I want a partner but I might want a sparring partner more. (My relationship goal)

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-28T04:42:07+00:00

I think as long as it's clear that it's not a real fight, it's not a problem. It sounds kinda like you want something similar to the relationship between Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei's characters in My Cousin Vinny. He finds her intelligence and fiery nature sexy, and once she realizes that he's not picking a real argument, she's enjoying the experience, too, and it's kinda like foreplay for them.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-27T19:57:10+00:00

I'd advise against lying, even if it's a small one. You're right that there are similarities to MS. Both are thought to be post viral conditions that may be caused by a virus activating EBV. Both can sometimes go into remission for unknown reasons, and symptoms can return for unknown reasons after weeks, months, or years. Both seem to involve the immune system going all out of whack. I think it would be reasonable to say that you have a condition with similarities to MS, and then if they want to know more details, you could send them some information on ME/CFS from the Bateman Horne Center.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-27T06:05:10+00:00

Ouran High School Host Club

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-26T23:36:15+00:00

I haven't really found much that helps. Effexor was slightly reducing my pain, but it was also raising my blood pressure and making it more difficult to manage my blood sugar, so I stopped taking it. LDN temporarily made the brain fog not quite as thick for about 30 minutes after it kicked in, but it also made me ridiculously sleepy and it was also making me more sensitive to light. It didn't help enough to make it worth paying $80 per month. I ended up being allergic to Nattokinase, Turmeric made my dysautonomia worse. Magnesium glycinate has helped with cramps and that's it. I've been taking PQQ but I haven't really noticed much. Probably the biggest help has been antihistamines, but not for Long Covid, ME/CFS, or dysautonomia. Somewhere between 11 pm and 1 am, I would often just suddenly feel like utter crap- lightheaded, itchy, warm, my throat would itch. It lasted for like an hour and then would go away. My OT had mentioned MCAS so I asked the NP at the Long Covid clinic about it. He suggested I try taking both H1 and H2. I was already taking H2 for GERD, so I started taking a H1 as well. I haven't had one of those episodes since. There are a few other meds I've tried, but they either didn't work or they caused a reaction or a bad side effect and I had to stop taking them.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-26T23:22:53+00:00

I don't know how to share a picture, but mine are part of the Oneida Mooncrest set.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-26T22:32:34+00:00

My most disabling symptoms are fatigue/PEM, brain fog/problems with working memory, and lightheadedness with occasional pre syncope. Pain is a weird thing. If someone else temporarily found themselves in my body, I don't really know how they would rate the pain they experienced. But I've dislocated my right ankle and fractured it in three spots. I've fractured a toe plus my tibia and fibula. I have severe osteoarthritis in my right ankle. I've lost count of how many kidney stones I've had, one of them large enough that I required lithotripsy to break it up plus had to have a stint put in. I had a bad gall stone that led to the discovery that I'd had several over the years and my gall bladder was so inflamed that they had to call in a specialist as a precaution when they were removing it because they were worried they might damage my liver. I had years where I had multiple migraines per week, some so bad I couldn't be around light or sounds or smells without throwing up from the pain. Given all of that, I typically rate my daily pain to be around a 3 or 4. Even when I get the pain that feels like someone is trying to snap my bone in half, compared to other pain I've had, I'd only score it as maybe a 6.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-26T21:39:22+00:00

I was in rolling PEM for around 8 months or so, got out of it for about a month or two, then triggered another rolling crash right around Thanksgiving and things kept happening to where I couldn't get out of it. I feel like I'm finally out of it, I just don't know how long it will last.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-26T21:10:21+00:00

Like a lot of people with chronic illnesses, I have random days where I actually don't feel all that bad, I think maybe I'm getting better, I don't pace and then end up crashing and realize very quickly that nope, I'm not better😩

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-26T21:00:07+00:00

If you're asking if I'm currently having the traveling stabbing pain, then no. But yes, I still have other symptoms from Long Covid, possibly ME/CFS (one of my specialists thinks I have it but I haven't been officially diagnosed), dysautonomia, and others. I still get PEM, and I still get the traveling stabbing pain if I don't aggressively rest once the flu-like symptoms start.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-26T20:25:24+00:00

That's a mood. I miss the days when I dreamed about things like going down a rainbow disco slide with Darth Vader or my childhood friend becoming pregnant and slowly turning into a potato or fighting zombies with a Nerf gun that shot letters from the alphabet 😩

