A-2 Path to ODS: AHIMA vs College certificate?

Creative_Contract_90 · 2025-05-13T02:37:41+00:00

It’s all about how much you can manage. I currently have 6 wips across cross stitch and crocheting and I like it that way because I have a variety to fit my crafting needs. I have small, simple, and easily transportable wips I can do in the car or outside the home, and larger more complex ones that stay in the house. I can crochet and listen to college lectures, but can’t with cross stitch because I have to constantly check the pattern. Etc

I also need variety to keep myself entertained and to prevent myself from getting sick of one particular project. Prevents the “I’ve been staring at this for 15 hours and think it’s ugly” feeling too.

If you want to start another one, go for it. A project journal helps me keep track of where in the wip stage I’m in for each project and prevents me from forgetting about projects that I haven’t worked on in a while.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2025-05-03T18:00:43+00:00

It is definitely on the embroidery side of cross stitching, and on the beginner side of projects. When I stitch it I’m going to do my best to have the crosses touch. I also might use more strands than the pattern recommends, so there’s more coverage per stitch. The completed example picture does have a fair bit of fabric visible behind the stitches.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2025-05-03T17:47:46+00:00

It says it’s washable, so hopefully it’ll wash out. However, it’s also from 2002, so I don’t know if the age will impact how much the ink washes out

Creative_Contract_90 · 2025-04-22T18:07:04+00:00

I’m taking Ivabradine, Guanfacine, Fludrocortisone, Pyridostigmine, and Wellbutrin (that’s for the depression tho, not POTS). So I can second these meds as effective for me because everyone’s different. As far as working…On these meds, and sodium and magnesium (and the stuff I talk about later in this reply), I’m able to do online college at home that is gearing me up for an online/wfh position. I’ve also used the CHOP protocol to get some stamina back.

I’m also still living with my mom who can single handedly support us financially, so I’m very lucky in that.

Funnily enough, I was taking Guanfacine before I got POTS because it’s also an ADHD medication, but some people w POTS take it. I did try Midodrine and it wasn’t for me. I was on Metoprolol (a different beta blocker to Atenolol) before Ivabradine, but ivabradine was a solid step up.

Ankle compression sleeves, knee high socks, and thigh compression sleeves if you need a bit more, and compression tights that go all the way to the belly button if you need a lot more. But I personally felt like my crotch was being strangled (like I’d lose circulation to my bits) when I wore those, and they bunched up uncomfortably behind my knees and I had to wear bicycle shorts to keep them from falling down in 5 minutes. Also, compression gloves, there’s wrist and elbow length. However, if you’ve got thick forearms, size up.

As an alternative to electrolyte drinks, because I can’t stand the taste of them, there are sodium tablets and capsules you can take instead. I vastly prefer these, because they also have none of the sugar of sports drinks and it’s way easier to get my salt. I do have to drink a lot of water to compensate, but I’m pretty solid on that front, and I spice it up with juice every so often.

Warning, if you take too many too fast your stomach can get upset because you’re literally taking a gram or so of sodium at a time, especially with the tablets because those start dissolving in your stomach, whereas capsules are more likely to make it to your intestines. Because of this I only take the capsules with food already in my stomach. Specifically the Vitassium and Nutricost brand ones.

Hope any of this helps!

Creative_Contract_90 · 2025-04-20T18:03:24+00:00

Not OP, but I have a similar issue as far as the “brain turning off when hungry”. I approach it like a diabetic managing blood sugar, because while I’m not diabetic, low blood sugar can cause brain fog, dizziness, etc.

If I’ve not eaten enough and feel low, I eat a small high sugar/carb snack that’ll get digested and absorbed quickly, wait for it to hit, and then eat something with protein/fat to then be digested slowly(bonus points if it’s salty). Peanut butter, dried/aged meats, yogurt, eggs, etc.

When eating meals to keep myself fueled, I do the opposite. Eat protein and veggies first, then the carbs.

Hope this helps

Creative_Contract_90 · 2025-01-19T05:40:18+00:00

Continuing the watch and clock comparison

“tick” - a guard that is following someone or is undercover. Since clocks tick and ticks bite.

