I’ve just experienced a bad attack and I’m scared that I’m having a heart attack. It started out as pain in my back when breathing in, now I have a pain at the side of my throat on the left, I’ve started to become quite dizzy and my legs feel weak, I also kept getting a very sharp pain on the left side of my chest.
I’ve already been to ER before, and they done all tests including xray but couldn’t see anything wrong.
I am worried that I have some sort of underlying heart condition and I’m going to drop dead.

I'm walking through a bustling underground train station. I push and shove my way through all the other commuters onto the platform. As I look around, there seems to be endless rows of platforms in both directions, stretching well into a dense fog. Further ahead, neat lines of railway tracks extend out from the fog and through the platforms. I instinctually look up at the info screen
Next train in ### minutes
I furrow my brow, squint to try and focus on the numbers but they're heavily pixelated and illegible. I look around at the other commuters, who stream onto the platform completely unaware of the anomaly. Most people are on their phone, or wearing headphones while some are talking to each other. No one seems to notice the malfunction with the screen.
That's when the absurdity of the situation clicks for me. Endless platforms, a wall of fog, unreadable numbers and people that don't care. It's all a dream. I bring my hand up to my face and pinch my nose, trying to breathe through it. An old reality check I remembered from back when I was trying to learn to lucid dream.
My heart rate jumped when I realised, that I couldn't breathe through my nose. Before I could even process this, another problem presented itself. I didn't know why I was here. I didn't know where I was going and I definitely did not know how I even got here. It seems as if reality ceased to exist right before I walked onto this platform. Just like it typically feels in a dream, you spawn in out of nowhere and don't really know what happened prior - except this wasn't a dream.
I knew I was sure of it because deep inside my bones I felt this anxious urgent message. I need to catch this train. It was a primal feeling.
At this point, my head is spinning and I need to sit down somewhere. I choose a silver bench with a middle aged woman sitting on it. She shuffles further to the left as I sit down next to her clutching my head and racking my brain to try and figure out what it is happening. This is what amnesia feels like, I thought to my self as I gnawed at scraps of messy muddled memories. Each image that came into my mind was just a fragment - A school, a library, sickeningly white walls. It hit me that I didn't even know my name. I was starting to hyperventilate but then my body kicked into autopilot. I started to take deep breaths, focusing on my diaphragm and calming myself down. It felt like I was trained to do this. I started to focus on the current situation.
Where was my ticket? Instinctually, I knew I had to have gotten one on my entry to the train station. I reached into my pockets and pulled out a scrap of paper. Scrawled in very familiar cursive:
*In case of memory loss, read the journal in your backpack*
Strange message but I didn't have any choice then to at least give the instructions a try. I removed my backpack and rummaged through it for the journal. I wouldn't really call it a backpack - more a tattered and frayed bundle of cloth that was reminiscent of a backpack. I finally found a series of small thick journals, bundled in cloth with their leather covers on the verge of disintegration. The pages still seemed in good condition though. Each cover was sequentially labelled which I'm guessing corresponded to the chronological order of the writings within.
The lady next to me was weirdly getting agitated. She kept stealing glances, her body shaking and eyes burning with a fierce rage. I slowly got up from the bench and began to step backwards. My backpack bumped into a pillar. The dull thud it made seemed to cause a drastic change to everyone around me though. They all snapped their heads, locking eyes on me and staring through my very soul. I felt exposed.
The rumble of an arriving train stole away their attention and within a split second everyone was ignoring me again, going back to their usual activities. It seriously felt like I had just imagined it and it was becoming more and more clear that I was having some sort of mental breakdown. Nevertheless, as the train slowed to a stop on the platform, I walked into it and found a seat. The train seemed to be old and new at the same time. Typical blue seats with abstract dirty patterns complete with a modern sleek interior of gentle curves clashing with a boxy dull metallic exterior and doors that looked like they belonged on a rusty submarine.
I opened the first of the journals and began to read. I soon realised that the handwriting was mine and within the next few moments I was attacked by a barrage of memories that had remained repressed and buried in the back of my mind.
*
My name is Jacob and I have been stuck here in this place called *The Limbo* for an eternity. When I say 'eternity', I don't mean it lightly. Back when I used to keep track I counted over 500 years through my wristwatch that never seemed to run out of battery. Now I know counting is meaningless. There have been periods like this where my mind falls into a deep trance and I lose my whole identity as I mindlessly wander in this place much like the entities that inhabit it. Occasional periods of lucidity breach this trance and then I find myself lost and confused. It's why I keep the journals with me. I think its some sort of psychological survival mechanism that human brains develop when faced with the infinite vastness of The Limbo.
Speaking of The Limbo, I've come to learn a few things about its nature through my stay here. Some of its been through people that I've come across (Yes others are also stuck here) and some has been through my own experiences. Perhaps the most important is the question of where I get my food and water. The answer is weird. I have never felt hungry or thirsty. The sensation of having cool water slide down my throat remains a memory so distant that it feels like the snippet of a childhood dream.
I guess the next natural topic about this place would be time. Through various experiences of mine (that you'll get to read about) and discussions with others, the leading theory of mine is that The Limbo exists outside of time itself. While I myself have fallen here sometime during 2001, I've met many others from various years like the 80s, 90s and even one recent fellow from 2043.
Most people in The Limbo eventually fall into a trance, withering away until they become one of the entities or become mere tools for them. It's probably naive but I keep going through this place with only two hopes. The first is to somehow get out of here at the right time point and see my son, who I never got to see. The second is to come out of this place and die so that I no longer have to live out the empty agony of eternity (I'll explain how you can't age or die in The Limbo later). Perhaps my hopes will dwindle as the centuries pile and I will become just like those who I look upon in pity now.
I am writing this consolidated diary of my experiences for several reasons. I'd like someone to know of my unending journey in this place. To be aware of the capacity of the human spirit to keep going in the worst of situations. I have never had a long term friend in The Limbo, but know that I consider you the reader a dear friend even if I never get to meet you because you will know my story. I'm also sharing this in hopes that there is more awareness of The Limbo. Perhaps the military and scientists can actually figure out what it is. Perhaps all of us can be brought home. Or maybe this can serve as a survival guide to those who may be unfortunate enough to fall through.
There are small holes in The Limbo. Most of them are barely large enough for a pinkie finger to fit in let alone a person, but sometimes I've come across one large enough for this journal to go through. I'm not sure what time or place these holes lead to, so the safe passage of this book into a person capable of reading it has about the same chances as me ever leaving this place.
The train I'm on supposedly leads to the edge of The Limbo, where the holes are large enough for humans to fit through. It's really more of a legend amongst the poor souls that are trapped here and I've followed trails and clues for a long time to even find this train.
There are only two ways this goes. Both outcomes would lead to you reading this book in your hands. I'll either find my way out of this hell or give up hope and slip this journal through a Hole. You will find my fate at the end.
I should stop rambling now though. It would be best to start at the very beginning.
*
I was rushing out of work in pure ecstasy. My wife had gone into labor while I was at work and been rushed to hospital. I needed to get there fast. People were glancing over at me over their cubicles in confusion as I packed up my work bag and rushed out to the elevators. I couldn't stop thinking about seeing my first son as the elevator made its way down. The elevator doors finally opened and I rushed out.
The ground entrance of the building I worked at, particularly near the lobby, is an intersection of various hallways. I was already walking to close to the wall when someone came rushing around the corner and bumped me right into the wall. I was only able to hear half their apology when I fell *through* the wall like it was just a holographic projection. In hindsight, I find it oddly funny how easy it is for a life to get ruined. Just when you think you've got it all, when everything is going smoothly, a small incident like that is enough to take it all away.
I found myself in a room that resembled a classroom. It looked as if someone who had never stepped inside a classroom was asked to imagine the space. Desks were arranged in messy uneven rows with the chairs facing various directions. The board at the front of the room was a seamless patchy mixture of both chalk and modern whiteboard and mounted way too low on the wall, nearly hugging the floor. A large teachers desk sat in the front of the room. The walls were filled with posters of absolute gibberish along with diagrams and pictures that seemed like they showed something tangible but no matter how close you looked you could never identify anything in the picture.
The initial confusion was replaced by an immense panic. My heart was drumming against my chest as I searched the room for a doorway to exit it. My mind was trying to rationalise the situation. I was trying to convince myself that this was just some old part of the building and I had fallen into a hallway instead of the wall.
I ran through the doorway at the far end of the room and found myself in a large hallway that seemed to extend forever in both directions. The walls were a muted grey and the floors were that typical dirty linoleum. Soon I would find out that the regularly spaced doorways on either side of the hall led to other nonsensical classrooms.
I ran down the hallway screaming for help in pure panic, which was a terrible mistake in hindsight. I stopped running down the hallway when I suddenly heard the distinct scratch of chalk against board. In this large empty space, the sound echoed and boomed. Since I was still refusing to buy in to the reality of the situation, my hopes were momentarily increased by the supposed presence of another person here.
I slowly walked over to the doorway that the sounds were coming from. My stomach filled with an uneasy dread. This deep primal instinct within me urged me to hold back. I peeked carefully in the classroom and saw a woman with their back turned to me drawing something on the chalkboard.
It took me a few moments to notice that it was a very realistic portrait of my face.
She was drawing lines across my throat, her long dark hair swaying as she drew in the details. The drawing was completed with a terrible slash across the throat, blood gurgling out. I was frozen in place, transfixed on the hauntingly beautiful realism of the picture.
She began to turn around slowly while humming a high pitched tune. To this day I can't describe the face I saw. It is still etched into my mind. A face full of so much hatred, so much anger that I don't think its possible for a human to make that face. It expressed an emotion beyond human understanding. No artist in the world could ever render the expression on the paper. No words could describe the pure fear that coursed through my veins as she stared at me and began to approach.
I turned around to run, only to realise that a bunch of school children had gathered around me. They were headless, the bleeding stumps dripping thick blood onto the floor in a rhythmic patter. Somehow they were laughing.
I shoved through the group and ran down the hallway. I wasn't sure where I was going. My whole world had shattered and now I was completely aimless in some nonsense dimension with horrors beyond imagination that wanted me dead.
*
The extract above is from this journal I found at the foot of a large tree on a hiking trail. It's a miracle that I spotted its faded leather cover given that it was almost buried under rotting leaves. I really don't know what to make of what I'm reading, so I'll be slowly transcribing bits of it in separate posts over the next few days.
I know this subreddit is good for this sort of stuff. I'd love if someone else could share anything they know about The Limbo. This whole journal feels like some sort of prank, but the words and memories within feel way too real.
I can't help but feel a connection to this story. My mum doesn't speak much of my Dad, who I know left before I was born. No one ever found out where he went.
I was born in 2001
X

