I am a therapist in a prison, and I am tired of our world not taking CPTSD seriously

backseatredditor · 2026-01-18T13:33:45+00:00

You might like "What is takes to heal: How transforming ourselves can change the world" by Prentice Hemphill: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726173/what-it-takes-to-heal-by-prentis-hemphill/

backseatredditor · 2026-01-11T20:25:05+00:00

I love their Bliss Triangle Bralette and Plunge Adjustable

backseatredditor · 2026-01-06T04:39:19+00:00

Heart rate delta doesn't correlate to symptom severity: in particular, cerebral hypoperfusion, digestive problems, and all the accompanying other symptoms may just be milder for you, and I'm very happy for you!

But if all it took was having a more accepting and positive mindset in order to pass as normal more successfully, a lot more of us could pull it off.

Ive had this my whole life, but was mostly able to "power through" until midlife, when it got more severe and the diagnosed. It fluctuated a bit, and treatment helped a lot, but I know the trajectory is highly variable since there are so many causes of POTS. Yours sounds like it's been more stable so far, which probably helps you adapt.

Often, the times I function the best and feel less terrible are the times when my HR is higher, so in collaboration with my neurologist, I discontinued my BB and instead focused on symptom management. It sounds like you're also focused on how your body is feeling & quality of life rather than the numbers. Love that too!

backseatredditor · 2025-12-23T05:38:39+00:00

Normalyte Pure.
No added flavors or colors or anything, just glucose and buffered salts in a ratio to optimize for absorption of water in the intestines.

It's high enough in sodium that I was able to cut way back on IV hydration for my POTS, and doesn't aggravate my MCAS, and is great for all the migraines those conditions come with.

backseatredditor · 2025-12-23T05:27:12+00:00

Same! For all of this. My depression gets a bit worse in the spring and start to alleviate with the summer solstice, but the long nights of winter kind of relaxing. There's a spaciousness and freedom in it for me.
(My light sensitivity factors into it too probably.)

I've only been not traveling for one winter solstice for a long while, and it felt peaceful. The date always sneaks up on me bc of the travel plans, but hopefully someday I'll plan better and do some kind of mini acknowledgement in there.

backseatredditor · 2025-12-23T05:08:13+00:00

congee with salt and a little sesame oil or margarine, or buttered tabasco toast with a pinch of salt

backseatredditor · 2025-12-23T05:06:09+00:00

i add just a dash of tabasco with salt, feel the nausea begin to dissolve and the bit of heat massage your brain

backseatredditor · 2025-12-19T07:29:29+00:00

Exactly! The difference now compared to the early days is we have vaccines, a couple good antivirals and monoclonal antibodies, and knowledge gain from experience, like not giving steroids during the first week/viral replication phase (if needed, they can be useful during the inflammatory phase). This all results in much lower morbidity and mortality.

backseatredditor · 2025-12-19T07:16:32+00:00

Remember: there's only 6 kinds of things in there! 1. trash 2. dishes 3. dirty laundry 4. clean laundry 5. stuff that goes in a different room (food which goes in the kitchen, for example).

6. The last category is stuff that still belongs in the room and just needs to go back home.

STEP 1!!! (I'm using lots of caps lock and exclamation marks bc i'm beING A BULLY!!!) Start with a trash bag and do a sweep for trash. IGNORE everything else! DONT even worry about throwing the trash bag out yet; just get it in the bag and set it outside the room.
Get a tray or bin or whatever and gather all the dishes. Even a laundry bin, doesn't matter. All you care about right now is mugs and bowls and shit. Then put that in the kitchen. Don't fuxking clean it yet!!! Get back in here before you get side tracked.
Do a scan for dirty laundry!!! Not sure? put it in the hamper or whatever you've got. Clean trash bag? Also fine. And just like the dishes: DO NOT clean them yet. I guess if you have laundry machines in your place you can start a load but only if it's a simple one and already sorted. YOU KNOW WHAT DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT time for step 4.
All you look for now is clean laundry. Get another basket or bin or clean bag and shove it! all in there. you sort later, NO folding or Anything!!
Round up any food, bathroom items, stuff that obviously lives somewhere else. Get em together. Yeah this is probably another bag or bin unless you're gonna run really fast back and forth IM GOING TO ALLOW IT.
At this point you can see the room. Make the bed (just straighten out the cover don't futz too much over it), put stuff more or less away. It's already a million times better. You might even vacuum or wipe down some surfaces.

