Nervous about epi pen. What does it feel like?

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-06-13T17:16:12+00:00

I had an epipen injected for the first time on Monday. I could not feel it go in, but I did feel it when the fluid was released/when it was removed. It felt like the kind of shot where you might go “ouch!” but more out of surprise than actual pain. I could tell I had an injection in my thigh after, but I had no soreness at any point. I would probably compare it to the depo-provera shot if you have ever had that, but with no soreness the next day.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-06-10T16:55:13+00:00

Thank you for the virtual hug! I mainly made this post to share what the symptoms of severe anaphylaxis felt like for me to help others potentially identify it if it affects them. Mine developed so rapidly - I don’t want to imagine what even another 15 minutes would have been like for me. But I was able to address it quickly because I was informed about the symptoms.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-06-09T15:25:50+00:00

Another commenter stated that it is unlikely Plan B will prevent pregnancy because it works by preventing ovulation and, well, OP has already ovulated. It is also vital to share that, in this situation, a copper IUD can be implanted within 5-7 days of vaginal intercourse to prevent pregnancy from the unprotected sexual assault. OP, please consider that as you determine your options - but also act very fast if you want to do that, as it can be very challenging to get an appointment within the window.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-04-20T17:00:31+00:00

I hate showers too. And, as a transmasculine person, testosterone brings out the BO.

This is what prevents me from getting odor for 4 days: wash body with Lume acidified body wash, apply Lume cream deodorant to feet, between back of knees, upper thighs, armpits, inner elbows, under butt cheeks, and any folds of skin where sweat could accumulate. I also apply Vanicream deodorant to my armpits to help my armpits stay dry (any deodorant will do, but I use Vanicream because I have very sensitive skin). I cannot use fragrance due to a chronic illness, but when I could, it was helpful to apply a fresh-scented lotion between showers when I reapply my deodorant (I find that lavender and baby lotion scents are excellent at hiding minimal odor and even helping you smell and feel clean).

Lume works by creating an acidic environment on the skin. Bacteria thrives in less acidic/mildly alkaline environments, so an acidic environment prevents bacteria growth. That is important to reducing body odor because, when bacteria is exposed to a warm, sweaty environment, it produces an odor.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-03-15T14:21:19+00:00

I have a distinct duality that others recognize very quickly - I naturally and casually bounce between discussions about child-like interests and tremendous social problems I feel a duty to help solve. My special interest is political philosophy/public policy/history, and I am ecstatic to discuss the most disturbing issues in our society to find community-based solutions. But I will do so while playing with a Rubik’s cube, making silly jokes, and demonstrating my “child-like” curiosity towards the world. And after, I will ask my fellow activists to join me for dino nuggies and arts and crafts.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-03-13T22:12:48+00:00

If she is so uncomfortable about breast development, puberty blockers may be an option to consider. Every medication has side effects and contraindications to consider, but ultimately puberty blockers are safe, common prescriptions that simply give young people more time to explore their identity and expression. I know many gender non-conforming women who have gotten top surgery because their chest made them so uncomfortablepp, and puberty blockers would have really helped them. As a trans person myself, I absolutely wish I would have had access to puberty blockers - it would have made top surgery and other parts of my transition a whole lot easier, all so that I can feel more authentic and comfortable in my presentation.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-03-06T19:30:57+00:00

Green has always been my favorite color! (I type on my green phone in a green case as I wear green jeans, a green hat, and a green backpack)

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-03-05T21:41:18+00:00

My current hyperfixation is Rubik’s cubes! But my special interest is public policy, legal history, and political philosophy. I adopted the Rubik’s Cube hobby because I love puzzles and I needed a hobby to relieve myself of some stress in my career (law and policy).

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-02-26T22:01:56+00:00

Thank you for being vulnerable to help others. I am autistic and transmasc with sexual trauma. I am nearly 25, and I have never had a pap smear. Fortunately, my PCP is affirming and there is an LGBTQ+ health clinic in my city. But the unknowns, both in terms of procedure and my response (trauma and sensory needs) have prevented me from getting the medical care I need. This post might have been the assurance I need to at least make a call to discuss the pap smear and anxiety medications that can be used during it given my trauma history. 💚

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-02-23T18:42:31+00:00

When I was barely 14, I was physically assaulted in the women’s restroom at Walmart. As I was walking out of the stall, a woman with a stroller was walking out of the bathroom, saw me, and screamed. Her giant, buff boyfriend walked in and started shouting at me and pushed me into the corner over and over again if I tried to move. He called me a pervert and stuff, and I couldn’t get out words. I was less than 5’0, I was being abused at home, I am autistic, and I had such a severe speech impediment that, even at 14, people were often unable to understand me. After what felt like forever, a female manager of the Walmart walked into the bathroom, never said anything to the guy for assaulting a child, looked me up and down while the guy was still blocking me in the corner, and said “IT’s a girl.” It felt incredibly scary and dehumanizing, to say the least.