I made a post recently about feeling ‘on the fence’ regarding Infliximab and asking for some reassurance.
Thought I’d make a follow up post in case anybody finds themselves in a similar position.
Infliximab was first mentioned to me last month when I was 4-6 weeks deep into a flare and had a scope done which showed moderate to severe inflammation. Prednisolone was off the table as I’d had a bad reaction to it previously. I’d been symptom-free for over a year without any medication before this flare so the mention of biologics and infusions and having to rely on a drug to keep me well came as a bit of a shock to me and I told my Doctor I wanted to read into it further before committing to it. Essentially I was trying to buy some time and hoping my body would somehow overcome the flare by itself without medication. I was given Budesonide but it wasn’t helping.
The flare continued to get worse and it reached the point where I’d be up 15-20 times each night running to the bathroom. Stomach pain would come in waves and I started to lose my appetite and drop weight. My family took matters into their own hands and called an ambulance for me on Saturday night and I was admitted as an inpatient.
I spent 3 days on Hydrocortisone 100mg injections 4 times daily and I felt some relief and no side effects from that. The team were able to give me my first Infliximab infusion at my bedside as an inpatient yesterday rather than having me wait for an appointment at the infusion suite later down the line. I was given 100mg Hydrocortisone and some antihistamines before being put on the infusion for 2 hours. The antihistamine must’ve made me drowsy because I went to sleep and woke up with 5 minutes to go.
I don’t know if it’s coincidence or placebo but I felt better almost immediately and I haven’t passed any fresh blood since the infusion was finished. Up until that point I’d been passing blood upwards of 20 times daily.
My CRP was at 120 when I came in, 80 yesterday and sub 40 today. I did provide some samples for calprotectin pre infusion but I doubt they’ll even be useable.
I guess the main message I’m trying to put out is that biologics do sound like a serious step and can be difficult to swallow to begin with but a medical professional will not likely recommend them lightly and I encourage others not to wait until you’re on death’s door before making your decision. Very early days for me right now of course but the procedure and preparation was straightforward and I felt instant relief.

Holy priests are arguably one of the more boring healers in Warcraft to the point that people often refer to them as the ‘default’ healer. I’m sure there are more deep, underlying issues that Holy has but I wanted to try tackling them on a purely thematic level with some minor thoughts on a more gameplay-oriented level.
I aim to make more interesting spells that interact in a fun way that gives the holy spec a little more flavor than, “The default RPG healer”.
Quick preemptive self-defense though. This is all in good fun and purely theoretical. It’s always been interesting for me to speculate what a class or spec could be and rather than hoarding it all to myself, I thought it would be more interesting to see some other people's opinions and possibly inspire others to do the same. With that said...

• Make the Holy Priest a little more bard-inspired

Some of Holy’s biggest cooldowns are Divine Hymn and Hymn of Hope (Renamed to Symbol of Hope now). Singing to help your allies. You’ll notice other spells in the toolkit like shadow WORD pain and power WORD shield. Shadow has a spell called SILENCE for god’s sake. Basically, the implication is that priests are using their voices to channel their spells somehow. Why not...do more of that? Because I can’t lie, having several spells named “Heal” with different variations is killing me inside.
Plus, a bunch of the talent node names already lean into this! A few notable examples are:
Voice of Harmony
Healing Chorus
Gales of Song
Divine Word
Resonant Words
All the Holy Word Spells
Let’s make it so Holy is all about literally singing the Light’s praises. After all, if Shadow and Holy are canonically on two ends of the spectrum with Discipline being the proverbial middle ground, let’s really have Holy Priest’s be truly ‘Devout Feeling’ with their spell names. Double points if the spells end with a sung note or maybe a little arpeggio of a harp or something.
Let’s go through a few examples I’ve thought of and any non-obvious reasons behind each decision.
“Heal” -> “Holy Solo”
“Flash Heal” -> “Divine Etude” (An Etude is a short music piece)
“Prayer of Healing” -> “Holy Motet” (A motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, the name describes the movement of the different voices against one another)
“Circle of Healing” -> “Sacred Cantata” (A Cantata, (from Italian cantare, “to sing”), originally, a musical composition intended to be sung, as opposed to a sonata, a composition played instrumentally)
“Renew” -> “Grace Note” (An extra note added as an embellishment and not essential to the harmony or melody)
And now, I’ve saved my favorite for last. Its effect is decent but the name is so uninspired…
“Trail of Light”? More like... “Light Motif”!
A light Motif is a dominant recurring theme and what’s more dominant and recurring than spam healing?
The point is that there are so many possibilities with having the Holy priest being the spec that heals with singing, and unlike trying to shoehorn bards in as a new class, it makes some sense here.

• Holy’s New Groove

Ok, so all this stuff so far is just replacing words for other words and I know what you’re thinking…
“This doesn’t do anything to fix the fact that Holy is still quite dull compared to other healers!”
You’re dead right. The Priest’s Discipline spec currently rewards thinking ahead of what the encounter you’re facing will bring while Holy just sits back and collects red solo cups after the party is over. Let’s change that.
My main problem is with its mastery. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very “Good” when you’re thinking about the throughput and the pure numbers but it’s also a very “set it and forget it” style of gameplay and reminds me of the Shaman’s sometimes similarly maligned mastery that dishes out healing depending on how much health is missing. There’s no thinking required and frankly, Shaman have a much more interesting toolkit to justify it.
I think we would all prefer it to be more interesting like how Paladins generate more healing based on how close they are to the action which allows them to get in close with their other melee abilities anyway and encourages them to help out with the DPS. Excellent design decision. Win win win.
So the first thing is to fix the mastery and the new system I am proposing is…
“Mastery: Chord Progression”
To start, your basic heal will apply an effect to a targeted party member. This effect will have a very long uptime which can stack called Holy Note. (I’m personally imagining a buff that has a golden crotchet note with a little wing instead of the tail). Now your first Holy Note merely exists on top of the target and does a small heal over time in a similar being to how the mastery currently works, increasing with how much mastery you have.
A second heal to the target will apply a second stack and increase the stacked effect. This will change the buff icon to be two crotchets, stacked on top of one another. This will, again, increase the heal over time effect.
A 3rd heal to the target will complete the stack and heal the target with an effect called “Holy Chord” that heals more depending upon your mastery stat. Instead of just spamming heals over and over again mindlessly to get that powerful Holy Word spell you want back in case you need it, you instead work up chords on friendly targets. Targets that don’t require constant spamming will have heal over time effects up near constantly whereas targets that are dying and in need of healing will receive direct heals instead!
The effect is largely the same but with a little more thought and interactivity involved. If a target has two Holy Notes ready but is only at, say, 70% health, you can wait and focus on other party members until they drop a little more, and then you complete the chord.
So that’s the base outline of the spec. The long uptime of the buff rewards not finishing off the chord until you actually need it and still makes it usable in PvP.
The best part about it is that if we don’t want to be rid of the cooldown reduction mechanic that Holy is currently working with, it can fit very neatly over the top without changing anything too fundamental. The Holy Words might need some very slight tweaking to work but I don’t see any immediate problems with this system.

