When I was 4mo pregnant I had extreme lameness in my right leg. Went to orthopedic dr and had an MRI (no X-ray due to pregnancy). He said it was Osteonecrosis and as long as I could get around (with a cane for the remainder of my pregnancy) to wait for treatment. After I gave birth the lameness went away and turned to an aching and sometimes tiredness. I went back for an x-ray and there was no progression. Dr said I could wait until I was done nursing for any pain treatment and to hold out as long as I can for THR. My baby is now 18 months old and I am going back to the dr next month. I have constant soreness, sometimes extreme pain, and very tired. I’ve had pain on my left hip too, lower back pain and my feet/lower legs fall asleep often. Dr doesn’t know why this occurred (no alcohol or steroid history).
What am I in for? So worried about caring for my son after surgery or another treatment. He is home with me all day. Am I better off getting the THR sooner (I am now 38 yo if that matters). Or trying to wait until my kid is in school?

I had one pint of beer with dinner. Husband had 2.75 pints of beer with dinner. My eyes were bloodshot and glossy due to a strenuous day of hiking and the makeup I was wearing. I do have sensitive eyes. This gave officer probable cause.
Officer was aware of my hiking, saw blisters on both my feet. Officer was aware my legs were weak. I admitted to taking medications for mental health issues but didn't provide info about medications.
I was placed under arrest after 3 sobriety tests, where I, by my choice, was barefoot on asphalt, which contained rocks and road debris. I then blew twice and didn't ask and wasn't told what I blew. Officer asked husband if he could drive. Husband admitted he drank more than me and requested a breathalyzer and blew 0 twice. Drove my car home while I was arrested.
I was forced to give blood due to a threat of my license being suspended. Officer then asked what meds I was on and I told him what they are, which is an SSRI and a beta-blocker, taken every morning. I've been on these meds 10 months and they do not impair me. It was now about 10pm at night. Officer didn't give me any citations AT ALL. I was released to my husband approximately 1.5 hours after the initial arrest. Should I obtain legal counsel now or wait until my negative blood test returns?

I've had ingrown hair growing sideways under the skin of my legs for some time now. Instead of growing out straight, the hairs grown longways under my skin. Some of them have two or three hairs in one follicle. When I try to remove the hair, it tears my skin. I have so many sores and purple things under my skin, I don't know what to do. The doctor said "just give it time" but thick, dark hairs are growing through the sores and they hurt so bad when trying to sleep on that side. I wonder if I can get laser now or do I have to wait for the sores to completely heal.

Twitching in feet all the time and all around body a few times a day.
Started with health anxiety a few weeks ago and did lots of calf raises / walking on heels to test (stopped this 2 weeks ago). I had massive aches in calves and legs around this period.
Since then I’ve had pain in the bony part of the outside of my leg (bursa?) and the muscle that runs down from there to my knee. It feels sore / tender and my leg feels shaky.
I went to a trampoline park yesterday with my little boy and when I was running / bouncing it felt off - anyone else had this?

Two days ago, I was playing volleyball with youth from my church. I turned to bump the ball back over net and felt what can only be described as something “dislocating” and then went “back in.” The knee immediately felt funny and I knew I couldn’t bear much weight on it. I hobbled off the court and again felt the same dislocating sensation with it going back in. There wasn’t much pain initially but I had a limp and couldn’t bear much weight on that leg. Nurse friend happened to be there. He pushed, pulled, twisted and there was not really much pain at all. That night and the next day, the generalized pain increased in the knee and soreness reached from above my kneecap all the way down the back calf muscle and it was difficult to walk. There was mild swelling to the left front of the kneecap and back side of knee. I have a friend who works in sports medicine. After describing it to him, the first thing he said was Patellar Subluxation but that it could also be a torn ACL. Today, I am significantly better. Still waking with a limp but no where near as bad. I can lift my “good” leg up and bear my whole body weight on the “bad” leg. Calf and Quad (?) muscle are still sore. I equate the calf soreness to how you feel after a Charlie Horse cramp. Does this sound like a Patellar Subluxation or could it be torn ACL, Meniscus, etc?

Hey all, just got my new rig setup and am enjoying the hell out of it.
As fun as it is, however, my left leg it's definitely a bit cramped up / sore, particularly after long 2hr stints.
Do any of you all have a stretching routine? The main area where I feel pain is the outside of my glutes down towards the top part of where my glutes / hamstrings meet.
Any suggestions?

Hi! My PT discharged me at 4 months postop due to “insurance reasons” although in truth I think they just wanted to make more money from other people. I had just started returning to run and doing single leg heel raises. Without PT guidance, I do jogs a few times a week, usually 3 miles and can do a single leg raise very easily. I’m lucky in that I don’t have swelling or soreness. I’d love to be able to do some more dynamic stuff but am worried about it without guidance..jumping, faster movements etc. I’m 40 female, active lifestyle but no sports at this time. Would love to know what your PTs are having you do to those with better PTs than mine. Thanks!

I've had problems with my SI joint, hip flexors and glute activation on one side since high school due to a sports injury. I knew that being pregnant would challenge all of this, and it's mostly been okay! I'm 33 weeks now however, and my work tends to get more physical this time of year so I've been quite sore.
I've been going to a physiotherapist for a few years who has helped me a ton with some of my issues. However... now that I'm pregnant he is hesitant and kind of implicitly refusing to do work on my SI joint. He's done stuff a bit around my hip but I reallllyyyy need some help with my SI and pain is now radiating down my leg which never used to happen. He's chalking some things up to pregnancy which I understand, and I know that some of this might be temporary, but I really need relief now!!
He says he doesn't want to do SI stuff for any potential risk to the pregnancy... has anyone come across this? Is this based on anything, or have you been able to get work done on your lower back throughout pregnancy without issue? Is there anything I can tell him to try to get him to help me with this?

Last few months I've been having aches and soreness in my legs and and arms. In my legs mostly from a tad above my knee to the middle of my leg. Pain is in the front and sides. In my arms just above my elbow down to middle of my arms mostly.
Pain in my arm can feel like I hit a funny bone at times. At times my hands can fall asleep quickly If I hold something at a certain angle. Did get some pins and needles early on in my feet but that seems to have gone away/diminished.
My blood tests were all normal except for some low iron and low iron saturation but my Ferritin level was normal.