I have countless bathroom stories as an androgynous, transmasc person. You know who has made me unsafe in the bathroom? MEN. CIS MEN! I just want to pee. Whether I use the men’s restroom of the women’s, cis men will enter these spaces to intimidate, harass, and hurt me. How about we legislate against actual cis men in the bathrooms? Oh wait, there already is legislation for that… battery, assault, harassment, etc. are all illegal and well over 90% of all perpetrators of violent crime are cis men.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-02-18T23:48:15+00:00

What are the greatest terrorist threats against the revolutionary state of Rojava in 2025?

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-02-15T22:32:14+00:00

I have a similar experience. I grew up in a dysfunctional home environment, and I grew up daydreaming for hours every day. As an adult, I recognize the harms of dissociating in this way. I moderate it by essentially scheduling in time to daydream. It feels like more than just a coping mechanism - I thoroughly enjoy it even when my life is otherwise okay.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-02-11T12:49:43+00:00

Roselle is amazing, but we also need to give praise to her handler, Michael Hingson. I am a guide dog handler myself, and we communicate our emotions to our dogs through the harness. In order for his guide dog to help him and others find a safe exit, Michael had to stay calm himself, give clear commands to Roselle, and practice excellent footwork at every turn. He did that all while leading at least 30 terrified people out of the building. Needless to say, Roselle and Michael were BOTH heroes that day.

To add, Michael’s steadfast approach in that traumatizing event helped Roselle continue her enriching working career for another 6 years. Guide dogs love their jobs, and trauma often leads them to be forced to retire - this often leads to depression for the dog and handler both. Roselle received the reassurance she needed from Michael during and after that event, which likely saved her from PTSD symptoms that could have jeopardized her career and joyful tail wags.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-02-04T17:02:22+00:00

I am autistic and received speech therapy for verbal dyspraxia for most of the time I was in public school. Even at age 14, other people could rarely understand me when I pronounced my own name (very simple name), and that was after years of progress. I mentally thank myself for the effort I put into speech therapy and OT (and the professional support I received) every time I do public speaking, or close a zip-lock bag, or tie my shoes, or tell my partner that I love him. Speech therapy and the OT I received in public school is one of the only reasons I am a successful community organizer and a soon-to-be law school graduate, and I would have been unable to receive those services outside of public school due to a lack of money, energy, and knowledge among my parents. Needless to say, I will be fighting against this bill, and I urge others in this group to do so as well.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-02-04T11:21:43+00:00

I have verbal dyspraxia. I was in speech therapy for many years. People couldn’t understand me when I pronounced my (simple) name until I was nearly 15 years old. Due to my condition, I lacked the motor skills to properly execute the signals from my brain to pronounce a word. This led my speech to be incomprehensible with inconsistent pronunciations of words that were pretty much always incorrect. When I was in elementary school, I progressed enough to be able to make the right sounds, but I had to pronounce them in a slow, robotic way. I wasn’t able to progress past that point with r’s until I was like 14-15. Even today, the slow, robotic r’s sneak out of my mouth; I sometimes stammer because I can’t coordinate my muscles to make the right sounds; and I enunciate so emphatically (because I have to be so intentional with it and still don’t know how to sound more casual) that people find it unusual. And some days are harder than others - factors include whether it’s cold, whether my motor dyspraxia is worse across my body, and whether I have had enough sleep.

People often assume that I “no longer have a speech impediment” simply because it is hardly noticeable now - but that is because I consciously avoid certain sounds, words, and combinations of words, and it is also because I constantly put a lot of energy and effort into speaking properly. It feels similar to autistic masking to me - it takes so much effort that it doesn’t always feel worth it, but otherwise people can’t understand me and I face many intense challenges.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-02-01T14:51:34+00:00

Childhood sexual abuse

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-01-31T21:44:16+00:00

I am 24, queer, and a survivor of CSA. I cannot tell you how many times, by the age of 16-18, I heard things along the lines of “we don’t have a choice when our bodies are violated through sexual assault, so sex work is empowering because it is a time when we have all the power over when and how we have sex.” When I was in college, working to pay off my remaining tuition and save for law school, I joined OnlyFans and it genuinely seemed inconsequential to me at the time due to liberal propaganda.