• New and Reworked Spells

Now, Holy needs some new cooldowns. Over the years, Holy has gone from having one of the most well-rounded toolkits to one that looks very limited in comparison. Shaman's can heal by sharing health percentages. Paladin’s have all their auras, Glimmers, and immunities. Evokers can fly and bombard people with healing, heal through stuns and other CC, and reverse recent damage taken. Monks are dashing around like no one's business and healing by punching them in the face. Let’s find some good stuff to give the Holy Priest.
Guardian Spirit stays right where it is. It’s extremely thematic to the spec identity by this point and I think it works well with the Holy Note system since you can leave a target with Guardian Spirit to die while you work on other targets with Holy Notes in the meantime.
Hymn of Hope (Not Symbol, change it back) can also stay because its raid and PvP utility is interesting and works collaboratively with other healers and DPS. A good singer should strengthen and work off those around them, right? It works thematically with this Bard theming we’ve got going on. Plus, having to drop it isn’t nearly as painful as having to quit Divine Hymn early. Speaking of which.
The first thing to change is Divine Hymn itself! Sure, on paper it feels very Holyish and it’s certainly quite powerful but ask any Holy Priest what its main flaw is and they won’t hesitate to tell you. You can’t move and nothing is stopping it from being interrupted from an interrupt, a knockback, a stun, or a pull, etc. There are so many instances I can think of where I wanted to press it so badly but I knew it would do more harm than good. Added that it’s often a dead button for me if I ever decide to try using Holy for PvP since in the rare event that I’m not being trained or chain CC’d, it’s so AOE-focused that it often isn’t strong enough to help anyone outside of a Battleground from behind a rock. It requires a PvP talent to make it more worthwhile which is very seldomly picked anyway.
I had a thought after playing Discipline for a while and having Ultimate Penitence available to me. It’s an incredibly fun spell that does a boatload of healing and/or damage while making you immune to CC effects and giving you a huge absorb shield to delay damage to yourself. It’s balanced by having a long cooldown that you can reduce but only by talenting into the following nodes in the tree.
I can’t be the only one who’s noticed that Divine Hymn is basically Ultimate Penitence but drastically weakened and less cool looking to boot.
My idea was to give it the same ‘un-crowd-controllable’ effect as Ultimate Penitence and make it do generally increased healing instead of a stacking effect to increase further healing afterward. The new ‘gimmick’ of it would either be that it would either expel enemies from within a certain radius once, like Anduin’s big bubble of light from the cinematic, or gently push enemies back from the priest as the center point. This would not completely negate adds or an enemy player’s walking speed having any forward momentum, but it would definitely aid in players trying to kite adds when they’re dying or from enemy players in PvP where that little extra distance would make the difference, and would also reward the priests choice in a central location. You could inadvertently push enemies INTO players, after all.
To top all of this off, I would prefer to have this ability further down in the tree to make it feel a bit more impactful of a choice rather than ‘almost’ mandatory’ where it is smack bang in the middle. A lot of spells in talent trees that are sat dead center in the tree feel like they're meant to be picked and I feel like Guardian Spirit should be where Divine Hymn is at the moment, not as close to the level 10 talents as it is currently. For example, Soul Swap for Affliction Warlocks, Invoke Yu’lon/Chi’ji for Mistweaver, Dancing Rune Weapon for Blood Death Knights, and Pillar of Frost for Frost Death Knights. I could go on but the list is pretty exhaustive.
Another thing I would like to change is very synonymous with Holy Priests but something that I think, overall, doesn’t see as much use as we’d like. Primarily because it relies on the priest dying.
Spirit of Redemption is a cool spell, the problem is that unless you take the capstone talent to make you revive afterward or you take the PVP talent to make it into a cooldown in PvP, you don’t really ‘want’ to trigger its activation requirements or have a reliable way of doing so in PvE when you want its effects. I do enjoy that now it allows you to resurrect an ally if you die so someone else can continue the fight but it’s more of a consolation prize or at worst, a reward for bad skill expression. It is also basically a required talent in Solo Shuffle as, if the priest dies, your teammates have 15 seconds to get a kill of their own to win the match or you take the PvP talent as a way more powerful cooldown.
What I would like to do is make the Spirit of Redemption a bigger cooldown spell but give it an obscenely long cooldown so you cannot feasibly use it more than once per fight. Like the Holy Word: Salvation spell without the possibility of cooldown reduction. Because you are losing it upon death, the gimmick here would be that it would last the full 15 seconds, you don’t use mana while casting and you can resurrect a party member instantly in that form(Outside of PvP). This would make the spell more central to the spec rather than as an add-on, free up a PvP talent choice node, and make the battle resurrection more readily available rather than having to wait for your death to use it.
Another such spell we could make SO much more interesting is Divine Star. The one people don’t like taking because who the hell doesn’t WANT to take Halo, right? Whether it’s effective in whatever format you’re playing in, it’s much more visually interesting and it just FEELS powerful, y’know?
Now to fix this, I’m going to do none of the work and instead do what Blizzard should have done by taking an idea from their own IP…Anduin’s Divine Star in Heroes of the Storm!
Yeah, I know they’ve stopped doing anything with HoTS but still…
In HoTS, it has had a bunch of effects over its tenure depending on the talents you take and most of them would make the spell more interesting in WoW. Maybe when it comes back to the priest, it could explode and heal party members or deal damage as Shadow near the priest since you’re already in close range due to the nature of the spell. Maybe it doesn’t even buff up the healing of the actual spell itself and instead interacts with your other heals by producing a stacking buff per enemy/ally you hit that increases the power of your next Flash Heal or Mind Blast?
We can also improve the lackluster mobility of the Holy Priest outside of always picking Angelic Feather by giving them the reverse Leap of Faith Glyph back as a choice node between the normal Leap of Faith.
The ability to jump to your allies was a worthwhile drawback to not being able to troll people as hard with the Leap of Faith ability when Glyphs were a thing and frankly, I miss it. I find that sometimes I’d rather be able to jump into the fray, especially as a class with an AoE fear effect, and the regular leap of faith doesn’t reward that playstyle as much. I remember back in Shadowlands that having Door of Shadows to jump in, disorient them with the covenant effect, and then Psychic Scream before running back out was actually really interesting and it’s one of the only things I miss from that expansion.
In terms of a new name instead of being a glyph, our new ability “Light Transposition“ will cause you to fly to your friend’s location just like old times. Stick it on a choice node with Leap of Faith and you have two differing playstyles almost immediately.
Now a major problem all healers have to contend with, especially to compete with the Meta of Discipline Priests and Holy Paladins, is providing some level of damage.
Not gonna lie, this is where I’m not sure about this idea since I already don’t ‘love’ the idea of healer’s DPSing and having to work around the base spells of the class now that they’ve been reintroduced has made this a little clunky so I’d love some other suggestions for this part. I’d prefer that healers offered utility that DPS do not have access to rather than extra damage but that seems to be the direction Blizzard is rolling in. Frankly, at the moment, Smite and Holy Fire interact with very little of the Holy toolkit outside of Chastise and Empyreal Blaze and we also have Shadow Word: Pain and Mind Blast. I fear that they will all just be tacked on to the toolbar with no thought and we’ll just have this myriad of spells to randomly fire off when we’re bored.
Personally, as a basic idea, I would consider removing Holy Fire as a button as, in the theme of removing bloat that War Within seems to be addressing, I think having Holy Fire as an add-on effect in the same way as the Monk’s Chi Wave is being remade would be ideal. It could function in the same way as Holy Note in that every three casts of smite would bring down a blast of Holy Fire which would give way to being justified in making Holy Fire feel a bit more impactful. Mind Blast could be used within this to ‘erupt’ the Holy Fire DoT, causing an effect I think I’d like to call “Discordant Notes” on account of mixing the void with the light which would either do additional damage or perhaps cause an extra effect like a slow or AoE damage around the target.
With this in mind, Empyreal Blaze could remain as a talent and cause Smite to proc Holy Fire two additional times when it next triggers its chord effect. Shadow Word: Pain would likely exist as just an extra DoT you can throw on as it is now or it could be applied through Mind Blast to clear up more bar space.
Anyway, those are just some thoughts I’ve had. I’m sure there are flaws in them and I’m looking forward to hearing them but I hope you found them fun to theorise around!

As of recently, I've been feeling pain at the base of the penis, just beside my dorsal nerve, slightly to the right from the mid of my base, especially the next day post Any PE session. I use a bathmate and manual clamping(with a soft clamp at the base) for girth and everything else is manuals...
the pain is dull and can be unnoticeable when left alone, but if I do a slight straight down stretch or stretch to the left or when press down on the right side with my finger, it's very noticeable ( painful but bearable, not like a shock or sharp as people have said for nerve pain specifically)
I took a week off and all pain subsided but upon restarting PE yesterday(no pain whatsover during), I woke up with the same pain today. I'm unsure if my pelvic floor is tight on one side(if that is even a thing) or it's a possible nerve irritation...I've also noticed lymphangiosclerosis occuring since the pain had started, running along my Shaft on the right side as well right next to the dorsal nerve and feel it inflamed following it till the part that pains upto my pubic bone.
No issues in penis function, erections are normal except pain in the same spot when pushing my erect penis forward and outward towards my thighs or straight down stretch when flaccid.
Looking for any advice as to what is causing this as well as recovery from this?

As of recently, I've been feeling pain at the base of the penis, just beside my dorsal nerve, slightly to the right from the mid of my base, especially the next day post Any PE session. I use a bathmate and manual clamping(with a soft clamp at the base) for girth and everything else is manuals...
the pain is dull and can be unnoticeable when left alone, but if I do a slight straight down stretch or stretch to the left or when press down on the right side with my finger, it's very noticeable ( painful but bearable, not like a shock or sharp as people have said for nerve pain specifically)
I took a week off and all pain subsided but upon restarting PE yesterday(no pain whatsover during), I woke up with the same pain today. I'm unsure if my pelvic floor is tight on one side(if that is even a thing) or it's a possible nerve irritation...I've also noticed lymphangiosclerosis occuring since the pain had started, running along my Shaft on the right side as well right next to the dorsal nerve and feel it inflamed following it till the part that pains upto my pubic bone.
No issues in penis function, erections are normal except pain in the same spot when pushing my erect penis forward and straight down stretches flaccid
Looking for any advice as to what is causing this as well as recovery from this?

Hi everyone! I’d like to start by saying that as a first time mom, this thread has really helped me navigate breastfeeding. It is so hard but finally getting easier! LO is 5 weeks today.
So as the title says- my right side is super uncomfortably full and the left side is so leaky! I wake up with the left side of my shirt drenched and the right so engorged.
My left nipple is flat, but we have worked around it. It was so painful but I just pushed through and kept latching him. It used to take him a lot longer to latch but he has learned. With that said, my right has always produced more and he definitely prefers it. My left side is always a bit smaller because the right is so full.
Any tips on how to balance this out?
Thank you!

