Hi people, hope your inflammation is better and y’all doing better. I’ve been getting stiff neck for over a month and during evening-night time it gets so worse that I can’t even move my neck. Not to forget, headaches due to that as well. Now, I did not know that neck muscles are the only ones with synovial lining until yesterday. I work full time to support myself, I’m taking otc pain meds and managing my RA without corticosteroids or biologics. I don’t want to go on any immunosuppressants as I don’t have luxury to take pto often and I can’t leave my job.
Recently got my RA labs done and my RA is 138 and c-reactive is 97 along with Anti CCP >300 Life has become more and more painful, I don’t have anyone to fall back on. Having ra since 3 years and everytime no matter how much I watch my diet and sleep it has been increasing. New pain every week just adds on to stress.
I want to unalive myself I’ve been thinking about it very often now. On the other side I want this leech of the condition to go a ay so I can get my PhD and make a difference. Help it’s not getting away.whatever shall I do to get away from pain and be able to live normally.

So it all started three months ago after being sick with something and had a bad cough (didn’t test positive for flu/covid) where I would get this palpitation like sensation along my left breastbone and naturally I thought I was seconds away from dying. And over time it’s become more so on the right side and when I carry things I feel as if something is pulling on the right side of my chest. Also get lesser back pain from time to time.lots of clicking and popping on a foam roller sometimes breathing in I get pops in my back and sternum. Sometimes left shoulder pain and a stiff neck. Ive also noticed when I touch my chest it calms me in a way but that might just be a tick I’ve developed. I’ve had a cardiology workup 4-5 ekgs, echo,stress echo, carotid ultrasound, ultrasound of all arteries in arms and legs and a Chest xray all found nothing. GP sent me to physical therapy and he thinks I may have a trapped nerve. I guess what I’m asking is does this sound like Costo to you guys and I’m also anxious if I should get more cardiac tests.

I get like a constant feeling in by upper back and chest of like being hugged tightly, is a mild pressure a mild numbness feeling of stiffness Also I usually have pains on the left side of the body lately a lot of pain in the left muscles of the neck Also like a pressure or numbness in the sinus area and the base of the skull and around my ears that feels like i had headphones on Does this happens to you?

My neck gets stiff and sore from my vertigo, which then cause my head to ache, when then makes my vertigo worse. I’m so over this crap

I need help understanding I was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto I was hoping it was the explanation for symptoms I’ve been having last 3 years including memory trouble, Brainfog, aniexty, depression, derealization/ dissociation stiffness feeling in the back of my neck. Trouble holding head up and looking straight. Feeling like I might faint. Trembling right side of my neck. I was kinda relieved to find out I had Hashimoto as I thought I had something much worse. Does Hashimoto have symptoms even if my tsh levels are normal?

The big problem I'm having is - to cite a popular cleaveage post around here, I have "butt cleavage" in a tank top. A lot of high impact bras seem to be encapsulation bras that end up just sitting on the breast tissue in the center. I've also had a fair amount of issues with racerbacks digging in and hurting at the neck, unfortunately, and I'm not sure what causes it. Some less stretchy bands can also cause pain at times (enell and shefit have both had this problem for me).
The calculator says 34G UK but I think I may need a cup size down to get the compression I'm looking for. I typically wear binders (transmasc) but I really need a good high impact workout solution. Wireless is preferred but I can be flexible so long as it's not too stiff and doesn't go up high between breasts. Unfortunately most underwires I've found, the underwire is wider than the space between my breasts and it just doesn't work in most cuts.

25F. Taking gabapentin, oxy, Celexa.
About a week ago I started experiencing some nausea and vomiting, I thought maybe it was a stomach bug, but here we are 12 days later and still going strong.
Then on Thursday I had a strange attack on my vision where I lost my peripheral view vision. Then developed a headache. The headache has been going strong since Thursday with no relief. However, it’s not the worst headache of my life (I’ve had postpartum preeclampsia). Today I developed a stiff neck, I can barely bend it forward.
Could this all just be a migraine? I’ve never felt so sick between the constant nausea and vomiting.
Additional health information: I’ve lost 30 pounds in the last 6 months. Currently awaiting endocrinology appointment for low free t4 (normal TSH and free t3), low testosterone.

Most of my issues have been lower spine hip and joints throughout my body. For the last 6 months I've had a very stiff neck and been going to my doctor letting him know that I get light-headed in the afternoon. I recently realized that it's my neck causing the lightheadedness. Yes my doctor considered my blood pressure etc already. I've been going to PT for my neck for stretches and strengthening exercises and now my neck and my light-headedness is worsened to start in the morning throughout the day. I have another physical therapy appointment tomorrow and of course I will let the therapist know. But I didn't know if anyone here could give me any advice for a flare in their neck / cervical areas. I really need to get my vitamin d checked as well even though I supplement. Stress has been high in my life since I left my day job a couple years ago to pursue my two small businesses which are doing well but they are both biorhythm with the income. Really well and then very low very up and down. Being a single woman I have a lot to worry about and own my townhouse and I have a dog. So everything is on me. Thanks for any advice. And just for listening :-)

Hello I started taking L-Glutamine 10 days ago and it has been absolutely life changing. Never in my life have I felt so comfortable in my body. No bloating, no stomache cramps, skin looks flawless and my eczema is almot gone and I finally lost my stress water retention. But, unfortunatley, after a few days I got insane anxiety (dizziness, anger, feeling like I might faint, stiff neck, depression,...) that made me unable to leave my house. I read a lot online and found out that this might be because of excess glutamat and that Vit B6, NAC or Taurine might help (I tried Theanine and it made things 10 times worse). Has anyone had success with these and been able to continue L-glutamine after pairing it witz something else? I really want my gut to heal : (

Anyone got a good pillow brand to suggest? I need something soft that won't leave me with a stiff neck in the morning. My current pillow is just not cutting it, and I swear it's not my posture causing the problem, it's definitely this pillow! I'm even resorting to using salonpas at 3am. Help a sleep-deprived friend out here. :(

