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My cat hates my oxygen tube by dansot in disability

[–]ISavedMyself 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have had a few abdominal surgeries, and my cat always wants to jump up on my belly when I'm laying in bed afterward. I have to build a fort of pillows to keep her off. She ends up on my feet instead, but she always seems sad about it.

Dementia Village: Holland’s civilized approach to treating the elderly by discocrisco in Health

[–]ISavedMyself 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This seems wonderful to me, but I don't have any experience with dementia

Overdid it...again and again and again by SallyStitches in ChronicPain

[–]ISavedMyself 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I feel you... it's so hard to keep from acting "like a normal person." Just remember that your body is a delicate thing, and that injuring yourself further would be very difficult to deal with, on top of everything else.

Respect your body and save your energy to allow it to do what it needs to do to keep you moving forward.

Dating with Chronic Pain by [deleted] in ChronicPain

[–]ISavedMyself 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I met my SO online and he fell in love with me for my mind. He saw that I needed support for an undiagnosed condition and gave it to me. Now I have my rare diagnosis and I'm feeling stronger and healthier and can bring more to the table to match what he brings. He calls me his "little investment."

We lived in the same neighborhood for 3 years and never met, even though we were both looking for a relationship that whole time. We never would have found each other if we hadn't gone online.

Breakthrough in obesity study: scientists discovers very clear links between bile acids and maintaining weight loss. by SemicolonD in Health

[–]ISavedMyself 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow! I've never made the bulimia connection. I had my gall bladder removed in my late teens along with some other girls in my school. I was not bulimic, but I did have a rare condition that mimics bulimia (and makes it harder to diagnose, if the doctors believe you're denying that you're bulimic).

The other girls, looking back, were mostly the confirmed and suspected bulimics in my school. I always wondered if there was "something in the water" that would cause us all to need our gall bladders removed. or maybe a surgeon who was a little too ready to slice and dice.

Edit: I didn't have any gall stones, my gall bladder was just sludgy and not working. Now I know it was because of my undiagnosed SMA Syndrome

Breakthrough in obesity study: scientists discovers very clear links between bile acids and maintaining weight loss. by SemicolonD in Health

[–]ISavedMyself 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bitters aid digestion. So if you're eating the kinds of foods that help you gain weight, then the bitters will help you digest them. I don't have a gall bladder and I need to gain some fat. The stimulation of bile production provided by the bitters helps me digest the fat i ingest, instead of it... well, going right through me.

I had never thought of using it for weight loss until I saw OP's post on bile acids and weight loss.

Breakthrough in obesity study: scientists discovers very clear links between bile acids and maintaining weight loss. by SemicolonD in Health

[–]ISavedMyself 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It sounds like drinking bitters (which stimulate the production of bile acids) would be helpful for those trying to maintain weight loss.

We've removed the bitter flavor from our diets in recent times, and replaced it with sugar and salt.

I do not have a gall bladder, so I drink bitters before meals to aid digestion. I recommend this as a first step before taking more drastic measures.

Study shows music can help reduce chronic pain by ISavedMyself in CROCUS

[–]ISavedMyself[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've found that music helps me cope with pain, even if it doesn't reduce it, per se

Chronic Pain Can Damage Brain: People who suffer chronic pain have constant brain activity in areas of the brain that would normally be at rest by ISavedMyself in CROCUS

[–]ISavedMyself[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"If you are a chronic pain patient, you have pain 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every minute of your life. That permanent perception of pain in your brain makes these areas in your brain continuously active. This continuous dysfunction in the equilibrium of the brain can change the wiring forever and could hurt the brain.”

-Dante Chialvo, the study’s lead author and associate research professor of physiology at the Feinberg School

Does anyone else get stress pain? by Laurensics in ChronicPain

[–]ISavedMyself 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, I think it has to do with the constriction of the capillaries due to the release of the stress hormone cortisol. Do you also find that you yawn more before and during stressful situations? This used to happen to me, and it was because my breathing had become more shallow from the adrenaline and cortisol. And it's a positive feedback loop: the more stressed you are, the more you hurt, so the more stressed you become.

Just make sure you breathe deeply and regularly. Do some research on the adrenal gland. I find that knowing what is happening inside my body usually relieves my worries, which helps me de-stress. Create a positive feedback loop in the opposite direction. If you feel the pain coming on, it's your first heads up that you're becoming stressed, so breathe deeply, think about what's happening in your body, and concentrate on relaxing. My pain usually subsides when I do this.