What more can I do? The people who live under me insufferable. they constantly complain to me about me making noise! It started by them saying my dog barked all night the first night he was left alone. I got off work 4 hours early that night (2 am) and didn't go inside for about an hour because i was enjoying the cool night. And I wanted to see if he was barking, but he didn't make a peep. Additionally the neighbors on either side listened for him after I left for work at 6 pm (and we can all hear eachothers tv's) but they didn't hear him. They (all 3 neighbors) had my number but nobody texted. They just complained when I saw them the next day.
​
Almost every time the people under me see me they complain about the noise. So I've done everything in my power to keep it quiet while actively making every effort to avoid them. My dog stays at my moms house most nights when I'm working and when that's not possible and he's home alone he's got his bark collar on and I give him his anxiety medication to help him sleep. They still say he runs around all night but that's not possible because he's crated. i thought it could be the cats but when I'm home the cats sit in their tree and sleep and that's all they do all night until about 6 am when they get their morning treat.
​
I put some area rugs down to try to help. But that hasn't done anything.
​
I even did these neighbors a favor and let them use my washer and dryer (even though they did 3 times as many loads as I do alone) to try to get on their good side until they started complaining about cat hair allergies and I didn't want to risk one of them passing out in my apartment so I had to put a stop to it.
​
This morning at 5 am the woman texts me that she heard my dog running around and he's kept them up all night. No. last night I was home and I watched my dog and cats, nobody ran around. Nobody made noise. Nobody barked. Nobody meowed. I paced back and forth to the bedroom a few times when I needed to, and I try to step as light as I can but I have a bad leg. I limp so it's probably not as light as a normal person could walk. if she heard anything it was me. Everyone else was asleep and I was in my chair with my leg propped up watching twitch most the night. I can only do so much. I'm not going to make myself uncomfortable by tip toeing around my own apartment that I pay for. But if it really kept you up all night why did you wait until 5 AM to say something?
​
I sent an email to the office and asked to swap apartment because I don't want to disturb them anymore and I know two ground floor apartments are going to open up over here soon. But I know they aren't going to let me. The office staff is the least professional group of people I've ever met and they don't like work.
​
And don't get me wrong... I mean I get it. I know it's an old apartment complex. It's poorly insulated. and I'm sorry if they really do hear noise from up here. but what else can I do? I'm seriously not making much, if any noise. The only thing that's making any noise is my fan. but I can't imagine how they could be hearing that. I'm doing the best I can. When you move into a bottom apartment isn't a little bit of noise to be expected? I would understand if we were really being disruptive, playing loud music, barking, or even running around and playing all night I could see where that kind of thing would be disruptive. But we aren't. I wake up in the afternoon, do my cleaning, cooking, until 9 or 10 and then sit down and watch twitch until i'm tired enough to go back to bed sometime in the morning. I'm depressed as hell, I literally have no desire to do anything. Unfortunately I do still care about others.
​
The person on my right has told me to not worry about it, she's told me they complain about everyone. And honestly that statement was proven as for the couple weeks they were doing laundry at my apartment. The woman started to buddy up to me and complain about other residents. I suspect at least part of the complaints are really because I no longer letting them use my laundry. But it still makes me feel bad. Suggestions? i don't know what to do to make these people happy.
​
All i really want is to be left alone and in peace. I try to be quiet. I try to be as helpful and respectful as I can be to other people. I don't ask anything of anyone. I don't complain. when my apartment needs a repair I usually don't even call maintance if it's not an emergency because I don't want to bother anyone. what am i supposed to do? maybe it's the depression but more and more things just keep going wrong and those dark thoughts keep creeping in. i don't know what to do anymore.

For background check my posts. This is my second fight with Insomnia/sleep disturbance after 6 years of sleeping good. The first fight started because I was injected with adrenaline during an EP study of my heart - lasted 8 months and by a miracle I got better - this was 6 years ago.
I believe this time my sleep disturbances and insomnia started after i took a high dose methyl b complex (sounds stupid but just search reddit and methyl b insomnia) - apparently there's something called overmethylation. Many people get better and a few have long lasting issues with adrenaline and sleep disturbances/insomnia - which seem permanent. I wish I'd had accidentally taken poison instead of this seemingly harmless vitamin complex.
The only thing that puts me to sleep all night is lorazepam. However I know it will eventually stop working and give me more issues so after a week using it on and off, I've decided not to take it any more.
The other med I'm prescribed is mirtazipine - 7.5mg being the dose to put me to sleep, does it help? Sometimes yes sometimes no. If it does I wake up every 3hrs and after 5hrs of total sleep, I can't sleep further. It really messes me up in the day. I can't function. I become numb.
I realised one thing in all of this. There's not one med for sleeping that doesn't have a pay off where it will mess another part of your life up or cause you other illnesses or cause withdrawal. It's a cruel condition with cruel medications.
Last night, I tried sleeping without a single med - because this was the only way I got better 6 years ago, by allowing my body to recover itself - will it recover this time? I'm not sure and I have a feeling it won't and that something is permanently damaged from the vitamins I took. I didn't feel anxious last night but you're always told you are anxious by others and that anxiety is always the root cause of insomnia - many fail to realise it's the byproduct of insomnia and not the cause - anyway I was too tired and drowsy to feel anxious. I've slept soundly in stressful situations throughout my life so how anxious could I be really?
Anyway, I did sleep (if that's what you wanna call it)... Here's how it went - I dreamt so vividly and the dream felt like it lasted 8 hours. However I realised in reality I slept only 20 mins. The whole night was spent in 20 minute sleep cycles with vivid dreams that felt like forever. I must have woken up about 15-20+ times sleeping 20-30 mins at a time.
If anyone else has gone through this then you know my pain.
I've been advised to get off reddit as its probably not helping anxiety towards sleep and the obsession around it. But this feels like more than just anxiety. I believe there's something more mechanical going on which is affecting my sleep - I assume it's to do with the nervous system - namely the system that controls fight or flight/adrenaline. If it's a biological issue, then no amount of cbt-i or sleep hygiene or whatever will help.
I've seen so many people find their magic bullet here. For some it was GABA supplements, for another it was potassium gluconate, for another it was metropalol (a beta blocker), for another it was moving to his girlfriends house and sleeping for the first time, I've even seen someone say they have to eat unhealthy foods before bed and they sleep.
I don't know if I'll ever find my magic bullet. I believe there's something physiological going on but it's beyond the understanding of modern medicine.
If you can sleep 5-6hrs naturally and consider it bad. Maybe my sleep of only 20 mins x 20 will make you appreciate your solid 4-6hrs.
Probably my last post, if this doesn't kill me indirectly (yeah I know, the whole everyone thinks insomnia will kill them) - then I'll be lucky. My mums side has cardiac issues genetically and lack of sleep increases that risk.
I've been through so much with my health and sleep was my escape. Now I don't have that. If anyone is sleeping less than 2-3hrs a night or having 20-30 mins sleeps cycles. I honestly feel your pain.
I'm not sure of the future, but right now I wish I was with my deceased relatives.
Ps I'm a husband and father of two children. This has taken all the joy away of being either. I hope it returns one day.