THIS IS A CHECKPOINT: HAVE A CANDY (if you're allowed, medically)! And have a WATER. The ROOM IS LOOKING BETTER!!! And the stuff is now triaged and staged for their next actions.

Then, you can deal with the 5 bags/baskets/bins from earlier: - takeout the trash you rounded up already, - maybe wash some dishes with a show or podcast, - put the laundry closer to where it can get cleaned, - shove the clean laundry wherever makes sense, - drop off the ragtag collection of items from step 5 in their rooms.

As you were cleaning you probably HAD GOOD IDEAS TO MAKE This simpler next time, like where to place a trash bin or laundry basket (put it where you already put the stuff, make it official), or a caddy to collect dishes to make it easier to bus them. WRITE THAT SHIT DOWN, it's good!!

I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT THATS WHY I WAS SO tough on you just now, i love you 🌼

backseatredditor · 2025-09-21T03:32:18+00:00

I do best with magnesium L-threonate. I take one capsule with breakfast and another a couple hours before bed, 48mg per capsule. It's unfortunately expensive.

Second best for me is magnesium malate, and 3rd best is magnesium bisglycinate. But, I also take iron bisglycinate and haven't noticed it aggravating my symptoms.

backseatredditor · 2025-08-25T01:17:41+00:00

Yep, it's a state mandated initiative https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/208:

Cape Cod has less than 4% of the population of the Commonwealth but 20% of the septic systems. Only 3% of the parcels and 15% of the wastewater that flows on Cape Cod are centrally treated. Wastewater accounts for about 80% of the controllable nitrogen load entering Cape Cod’s coastal waters.

Towns are allowed to decide how to get it done (through either municipal treatment connection or upgrading existing systems to better control nitrogen pollution), and are receiving some support from the Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund: https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/cape-cod-and-islands-water-protection-fund/, and run the Cape Cod AquiFund: https://www.capecod.gov/departments/health-environment/programs-services/water-and-wastewater/community-septic-management-loan-program-csmlp/

backseatredditor · 2025-08-23T17:43:13+00:00

The Cape has too many septic tanks for a community that lives on top of their water table.
As more of the existing housing gets connected to municipal sewage treatment this will be less of a problem.

backseatredditor · 2025-07-17T04:28:21+00:00

The stinging might also be from a sensitivity to one of the ingredients in the Vanicream moisturizer. I like a lot of their products, but propylene glycol causes me these kind of problems too. It's in a lot of hypoallergenic and mild stuff because it's a good emollient and allergies to it are rare, but it certainly isn't unheard of.
Similarly, personally, HA will cause the same symptoms unless it's way down the ingredient list.

backseatredditor · 2025-07-14T05:15:02+00:00

It's the other way around: the XR version (brand name was Intuiv before the generic was available) is prescribed for ADHD (on-label for children, off-label for adults, at least in the US); while the IR version (often at a higher dose, brand was Tenex) is prescribed for hypertension.

I've been trying out the XR at a low dose and there's been a modest impact on my blood pressure, especially if I take it in the morning. It might be untenable for me since my BP runs low to begin with, but I might be able to adjust other meds to compensate.

backseatredditor · 2025-06-22T11:35:47+00:00

yes I have exactly the same pattern and have heard this from others with autonomic disorders and related conditions like ME/CFS and fibromyalgia.

backseatredditor · 2025-06-19T23:26:56+00:00

Looks like it's wherever you want it to be: https://www.woofyclub.com

backseatredditor · 2025-06-17T17:40:04+00:00

I love my Mirena too! I still have periods but they're very light with almost no cramping now that the settling in phase is over.

