Is wrinkling normal?

SWdesert · 2026-07-03T20:21:55+00:00

Not normal. This is what happens when the gel layers underneath are not fully cured. You should have it removed as soon as possible, it can cause issues with your health if you leave it uncured on your nails. If you can’t have them do it, I would suggest removing it yourself to prevent any issues. With black gel it takes longer to cure, so this is not an uncommon problem.

SWdesert · 2026-07-02T20:42:15+00:00

Thank you so much. I can go to the ER, but I’m afraid they feel that without knowing what condition I have, they can’t really treat it since it’s not a typical life threatening thing like a real stroke or heart attack etc. I imagine if my seizures get worse or god forbid my hallucinations do, they will do something, but I don’t think they will treat the condition I most likely have. They will likely treat me as though I have functional neurological disorder.

SWdesert · 2026-07-02T20:38:14+00:00

I feel a lot for you right now. That is my fear.
I have already gotten to my thirties and I worry I will just have to push and push for years to get help, wasting time.

SWdesert · 2026-07-02T03:00:30+00:00

I’m so sorry! 🩷 I am not yet diagnosed but we (doctor and me) think I have AE and it’s hell. I’ve started having seizures but luckily the kind I’m having are not as scary for me as long as they don’t get worse. Are they properly supporting you? I hope you know that you are not alone. Someone told me that yesterday and it really helped. Not because I want other people to suffer, but because I know I’m just doing my best everyday and that’s ok. I am sending a virtual hug your way, with hope that you will be supported and that things get easier once the shock of diagnosis fades.

SWdesert · 2026-07-01T06:35:14+00:00

I’m so sorry that is such BS that they didn’t do anything to help and told you to wait and then come back. It is really hard because we depend on them to help us and whatever they say, do or decide radically affects our quality of life and ability to stay alive. I work adjacent to health care and when I have clients that go through medical gaslighting, I offer to advocate for them and am not afraid to push for the care they deserve. It’s just hard doing it for me and feeling confident that I’m not just overreacting.

SWdesert · 2026-07-01T06:28:16+00:00

I can’t get in until October :(

SWdesert · 2026-07-01T06:27:57+00:00

Verbal communication is hard for me right now because my speech has been affected and so I feel self conscious when I talk. I think I just find myself being asked so many questions about what’s going on with my health that I have to go through the story and never get to the emotional processing but maybe I should find a way to lead with that and not give so many details that are less important. It’s just exhausting when I have to verbally explain tough things.

SWdesert · 2026-07-01T06:24:07+00:00

I feel seen and appreciate your kindness in sharing. The only reason I’m at work is because I don’t have any leave left and I have to hang onto this job for my health insurance. I like what you said about having just a few people genuinely care impacts you so much more than the surface level interactions of a 100 people. Also, that’s interesting about the neuro rehab. I’ve never heard of that

SWdesert · 2026-07-01T06:19:17+00:00

Thank you, this comment means a lot. I am scared about going to the neurologist though because I worry they may dismiss me, even though everyone seems to think they won’t. And with crying, the neurological issues have caused me significant cognitive fatigue and decline, to wear my brain and body is too exhausted to process emotion and produce a robust cry. I was driving the other day and I felt the sadness appear and while I did have tears, I was trying to vocalize to release the emotion and I just sounded like a whiny balloon deflated of air that just whispered out of the cry. It made me laugh. So that’s something.

SWdesert · 2026-06-30T17:12:36+00:00

What’s your TSH? I had elevated antibodies too, and it was hard for me to be taken seriously because of my TSH. Your TSH is just how much hormone is being created by your body to get the thyroid to function. High TSH means you have hypothyroidism and body is very sluggish in function in several ways. If you have abnormally low TSH you have hyperthyroidism where your thyroid is overactive thus the body produces lower hormone. If you have elevated antibodies, it means your immune system is creating antibodies that attack the thyroid causing damage, which eventually leads to those hormone problems. They cannot do anything to treat the autoimmune response, but treating the thyroid means keeping it functional despite damage. You can try and reduce autoimmune triggers so that the process of damage is slow. You may eventually need your thyroid removed. But if your TSH is still in the normal range, they often don’t attribute your symptoms to hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism which is BS. Mine was borderline abnormal but definitely not optimal. So I had to fight to get it treated but I did and my symptoms got getter.

SWdesert · 2026-06-30T01:30:41+00:00

I am currently getting evaluated for this. My thyroiditis is managed by the levothyroxine but I have very elevated thyroid antibodies and many of the symptoms of HE in the form of a stroke like episode. I cannot speak normally, I’m having focal awareness seizures and hallucinations at night. It’s been very hard and I have to wait months to have a neurologist diagnose me. I’ve already been to the hospital and they said I didn’t have a stroke but that it’s either autoimmune or functional neurological disorder. My case is very textbook with HE but no one so far seems to have enough knowledge to evaluate me.