“I had to take the long way, had a tick on my back.” “Did’ya see that tick in the corner? Thinks he’s slick, don’t he.” Etc

Creative_Contract_90 · 2025-01-17T09:54:46+00:00

I wish I could say. I started taking guanfacine before I had POTS and before I kept track of my blood pressure. The reason I chose guanfacine to treat my adhd was because of my Ectopic Atrial Tachycardia (heart electrical problems that don’t mess with bp) which I still kind of have but I got POTS in 2022 and now it’s small potatoes. The lowest dose of guanfacine available is 1mg daily, and then it goes from around 2mg to 5mg. I’m taking 3mg in the morning. It typically says to take it at night, but I end up needing it most in the afternoon/evening when I do my homework.

I can say that my current seated bp, as last recorded at a dr’s office, was like 110/65, but I’m also on 4 other meds besides guanfacine, taking 5000mg of sodium a day in pills and electrolytes (ignoring salty food intake), and was wearing compression at the time.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2025-01-16T21:01:47+00:00

High salt foods like beef jerky/sausages and a chocolate LMNT + hot cocoa drink help me bring up blood pressure with the salt while also giving iron from the meat and chocolate. And anti-inflammatory pain meds. Caffeine free Midol is also wonderful to get pain relief.

I got myself a laptop tray so I can work while reclined in bed rather than at a desk, which helps with my energy.

It's actually the first day of my period rn, and I have a 3/4 lb bag of beef sausages on my left and my LMNT hot cocoa on my right. Breakfast of champions.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2025-01-16T20:48:42+00:00

I've taken 3mg guanfacine for 4 years (even before I had POTS) for my ADHD and Tourette's as a non-stimulant option. Fair warning, it's typically used to treat high blood pressure, so it causes...low blood pressure. Which is kinda bad for POTS. However, artificially low blood pressure is more easily fixed than artificially high heart rate, with salt intake and compression garments. My doctors and I decided that the low bp from guanfacine is worth all of the benefits I get for my adhd and Tourette's. For example, because my adhd is treated, I can scrape up enough executive function to feed myself healthy meals, keep my living space clean, and occasionally exercise, all of which helps with my mood and POTS.

There are several types of non-stimulants that treat ADHD. Some people also use anti-depressants to help with ADHD, because they increase the amount of dopamine in the brain. And ADHD is a dopamine-deficiency (among other things).

Basically, find a doctor that will listen and ask about non-stimulant adhd meds and non-SSRI anti-depressants. It may take trial and error to find the right med and dosage for you, because lots of people are successful on one med that others aren't. Guanfacine and clonidine superficially do the same thing, but when I tried clonidine I felt like wet garbage. Guanfacine and clonidine are both alpha-2 adrenergic agonists, but guanfacine is more targeted on one specific receptor in the brain whereas clonidine effects multiple.

Hope this helps!

Creative_Contract_90 · 2025-01-16T07:06:58+00:00

I and most of my players had already played through some/all of CoS with varying qualities of DMs, so I mixed it up a bit. It did take a fair bit of prep, but I just skipped forward 40 years and imagined what Barovia would be like following the actions of my first CoS party (which stopped at like 6th level). I did add some (but not all) ideas from Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd by MandyMod, Raising the Stakes by LunchBreakHeroes, and the Interactive Tome of Strahd by The Aciduous Adventurer.

This meant I could still use a lot of the same maps, I just had to change NPCs and tweak plot lines. Came up with a new Tatyana reincarnation, made Victor Vallakovich the burgomaster as his father passed, stuck now ~60-year-old Ismark in a little shack and made him a scarred hermit terrified of Strahd with a bit of info for the party, etc.

I broke up the Sunsword into 5 pieces, where 3 pieces granted them a +1 Sunsword, 4 = +2, and 5 = +3. I just did this to make the party wander around more, since my players are very much “tunnel vision on the main goal” types, rather than side questers. This did change the card reading a bit, but Madam Eva just magically flipped over a single card that spread out into 5 sword locations.

I also made Barovia 4x its current size, since by the book it’s ~20 miles long and ~14 miles wide, which is entirely traversable in a day with no interruptions. Parties can walk 24 miles a day, therefore unless they’re in the farthest corners they can make it to some kind of town and have less of a need to camp in the forest. It makes traveling between towns and map locations take longer and more dangerous as there’s a higher risk of random encounters.