36f, 174lbs, 5ft7, white No diagnosed illnesses, currently taking Biotin, Magnesium, Coq10, Ferritin, Vitamin D and B12. Had a baby 11 months ago, still breastfeeding. Don't smoke, no drugs, rarely drink.
A few days ago, I had an odd feeling in my left hip/flank. It felt like it was numb but almost sore at the same time. Kind of like sunburn? I have had no trauma to the area, no previous issues with joints apart from some mild back pain a few years ago. That night, I started getting an odd tingling in my feet and my hands, while laying in bed. I had never felt anything like this before. It wasn't excessive, I was able to fall asleep.
Since then, the feeling has continued. It is now a wave over my body, sometimes in my hands, feet, lower legs and arms. No particular side. I tend to forget about it when being active and it's more pronounced when I'm sat down.
I have two big interviews coming up, which coincidentally I was made aware of just before this started. I have two very young children (3 and almost 1), which means that my sleep is a bit odd. I go to sleep at around 9pm and sleep until 5am, but this is broken sleep and I'm normally awake 2-3 times through the night.
No headaches, perhaps feeling a bit dizzy at times though? Not sure if this is psychosomatic. I'm quite tired but obviously this could be down to the above. I've had mild brain fog for as long as I can remember but it doesn't impact my life too much (I work two jobs).
Both children have a bug at the moment (snotty noses, etc), I've had a bit of a sniffle but nothing severe.
I am not diabetic, blood pressure is great (was tested just last week) and I tend to take supplements for anything I have previously been low in. I did consider thyroid issues but I've had my levels tested fairly regularly previously and they've always been textbook.
Going to see my GP next week but just wanted to know if any of this sounds concerning?

I’m 32 weeks pregnant with my second and struggling with aches by the end of my days. I generally think I have round ligament pains, but sometimes when I’ve been on a long walk with my son, or just doing more errands in the day, my stomach feels so sore at the end of it. My lower back sometimes hurts, my generally it’s my legs and stomach.
My wonder with the belly band is does it actually lift the lower belly? That’s where I had some excess weight to begin with, it creates a bit of sag that the now added weight of pregnancy is adding to. Most of the bands I see look like they would just add pressure to the lower belly, not necessary lift. I’d love to know if others have had success with them.

The past few months I’ve started training with a personal trainer. The workouts are great, at my level, and I am usually the right amount of sore after. My concern is that sometimes my thighs are very sore to the touch. For example my son will sit on lap and push on my thigh to reposition and I will actually cry out in pain (like gasping, not yelling). Does that mean we are focusing on legs too much, or is there something else I should be doing to prevent this?

Hi
I've been lurking a while but recently got up the courage to post as I need to tap into the greyhound hive brain.
My big male (36kg/79lbs-ish) is nearly 11. He's an ex-racer that I've had for just over 5 years. He raced up until about 3 months before I got him.
He recently started limping but only on uneven surfaces, think stony road or one of those pebble dashed roadways. He doesn't limp at home or in the garden. He climbs on the sofa and seems to use that leg (front right) when climbing up with no problems or visible pain.
I took him the vet and, of course, the vet's floor is tiled and not uneven so he didn't limp. Luckily the vet knows me well enough (I think I've contributed enough to his potential holiday home anywhere he wants it) that he believed me and followed me to a short stretch of road just outside the clinic's back door which was a gravel path and he witnessed the limping for himself. He also saw that he didn't limp on the way to said path or on the way back.
Anti-inflammatory meds were given. Not much improvement. So back we go.
Vet said, x-rays next, so he x-rayed all the way up to the shoulder and saw just a tiny (his words) bit of arthritis in his wrist area, but he can't see how that would make him limp only on gravel type roads and not, for example, where the road has a camber and the wrist is being put at an angle.
I thought maybe his pads were sore, but he let the vet push and squeeze them without a whimper. His pads have a few slight cracks, but I use coconut oil once a week to keep them supple without getting too fragile and the cracks do not get any worse.
We walk twice a day, 1km each walk, just a round the block wander for peeing & pooing as he hates pooing on the grass.
He is eating well, happy to go for a walk whenever he hears his lead, climbing on and off the sofa. He wanders in the garden whenever he wants (I work from home) and doesn't seem to have any other problems. He's slowed down in the last year or so, but he is nearly 11 and his back legs aren't up for all the hills we have around here like they used to be.
Any ideas?

4 days ago I gave birth to my baby girl at 22 weeks. There are still so many questions, including the massive “why” that are unanswered. Below is my experience.
Last year I fell pregnant and had a MMC in April (the baby stopped growing at 6 weeks, we didn't find out until our first scan at 10 weeks).
After the loss, we tried for 7 months until we fell pregnant again in Jan. We suspect it took some time because I have an 8-day luteal phase (this is considered a short luteal phase or luteal phase defect). A standard luteal phase is 12-14 days.
I did early pregnancy monitoring and every test and scan came back perfect with the exception of one blood test at 4 weeks pregnant: my TSH was slightly elevated, meaning my thyroid wasn't functioning at the level that it should. I was put on a daily dose of Levothyroxine and every blood test showed normal TSH levels after that.
Two weeks after a clean anatomy scan and one week after an OBGYN check-up, I did a 20-minute, low-impact workout for the second trimester. The workout included squats and I held an 8lb weight. It had been a few weeks since I worked out and I was feeling guilty so I did it. I paused the YT video 3 times to take long breaks (5-10 minutes). I drank plenty of water and modified certain moves as needed.
Later that night while trying to sleep, I noticed I had more discharge than usual. It was clear and wasn't too much more than I usually had so I didn't think anything of it.
The following day I already felt sore in my thighs and legs. This is normal for me. I also experienced round ligament pain. It's extremely common for round ligament pain to become more intense after a workout. It was worse than usual, but not debilitating or concerning in any way. It was all within normal ranges.
That night, so early Wednesday morning, around 3AM, I woke up because I was uncomfortable. This was normal for me at 22 weeks. I had some round ligament pain that was more annoying than anything else. As the hours passed, it got more intense and frequent. But it still just felt like round ligament pain. No blood, no mucus plug, no craps similar to a period.
At 6:30AM I propped myself up in my bed and there was a rush of liquid. I thought maybe I peed. The liquid didn’t smell like anything and even though I had just been on the toilet, I knew peeing yourself isn’t uncommon. My weak pelvic floor made peeing a regular occurrence throughout the pregnancy.
I immediately woke up my husband to get his take. I called my OB’s answering service and left a message. My husband and I decided to play it safe and get ready to head to the hospital. We thought we were being abundantly cautious. We thought we would be told I peed myself.
A little after 7:30AM, we get to the hospital. At this point, it didn’t click that something was very wrong, I don’t think my brain was allowing me to think that. I was having intense pain that was making me contort every few minutes. Once I got into the ER, I could no longer stand. I was wheeled back to L&D immediately.
In the L&D intake room, I asked to use the bathroom to pee. My husband went with me, but once I was there I couldn’t pee, I then felt like I had to poop. Seconds later, my daughter was born into the toilet. We had only been at the hospital for 5-10 minutes. My husband opened the door and yelled for help while holding me up so baby wasn’t in the water. She was moving.
They rushed our baby to the NICU doctors and after 5 or 10 minutes, the NICU doctor came over to explain there wasn’t anything else that could be done. We held her as she passed.
We only have the autopsy results left, which will take a month to receive. All other blood tests, urine tests, placenta biopsy, etc has come back clean.
I am convinced the workout I did Monday night tipped the first domino. Without that, I may still be pregnant with our baby.
Given how old I am (34 in less than 2 months) and that we want 3-4 kids, we want to start trying again immediately. One doctor recommended we wait 3-4 months, but I don’t want to. Is 3-4 months a standard wait time after a 22-week loss?
During the wait, they will do a saline sonogram to confirm there are no anomalies in my uterus that could have caused this. The doc is convinced this will come back clean and treatment for the next pregnancy will be progesterone supplementation and a cervical cerclage. She thought my weak pelvic floor could be a potential contributing factor.
If you read this in its entirety, I appreciate you. I hope people can relate and feel less alone. Maybe people can learn from my experience. There are some details I left out so if you have questions, don't hesitate. Much love to you all.