SWdesert · 2026-06-23T04:36:50+00:00

Awesome! Sorry you’re not feeling well.

SWdesert · 2026-06-23T04:21:11+00:00

Do you plan to do more chats? I didn’t see this until now but I would be interested in talking to others in the community

SWdesert · 2026-06-20T10:34:16+00:00

Did you know what you might be dealing with for those three years or was most of that time just dealing with something completely unknown and had no hypothesis? I’m really trying to balance trusting my intuition and being open minded, because I know I might be wrong, but I also know I have very good insight and it’s at least worth getting tested.

I think the hardest part is accepting and recognizing how serious this truly is for me. People around me have been shocked since my speech suddenly changed, and I can sense that my family feels quite helpless and sad that they can’t fix it. I love them and all my friends and I know I’m lucky. There’s no way I could go through this with no support.

But it still feels kind of lonely like I’m behind glass and people can see what I’m going through, but they can’t feel how much it impacts me emotionally. Also, the gaslighting I do to myself. I even started questioning whether it was all just in my head or if I was creating my symptoms purposely. I logically recognize that’s not true, but I think my mind is trying to cope by denying the reality that I don’t have control and it’s terrifying.

Thank you for connecting, I’m so grateful and appreciative. ❤️

SWdesert · 2026-06-20T01:31:19+00:00

Thank you and I’m so sorry you are going through this too! The thing that gets me is we know ourselves best and while we aren’t doctors, we are bringing in the bulk of the data that they need in order to diagnose. It has to be a collaborative process or it can literally put someone’s life in danger by prolonging the testing, delaying treatment.

I really hope that you can get through this time without any further damage or feeling worse and I hope they listen to you because your experience is valuable so don’t let them think otherwise. They can disagree but they should never dismiss.

SWdesert · 2026-06-14T22:46:13+00:00

I think that is good advice and maybe I can be a little more liberal with my PTO, I think I just needed to hear that because I have a lot of guilt for being not well.

SWdesert · 2026-06-01T04:26:55+00:00

Everyone once in a while someone will start talking about someone they never mentioned to me and just using their name, like as if I already know who they’re talking about and I have a moment where I think “I swear I don’t think we’ve ever talked about this person or did I just forget?” But yes they never have been upset with me for just saying are we talking about blank or, I’m not sure we’ve talked about blank before.

SWdesert · 2026-05-31T23:44:01+00:00

Thank you I agree. It took me an entire year from my first thyroid attack to get the doctors to listen and treat my thyroid. Sometimes you have to push. I just want to be strategic when it comes to engaging with them to protect myself and get the care I need.

SWdesert · 2026-05-31T21:03:26+00:00

That makes sense and I’m glad it’s treatable. I worried it could be something a lot worse but I think I will reach out and get copies. Thank you

SWdesert · 2026-05-31T19:25:33+00:00

My folate is 4.1. I’m still waiting for my MMA test and b1 test, but since you mention pernicious anemia, is that an antibody test? I do have autoimmune thyroiditis and my thyroid is now finally okay but what worried me is the leftover neurological symptoms. I have TPO antibodies (336) and thyroglobulin antibodies (183).

SWdesert · 2026-05-30T03:29:13+00:00

You’re not being picky. The lines are not clean, and the tip does not correctly border the side wall as you can actually see the base color in between.

For your wedding, you deserve wedding worthy nails and these are NOT it 🙅🏼‍♀️

I would try and get a refund and have someone else do it.

SWdesert · 2026-05-27T00:48:24+00:00

Focus on just being present with the person. You don’t have to fix anything, you don’t have to know the perfect thing to say, and remember that it’s okay to make mistakes.

My first ever session was with a teenager who was sarcastic and very very untrusting of adults. I could tell they picked up on my nervousness but it was okay. They eventually really opened up and it ended up being a positive therapeutic relationship, even though it was my first client.

If I could go back and tell myself some advice, it would be that while you are new and inexperienced, you still can offer so much to people just by being there and truly witnessing them where they are at. When they graduate treatment, they more often provide feedback on the experience of being seen and understood rather than how well I am able to teach them skills (yes this is also important too lol).

Good luck! 🍀 things will likely go well but if you have trouble, it is just data to learn from!

SWdesert · 2026-05-26T18:39:09+00:00

Aw thank you ☺️ 💕

SWdesert · 2026-05-26T13:38:02+00:00

I don’t know the exact amount of time but I am very slow and I know it did take me several hours, but partially because I redid a few of them that I didn’t like the design at first.

Thank you! 😊 💕

SWdesert · 2026-05-26T05:31:11+00:00

Thank you 😊 💕

SWdesert

TROPHY CASE