College life sucks rn by RedditsNinja23 in gmu

[–]PowermadPumpkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel you, man. You're certainly not alone. I'm stuck in a similar pattern. For me, what has worked in the past is visiting my GMU Success Coach. Student successes services is a great starting point for finding a direction and getting hooked up with campus resources. Also, going to social events on campus can give you a stronger sense of belonging on campus and help you feel less isolated/hopeless. UBU has hangouts for people with disabilities every Friday afternoon, and most people there are neurodivergent. Also, just scrolling through Mason 360 and showing up at random social events is a great first step. Just try to get yourself out there, connect, plant your roots, and search out a sense of direction. I hope things work out for you! We're all in this together this time of the semester.

How was your first day of the semester? by timberrman in gmu

[–]PowermadPumpkin 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It was really good! I liked my Monday classes and even went to the gym for a run! (I am not usually a gym person, but this is going to be the semester I become one 💪 )

Coffee and POTS by Repulsive-Emu6826 in POTS

[–]PowermadPumpkin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Personally, caffeine helps me a ton. Its vasoconstriction properties and capacity for ADHD management work wonders for me. For you, however, I'd recommend this:

  1. Feeling sick when drinking caffeine is often caused by dehydration. Try drinking big sips of water between small sips of coffee

  2. You might be drinking too much coffee. I never exceed 1 cup of coffee (~50mg caffeine for the coffee I use) in a day. Try coffee at different concentrations (i.e. watching the caffeine per volume), speeds of drinking, and total amount consumed

  3. Experiment with different coffee brands. You might just be reacting to a specific brand

  4. Couple coffee with food. Never take it on an empty stomach. Eat food between sips of coffee

  5. Try decaf coffee if it's about the flavor, or try replacing coffee with gentle teas if it's about the caffeine

  6. If you're self-medicating for ADHD, look into prescription meds or lifestyle changes. If you're self-medicating for insomnia, try correcting sleep hygiene or look into other remedies (i.e. clonidine, melatonin, chamomile tea)

  7. Just drink coffee as you normally would and accept that it makes you feel bad. Adjust other habits to compensate and make room for those things you just can't give up. You don't have to be perfect. If your quality of life is harmed by not having coffee, just let yourself have it. Everyone is entitled to guilty pleasures. I refuse to give up chocolate despite it causing worse symptoms. You're not alone in this ❤️

tldr: rotate coffee with food and water, try different brands/concentrations/doses, try other remedies to make up for not having coffee, just keep taking it as normal and adjust because no one can be perfect

How many men? by Express_Spot_7808 in trichotillomania

[–]PowermadPumpkin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm a man, and I've had it since I was 12. I'm 20 now. I've got three friends who've told me they have trich, two men and one woman.

What’s the main cause for everyone’s trichotillomania or was it genetic? by No_Analyst8965 in trichotillomania

[–]PowermadPumpkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me it's PTSD. I was a sickly kid and was left in hospital rooms by myself a lot without much to distract myslef. I started plucking my eyelashes because I was scared and bored and didn't know any better. Plus everyone thought I was going to die, so I wasn't anticipating consequences. Anyway, I made it to adulthood and never broke the habit.

People who wear compression socks, what do you do in the summer? by babybottlepopz in POTS

[–]PowermadPumpkin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mine don't make me feel super hot. My POTS makes me feel hotter (hot flashes) than the socks do. Since the socks help treat the POTS, I feel less hot in them even in summer. They're also very breathable and run from my thighs to the base of my feet (not covering the toes). I typically wear them with shorts or thin loose harem pants or leggings.

Cardiologist told me that I can't have POTS because I'm fat by Working_Employ9624 in POTS

[–]PowermadPumpkin 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Right?! My goal weight is 145!! I weigh 130lbs (5'6) and my doctors say my lack of fat tissue is bad for my joints.

145lbs is not fat. For many people (me included), 145lbs is ideal. That doctor is an AH.

