Chills body aches sore throat

hello! today i got my iud removed so i just wanted to make an all encompassing post about my experience using a copper iud, for anyone considering getting one, removing one, experiencing symptoms etc. i hope this is in some way helpful, whether it be making a decision or feeling validated in your experience :)
i got my copper iud 3 years ago. it was my first time ever using bc. i chose it due to its non hormonal properties in a time in my life when i felt i needed it. on average everyone says you'll adjust to the common symptoms, like heavier periods, more cramping etc, in the first 6 months. some ppl say they go back to a more normal flow as well but i just wanted to note that in my own experience, the cramps and heavy bleeding i experienced after the first month stayed exactly the same for the next 3 years. Infact, 2 years into it, having very tender sore full breasts before my period became a recurring thing that i had never experienced before. There were definitely side effects that developed the longer i had it.
Additionally, last year, i started developing cystic acne like nothing i had ever experienced, despite not a single thing changing in my life. The acne progressively got worse and worse over the course of the year, with it being at its worst point about one month ago. The way i was breaking out, and the areas, are extremely foreign to me, and not comparable to any of my families skin either.
DESCRIPTION: lower jaw and some on my cheek, deep and painful, very slow healing or not going away, recurrent,resistant to treatments that previously worked, leaving dark spots and scars - i have never had dark spots previously. I have an insanely clean diet, don't consume sugar or bad oils, cut out caffeine for long periods, stopped wearing makeup, drink loads of water - and it only got worse 😵‍💫
I feel really confident its related to my iud - that's what my body is telling me. Along with more cramping, more water retention, extreme fatigue, constant mental fog and moodiness, i've seen many others say they have experienced the same thing. I am obv not a doctor and can't directly prove these were caused by the iud, but they were foreign symptoms that felt related to my hormones being disrupted. Perhaps from excess copper affecting my estrogen lvls? not sure. I've heard people say it's good to take zinc for skin if it's being disrupted from the excess copper. I'm more than happy to post an update in a few months now that its removed, if anyone has a similar experience. However, i won't know for sure until i give it time.
My final note is that i have suffered more UTIs in the 3 years I had my iud than i ever have before, even when i was not sexually active. Taking the supplement D-Manos was my solution to this and is highly recommended!
Removal was honestly painless, i didn't even know it happened until she said it was done! nothing broken, so far i haven't even had any spotting or discomfort.
I hope this is helpful to anyone looking for experiences, and if anyone has a similar experience with skin etc and has advice for my healing i appreciate it 🙏🏻🖤

I've always categorized myself as an anxious person. But my symptoms have been getting worse over the years (even though my life overall has been getting better) and I'm just so tired and fed up.
I'm always cycling through a few different fixations.
I either get super fixated on my weight/health/body ("You're fat and ugly, and if you don't lose weight now, [various bad things] will happen to you"), and then I start trying to lose weight and spend days researching how to effectively do so, which exercises I should do, what foods I should eat, etc.
Or I obsess over work. Suddenly that benign piece of feedback gets interpreted as, "All of your colleagues and your manager think you're bad at your job. You're underperforming. You're a failure and the worst worker in this company", and then I start pulling all-nighters for a few weeks. Working from 7am to 1am the next day, cannot get my mind to stop thinking about work. Because if I'm constantly working and putting in the hours, I can't be a bad worker. I have to solve the work problem, by any means necessary.
Or I start focusing on my relationship and my boyfriend and start nitpicking things that are wrong with him and wrong with the relationship. And then I spend countless nights, until 4 in the morning researching on google and reddit on if this is the right relationship or if I need to break up with him. And its all I can ever think about.
But none of these fixations fall underneath OCD. They're all normal things to worry about. But they're consuming my mind ALL THE TIME, even when I'm trying to focus on other things and trying to either be productive at work or trying to enjoy my leisure time. I can't get my brain to shut the fuck up and just let me be. And sometimes these thoughts get so overwhelming that I break down, have trouble breathing and feel my throat is closing up on me. Or I start hitting myself on the head to try to get the thoughts to stop.
I'm just so tired and want to have more mental space to do things I enjoy.
Sorry. Probably not the right space...just needed to vent. I plan on asking my therapist next week on seeing if I can get an evaluation for something.