Hi everyone! 40F, 5'7" 450 lbs, White. I have MS and mild hypertension. I also have depression and general anxiety. I am losing weight, but slowly since mental health is a bitch. I have been under the care of both a PCP and cardiologist but neither have been able to help my current issues. I will give a brief rundown of the past few months because it has been a whirlwind and a mess to figure out what is causing what. TL;DR of current symptoms: Chest and neck tightness, as if what wearing a corset may feel like; chest soreness; lightheadedness.
I'm currently taking Ocrevus for my MS (last dose given 4/8), I have a Nexplanon birth control implant, Zyrtec 10mg SID, and I am usually on Wellbutrin XL 300mg SID and Buspar 10mg BID but I have been messing with the dosages for these over the past two weeks or so, currently haven't taken either in about 5 days. I'm trying to figure out if my issues are side effects of either of these.
Back in December, I was prescribed Lisinopril 20mg SID for BP by my PCP. My blood pressure was generally around 140/90ish, sometimes up to 150s/90s, but never higher than that. A few weeks into the Lisinopril, I started feeling my pulse more generally in my body, as well as in my ear when wearing headphones, and my anxiety went through the roof. I was having some neck strain/pain and lightheadedness. I saw my PCP one month into it and her asst took my blood pressure immediately after I broke down crying from thinking my high BP was going to kill me; I already wanted to go to the ER once the week before but didn't. My BP was of course high when she took it, I was just crying. My PCP, instead of waiting and retaking my BP, DOUBLED my Lisinopril to 40mg SID. My anxiety was so bad that I just listened to her and thought the higher dose couldn't hurt. We also increased my Wellbutrin from 150mg to 300mg at this visit, because my depression had been getting worse the past couple months before, unrelated to the Lisinopril, but in case of a side effect issue, I wanted to mention it.
Very quickly, I started having a lot more of the neck strain and started having short, sharp almost pinching-like pains in my chest, not in one specific spot. My anxiety was so bad at this point that I wanted to go to the ER at least 5-6 times within a two week period after she doubled the dose. I went to see a cardiologist on my own because I was so sure I was in heart failure and dying. Right before my appt with cardio, I finally found out, through online research, that Lisinopril is KNOWN to make anxiety worse for people who already have it. My EKG was normal, and my cardio agreed to go back down to 20mg of Lisinopril and scheduled an echo just to be safe, especially with my weight. Echo was normal. I was still having a lot of side effects from the Lisinopril so I tapered off it right before my follow-up visit with cardio, and he said we should just leave off any BP meds for now because it was likely just my weight and overall not a huge concern. This was early March.
I finally felt like I was getting back to normal and all of the issues went away once I stopped the Lisinopril, including my anxiety going back down to being totally manageable with the Buspar. I still did get the neck strain, but didn't seem as bad, but that could 100% be posture-related, as I have a computer job working from home.
A few weeks ago, the chest tightness and lightheadedness came back, though I don't think the chest tightness like this was really an issue back in Jan/Feb, I just don't remember to be honest. I saw my cardiologist again last week, EKG was still normal. He thinks it may just be anxiety. He put in an order for me to get a PET scan stress test, I haven't scheduled it yet. He also gave me an Rx for metoprolol when I asked about maybe trying a beta blocker in case it IS anxiety causing it all, but I wasn't feeling anxious mentally when this happens. I filled the Rx but haven't taken it yet because I'm afraid of more side effects and trying to make sure other meds aren't causing it first. These symptoms are unrelated to physical activity, as they usually happen/are most noticeable when I am just sitting at my desk. The last couple days, the sharp pinching pains have returned, not only in my chest, but also in my neck last night. These last barely a second and only happen a couple times in a short period, then nothing for awhile.
As I mentioned, I'm taking a break from the Buspar and Wellbutrin right now to see if it's from side effects from those, but so far no real changed. The tightness may be less? but hard to guage. I have a really hard time dealing with this on top of anxiety; this started up before messing with my meds so I really don't know how much anxiety would be causing it without anxious thoughts. The tightness has been happening daily for about a week now, it wasn't quite daily for a week or two before that. It lasts for hours at a time, but I don't wake up with it, and it doesn't last all day.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I don't even know what kind of doctor I should see about it, as cardio isn't really helping and I have decided not to return to my PCP (I found another to try, just haven't scheduled yet).

Hello!
Since about 9 months I (F21) have been dealing with on and off left shoulder blade tingling. Sometimes neck pain, but manageable. Saw a neurologist who thought past shingles infection or C8 root compression. X-ray was normal.
Since about 2 weeks I have been dealing with numbness and tingles in my hand (especially the left hand, ring finger and pinky finger) and stiffness in my left leg. My legs fall asleep from time to time too. My doc still thinks root compression and ordered bloodwork to rule out neuropathy. I am 100% convinced it is multiple sclerosis (MS) and very scared about that. My doc thinks MS is possible but unlikely because my neurological exam was normal.
Few questions: - can you have stenosis with a normal X-ray? The X-ray is of 5 months ago so potentially it has changed? - is numbness, tingling both sides common? - is it possible to have stenosis with little pain?
Thanks!

so i officially switched from par to another manufacturer and i am curious if any of you have had this side effect. i’ve taken lupin the past 3 days and almost consistently about 1-1.5 hours after my dose i get the worst muscle and neck stiffness. i know that is a side effect of bupropion for some but im curious if a manufacturer could lead to a side effect that wasn’t experienced previously. i was on par bupropion for almost 4 years. i work in the pharmacy so i have access to trying different manufacturers so im more than okay to switch it up