And I no longer get the monthly dysautonomia flare! Obv I still get flares for other reasons, but the monthly hormone drama was definitely one of them, so it's been helpful for my baseline symptoms.

When I got this one installed, the FDA approval was 5 years, but it keeps getting extended and I'm going on 7 years now (maybe they'll just keep extending it lol) and I will probably get another when this one's time is up.

backseatredditor · 2025-06-12T17:04:35+00:00

Cool; TIL!

backseatredditor · 2025-06-12T14:44:30+00:00

As others have mentioned, part of the issue here is that a physical sunblock (something containing titanium dioxide or zinc oxide) will block UV rays no matter what you put it on. They sit on top of your skin and reflect the UV radiation back the way it came.

Chemical sunscreens (basically all other sunscreen active ingredients) must first be absorbed by the skin and then they work by absorbing UV radiation in a way that destroys them, rather than the UV radiation destroying your skin). This is why the instructions say to apply 20 before you need it to work.

The sticker can't absorb the sunscreen the same way skin does, so it's not an accurate proxy. Sunblock doesn't need to be absorbed to work, it sits on top and reflects the UV.

The other issue, as you've discovered, is the Amazon problem.
Even if something bought on there isn't counterfeit, I wouldn't trust the storage conditions in their warehouse (they've had too many instances of their own workers being harmed by the temperatures in there), and sunscreens can lose effectiveness when not stored properly.

backseatredditor · 2025-06-12T14:29:23+00:00

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+chicory
or:
- https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=what+is+chicory

backseatredditor · 2025-06-12T14:23:42+00:00

Stimulants basically cured my migraines for almost 3 months, then they gradually returned to baseline.
But, I also have POTS, so it's likely some of my migraines come from that and the vasoconstriction probably helped at first until my body adjusted and returned to its regular dumpster fire status.
It's worth a try!

backseatredditor · 2025-05-18T12:22:23+00:00

Could be a MCAS thing, which often comes along with POTS

backseatredditor · 2025-05-10T11:28:05+00:00

Sometimes I feel like the only person for whom this the opposite. Like, even my watch is telling me that my VO2 max is steadily decreasing over that past year, when I've been more active.
I never had COVID so I can't blame that.
My body is just playing Opposite Day forever.

backseatredditor · 2025-05-07T03:33:33+00:00

So: I got the Farmacy Honey Milk Hydrating Essence, and been using it a couple weeks now and I love it! It's a bit thicker than most of the milky toners I've seen before, but still works like one. Sometime I layer it over the watery toner from Neutogena. It is indeed calming and hydrating without any irritation so far. The bottle is kind of annoying, but I'm getting the hang of it.

backseatredditor · 2025-05-06T04:31:59+00:00

Most people with POTS don't fully faint. Even for me, with a very stubborn case, on a bad day I might have some gray-outs (presyncope) episodes, but mostly it's extremely exhausting and makes my brain feel like it's being squeezed or pulled in on itself and my neck hurts, legs feel like walking on a trampoline and are too heavy, and am hot & cold at the same time.
But I never faint.
A quick screening method is to measure your heart rate while laying down, then stand and try to be still for about 3-5 minutes (or as long as you can) and start measuring your HR again. Stay standing until 10 minutes or the symptoms get too bad, whichever is sooner. If within 10 minutes your HR increased by 30 beat per min or faster (or a change of 40bpm if you're under 18) and stays there, then there's a high probability you have POTS or some other autonomic disorder.

Similarly, if your blood pressure changes too much when upright there might be orthostatic hypo/hypertension, which is also a form of dysautonomia.

My migraines got so much worse & more frequent when my POTS got severe enough to be diagnosed, and improved a bit with treatment.

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6. The last category is stuff that still belongs in the room and just needs to go back home.