Part One is linked above.
Anhinga had taken to the library hours ago. What was taking the middle aged NightWing so long to get back to her? And why couldn’t she figure out the rest of what that stone tablet said still? This isn’t… a very productive night, is it? She pondered quietly, tapping her claws against one of the shelves in the library. She had scoured every scroll and book in the history section, and none yielded any useful information that the young MudWing hadn’t seen a dozen times over. She found a few that mentioned old dragon tongue, but for some reason none of them listed any way to learn the language; like it had completely gone extinct and was lost to time. With a disappointed sigh and a close of her brown eyes, Anhinga would close the book and gently place it back on its shelf.
“Little one?” A voice would coo happily from behind her. Anhinga whipped around and was met with a smiling face and friendly eyes, a black talon with its silver bracelet marking upon her shoulder. Fatespeaker seemed tired, but joyous to see Anhinga; she had seemingly mellowed out over the years according to Tsunami’s words when Anhinga had asked… and, she was still grieving her husband. She missed her dragonets. Anhinga understood how that felt. “Hi, Mrs. Fatespeaker… are you doing okay today?”
“Yes, dear. I am fine… do you need to check out a scroll or book?” The NightWing would ask with a tilt of her head, faint teardrop markings glimmering softly in lantern-light. Anhinga would shake her head softly.
“Not today, I actually had a question… do you know anything about Old Pyrrhian? I’ve been trying to translate this stone tablet, and-“
“Old… Pyrrhian? Stone tablet?” Fatespeaker interrupted, curious and incredulous. “Well, I don’t know myself; but I’ve heard of the old language before through Pantalan dragons. Perhaps you should ask Cricket when she’s in town. I’m sure she has some information on it. Bumblebee, too… You should get some rest, dear. Don’t give this up, but please remember to take care of yourself.” Fatespeaker would scold after noticing the dark circles under Anhinga’s eyes, who would try to brush it off with an ‘I’m okay’ but Fatespeaker would shoo her out. “Please, when you find out what your tablet means, let me know! We can turn it into an artifact for your history class.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~ LATER ~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Anhinga made her way back to her dorm, hearing Carmine’s heavy bull-like snoring echoing down the hallway with the collective irritated groans of other students who were kept up by the sound. By now, she’d gotten used to it, rounding through the doorway and flopping onto her soft nest bed. She would lay there, closing her eyes, tossing and turning.
She began to let her mind wander, thinking about today’s events.
What is out there? Who could have wrote this…? It’s not an old tablet, the scratch marks still had splinters of bone from being written with and still had dark scrawls from ink or soot when I found it on the beach. It couldn’t have been written by a Pantalan unless they’re a history obsessed nerd like I am- Yet another snore would break Anhinga out of her thoughts, her eyes popping open and jaw clenching in annoyance. Carmine and her stupid sleep apnea were about to meet claws to the throat. Anhinga got that Carmine literally could not help it, but the dragon always slept on her back just to mess with everyone else and make their lives harder. With a bit of angry gusto, Anhinga would throw herself out of her bed, haphazardly tidy it up, and march out of her dorm and down the hallway. Maybe going for a flight could help her clear her hyperactive mind and make her tired enough to sleep through Carmine’s incessant thunder snorts. Her dorm was thankfully close to the entrance and exit of Jade Mountain Academy, and within minutes she rounded the corridor into the main foyer. Nope. The office lantern was blown out for the night, and the dean, Sunny, was asleep. Anhinga would sneak past and make it to the cave entrance, backing up and sprinting to take off into the night sky.
The breeze was cool, and the moons were bright. Anhinga felt at ease under the stars.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~ ….. ~~~~~~~~~~~ 

*Large talons would falter, large slender wings fall. Into an unknown coast would a strange dragon crash, his body casting a massive shadow over the beach. He’d look up, seeing mountains and grass and ocean, stars and the three half moons. He wobbled and stood on his large talons, seeing smaller old talonprints he’d never seen before in the sand nearby.
Where… is he?*

Wondering if anyone relates: When I'm not in an active flare it feels like my body hurts and aches everywhere still but almost like I'm used to it. Like watching someone else get hurt and knowing it hurts but it's my own body? This might make no sense but it's also not fully like depersonalization What does in-between flares feel like for others?

I (19f) am diagnosed with anxiety, OCD, and depression so far.
I take medicine (antidepressants) but lately I've just been so weird. I think weirdly. Lately I've been overwhelmed with the outside world. Things like loud noises, bright lighting, and seeing people bother me. I also feel anxious over my health A LOOOOT lately. Right now I feel extremely fatigued even if I took a nap earlier and I feel like I have some sort of hidden disease I don't know about.
I also got scared a few days ago because my heart started beating semi-fast and my brain correlated it to me having diabetes or a thyroid issue. It also made me anxious because of loud noises and I start to get chills all over my body, which makes me even more anxious and I wonder why my body is acting like this. It really makes me feel like I have some sort of disease.
I used to be a semi-normal thinker growing up and now all I do is worry and get panic attacks. Why did this happen? How do I stop thinking and how do I become normal again? I feel so alone with this.

