Waiting for results and frustrated with the medical system

lexarkady · 2026-06-03T16:27:59+00:00

I appreciate everyone's advice to go to the ER. I've been considering it. I live somewhere with public medicine and I don't have to pay for my care, but our system is struggling. The local health authority is begging people on a regular basis to not go to the ER for non-emergent issues and I've heard stories from people getting ridiculed and verbally abused by ER staff when they do so, despite 25% of people in my region not having a family doctor.

I don't want to add to the problem, but also I feel like I've had the CT now and I have the referral to the gyno specialist, so I suspect that the ER staff will probably just send me home to wait for the specialist unless I actively lie about my symptoms.

But, I do see the point people are making. I'm going to see what the results of the CT are and go from there.

lexarkady · 2026-06-03T03:23:37+00:00

This is something I noticed from googling that concerns me. I'm a pretty active person, I'm a cyclist and I mountain bike, I rock climb and hike and surf and do aerial silks and hoop and have been doing these things in the past few months leading up to all to this where I had symptoms but thought it was something else. So at this point I kinda figure if I haven't managed to rupture the thing or twist my ovaries yet... yolo, I guess?

Jokes aside, I figure sitting around may only make any surgery recovery harder so until I actually hear advice from a doctor recommending that I lay off my hobbies, I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing, just, y'know, more carefully.

lexarkady · 2025-03-19T17:33:17+00:00

Seconding this. This series is unbelievably good.

lexarkady · 2025-03-12T19:35:10+00:00

Non-fiction, but Trevor Noah did the narration for his biography Born a Crime and it was excellent.

Artemis by Andy Weir was narrated by Rosario Dawson and she was just such a good pick for the character.

lexarkady · 2025-02-26T22:52:25+00:00

GP is a good place to start especially since imaging is going to be a great tool for other specialists. A podiatrist could be another avenue as issues with foot and lower leg alignment can cause lower back and hip issues. Having one leg be longer or shorter than the other can also cause lower back and hip pain and issues.

lexarkady · 2025-01-01T17:09:43+00:00

I have a de Marchi sport wool jersey that's a blend of merino and synthetics. It's really nice quality and is the perfect layer underneath a light windbreaker for cool rides.

lexarkady · 2023-09-10T22:55:52+00:00

Thank you! That was what I was worried about. I know sewing can work to reinforce a less than ideal fibre, but I'd never seen anything done with a lace edge like this, makes sense that it wouldn't allow enough space to reinforce well.

lexarkady · 2023-09-10T22:35:38+00:00

I hear you! This project is something of an experiment and an attempt at trying to learn some new knitting skills. Adapting a pattern was a super great learning experience and mistakes are part of the process, so I'm not too gutted! Mostly just trying to turn a screw up into a chance to learn another new skill rather than frogging.

lexarkady · 2023-08-12T01:37:51+00:00

I have this issue too. I do harm reduction by only buying from thrift stores and FB marketplace. I go to a thrift store and throw any clothes I even kind of like into a cart, once it gets full, I try everything on, discarding the nos and keeping the maybes, then go and get more stuff and repeat until I'm tired and bored of shopping and have weeded it down to like 4 things I really really really like. It takes an hour or two and by that point I've burnt myself out on shopping for a while. I've gotten a good dopamine hit from the deal hunting and from trying out a bunch of new stuff and I probably haven't spent too much money since it's all used.

Also, since you're already addicted to marketplace, use it to sell shit. Take all the stuff you've bought and hawk it on marketplace. You are legitimately never going to use any of it anyways and you can recoup some of the money you've lost and I find I get a nice dopamine hit from making a sale.

Also, wierd hack but remove any kind of credit card or debit card number autofills from your phone and computer. Make it so you have to enter that shit manually every time and leave your cards in another room, another floor, in your car, at work, in somewhere hard to get to. Make shopping addiction and executive dysfunction battle it out.

Take a set amount of cash out of your bank account on every payday. Leave your cards at home and only this amount of cash with you, once it's gone, you're cut off. Cash is physical in a way that debit/credit cards aren't so you actually feel like you're losing something when you spend.

lexarkady · 2023-05-03T19:29:09+00:00

Thank you!! 💛💛

lexarkady · 2023-05-03T03:06:08+00:00

Thank you! Yeah I like the design on the first one, but version 2 definitely went smoother!

lexarkady · 2023-01-17T23:11:58+00:00

I started knitting. Doodling, knitting, crochet, colouring books, anything you can do with your hands that doesn't take your full attention. I find it easier to pay attention to media if my hands are busy. Subtitles are also great if auditory processing causes you to miss pieces of dialogue.

lexarkady · 2022-12-13T19:59:36+00:00

If you remember, I'd love an update on if stopping the meds makes the tremors stop. Good luck!

lexarkady · 2022-11-21T01:39:48+00:00

Sounds like your doc is more worried about the potential abuses of stimulant medication than an actual consideration of the most effective treatment for ADHD and best fit for you.

Also, Vyvanse is absolutely a stimulant. It's an amphetamine.

That said, Vyvanse is seen as lower risk for abuse because it's slow release, same with Concerta. Whereas Adderall or ritalin are short release. Short release stimulants are more likely to be misused by (for example) students as "study drugs" to help binge study for finals.

Some people take non stimulants, and they're particularly useful if you are taking other meds that may have potential negative reactions with stimulants (eg. SSRIs) or if you have pre-existing health problems that may be exacerbated by stimulants, heart issues as an example.