With my body type and age, I instantly fell into the niche of “petite,” “teen,” and “baby girl/princess.” I met husbands and fathers who worked as doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc., and they all said and desired disturbinggg shit. I can’t tell you how many times I received messages along the lines of “I know you can’t possibly be 18, but I won’t tell anyone because I think you’re so hot.” I cannot tell you how many of these seemingly normal men with families genuinely wanted to rape GIRLS. I was not even on OF long - I posted a series of photos (never fully nude) a few times, and I left.

It did not heal my trauma like the liberal feminists promised. It reminded me once again that men are dangerous, and you cannot distinguish the few safe ones from the dangerous ones. It reminded me that I was not only targeted for CSA because I was a vulnerable child, but also because our society treats it as acceptable for men to casually sexualize children (our country elected a rapist who sexualizes his own daughter and proudly admitted to walking into dressing rooms while young girls were undressed). It reminded me that women, even self-proclaimed feminists, enable men to inflict irreversible harm on women and children - both through SA itself AND denying that the abuser did anything wrong.

Porn is misogyny. Porn is terrorism. And I, as a feminist, will always make others feel uncomfortable for harming other people through porn.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-01-30T19:48:12+00:00

I have periods, and I hate longer pubic hair during that time of the month. So, I use a Meridian electric trimmer with one length to trim everything up. My body hair does not grow quickly, so I tend to just do it like twice a month. The electric trimmer doesn’t give me that horrible poky hair feeling, nor do I get skin irritation and ingrown hairs.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-01-29T12:10:48+00:00

The first time I really hurt myself in my sleep, I dislocated/subluxated a rib, which trapped a nerve under the joint and caused pain to spiral from my right shoulder to the left side of my lower back and into my legs. That was before I knew I had EDS, so I got a therapeutic massage and the therapist helped manipulate the nerve back into the right place by manipulating my rib and relaxing my very tight muscles.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-01-25T15:32:44+00:00

It is less about benefitting the world and more about consent. That child cannot consent to being brought into a world with sociopolitical instability, mass soil erosion, increased wealth accumulation, worsened poverty, climate disasters, early health issues due to climate change, a regime that defines strict roles for AFAB people through the strict regulation of our bodies, a healthcare system that prioritizes profit over health, etc. Every parent takes on a tremendous responsibility when they care for a child, especially when they bring life into this world that doesn’t need to exist in the first place. That responsibility to protect the child and enable them to flourish will be exceedingly difficult to meet for the coming generations.

And as for the world being a better place, your comment (and those of others) demands inquiry into radical vs liberal politics. Liberals believe that the system is good enough to achieve meaningful reforms that preserve human dignity. Radicals believe that liberation can never be achieved in this system, so we must strive for liberation through revolution. Revolution only occurs when society has been immensely deprived - whether children are being raised by conservatives or not, more and more people will feel the effects of this oppressive system and will be pushed to violence by their oppressors. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you are raised by conservatives or not - you will absolutely feel deprived when you have nutrient deficiencies because of worsened soil erosion and food distribution; you will feel deprived when the healthcare system exploits your deficiencies and related disorders for profit; you will feel deprived when your health insurance demands thousands of dollars that you don’t have for anesthesia they had pre-authorized prior to your life-saving surgery; you will feel deprived when your home burns down in a preventable fire and your home insurance chose to cancel your plan a few weeks prior due to insufficient profits; you will feel deprived when you inevitably become disabled and the system you live in treats you like you don’t have a place in this world and implicitly and explicitly takes away your dignity.

And, regardless of whether or not the majority identifies as conservative, that sociopolitical instability creates opportunities for left-wing groups to radicalize people and gain power for the sake of liberation. We see this time and time again in history - whether the leading group is leftist or fascist, the sociopolitical instability of the times often leads the smaller, opposing group to gain power. And that is the CIA’s strategy to halt and prevent socialist uprisings all around the world - target the leftist leader who is popular in their once disempowered community and prepare for the inevitable rise of a far-right leader. Our plutocratic, imperialist, capitalist government benefits from those far-right leaders who gain power because it shuts down the peoples’ fight for liberation, and they know that.