For those who are contemplating the dead of the upcoming season.
“On a night steeped in a chilling prelude to the encroaching winter, I found myself inexplicably drawn to the Mile High Stadium, a formidable structure nestled amidst the haunting landscapes of Denver. The inhabitants of this city, seemingly oblivious to the eldritch undercurrents that pervaded the air, had gathered in droves, their collective anticipation palpable. They were here to witness a contest of primal ferocity, a ritual known as a Denver Broncos football game.
As the ceremonial coin was tossed and the battle lines were drawn, the stadium fell into a brief, anticipatory silence, the calm before the storm. The Denver Broncos, clad in their emblematic orange and blue, took to the field with a demeanor that spoke of ancient gladiators preparing for a timeless struggle.
The first play commenced with a snap that seemed to echo through the very bones of the earth. The quarterback, a figure of commanding presence and inscrutable focus, received the ball with a swift, practiced motion. The offensive line surged forward, a wall of flesh and bone meeting the ferocious resistance of the defense. The quarterback, with a movement almost too swift for the eye to follow, launched the ball into the ether. It sailed through the air, a perfect spiral cutting through the night like a blade. It found its mark in the hands of a receiver who, like a shadow given form, was immediately beset by defenders, brought down with a force that seemed to reverberate through the fabric of reality itself.
The second play unfolded with a grim resolve, the teams realigning with a precision that spoke of countless repetitions and untold hours of preparation. The ball was handed off to a running back, a colossus of sinew and determination. He plunged forward, his path a desperate bid to breach the defensive line. The defenders, avatars of implacable will, closed in, their forms a blur of motion and intent. They converged upon the runner with a devastating collision, bodies entangling in a maelstrom of physicality. The ball carrier fell, subsumed by the mass of opposition, the play ending in a tableau of struggle and subdued fury.
The third play began under the heavy weight of expectation, the air thick with the tension of unspoken dread. The quarterback once again took his position, his eyes scanning the field with a predatory gaze. The ball was snapped and he retreated, the pocket forming around him as if to shield him from the encroaching chaos. But the defenders, relentless and unyielding, began to penetrate this barrier. Just as it seemed he would be swallowed by the impending tide, the quarterback unleashed a desperate throw, a high arc that seemed to defy the very laws of physics. The ball soared and then descended into the waiting arms of a receiver who streaked down the field, evading the clutches of the defenders. Yet, before he could taste the sweet triumph of progress, he was felled by a final, cataclysmic tackle, the impact resounding through the stadium.
As the crowd erupted in a cacophony of exultation and despair, I felt a profound unease settle upon me. This game, this brutal confluence of strategy and strength, seemed to tap into a primordial well of power, a force that transcended the mundane and brushed against the cosmic unknown. In the shadows of the stadium, amidst the roars of the crowd and the clash of titans, I glimpsed a fleeting vision of the vast, indifferent universe, a universe where humanity’s struggles and triumphs were but whispers in the eternal void.”

My lower stomach has felt heavy and bloated almost all day and my upper stomach under the ribs hurts, throat n*, brain fog, fuzzy hands and feet, and weird shocks down my legs. I’m having such a weird sensation all throughout my body, I can feel my pulse in my neck, tongue, wrist, and in the back of my knee. I feel so anxious idk what to do, I’m just shaking in bed rn and my legs will twitch every other moment. Im not sure if this is a panic or anxiety attack or what, but it’s freaking me out so bad. I haven’t eaten anything weird or been exposed to anything, so idk what’s wrong. I’ve taken a zofran earlier (before this happened), and I’ve taken tums, gaviscon, and gas-x after dinner. I’m so scared can anyone talk?

I (19f) am diagnosed with anxiety, OCD, and depression so far.
I take medicine (antidepressants) but lately I've just been so weird. I think weirdly. Lately I've been overwhelmed with the outside world. Things like loud noises, bright lighting, and seeing people bother me. I also feel anxious over my health A LOOOOT lately. Right now I feel extremely fatigued even if I took a nap earlier and I feel like I have some sort of hidden disease I don't know about.
I also got scared a few days ago because my heart started beating semi-fast and my brain correlated it to me having diabetes or a thyroid issue. It also made me anxious because of loud noises and I start to get chills all over my body, which makes me even more anxious and I wonder why my body is acting like this. It really makes me feel like I have some sort of disease.
I used to be a semi-normal thinker growing up and now all I do is worry and get panic attacks. Why did this happen? How do I stop thinking and how do I become normal again? does anyone else relate? I feel so alone.

I don’t know how many follow or have read the books in this sub, but this is one of the most interesting things I’ve found after reading Rhaenyra being called “Maegor with tits” by the Green opposition.
This is all from the Internet. A click away from any phone.