Compromise
First Prev
“Alright, so uh...” Alex picked the last larva out of the bowl and ate it. A burst of umami and the unexpected taste of alcohol. Now that it had soaked up some of the spice from the broth, it was pretty good. Not particularly flavorful, but a better eating experience than he would expect from a grub. “Why did Eleya put two towns into a warship?”
“I do not know.” Carbon was less fussy about the variety of ingredients presented, eating without playing favorites. It was what she’d picked out when pressed to recommend something for him, and the speed of the devastation she was enacting on what had been a bowl nearly filled to the brim said that it was actually a personal favorite. “I had heard some suggesting converting retired Naval ships into housing, using a decommissioned carrier as a space station once it could be towed into a proper location. Swapping out launch bays for community towers is not a long bridge.”
“That seems...” It seemed desperate. But given what he’d seen, desperate was where they had been in the weeks following the disaster. Where they still were, even if things were improving.
Were things improving?
“Born out of desperation, yes.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “We did not have many colonies, we had not built so many stations. We only kept old ships for parts as another means of efficiency in our fleets. There had been hundreds of thousands in transit all over the Empire at the time. On their way home, on their way to relieve others who now no longer had a home to return to.”
“Yeah, that-” He shifted some of the shredded cabbage-potato around his bowl, trying to figure out what to say. The ‘that sucks’ he had stopped himself from blurting out felt offensively inadequate. “That does present a huge challenge. Did they end up bringing ships online for that?”
“Oh, we did everything. Any idea that was not completely untenable got the blue light. Repurposing ships, building sealed micro-arcologies on less habitable planets, mining out sufficiently large asteroids, asking the Confederation for help. I saw one proposal that suggested an inflatable space station. I thought it was a completely deranged idea.” She paused and picked up the bowl, slurping out some of the broth. “Then Humans arrive to bring aid, and do you know what the first structure they brought with them was?”
“An inflatable space station.” He saw that coming. Everyone - well, everyone who was sufficiently interested in space ships - would recognize the Redoubt class from that description alone. The very definition of form following function, each ship was little more than a central cylinder with hard points for a dozen habitat modules, and engines bolted to one end. Light, fast, cheap. Once deployed, you had a small space station that could be packed up when you were done. Old technology, sure, but they were everywhere, and the configuration options were extensive.
“Exactly. Forgive me, but I laughed. I knew the intent was to help, but having seen that proposal just weeks before...” She smiled and laughed despite having just apologized for such a thing.
“No I get it, it’s a goofy looking ship.” He could see the humor in the situation as well. Having gone from ‘this is too dangerous’ to ‘of course the Humans brought one’ was pretty funny. It put a smirk on his face and got him close to laughing along with her. “Probably used it as a command post until something heavier arrived. Kind of the primary use case for those in Search and Rescue, which is what I think the aid mission was first considered.”
“I was not involved with that aspect of recovery operations, but it stands to reason.” She set her utensils aside in a very specific way, sliding the bowl towards the end of the table. “I cannot tell you why they put all these people here. My first guess would be that it was a somewhat straightforward swap. The bays are very securely attached to the structure, but they are intended to be removed and replaced. It would be important that Eleya use her ship as a proof of concept.”
“Royals lead?” Seemed the logical jump.
Carbon nodded. “The Sword is recognized as her flagship. It is named after her. The Stronghold is based heavily on the Imperial Palace in Ama’o - may it rest. Taking in civilians, thousands of them, is hard proof that she is not simply hiding in here. Having the senate on board also brings with it the need for support staff, creating a symbiotic relationship. It is... a good compromise.”
“Okay, wait. How is The Sword of the Morning Light named after Eleya?” That legitimately confused him. “All I know is the -ya suffix is feminine.”
“Another name mauled by your automatic translation, though this time it is a portion of the Empress’ full formal titles.” She gave him a pointed look, a little smirk hiding on the side of her muzzle. “The strictest translation would be ‘the sword that is used to cut back the night,’ but that is even worse. If I were doing translations and feeling poetic, perhaps I would call it Dawnsword. It would convey the meaning of the name well enough, I think, without being verbose.”
“Then why do you call it the Sword like we do?” He figured just using the actual Tsla name would be easy enough if Dawnsword was a better translation.
“When in Rome.” Carbon snickered. “The Confederate systems I was working with before leaving for the Haultain were not set up to handle Tsla, and none of the Humans I spoke to recognized the name when I said it, so it became a force of habit.”
“Ah, that’d do it.” He’d ask about the actual name another time - it being one of Eleya’s titles felt like a natural transition to learning the rest of her titles, and he didn’t give a single damn about doing that right now.
“Alright, Eleya needs places to put people, and a place to put a temporary capital until the new location can be properly sorted. Two birds with one stone, I suppose. Wouldn’t staying at Schoen be more of the... leader thing to do?”
“If she were to stay here beyond the end of this endeavor, perhaps so. For now, having this ship - and its civilians - as a base of operations, in what even we consider to be one of the most secure solar systems, is reasonable. Most governing at that level has been done remotely since before the disaster, so it doesn’t impede anything.” She paused to sip her tea. “No one needs a senator to be on site anyway. Their presence traditionally just interferes with real work.”
That did get a laugh out of Alex. “The more things change.”
“The more they stay the same, yes?” She said with a grin.
“It is so. All right, mystery of the Dawnsword’s surprise towns is put to rest.” He stopped talking as Haraya came out of the woodwork to remove Carbon’s dishes, bustling away with even less stiffness than before. Why did he feel like he was forgetting something? “Heck. Did... Did anyone tell you we have an appointment to see a designer about our uh, our insignia?”
“No, but my communicator has been going off like I am being told something like that.” Carbon laughed and leaned back into her chair, fishing the slim black device from her jacket, the screen coming on.
Alex was not intentionally staring at his wife’s abdomen as he pushed the bowl away and set his chopsticks out like she had done. “Zenshen said it was this afternoon.”
“Mmh, afternoon. Another curious translation.” She teased him gently, flicking items off her screen one by one. “Neya says it is with Aetena Lyshen, at three. He has stated that his schedule is open today, and we may come in earlier if we so desire. Oh. How unexpected.”
Three o'clock, Tsla’o time, was probably like a solid five or six hours away. Plenty of time to have a deeply personal conversation about what Neya had told him. Or, perhaps, just go talk to the guy sooner. It wasn’t like he was putting it off... but he was putting it off for now. “What’s up?”
“Neya contacted the Colonel to make sure that Zenshen was attached to your detail properly - it turns out she was. You are both already on the artifact project, so it was just a slight shift of duties. The Empress went through appropriate channels, and Lehnan agrees with her decision.” She glanced up at him as she processed that. “I did not expect it to be so proper.”
“She is trying to turn over a new leaf, at least as far as you are concerned. Ensuring I have the help to not fuck things up, and doing it properly, could be a part of that.” He managed to make it sound like a statement, even though it was very much a question. Did his insistence that Eleya needed to start following through on her words actually sink in?
“It is possible. She will need to do more than fill out a little paperwork to prove herself.”
“Yeah, obviously. It’s just that you seemed surprised, so I was left with the impression that was unusual.”