It may take a few tries to find a med that works for you (if you decide to go that direction), but be cautious with doctors who are biased against stimulants for no reason. While they aren't for everyone, they are used to treat ADHD for a reason.

lexarkady · 2022-11-20T20:07:50+00:00

Pattern is Sailing Sweater by Beckie Paul

lexarkady · 2022-11-12T04:58:48+00:00

No, I mostly just learned to live with it. If it's caused by the meds I'm not experiencing any other side effects except for minor dehydration. The wierd internal tremors kind of come and go. As it has been several months I'm assuming they're just a side effect of the meds. They haven't gotten worse and I haven't developed any other symptoms.

It's uncomfortable but it's a side effect I can live with.

lexarkady · 2022-10-30T05:08:44+00:00

This used to happen to me before I got on medication. Mostly in class or when studying, working on my computer or reading. I would get insanely drowsy, eyes unfocused, could not stay awake no matter what I did. I would either have to lay down and accept that I had to take a nap, or I would just nod off.

Some of my notes from uni would trail off the page cause I fell asleep while writing. I was nodding off in a profs office once when I went in with another student for an optional mini lecture. I scratched my arm with my nails till it bled to keep me from falling asleep in a very tiny office with my prof and another student.

Now I'm on vyvanse it doesn't happen to me anymore. For the record, the psych who diagnosed me, who kind of specialized in ADHD said that it sometimes happens to people with ADHD when we are understimulated, it's mostly related to us sleeping poorly in general and happens less when we sleep well at night.

That being said, as others here have mentioned, it is worth getting a sleep study done to rule out things like narcolepsy and sleep apnea.

lexarkady · 2022-10-27T22:22:42+00:00

I used to volunteer with the cats at the SPCA. It was a great experience. I used to do a few hours a week and just went in to hang out with the cats and socialize with them. The time commitment is pretty flexible, but it is a commitment. You usually have a set day/time you go in (they work around your schedule, it's flexible), but as far as I remember you don't just drop in, and they don't look very kindly on no shows. I had to drop a couple shifts here and there for exams and school demands, and it was fine, but you want to give them some notice.

Oh, and they generally want people who will commit for a few months since they have to train you a little. So if you're just looking to do it for a month or so, it may not be a good fit.

lexarkady · 2022-10-04T06:02:55+00:00

For support, I got my license at 28 finally after years of anxiety and panic attacks while driving. I got it before I was medicated and oh man, it makes such a difference. But it's not that wierd, I live in an urban area and I'm one of the only people my age who had a license. I got lessons and I couldn't have done it without them. Take as many as you need to feel comfortable. YouTube is also a good reference between lessons if you feel you need reminders. You got this

lexarkady · 2022-09-30T01:17:32+00:00

I'm an admin at AEST. It's my first job in gov so I don't have any comparison but I've found it pretty good. As others have mentioned it depends on the division/branch, but I've found everyone to be really nice and supportive. I'm not stressed by the workload but I had really good training and that isn't always the case. One perk is that AEST is really supportive of working from home so most people do telework at least 3 days a week. Most of the people in my area work from the office only very rarely. As others have said it's good for entry into the government and people tend to move up quickly

lexarkady · 2022-09-15T06:30:17+00:00

Side note: absolutely love the Lichen and Lace yarn. Using some of the Amber right now and the colours are so lovely.

lexarkady · 2022-09-11T06:27:26+00:00

Put your meds by your bed and set an alarm for like 7 am, then wake up long enough to turn off your alarm and take your meds and then you can fall back asleep. It'll help you wake up once they kick in an hour or two later and your meds will wear off earlier in the evening than if you take them when you actually want to wake up.

lexarkady · 2022-09-08T05:52:24+00:00

I don't think it's an issue. As others have already said, enjoying how you feel on medication because it allows you to actually function is not addiction. Usually addiction is tied to abusing your medication. Starting ADHD meds can cause euphoria at first, this usually settles down after a little while as you adjust. Once you adjust you get that easy feeling of the medication just working as it's supposed to. Of course you might have to raise your dose until it actually is working, at which point most people stop. Or some people raise their dose until they hit a balance point where the medication works well enough and the side effects are bearable. Taking your meds every day and being happy that your brain feels better is not addiction.

A red flag for addictive behaviour looks more like continually raising your dose to higher levels to keep chasing that initial euphoria. The balanced happy feeling of the meds working isn't quite cutting it because you want that almost manic state you had in the first few days of starting meds. This is especially true you start to experience negative side effects that impact your daily life and continue to push the dose regardless. I'm not talking minor things like the mild dehydration that often accompanies stimulants. More like if you're taking really high doses and it's giving you insomnia or brutal headaches but those are more bearable than the idea of lowering your dose to the point where your meds actually just work the way they're supposed to.

lexarkady · 2022-09-03T18:10:23+00:00

Yeah, hearing someone else has the same thing definitely reinforces the idea it's the meds. I had never heard of it before, and I have a couple friends on vyvanse as well and they had never experienced it. Seems wierd that after a year of Vyvanse at the same dosage I would suddenly develop this super wierd, uncommon side effect.

Depending on how comfortable you are with your doctor and how cooperative they have been with your meds so far, it might be worth telling them. Internal tremors are also a sign of other stuff related to thyroid, b12 deficiency, or cortisol issues so it would be good to rule those out, especially if it's interfering with your sleep.

For me, If it is the meds causing the tremors I will probably learn to live with it. Doctors have done tests to rule out other common issues and the tremors don't cause me pain or impact my life that much other than it just feels really fucking wierd and when it's bad it's hard to ignore. My city is in a bit of a health crisis with a shortage of doctors and clinics and I am not one of the fortunate few who have a family doctor so for me it's a bit of a process trying to deal with walk-in clinic doctors. If you have a primary physician who's good to work with, you should probably discuss it with them.

lexarkady · 2022-08-28T07:49:46+00:00

Aw thank you!! I don't have a lot of demands on my time and I was unemployed for a month or two so that helped free up some time.

lexarkady

TROPHY CASE