A little plot convinient coincidence never hurt anyone.
First
You know the drill: credit to SpacePaladin15 for the universe.
Thank you JulianSkies for proofreading.
Memory Transcription Subject: Gillab, Gojid Citizen, Husband and Father
Date [Standardized Human Time]: March 27, 2142
It was early in the morning, birds were chirping, and the air was still chilled from the night. It was a comfortable morning, especially considering what had happened yesterday. I could still feel the leftovers of a hangover in the back of my head, but it was more than manageable for me. A small headache like that wouldn’t stop me from visiting the memorial.
I still had a ways to walk before I got there, but I didn’t mind. It just let me take in the beauty of the new New York City that had been built. Even if I wasn’t a Human, I felt a sense of pride at the sight of the glistening towers and the clean streets. Despite only playing a minor role in the clean-up and reconstruction, it was certainly enough for me to feel that I had contributed enough to take pride in it.
I still cannot believe I ever even thought of hating Humans, the fact that I did still disgust me to this day. I wasn’t alone in that mindset either, billions of former soldiers, exterminators, or Human-phobes had woken up to the reality, with tens of thousands of them moving to Earth and trying to repay the Humans what they had taken. Many of them still struggled with coming to terms with their past.
It was because of them that I could become a husband to the most beautiful Gojid in the universe and father to the most rambunctious one. Without their help on the Cradle, I would have died long ago and never have been able to even see the love of my life. They inspired me to become more than just a father and husband, I was going to become just like them.
In my free time, I often worked for charities, volunteered for clean-ups, and tried my hand as a substitute teacher. Even if I wasn’t the best at it, I still enjoyed doing them. It let me feel like I was making a difference in the world, continuing the legacy that the Humans had set up. I would save as many people as I could, just like the person who saved me.
I had lost track of Billy ever since the Cradle, and the one time I had heard about him was from Naeriu telling me how Billy ended up surviving in a cabin in Alaska. It wasn’t like I didn’t try to find him, but it was a big universe, and finding one soldier seemingly determined not to be found made it frustratingly difficult.
After six years of on-and-off searching, I had finally given up on him. I had searched for his name several times on every memorial I could find, desperately hoping to find some sort of closure on his life, but in the end I was left clueless as to the fate of the man who did so much for me.
I sighed the thoughts out of my head, not wanting to have such a negative mindset when I was trying to visit some friends.
I passed under the familiar arch, taking a deep breath of the salty air as I did. After the bombs fell, the crater left behind quickly flooded with ocean water. The near-perfect bowl had become a new habitat for all manner of sea life, a symbol of how even the worst tragedy could be overcome. Surrounding the crater was a ring of stone walls, divided into sections corresponding to when and where a soldier was killed or went missing.
I navigated the massive monument with familiarity, having visited it many times before. I’ve always preferred to visit the day after the holiday, it was always almost empty as people had their fill the day before. Every year or so someone would have a similar idea to me, but it never drew from the experience.
And speaking of, a single man was standing in the exact spot I preferred to stand in. In one of his hands was a bag with the top of a bottle poking out and his other was clenched into a tight fist, his eyes were clenched tightly, his face was strained in pain and profound sadness. You didn’t need to be a detective to know that this man was hurting, whether for lost brethren in arms, lost biological brethren, or simply overwhelming sadness from the loss of life, this man was hurting.
I considered leaving the disheveled man to his devices, but some deep part of my mind told me to talk to him. He didn’t turn to face me as I got closer, he didn’t even open his eyes. It was as if nothing outside of his mind was real to him and it could all be ignored.
“Excuse me? Sir? Are you visiting someone you know?”
He still ignored me, but he loosened the death grip he had on his fist.
“It’s fine if you don’t tell me, but I find that it helps to talk about your feelings with someone else. Even if that someone else is an alien.”
Slowly the man opened his eyes and sluggishly turned to face me. Still, he refused to speak.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to speak, I can stay quiet. But if you won’t stop me, I’d like to speak at you. You don’t have to respond, sometimes it’s better to just listen anyway.”
To my surprise, the man actually spoke. His voice was rough and sad, matching the image in front of me. “Why are you here?”
I smiled and turned to face the wall of names. “I’m visiting some old friends, people who saved my life.”
I pointed a claw at the names. “Owen Oak and James Kle are the ones that I know here, but I know more at other points along the wall. Who did you know?”
The man was silent for a moment. “The same people.”
“Really? How did you know them?”
“I was a soldier. I worked with them.”
I started to nod when a thought flashed through my mind. If he knew the soldiers who worked with Billy, maybe he knew Billy himself. It didn’t seem like a stretch in my eyes, they were all part of the same squad after all.
So, despite having given up on actively searching for Billy, I decided to ask the question. “If you don’t mind me asking, do you maybe know a soldier named Billy Marsh?”
“That’s me.”
I blinked. “W-what?”
“I’m Billy Marsh.”
I stepped back and looked the man up and down. As I did, he finally looked me in the eyes. Once I saw his eyes, the color and shape, I knew with all my heart that this man was Billy Marsh. Even with the scraggly hair, patchy beard, dirty clothes, and brown-bagged drink in hand, there was no mistaking the eyes of the man who saved my life.
“Holy shit… It really is you.”
Billy took a deep drink of his liquor, barely flinching from what I could now see was Venlilian alcohol. He must have been drinking it frequently to be so used to the burning, and judging from his appearance that was no stretch.
“Yeah, it’s me. Billy Marsh, Human trash and parasite to the world.”
My mind tumbled at the words, causing me to stutter and hold out a claw in surprise. “N-now wait a second. You are anything but Human trash or a parasite. You’re a hero Billy, I know for a fact. You saved my life!”
“I’m no hero. I’ve killed so many others. It would have been better off if I never joined the military, maybe more lives could have been saved. Maybe Owen’s life could have been saved.”
He took another gulp of his drink as I spoke. “Now hold on, you saved plenty of-”
Alcohol spilled onto his shirt as he yelled. “I didn’t save anyone! Someone else could have saved so many more lives than I could! At the end of it all, when all was said and done, I was an idealistic fool and a failure and a horrible person. I’ve ended up killing more people than I’ve saved, and I’ve ruined so many lives.”
I took a stand. “Now that’s blatantly not true. Who’s telling you this? Billy, you are one of the kindest, most caring people I have ever met.”
“Was. I was one of the kindest and most caring. And you want to know why? It was because I hadn’t been woken up to just how terrible the universe really was. I mean, what could one young, dumb soldier do in the grand scheme, right? If I really wanted to help, I should have become a doctor or a fucking politician, right? But I chose to be a soldier, a useless fucking pawn that wasn’t even good at its job.”
He took another drink as I stood stunned at who Billy had become. I never could have expected the valiant, patient, caring soldier to become so volatile and angry. I had to help him. I don’t care if I have to miss a few classes, I’m rescuing this man from himself.
“Billy, can I visit sometime soon?”
He spilled a little alcohol as he pulled the bottle away quickly. “Fuck no. I don’t need to ruin your life too. Stay the hell away from me, I’m like a fucking bomb. You are just going to get hurt, it’s a miracle you didn’t the first time.”
“Well if you’re a bomb, then I’m going to disarm you. I don’t know how long you have been like this, but I’m going to heal you.”
He pointed a finger at my chest. “Then I’m just going to fight back. I’m not letting you anywhere near me.”
I pointed right back. “You don’t get to make that decision. It’s my life, and I am choosing to help you.”
“You are going to regret it. I say that with one hundred percent absolute certainty.”
“We won't know until we try.”
Billy took a step back, placed a hand on his head and growled. “You know what? Fine. Try your luck. It’s your life, right? But when you see just how helpless you are to help me, don’t expect to get your wasted time back. I don’t know what you think you can do, but give it a try! It’s still early in the morning, so why don’t we head on back to my place so you can work whatever magic you think you have.”
Billy didn’t wait for a response and stormed off to the exit without another word. I watched him for a long moment before sighing deeply. I don’t know the exact details of what happened to him, but with what Naeriu told me and the names on the memorial I could piece together some vague details. It sounded like Billy had gone through hell, and now he thinks he deserves it.
I clenched my claw in determination before jogging to catch up to Billy. I had some calls to make on the way over to his house knowing just how much work I was going to have to do to help the man who saved me.