Socrates was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought.
An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no texts and is known mainly through the posthumous accounts of classical writers, particularly his students Plato and Xenophon. These accounts are written as dialogues, in which Socrates and his interlocutors examine a subject in the style of question and answer; they gave rise to the Socratic dialogue literary genre.
Contradictory accounts of Socrates make a reconstruction of his philosophy nearly impossible, a situation known as the Socratic problem. Socrates was a polarizing figure in Athenian society. In 399 BC, he was accused of impiety and corrupting the youth. After a trial that lasted a day, he was sentenced to death. He spent his last day in prison, refusing offers to help him escape.
There were four charges that were brought against Socrates. They were that he argued the weaker claim over the stronger claim, that he argue the physical over the metaphysical, that he was against the gods and that he was corrupting the youth.
Socrates was found guilty by a jury of 501 Athenians and was sentenced to drink a deadly poison, named hemlock. Many scholars have argued that the charges against Socrates were politically motivated and have understood his trial and conviction as an attack upon freedom of speech and an indictment of democracy.

The Last Moments of Maegor’s Reign, losing against a misogynistic society led by petty and ambitious nobles and against the Faith of the Seven, a religion that enforces gender roles and inequality between men and women.

By 48 AC Maegor's tyranny could no longer be borne by the realm. At Storm's End Aenys I's last surviving son, Prince Jaehaerys, put forth his claim to the throne, supported by Lord Rogar Baratheon, who was named Protector of the Realm and Hand of the King by the prince. Jaehaerys had two dragons on his side, his own mount Vermithor and his sister's mount Silverwing, against Maegor's Balerion. Grand Maester Benifer secretly escaped on a ship to Pentos. Ser Olyver Bracken and Ser Raymund Mallery, two of Maegor's Kingsguard, also deserted him. Lord Daemon Velaryon, the admiral of the royal fleet, and brother of Alyssa Velaryon was the first of the great lords to forsake Maegor, taking the royal fleet with him, and many other lords followed his example. The great houses of Lannister, Tyrell, and Arryn came out against Maegor and in the riverlands House Tully gave support to Septon Moon and Ser Joffrey Doggett, the leaders of the Poor Fellows.
Maegor called his banners in response, but few answered, giving Maegor an army of barely four thousand soldiers. Despite this, Maegor refused to surrender. At the end of the war council, Maegor remained behind alone in the throne room to brood. He was found dead the next morning by Queen Elinor, seated on the Iron Throne with his robes covered in blood and his wrists slashed. A spike from one of the swords on the throne behind him was impaled through the back of his neck. How Maegor died was never discovered. Some say he had been killed by Queen Elinor, others that he had been killed by a knight of his own Kingsguard. Yet others say he had been killed by a builder who escaped the slaughter three years earlier and desired revenge, and many believe that Maegor had been killed by the throne itself. Others believe that Maegor killed himself by opening his wrists on the blades of the Iron Throne.

The fate of Maegor’s loyal supporters.

