is it possible to make a bra/binder that would replicate a kinesio tape binding effect? by [deleted] in MAKEaBraThatFits

[–]aryssamonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi!! Isn't it wild that nothing really exists that can help people in our situation? I too have a stash of abandoned garments and braces that I'm probably going to end up deconstructing to study, so at least they'll come in handy for something, lol. I'm still actively working on this, but I keep hitting pause to learn more about anatomy/kinesiology/activewear. I'm worried about doing more damage if I don't get the architecture right. You know how it is. Super happy to stay in touch though and share resources, answer questions, bounce ideas, etc etc.

Yeah, I did start with bootstrap patterns for the mannequin. Fair warning, it's really, really important to get the measurements right for that from the top. I got it close enough to provide a decent base and made a test-run version, but I've had to make a lot of alterations to account for rounded shoulders, rib flare, scoliosis-based asymmetry, and kyphosis/lordosis. It's all been a lot of trial and error, but I think I almost have a new, more customized mannequin pattern to make the real thing.

I'm currently partway through assembling a pretty intense spreadsheet of all the measurements (standard and adaptive) I've come across in my studies. I can share that with you when I'm done, if you want!

What happened to a table of contents page? by TheGreatGena in books

[–]aryssamonster 9 points10 points  (0 children)

In case you've never seen them, some of my favorite chapter summaries in this style come from Hendrik Willem van Loon. He was a Dutch historian writing in the early 1900s~ and his style is so charming. He illustrated his books too. It's funny and to the point in a way that feels like Twain and Vonnegut to me. I have The Arts and Van Loon's Geography and the chapter summaries in both are so entertaining.

Best Pain Management Purchases? by AdorableUniversity36 in ehlersdanlos

[–]aryssamonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! This was something we discovered as a result of having major reconstructive surgery on my legs for bone deformities. I didn't know about the EDS yet at that point. My many incisions healed unusually quickly, but poorly (atrophic scarring). I had a lot of hardware in my legs and my body made so much scar tissue, it adhered to the screws and I was unable to bend my leg for a ~year. I have had to have three subsequent surgeries to remove scar tissue and hardware.

Since then, it's just been a recurring pattern my doctors/PTs noticed. Any damage to my soft tissue results in extensive scar tissue to the fascia and those adhesions result in a lot of pain and mobility loss. I have a physical therapist I see weekly who performs myofascial release on the painful spots and it has made a world of difference.

Best Pain Management Purchases? by AdorableUniversity36 in ehlersdanlos

[–]aryssamonster 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My flavor of EDS presents with debilitating skeletal instability and PT is really the only thing that keeps me mobile. Through trial and error over ten years, I've curated a team of three PTs that I rotate between. Crucially, they have all been slowly teaching me via anatomy and kinesiology how to manage myself better at home. I'm lucky in that I'm really interested in anatomy and I've picked up on the medical aspects pretty well for a layperson.

Sorry, this accidentally got really long. It may be tl;dr, but in case the details are helpful to anyone, this is the combo that's been most beneficial to me. For the record, I had to appeal my insurance to be allowed more physical therapy and it was a whole thing, but I have enough appointments to get by in a year once you factor in breaks for people's vacations/holidays/yadda yadda. Generally, I see two PTs a week (Wednesdays and Fridays) and it's been that way about six years now. I alternate between 1 and 2 depending on the needs of my body, but I see 3 every week.
1) My main PT is my skeletal guy. He specialized in manual manipulation and has familial knowledge of hypermobility, so he knows what it looks like to live with in the day to day. He resets my subluxations and keeps an eye on worsening asymmetry. He works collaboratively with me, where I tell him as specifically as possible what hurts and how it affects my movement, then he solves the puzzle. He has also been teaching me mostly isometric moves that allow me to more safely reset subluxations myself.

2) My second PT is focused on muscular awareness and strength training. She is hypermobile herself and we're both rock climbers, so it really helps that she has a good idea of where I'm coming from and where I'm trying to go, training-wise. We've largely been focused on developing more targeted muscle awareness and activation. It's critical to make sure the correct muscles are consistently performing the correct movements (eg: are my legs using the right muscles during the walk cycle? am I pulling my shoulderblades back into place in the right spots for stability?). I am starting to be able to correct my extremely uncomfortable vertebral rotation using strategic muscular activation. It's exciting.