Carbon stared down at the phone in her hands. “I do not know. From what I have seen, she will normally adhere to formal channels. But in the past, when it has come to dealings with me, she has not. Relied on her word being law to make things happen.”
Like making it legal to marry a Human. Changed who knows how much legal history with a stroke of a pen, to unfold some new machinations. “Zenshen made it sound like she was mostly there to act as a buffer between me and the military, keep me from offending anyone. Which strikes me as Eleya looking after her investment.”
“That is a reasonable assumption. I fear she has more intent sunk into you than we can see, so...” She also stopped talking when their waitress returned for Alex’s dishes, giving the young woman a warm smile. “Perhaps it really is.”
Alex, being privy to at least one plan that Carbon was unaware of, instantly did not want to comment on that. “Like you say, it lies with her to prove... herself good.”
“So it does.” Carbon smiled at his butchering of their turn of phrase before glancing down at her communicator again. “All right. Do you have any further plans for this morning?”
“Not a one. Want to push up the meeting with Lyshen? For that matter, do we have any plans tonight?”
“I do want to get that done. Designers can be particular. Best to get started sooner, and also have a meal that we can excuse ourselves for without appearing rude.” She smirked, displaying a little bit of the knowledge she had accumulated growing up in an elevated class, and started tapping away at the screen with both thumbs. “As for this evening, nothing that Neya has made me aware of.”
“Sounds good to me.” Left the evening open to actually have a sit down with Neya, perfect. “Oh shit, that reminds me. Neya wants us to bring her breakfast.”
“Does she. Very upset about not being able to come along?” The tone she had said that Carbon was familiar with Neya pretending to be put out by that, as did the barely hidden smile and tiny little snort of a laugh.
“Absolutely heartbroken.” He played along. “I had to promise that we’d get her something this morning and that you’d make breakfast again tomorrow.”
“Mh. We will see who is making breakfast when the time comes, but I will have something sent to her and we will proceed to our appointment.” She flipped through the applications on her phone and started typing something else out. “There.”
Carbon slipped the slim black screen back into her jacket and stood, stretching a little bit before walking over to the end of the bar, Haraya hustling out to meet them with a small device like the one Carbon had used to pay in the other little restaurant. She set her palm down on it, it processed for a moment and played a happy little tune.
“Thank you both, it was an honor to serve you.” Haraya bowed again now that the transaction was done.
“You did well, thank you.” Carbon said it in Tsla as she returned the bow, glancing over at Alex to ensure he was doing the same thing.
“Sa meha.” He was. Paying attention to what Carbon was doing was getting him pretty far, as was having memorized how to say ‘thank you’ in Tsla.
They turned to leave, but Haraya spoke again before they could take a step. Quiet, and very timid. “May I ask you a question?”
Carbon didn’t even think about it as she looked back. “Of course.”
“I was mostly asking the prince, I am very sorry.” She looked just this side of terrified to be correcting a Royal.
“Oh yeah, shoot.” Alex caught himself speaking in English way too late. He pursed his lips and inhaled, just barely preventing himself from rolling his eyes at that little faux pas. Based on what Carbon had said about Haraya getting her information about how nobles work from movies, she would have interpreted that as aimed at her. He queued up a very quick reply. “Please do.”
“After you left, last night.” She glanced over at the bartender, who was not paying them any attention at all. “Adana kept saying a strange word, I assume it to be Human - untranslatable.”
The irony of the translator not being able to digest something in English was not lost on Alex. What had he said to the kid?
Carbon, meanwhile, thought it was hilarious. “It is actually two words, a phrase. Oh, busted. In this case I believe it means that he got caught doing something he should not have been doing.” She laughed, looking up at Alex with a grin.
Haraya’s relief at how this turned out was immediately visible. She was still tense, but didn’t look like she might have just caught an execution. “Adana likes to play with the door controls. They beep and flash, and he can activate the viewscreen... And open the door. That is what he was doing when he found the prince in the hallway, when he should have been in bed. It is not an offensive term?”
“Et.” Alex shook his head no. Score another point for knowing the basics.
“It is as he says. A harmless statement.” Carbon picked up the slack from Alex trying not to advertise that he spoke their language yet. She looked over to him again. “Perhaps used to tease a friend when they get caught out?”
He nodded as sagely as he could, a smirk barely suppressed as he caught that shade she was directing at him.
“His mother will be so glad. She has been concerned it was some kind of swearing, or something worse. I told her that the prince had been kind in my interaction with him, but she was-” Haraya exhaled sharply, wide brown eyes darting between them with a hint of that fear creeping back in. “She was afraid despite that.”
“Ah. If that does not settle her, please get in contact with me.” She pulled her communicator out, swiping along the screen for a moment and holding it out to the young woman. “We can arrange a meeting to clear anything up.”
She looked down at a swirling orange circle on Carbon’s phone, “I am not allowed to carry my- May I get it?”
“Of course.” Carbon smiled.
Alex lowered his voice as Haraya hustled away. “You sure giving her your number is a good idea?”
“No. But she is earnest and correct in her assessment of you.” She shook her head, her words quiet and sharp. “That boy learned a simple phrase, and his mother thinks it is a curse? I know why she did. I have met my own people. I think a gentle nudge may be in order to prevent it from being passed along.”
“When you say gentle nudge...”
She held a hand out to ease his concern. “I was thinking tea.”
Haraya returned, phone in hand and followed by an older, grumpy looking male dressed in the same natural fiber clothes save for a vibrant red scarf around his neck, voice raised as he tried to keep up with the excited teen. “You may not use your-”
“Akai.” Alex gave what he assumed was a manager a needlessly cheery greeting with a little wave of his fingers. Oh man, he had loved being a shit to managers when he was younger, particularly if they were on a power trip. The opportunity hadn’t presented itself recently, and the urge to abuse the power that he allegedly had now was so tempting.
“Floor boss!” Carbon was a step ahead of him, greeting the gray male in their own language loud enough to draw his attention away from their waitress. “What is it that I may not use?”
Alex’s translator sat unused for several seconds as the sounds that guy made never made it past shocked guttural noises, the realization of who he’d been yelling in the general direction of sinking in. Haraya was too busy getting Carbon’s contact information to notice, or might have just been ignoring this exchange as hard as the bartender was.
“It was- My words- Did not for you.” He held up his hands and backed away.
“Ah, a simple misunderstanding?” Carbon offered him as the phone dinged complete, and she slipped it back into her jacket.
“Yes, of course.” Couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Haraya bowed again as she hid her communicator, the same black rectangle that Carbon and Alex appeared to have. “Thank you. I hope I will not have to contact you, but that you have offered...”
“The prince has shown me who he is, what is in his heart... It will not do to have anyone doubting his character.” Carbon smiled and returned the bow.
Alex followed suit.
The fear in her eyes was gone, and if anything there was a little bit of admiration in there now as she thanked them again, quietly, before running off to whatever her next duty was.
They left the same way they had come in, through the main dining area. The crowd had shifted, some groups gone, new ones in their place. Conversations to fill boredom, meals he didn’t recognize being consumed at every pace conceivable. Once again, he was pretty sure this was his kind of joint.