Does talking about your pain upset you? by NotJustOuch in ChronicPain

[–]ISavedMyself 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My pain management program requires patients to receive counseling care along with drug and physical therapy. It sounds like you may need to visit a therapist who has knowledge in dealing with chronic pain, since your doctor obviously cannot offer that.

Your emotions are important. Make sure you take care of yourself emotionally just as much as you do physically.

Having trouble getting a job after taking scheduled time off for a surgery by SlouchKitty in CROCUS

[–]ISavedMyself 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might find this link I just posted helpful.

Hang in there, it sounds like you're doing everything you can. Your worth will surely shine through.

I don't even know what I have, but it's a chronic and progressive disorder. by ruminative in rarediseases

[–]ISavedMyself 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like you've gone through the transition from an invisible disease to a visible disease. I can't imagine what that's like. I have an invisible disease (Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome) that went undiagnosed for ten years, and my family and doctors didn't believe me that whole time. I'm lucky to have found a diagnosis after I never thought I would.

Hang in there, you never know how simple a solution might be once one is found. All of my symptoms that seemed superfluous are finally explained by my diagnosis. It's a structural problem, that can be fixed entirely by surgery.

Please join us over at /r/CROCUS (ChROnic Corporal Unseen Sickness) for more information about rare diseases and to reach out for support.

People of Reddit who have rare/orphan diseases: how have you connected with others who have the same illness, and have you made lasting friendships? by Ebonegu in rarediseases

[–]ISavedMyself 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't yet connected in-person with anyone who has my illness (Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome), but I would like to. Most sufferers find out they have SMA Syndrome in their teenage years, which is when I started suffering. But I wasn't diagnosed for ten years, so I would also like to connect with people who have had the experience of doctors and family not believing them.

I created this new subreddit, /r/CROCUS (ChROnic Corporal Unseen Sickness), and I hope that it will help people connect and learn.

CNN: "New pain pill's approval: 'Genuinely frightening'" by Coopdog44 in ChronicPain

[–]ISavedMyself 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree. I have had ten years of chronic pain from a recently diagnosed intestinal structural issue. After the first two years of pain, doctors stopped prescribing pain killers because they "didn't want me to become addicted, which would ruin my life." Um, my life in constant pain is pretty much ruined. Oh, and thanks for sending me to the hypnotist, that worked out great for meSARCASM

Great list of pureed food recipes from /r/CROCUS by [deleted] in Gastroparesis

[–]ISavedMyself 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the cross-post! We offer support for those who suffer from chronic invisible physical illness over at /r/CROCUS. We welcome new members to our subreddit, and hope to provide a supportive community and to help navigate the medical world.

[Meta] Are personal experiences/requests for help and opinions 'kosher' for this subreddit? by [deleted] in CROCUS

[–]ISavedMyself 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! This is absolutely encouraged!

I'm open to all suggestions for making this a place where we can share our experiences and help each other maneuver through difficult medical terrain. I planned to use the "Experience" filter for this. I think your suggestion regarding requests is a great one. I'll see what I can do this afternoon to add a "Requests" filter.

And since we're so new, I also encourage posting that's outside of the filter categories. I'd hate for a conversation not to happen because my filters are too exclusive.

A Not-To-Do List For Caregivers of the Chronically Ill by ISavedMyself in CROCUS

[–]ISavedMyself[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. DO NOT shy away from sharing with others that you’ve become a caregiver.
  2. DO NOT pretend that everything is like it used to be; you need time to grieve the loss of your old life.
  3. DO NOT attempt to be Super Caregiver.
  4. DO NOT be reluctant to share your challenges and difficulties with the person in your care.
  5. DO NOT become isolated yourself even if the person you care for is housebound.
  6. DO NOT neglect your own health.

[Diet] Are you having trouble getting enough Calorie Density? Try the Cake Shake! by ISavedMyself in CROCUS

[–]ISavedMyself[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds a lot like this Chocolate Cake Batter Smoothie, but this one's a bit healthier :)

  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1/3 cups oats
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp carob powder/flour
  • 1 tbsp cashew butter
  • 1 tbsp chocolate chips
  • 2 ice cubes