Owen Bush was a knight of the Kingsguard during the reign of King Maegor I Targaryen. When Maegor suspected Queen Tyanna of the Tower of betrayal, he had Owen and his sworn brother, Ser Maladon Moore, bring her to the dungeons, where she confessed.
Maegor the Cruel gradually lost political support, resulting in a rival threat in his nephew, Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen. Two of his Kingsguard defected to Jaehaerys, and Maegor lost a third guard when Owen was found dead outside a brothel in 48 AC, his member cut off and stuffed in his mouth.
Maladon Moore was a knight from House Moore and a member of the Kingsguard during the reign of King Maegor I Targaryen. When the king suspected Queen Tyanna of the Tower of treason, Maladon and Owen were dispatched to seize the queen and deliver her to the dungeons, where Maegor was said to have slain her while Maladon was present.
After Maegor died in 48 AC and his nephew King Jaehaerys I Targaryen took the Iron Throne, Maladon was accused of being involved in the death of Queen Ceryse, allegedly restraining her when Ser Owen accidentally killed her. Maladon denied these charges, insisting she died of "shrewishness". While the charges were never proven, Maladon lost his head for his involvement in Queen Tyanna's death, of which he was guilty.
When Queen Tyanna of the Tower admitted to poisoning Queen Alys Harroway during her pregnancy, Tyanna promised the same would happen to Elinor. Tyanna was proven correct when Elinor gave birth to a stillborn abomination said to have been born eyeless and with small wings. Elinor was one of the two wives who survived the king, the other being Queen Rhaena Targaryen.
After King Maegor's death, Lord Daemon Velaryon proposed that King Jaehaerys I Targaryen marry Queen Elinor to reconcile with Maegor's supporters when a bride was being considered for the king, but nothing came of the proposal. After Jaehaerys's ascent, Elinor departed King's Landing dressed in the robes of a penitent. She visited her two elder sons at the Eyrie and Highgarden before retiring to her father's seat at the Three Towers with her youngest son.
Later, King Jaehaerys commanded Elinor to go forth and spread his Doctrine of Exceptionalism to the peoples of the Seven Kingdoms, as well as the goodness of Jaehaerys and Alysanne, becoming one of the Seven Speakers. Her queenly raiment became shabbier and more threadbare each day, and she eventually gave up all claims to nobility, becoming Mother Elinor at the great motherhouse in Lannisport.
House Rosby was one of the first houses to yield peacefully to House Targaryen during Aegon's Conquest, surrendering to Rhaenys Targaryen and Meraxes. The Rosby lands became part of the crownlands surrounding King's Landing. Lord Jon Rosby was named Warden of the Sands by King Aegon I Targaryen during the First Dornish War, but Jon was killed in the Defenestration of Sunspear.
Ser Rayford Rosby defended King Maegor I Targaryen during his trial of seven, but Rayford was slain during the fighting. Lord Rosby remained loyal to the king even as his downfall became certain, and was one of the last to see the king alive. In the chaos that followed the discovery of Maegor's body, Lord Rosby drank a cup of hemlock to join his king in death. His young son received forgiveness from King Jaehaerys I Targaryen at Dragonstone.
In 47 AC, King Maegor was dealing with the issue of his lack of heirs, despite having already married three women. Lord Daemon Velaryon, Rhaena's uncle and a member of Maegor's small council, advised Maegor to wed Rhaena, to unite their claims and prevent new rebellions, and to gain her as a hostage against any potential schemes of Dowager Queen Alyssa. Later that year, Maegor summoned Rhaena to King's Landing, and she did not defy him. At the Red Keep, Maegor married Rhaena in a triple ceremony, together with Elinor Costayne and Jeyne Westerling. As the three women were all widows of men Maegor had killed, they became known as the "Black Brides". Immediately following the wedding, Maegor declared Rhaena's elder daughter Aerea as his heir until he had sons of his own, while disinheriting Rhaena's youngest brother Jaehaerys in the same decree.
After Maegor’s death, discussion arose as to who had the better claim to the Iron Throne. There were some who suggested that Rhaena's claim, as the firstborn child of King Aenys I Targaryen and Queen Alyssa Velaryon, was the strongest. Her gender argued against her, however, and Rhaena herself had come to loathe King's Landing and its court. The claims of her daughters were argued for as well. If Maegor was to be considered a usurper, the true king would have been Rhaena's first husband, Aegon, who had claimed the throne before Jaehaerys had. As such, some suggested the throne should pass to one of his daughters by Rhaena, Aerea or Rhaella.
As time passed, Rhaena began to resent the fact that her claim to the throne, and that of her daughters, had been dismissed in favor of Jaehaerys, to whom she began to refer as "my baby brother". In addition, Rhaena begrudged her mother for promoting Jaehaerys's claim over her own.
Ser Walton Towers was granted Harrenhal by King Maegor I Targaryen in 44 AC after winning a melee in Lord Harroway's Town, but Walton died soon after from his wounds. Harrenhal thus passed to his eldest son. Lord Jordan remained loyal to Maegor during the king's wars, and Lord Rosby were the last to see the king alive before Maegor's death on the Iron Throne. Along with Lords Darklyn and Staunton, Jordan yielded the Red Keep to Prince Jaehaerys, Princess Rhaena, and Princess Alysanne Targaryen. The three lords were sent to the black cells, but were eventually pardoned by King Jaehaerys I after surrendering some of their land.
Jordan eventually died of a chest congestion. Harrenhal passed to Jordan's last surviving son, Maegor Towers, as Jordan's older sons had all died fighting for King Maegor.
Maegor's father, Lord Jordan Towers, was one of the last lords of the Seven Kingdoms who remained loyal to King Maegor I Targaryen. All of Jordan's sons died fighting in the king's wars, with the exception of young Maegor.
Maegor became Lord Towers after the death of his father due to a chest congestion. When King Jaehaerys I Targaryen began a royal progress in 53 AC to celebrate the new year, his first stop was to see the new Lord of Harrenhal, then only nine years of age.
Maegor was an impoverished lord who resided in the Tower of Dread with only a cook and three men-at-arms. Since the rest of Harrenhal was empty, King Jaehaerys settled his widowed sister, Rhaena Targaryen, in the Widow's Tower in 56 AC. Maegor and Rhaena eventually became friends, and she cared for his servants after Maegor passed away in 61 AC. Harrenhal was granted to House Strong after Rhaena passed away in 73 AC.
Maegor was sickly and poor.
Socrates speaks his last words to Crito: "Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Please, don't forget to pay the debt". Asclepius was the Greek god for curing illness, and it is likely that Socrates' last words were implied to mean that death is the cure, and freedom of the soul from the body.
Asclepius, Greco-Roman god of medicine, son of Apollo (god of healing, truth, and prophecy) and the mortal princess Coronis. The Centaur Chiron taught him the art of healing. At length Zeus (the king of the gods), afraid that Asclepius might render all men immortal, slew him with a thunderbolt.
Zeus saw Asclepius & his medical skills as a threat to the eternal division between humanity & the gods. Asclepius met a tragic end when he was killed by a thunderbolt thrown by Zeus.
Socrates ultimately does not fear death because of his innocence, he believes that death is not to be feared because it may be one of the greatest blessings of the soul.
The reasons for Socrates not escaping when he had the chance the night prior; are made explicit before the Laws make their speech. Because escape defies the will of the Athenians, it requires stealth and bribery, shameful practices that are unjustified in the current situation.
Socrates Feared Democracies Would Elect Demagogues. The term arose in Greece in the fifth century BCE, right around Socrates's time, and is often used negatively. Socrates himself was extremely worried that the democratic format would give rise to a demagoguery.
Demagogues are political leaders who seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument.
Modern demagogues include Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and Joseph McCarthy, all of whom built mass followings the same way that Cleon did: by exciting the passions of the masses against customs and norms of the aristocratic elites of their times.

