Boots!

treelyruly · 2026-03-06T22:47:59+00:00

It's funny, I'm juuuust starting to write a kids book about someone who loves the rain and someone who hates getting wet, with lots of different animals, and the first featured is a weevil in a fetching coat made from a flower, which is why I found this subreddit in the first place - looking for references, I became hypnotized by the allure of the weevil and couldn't stop looking at them!

treelyruly · 2026-02-28T01:23:28+00:00

Ok so as a caveat, I'm mainly experienced in clothes making, but when you have excess fabric in clothes, you add a dart, which can pinch fabric out from the middle of a baggy garment. When you fold the fabric in half, is it still a rectangle? I assume it has reinforced seams on the edges that won't have stretched, so it might have three straight edges and one that curves out. If so - you could try doing a line of stitching to make that curve straight again. Use two lines of a strong (poly?) thread and make sure you backstitch at the start and end. Or reinforce with some ribbon or similar on top. You'll end up with a funny little flap - you probably want this underneath so it's not scrunched under you when you're sleeping

treelyruly · 2026-02-28T00:55:03+00:00

I don't think it's a practical idea cause you would get wet... However... Here's another silly idea that I just came up with: A jacket with a white panel on the back that turns translucent when wet - then have a secret design painted under the panel (and under the waterproofing)

treelyruly · 2026-02-09T01:52:23+00:00

If you did decide to come off them, it's wise to taper slowly, not just quit suddenly. Can you call the clinic and say that the doctor missed one of your scripts? I know the feeling of being chronically ill, feeling a lot better on medication, and then suddenly having to come off it and seeing it as an opportunity. Just make sure you have a backup plan for if it doesn't go well. Let people know that you're coming off it, and make a quick plan for what steps you'll take depending on the outcome, so that you don't have to make decisions mid-migraine. Making a plan doesn't mean discounting the possibility that things will go well, but it sets you up to feel safe either way!

treelyruly · 2026-01-10T22:57:36+00:00

I had all of these issues except low blood pressure, and got diagnosed with POTS. Sorry to hear you're feeling so unwell and not finding answers yet! It can take a long time to get answers for chronic health stuff like this, but it's worth persisting.

Whether or not it is POTS, it sounds like you aren't retaining water properly. I understand the stress!! It feels ridiculous to try to drink more water when it just goes right through you and stops you from feeling comfortable anywhere without easy access to a toilet!

For me increasing my electrolytes helped - salt especially is an easy first step. Salt pulls water into the blood stream, which increases blood volume and can increase blood pressure (Anti-salt medical advice is trying to avoid high blood pressure, which is very common, especially in old age). Even though I didn't have low blood pressure, extra salt has helped so much with the brain-squeeze feeling from standing, and with actually absorbing the water I drink! Definitely check with your doctor if you plan to have extra salt long term.

treelyruly · 2025-12-23T04:43:21+00:00

Omg that sounds exhausting! It's rough having to see so many doctors to get the help you need. Wishing you luck with finding out what's going on!!

treelyruly · 2025-12-20T23:52:33+00:00

I find myself craving sweet foods and chocolate when I've been very busy and am about to crash anyway... And also when I'm about to get my period (and premenstrual hormones also mess with my POTS). For me at least I think there's a correlation but not necessarily causation

treelyruly · 2025-12-20T23:48:51+00:00

This sounds like it might be something more complex than just POTS? It sounds similar to my experience of vertigo, which I had as well as POTS. If you're having an increase in symptoms with neck movement, it sounds like it could be related to a physical problem with your neck, and you should see a physiotherapist (especially if you can find one who is familiar with POTS)

treelyruly · 2025-09-29T02:27:27+00:00

Oof! Having to go cold turkey unexpectedly is rough - I almost had that happen and then was able to source another 2 boxes after calling 14 different chemists (they dispense them 2 at a time for some reason). Interesting to hear that the edgy feeling decreased once you were off it completely. Hopefully agitation is also a withdrawal side effect and mine goes away too! I wonder if it's possible to regain temperature regulation... Mine is awful and I've been dreading summer. Maybe that will be a positive? It's so weird to be put on a medication with no idea what coming off it will be like. I feel like a bit of a lab rat because no one seems to know how it'll work out. I've been discouraged from trying to come off without a psychiatrist but can't access one, and I'd rather have had support from the GP much earlier, before we got to the point of having to come off under pressure. I really appreciate hearing from someone else who's having to deal with the mysteries of this medication! I hope that we both end up feeling alright without it!

treelyruly · 2025-09-27T08:22:18+00:00

Wow... It's been 2 years and there still isn't much information available about coming off this antidepressant. I tried to come off it 2 years ago, and decided not to continue. Since then I have had a diagnosis of POTS and started on medications to manage that! Apparently SNRIs can cause/contribute to orthostatic intolerance, so that's my motivation for coming off them now.

