So, I might as well explain the issues that are expressed through my mermaids. I've experienced or come in contact with each of these.
Princess Urticaria - Urticaria is the official name for hives. Hives are most commonly from an allergic reaction to something, although they can be brought on from having a virus, or just for no reason whatsoever. They can last from a few days to months. To years. You just want to scratch and scratch until you bleed, and sometimes it feels like the only solution is to take sandpaper to your skin and take it all off. From tiny and deep red to giant blotches that are a pale pink, they can show up anywhere. They can swell up your hands. They can show up on the soles of your feet and make it painful to walk. Hopefully antihistamines and itch cream can make it stop. Hopefully.
Queen Migraine - Violent, throbbing, sharp, dull, constant. There for only a few hours or a week. Makes you want to rip your eyeballs out. Most of the time you want to crack open your skull and take out the parts of your brain that seem to be hurting. Night after night and day after day you daydream of a magical scalpel that can make it go away. You rub your temples. You pinch the bridge of your nose in some attempt at temporary relief. You hope it doesn't settle in the very back of your neck where you can't do anything about it. All you can do is drink an insane amount of water and take painkillers and sleep. Don't forget to eat, though.
Lady Anxiety - Yellow and orange for startled worry. Fidgety and ill, sweating and blushing and nauseous. It's a chaotic frenzy in your mind and it goes through and wreaks havoc on your body. Overwhelming feelings crash through you, and you might suddenly explode in choking tears. You might even throw up from insane fear of the ordinary. Just calm down. Take a breath. Sit back and realize how ridiculous your fear is. Everything will be fine. If you make a mistake, if you embarrass yourself, so be it. No one is perfect. You can redeem yourself.
Asthma - Tight and heavy in your chest. Your throat seems too small suddenly, and your lungs can't take in what you need. Pink of the lungs, and blue of the areas needing oxygen that you can't seem to get enough of. You need to calm down and use your inhaler. If, of course, you're lucky enough to have one.
Countess of the Burning Heart - The least glamorous of the dolls. Almost a nausea from the pain, sometimes so searing and sharp that it can spread to your ribs and your arms. This is more of a full intestinal doll, from stomach acids ripping through everything. It's almost like you could breathe fire, but all you want is milk and water and even a handful of tums. You want to reach down your throat and make it stop. Anxiety and heartburn go hand-in-hand.
Duchess of Depression - All you want is a blanket. You're not in a social phase. You're not emo. You're not scene. You're not a rebellious youth. You truly have no energy to be happy. It just...doesn't happen. You want to be. But no matter how you try you're stuck in a dark, grey pit of inexplicable lonliness. Like something has been torn out of you. You can't explain the feeling to anyone, truly, and you don't want to be distant to your loved ones. You really don't. But you can't get out of the groove because it's a matter of brain chemistry and the sadness starts to be sickeningly sweet. Even though you want to stay inside all day in the dark, wrapped in a warm blanket, the sun is best for you.
Empress Hashimoto - Hashimoto's disease is hypothyroidism. The thyroid is being attacked by the immune system, and can't do its job. Suddenly you have no energy, you feel the need to sleep all the time, and everything hurts. Depression sets in. You just feel...old. Everything seems out of order, your hormones are out of check, your ovaries have no sense of anything, and your stomach doesn't know what to do. The thyroid governs, and if it's out of commission, hard as the brain may try to get things back in order, the lymph nodes get out of control and nothing works. You're pale, you feel broken, and you're always seeming to get sick. A blood test and thyroid hormone replacements might save yourself.
The Monthly Maiden - Uterus, go home, you're drunk. |