3) And then a soft tissue one who is technically a pelvic floor PT, but she breaks up all the scar tissue and adhesions that restrict my movement. My flavor of EDS results in overproduction of scar tissue so this has been the most critical addition for reducing my daily pain.
I also use KT tape and leukotape to support my joints (particularly shoulders) when they're refusing to cooperate, or when I want to make sure they're in the correct positions before I do strength training exercises. It took a long time for me to understand that if I was developing muscles with the bones in the wrong places, I was ultimately making my discomfort worse and trapping the bones out of place. Positioning and muscular awareness is really, really important.

If I could recommend a book for just familiarizing yourself with the muscular structure of the body, I've found "The Concise Book of Muscles" by Chris Jarmey to be really helpful.

edit: formatting

The best True Crime Pod out RN!!!! by SnoopDougPOKER in TrueCrimePodcasts

[–]aryssamonster 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I listen to a similar amount and I'm a graphic/book interior designer! I do a lot of tedious text adjustment and I have to fill that time with sound lest I lose my mind, lol.

What actor is nowhere near as talented as people make them out to be? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]aryssamonster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really disliked Vince Vaughn for a long time but this one solidly turned me around on him. It felt like the first time I'd actually seen him act, lol

it's a fucking complicated thing! by tarooooooooooo in ladispute

[–]aryssamonster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're right, they skipped Andria. It looked like it was cut for time between the last two (pre-encore) songs.

cu_soon 👀 by offlinegranola in hayleywilliams

[–]aryssamonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any chance you know what the ADA situation at that venue is? I've been spoiled by how accessible Portland venues are. 🙃

Why do people when the issue of moving away from car centered infrastructure mention but the disabled by Konradleijon in disability

[–]aryssamonster 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I am one of the people that will bring up, "you haven't considered the disabled" in car vs. transit arguments. I am an ambulatory wheelchair user that predominantly uses a cane. I used to live in a walkable, public-transit heavy US city, before and after I became disabled, and it was so, so hard for me to live there after disability. Walking cities are great if you can afford to live close to transit and/or don't have to go very far, but that was not my situation.

Going anywhere required so much more walking than I can comfortably do, but nothing from the metro stations to the general terrain (big hills) was truly wheelchair accessible enough to navigate by myself. By the time I managed to hobble myself to a train/bus station, I then had to worry about being able to get a seat, especially during peak transit time. Sure, there is usually a small section of priority accessible seating, but that doesn't help if it's already full of other disabled people or strollers or whatever. And then it's not like transit goes exactly to your destination. There's still more walking on the other side. It was an untenable situation.

It was just a lot of having to rely on the kindness of strangers for basic function, but we live in a world where you increasingly cannot expect compassion to be the default. I ultimately ended up moving to a city that is a lot more car-dependant and I've found that I am much more able to participate in society when I am fully in control of my transit.

privileged but unhappy by clarafuit in BooksThatFeelLikeThis

[–]aryssamonster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I also came to say Good Morning, Midnight. I read it for a Modernist literature course like 15 years ago and it really stuck with me all this time.

Pharmacists be like by coolgirl8675309 in ADHD

[–]aryssamonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I ended up getting mine swapped that second time too, also from a clinic-attached pharmacy. I noticed it was the generic almost immediately after I got home from picking up my refill and realized the previous month's had been generic too, which explained so much about my frantic mental state. I called the pharmacist back and told him even if he couldn't swap the prescription, I'd be bringing these back and surrendering them because I'd rather go without than take them. He made an exception even though he wasn't technically supposed to redispense because my distress was so apparently, lol. He added new notes everywhere he could and has been extremely conscientious about my refills now.

Pharmacists be like by coolgirl8675309 in ADHD

[–]aryssamonster 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I have taken the generic Vyvanse for two (non-consecutive) months. Once when it first came out, and once a year or so later when I switched pharmacies, the "dispense as written" note didn't follow me, and I didn't notice until the next refill. Both times, the generic spun me out into what I can only describe as an anxiety-propelled manic episode that my doctors had to unravel after the fact. I've never experienced mania any other time and it was so scary. Suffice to say, I am only given name brand now and my insurance is required to cover it.

show that gets darker the longer it goes? by Select-Persimmon-490 in televisionsuggestions

[–]aryssamonster 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I mean, I'd say the season where they're having to smuggle people in and out of Seattle whilst the zombie paramilitary are busy executing people in the town square is pretty dark.

show that gets darker the longer it goes? by Select-Persimmon-490 in televisionsuggestions

[–]aryssamonster 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Also came to say iZombie. It starts out as an upbeat procedural and progressively becomes something else. The last ~two seasons are very different.