First: https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/14vo5lb/troublemakers_deaths_pity/
*previous:* https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/1crq34h/troublemakers_buried_secrets_bolster_the_weak/
......
Go'mon strutted around the command center, a cape of deep purple silk flowing about his shoulders as he wore his gilded armor. An ornate helmet underneath one arm, the faceplate forged into the visage of a snarling Rak'nal beast. He peered over the shoulders of drone pilots, observing the carnage on the streets in front of the mansion. His black scimitar hung at his belt, the palm of his war gauntlet resting on the hilt, eyebrow crests rising as he saw the expeditionary general's Buzzard explode.
"Casualty report on General Gra'vos?"
He stated to the small Geknosian woman who deftly piloted her drone closer to the wreckage to pull data from the onboard recorder. Her eyes sparkled, reflected in the screen as the data was streamed directly into her brain through a neural implant.
"Deceased, Just like you planned, his provided pleasure slave threw him from the craft and stole the det-sphere you clipped to his belt. You seem to know a lot about how these humans fight."
Go'mon touched the small grooves underneath the elastomer skin of his face where that parasite had shot him with a concealed gun. He laughed bloodily and purred.
"Failure is the greatest teacher in the universe, these parasites have taught me everything they know. Now we just need to see what their true fighting strength is."
"Understood sir, orders?"
"Get a view on the inner courtyard and report to the commanders of the second and third waves their positions and weaponry."
A young lieutenant called out.
"Sir! Twelve UHM-60 Blackhawks en-route to the enemy base! Advise!"
Go'mon stalked over, peering over the satellite observer's shoulder as he followed a chevron of twelve helicopters loaded down with ancient, obsolete human war-droids. He rapped the claws of his war gauntlet against the handle of his scimitar with a purr.
"Send orders to Commander Mar'tek to equip three of his Gallicks with anti-air weaponry, and orders for Commander Rak'don to equip his light attack craft with visual lock on missiles."
"Yes sir, relaying orders now."
Go'mon patted his subordinate on the shoulder hard enough to make them wince as he stepped back to gaze up at the massive map of Golgotha on the big screen. Small purple dots converging on a black dot that symbolized the human base of operations. He noticed that Mar'tek's forces were delayed, having only made it roughly halfway to their staging area. Walking over to the Comm's desk he asked.
"What's taking Commander Mar'tek so long to get into position?"
"A small group of human Saboteurs dropped a pair of buildings across the roadway, they're still clearing the rubble sir."
Go'mon nodded, picking idly at his metal teeth with the sharp point of his war gauntlet's index finger.
"Hm... I thought the parasite's response was oddly punctual, color me surprised they had the wherewithal to keep scouts. Move Mar'tek to the rear of the attack plan and tell Rak'don he's up next."
"Yessir!"
Go'mon chuckled haughtily, exiting the command room and returning to his field office. Setting his helmet on top of his desk he picked up the communication stick for sylva.
"Sylva, Would you kindly deal with that gate once you've landed?~"
There was a pause before.
"I'm too injured to follow that order sir."
Go'mon raised an eyebrow crest at the monotone voice that echoed back through the device.
"you've never refused a command before darling, would you kindly take care of the gate?"
The pause was longer this time, much longer this time. Then, a different, much younger voice came through, filled with fear, but also tainted with determination.
"Fuck you, Go'mon. These are our friends."
The sound of penny whistles and drums accompanied the words before the comms device popped in his gauntlet with the sound of a musket shot. Impossibly thick gray smoke pulsing from the speaker as he snarled and tossed it to the side.
"Bobby, Would you be a dear and retrieve your sister for me?"
The almost seven foot tall brute slowly nodded, eyes dull behind his ceramite mask as he stomped from the command center, bulky combat armor clattering and clunking with each step. Go'mon pressed his metal teeth together with a hiss. That damned warrior corrupted everything he touched with delusions of free will. Go'mon grabbed a fungal cigar from the box General Da'kos had given him as a thank you gift. The sweet, smoky flavor filling his maw as he lit it with the glowing hot blade of his gauntlet's thumb. He relaxed into his chair, flicking his cape out from beneath him as he enjoyed the cigar to relieve some momentary stress. His body suddenly flared with tingling power as the voice of Conquest growled in his ear.
"Kill that boy before he realises your plan. if he finds out your intentions he won't hold back."
Go'mon puffed the cigar and pulled it from his lips, letting it burst into purple flames and crumble away into cinders as he rose from his chair. He stepped out into the command center and commanded.
"Get me a buzzard to that battlefield, Order's from Conquest herself!"
There was a moment of silence as he let his aura roll over the command room, several of the comms officers immediately setting up a Buzzard for his departure.
...
Dust kicked off the ground as Drake's jump pack slowed his fall meters above the ground, He hit the ground and tore it from his back, whipping it into a group of soldiers and hitting it with a jet of pale flames.
The pack detonated in ball of orange fire that vaporized the soldiers, his cape fluttering in the backdraft before he whipped his sword from it's sheath, keen edges wreathed in pale flames as he took a Geknosian's arm off at the elbow as they tried to stuff a blaster pistol in his face. He snatched the blaster pistol from the air, using it to put a kinetic bolt into the faceplate of a powerarmored soldier with a Warhammer, Crumpling it inwards as he slid a foot back, another warhammer crashing into the ground where he'd just been standing. Another kinetic bolt tore off the soldier's pauldron as the hammer swung up at his face, making him reel back as another hammerhead caught him at the small of his back and knocked the air from his lungs. Another hammer slammed into his faceplate, forcing him to kick himself into a flip to land back on his feet. Ears ringing he deflected a Warhammer with his sword before putting another blaster bolt into the wielder's faceplate. But even as they fell back, another hammerblow hit the side of his helmet and smacked him down. Drake rolled out of the way as twenty millimeter high-explosive rounds shredded his assailants, allowing him to get to his feet as the war-bots formed a lethal semicircle, sending high explosive firepowerinto the rear column of the Geknosian assault at a blistering pace. Drake shook his head clear and vaulted over the back of one, hearing it's gun fall silent as he landed in it's cone of fire. Several flowing chops decimated a small squad of Geknosians as he tried to fight his way to the center of the column where the Gallicks hammered the gate with kinetic penetrators. The armored gate shuddering with each blow as Drake dodged war gauntlets and hammers, retaliating with fast slashes and blinding thrusts. Purple blood drenching him as his heart began to pound with battle lust.
He heard a mighty roar and crackle as one of the flying machines opened up with it's chin gun, harassing a gallick with 20mm High explosive rounds to get it's attention off the gates. It's shadow passing overhead with a Buzzard in pursuit as it slalomed low through the buildings to come back for another gun run. There was a ground shaking Boom! as something exploded beyond the rooftops, a Buzzard, smoking from one engine buzzing overhead and away from the battlefield. Drake quickly returned his focus to the battlefield, Smacking a Warhammer to the side with the blaster pistol before thrusting the blade right beneath the soldier's chin, twisting, and pulling free as a war-bot fell forward, a molten pit of slag glowing in it's back as he turned his head to face another column of armor and armored soldiers as they rounded onto the battlefield, a Buzzard painted the deepest, most royal purple he'd ever seen hovered low in front of them.
A geknosian in gold and purple armor fell from the open door, Cape of purple silk flowing behind them as they landed with one palm against the ground, Dark scimitar slashed out to the side as a crescent blade of purple energy was slung straight at Drake. Death's chosen slashed upward at the crescent, but it flowed around his blade, cutting across his chest and bringing with it a foul, draining weakness as a cold, familiar voice called out.
"That one's mine boys!~ all mine!~"
Drake hadn't recognized Go'mon in the ornate armor, but now there was no mistaking it. He tried to take a step forward but his legs buckled beneath him, sending him to his knees as a festering cold spread from the wounds made by the crescent blade that never touched his armor. He looked in confusion at his sword as the pale flames flickered out, then up just as Go'mons armored shin cracked into the side of his helmet, flinging him through a building as his mind reeled with confusion. He pulled himself from the rubble around him, stumbling to the side as a blade of purple energy sliced through the rubble he'd just been buried in without leaving a mark. He tossed the blaster pistol to the side, bringing the free hand to his mouth, intending to rip a ring off with his teeth. But as Go'mon slung another blade of purple energy with a cackle, He missed the ring, biting off his left index finger, ring and all as a boost of power burned the creeping cold away. He spit the severed digit to the ground as the ring still on it puffed into smoke.
"Feeling weak boy?!~ like your power's been drained?~"
Go'mon purred as he took a step forward, aura swelling with power as he held up the black sword.
"The blade of greed will do that if you let it touch you~"
Go'mon took an unfamiliar stance, Blade arched over his head and pointed down as he fell into a low, wide stance, one arm pushed forward as the blades on his war gauntlet's fingers glowed orange with heat. Drake fell into his peasants guard, gripping his sword in two hands as he glared at Go'mon. His gaze flickered off go'mon for a split second as he thought of everyone still in the mansion and the Geknosian chosen surged forward in a flash of purple light to run drake through before kicking him through the back wall of the building, Drake's power draining away like the blood pouring from the hole in his Lorica. He barely deflected Go'mons black blade as Conquest's chosen surged forward with a brutal slash, unable to focus for the split second required to dissipate a ring and refresh his power. Go'mons aura blooming with power with each blow of that black blade. Drake burst through a wall and into an empty street, tumbling ass over head as he desperately held onto his sword.
Angry red blood spilled from the hole in his armor as he got his elbows under him, a pair of golden boots clomping into view as Go'mon gloated, a softly flickering bloom of pale purple flames in his palm.
"All this power, and you don't even know how to properly control or wield it... Don't worry, you won't have it long~"
Drake manage to dissipate the remaining rings on his left hand, an intoxicating burst of power allowing him to launch himself back away from Go'mon as his wounds knitted closed, severed finger growing back with a crunching, fleshy noise. He could feel Go'mons grin behind the snarling visage of his helmet as he fell into a peasants guard, feeling far too weak for having removed five rings. The two stared at each other silently, one of the flying machines spinning to the ground before exploding into a fireball behind Go'mon. Drake fet a deathly calm fall over him as he twisted his sword up into a high guard.
He had to make it back to his people, no matter what. The thumb and pinkie ring on his right hand puffed into smoke as he felt those corvid like wings form at his back, a cold cage of festering ice around the burning sun of rage in his heart. Go'mon took a simple offensive guard, twirling the scimitar with obvious skill in a figure eight in front of him.
The two chosen launched themselves at each other, Drake wreathed in black smoke as Go'mon exploded with pale purple light; the pavement cracking beneath their feet with the violence of the action.
...
Martha tended to the mounting wounded in the infirmary as fast as she could, back splayed open as small gossamer arms allowed her to work on several wounded at once. Many of the ex-slave women helped, binding wounds with clean bandages and splinting broken limbs like they had back at the plantations. Hearing the large wooden doors of the ballroom infirmary slam open, she looked up as Destrier and Caz hauled in a pale remin and a Brutalized young woman. Keeping one hand holding a bundle of gauze against the bleeding wound she was attempting to close up, The young man looking up at her with fear, pain, and hope on his face as he helped hold the gauze down. Pointing to two empty beds she called out.
"Set them there! Where's Drake?! We could really use the walking embodiment of Death right now!"
Destrier hoarsely called back, setting Remin into a bed as the old man struggled to keep his eyes open.
"He's fighting his way towards us from the rear!"
Caz helped the battered young woman into a bed where she curled into the fetal position before the Markswoman swept back out of the infirmary, Huntress humming as she slammed a new flechette into the barrel. Martha continued tying off tattered blood vessels, trying to keep the young man from bleeding out as Cassius appeared next to her, shaking his hands dry after scrubbing them with antiseptic to help close up the gnarly gash in the stomach of the wounded man behind her. Martha's heart pounded in her throat as she finally managed to sew the wound closed before hitting the fighter with a sedative to ease his pain and knock him out. She wanted to cry but held in her tears as she turned around to focus on the same patient as Cassius, but even as she did, the young man placed a bloodied palm on her forearm. She felt a lone tear drip down her snout as she looked at the mans deathly stillness, eyes closed in quiet acceptance of his fate, a grim smile on his face.
Her legs felt weak beneath her as she leaned on Cassius, watching Destrier rush out of the infirmary out of the corner of her eye.
"we're going to need a miracle if we want to make it out of this alive..."
She whimpered as the din of battle echoed dully from outside. That was when a wounded man sat up, grunting as he held the bandages across his torso. She rushed over to stop him from tumbling out of bed when he simply fell through the floor, an odd superposition happening where he was there and not for a split second. But when it faded, there was a note left on the ground, scrawled in blood red, blotchy words.
"I'll be back, and I won't be alone."
Martha could only hope that was true as she turned to continue tending the wounded, Despair filling her heart as more wounded were brought in from the ramparts.
...
Halcyon held the gate, rifle spitting hatred from behind one of the wall's crenellations as one of his Hellions fell next to him, skull split open by gauss slug. Halcyon glanced down at the gate where Thomas and another hulking agri-droid held it against the wall, the gate rattling with each impact of a Gallick's kinetic penetrator, apples of sunlight spreading across the ground where they'd simply sailed straight through. The Geknosian reinforcements turning an already blistering hail of various projectiles and beams becoming an impassable force as several of their light cruisers fired on the helicopters that circled over the battlefield. Missiles streaking upwards and shredding the soft-skinned aircraft, forcing them to take evasive maneuvers and stop the pulse-pounding barrage of their rotary cannons. Halcyon's attention was drawn to the sky as an impossibly loud crash of steel on steel accompanied a streak of pale purple light and void black as they shot into the sky. The black streak getting slammed down by a brutal, unseen strike that made Halcyon's heart leap into his throat. What kind of monster could go toe to toe with Drake, and appear to be winning.
Halcyon, peaked past the cranellation he had his back against, a gauss slug taking his eye out and making him shout in pain as he jerked his head back. Ripping a bundle of gauze from his medi-pack, he rolled it out and bunched it up, pressing it against his vacant and shattered eye socket as a bout of lightheadedness turned the edges of his reduced vision dark.
One of his men crouched beside him flinching when chips of stone exploded from the crenellation they'd been taking cover behind, some sort of heavy weapon having been aimed at them as they darted for Halcyon. Halcyon looked into their eyes, face just as dismayed as he felt, their words barely audible over the din of battle.
"what do we do, sir...?"
Halcyon let out a sigh, shouting over the roar of gunfire.
"Pull back! secure the mansion!"
The fighters didn't need to be told twice as the ramparts were abandoned, leaping from the walls to sprint back to the mansion, The agri-bots forming a phalanx behind them to cover their retreat. But Halcyon couldn't help but feel this is exactly what the Geknosians wanted.
But even as the fighters swarmed into the Mansion, Two figures walked past them.
A hulking man in dark samurai armor wielding an lmg and a smaller woman with a flowing furred cloak and white mask, carrying an ornate rail rifle walked past them through the doors.
Halcyon watched in dismayed confusion as Caz and Destrier stepped out into the sunlight, a jump pack freshly mounted on Destriers back beside his kanabo. Another smaller figure appeared as if from thin air, Cassius spinning the weight at the end of a chain attached to a kama menacingly as the doors closed behind them, massive metal shutters sealing them out as the mansion was locked down. He couldn't help but smile grimly.
There was a reason they were Drake's friends, and it wasn't because they were the best fighters.
It was because when everyone else ran away, they ran towards the fight... regardless of their own safety.
......
Part 109: will be linked here upon release.