It only took the gentlest of questions to get Carbon talking about what she’d been doing all morning as they walked back to the tram, riding all the way to the stop closest to the bow this time. Alex was only slightly familiar about what she was talking about - had something to do with preventative maintenance checks on one of the shuttles. It was interesting to find out they had developed a very similar system to what he was used to, checking in on functionality after so many hours of use.
He didn’t understand the majority of what she was describing, but he enjoyed listening to her talk about things with such enthusiasm.
Lyshen’s office was easily the furthest forward he had been on the ship yet. Took the elevator up to deck 20 and then just walked towards the bow for another five minutes. He must have been as close as one could get to the plate armor and whatever buffer they put between it and the habitable areas. It seemed almost entirely unused - he was sure some of the bulkheads had dust on them.
For Alex, there were two potential reasons for this. Aetena Lyshen preferred the solitude of the area. It was actually very quiet, even compared to the hall in front of their cabin. Or, he had pissed someone off and gotten banished to a spot as far away as possible.
Whichever option, Lyshen had put some work into his workspace. The door was ringed in a delicate gold filigree, a lacework of glittering geometric shapes with his name and title contained in a small banner above the door. They were meeting with a Royal Artisan.
Carbon tapped the door controls and it slides open almost instantly. The young woman with light red fur inside is dressed nearly as formally as they had been last night, though in muted grays. She bows. Not too deep. “Welcome, the Chief Artisan is preparing for your arrival. It should be just a few minutes.”
Chief Artisan. Well. Alex shot Carbon a sidelong glance as the receptionist turned and they followed her through a waiting room. A simple rectangular area, with a few upholstered chairs and benches scattered around. It was the most Human looking area he’d been in so far.
The far wall caught his eye as they walked through, windows looking into a workshop. Alex walked over, the large floor beyond housing a dozen or so Tsla’o, all seated at desks or workbenches, engrossed in whatever they were working on. Almost to the last, they were using hand tools.
Alex had never really seen craftsmen up close, doing their thing. In movies, or videos, sure. But not right here a few steps away, carefully engraving some sort of... Breastplate? Cuirass? Big chunk of metal that looked like it went over the chest.
“I believe that is yours.” Carbon stepped up next to him, a smirk in her voice as she leaned against his shoulder. “To go with your gauntlets, and the rest of the armor that is no doubt being fabricated.”
“What makes you say that?” How could she pick that up from looking at it for, what, three or four seconds?
“Consider the size.” She nodded at it, the artist working on it laying out a star near the shoulder. “Who else would wear such a piece?”
“Huh.” Compared to the guy who was doing the work, it wasn’t exactly massive, but he would need a lot of padding to wear that. This raised a few questions for him about the ethics of receiving such gifts. But he wasn’t a politician... Not as far as the Confederation was concerned. “I guess it is.”
They stood in silence and watched work progress. A woman in the back was carving something, perhaps a chair leg. One guy in the corner making hinges with an induction forge and a tiny, specialized anvil.
Before long, the secretary approached them again. “The Chief Artisan is prepared for you now. Please.” She gestured to the only door that went somewhere other than the corridor.
The Chief Artisan was sitting behind his desk, wearing an outfit similar to his receptionist, pale green eyes switching back and forth between two screens. The primary one was built into the desk, and had been jury rigged to a Human made laptop that sat on top of it, a rat’s nest of cables connecting the two. There was a holoprojector built into the desk, a jumble of images floating over it. He waved them in and gestured to the chairs across from him, “Please, sit.”
Alex was quick to oblige, glad to be just some guy for the moment. Carbon didn’t seem to mind either, taking the seat beside him without a word. Aetena was the first green Tsla’o Alex had seen, sort of a dark forest green with jade stripes visible on his neck. Apparently a bit of a rarity given how often he saw the other colors on the ship.
“I am sorry to keep you waiting, the connection to your Solanet has gone down. Despite that, I believe I have enough saved locally to begin the process.” Lyshen trailed off, lost between the two displays before closing a dozen images from the holo. He picked a pen up from the table and arranged the remaining pictures neatly, four different coats of arms that claimed to belong to a Sorenson. The red enamel barrel blurred into an arc as he spun the pen in his fingers, voice picking up speed as he locked on to Alex. “There is a large amount of heraldry available for your surname, do you know which coat of arms belongs to your particular family?”
There was a deer, a deer head, a rearing horse and a weird shaped star. Maybe it was a flower, or a drip of paint. They were all surrounded by leaves and the occasional knight’s helmet. Alex wasn’t sure what any of it meant and up until now, he’d never even thought about it. Knights and damsels in distress had never really been his thing. “Uh, can’t say that I do, no.”
“Mmh. What geographic region does your lineage trace back to? I could find no significant references to the Berkley Soresons on your Solanet.” He leaned back and the pen continued to trace crimson circles in his hand.
“The name comes from Europe, but the last couple of generations have lived in California, and America before that for who knows how long... We’re from a little bit of everywhere.” It was an inside joke with the family, which had ties back into nearly every corner of the globe at this point. Now they had a relative from somewhere way off the globe as well.
That puzzled Aetena, ears flicking as he turned back to the Human screen and picked over the keyboard slowly. He didn’t like what he found. “All of these originate from the continent of Europe. Do you happen to know which country?”
“No, I’m not sure. Had an uncle do the family tree thing once, but between the civil wars and The Collapse, the lineage got spotty about a hundred years ago.” Alex wasn’t really into the whole ancestry thing once you got outside of living relatives. It was novel, sure, but right now all he really wanted to do was ask if he could borrow that Solanet access when it came back up. The rest of the ship had access to the Confed’s milnet, which tightly restricted what he could be sending across it - he just wanted to download a couple of movies and some music, but milnet barely overlapped with the wider public network.
Lyshen set his hand down and the pen switched back and forth like a metronome, clicking on his desk at the end of each arc. He closed his eyes for a moment, jaw working silently before he closed the images and started pulling up new ones. “Perhaps we should move on to other aspects of this endeavor. As I have been told that you wish to integrate Tsla’o and Human cultures in your marriage, I had intended to blend the existing Tshalan sigil with some of the Sorenson family heraldry. I thought it would be best to use the gear-star surround from the Princess’ family crest as a base to build from. Something that is immediately familiar to Tsla’o, to put the viewer at ease. As it is indicative of starship commands, exploration and the outer colonies, it will solidly represent both of you and the way you met.”
Alex raised an eyebrow at Carbon, “sound reasonable?” He had no idea if it was or not, but it did sound like it. Also, if they were serious about integrating parts of Tsla’o and Human cultures, they needed to actually get on that.
“Yes. I agree, that would be a good place to start.”
“Thank you.” He busied himself bringing up a few more pictures, rough combinations of the ten point gear-star and the various items from the Sorenson crests, bits of decoration and detail work.
The door chimed behind them and Lyshen stopped with a sharp glare. He eyed the clock and sighed, a whispered curse under his breath before he set his pen down and straightened up. “Come.”
There was a soldier partially concealed behind the door, the rank plate on his uniform loaded with details, not that Alex could read them yet. He swept the room with a rifle as he entered, the short barrel ending up pointed just a hair under Alex’s sternum. A pair of soldiers took up positions on either side of the door and covered him, a few more lined up in the waiting room.
When he spoke, it was crisp and authoritative. “Please back away from the Human.”
 