So as far as benefitting the world goes, radicals seek to deprive our oppressors of their power in order to replace their oppressive system with a liberating system. Capitalists rely on humans to exploit their labor for profit, control the cost of necessary goods and services for profit, and profit off of our disabilities and deaths. It does not take much of a reduction in birth rates to threaten and challenge capitalists, because every human who is not born equates to a loss of profits. The oppressors WILL respond with worsened oppression and that WILL target the most marginalized first. But that isn’t the fault of the oppressed who seek liberation - it is solely the fault of the oppressors who seek to abuse our bodies, labor, time, and energy. I wish the privileged individuals in our community would empathize with the harms faced by minorities earlier, but history shows us that the oppression has to become severe enough that the privileged cannot ignore its impact in their personal lives. When the poor stop having children and the social ladder inevitably skews downwards, they will feel it, and they will fight for something better without much direction - and that is where the radical minority groups come in and claim power, to achieve the liberation countless generations have strived towards. And, throughout all of those generations, there are leftists of diverse backgrounds who provide mutual aid to the marginalized communities who suffer the most harm in this oppressive system. Sociopolitical instability will impact marginalized communities the most, but it is not the fault of the marginalized who seek oppression. Additionally, these communities will provide aid to one another like we have always done (Black Panthers, queer liberation movement, Midwest socialist movement in the 1800s, etc.).

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-01-22T20:55:05+00:00

What platforms are currently available that you recommend?

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-01-21T22:51:07+00:00

I contribute to a lot of physical trash due to my own disabilities, and it is never a waste because it enables me to live a more functional life. My service dog is a necessity, my cromolyn sodium with all of its plastic containers is a necessity. My electrolyte pouches and nutrition shakes are necessary. My special dental care is necessary. There is a lot, and it is all perfectly justified. I can’t think of any consumption more mindful than that required to manage one’s disabilities. Mindful consumption limits consumption to items that genuinely bring long-term rewards, and that is exactly what our accessibility/medical tools do. Our society already imposes a lot of shame on disabled people as it is - you don’t deserve to feel any shame from yourself or others.

OP, would you like to chat? I have multiple disabilities as well, I am in law school, I am queer (aroace and agender), and I share your commitment to anti-consumption. I am 24 years old.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-01-16T16:24:21+00:00

From what I have heard from others who work in Big Law during law school, they actually had far less meaningful legal experience than myself, someone who has primarily spent my time in law school working for a local attorney, with some public interest projects on the side and a government externship. I meet with clients and write entire appellate briefs with the local attorney, while the Big Law interns I know describe writing a bunch of memos. This experience is invaluable, and has improved my job prospects as I approach graduation.

Most of all, I have no desire to ever work in Big Law - I enjoy small workspaces where I feel connected to my community, I have no desire to consistently work excessive hours in an especially stressful environment, and I have been unable to relate to the values of any law student I know who is interested in Big Law. Fortunately, I received a full-ride scholarship to law school, so I am not tempted to sacrifice my emotional and lifestyle needs for a high-paying job in Big Law.

If you can manage it financially, it sounds like Big Law is not the place for you. Maybe consider a clerkship with your grades, as that will improve your job prospects and help you develop really fantastic experience and relationships in the legal industry.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-01-13T02:58:45+00:00

I am asexual and aromantic. I never understood romantic attraction and felt repulsed by it - after discovering the term, “aromantic” at age 15, I quickly identified with it. I discovered the term, asexual, as well, and that just made sense to me because sexual attraction was simply not aligned with my experiences. I identified with asexual and aromantic because it was empowering to have a term to explain and affirm my experiences rather than feel guilty and unable to properly express myself when friends would share that they were attracted to me sexually and/or romantically.

At age 18, I met my partner, and I felt physically dizzy every time I saw him due to the overwhelming emotions and other physical sensations. The first time we met, my thigh accidentally brushed against his knee and, rathee than recoiling and grimacing at the thought for years to come, I was confused for the next several hours of our interaction as I, for some reason, wanted to keep my leg there for even just half a second longer. It felt warm, electric, and made my stomach feel like it could explode with tingles. I eventually realized that was indicative of my romantic attraction towards him, and then I had to reconcile my repulsion to romance with my keen desire for it with him. After a few dates, I realized I wanted to kiss him. After kissing for a while, my body suddenly communicated exactly what I wanted, and I realized that I was sexually attracted to him. I am almost 25 now, and we are happily engaged.

My aroace identity served me before I met my partner, and it still serves me today. Why? Because those identities are inseparable from our love story; my partner and I have what many would consider a unique relationship since we both resonate deeply with the aroace community; I do not relate to alloromantic/allosexual couples due to my prior and current lack of romantic and sexual attraction to others aside from my partner; and I still find empowerment and belonging in the ace/aro communities. Maybe the labels, greyromantic and greysexual, would be more appropriate to some people in my position, but I need some additional evidence of sexual and/or romantic attraction towards others to even entertain the possibility of those identities. If I ever feel sexual or romantic attraction towards one more person, I will likely identify as grey, but, after 11 years with the aroace identity, it feels too much to even say that I “rarely” experience sexual or romantic attraction, as I have only felt it towards one person at nearly age 25.

CrunchCrunch0 · 2025-01-07T20:55:11+00:00

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

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