The day went well but this night turned out to be disaster.
Una, nahulog ako as I tried to get on a motorcycle. Scratched an elbow and the had the wind knocked out of me. Ang taas kasi nung motor, like an NMAX type, and got out of balance when I was trying to get my right leg over the seat.
Driver asked: ok lang po kayo? I dont wanna converse so I just said yes. But i'm gonna be sore tomorrow.
Second, I had my Lenovo Thinkplus earbuds on, with hairnet, and I felt the right one got loose. I hoped na it just got into a cranny of the helmet pero hindi. Looks like it fell off. Snug fit namam si helmet so how it slipped down is a puzzle.
Driver asked: original po ba? Yes, original po.
Then as I paid, driver said, next time po, pakibukaka po. I assume he was referring to me falling down.
Kept my mouth shut. Ayaw ko na humaba usapan. And i'm more pissed about the earbuds, anyway.

I’m wondering if anyone only takes Sinemet as needed, and just deals with PD without it when they can.
My MDS doesn’t understand why I’d want to not take it constantly, as he saw my scores go down when I was on 1.5 pills of c/l 3x a day for a month. When I went in for the appointment, I thought he was going to tell me they weren’t working. Yes I could type a little better but I don’t feel on/off periods. I just notice “hey I am a little less shaky when I unload the dishes” or “hey my shoulder is slightly less painful today” There’s never a great surge of relief, I never get my handwriting back, and tbh a stress free day and a good night sleep seems to do the same thing for my PD stiffness. So really, if the results aren’t impactful to me, I don’t see why I should take it all the time?
I went 24 hours without C/L last weekend and didn’t notice any difference. I don’t type on the weekends. So this work week I waited until noon each day when my hand started sucking and took a dose with a little bit of impact to finish up the work day. Seemed fine. Yesterday, I had lunch in the sun with an old friend if not seen in awhile, browsed shops with no agenda alone, and painted when I got home. Felt great.
So like, if it’s a stress free day or I don’t need my fine motor skills, why take it?
MDS said I could stop C/L cold turkey, but when I googled I found warnings saying not to. I’m not thrilled with him in general/there’s no trust there (getting a new one this winter). Anyway, curious if anyone takes as needed or if you’ve heard it’s dangerous to do so.
Specifics re: my general symptoms if needed: I have rigid dominant YOPD with action tremor that’s worse with cold/big feelings. My main issues are tremor when texting/unloading the dishes, slow typing, and reduced mobility and moderate pain in my affected hand/arm/shouldeneck (right/dominant). Toe taps are slow and fatigue makes me feel the PD in my leg but no gait issues yet. Possibly related to something else, or possible that the disease is moving along a little quickly: both hands always have sore joints and feel swollen, and I have nerve pain down the backs of both legs/feet. Yes I had an abnormal DATscan.
Thanks!

