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KariMay
183 M Embraced 1
PathStep 2 Compassion hearts12 Forum posts14 Forum upvotes16 Current upvotes16 Age GroupAdult Last activeJanuary, 2022 Member sinceOctober 16, 2021
Recent forum posts
Noise canceling headphones?
Anxiety Support / by KariMay
Last post
 January 25th, 2022
...See more I’m not sure if I’m thinking of the right product but has anyone ever tried some sort of noise canceling headphones? I’m sensitive to loud noises and it gets worst when my anxiety is high. Unfortunately, I live in a very noisy environment with loud people. I usually just go into another room but I find that just limits the space I can be in and I don’t want to be confined to one corner of the house. I also find it just gives me comfort to have a chance of silence to myself and be in a quiet bubble of my own when I need to. I’m not looking for something that emits music or sounds, just something that’ll quiet my environment as much as possible (maybe even be inconspicuous enough to use in public?). But I guess if there is a good product that does emit sounds and isn’t overly expensive than I’ll look into it. Not sure if there is a product made specifically for that cause or if it’d be better to get ear plugs or something (I do have small “ear holes” so I’d probably have to do some research for that). Right now I’m just using a pair of fluffy earmuffs that I randomly found comfort in which is how I thought about noise canceling headphones lol Are any of you guys sensitive to noise as well and found ways or products to combat it? Thank you for any responses! I really appreciate it ☺️
Pain in hands + work options?
Disability Support / by KariMay
Last post
 December 16th, 2021
...See more Hello all! I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of types of work/jobs I can do? I’m still working on a diagnosis but I go through a lot of pain and numbness/tingling on both my hands/wrists and tend to have trigger finger. I unfortunately had to quit my last job because of the pain and inability to work my hands. I’ve been unemployed for about 10 months now going from doctor to doctor and trying to navigate appointments and tests through the pandemic which sometimes takes months to schedule. But it has come to the point where my savings has dried up and I really need some sort of income to pay for my bills and medical debts (I’m from the USA so it’s really starting to pile up lol). Obviously, my biggest problem are my hands. I can’t do any repetitive, long, and/or physically straining tasks or they start to flare up. So anything that has lifting, typing, driving etc. are kinda out of the question. I also can’t do remote work as I don’t have a reliable computer or a workspace since I share a house with my family. I’m still deciding if I want to do part-time work or full-time work right now but I am leaning more into part-time so I have more free time to schedule appointments and rest if I need to. My second concern would be the very long work hiatus I have. I’m afraid that it’ll look really bad and that employers won’t look my way if I told them it was because of health concerns I was/am dealing with. Anyone have any advice or suggestions on what I can do or possible jobs that I should look into? I’m sorta desperate but also want to be reasonable and not push myself towards injury. It’s very much appreciated! Thank you :)
Maybe carpel tunnel? I feel helpless.
Disability Support / by KariMay
Last post
 December 16th, 2021
...See more Just came back from an orthodontist appointment that my sports doctor referred me to. Still trying to figure out what’s wrong with my hands/wrist. I was hoping this would be a breakthrough appointment since I’ve been struggling for years. But I didn’t really learn anything new. He just said it could be carpel tunnel. Which my previous doctor initially thought too but then took back. I told him this but he said opinions could be wrong. I asked him what I could do from here on out to help myself and he just said ibuprofen. I guess he is also giving me steroids that only last 6 days to help the swelling but won’t prevent another flare up. I spoke about my concerns about getting a job since I’m jobless but anything I do flares up my hands and I really need an income. And he basically said it sounds impossible. That the only thing we can do is a cortisone shot or surgery but aren’t going to push for that. I felt so hopeless and helpless after that. I felt like I couldn’t do anything to fix my situation. And I still wasn’t sure what was going on or had a proper diagnosis. I guess the only good thing that came out of this is I was referred to take a nerve ending test but who knows when that would be scheduled out. Anyone have any tips to deal with this? And if you do have carpel tunnel, does this sound familiar? How do you handle everything?