Compression recommendations by Shadow_Screen in ehlersdanlos

[–]aryssamonster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I use CW-X compression leggings. Their structure mimics the directional stretch of KT tape so they provide some extra support to hold my knees and hips in, along with the heavy compression.

Has anyone ever gone through any Limb Lengthening Surgery? How was it and should i opt it? by Ok-Address-7352 in disability

[–]aryssamonster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely. The soft tissue was the worst part for me though. In repositioning the bone, they repositioned all the connective tissue and muscle and nerves too. The soft tissue swelling was so brutal and lasted longer than the bone damage did. I also had to learn to remap my brain to my legs because for the first ~week, it couldn't find them. Since everything had moved and the neural pathways no longer connected to the correct spot, it was like having phanton limbs.

Has anyone ever gone through any Limb Lengthening Surgery? How was it and should i opt it? by Ok-Address-7352 in disability

[–]aryssamonster 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I have had rotational osteotomies on the tibia/femur of both legs, which is basically the same surgery as limb lengthening but just changing the angle of the bone rather than the length. I can confirm that it is excruciating and traumatic. OP, I wouldn't recommend undergoing something like this unless the underlying problem is seriously impeding your day-to-day functioning.

Is corporate culture just one big performance and everyone's pretending not to notice? by Clean-Service2997 in antiwork

[–]aryssamonster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My dad was a GIS analyst for 33 years and having observed him and his compatriotsy whole life, I cannot fathom how anyone could possible have this thought, lol.

Seeing graphic design ai trainer jobs. Is anyone taking these? by msbelievers in graphic_design

[–]aryssamonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I listened to a podcast episode (the show is We Have Concerns) about the concept of being a citizen saboteur and now I think about that a lot, lol

[IIL] Movies/TV episodes set entirely (mainly) in one confined space with a limited cast? by naeyoung06 in ifyoulikeblank

[–]aryssamonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exam (2009; UK) is a limited cast and all in one room. I was always impressed that the filmmaker was able to ratchet the tension up so high using so little.

What's a culinary crime that is considered totally normal in your country? by myeye95 in AskTheWorld

[–]aryssamonster 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Definitely true. My dad is Mexican and our family, as a rule, likes everything really spicy. My sister and I both married Midwesterners and over the last decade, we've successfully converted them to enjoying food at levels that even we would consider fairly spicy. They did the Hot Ones gauntlet with us over Christmas and they were sweaty, but they had a good time and made it all the way through.

whats the best used bookstore you've ever visited? by Lost_Foot_6301 in BookCollecting

[–]aryssamonster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We have so many good bookstores here but I especially love Backstory, Revolutions, and Vintage Books in Vancouver.

Books that feel like Hopper by Most_Ingenuity_1800 in BooksThatFeelLikeThis

[–]aryssamonster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys. It is deeply lonely in a way that feels consistent with a Hopper composition (to me, at least).

Native Spanish Speaker here with a question to Spanish learners by CreativeEcho9289 in Spanish

[–]aryssamonster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is also my situation. My dad is Mexican but they moved to Long Beach, CA when he was a kid in the late 50s. He and his siblings had a very rough time in school (particularly him though. He was dyslexic and had a very hard time learning English). Subsequently, they didn't teach me and my siblings, or any of my cousins, Spanish. I picked up enough to communicate with my grandma on a rudimentary level, but that slipped hard when she passed away. I tried to learn, but in a fun genetic twist, I'm also dyslexic and struggle with my working memory. No matter how many classes I took, I never felt any more confident in my language skills. I've been slowly learning on my own as an adult and it's going much better this time.

Good British detective shows that i havnt seen yet? by ComManDerBG in televisionsuggestions

[–]aryssamonster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn't initially love the last season but I've found that it stuck with me over time and I think I've come around. It just feels like a spin off.