Nature of Humanity Ch 67 A NoP fic
Under Pressure Part 10
A Fanfic of u/SpacePaladin15’s work “The Nature of Predators.” Thank you for the story!
___
Memory transcription subject: Silvera, Factory 13 Manager
Date [standardized human time]: November 4th, 2136
If it wasn't for the clearly artificial sky above my head someone could possibly convince me I was outside in a new park. The neon blue screen with a white dot to represent the sun was nothing like the actual pale gray visage a mile above. Yet, it did have an enjoyable warmth to it.
A smooth artificial wind swept through the saplings ensuring that they would develop healthy stress wood. It also pleasantly cooled the fur of anyone in here, providing a nice little respite from the heater simulating the sun's unbearable hatred of us. Fuck you fake sun!
Any flora used to decorate the park would be exotic to Frozen Mountain, even if it came from the nearby tundra, but my humans decided to do something interesting. While they had covered most of the ground with a soft short-growing Terran clover, they chose to make the rest of the decorative plants functional. All of the saplings were different types of fruit trees that, when mature, would be free for anyone to harvest as much as they want. Even the decorative topiary isn't hardy tasteless plants, but berry bushes that would provide a variety of sweet treats relatively soon.
Agurcorp was more than happy to allow its failed startup out here to be turned into a local park. Well, so long as they didn't have to pay for this expensive mistake of theirs. The Mayor was all too happy with this, especially since my humans were happy to let him have all the credit so long as they got to design the park. With voting season right around the corner, the Mayor that ‘Brought life to this blighted land’ was a shoo-in to get re-elected. Or would be if he also wasn't ‘The idiot who allowed predators into the city.’
With everything that's happened I am still a bit surprised at everyone currently enjoying the park. A small herd of Venlil are exercising in the open field. A family of Gojids are walking along the cobblestone path. All the while, some humans are playing a very weird game of throwing a round plastic plate into chain nets. It's almost as if this city didn't have two separate riots on the same day.
The sound of wheels traveling across a bumpy path caught my attention. I glanced across the way to see an embarrassed-looking John driving an electric wheelchair over to me. His eyes locked onto mine before quickly switching to the ground. He tried to laze in a chair designed to enforce good posture and looked rather silly as he adjusted himself.
He came to a stop just a foot away from where I sat, “Hey Silv… I, uh… I don't actually need the wheelchair but Mikvia threatened to break my legs if I didn't use it, so I'm just humoring her.”
Oh, don't freaking tell me. Why are humans like this… “John… you were hospitalized with a punctured lung. Sure, doctors have some miracles they can perform these days, but you know you shouldn't be stressing yourself by walking.”
He huffed, “Please, I'm fine. Really. It wasn't as serious as everyone is making it out to be.”
I thumped my hind paw against the ground, “John.”
He threw his hands into the air with a huff, “I'm in the damn wheelchair ain't I? Gawd…”
He grasped his nose before calming down, “I apologize. Shouldn't have raised my voice like that. I mean… I am using the wheelchair and not lifting stuff. Doctor's orders. They even said getting out in this park would be fine. Said it might even help!”
We let out a deep sigh together. I hopped down from my bench and back up onto his lap, “Let's go for a ride… while we figure… us out…”
I could see John's guard drop as the exhaustion crept back onto his face, “...alright...” He pressed his controls forward, and we slowly began our first lap of the park.
John wrapped one of his lanky ape arms around me like a fleshy seatbelt and I laid my head on his chest appreciating the contrast of his warmth with the cool artificial breeze. I could have slept like this. The beating of his heart was rhythmic, and his deep breaths sounded a bit like waves washing up on a shore.
I even heard his heart quicken as I cleared my throat, “So… we aren't really dating are we?”
His exhaustion was quickly replaced with unease as he started to fidget a little, “I'm sorry…”
I held his hand and stared into the ocean blue eyes of his, “Don't be sorry. I think we were both drunk when we agreed to go on a date…”
He shook his head, “I still should have said something before then.”
It wasn't like I couldn't have taken the initiative and talked to him sooner too, “I know you were going through a lot. Actually, I know you still are… I'm really only able to guess but… Are you one of the types that thinks Xeno-dating is weird?”
He looked ashamed as he scrambled to smooth things over, “I- No- well, yes- but- it's just… ok. Let me start over… alright… yeah… so… uhm… the thing is… how do I put this… it sounds bad… well, it is bad… it’s just…”
My tail wagged involuntarily at the rather cute display of embarrassment radiating from John. I leaned in and let him have a doey-eyed look to help heap the embarrassment on.
It felt like John tried to stop the next words from rolling out of his mouth, “Sometimes I have trouble thinking of you all as people.”
John came to a complete stop as I just stared at him wide-eyed. My brain struggled to grasp what he was saying and the implications of it. He cringed and covered his face with his hands, “Gawd, that sounds horrible. It's just… It's not as bad with you and the others… I talk to y’all a lot. It's easier for it to click that you are people too.”
I was desperately trying to see this from his angle, “Wha- why does this happen in the first place?”
His hands drug down his face trying to drag the flesh with it, “I think it’s cause you are always naked. Like your back brace helps a little bit, but still everything else is… That and I hear your voice and the chip in my head then gives it meaning. Like its disjointed. Then it's the way your body language works and- and- fuck. Just…. Fuck me man. I don't even think that's all that's wrong with me. It’s just… like you look, sound, and smell like animals. It's just not really what my mind had in place for aliens. So- like- ugh! Why can't I just explain it!?”
It's difficult to explain, but his words connected to a deep sad memory, “It's like everything is just too… slightly wrong…”
It felt like I had been whisked back decades to my own childhood. I could still smell the bleached halls of the Venlil orphanage on Nevis. My heart whimpered when the Sivkits who came to adopt me shuddered with fear and disgust. Their strange voices sounded slow as they spoke a strange version of Klipic. Like hearing a pale imitation of yourself, try and pretend to be just like you.
My eyes locked with his as I carried on “It’s like you look at them and a part of you knows what they are, but your brain just snaps back to… to what you think reality is.”
I could see a glimmer of hope well up with his tears, “Y-you know? I-Iv've felt like such a monster! How can I- How can I look them in the eyes when they took me in and say- say- that I can't see them as people sometimes!? After everything they've done for me?! They want to adopt me and I- I- I can't even!”
I wrapped my arms around his neck as he buried his face in mine. It felt like he could crush me with his arms, yet they held me gently. What was causing me pain was this damn back brace. The blasted thing was trying to force my arms down while it hunched me over. I wiggled out of John's embrace and ripped the freaking thing off and chucked it as far as I could before burying myself in his embrace again.
We held each other as he drew in shuddering breaths and let his emotions flow out. John’s grip eventually began to loosen and we both took a moment to calm down. I gently tugged at the shirt covering John's torso, “So… Us not wearing clothes constantly is… disconnecting for you?”
He nodded his head, “Y-yeah… It’s like… every person I have ever known wears clothes. Animals never wear clothes and at most wear like a collar or harness if someone owns them. Then a few months ago, a bunch of nudist aliens show up and… well, my brain lops them into the animal category and the translator isn't helping.”
I glanced down at my body and suddenly felt… exposed, “So now that I am no longer wearing clothes…”
He cringed, “You look more like a large rabbit thing than a person… when you had the brace on it helped a little, but you were on all fours… When you were wearing your weather suit and had your hood off, It felt like you were a person, just different.”
An idea crossed into my skull, “Ok then… so your brain attaches personhood with a level of nudity, body plan, and familiarity… take your shirt off and give it to me- Don't give me that look! I know you’re male and are far less sensitive about people seeing your nipples. So gimme.”
He begrudgingly took off his shirt, revealing a pelt of fur that caught me off guard. I shook off the confusion as I slipped his shirt overhead and stuck my arms through the sleeves. It immediately tried to slip down my body and off. Mostly due to how large the hole for his head is, but also due to my utter lack of true shoulders. Another gift of my freak mutation. The ability to walk upright as well as sprint on all fours like a fucking Arxur.
I bunched up the collar and knotted it on itself, solving the slipping issue. With a small twirl, I spun in a circle, “So how is this?”
A smile formed on his face, “You look adorable!”
I happily flicked my tail, “Is that girlfriend adorable or pet animal adorable?”
His grin beamed with happy, mischievous energy, “Little sister adorable.”
I stomped my hind paw again, “Wha- why?!”
