chronic

For anyone navigating TBI, burnout, or just trying to function through the fog:

I wrote this as a satirical check-in from a fictional island called BestGuessistan. It’s absurd—but not untrue. If you’re still buffering, that’s kind of the point.

Thank You for Visiting BestGuessistan

A short and completely painless survey for the recently rewired

WendyLC

May 20, 2025

Hi there,

We hope you’ve had time to rest, recalibrate, or at least unpack your emotional carry-on. As part of our commitment to non-linear recovery, we’d love your feedback on your recent stay in BestGuessistan.

Please answer as many or as few questions as your executive function allows. Or just nod and close the tab. That counts too.

1. Upon re-entry, how would you describe your current state?

☐ Rebooting

☐ Still buffering

☐ Overstimulated but optimistic

☐ Considering applying for permanent residency

(If checked, the Ministry of Transition will be in touch.)

2. During your stay, did you feel: (check all that apply)

☐ Seen

☐ Heard

☐ Held

☐ Quietly dissolved

☐ Like maybe you’re not broken—just on a different operating system now

3. What moment stuck with you most?

☐ The square of milk chocolate that healed you just a little

☐ The cup labeled Not Urgent

☐ The fire circle with no talking and no pressure

☐ The yoga dog who stared into your soul, then respectfully looked away

☐ The 1-mph treadmill that applauded your restraint

4. BestGuessistan might be right for someone who…

☐ Still uses a planner labeled Maybe

☐ Needs curated silence more than curated content

☐ Has a favorite yoga dog and no favorite human

☐ Believes buffering is a lifestyle, not a glitch

☐ Thinks plausible deniability should be covered by insurance

☐ Has ever left rehab thinking, That was nice, but I’m still weird

5. Any additional thoughts, dreams, or dissociative revelations?

(Optional, but welcome in any format: haiku, scream, annotated grocery list.)

You may reply to this message, ignore it completely, or fold your answers into a small origami bird and release it into the fog. We’ll find it.

Thanks again for visiting. We hope you’re settling gently back into your timeline. But if not—remember:

The ferry runs whenever you’re ready.

Warmly,

The Ministry of Rewirement

“Progress may appear non-linear. That’s because it is.”

#neurodivergence #Trauma recovery #invisible disability #mental health #Humor #TBI #Identity #Satire #chronic illness

#fibromyalgia#bipolar1#cptsd#ptsd#celiac#Bilateral plantar fascitis #chronic pains#preemie#a#noi care#noise cancelling headphones HUM ...

Salma had always been careful—careful about what she said, what she showed, and what she hid. A five-year post-transplant recipient, she had spent years learning how to blend in. Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in grade 7, she had endured six months of peritoneal dialysis before receiving her renal transplant. Now, in her first year of B.Sc. Biochemistry, she had perfected the art of invisibility.

No one at college knew about her past. The scar on her neck, where the dialysis catheter had once pierced her jugular vein, remained hidden beneath the folds of her hijab. The tremors in her hands, she dismissed as nervousness. The immunosuppressant pills, she took in the privacy of her home. Even her hospital visits, scheduled on Wednesdays, were easily concealed because she had a day off.

That Monday, her chemistry practical required her to identify an unknown organic compound. The choices were phenol, aniline, benzaldehyde, glucose, benzoic acid, phthalic acid, urea, and benzamide. Salma got glucose, and she recognized it immediately—just from its physical appearance. She carefully performed the solubility test, then proceeded with Molisch’s test, Fehling’s test, and Tollen’s test. The results were unmistakable. The violet-colored ring of the Molisch’s test and the silver mirror formed in the Tollen’s test were almost beautiful, shimmering under the laboratory lights.

Satisfied, she stood in line to report to the professor. She had gone over the procedures in her mind, confident in her explanation. But when it was her turn, she lifted her first test tube—and her hands began to tremble.

The professor, seeing her struggle, didn’t press her for answers. Instead, he simply asked for her roll number and the compound she had identified, then sent her away.

Salma walked back to her seat, her heart sinking. She should have been relieved—she wasn’t questioned, she wasn’t embarrassed—but all she felt was rage at her own hands.

She wasn’t nervous.

So why did her hands betray her?

That afternoon, she lay on her bed and cried herself to sleep, hating her body for refusing to stay silent. She imagined her hands trembling even in death—as if they wouldn’t stop until the whole world knew her story. Until everyone understood what she had survived.

But was it truly her fault?

No.

Her tremors weren’t a sign of weakness, but the lingering effects of survival. The culprit was Tacrolimus, the very drug that kept her transplant safe. A powerful immunosuppressant, Tacrolimus disrupted calcium signaling in neurons, causing them to fire excessive, uncontrolled impulses, leading to hand tremors and neuropathy. Years of kidney failure before the transplant had also exposed her brain to uremic toxins, altering neurotransmitter balance in ways that couldn’t be undone overnight.

And then, there was the adrenal connection. The kidneys sat close to the adrenal glands, which controlled stress hormones like adrenaline and noradrenaline. The trauma of surgery, the long battle with CKD—something in her autonomic nervous system had shifted, making her body overreact to stressful moments.

The tremors weren’t hers to control. They were the silent echoes of everything she had been through.

And yet, here she was. In a lab coat, performing experiments, building a future.

Her hands trembled, but she was steady.

Her body still carried traces of her past, but she was moving forward.

And that, more than anything, meant she had already won.#chronic #renal #diagnosisjourney

#Depression #ptsd#CPTSD#fibromyalgia#chronic pain #bipolar#asthmatic#check in with me# make me laugh 😅 #Ex stand up comedy#theaterfor mh #Public speaking for MH #welcome new mighty members

OLD ENOUGH TO SAY ITS

HUMP DAY 😄 😄 😄

For years I have lived with almost constant pain. This past week, I unaccountably had 2 consecutive pain free days. Even though I usually do chores/tasks in 20-30 minute increments, I worked diligently for 6 hours each day. I couldn’t believe how much I was able to accomplish with no pain!! I am so grateful. Pain returned overnight but think of all the stuff I don’t have to do this week. Thanks be to God.

Wishing all you Mighties a Merry Christmas. Thank you for all you done for each of us!
#chronic pain,#Asthma ,#Sarcoidosis ,
#spinal cord stimulator,