In debt and lost
Disability Support / by KariMay
Last post
 December 16th, 2021
...See more I feel so lost and scared right now. I feel like no one in my life understands so I really just need to write it out. For the past few years or so I’ve been going through something I’m not even sure the cause of yet. My hands/wrists go numb, stiff, burn and are in pain whenever I do any repetitive or physical activity with them. They get inflamed very easily and I’m constantly stretching, messaging, and icing them throughout the day. It only can relieve so much as it starts to get irritated with day-to-day activity. I’m still in the process of seeing doctors about it. I had to quit my last two jobs because the pain was unbearable and would result in my hands locking to the point I could barely move them. So I don’t have a job and don’t receive any income. I’m so behind on bills right now and I’m just piling up medical debt trying to figure out what’s wrong (I live in the US). I might have to stop seeing my therapist (I also have depression, gad, and social anxiety) because I have no way to pay her. My parents try to help out as much as they can but that can only go so far. I don’t have a proper diagnosis so I’m not sure if programs or any other financial assistance would look my way. Everyone keeps urging me to get a job already but I’m not even sure what kind of job would be appropriate since I don’t even know what’s going on. I don’t want to get a job and have to quit again when I find out it’s too much for my hands. I feel so physically and mentally helpless. Im not sure what to do to get money. I hate that I need money and can’t just think of myself in this situation.
Do you have to be non-binary to use she/they?
LGBTQ+ / MOGII Support / by KariMay
Last post
 October 19th, 2021
...See more Recently, I saw a YouTube video of someone coming out to experimenting with she/they pronouns to see if they like it or not. I knew people used she/they and he/they but never really gave it much thought until that video. It really got me to think about things I’ve never really thought of before. As of right now, I identify as a bisexual, cis woman. I like being feminine and don’t mind things like dresses or makeup. But I’ve recently realized that being feminine isn’t something I like being all the time. I sometimes want to be perceived as something more neutral. If I had the chance and money, I would redo my wardrobe to be more androgynous. I accidentally let my hair grow out this summer and I couldn’t stand how I looked with longer hair. And I personally wouldn’t mind if I was mistaken as non-binary. However, I know I am a woman and I don’t think that is changing anytime soon (maybe?). This is a very new subject to me so I’m not quite sure of the ins and outs yet. But I was wondering if it was okay for me to experiment with she/they pronouns? I heard that gender and gender expression aren’t necessarily the same thing and can be separate from each other. And pronouns don’t necessarily equate to gender. But as a cis person, I don’t want to step on anyones toes or overstep any boundaries in the trans/non-binary communities. I know those communities are having a hard time and I don’t want to seem like I’m invading. I don’t want to hurt or offend anyone. So I want to ask this question and do more research before trying anything out. Thank you for reading and replying if you did!
Pain in hands/wrists
Disability Support / by KariMay
Last post
 October 18th, 2021
...See more I’m not 100% sure if this is where I should post this but it does involve pain in my hands/wrists that don’t have an official diagnosis. I just want to know if anyone can relate or possibly help out in my search for a diagnosis. A few years ago I noticed after starting a new job, that my hands were stiff and a sharp pain would shoot up my palms. It was a physical job but not physical enough to cause immediate problems. I eventually developed trigger finger on both hands and had to manually open my fists every morning. I went to a doctor who sent me to a sports medicine doctor that found out my hands/wrists were so inflamed that he had to give me a shot to “loosen” it. He suspected carpel tunnel but wasn’t too convinced since I’ve never worked in a highly physical field for a long period, it affected both my hands equally, and I was only 23 at the time. A year later, I started another new job after I lost my previous one and had a working hiatus because of Covid. It was the same deal: a slightly physical job but nothing too crazy. It was just stockroom stuff. But the movements caused my hands to flare up again with the same trigger fingers and pain but also came numbness, swelling and tingling. It became so bad that I could hardly move my hands and opening water bottles even became a struggle. I eventually had to quit my job because I was in so much pain and couldn’t properly drive. I went back to the sports doctor and he was unsure what the problem was. The problem areas now were more widespread and different than before so he couldn’t give me the shot again. I did lab work and a hand/wrist x-ray which came out normal. I was sent to a genealogist to see if I had a genetic condition which they did not find. I went through hand therapy which helped a ton in getting my mobility back but didn’t solve the problem. At rest my hands are okay and only ache a little from time to time but I’ve realized doing repetitive movement (like typing) or physical activity starts to flare up my symptoms again. I’m currently not working and it’s making me really depressed. The next doctor I’m visiting is a neurologist (per recommendation from my last doctor) but I don’t really have high hopes. It’s discouraging when you don’t know what’s happening or how to help yourself. I’ve been looking through the internet to see if I can get an idea of what my diagnosis could be but I’m out of luck so far. I just hope I can solve this sooner rather than later.
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