He held out his arms and I hopped back into his embrace, “Its cause it's my shirt. Jamie would wear my clothes sometimes, and they were so baggy on him, and well… on you that's practically a sundress! … you’d look really nice in like… a yellow sundress with like a straw hat.”
My mind tried and failed to make an image to match his description, “Hrm… well… I wouldn't know where to even start getting a… sundress.”
John carried on like clothes shopping was a normal intergalactic thing, “You would have to go to a tailor and have it custom-made. Like you already had to adjust my shirt cause you don't have shoulders like we or the Gojids do.”
We sat in a comfortable silence as John started the wheelchair back on its path. I almost fell asleep in his arms before I asked, “So… Are we dating?”
John didn't hesitate to bend over and freaking bite the top of my head! I, rather fruitlessly, slapped my paws against his face as fast as I could and only managed to elicit a laugh from him. Jumping up, I got a mouth full of his cheek in my teeth.
I made sure not to crush as I mimicked what he had done to me back, “Ah! The turns! They've tabled! I'm sorry! We're dating! Augh!” I spit out the lump of flesh between my teeth and sat down rather proudly.
It was only then I looked around to see most of the nearby groups staring at us. As well as three silver suited flame whack jobs walking our way. One of them held up his paws to try and seem as big as possible, “YOU! PREDATORS! DON'T MOVE!”
John growled at them, “YOU FUCKING IDIOTS. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?”
The trio froze in their steps and reached for weapons they didn't have. The boldest one took another step forward and shouted, “SHUT UP PREDATOR!”
John held his issued jacket up, letting the reflective emblem of the guild shine for all to see, “I WORK WITH YOU NUMB NUTS! I'M JOHN! ADOPTED SON OF YOUR FUCKING CHIEF! RING ANY BELLS?”
The trio halted in their tracks and the most skittish of them turned a one-eighty on their paws and began to walk away. The boldest one’s paws slowly dropped, “J-John?! I- I've never seen you without the mask or artificial pelt… wait! You're supposed to be in the hospital!”
Johns voice grew cold, “They said I could go out around the park so long as I mostly stayed in the chair. If it pleases you, you can talk to Loke. He's right over there with his wife and two kids. I bet he'd be thrilled to learn you three are going around accusing people of being predators.”
The bold moron took a fearful half step back, “D-d-d-d-don't twist my words! You bit her and she bit you back! I have witnesses! That's predatory!”
John leaned back and stroked the fur on my cheek, “No, it’s erotic.”
I could see the gears turning in the bold one's head grind, “What.”
John pressed his lips into my neck, “Ya know… sexy. It’s like… gently grooming your significant other's neck from behind but more playful.”
They looked revolted, “That's disgusting.”
John cocked his head to the side like a confused Gojid, “That’s odd.”
The look of revulsion quickly transitioned back to confusion, “What?”
A smirk grew on John's face as his fingers massaged into the sore muscles on my back, “It's just, that’s exactly what your mom said last night, but she grew to like it.”
I slapped my paws to my mouth to avoid laughing as the rage flared up in the bold one's eyes, “WHAT!?”
I let out a happy purr as John began to work at my sore muscles and utterly humiliate the idiot bothering us, “Yeeeeah. You weren't supposed to find out like this, but I'm your dad now.”
Their ears pinned back in rage, “You're lying to me.”
John waved a hand at our surroundings, “We are in a hermetically sealed park. There is no way for any significantly threatening animal to get in here. You are only here looking for trouble and I assure you, this will be looked into. Go clean your nose and keep it clean. Understood?”
They both tucked their tails, “Understood, sir.”
John nodded his head and calmed his tone, “Dismissed.”
As the trio of troublemakers left, we sat in relative silence as John continued to work away at the stress in my muscles. If you proved this was how humans prepared their food before eating it, I would argue that it's still worth it.
His rough voice messaged my ears, “Hey Silv?”
I stretched and enjoyed the pops my spine made as it took its natural shape, “Hrm?”
A hint of curiosity hung in his voice, “Why did you understand what I meant? Shouldn't… You've lived with aliens being a part of everyday life for… Like… ever right?”
I slumped against John and thought. Dredging up old memories that I almost wished I didn't have, “It was… a very long time ago. My doctor told me I was making up false memories to cover up a traumatic event and make it to where I was normal and everyone around me were the weird ones…”
I could hear John doubt my doctor's claims, “That sounds… fishy.”
Despite John's odd word choice, the meaning still fit perfectly, “It feels like it, but I just have no proof. I swear to you, I remember running along a beach, with my parents on two legs. Every Sivkit I knew as a child walked on two legs. It’s like… well…”
I grabbed John's hand to stop it from distracting me, “One day I woke up, and I was unbelievably cold. I thought I was a corpse. There was this strange… tentacle thing with bulgy eyes standing above me. His words didn't match his lips, but I understood him. It was terrifying.”
“He scooped me up and started running. Said I was in grave danger, and he was going to keep me safe. I didn't trust him one bit. He jumped into some strange ship and told me I had to be very quiet. The bad people would attack us if they heard either of us talking.”
“Eventually, he crashed the ship into something and pulled me out of it. I was surprised to see we had been on a submarine that entire time. That and the sky was the wrong color. I didn't even have an opportunity to think about it as he carried me to a weird looking vehicle that once again surprised me as a giant wall turned into a window.”
“I had never even heard of spaceships before, and I watched as we went up and just moved into space like it was nothing. He tried to calm me down, but he told me my parents were dead. I- just remember sobbing in his tentacles for hours. Eventually, I calmed down enough for him to play with me.”
“For a few days it was just me and him. Then we met up with another ship, and he left that one to drift in the void. He said we were meeting his friend Aylin on Nevis… a Venlil colony not too far from here, actually. I got to meet more aliens on that ship but Kalova- sorry that was the name of the Kolshian who took me out here. Kalova didn't want me to talk about anything to anyone. Said to just say I was his adopted daughter, and he just got a job on Nevis managing the new colony.”
“He never saw it. I didn't know what they were at the time but the Arxur attacked. They were trying to raid the colony and the Gojids and Venlil where desperately trying to protect it. I remember the alarm going off the second the ship’s captain announced we were leaving FTL. Kalova sprinted through the ship carrying me. He placed me in an escape pod just before that terrible lizard spotted us. He pulled the lever and my pod jettisoned down to the surface.”
“I was in that pod for three days before the Venlil found me and put me in an orphanage. Every time I met other Sivkits… they made my skin crawl. There's something wrong with all of them. I swear to you, we Sivkits are supposed to walk on two legs. We also aren't supposed to be that… stupid. Between how they talk being just… off, and the fact what they said was often either retarded or downright wrong, I couldn't ever feel like one of the so-called Grand Herd.”
“Eventually, I aged out. Graduated college, top of my class. And started working out here when they began to rebuild my plant after it burned down. That’s all there… Well, there is more, but It's not actually relevant to your question.”
John leaned down and kissed the top of my head, “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
I groomed the tip of his nose in return, “You're welcome. … Hey John?”
I could see a small bit of… hope in the back of his eyes, “Yes Silv?”
“Can you tell me about your past?”
He frowned as memories came back to him, yet he smiled still. “Yeah… it’s not a happy story either.”
I pressed myself into him, “Well… we can both be sad together, at least.”
John's hands began to absentmindedly work through my fur again, “Yeah… That doesn't sound as bad.”
___/\___
Important question, do you want a chapter dedicated to John retelling his story? Or would you like it smash cut out in favor of more of their first real date? I am not sure how I want to do it and am happy with both, so please let me know.
John and Silvera finally had the relationship talk! Woooooo! John's confessed something he'd rather never bring up, but knows he needs to address to start living a happy life with his new family. Aaaaand, It's time for Silvera’s tragic backstory! (Trademark pending). Strange names though, right? Kalova… weird how John's old boss has a missing brother with the same name as an alien Ivan the Arxur knows! And Aylin… strange they share a name with Talen's dead wife! Man that's just weird!
Special thanks to u/JulianSkies for proofreading! Seriously it felt like my eyes were melting out of my skull and your feedback was everything I needed!
___/\___
Directory
Library of BiasMushroom contains every link for everything I have written! Check it out as some stuff related to Nature of Humanity may not appear on HFY! As well as my little side stories and Fanfics of other NoP fanfics!
The Nature of Humanity
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Under Pressure
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For anyone posting to HFY do NOT select HFY first. It bugs out and doesn't work nice with copy/paste from google docs.