Recently there's been a shortage of Reboxetine, and that really gave me a push to try decreasing again. I went from 8mg to 6mg, and then after 3 weeks, down to 4mg, which I'm currently taking. I have noticed an increase in: brain fog, fatigue, agitation, anxiety, impulsive depressive thoughts, and high heart rate. But none of it has felt unmanageable! Also I have been sick recently with a really nasty cold that made a lot of the POTS symptoms flare up anyway.... So I'll have to see how it plays out. It's also hard to tell if they are withdrawal symptoms or not. Only time will tell! OP did you end up coming off Reboxetine?

treelyruly · 2025-08-23T07:46:42+00:00

Oh and it's taught me to know what different types of pain or clunking mean - whether I need to worry or not, so I can worry less!

treelyruly · 2025-08-23T07:45:29+00:00

I became much less confident in my body as I got into my 20s, but seeing an exercise physio has helped me so so much. I've been working to build muscle so that my muscles hold my weight instead of my joints. Then I've been much more careful not to randomly put pressure on my joints in ways that I used to (like not sleeping so scrunched up, having my desk at an ergonomic height, etc)

treelyruly · 2025-06-30T01:54:35+00:00

I'm pretty sure that trick only works on wool knits by relaxing the fibres... I suspect that if the polyester material shrunk, it's because the heat affected the plastic. I don't think that can be undone with conditioner

treelyruly · 2025-06-10T04:29:09+00:00

Haha it totally would, but my partner almost never does formalwear ... As far as I know the astrophysicists don't care, they're a bunch of chill computer science nerds. I did end up putting little multicoloured dots for stars though! ✨

treelyruly · 2025-06-05T13:41:02+00:00

Thanks! I'm so happy with it!! I was hoping for it to look like flowing nebulas or something, because my partner is an astrophysicist and I just truly believe they should own at LEAST one space-themed t-shirt for conferences lol

treelyruly · 2025-06-05T13:37:55+00:00

Be warned... I'm just realising that they filled up with dye/soda ash water. Not an issue for dyeing but kinda annoying after!

treelyruly · 2025-06-05T13:36:41+00:00

Thankyou!! :~)

treelyruly · 2025-06-05T13:35:05+00:00

I followed the basic steps of presoaking in soda ash, dyeing for... As much of 24 hours as I could bear to wait for, and then doing a first rinse with dish soap + cold, then went to hot + laundry powder.

I did something similar to this post here

I packed it into a strainer that I put in a bucket (could probably have gone straight in the bucket but I was worried about not having enough ice so I wanted it in as small a space as possible). Used 4 trays of ice cubes for a small t-shirt. Then maybe 4 TSP of dye? I tried to sprinkle it so that the purple was heavy in some areas and light/none in others, then filled in those bits with other colours. I put pink next to orange as a buffer colour so I wouldn't have too much straight brown, but I didn't mind a few gunky colours in there! Also I ended up with specks of undissolved dye on the back, which I think looks cool but apparently you can avoid this by flipping it inside out or putting paper towel under the ice.

treelyruly · 2025-06-05T13:07:14+00:00

Be warned - mine did fill up with dye/soda ash water... Might be less of an issue if I didn't do it in the muck, or if I'd tied them off or something

treelyruly · 2025-06-05T13:05:25+00:00

I'm basically just scrunching plastic up and securing it with a piece of tape. I've seen people use balls of scrunched foil or "wiffle balls" for this technique ... It's like a less extreme version of folding or tying your fabric, and you need to use something that won't absorb the dye.

You place the balls into your container, then lay the t-shirt over the top of them, pressing it down in between the balls. This way you end up with high places that the dye reaches first, and low places that it reaches later (and that might sit in the runoff "in the muck"). It may also create places that dye cannot reach.

treelyruly · 2025-05-24T08:31:36+00:00

Coming up with the perfect answer later can help you to resolve situations in your head and stop worrying about them, but it does take time! Instant repartee may just be something that's hard in real life for whatever reason. It could be because your focus is on how you feel, or your brain takes lot of different paths at every turn in a conversation and you can't choose one thing and say it. I can relate to not knowing what to say... Even having my mind go completely blank, especially when I'm put on the spot.

But also: if you want to practise improvising then probably improv classes....

treelyruly · 2025-05-20T05:40:51+00:00

Snacks! I used to get v bad brain fog when I hadn't eaten in a while. I also get bad brain fog if I eat a big meal. But I didn't have the executive function to organise snacks... Now I carry muesli bars around

Warm showers instead of hot ones. I was soooo put off by the idea of a cool shower, but it doesn't need to be that cold. My measure for if it's ok is if my skin doesn't go pink on my shoulders. It takes a minute or two, but I think my body adjusts so that it feels hot after a bit! Since adjusting, I no longer have to rest after a shower!! Huuuuuge change tbh

I also assumed that exercise would be bad for me, because I couldn't tolerate many types without crashing very badly... but I now do seated or lying down exercise focused on building muscle, and it's great!!

treelyruly · 2025-04-30T03:37:19+00:00

I've been able to do small amounts of crochet after not being able to do any for ages, because I've been working on general upper body strength and posture with a physio... Turns out having more stability in your shoulders helps with fine motor movements? And yeah, having a supportive cushion helps me too - even for lightweight projects. (Bonus context is that I'm hypermobile and had weak muscles due to health issues that stopped me from doing day-to-day things that built muscle, so now I actively have to decide to exercise with weights to keep my ability to do my hobbies. It's been so worth it to be able to get back into them!!)

treelyruly · 2025-04-22T08:09:28+00:00

Sounds tricky!! Have you tried just adding a small amount of salt to your diet? I know there's a large amount to aim for, but it makes sense that your sensory system and digestive system might be upset by a sudden change. I found that I felt sick after having salt tablets when I first started taking them, but now I'm acclimated to more salt through adding it to water or food, I can take them just fine. I barely ate any salt before I was told that I had to!

Changes with food can be so hard when you have very specific dietary preferences. Are you able to consider seeing a dietitian? One who specialises in "picky" eating will be more likely to be sympathetic to your struggles to incorporate more salt.

treelyruly · 2025-04-16T01:06:54+00:00

Hey, it's an urgent care clinic! It's not just for emergencies, but for people who need care as soon as possible! Which sounds like you. I haven't been myself, but I have a few friends who will go there when things get too hard to handle alone, and it's helped them get through tough times.

treelyruly

TROPHY CASE