FORUMS
The forums community in gaia, has a wide selection of topics which you can choose from depending on your point of interest. We decided to explore one by one what’s inside the forums community.
We jumped into the most popular thread in the forum.
P o k é C a f e > > Hangout Thread > > ♡
In this thread, “P o k é C a f e” is a place about Pokemon. They just don’t talk all about pokemon, but they also have surveys, freebies, updates, events and giveaways. We think that that is their way on how to keep the thread alive. Many gaians (especially the pokemon fans) are actually participating in this thread.
We’ve noticed that many gaians in this thread use small font size when posting and many of them are females.
Gaiaonline section is where you can learn what is in gaia. Here, you can get updated on what’s happening in the gaia world. Gaiaonline also have convention tours/meet ups wherein you can meet your gaia friends in real world. You could also report the bugs or what ever happening in the game by cllicking the Bug Report & Technical Support. Site Feedback is where you can share your idea and get support from others. You could also file a petition if you want something to change in gaia. Welcome to gaia is just a blog wherein if you’re a newbie, you can go there and have guidelines on how to play the game.
We tried to jump in to the site feedback in the gaia online section and choose the thread that has most number of replies on page 1.
In this thread post, Almost all of them are requesting for their avi styles (gaia outfit). Many of them requesting are males too.
Gaia community section is where you can also meet your fellow gaians.
We went to life health & fitness in the gaia community section and picked a random thread: Chronic Illnesses
In this thread, gaians talk about their chronic illnesses and how do they cope with it. We’ve noticed some gaians are depressed and it is very interesting to see how the other gaians comfort each other. Here are 2 examples:
I have a few, actually.
Systemic Lupus, a heart defect (aortic valve regurgitation resulting from a deformed tricuspid), and hyperthyroidism.
the lupus is by far the worst of my 3.
I can’t lie to you and say that there is some all-cure to dealing with the mental/physical trials of having a chronic illness – especially one that can be/is life threatening. You’ll have days where all you want to do is cry in the shower or hide in bed because you’re scared or sad that you have to struggle to feel normal every day. You’ll have days where you have to pretend to feel fine or ignore the pain youre in in order to function or do “normal” day-to-day activities that, to others, seem easily achievable. You’ll even have days where you’ll feel guilty for canceling plans because youre sick, and you’ll feel like people see you as using your illnesses as an excuse to avoid responsibilities or flake out.
Having a chronic illness is hard and you’ll have hard days.
But what I can tell you is this: you’ll have good days too. Appreciate the ******** out of those days. Don’t take for granted the days you are pain free and almost-normal. Enjoy the ******** out of the days that you can do little things that aren’t always easy to you like cooking, cleaning, walking around town, going out with friends etc. And when you’re having bad days, don’t forget that you’ll have good ones too. You’ll find you can lead a fulfilling and happy life despite having to struggle with a disease.
Seeing this thread makes me feel a whole lot less alone. Especially now, since I’ve had a few nights of severe pain. I have Crohn’s disease, psoriatic arthritis that’s connected to it, and fibromyalgia. I’ve been sick since I was two.I was originally diagnosed with just juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at that age, but I found out much later in life that I actually was diagnosed incorrectly. My case was much more complex than what was normally seen at that time. There wasn’t enough known at that time about arthritis in kids, so there really was no way to give a proper diagnosis.
I didn’t begin to show obvious GI problems until around middle school. I saw several doctors, but never got an answer. I ended up just putting up with it until it landed me in the hospital for 3 weeks years later. It was pretty bad. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s after they did a scope in the hospital. It all made sense at that point, because my knee blew up with inflammation right before this massive flare. Crohn’s is often associated with inflammation of a large joint, usually the knee.
The misdiagnosis is important, because I unknowingly had been receiving incorrect treatment for all of these years. If a GI doctor found the Crohn’s sooner, It would have probably prevented all of the knee surgeries that I’ve had. I’ve had 9 knee surgeries+procedures, including a knee replacement right after I turned 15 (I’m 23 now), a gallbladder removal, and a port placed in my chest. The port is there so I can get the IV meds needed for the Crohn’s and arthritis. My veins are in bad shape after being stuck since I was young, so it makes things a lot easier.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few years ago. It’s been a struggle trying to manage the symptoms of fibro mixed in with my other ailments lately. I’ve also had some mental health things that have thrown a wrench into my other existing conditions too.
It’s…been interesting to say the least.
I always try to remain as positive as I can given my situation, and try to find things to pass the time when I’m having bad days. Drawing, listening to music, watching videos, lurking online, and playing video games have been good options for me, since I can do all of these things while lying down in bed. Binge watching a show can be a good distraction. I’ve been doing anime marathons the past two nights to kill time, and keep my mind off of my pain.
Your struggles, feelings, and pain are always, always valid, and can’t be compared to another person’s ailments. It’s okay to feel frustrated, and to feel down at times. Being in a constant state of illness is exhausting, mentally and physically.
Netnography 