Hello all,
31F, London UK. Have had life-long back issues but sciatica in right leg and inability to walk/sleep lying down has plagued me since my back 'went' back in March this year.
I'm due to have surgery this Friday on a "large caudally extruded disc herniation at L3/4".
I also have broad based disc protrusion and moderate spinal stenosis at L4/5, but I was booked in for just an endoscopic discectomy upon being referred to another surgeon (I requested this simply because my original surgeon couldn't operate on me for over 7 weeks, and I am in too much pain and concerned about my job).
My new surgeon wanted to decompress L4/5 too, but as mentioned, the theatre booking this Friday was made simply for one under sedation and he said to do both would require longer and general anaesthetic (which he would only be able to do in late June - meaning I might have been better sticking with original surgeon who was gonna do it all in one go in the non-endoscopic way)
I asked him to just do the L3/4 to alleviate some of the pain, so that's what is happening. He said we can do the L4/5 to help the stenosis (?) later on.
Questions!

1. How is it with sedation? I almost think I would prefer general anaesthetic... will I be aware of what's going on? Or asleep?
2. Has anyone else 'split' these surgeries up?
3. Bit worried that endoscopic is less effective?

Apologies if any of this is medically wrong and I sound stupid - feel like I've been all over the place with different advice. Just want this agony gone and to be able to walk again :(

like when I mew my tongue posture is not correct, like it’s not even. My left side of the tongue gives more pressure than my right side and it touches the back of the mouth properly than my right side of tongue and I guess for this my left side is more developed. I tried everything what Mike new said like swallowing properly, creating a vacuum etc, it doesn’t work and my left side gets more developed and my face became asymmetrical so I stopped mewing for a month now.
Sorry for my bad English,please help any type of help is appreciated.

like when I mew my tongue posture is not correct, like it’s not even. My left side of the tongue gives more pressure than my right side and it touches the back of the mouth properly than my right side of tongue and I guess for this my left side is more developed. I tried everything what Mike new said like swallowing properly, creating a vacuum etc, it doesn’t work and my left side gets more developed and my face became asymmetrical so I stopped mewing for a month now.
Sorry for my bad English,please help any type of help is appreciated.

It's been years of struggle. I finally sorted out my strategy and became (I thought) aware enough of my psychology that I had it under control. My 4th attempt at getting funded with a prop firm. This time I passed. I passed both phases in 3 weeks averaging about 4.5% per week. My eyes turned to dollar signs. I finally passed! I made it!
Now. About 2.5 weeks into being funded I am, and have been since starting, enduring the greatest drawdown I've had in years. It's my first time trading real money. It's the first time I actually have something real to lose. I've heard of how few people actually make it to their first payout. "Not me" I thought. Well, turns out that the real money does have an impact.
First my trading suffered then my mindset started to spiral. Oh, how the losses rolled in. I keep a journal and am very honest and critical of myself. It's been clear that the strategy is fine. I keep breaking rules. Exiting early, passing on good trades, revenge trading, over-trading. You name it.
I have been humbled. Fortunately, I'm still in it. I know my strategy works. I know it's me that needs work. I've started to focus on studying psychology with YouTube videos, articles, etc. I just bought "The Biggest Loser Wins" and I'm excited to dig into that.
I remind myself that this is just another step in developing as a trader. We don't get to skip the steps of the process. Sucks to have to slow right down and sit in drawdown for weeks. But I know these are just growing pains. I'm grateful to still have the account. I'm grateful to be aware of my flaws. And I'm doing my best to embrace these feelings and lessons. I remind myself that this is the struggle that all great traders endured to become great.
Just needed to vent. Slow and steady. I'll get there. We all will if we don't quit.