This is why Maegor and Socrates died. They challenged authority and lost. They were silenced by the powerful lords and by the elected council of Athens whom were given power by the common people.
They were “heroes”.
“My own heroes are the dreamers, those men and women who tried to make the world a better place than when they found it, whether in small ways or great ones. Some succeeded, some failed, most had mixed results... but it is the effort that's heroic, as I see it. Win or lose, I admire those who fight the good fight.
George R.R. Martin.
King Maegor had married all his brides and gave them Queenly status.

Jeyne was married to Lord Alyn Tarbeck. She was widowed when Alyn died during the Battle Beneath the Gods Eye in 43 AC. Jeyne was pregnant when her husband died, and gave him a posthumous son a few months later.

In 47 AC, Jeyne was being courted by a younger son of Lyman Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock, when King Maegor I Targaryen sent for her to be wed to him. She married Maegor in a ceremony at King's Landing, along with Lady Elinor Costayne and Princess Rhaena Targaryen. As all three women had been widowed due to Maegor, they became known as the "Black Brides". The stories told of the wedding night claim that Jeyne was given a fertility potion by Queen Tyanna of the Tower, and either drank it, or threw it in Tyanna's face. After the wedding, Queen Jeyne's son was confirmed as Lord of Tarbeck Hall, and sent to Casterly Rock to be raised as a ward of Lyman Lannister.

Lord Edwell Celtigar, the Hand of the King, announced half a year after the wedding that Queen Jeyne was pregnant, and Queen Elinor's pregnancy was announced shortly afterwards. Maegor, joyful, showered both his wives with gifts and honors, and granted new lands and offices to their fathers, brothers, and uncles. Unfortunately, Jeyne's labor began three months early, and she gave birth to a stillborn child, monstrous, lacking arms and legs but possessing both male and female genitalia. Jeyne herself died soon after.
In 48 AC, Tyanna of the Tower confessed to having poisoned Jeyne's child in the womb.

Tinfoil theory.
At the end of Maegor’s reign, House Baratheon, Lannister, Tyrell and Arryn rebelled against Maegor. Maegor had sent the young son of his fourth wife (Jeyne Westerling) as a ward(hostage) to House Lannister. Then he sent the two eldest sons of his sixth wife (Elinor Costayne) as wards(hostages) to House Tyrell and House Arryn. When the great houses rebelled, Lord Daemon Velaryon, the brother of Alyssa Velaryon, escaped with the Royal Fleet and left King’s Landing.
Maegor called his banners to fight against the threat but they were too few and Elinor Costayne begged him to surrender to save her two eldest sons and the son of the long deceased Jeyne Westerling. He banned her from the council room and refused to surrender and his lords and him and Rhaena made battle plans well into the night. At the end of the war council, Maegor dismissed everyone and stayed alone in the throne room to brood.
The following morning, Elinor Costayne found the King dead, his wrists slashed and throat impaled on the back of the Iron Throne.
This is all hidden in the awoiaf wiki.
George is a better writer than we’ve given him credit for.
Please feel free to discuss and ask questions.

I went to a concert 2 months ago and since then am having nonstop severe ear pain that's either burning or aching. ENT says my ears are fine and I've also been to Urgent care,ER,PCP, chiropractor etc. and nothing has helped and nothing major has been found which is good but I still suffer everyday. As I write this the inside of my ear are just aching and burning so bad:/ So my question is how do I live with this,my life has been stopped,I don't work right now,I can't hardly get myself to do the things I enjoy,I only walk on the treadmill at the gym and feel extremely dizzy when I get off now. I was a healthy happy man before all this and it's just totally ruined my life. On top of the ear issues I have headaches/dizziness,fevechills daily. It's so debilitating and I really can't take the pain anymore,it's so awful.