I started work at ShawbRyt a week ago and am already Team Lead for Night Collections, the first female Team Lead for this district. Name’s Charley. Wish I could say what we collect for but I don’t care so I never asked. All I know is, my team only accepts cash. No debit, no credit, no cheques, no body parts, just paper cash issued by our government. And we get a lot of it, every day, brought in by muscular people who I think got it from other people. That’s all I know. But that amount of cash means someone from the team has to make a bank deposit at the end of every shift.
Today (well, tonight really, since it’s night shift) the district manager told me to take Kedgewick with me when I go to the bank. That way I wouldn’t be the only one on the Team that knows how to make the deposit and so that I’m not going alone. That isn’t him being sexist. The previous Team Lead was a guy and he disappeared while doing a night deposit so I guess it’s good for business. Even if it isn’t good for business, I don’t care. Not my business.
Kedge is new, he’s only been with us two days. He’s a jeans, T-shirt and blazer kinda guy. Brand name athletic shoes; today’s were red. No tie. Blond hair, slightly messy, no beard or mustache or earring. Always somewhat nervous and a lot annoying but I get paid to do what I’m told, not to ask questions.
At the appointed time, which I’m not going to say for security reasons, I tapped Kedge on the shoulder of his irritatingly clean white T-shirt. The kid jumped like I’d shoved a gun in his face.
“Deposit time,” I whispered.
He looked at me like I was kidnapping him.
I pointed to the gray blazer on the back of his chair. “We gotta go.”
He kept staring at me while he put on his jacket.
Once outside, I pointed to the bank, two blocks away. “Ever made a night deposit?”
He kept staring. I realized he might think I was propositioning him.
I held the deposit slip in front of his face to make sure he saw it. “See this? There’s 1,000 fives, 400 tens, 500 twenties, 120 fifties and 50 hundreds in the pouch. Thirty grand. Just like the total. Sign here.” I handed him a pen, hoping he knew how to use it and turned so he could use my back as a table. I kept a tight grip on the deposit pouch until he was done, then opened the pouch so he could put the slip inside.
He hesitated before releasing the paper. “We don’t keep a copy?”
“Got one in the office.” I grabbed the paper, jammed it into the pouch then sealed it shut. “We gotta go.”
He mostly kept up with me on the way to the bank. I slowed down as we approached and handed the pouch to him. “The night deposit box is inside those doors on the left. The door opens when you put this card,” I gave him my deposit card, “into the slot on the left of the door, see it? Then pull the deposit box handle, throw this in, slam it shut and come out. Any questions?”
He shook his head, looking about as confused as when I told him to put on his jacket. But he did head towards the door so I stood on the corner, wondering how long it would take for the guy already in the bank to finish and get out of Kedge’s way. The guy in the bank was hard to miss. He was wearing white jeans and a white jacket with a white cowboy hat. I started humming a Bee Gees' tune.
I stopped humming when movement a couple of yards up the street caught my attention. A man dressed in black walked out from behind a streetlight pole. I say behind, but it was more like he was the streetlight pole, because once he started walking, there was no more light, no more pole. I know it was dark but how was the pole there one second and gone the next?
That’s a good example of why I’m better off sticking to following orders, not asking questions. In the time it took me to wonder about the pole, the man walked up to the guy coming out of the bank and shot him twice through the head and twice thru the chest.
I couldn’t breathe or move. I watched in horror as the man grabbed the dead body by the shoulders. At the first touch, the man in black's wardrobe changed to white jeans and jacket. He even had a white cowboy hat. All without removing the dead guy's clothes. He threw the original man in white into the back parking lot's dumpster without so much as a grunt.
Kedge’s very loud running commentary snapped me back into action. "Did you see that? He killed that guy! Did you see that? He threw that guy away! Did you see that? He is that guy now!"
The man in black, now the man in white, might lack fashion sense but he had street smarts. He whipped around and stared at Kedge who then screamed, "He's looking at me! What should I do? Charley!"
At least I think that’s what Kedge was yelling. As soon as I saw the murderer pointing his gun at us, I ran towards the building across the street. Before Kedge finished yelling, I jumped over the fence to that building's parking lot. Once there, I looked back and saw Kedge following me, aiming a gun right at me. A bullet flew past me, grazing my arm. It hurt like the last time I got shot, and I dropped the damn deposit pouch.
I took a sharp right and zigzagged my way up the street behind buildings to the nearest main road. At some point, Kedge stopped following me which made things worse. The more I ran, the more my fear ramped up. It didn’t feel right, seeing a man commit murder, then Kedge trying to kill me and then they both disappear? Not right at all.
It was so wrong, I stopped running at the intersection of Gardiner Drive and Hornpot Lane. The light facing me was red and, well, my lungs, arm and legs were aching. My arm wasn't bleeding but it felt like it was on fire. I took a second to look at it and noticed something moving in the forsythia bush down the street, close enough to see under the street lights along Gardiner.
It was Kedge. He had the gun. He shot at me as he tripped and fell out of the bush.
My legs started pumping and everything around me became a blur. I was in the elevator in my apartment building before I noticed anything else and by then I was gasping for breath.
Kedge missed me, I'm not sure how. Every creak the elevator made sounded like a gunshot to me, all the way to the third floor. My hands shook so bad it took several tries to get the key in the door lock and I kept checking over my shoulders the whole time. I almost turned on the lights when I got inside but realized that wasn’t normal for most people at this time of night. I felt my way to the balcony door and made sure it was locked with curtains drawn.
My sofa is now behind the door to the apartment hallway. Not wanting to smell up the bedsheets and too sore to change them, I tossed a blanket on the sofa before lying down on it. Maybe everyone else would take a shower then listen to a podcast or two before sleep. But this is the middle of the night for people working “normal” hours. Building management said I get thrown out the next time I piss off my neighbors by showering this time of night, so I won’t.
Just as my heart beat was slowing, things took a bad turn. Which is why I'm sending this, in case — look, things could get worse.
Someone's knocking on my door. In the middle of the night. In an apartment building where I'll be up for eviction if there's one more complaint from a neighbor.
I've looked out the peephole. I can describe the person perfectly. His blond hair is slightly messy. He's wearing a blood-stained white T-shirt, jeans and a gray blazer. No tie, beard, mustache or earring. Red athletic shoes, one with the shoelace undone.
He's smiling. He's holding a gun.
I called Emergency Services and they said they'll be here soon. No, they could not define soon. I need to stay put and wait for them.
But the guy at my door won't stop smiling or knocking. And I'm afraid he's going to get in and I'll never get out again.