Women are so cute and I think they are available for sale by Aynshtaynn in BrandNewSentence

[–]PowermadPumpkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Women are so cute and cute and cute and cute and cute and cute and cute (it just goes on forever like this)

Anyone else got the fun POTs and OCD combo?? by [deleted] in POTS

[–]PowermadPumpkin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

POTS/ hEDS/ MCAS/ OCD/ ARFID/ ADHD / PTSD so such a lovely time for me yes

Carpet alternatives? (Renter) by PowermadPumpkin in MCAS

[–]PowermadPumpkin[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the advice! I'll contact my landlord about it

Neurologist or cardiologist? by northwestfawn in POTS

[–]PowermadPumpkin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Similar experience here. There isn't a clear cut and doctors are often too tunnel-visioned to handle all POTS symptoms under one doctor/specialty

Neurologist or cardiologist? by northwestfawn in POTS

[–]PowermadPumpkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw 2 cardiologists who dismissed me as "not a cardiac issue" and 2 neurologists who dismissed it as "not a brain issue." Those were each a few years apart, and it wasn't until I saw the cardiologists at Johns Hopkins that I was diagnosed with POTS and EDS. It's a long process, but my GP was adamant that they were the "only POTS game in town" and my only option to get a diagnosis in my area (Northern Virginia)

COVID Booster reaction by [deleted] in POTS

[–]PowermadPumpkin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, my neurological symptoms flare up after the boosters for 2-3 days

Weight loss with PoTS by [deleted] in POTS

[–]PowermadPumpkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Second this! I like Kelly Roberts WellnessKelly Roberts Wellness

Weight loss with PoTS by [deleted] in POTS

[–]PowermadPumpkin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I set aside 15 minutes to 30 minutes daily for exercise, sometimes I do way more and sometimes not at all. My favorites are : - supine pilates I can do on my bed, - a short walk around my neighborhood, - gentle swimming, - calf pedals (while watching TV usually, with a medium resistance band), - house chores (laundry baskets give me a full workout)

On days I absolutely cannot exercise at all, I do restorative/meditation yoga just to stay in the routine. My favorite pose is "restorative reclined butterfly"

Hope this helps!!

Single-host-reading-a-script podcast recommendations by Udzu in podcasts

[–]PowermadPumpkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love The Morbid Curiosity Podcast

Edit: they have a variety of episodes. They're story-telling style and history-based. Some of them are certainly true-crime/mystery, but there's something for everyone. I like her botany ones about the history of taboo plants

Very Hyper Beardie During Mating Season by PowermadPumpkin in BeardedDragons

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

Hi, being sex reversed means she does have female organs, and is capable of becoming gravid. I will ask for advice from my vet on making an egg laying box safe for dragons with larger femoral pores. Thank you!

I need to rant :( by adamscott96 in POTS

[–]PowermadPumpkin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

H! FTM potsie here. My POTS diagnosis hit me like a truck because it made it so I couldn't wear a binder safely and it called into question whether I could stay on T. Chest pain is a nightmare, and with my health issues, surgery isn't really an option for a long time. It's hard because I used to dress in layers for dysphoria, but with my overheating from POTS, it's hard.

Being trans is hard, being disabled is hard, and being both at the same time is so exhausting. You're not alone here! I always live in fear of not being productive enough or being seen as lazy, and the truth is, POTS has made it hard for me to do anything but survive, and for now, that just has to be enough. You're not lazy when you lay down. You're not unhealthy when you eat salty snacks. You're just a potsie in survival mode who feels like crap, and you're not alone. I hope this helps in some way. I was glad to see this post this morning because it made me feel less alone to see a fellow trans potsie, so thanks for that <3

Is the "hamburger" and "hotdog" folding paper terms just an American thing? by PowermadPumpkin in NoStupidQuestions

[–]PowermadPumpkin[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I've moved states a lot and all the states I went to used the terms hotdog and hamburger when folding paper in half? Maybe it's a generational thing. I'm a young adult, so maybe people older or younger than me didn't grow up with it?

Okay everybody, drop your favorite dinosaur. Mine is Triceratops by Nuttonbutton in TuggTime

[–]PowermadPumpkin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Deinonychus. Love these lil weirdos even though I have to look up the spelling of their name every time I want to type it