceful. I live in a small beach town with my partner and two kitties. I work as a therapist and feel fulfilled by this work most days. My partner is also on the fence about kids which is helpful but also not?! Lol. If anyone out there struggles with similar issues (AuDHD, PCOS, chronic pain, fear of childbirth, wanting to maintain your current peaceful life, etc) I would truly love to hear from you. Thank you 🫶🏻

Hello! I’ve had abnormal ANA results in the past but doctors have been pretty dismissive and I got so discouraged… I just stopped pursuing a diagnosis. Welp, I am now in my 30s and these symptoms are debilitating. Despite not having health insurance (yay America) I’m forcing myself to meet with a rheumatologist. Would love to hear from anyone with similar symptoms and what your rheumatology experiences have been like, thank you 🫶🏻

Symptoms:
Chronic fatigue
Chronic brain fog
Chronic back/neck pain
Widespread pain in joints/muscles
Loud, painful cracking in neck/ankles
Pain behind eyes
Trouble regulating temperature
Often sweaty/overheated
Hair thinning
Sores in nose
Swelling around ankles/lower legs
Anemia
Lightheadedness
Hives, especially after exercise/sweating

Would like to be tested for:
Lupus
Hypothyroidism
POTS
Ehlers Danlos
Cushing Syndrome
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Myositis
Fibromyalgia

Hello! I’m a new resident of Manteo but this book club would be open to anyone in the surrounding areas too. I’d love to make some friends here and when I lived in Richmond, I started a really fun book club using Reddit. Feel free to send me a DM or comment here if this is something you’d be interested in! We could all use some more friends / reading for fun, right?

Recently stopped by the food pantry / fridge right outside of Unkindness Art and across the street from Smokey Mug in Brookland Park. Was dropping off some food items for the first time and was amazed to see a fridge full of food and a pantry full of homemade loaves of bread. I’m talking like… 30 loaves of sourdough, 30 baguettes… lots of other stuff. I nearly teared up at how kind people can be, even in the worst of times. So if you are seriously struggling with money / affording groceries, this is a great resource that people in the neighborhood seem to keep stocked full of food!

I think it’s a combination of working remotely, lots of sitting, lots of nodding, holding onto stress/tension, and of course aging (fun fun). I’ve been incorporating more exercise, baths, improving my posture, stretching, yoga, applying heat, fancy pillows… so many things. Any recommendations are much appreciated!

Hi! 30 year old gal moving to Manteo with my partner next month due to his new job. I’m excited but also nervous because we don’t know ANYONE. So OBX residents, please help me out, how have you made friends and built a community for yourself? Some ideas I have in mind:
- Start a book club
- Join Bumble BFF
- Join groups on Meetup
- Find a church
- Find a part time job (I normally work from home)
- Trivia nights, open mics, things like that
- Force my introverted self to make small talk lol

Bonus points if they are free or affordable! I’m feeling very stagnant in my work (private practice, young adults, mainly neurodivergent folks, LGBTQIA+, and/or run of the mill depression/anxiety struggles) Thanks in advance!

I know that Theodore is the more classic, traditional, proper name. I get that Teddy is considered a nickname for most. But I had this dream last night that our kid was named Teddy Jack Riley (our last name) and I kinda love it?

… because that’s exactly what happened to me today and ouch it hurt! I understand how therapy can stir up a lot of uncomfortable emotions and sometimes things feel worse before they feel better, but when I asked the client for feedback on things I could be doing differently, they couldn’t think of anything. I’m going to provide them with referrals (at their request) and I hope they find someone who is a better fit, but yeah it just hurts because we were only 3 months in and there was no indication that things were going downhill. This field is tough! Feels like interviewing to keep my job every single day lol.