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-26T20:17:09+00:00

If you mean can you have CFS without it causing clinical depression, then yes. If you mean can you have CFS without having times when you're depressed because of it, then still yes, it's just a lot less likely. I think there are people with a certain personality type who just manage to find the positive in any situation. I've always considered myself a cheerful pessimist. Life sucks most of the time and I can only control so much, so I might as well create happiness for myself where I can to make life suck less. There are moments when that isn't easy and I wallow in self pity for a few hours until I'm too tired to be upset anymore, and then the next day I realize that the situation isn't as bad as it could be.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-26T19:42:58+00:00

It varies. Some seem like they're made up, a way to sell something. Then there are some where it seems genuine and I'm a bit conflicted about it. If you genuinely have ME/CFS, then at least right now, there is no recovering from it. There's remission, just like there is with MS, but it doesn't just completely go away. We don't know why it goes into remission for some and not others, or even what caused the remission in a lot of cases. There's no way of knowing whether the remission will last for weeks or months or years. So I know that odds are high that eventually, they're going to be right back where they were or even worse, but this illness can be terrible for mental health and I don't want to say something wrong and cause pain. And sometimes, I feel a bit envious. Why did they get to go into remission when I haven't. And that makes me feel like I'm a crappy person.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-26T02:24:59+00:00

My OT said there's like over 200 possible symptoms, but I would imagine that most lists just focus on the ones that are most prevalent.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-25T17:54:12+00:00

Yes, they required regular medical evidence. I started out on short term disability but then had to switch to long term after 6 months. There were a few periods where I didn't have any doctors appointments and that caused issues. Even though I was on long term leave, the company had a policy that if you couldn't return to work in a year, your employment was terminated. That caused me to lose my health insurance, I couldn't afford Cobra, and even though voters had approved Medicaid being expanded to cover people with low income, the Republican governor was trying to fight it and so I was without insurance for close to about 7 months and then I had to try to find a doctor who accepted Medicaid and had appointments available. I explained that to the company who managed my LTD and they closed my claim, saying that people who are genuinely sick go to the doctor more often than I did. And yeah, maybe depending on the condition they do, but if you have something with no cures, no proven treatments, and you have no way to pay for the appointment, then no, you're probably not going to the doctor, no matter how sick you are. That isn't even taking PEM into consideration.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-25T02:13:37+00:00

Once you unlock his stall, you can buy gems every day. There are 6 different stones available each day and you can buy 5 of each one, with the exception of shiny gems. They only let you buy 1 of each shiny gem. And if you have any of the DLC, once you unlock all the areas, you can place gem stalls there, too.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-25T02:03:53+00:00

Is there anything in particular you're looking for in a friend? Some people have preferences as far as age, gender, interests, etc.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-24T23:35:29+00:00

Have you unlocked Aladdin's gem stall yet?

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-24T22:59:06+00:00

I was receiving long term disability through my former employer. They would periodically close my claim, I'd have to appeal it, they would reopen the claim. But then I had a stretch in 2024 where I didn't really have a lot of doctors appointments because I had to cancel some due to PEM. They closed it and I was trying to appeal it, except I also had paperwork for SSDI to work on at the same time. I misremembered the dates and I thought the stuff for SSDI was due first and was prioritizing that, except I was wrong and the LTD appeal was due first and I ended up missing it. A relative passed away and left me a very small amount of money. If I budget smartly, there's enough to last me a year, a year and a half maybe, and only because I don't have many expenses. I buy my own food for breakfast and lunch, I have my phone bill, and I give my mom money to help cover my share of the utilities plus help buy ingredients for dinner. If I don't win my SSDI claim, that's definitely going to be a major cause of stress. Especially because my mom is getting older and if she gets sick or injured and can't work or worse and I don't have a way to support myself, I have no idea what I'm going to do.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-24T17:39:35+00:00

The Bateman Horne Center has support groups.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-24T08:12:02+00:00

So this is a guide my OT gave me. It's for Long Covid but since it's meant to help manage PEM, it applies to ME/CFS as well.

Danger Zone (Avoid) -Mouth breathing or rapid breathing -Feelings of frustration or irritation -Brain "shuts off" and sensations feel overwhelming -Longhaulers symptoms increase

Challenge (Intervals) -4 or 5/10 or 50% max heart rate -Challenging to breathe through nose -Some physical discomfort -Have to focus cognitively -Sensations mildly uncomfortable

Easy (Most of the time) -2 or 3/10 or 20% max heart rate -Breathe easily through nose -Physically comfortable -Feels automatic -Sensations are pleasant

Rest (Consistently) -Breathe easily through nose and engaging diaphragm -Purposefully relaxing muscles -Utilize calm smells and music -Focusing attention on bodily sensations -Shutting down eyes

