Think #12

Area codes

• I started looking into these after getting a bunch of spam calls and googling the phone numbers that called me to see if I knew anyone from the locations corresponding to the area codes. Spoiler: I did not.
• Area codes were assigned in the 1940s-50s, when rotary phones were still being used. Areas with a higher population, like New York City, were more likely to be getting phone calls, so smaller numbers were used for their area codes because those numbers were easier to dial on the rotary phone, and vice versa. For example, Washington DC’s area original area code was 202 and NYC’s was 212. Remote places like Alaska and the upper peninsula of Michigan had (and still have) area codes in the 900s.
• Aside from all that, I think it’s very satisfying to see area codes like 734 (because 7-3=4), 314, 248, and 567. It’s even more satisfying when the subsequent 7-digit phone number ~flows~ with the area code. What can I say, some phone numbers are just more aesthetic than others.

Hypermobility

• This has become more well-known in recent years because of TikTok. Many people post videos talking about their experiences with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). I don’t think all of the people posting have these syndromes, but several probably do. It’s estimated that 20-30% of the general population has some degree of hypermobility.
• Hypermobility occurs when someone’s joints are unstable because of some defect/abnormality in their collagen structure. It’s not always an issue- some people are hypermobile in a couple of joints, which can be a cool party trick and doesn’t affect their daily activities. However, when multiple joints are involved, it’s much more likely for subluxations and dislocations to occur.
• Because collagen is present in blood vessels, POTS can be a comorbidity. The link between hypermobility and MCAS isn’t as clear, but animal studies have shown that mast cells have aberrant activity within abnormal collagen, releasing more tryptase and histamine than expected.
• Chronic fatigue is also much more common in hypermobile people for various reasons, but the most easily understandable one is that it takes a lot of energy for them to hold their joints in place and prevent subluxations. Their bodies work much harder than average to accomplish normal activities, so no wonder they’re more tired.
• There’s a pretty simple scoring tool for hypermobility called the Beighton scale. The maximum score is 9/9. The more hypermobile someone is, the more points they get on the scale. It doesn’t help with prognosis or treatment. In fact, there’s no one treatment for hypermobility itself; you just have to do physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around unstable joints. It’s really annoying that there isn’t a better, more permanent solution, because hypermobility and its comorbidities can be debilitating.

Feelings

• Over the last few months, I’ve learned a few things about feelings.
• Number one: no one can tell you how to feel about something, or force you to feel a certain way. There are rare cases in which it’s wrong to have a specific emotion (for example, if a person felt ecstatic after physically injuring someone, they might have a personality disorder), but otherwise, you can feel however you want about events in your life or how you were treated by other people.
• Number two: you can be really good at identifying how you feel and giving feelings names, but that doesn’t mean you’re processing them. You actually have to let yourself feel your feelings in order to get through them. Who woulda thought?!
• Number three: you can absolutely have mixed feelings about things. For example, you can be very happy about your friends getting engaged while also feeling sad for your single self. You can be jealous of your colleague seemingly having their 5-year plan in place while also feeling hopeful for your own future. Of note, the movie Inside Out illustrates the complex coexistence of feelings beautifully.