First Prev
*****
Never a dull moment on that ship.
Art pile: Carbon reference sheet. Art by Tyo_Dem

Hi my fellow women with PCOS, Thanks so much for sharing here. This subreddit has been such a blessing to me and has helped me feel less alone. I wanted to warn all of you about IIH- Idiopathic Intercranial Hypertension. For the past few months I've been complaining to my Primary Care Doctor about changes in my vision and frequent headaches. This whole time he's written off the changes in my vision as migraine auras. What's bothered me is the changes in vision are constant. I've had blurry vision and extra blurry peripheral vision 24/7. My brother convinced me to go to the ER a couple of weeks ago when my vision and headaches got worse. One of the doctors there mentioned that my symptoms correspond with IIH which is common among us child bearing women with PCOS. Apparently, they both share a common phenotype. After having a spinal tap done and seeing an ophthalmologist, the ophthalmologist confirmed that my eyes are swollen and I have IIH unless they find a brain tumor when they do an MRI, in the near future. The possibility of me having a brain tumor is so unlikely they're probably just going to start me on meds for IIH in the next couple of days. If I wasn't diagnosed right away I could have had optic nerve damage and/or total blindness. Other symptoms I had which I didn't realize were caused by IIH included neck stiffness and increased depression and forgetfulness. I wanted to warn you all in case you ever experience similar symptoms.