Hello, one and all. Been lurking for a while. Thought I'd share my experience thus far. I'm a 45-year-old female (active, healthy weight, tall – BMI around 20) who herniated L4/L5 in early January. I'm, therefore, four months, two weeks post-injury.
It's a mild-ish protrusion pressing on nerves and causing sciatica. I have never had back pain. I'm a Brit. I plan to get over this conservatively and do not intend to have any injections or surgery. Note that I have some trouble lifting my left foot and walking as normal on that side, but everything is functional. I am able to lift my toes and heels, and I have full sensation everywhere.
From my scan, disc height is compromised only a tiny bit (I have juicy discs). I have a very wide and spacious nerve canal. No other issues aside from a transitional disc below (born with more bone than disc at L5/S1, very common, and I'm luckily in the "won't cause pain" camp) and a slight bulging disc above, which isn't pressing on anything. The transitional disc is likely to have led to this injury. But moving house finally pushed me over the edge, lifting things the wrong way.

The first month

The first month was obviously painful. Terrible sleep; sciatica was awful (burning in my left calf and left foot with some right foot tingling), and I was very stiff and leaning forward most mornings. Doing McKenzie cobras in those early days helped massively. And amazingly, I kept up with walking and averaged 15,000 steps daily. It wasn't painful. But I was taking Ibuprofen and paracetamol. I believe a lot of my sciatica has been caused by inflammation.
Back then, I was seeing a physio and doing some basic pelvic tilts, bridges, calf stretches, cat/camels, and – like I mentioned – cobra poses. Otherwise, I would mostly lie on the floor, on my front, resting. Or walking outdoors. It would take me three hours just to pluck up the courage to shower. And I could only stand under the hot water for less than a minute before lying on the floor again. Sitting was impossible. I couldn't use the car. I couldn't sleep on my left side. I would crawl down the stairs each morning after barely any sleep and go straight to the drugs. I couldn't make breakfast or do anything. But as each day wore on, I'd become less stiff and more upright and be able to walk for miles.

In search of a silver bullet

I tried everything in February and March. Acupuncture, physio, McKenzie stuff... They put me on Amitriptyline initially, but I hated it. And so they gave me Gabapentin. This helped with sleep and dialled down the pain significantly (I was on 300mg three times a day). I vaguely remember a crazy day when I walked into my local town, sat, and had cake and tea with an old friend. Still to this day, I can't figure out how! Boy, those drugs worked!
By the end of February, I discovered Egoscue and began posture therapy. I did it religiously for six weeks and even began working with a therapist. But it wasn't helping. And I didn't see any improvements. I also decided to come off the Gabapentin during this time (I would later go back on it, as I was in a lot of pain), as I felt totally off my face and hated it.
Around February, I also discovered Dr Stuart McGill. And read his excellent book, Back Mechanic. I learnt about spine hygiene and loads of other helpful stuff. Gradually, little by little, turning in bed got easier (brace that core) and getting up out of bed and off the toilet became pain-free, too. But I just wasn't seeing massive improvement.

Finding the right approach

That's when I decided to see a Master Clinician under McGill. Wow. It was the best money I had ever spent, and I'd spent more on acupuncture!
He went through my scan, was the only one to tell me about the transitional disc, and asked what I'd been doing thus far. He recommended that I give the posture therapy and the walking a break, just for a few weeks, to see if we could calm the inflammation down. And so I did. I rested. I mostly lay on the floor on my front or back and only moved around the house. No outdoor walking. No McKenzie cobra poses (which I've since discovered do more harm than good long-term and adopt a gentler version McGill recommends and says is just as effective). That was back in early April. And following his advice alone? I saw immediate improvements. In fact, the very next day, I was pain-free for seven hours. I couldn't believe it – just by resting.
I only rested for three weeks, and then I decided to try walking outdoors again. My gosh. The difference after the break! I could barely do ten minutes around the block without pain. It was too much. (I could never walk first thing before either – only later on in the day. But it would usually be fine.) But my back specialist wanted me to try walking three times a day, starting small. So, I persisted. He told me to stop if walking made things worse, though. Thankfully, it's been three weeks since I began walking outdoors again, and I'm making great progress. I can now get up from bed and walk immediately (I had to give it an hour before I ventured out of the house). And I can walk for half an hour, too. Three times a day. I find that a morning walk is crucial. I am stiff and a little sore at first, but it eases. And sets me up for the day. I also enjoy two or three hours of no pain when returning home.

Finally seeing progress

Since early April, the improvements have been gradual but almost daily. They're so small sometimes that you hardly notice them! It's only when you look back that you realise how far you've come!
In the six weeks since I worked with my back specialist, I have seen the constant burning sciatica in my foot and calf mostly disappear. Initially, I had a lot of fuzzing. That has now subsided, and since then, it's gone from fuzzing to cold water feelings and tingling... with occasional burning again (mostly only in the top of my calf), but that goes quickly. Now and again, I'll get a random ten minutes of a burning foot again, but it soon disappears.
A few weeks ago, I started getting new sharp and painful jolts in my left hip. That's apparently blood returning to the nerves. For the last week, I have barely had any foot or calf issues—I mostly have sharp pulling nerve pain on my left kneecap and similar symptoms in my hip. Only in the last month have I occasionally started to get a bruised feeling in my lumbar spine.
The morning stiffness and leaning forward? Gone. I am bolt-upright every morning and feel pretty good, posture-wise. Funny enough, since I quit doing the posture therapy. Go figure!
My glutes are very tight and constantly holding themselves. I'm trying to teach them to relax, but it's tough, as I know they're protecting themselves. I've been using heat to relax them—just a microwaved wheat sack some mornings.
Under a week ago, I came off Gabapentin. And I also quit Ibuprofen about five weeks ago. The only meds I take now are paracetamol – just one dose in the middle of the night to calm my (good) right hip that gets sore from only sleeping on that side.

How far I've come

Here I am, four months and two weeks post-injury. I still can't sit on a soft surface (I use a special sciatica cushion on a dining chair), I can't sit in a vehicle for the same reason, I can't sleep on my left side, and I still have some mild foot drop but am walking better.
On a positive note, the pain symptoms are changing daily, which is apparently a good sign. I am starting to feel some back pain for the first time, too. Centralisation is perhaps occurring. Instead of lying on the floor for several hours before breakfast, I now find better relief in standing and moving around. I can also sit for short spurts on my dining chair first thing in the morning, whereas before, I'd only be able to do that from midday.
I'm sleeping better. Six or seven hours a night. It's a tad broken, but I feel rested. And when I get up in the morning? Whereas before, my left leg and foot would go crazy with fuzzing and burning, now? Nothing. A mild tingling some mornings, but otherwise, fine.
I spend more of my days moving around, standing, walking, and occasionally sitting than "resetting" on the floor. And when I do feel sciatica getting worse, a brief rest on the floor makes the pain go away. It's never 100 per cent pain-free, you understand. It's mildly uncomfortable and feels like it could get worse at any moment, but I'm good.
And I'm finding that if I overdo it, any flare-up I might have is brief and easily overcome. Whereas before, it might've been five days to recover, now it's an hour resting on the floor.
If I stand at my standing desk for too long, my lumbar ache begins. It's not painful. It just feels weird—bruised, almost unstable, like I can feel it stacked. I lie down, reset, and then I'm good to go.