I'm a 31 years old Canadian woman. I take prescription vyvanse (50mg/day), and Valtrex (500mg/day) and when there's an eruption anyway, i have 2000mg twice, twelve hours appart. Ventolin and flovent when needed (salbutamol& fluticasone) I am waiting on a genetics referral to confirm heds. Covid vaccine twice +booster shot (all pfizer) I had a concussion a month ago.
Anything mouth/throat related: I bite my nails. I smoke +/- 10 cigarettes a day and 1 small joint at night. I brush my teeth twice a day, use the purple listerine. I drink alcohol 4 times a year or less. I cannot eat much during the day, I only eat at night when the "grass" help the meds go down.
I work with 3 kids and get sick every other month but since december, it's been different. I lost a little over 15% of my body weight, the first 7% were in the first month after getting reinfected with covid. I've gotten sick with every single cold/flu/etc infection available around me since. In the past five months, I've been Ok for 4 separate weeks. In some instances, I coughed a little blood but it was red, and I assumed it was from irritation. Took doxycycline for a week as prescribed in late april. I could not keep the pill down for more than an hour, but the doctor said it would probably be ok.
I'm sorry about how long this is, but I feel like it's easier to give more details and let you have a clearer picture.
So yeah, to the point. I've been looking at my tonsils every now and then. They get inflammation at least 3 times a year, regularly more often. I've noticed a growth on them. I have neck pains but I got a concussion a month ago and I think that's from that. I had thrush for the first time ever 3 weeks ago, but it might be because of the asthma pumps or the antibiotics, no idea. It's getting way better than it was.
I'll post the pictures in the comments, with arrows. I'm sorry again for how long this is.
Please consider, 🇨🇦 I'm in Canada. I don't have a GP and I do not have a way to get an appointment with a doctor other than visiting the emergency room. (Besides private, but I can't afford it) So you can fairly assume that if it's not "important", I won't see a doctor until there's another big emergency or something that needs treatment right away.
What should I do? (Please refer to the pictures in the comment)

So I've been at it for only two weeks now. I seem to have found something that is working for me where I do around 2-3 minutes a day (sometimes more than once a day), making sure to "integrate" afterwards for atleast 5 minutes. My integration is basically just savasana, I just lay there and relax, making sure I am comfortable.
When I have time or before bed I have been doing a longer savasana (20-30 minutes) and these have been some of the deepest meditation experiences I've ever had. I can feel energy coursing through my body, almost losing awareness of my body at the same time, and feeling this incredible warmth spread through my fingers. Today the warmth spread through my chest/ throat area, down my arms and all the way down my legs and I felt completely weightless. When I got up from my savasana I felt this lightness around my eyes and it felt like I had just rested for hours.
Just curious if anyone has a similar process or has had similar experiences?

Hey y’all, 25F here. I’m new to the club as I just received my test results a few hours ago, positive for genital HSV-1, and I just want to share my experience so far as I’m on around day (10?) of my first outbreak.
First of all, I’ve definitely cried a few times this last week along with frantically googling, dealing with these awful symptoms, pretending everything is okay at my day job followed by coming home and experiencing intense anxiety (which can be triggered by medical issues).
I suspected it was HSV, but just didn’t want to believe it especially because I’ve come out of a 5 year with an abusive alcoholic ex who cheated on me so I’m new to the dating world and dating is hard enough without having to disclose good ole genital herpes. Haven’t I been through enough? I’m not sure if I got it from my ex, new guy I’m seeing (said he’s clean that he’s aware of and I never saw a physical outbreak on him), or if it’s something I got from a previous partner and it laid dormant for so long. Who knows, who cares at this point I guess.
I started by feeling a small bump on my inner butt crack which I chalked up to a razor bump. Within a few days, 3-4 more sores popped up and these were all of my symptoms over the course of about a week after noticing the sores: swollen lymph node and slightly sore throat for first couple of days, chills, sweats, burning pee like razor blades, nerve pain throughout lower half of my body (especially my feet), a dull ache in my genitals/surrounding area, burning/itching sores, random tingling, and the worst constipation I’ve ever experienced which is now the main symptom I’m dealing with as I think I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for this first outbreak. My doctor prescribed Valtrex as a precaution while I waited for test results and my sores are almost healed up.
Anyway, I’ve been seeing this man for close to two months now, officially dating and exclusive the last couple of weeks so this is VERY fresh. Everything is going damn near perfect with us and I know we both have very strong feelings for each other and are interested in a future together, but with all good has to come bad (aka disclosing my HSV-1 status). I absolutely dreaded this conversation but knew it had to be had since I was symptomatic, we recently had sex right before my outbreak, and I was awaiting test results.
Luckily, he was so incredibly understanding. Of course he said it was a lot to take in at first which I understood. I am so grateful that he responded by basically saying it’s a bump in the road that we’ll get through together, we’ll monitor my symptoms, and it would be silly to jeopardize what we have that’s so special over something like this that I couldn’t control. So sharing my experience to show that not all disclosing experiences are horrifying, and I hope you all find the person that chooses to love you through this. And if not, then fucking love yourself.
With that, I still am an anxious mess about how to move forward and about the effects long-term so if anyone has any good research on that I’d be more than interested since I know it affects the nervous system. Obviously having a script of anti-virals on hand if I start to suspect an outbreak is a good idea but any and all advice, tips for dealing with the above symptoms, etc. would be appreciated. Peace and love to everyone reading.
TLDR; Genital HSV-1 Positive, having a lot of random and shitty symptoms, disclosed to my partner with a good response, and asking for advice/tips/tricks to manage symptoms.