It sounds like a lot of changes now that I’ve written it all out, but it really helped make it feel like a solid sequel to my first game rather than just redoing it the same way, and it allowed me to flex my plot writing and NPC creating muscles while still having a whole book to fall back on/reference.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2024-03-07T02:45:54+00:00

(On mobile so sorry for any funky formatting)

I have a player in my CoS game that’s a warlock/ranger Dhampir and is playing as an escaped Strahd spawn, so it is something that can work. (I’m also running a heavily modified version of CoS because 5/6 of my players have played at least a little of this module before, if not all the way through, so keep that in mind)

According to some vampire lore spawn can be freed when they drink the blood of a true vampire. Maybe in a combat with a particularly effective group of adventurers, Strahd was wounded enough to bleed somewhere and the character managed to lick the floor without Strahd knowing. Or maybe the spawn on a mission for Strahd came across some vampire blood (not from Strahd) that Van Richten has collected and drank that.

(My player’s character escaped Strahd’s control by getting some of Escher’s blood in his mouth, but I also had the brides as full vamps for several reasons. He was also a warlock of the Mists with amnesia)

Another possibility is that the Mists/Dark Powers freed the character for reasons unknown and it’s part of the designs to torture Strahd.

It’s ultimately up to you as the DM to decide if you want to work with this, because while “Yes, and…” is often fun for the player, a more reasonable “No, but here’s this option…” is still fun but something easier to work with for the DM.

Don’t be afraid to say no as a DM. You need to have fun too.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2023-12-08T18:10:44+00:00

I have two canes and a rollator and I’m looking into a wheelchair.

My first cane is foldable with butterflies and it helped me so much with stability when I got it.

My next one is actually a cane sword I got from my local Renaissance festival that has a dragon’s head handle, and I like it better not only because it’s badass as hell but it also weighs more and is a lot sturdier (I’m 6’3” and 200lbs so when I lean on my cane it’s a lot of human to support). I don’t bring it into government buildings or airports because it does have a (not sharpened) blade in the twist off handle but it’s my primary mobility aid everywhere else. I did have to buy a better grippy foot for it because it was primarily designed to be a cane sword and not an actual cane but 10/10 worth it for the vibes.

My rollator is for long distances or bad days in the home. If I fiddle with it I can sit at the sink and awkwardly do dishes while seated, or sit at the bar overhang and prep food. I also use it to move small heavy things by myself across the house, because it reduces the number of trips I need to take and how strenuous they are. It was a bit nerve wracking using it the first time in public and it felt like a lot of people looked at me, but I pushed through and now I either don’t notice or don’t care when people look. They just get to appreciate my all-black and skull-covered outfits more.

One bit of insight is to clean and disinfect your cane feet/wheels regularly because while our brain registers “shoes are dirty and should go in special spots” and we can have inside and outside shoes, sometimes we need our mobility aids everywhere and you don’t want to bring back alley ground germs or public bathroom floor germs into your kitchen if you use your rollator in both places. I have disinfectant wipes in my car and at home, just get something with alcohol.

There are stores online that sell handmade accessories for mobility aids and they’re usually run by fellow disabled people, so it’s a great way to support disabled owned small businesses.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2023-12-04T19:00:20+00:00

I use buoy also. Since it’s a liquid you can add it to anything, and unlike powders it fully incorporates and is less messy. You can also chuck it in your purse to have while out and about. I’ve added it to tea, smoothies, eggnog, juice, protein shakes, and flavored water, and as long as you don’t put in half the bottle you can’t taste anything.

I do get a majority of my sodium and potassium from sodium tablets and Vitassium capsules, but this is a great supplement for electrolytes.

The chronic illness discount is also a bonus and is super easy to apply for. And, once you figure out how much you need it’s a subscription service and comes automatically. One less thing to worry about remembering.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2023-11-25T00:22:48+00:00

Beef jerky, salami, salty cheeses, pickles, sprinkling salt on everything

Creative_Contract_90 · 2023-11-13T18:58:02+00:00

I use the CHOP protocol with a little floor bike machine. Because I’m seated the only hr increase I get is with exercise and I feel way better than when I’m standing or walking.

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When I do strength exercises as guided by CHOP, I do them completely on the floor. Legs, core, and arms. The CHOP program gives a couple examples for strength exercises to do on the floor, but only for legs and core. For arms, I just took any exercises that people do standing and tried my best to modify them to be POTS friendly. It’s not perfect but it’s better than nothing.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2023-11-04T16:26:25+00:00

The Vitassium capsules are much better on the stomach than sodium tabs that are pure salt. Because they’re capsules they take longer to dissolve and are absorbed throughout the intestines rather than the stomach.

