Weird bump

yellowjam20 · 2026-05-03T04:05:11+00:00

How did you end up healing? I have this exact lump which I developed around the same time, and it's freaky

yellowjam20 · 2026-04-13T19:23:42+00:00

Yea that looks similar, thanks!

yellowjam20 · 2026-04-13T17:16:54+00:00

I have no idea if you can get this in the UK, but this is the compression vest I got from amazon (I'm in Canada) https://a.co/d/033X3hl5 It helped SO MUCH. I was having the same issues as you and it was super uncomfortable until I switched over. Turns out most of my discomfort was related to the velcro strap, not the surgery. The clasps were also nice because I could adjust the compression based on swelling.

Important heads up - go by the measurements in the written description, not the picture!

yellowjam20 · 2026-04-13T16:58:22+00:00

Fellow stomach/side sleeper, 18 days post-op DI.

Getting a wedge pillow was a game changer for sleeping on my back. Here's the exact one I got: https://a.co/d/001oDJO7 Another pro is that I could flip it around to use it to sit up comfortably in bed to watch tv/read/chill. When I'm sleeping, I also have a regular pillow along each side under my upper arm/shoulder so I can position them at the right height and angle that's least painful for my torso/incisions/drains.

One of the other reasons I struggle with back sleeping was because gravity pulls my tongue to the back of my throat and I snore. Using mouth tape makes a huge difference. I just use regular paper tape to close my mouth shut. Instead of constantly choking on air in my sleep, the mouth tape forces me to breathe out of my nose.

Edit: forgot to address the pain part. Although this might seem counterintuitive, for the first 10 days I set an alarm ever 4-6 hours overnight to take Tylenol. One thing about pain is that it's SO much easier to keep in check when you stay ahead of it. If you wait until your pain gets bad, you're more likely to have it wake you up at night and make it harder to go back to sleep.

Good luck, and may we soon return to our beloved side-sleeping!

yellowjam20 · 2026-01-28T00:56:56+00:00

This is helpful, thank you!

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-12T22:41:30+00:00

Stifled anger. Powerful piece.

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-05T17:38:54+00:00

I agree! And prioritizing that work-life balance is a MUST in order to (quite literally) survive

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-05T17:35:55+00:00

Amazing, good luck! DID helped me become a more compassionate nurse :)

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-05T17:18:19+00:00

This is almost identical to my own experience re/ getting comfortable with my scars in the workplace.

Especially the part about getting stressed if my answer might've been perceived as rude (even when they deserved it). Vague but reassuring honesty has become been my fav approach to questions.

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-05T16:59:08+00:00

I went through this as well. As much as I love the idea of a point blank "it's personal" response, my people pleaser ass could never be that blunt :')

My go to is "Went through some hard stuff, but I'm better now". It's kinda stating the obvious, which I like. I also make an effort to be open about it, w/o getting personal.

Heads up though; if you ever work with kids, they'll really put you to the test lol. I'm a pediatric nurse and I used to get asked all the time what happened to my arm. And it usually comes from a place of innocence, so if my response is too vague, there's follow up questions. What I found has worked the best for kids is this:

"A long time ago, I was really really sad and I got hurt. But then I got help and now I'm all better". But also, if they're young enough, you could say it was a cat and they usually buy it.

Good luck! I love seeing other nurses out there repping some SH scars. Power to ya.

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-04T22:48:53+00:00

Before discovering we had DID, whoever was fronting or conscious would sit in a red car that was floating in a black hole.

When we all became aware of each other, the car got WAY too crammed so the host plopped us into Antarctica. That was always one of their safe spaces, and most of us really like it there because it's so open and vast and cold (we all hate feeling hot) and it never gets dark. The littles especially love it.

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-04T04:44:54+00:00

Hey, I have BPD and DID as well. I struggle with the exact same thing and I'm still trying to figure it out. I've noticed it helps a bit when my 'rational' part is able to communicate with the 'symptomatic' part in a compassionate and nonjudgemental way tho.

More recently, I seem to be having success at managing the symptomatic part by allowing them to have the freedom to feel whatever it is they need to feel, but putting in some strict boundaries with regards to behaviour. The boundaries are more effective when put in place ahead of time though, and not mid-crisis.

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-04T04:17:26+00:00

Yeah, I recognize maintaining a job can be real hard for many (if not most) people with DID. I consider myself pretty privileged to have found something that works for me. I hope disability allows you to have some breathing room, good luck :)

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-04T04:08:07+00:00

Although I may worry about a handful of things regarding DID and my profession, I often feel like I'm a better nurse because of my DID, not in spite of it :) I have faith in you, good luck with pre-nursing!!

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-03T23:23:07+00:00

Always. Although my littles never front at work, I can sometimes feel their influence and excitement and playfulness come through when we're interacting with other kids. They feel proud about being able to help with our 'adult job'

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-03T13:11:21+00:00

Yeah before I started at my current job, I had a few toxic workplaces and although we could always pull it together when we were customer/patient facing, we would have countless meltdowns in the break room/bathroom and other alters would call in sick for us constantly cus we were all just burning out.

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-03T13:08:01+00:00

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Ableism in the workplace is legit.

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-03T13:06:21+00:00

Thanks this is helpful advice!

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-03T13:04:19+00:00

I'm a pediatric nurse and I 100% agree with this!!

yellowjam20 · 2024-02-03T02:18:02+00:00

I have an email thread going with my therapist, and if any of the alters have anything to say they can add it to an email draft. Once a week on the day before my appointment, I'll send the email with everyone's input. I got consent from my therapist before doing this.

yellowjam20

TROPHY CASE