PREVIOUS
The light coloured wooden floorboards creaked softly under my weight as I struggled. Using human crutches wasn’t difficult, but it was demeaning. They were miss matched and that was confusing. One was from a set I'd had as a child, while I didn’t recognise the other at all.
Without giving it too much thought I turned into my fathers study to find the room was changed. It was dilapidated. The furniture was rotten and falling apart while all the books were moth eaten. Brigetta sat on the floor, weaving thread into talismans.
‘Brigetta…? What are you doing?’ I asked as the space gradually fell away around us.
‘Making an anchor for you,” she answered softly. She wasn’t crying exactly, her eyes weren’t red and she wasn’t sobbing, but water ran down her face from her eyes. It was an unnatural amount that pooled around her in a puddle as she worked.
‘Why?” my voice echoed, confused.
‘Because they’re going to kill you.’
Cold dread trickled down my spine, ‘…Who are..?’
‘The Fae.’
As she spoke a shadow moved beside her and Markos appeared from nowhere. He held something in his hand, however I wasn’t able to make it out as the panic jolted me back to consciousness.
Taking a deep breath in, I was awake before I opened my eyes. Sweat dampened my clothes and I blinked slowly as understanding came to me, I had been dreaming. I couldn’t remember falling asleep, but I awoke in darkness. My mouth was dry and the only part of me that didn’t hurt was the leg I couldn’t feel, every other part wished for death.
However I was laying on something soft under light sheets. They ruffled softly as I turned over, and the warning came immediately, “Don’t try anything stupid.” It was Nathaniel who had spoken. His voice was somehow reassuring, smooth and calm. He was sitting not far from me beside the glow of a small lamp with a book in hand. It backlit his hair, giving him an ethereal halo, and he didn’t so much as bother to look over when I stirred.
“Where am I?” I asked, confused. My voice was husky and quiet as the vocal cords struggled to work.
“You’re in my chambers, and if you try anything, I’ll kill you outright.”
It came back to me gradually, being carried through endless marble hallways, and forced to bathe. I exhaled with shame as I remembered. Showing weakness was unacceptable in my family and I was a disgrace for being captured alive… My father would hate me if he knew, he would probably never speak to me again.
“...Why haven’t you killed me already?”
“Because you’re of no use dead.”
I wasn’t sure I was of any use alive either, “...Thank you,” I murmured softly.
“It’s too soon to thank me,” he answered, uncaring, as he turned a page and I allowed my gaze to drop
He was probably right. Even if I was safe right now, this was only temporary, and I didn’t have the energy to argue even if I wanted to. “How long has it been?” I asked instead.
“A couple of days,” he moved when he spoke and I automatically tried to recoil.
It was a wasted effort. I could hardly move at all, let alone defend myself. My injuries had set, and the muscles were simultaneously weak and stiff. I swallowed anxiously as he walked past. “Whatever you’re going to do, please don’t… I’ll do anything you want…”
Of course I was lying. Pretending to be afraid and hoping I was correct in what he wanted to hear as I tried to anticipate how best to survive this situation. “What I want right now, is for you to stop talking.”
Nathaniel passed me again and I flinched, maybe I wasn’t pretending as much as I wanted to be, I thought bitterly. However, I realized then that he was largely ignoring me. He had grabbed another book from somewhere in the darkness, and returned to his seat without acknowledging me.
Gradually, my heart rate slowed. The fae wasn’t going to do anything, he was just existing in the same space… but why? Was it a ruse? Another interrogation technique? Maybe he was trying to break my mind with the endless uncertainty. I watched him with wary caution as I debated whether or not I could use my charm to get him to let me go.
However, between the warmth of the bed and the gentle rustle of paper turning, my eyelids were growing heavy. My thoughts drifted and my consciousness was slipping away. I didn’t trust him, and I didn’t want to risk being killed in my sleep, but, maybe that wouldn’t be the worst way to die. At least I wouldn’t know it had happened…
***
When I awoke next I was alone in the plush bed. Sunlight glistened off my lashes and I turned over to get away from the brightness. The air was cold and every part of me ached, but the blankets were warm. I pulled them tighter around myself, nesling lower into them as I cautiously looked around.
In daylight, the room was cluttered. A thousand different ornaments, tapestries, crystals and pendulums crowded every surface. Books were haphazardly stacked in piles on the floor and leaned at precarious angles, leaving only narrow pathways through the mess.
To the right were french doors leading to a balcony. They were framed by burgundy velvet curtains that cascaded downward into heavy folds of excess fabric, and semi-transparent curtain sheers. At the foot of the bed was a Victorian era fainting lounge with similar dark velvet upholstery and an asymmetrical, ornately carved, wooden backrest.
On the left was a small partitioning wall that blocked the rest of the space from immediate view and the entryway to the bathroom. Antique furniture hidden among the mess lined the perimeters of the room and refracted light cast dull rainbows across the walls. It was beautiful, in a chaotic way.
Nathaniel was nowhere in sight and the room was quiet except for the gentle tick of the pendulums. I was alone as far as I could tell, but it was with caution that I began to move.
“Hello?” I called, wincing as I put pressure on my arm to push myself up.
The room remained silent and I glanced around to be sure. I had half expected this to be some kind of trap, however, nothing happened and I carefully swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Heaving the damaged one over with disgust.
A thin trail of magic wrapped around my ankle and I smiled bitterly. It was a tether, binding me to the bed with a limited range of freedom. The writing itself wasn’t overly complicated, but I had no magic to use and the breakpoint was on the ceiling where I couldn’t reach just yet. With a small irritated huff I gave up, moving instead to find a weapon. That fae bastard would regret bringing me here.
Using the bed frame as support, I stood before awkwardly hopping across the room. I tried the balcony doors first, they were locked both physically and with a rigid barrier spell. Next I tried the main door only to find a similar situation before debating whether or not I could make it out the bathroom window. Most likely not, I realized bitterly. Escaping wasn’t a task I was capable of in my injured state.
However, that didn’t make me defenseless. I limped toward the desk and rummaged through the draws. Inside each drawer was no better than the rest of the room. They were filled with ink pots and quills, pens, pencils, paintbrushes and loose paperwork.
Small trinkets and other useless things that I suppose he simply couldn’t find any other place for only added to the disarray. Shutting the drawer I snorted in exasperation. It was ridiculous. What kind of person keeps so many pointless items? He must’ve had a hundred shiny but harmless trinkets.
Eventually I came across an engraved pocket knife made of silver. It opened with a swift click and the blade was remarkably sharp. I could kill Nathaniel easily with it… However, the thought of doing so made me nauseous and I closed the blade. It was pointless anyway, even if I killed him now, I was still trapped in the fae castle.
Placing it back on the desk I slowly sank to the floor instead. I hated myself for this, for being so weak. My fingers had little grip strength with my knuckles still healing, and with my good leg being compromised it was difficult to stand for too long. If I had killed him in the forest none of this would be a problem and I would still be with my family.
Some part of me knew I had sealed my own fate, but I wasn’t sure I regretted it. At least if I died, the war would be closer to ending and I sighed, running my hands back through my hair. The situation was hopeless. I didn’t know what to do, and I was afraid of what Nathaniel would do to me when he returned. For all I knew this was just another interrogation technique…
A muted click interrupted my thoughts and I glanced up. A moment of silence followed the sound and I waited in tense uncertainty: had Nathaniel returned? Seconds passed before I heard the soft swoosh of the door closing again and the hair on the back of my neck prickled. Someone had entered the room.
Boots clacked on the floorboards in purposefully slow steps as they navigated and I moved immediately. I crawled quietly across the floor and slipped under the bed, wedging myself between the clutter beneath it. Moments later the footsteps came closer, and I watched as small white shoes with a neat heel walked past the bed. Slender legs with tanned skin filled the shoes and the girl came to a stop beside the desk where I had been.
She stood there a moment and I held my breath as she examined the area. However when she turned to go, the pocket knife fell off the desk. It landed among the junk on the floor and she stooped to collect it. The woman was human, and remarkably beautiful.
Her long white-blonde hair fell forward over her shoulders and her slender fingers wrapped around the pocket knife. Her nails were manicured, painted pastel pink with small gems encrusted on them. She wore light makeup with matching diamantes on her upper cheek bones and bore the contract marks of a Fae agreement under them.
For a brief moment I wondered who’s ‘property’ she was. Probably not Nathaniel’s otherwise, she wouldn’t be creeping around his room like a thief, I thought as she stood again. No emotion crossed her face as she set the knife back where it had been before it fell and wondered what would happen if she saw me. Would I be able to convince her to help me? She didn’t seem unkind, however, fae ‘pets’ are well trained.
They’re loyal to their masters in all ways, and in combat they’re deadly. On the battlefield they cut through my father’s human worshipers with no remorse or restraint, and will just as easily cut down any un-reveanted vanir who crosses their path. Worse still is that they’re impossible to spot until they attack.
They look alike to any other human and blend in among our forces. That was part of the reason we began to poison our horde, the trace of death separates them from the vibrant life of those controlled by the Fae.
Eventually the girl turned away and disappeared from view. It seemed whatever she was looking for she hadn't found it and I exhaled with pure relief when I heard the door close again as she exited. I wasn’t sure I could have taken the stress if I had been found.
Laying under the bed my body ached and my bruised ribs hurt. I waited there a while, gathering the willpower to wriggle back out before deciding not to. It would take too much effort, and I felt safer in a hidden place. I fell asleep again curled among a pile of worn, but not dirty, clothes.
(Next chapter available on Patreon, as well as some ahhh spicy posts...)