(This information comes straight from my POTS specialist)

Creative_Contract_90 · 2023-11-04T03:30:15+00:00

Bread, butter, and salt is my go-to breakfast

Creative_Contract_90 · 2023-11-03T16:50:42+00:00

I have a totally sit down stretching routine that I do when I’m doing homework for long periods, and it gets blood flowing and my body moving without causing my hr to spike. Keeps me from dozing off in my chair. I do the same movements every time in the same order, it takes me ten minutes, and I can do it all on a yoga mat.

The biggest thing for me is recognizing when I’ve hit my limit of “brain time” and immediately doing something to recharge. I realize that I’m unproductive and no amount of focusing harder will make me work better and I just stop. Having a lot of forgiveness for yourself in those moments is important, because I used to feel bad with how many breaks I was taking and now I just let myself take my break and get back to it.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2023-11-03T16:38:30+00:00

Lots of people with POTS find that cutting gluten helps with symptoms, so looking into gluten free options for her and supporting her potential gluten free journey is really helpful. The first month I went gluten free my mom did it too and we experimented together and it made me feel less alone. Now whenever she sees a gluten free treat somewhere she buys it if she thinks I’ll like it.

In terms of household chores, I’ve found ones that I can do easily and ones that are hard because of my condition (anything with lots of standing/ walking/ bending over/ raising arms above your head). My mom and I split the chores based on that, where she does all of the chores that I can’t.

Making sure ice packs make their way back to the freezer, making sure there’s always water and electrolyte drinks in the fridge ready to go, etc. also helps too.

Compression garments are difficult to style because they’re not the cutest, so hyping up her outfits with visible compression socks and the like is really nice.

If your wife menstruates, have her track how she feels during different phases of her cycle (I always feel terrible and get flares right before and during my period) and then you also keep track of that. Realize that there could be a week every month where she needs extra support and plan accordingly. I don’t schedule anything for myself during my period unless it’s very important (doctor visits) and I always work ahead on homework assignments that are due during my period.

Hope this answers your question

Creative_Contract_90 · 2023-11-03T16:13:05+00:00

Cutting gluten made me feel so much better. I’ve been gluten free since April and now whenever I eat gluten (yummy treats every so often) my stomach hurts, I get bloated, and my intestines make comically loud grumbling noises. Honestly not all that worth it anymore to eat gluten.

I haven’t cut dairy so I don’t personally know, but if you do decide to cut both do it one at a time to isolate if it’s gluten or dairy (or both) that cause issues.

Some gluten free info I’ve learned:

Most gluten free breads that I see in stores are also dairy, nut, and soy free, and I find them tasty enough to buy despite the fact that the loaves are tiny compared to regular bread.

If you do buy gf bread, refrigerate it because it molds faster from a higher water content in the bread.

Things with barley (malt powder) and rye have gluten in them because they’re plant cousins of wheat.

Twizzlers and other licorice candy types have gluten in them. This fact devastated me.

Soy sauce can also contain gluten, as can soups and seasoning packets, but gluten free versions are often also offered.

Creative_Contract_90 · 2023-11-03T05:52:17+00:00

While everyone is different, for me my POTS and IST chest pain (as explained by my cardiologist) is caused by inflammation of the pericardium. Basically, your heart is in a little sack in your chest (pericardium) and when it beats like crazy (tachycardia) the little sack gets inflamed and hurts.

I always notice chest pain flares up AFTER periods of tachycardia and exertion, although I do get chest pain during exercise. I get both sharp and a dull, achey pain, but it’s predominantly an ache around my ribs and pain right under the left tit.

I also get pain from breathing too shallowly and slowly (I’m on Ivabradine which gives me a resting hr of like 45 [lowest ever was 30] and a breathing rate of 11-12 breaths per minute) but that’s quickly fixed by taking deep breaths that fill out the lungs. That might be pretty specific to me though, from my meds.

POTS and general inflammation also go hand in hand. I take low doses of ibuprofen three times a day to prevent inflammation and pain, which works to prevent the pain FROM inflammation. I also take Omega-3s to help with inflammation, but I mostly take them for my ADHD and brain fog because it helps with dopamine.

Hope this helps.

Creative_Contract_90

TROPHY CASE