What has really helped

I now know what to do to avoid triggering pain. I can tie my shoes with my foot on a bench and lunge in. I have a shoe horn – a game-changer! I also use a strapped-on ice pack when I need to calm my nerves. Less so these days. And heat on my ass when the glutes feel too tight. I only take paracetamol in the middle of the night to help me sleep. Oh, and I find going to bed with an ice pack on sometimes really helps!
The meds definitely helped in those painful early days; but I need feedback. Once I felt I could, I stopped taking everything.
During this time, I also hired a cleaner (fortnightly) and a gardener. I've not stopped working (I have no choice; I am a freelancer). And I have no kids. So I don't have to commute anywhere. I stay at home and rest, and the only time I leave the house is to walk. I also invested in a new mattress, a game changer (John Ryan Artisan Luxury, if anyone wants to know – I did have a firm mattress before, and discovered it wasn't helping at all. Way too firm. Based on my weight and height, I needed a medium – who knew?) I am very lucky in all of these respects, I know.
The walking really helps – but it was only when I stopped, rested, and allowed by body to heal that I noticed a difference in my symptoms.

Not out the woods yet...

Pain is still an issue. Evenings are the worst. I go to bed around 9pm and lying there brings relief and I have no issue going to sleep. I only wake after about three or four hours due to sleeping on the same side every night. And then easily fall back to sleep, with only a few brief waking moments. I roughly get around six or seven hours a night. And thankfully, sciatica isn't really present at night (maybe a little harmless fuzzing). Just the evenings before bed – that's when it can get intense and the burning in my calf and foot can come back tenfold. Sigh.
Mornings are my best friend now. Pain doesn't usually become an issue until much later in the day. I'll have little episodes. But I can swiftly reset myself and move on. It can get harder to reset the later in the day it becomes, too. Some days are worse than others. The good days are starting to outweigh the bad. When I have an awful day, I do feel disheartened. But then I remember how far I've come, and try and stay strong.
I don't always do my three walks, either. If that evening walk doesn't feel right, I won't do it. I'll rest. I'll ice my back and lie down. I absolutely am trying to avoid drugs. But I have ibuprofen in my cupboard, just in case!

What's next?

I'm nowhere near ready to begin strength training. And I've avoided all physio and stretching of late. I am just doing what my back specialist recommends. Some mild cat/camels to get the blood flowing, walking, resting. I take magnesium, turmeric, vitamins D and B12, omega-3. I try to avoid sugar and alcohol (I don't always succeed on that one). I'm not ready for longer walks yet. And there's no way I could take a bath, sit up in bed, or sit on the sofa.
But I am healing. This has been quite the journey, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm excited for the next phase of recovery: rehab! And boy, will I be taking it seriously—for the rest of my life! It's down to us, after all. No one can do it for us.
There are some big life events coming up that I know I'm not ready for. When they get closer, if I'm still not better, I will call my GP and ask for advice. Ibuprofen might be brought out again. Perhaps even something stronger. But if I'm one of the lucky ones, I should be seeing further progress in the coming weeks and months.
I rate my ability to function normally when I can sleep on my left side again, drive my car and when I can sit on the sofa, too! I won't mind if there is some residual pain and weakness. As long as I can function without having the crux of a floor and yoga mat nearby.

Key takeaways

• Sleep is everything. Prioritise sleep. Get a new mattress if you can (make sure you get the right one for you – in my case, medium! Because bad backs don't necessarily need firm surfaces). Lie on your side with a pillow between your knees or on your back with a pillow below your knees.
• Read Back Mechanic by Stuart McGill as soon as possible – learn how to avoid pain triggers.
• Take the meds when you need to. But remember, they are masking a lot of pain. So go easy!
• Drink lots of water. Stay hydrated for your spine.
• Take some supplements but do your research. I take magnesium (muscle), turmeric (anti-inflammatory), vitamins B12 (nerves) and D (bone), and omega-3 (joints and bones).
• Ice when trying to calm the nerves; heat when trying to relax the muscles.
• Try and avoid sugar and alcohol – they cause inflammation.
• Walk when you can. Start gradually. Once in the morning – as soon as you get up; once after lunch and once after dinner. Start at two minutes if you have to. Build to half an hour each time. Once you can do this with little to no pain, try some longer walks. Take long strides, swing your arms from the shoulders, and keep a good neutral posture.
• Listen to your body! Rest when you need to.
• Stay positive. Create fun little rituals throughout your days. Start a new hobby. Keep mentally strong. Call friends and family. Get people to visit you if you can.
• Only do what's essential. Sod the housework! Get food shops delivered. And develop a more relaxed attitude to everything – do you really need to sort the ironing?
• Buy some comfortable loungewear. Game-changer!
• Most of all, time is the biggest healer. These things can take up to two years to settle. The average is apparently six months. Everyone is different.

I am more than happy to answer any questions. I hope this has helped someone. It's certainly helped me to get it all on screen. And I wanted to thank this community for all I've learned this year. I hope you're not in too much pain.

Hi female 23 years old here! has anyone already had this kind of lump in the back of the throat behind the uvula? I had a tonsillectomy when I was a kid so I have no tonsils. I also have a sore throat and pain when I swallow!
I have a lot of other issues my doctor sent me to a rheumatologist because I have petechiae appearing anywhere on my body (under my eyes, in my mouth, back, arms, belly, legs…) as well as nausea sometimes vomiting and a lot of burping (feeling like air is blocked in my throat). Also I have some kind of hot flushes where I have the impression that my forehead, back and neck skin are burning and feel like I have fever but my temperature is normal (max 37,5°C)… I also am extremely tired, never feel rested and need to take a nap during the day even if I slept 10 hours. My doctor tested for vasculitis but it’s negative. I also had an endoscopy in my stomach everything is normal. I had anemia but got ferritin injection so now it should be normal but I have to go get it retested. If anyone has experienced something like this or if you have any idea of what it could be it would be great.

Does anyone else feels their twin's pains? Idk how to explain but it's weird I would fall sick all of sudden at very random times. These days due to winter I have been feeling right shoulder pains I never hurt my shoulder, it's very painful as if I hurt my shoulder? The thing that made me go like, wtf? was this week, I woke up feeling sore and cramps in my thighs and I was like, it must be from my dream as I had a dream that night and I was running behind someone. I told my friend and she laughed off like I am insane, moments later somehow as twins you all know we keep on getting information downloads somehow 🪄I found out he is going running early in the morning for 6kms 🙂 Wow 👏what a great way to make me suffer, I am already very tiny,I'm just 46kgs man, and here I'm still massaging my legs and thighs. 🥲There's few other incidents when I felt these triggering pain and emotions. Is there anyway to help myself??? anyhow it all makes sense now, why I always felt different, annoyed,sad,moody, sick, lost, floating, drowning, and what not. What a blessing in disguise this journey is?