[prev]
As it stood, my crazy plan certainly seemed to resonate with the gathered leaders, though they did offer their own suggestions as to how best to implement improvements and contingencies. I of course welcomed each and every one of them, then debated their merits and as the hours flew by we weeded out the ideas that simply would not work and expanded on those that would.
It was quite honestly refreshing to not have to do all the thinking for once, it felt nice to do a little outsourcing as one might describe it. Besides, as many would say I only had one point of view, well, two if we’re being literal, that of a human and an arachne, the former coming from a world without magic and monstrous beings like those I had surrounded myself with.
Their unique viewpoints had offered a wealth of possibilities and were in their own ways invaluable to the war effort. I am glad that they all managed to get along as well. I had seen no hint of animosity or long held grudges between any of them, not even the age old and quite frankly stereotypical hostility between the elves and dwarves had reared its head. In fact, the two races had seemingly fed into each other's ideas with excited glee, and I had almost expected there to be a bout of mad cackling near the end of their ramblings.
Of course now the meeting was over and we were all starting our preparations. The basic prep wouldn’t take that long, ensuring our warriors were all well supplied, their weapons and armor at peak quality before the battle was paramount. It was everything else about the plan that would take time, time we must ensure we had if we were to succeed. And so I headed for the Aberrant Spire, a place I had not been in a long time.
As I followed the streets I was reminded of my first delve into this city, back when it was fully under the control of vile abominations. I paused, looking at a short building on my right, large claw marks scoring the wall near the lip of the roof. I remember one of those beasts had attempted to climb up to get me as I traversed the rooftops.
Remembering that I felt a shiver run down my spine and issued a silent word of thanks that such horrors no longer existed in my new home, that vibrant life had returned to these hallowed streets. It was a place of hope now, not terror.
It was with this remembering of certain facts that I began looking for a faster means of travel to reach the Spire, as walking would be a long and arduous task indeed. Thankfully this was something that was already thought of, for as I meandered through the streets in my search I came across a somewhat raised walkway, except this walkway had a pair of lines worked from crystal or metal, I couldn’t rightly tell which, running through it.
I paused, wondering how I had never seen this thing before and in doing so I bore witness to its purpose. A merchant with a large wagon approached a circular pattern on the walkway, ensured his wares were well secured and then spoke a destination. At once a ball of energy surrounded him and the wagon, raising it all off the ground and then sending him zipping along, following the right hand line. Even as I watched, another traveler came from the opposite direction, the magic wrought into the pathway depositing them gently off to one side and they continued on their merry way.
I had to wonder why thing wasn’t around the first time I had come here, though the more I looked at the construction the stone looked somewhat fresh, perhaps it was simply a new addition and not something from the city’s past. Either way, it looked mighty useful so I stepped into the circle and took a deep breath.
“The Aberrant Spire.” I spoke clearly, and felt myself go weightless. The magic ball of energy formed around me, lifting me off solid ground and leaving me floating, which certainly triggered a slight fear response from my arachnid instincts. I was moved into position and then shot forward. It took all I had to not scream, sudden fear turning into excitement as my human experiences harkened back to several amusement park visits as a kid and getting to ride the roller coasters.
Though instead of loop the loops and corkscrews it was naught but straight lines and gentle curves that weaved through and over the city streets. Everything was a blur and yet I hardly felt it, really all that I felt was a vague sense of motion in my gut and the wind pulling at my hair, but that was it. I did see the spire come into view however, and steadily it grew larger and larger till at last it dominated the skyline.
My breakneck pace started to slow and just as it had with the other traveler, the magic gently shifted me to one side and then put me down softly. I found my legs were incredibly wobbly and as such I simply stood there and waited for the wobbling to cease. Once it had I stepped off the platform and down onto the street proper, finally taking in the sights as it were.
If the areas around the palace and the rest of the city were for merchants, common folk and nobility, then this area was almost exclusively inhabited by those with magical talents. I saw robed figures flitting to and fro, some hovering along on disks of light or wind, one even walked into a shadowy patch and vanished, presumably reappearing elsewhere. And over it all loomed the Spire, still as pretty and strange as it had been, though it seemed to glow with newfound life and vigor.
The teleporter complex seemed in working order as well, though it would have to be since new mages had taken up residence in the spire above. I made for the complex, many mages who had been engrossed in walking and thinking doing double takes as I passed. I simply nodded at each in turn and continued on my merry way, entering the complex and getting bombarded by the sounds of a busy building. Pages and mages zipped about, conducting their various tasks as they did, stepping into or out of the teleporters as needed. It felt almost like that one time I’d visited Grand Central, boy hadn’t that been fun.
I decided that I should probably get some directions to the person that would be most suited to help me with my plan, really whomever happened to be in charge of this place would be perfect for that and so I stepped up to a circular desk that seemed to be staffed by a mixture of elves, dwarves, humans and even a slime person, the latter wobbling in place and simply shifting their features about to face anyone that spoke to them.
I stopped before an elf, the woman looking up and recognition dawning on her face as she beheld me.
“Y-Your majesty! What brings you all the way out here?” She stammered even as she made to stand and bow. I waved her back down into her seat with a smile, the elf sinking back down into her seat.
“I have business with whomever is in charge of the Spire and I have found that I have no idea who that happens to be. I was hoping to change that, and get directions as well.”
The woman nodded, still a bit frazzled thanks to an unannounced visit by royalty.
“I-I can do that, a moment please your majesty.” She said, hunching over a large book that sat before her and furiously flipping through it. Once she found what she needed, she opened a drawer and pulled out what looked like some sort of talisman, setting it down before me on the desk. “Firstly, this will identify you as not only an authorized visitor to the spire, but also as royalty. Granted we all know you are but the spire itself wouldn’t and so would treat you as an intruder if you didn’t carry this with you at all times. And considering your authority over us all, it will allow you to access areas that would be otherwise restricted to normal visitors.”
As she explained its function I picked the talisman up and looked it over. It was a simple thing, not too gaudy though I couldn’t help but notice a coat of arms upon it that had a distinctly arachne flavor to it. I could swear I’d seen it before somewhere else, perhaps that would have to be something else I looked into later.
“I can call an escort for you, they can guide you right to the Archmage.” The receptionist spoke, snapping me from my thoughts as I affixed the talisman to my breast.
“That won’t be necessary, a map will suffice. I am an adventurer first and a queen second after all.” Chuckling, I watched her nod and pull a sheet of parchment towards her, a hand hovering over the surface and magic flowing from her palm onto the page. What looked like ink appeared on it, which then took the shape of the current room I resided in. Words even appeared, informing me that I could use any of the teleporters I wished.
“The man you are looking for is Archmage Yesric. As far as I know he doesn’t have any pressing duties today so you should find him sequestered in his office.” The receptionist rose and bowed again, keeping her hunched over pose even as I started to walk away.
“Thank you, you’ve been most helpful.” I said. I took a subtle look over my shoulder and was relieved to see that she’d sat back down and was currently in the midst of furious conversation with her coworkers. Which was fair, not every day a member of royalty comes asking for help right?
Stepping into the teleporter I was promptly deposited into the halls of the Spire, which now bustled with activity. Mostly staff it seemed, though I spotted several gaggles of younger folk all dressed in something reminiscent of school uniforms rushing through the halls, their expressions belying a desperate desire to reach their destination as quickly as possible. I had heard nothing about the spire being used as some sort of school, though I suppose it only made sense to train the next generation of magic users in a place where magic was dominant.
Looking down at the map I’d been provided, I was pleased to see that my current position was reflected upon its surface. But now there was a handy dandy guiding line that pointed down a hallway to my right. And so without further ado, I followed it. People naturally got out of my way, though whether that was because I took up most of the hall or because they knew who I was I wasn’t sure, either way I did my best to not impede their progress too much.
Turning a corner I was suddenly met with an empty hallway, one that slowly began to fill with black smoke. My gut twisted and my head felt heavy, my eyes began to flutter and then I blinked, the hallway was bustling with people, no longer filled with the smoke. I licked my lips, trying to shake the ghosts of the past and move forward, though my legs couldn’t help but shiver slightly with every step I took.
Floor by floor I made my way closer to my target, till eventually I was directed through a door into what looked like every executive's office that I’d ever seen, just with a fantasy twist to it. Or rather, it was the little office for a secretary that I entered, which presumably meant that through the next door was what I was looking for.
A bespectacled goblin lass looked up from a large tome and blinked at me, her eyes rather enlarged thanks to the lenses that sat before them.
“Can I help you?” She drawled tiredly, and I stepped up to a good distance from her desk.
“Yes, I’m here to speak with the Archmage.”
“I do not recall setting any meetings today. May I ask who wishes for this audience?” She said, flipping through another much smaller tome that sat nearby.
“Safa Eventra.”
She continued to look through this smaller book, before freezing, her head slowly turning towards me. Now she really seemed to be looking at me and I could only smile politely back at her.
“A-Apologies your majesty, a moment if you please, I must inform the Archmage of your presence.” She said, hopping down off her chair and scampering hurriedly towards the other door. I didn’t say anything, instead just engaging in the arachne equivalent of rocking back and forth on my heels. She slipped through the door and I could hear muffled speech before several loud thuds and some not so muffled cursing ensued. The goblin secretary appeared, leaning against the door after closing it.
“The archmage will see you in just a moment, your majesty.” She said, resuming her post and doing her best to look professional for me.
“That’s quite alright, I’m in no rush.” I responded, humming softly to myself as I looked around the room. A moment later, I heard a voice call out from the office and since that was my cue, I bowed my head to the secretary and stepped through the door into the archmage's office.
[prev]

Hey. M20, 5'10, 80kg, south asian, no current mediations and doses. So, I was addicted to clicking my jaw all the time since a few years, and it seems like I can see the issues coming by doing that. My right temple nerve, which is, behind my right eye, but slightly higher, and on the outer side of the temple, and the nerve feels bigger and I can feel it when I move my jaw, unlike my left temple nerve which I cannot feel. Now I'm getting a sometimes pain in the right eye and pain in the nerve. The nerve also feels like its stretched all the time like its not comfortable. Should it be related to TMJ?

Hello everyone!
Today, we’re diving into an important topic - liver function tests. These tests help check how well your liver is working. Your liver is a vital organ that processes everything you eat and drink, filters toxins from your blood, and helps with digestion. Let's break down what liver function tests are, what they measure, and how you can keep your liver in top shape.

What is the Liver?

The liver is a large organ located in the upper right side of your abdomen. It performs many critical functions, including detoxifying chemicals, metabolizing drugs, and producing proteins important for blood clotting and other functions.

Key Liver Function Tests:

1. ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase)

• What It Measures: ALT is an enzyme found in your liver. High levels can indicate liver damage.
• Normal Range: Typically 7 to 56 units per liter (U/L).
• What High Levels Mean: High ALT levels can suggest liver inflammation or damage from conditions like hepatitis, alcohol use, or fatty liver disease.

2. AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase)

• What It Measures: AST is another enzyme found in your liver and other parts of your body. Elevated levels can indicate liver damage.
• Normal Range: Typically 10 to 40 units per liter (U/L).
• What High Levels Mean: High AST levels can also indicate liver damage, often used in conjunction with ALT levels to diagnose liver conditions.

3. ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase)

• What It Measures: ALP is an enzyme related to the bile ducts. High levels can indicate a problem with the bile ducts or liver.
• Normal Range: Typically 44 to 147 units per liter (U/L).
• What High Levels Mean: High ALP levels may suggest blockages in the bile ducts, liver disease, or bone disorders.

4. Bilirubin

• What It Measures: Bilirubin is a waste product from the breakdown of red blood cells. The liver processes bilirubin and excretes it in bile.
• Normal Range: Typically 0.1 to 1.2 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
• What High Levels Mean: High bilirubin levels can indicate liver disease or bile duct problems, leading to jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes).

5. Albumin and Total Protein

• What They Measure: Albumin and total protein tests measure the levels of proteins made by the liver. These proteins are important for various body functions.
• Normal Range: Albumin: 3.5 to 5.0 grams per deciliter (g/dL); Total Protein: 6.3 to 7.9 grams per deciliter (g/dL).
• What Abnormal Levels Mean: Low levels can suggest liver disease or other conditions affecting protein production.

Why These Tests Matter:

• Detecting Liver Problems: Liver function tests can help detect liver inflammation, damage, and diseases early.
• Monitoring Chronic Conditions: Regular tests help monitor liver health in chronic conditions like hepatitis or fatty liver disease.
• Guiding Treatment: Test results can guide treatment decisions and monitor the effectiveness of interventions.

Tips for Keeping Your Liver Healthy:

1. Eat a Balanced Diet: Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Avoid excessive sugar and processed foods.
2. Maintain a Healthy Weight: Obesity can lead to fatty liver disease, so aim for a healthy weight through diet and exercise.
3. Limit Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption can cause liver damage. Stick to moderate drinking guidelines or avoid alcohol altogether.
4. Avoid Toxins: Limit exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins. Use protective gear when handling chemicals and avoid smoking.
5. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water to help your liver function properly.
6. Exercise Regularly: Physical activity helps maintain a healthy weight and supports liver health.
7. Get Vaccinated: Vaccinations for hepatitis A and B can prevent infections that cause liver damage.
8. Regular Check-Ups: Regular health check-ups and liver function tests can catch problems early and keep your liver healthy.

When to Get Tested:

• Routine Check-Ups: Regular check-ups, especially if you have risk factors for liver disease.
• Symptoms: If you have symptoms like jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, or dark urine.
• Medical History: If you have a history of liver disease, alcohol use, or use of medications that can affect the liver.

Conclusion:

Understanding liver function tests is key to maintaining liver health. Regular testing and a healthy lifestyle can help prevent liver problems and ensure your liver is functioning properly. If you have any questions or personal experiences with liver health, share them in the comments. Your insights can help others who might be facing similar issues.
Stay healthy and informed!