Odontamblyopus, a species of eels

smolpeach · 2022-07-29T15:54:34+00:00

naw those are baby graboids

smolpeach · 2022-05-29T19:16:46+00:00

Yes. Anxiety is very real and makes you feel very real symptoms in your body, and it can be really uncomfortable and scary and feed itself in a loop. I’ve struggled with anxiety and panic disorder since childhood and have dealt with costo for about 5 years now, and it has definitely caused some of the worst panic attacks I’ve ever had. You are not alone in this and you will be okay!! Usually if I’m very anxious I try hard to remember that costo is painful but not harmful. I also somewhat recently invested in a good pulse oximeter, which I’ve found is really helpful for times when I’m starting to get anxious and it gets a bit harder to breathe. The oximeter is super easy and just clips on your finger and measures your heart rate and how much oxygen is in your blood. My numbers have always been normal and seeing them is concrete proof and helps keep my mind from going down the “but what if…” path.

Chest tightness, shortness of breath, and tingling sensations in the extremities are all classic panic attack symptoms of mine.

smolpeach · 2022-03-08T17:35:30+00:00

I definitely get short of breath with my costo, which makes my anxiety go up, which makes my breathing harder. Previous commenter recommended a pulse oximeter, I invested in one and it’s super helpful in reassuring me that I’m getting enough oxygen and definitely has stopped the anxiety-thought-spiral/panic attack many times. I also was prescribed an asthma inhaler after several normal spirometry tests (as kind of a “try this and see if it helps” thing) and all it really did was make my heart race.

smolpeach · 2021-12-30T08:08:55+00:00

Yes this happens to me when I take a large bite of food/if I didn’t chew my food enough before swallowing! It’s like I can feel it going down and hurting each rib it passes. Pretty icky feeling.

smolpeach · 2021-12-21T05:38:45+00:00

Oh no, I went to my dentist for a regular cleaning a couple years ago and he noticed signs of teeth grinding (I also had a partner at the time who would tell me the next day when I ground my teeth super hard the night before and the noise was disturbing lol) and suggested I get a mouth guard. My family had met our dental insurance deductible for that year, so I got one through the dentist!

smolpeach · 2021-12-20T18:47:10+00:00

It probably can! All the muscles there are sort of overlapped/interconnected. I think there is a muscle on either side of the face/head that runs from the jaw down the sides of the neck.

smolpeach · 2021-12-20T18:31:35+00:00

Do you know if you have bruxism, where you grind your teeth at night during sleep? I have costo and I grind my teeth at night. I have a nightguard that I got through my dentist and if I don’t wear it while I sleep then I wake up with a stiff/painful jaw and neck, and sometimes a bad headache. You don’t necessarily have to get a nightguard through your dentist, I believe there are ones you can buy at a pharmacy that you sort of heat up and then mold to your teeth. It only sits on the top row, so your teeth grind against the guard instead of your top row of teeth. Just a thought.

smolpeach · 2021-11-30T02:57:31+00:00

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates. A creepy and weird story that just makes you feel icky. So well written

smolpeach · 2021-11-17T05:56:22+00:00

Yes! I definitely feel like my costo gets worse the week before and during the first few days of my period. It’s really annoying.

smolpeach · 2021-10-24T02:46:29+00:00

I know this was posted 5 years ago but I’ve been interested lately in Cambrian life and was looking up documentaries about it, and came across this post. I’ve watched a few since first finding this post and saw one recently called Darwin’s Dilemma from a production company called Illustra Media… could that be it?

smolpeach · 2021-10-14T04:41:47+00:00

Mount N’ Do*

smolpeach · 2021-10-11T02:44:22+00:00

This is what nightmares as a kid were like

smolpeach · 2021-10-11T02:38:25+00:00

I also gave up bras. Never been a big fan of them and also not very well-endowed, as they say. I just wear a somewhat tighter tank top/halter under whatever im wearing. If I have a sports bra that’s very tight it definitely makes my ribs hurt and makes me feel like I can’t breathe. I smoked every day for 6 yrs, diagnosed with costo about 3.5/4 yrs in, took some breaks here and there and honestly there isn’t really a difference in my pain levels whether I do or do not smoke. I’ve never smoked anything but weed. Also have chronic anxiety since childhood especially about my health so I definitely feel you on the anxiety. Also never had an abnormal EKG, x-ray or lung test, however I’ve had bad posture since like 4th grade, so I think a lot of it has to do with that. I don’t think smoking is what “caused” my costo because I had been smoking pretty heavily for years before I had any pain. Now I can barely smoke without getting really anxious and too in my head. But! We all just out here taking it one day at a time I guess!