Hello I started taking L-Glutamine 10 days ago and it has been absolutely life changing. Never in my life have I felt so comfortable in my body. No bloating, no stomache cramps, skin looks flawless and my eczema is almot gone and I finally lost my stress water retention. But, unfortunatley, after a few days I got insane anxiety (dizziness, anger, feeling like I might faint, stiff neck, depression,…) that made me unable to leave my house.
I read a lot online and found out that this might be because of excess glutamat and that Vit B6, NAC or Taurine might help (I tried Theanine and it made things 10 times worse).
Has anyone had success with these and been able to continue L-glutamine after pairing it witz something else? I really want my gut to heal :(

Hi, It has been 3 days since I started a natural treatment for Lyme prescribed by Lyme specialist.
These are current symptoms with undiagnosed Lyme for 3 years:

• Dizziness and fatigue.
• Joint pain that come and go.
• Verry mild swelling of knees but noticeable.
• Swollen lymph nodes in neck and ear (under right jaw and back of right ear). I was bitten on the tip of the ear lobe.
• partial Insomnia, I wake up almost every night at 3.
• Muscle fatigue, more relevant on right calf and right knee muscle.
• Have to mention I had a lot of muscle fasciculations (whole body and right calf as hotspot) that reduced a lot partially after I found out I had Lyme (thought I had ALS/MS)
• Dull occipital head ache once every 3 days (Had a major one 2 months ago that lasted 2 weeks, MRI on head came clean)
• Had left arm weakness and pins and needles that came an go on their own.
• Morning neck stiffness, when rotating sounds like sand grinded between two rocks.

I did not have all the symptoms from the first year of getting it, there were mainly the first 5 witch I somehow got used to it, but since the last 6 months I developed the neurological ones.
What I was prescribed:

• dipsacus fullonum, (wild teasel) - 1 tea cup per day. (I take 2)
• cistus incantus, 1 tea cup per day. (I take 2)
• cryptolepsis sanguionoleta, alcohol free extract. 2.5 ml, 3 x day.
• Artemisia absinthium, Artemisinin 200 mg, 1 x day.
• Uncaria tomentosa, (Cat`s Claw) 1455 mg, 2 x day.
• Hydrastis canadensis, (Goldenseal root) 570 mg 1 x day.
• Reishi Ganoderma, 300mg 1 x day.
• Echinacea purpurea 1 x day.
• Curcumin 2 x day.
• Vitamin C and Vitamin D.

I am not herxing and stating to doubt it works... I know that if I herx means that I am kicking bacteria butt and this seams to not happen. Why? What am I doing wrong?
I want to herx, I need to herx, If I don`t herx it means that I am not doing it right. Please help.

Hi All,
Occasionally, due to stress or other factors, I would have a sleepless night or a night with very little sleep.
Like most people, I feel pretty horrible after such a night and struggle a lot during the day.
I have found that the following helps me feel a lot better throughout such a day:
* Drink lots of water
* Take a warm shower to help with the stiff neck and muscles
* Take Magnesium and L-Tyrosine to help with the mood and sluggishness
What are your personal hacks to help you feel better after a night of insufficient sleep?