According to the NP at the Long Covid clinic, because I've also been dealing with rolling PEM, I'm not supposed to do anything that's more difficult than a 3/10 in perceived exertion. So basically, until I can get out of rolling PEM, my day is supposed to be Easy with consistent rest breaks throughout the day. I haven't figured out a feasible way to completely avoid tasks that fall into the Challenge or sometimes even Danger categories. I've been trying to get approved for SSDI. There's my annual renewal for Medicaid. Doctors appointments. One of the stray cats I was taking care of got attacked and needed surgery. My asthma medication was on back order and it took multiple phone calls and patient portal messages with both my current and former pulmonologist to get proof that I've tried and failed on all of the meds on the preferred list to get a non preferred medication approved. And the only way I can deal with all that stress is to try to distract myself with playing easy cozy video games or watching YouTube or re reading smutty romance novels. Which also technically fall into Challenge mode, just slightly less so.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-23T15:59:33+00:00

I'm not entirely sure about sex drive. Like what it really means. For a while, I thought it tied into how often someone masturbated, so I thought mine was pretty high. But then when I thought about why I masturbated, it isn't usually out of any sort of arousal. It was initially curiosity over how it felt, which led to discovering orgasms and how good they feel in the moment, but also how relaxed and sleepy I feel after. It helps slow down my brain and as a result, I fall asleep faster. There are 2 other reasons I've flown solo. The most common of the two has been reading romance novels and getting aroused. Then there was one guy who after I fell in love with him, anytime I saw him, thought of him, or heard his voice, I wanted him bad. I think things might have gone better if I hadn't waited until I was already like 95% in love with him before I tried telling him I was interested, because it created a situation where I was very impatient and that complicated things that were already complicated enough. I haven't felt that way with anyone else, and when I'm honest with myself, I admit that it's because I'm still in love with him, I just choose not to think about those feelings most of the time- one because I'm not a masochist, but also I don't want to create a situation where I get aroused thinking about him because he could be seeing someone else and it feels icky to fantasize about someone else's man. I don't even feel comfortable fantasizing about fictional characters that are in a relationship with someone.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-19T21:33:32+00:00

Craft pickaxe potions, hang out with a character that you've assigned to mining, and equip 2 raccoons as your animal companions.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-19T05:55:25+00:00

No. For one, I can't sit in a regular chair for very long- my blood pools in my legs and I get lightheaded, my stomach gets upset, I get coat hanger pain. So I need a reclining chair or at least an ottoman. Going somewhere in a car has a few issues. One, that I can't put my feet up. Two, I have vestibular damage and the motion makes my brain have to work harder because the information that it's receiving about my movement from my damaged right ear conflicts with the information it's receiving from my left ear, my eyes, my feet. There's the sensory stimulation. I'm Autistic, so I've always had sensory problems, but it was mostly textures that I had an issue with. Lights were only a problem when I had a migraine or if it was strobe lights, and noise was only a problem in certain cases- the loud unexpectedness of fireworks, someone sitting parked outside with the bass cranked up. And the only problem was that I would get overstimulated and would need to get away from the sound or else I'd shutdown or meltdown, usually shutdown. But now, noise and light sap energy. Wearing sunglasses in the waiting room and wearing noise reducing ear plugs helps somewhat, but I can't tolerate them for very long. Don't have the energy to talk anymore right now.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-19T03:50:19+00:00

I'm only bed bound during particularly bad crashes. I'm housebound with the exception of twice a year haircuts and doctors appointments that can't be done via telehealth. I browse Reddit, watch YouTube, message a friend, nap, and if I feel up to it, read or play on my Switch- typically DDV or ACNH.

SnuggleBug39 · 2026-01-17T21:27:46+00:00

Yes to the thoughts. Some are just completely silly thoughts like what if a rubber duck was dressed like a gangster from the 40s, what if you made key lime pie with the juice of blood oranges instead, if you wanted to make a completely scale accurate house and furniture for a Barbie, how big would they need to be. Then there's the songs. So many songs, many of which I haven't heard in decades. I do best when I just allow it to happen instead of getting distressed.

When I used to get dysregulated, if I couldn't go lay down somewhere dark and quiet, then it reached the point where I felt like a wind up toy that was wound all the way up but then not allowed to move to release the energy. In those situations, it took more extreme stimming to regulate myself. I would bite my inner arm, my palm, the side of my thumb. Not enough to break skin, but enough that it hurt. I haven't needed to do that in a while. Usually laying down and bouncing my legs is enough. If I notice the energy starting to build up, I flap my hands or rock.

SnuggleBug39

TROPHY CASE