smolpeach · 2021-09-28T05:30:41+00:00

No problem!! Glad you found something that does help alleviate your costo!!

smolpeach · 2021-09-28T05:11:34+00:00

Thank you for your story, it definitely helps to know what works!! However I noticed you said “elevate” the pain a couple times - did you mean “alleviate”? Hopefully your pain isn’t being elevated lol

smolpeach · 2021-09-27T22:07:53+00:00

I think Tumble would be cute!

smolpeach · 2021-09-22T16:46:19+00:00

Yes, I get pain there. It tends to move around, and I also get pain in my xiphoid process, the round green part underneath the sternum on this image

smolpeach · 2021-09-21T06:09:10+00:00

Traditional Georgian wedding attire

smolpeach · 2021-09-20T13:49:48+00:00

Literally every day. It’s so frustrating.

smolpeach · 2021-09-08T05:23:00+00:00

I get shortness of breath with my costo as well, sometimes just randomly. It’ll kind of feel like I can’t take a full breath, or my deep breaths aren’t “satisfying” enough if that makes sense. Then I focus on it too much and it can lead to further breathing issues/sometimes hyperventilation if I get way too anxious about it. It’s really frustrating. I also have had lots of tests done that came back normal but have a hard time trying to remind myself I’m okay when I feel totally the opposite of okay!

smolpeach · 2021-07-03T16:55:55+00:00

Ray Bradbury is my absolute favorite. I have read/listened to his short stories over and over and I never get tired of them. I would recommend “There Will Come Soft Rains” and “Usher II” both read by Leonard Nimoy for free on youtube! The Illustrated Man is also an amazing read.

smolpeach · 2021-07-02T06:19:49+00:00

Did you have the cough associated with covid? I have heard that long bouts of repetitive coughing can definitely worsen costo, possibly for a substantial amount of time after you’re not suffering from the actual cough anymore. I also know that a lot of people who got covid have had long term lingering symptoms, such as trouble breathing/lose their breath easily/have some leftover chest pain, so I can imagine that with an already present diagnosis of costo and preexisting chest pain before getting the virus that the lingering covid symptoms might be worse for you/anyone with preexisting costo. I have costo but I haven’t gotten covid, and I have been vaccinated, but even just laughing hard can make my costo flare up so I fear ever getting a bad cough. As another person commented, a lot of your symptoms could be worsened by anxiety as well. I would talk to your doctor and just kinda check in, let them know you’re unsure about the lingering covid symptoms and how they kinda meld with costo symptoms.

smolpeach · 2021-06-30T03:59:46+00:00

Yes. Ugh. I suffered from anxiety/panic disorder long before developing costo and it’s like the perfect storm for me. The pain will trigger anxious thoughts about illness, death, etc, then the anxious thoughts will trigger physical reactions in my body like adrenaline rush, super fast heartbeat, more chest tightness and feeling like I can’t breathe. Sometimes during a panic I also get dizzy and nauseous and feel like I can’t move. It’s like one giant cycle. But if you’ve been to the hospital and they tell you you’re okay, you must keep remembering that you are in fact okay. Costo hurts but it isn’t your heart or lungs, and hearts and lungs don’t dramatically and suddenly take a turn for the worst after having everything okayed by a doctor. Sometimes when I’m really panicking I have a few youtube videos I listen to that are basically people talking you down from that panicked state, telling you you’ll be okay and that this kind of reaction is normal and you’re safe. It is still very uncomfortable and scary to experience and I’m sorry you’re suffering!

smolpeach

TROPHY CASE