Just had my bilateral salpingectomy today! I saw Dr. Charlotte Pickens in La Jolla, CA btw. It was an amazing experience y'all! Much easier than I anticipated! Buckle up, it's a long one, and very detailed! But all positive for the most part LOL
I'm 34 and have never EVER had surgery aside from getting my wisdom teeth out at 16, and a colonoscopy at 24. Never even broken a bone or gotten stitches, nothing. I have a lot of medical anxiety, I was tripping out the most over sleep paralysis despite anesthesia LOL Wasn't even nervous about the actual surgery, just didn't wanna wake up during it and be mentally scarred for life 🤣 Saw a few scary stories on TV once about that phenomenon.
The office gave me Hibiclens at my consult appt to take home & scrub my abdomen with the last 3 showers leading up surgery. Yesterday morning, yesterday evening, and this morning. No deodorant, lotions, perfumes, nail polish or jewelry after my shower this morning.
I was NPO after midnight last night. They instructed me to drink an ensure between 9pm-11pm last night since my surgery was in the afternoon. I also took half an Ativan last night at 9pm to make sure I slept and didn't have anxiety insomnia lol They also instructed me to take my heart arrythmia pill this morning right upon wakening with a tiny sip of water. I had an echocardiogram a week ago, so yes, I got cardiac clearance lol I also had a pre-op transvaginal ultrasound and blood work 2 weeks ago.
When I got there, they called me back to the pre-op room. I got weighed, asked for my height, and had to pee in a cup first thing. They then had me change into my gown, skiddy socks & hair net. They gave me 2 Tylenol 500mg & a Celebrex (200mg - for preventative nerve pain) with a tiny sip of water. Then they took my BP/pulse ox, and started my IV in my left hand, and started fluids and some Ativan. They also put on the leg compression things, man they feel great lol They got me heated blankets, and even had a lil pack of lavender smelly stuff they taped to the top left of my paper gown for relaxation 😊
All the staff came in and introduced themselves while in pre-op, from the surgeon herself, to the anesthesia team, to the OR scrub nurses, to the surgical resident that'd be observing (with my permission of course.) They also asked if they had permission to let the surgical resident practice a pelvic exam on me while under anesthesia, I agreed. I've been employed in healthcare myself for 17 years, so anything to help with someone's education! I could've refused if I wanted, but I really appreciated them asking beforehand.
They then wheeled me back to the OR, and I was feeling goooood with the Ativan lol They also pushed a lil GI cocktail too before they gave me the gas. I had to scoot myself from my original pre-op bed to the OR table, which was easy, they leveled the beds together and helped me. They then masked me with the gas, and I was outttt like a light after about 4-5 deeeeep inhales!!!
I woke up in post-op an hour and a half later. Went in at 12 noon, woke up at 1:30pm, all done! They intubated me after falling asleep, and pulled it out before waking up, it's like nothing ever happened! No soreness, hoarseness or coughing. I'm clearing my throat occasionally here and there 7 hours later, just kinda feels like when you get "bubbles" (post-nadal drip basically lol) in your throat with seasonal allergies. Not often enough to cause soreness which is great, waaaay better then what I anticipated after reading about other people's experiences on here. They cathed me too since they gave me fluids, thankfully after I was out, and removed it before I woke up, so it hurts to pee just a little bit, not even as bad a UTI 🤣 Like, a 4 on a scale of 1-10.
They gave me ice chips & apple juice straight upon awakening too, which was great! I had no nausea at all, still don't hours later. I rested for about 30 mins, then they brought back my ride to hang out with me and go over discharge instructions. I got up to go pee, and then they wheeled me outside to the car, and even opened the door & helped me get in!! They have $5 valet services for 0-3 hours parking, so the car was pulled right up to the curb right outside the front doors!
We drove straight to IHOP afterwards. I took it easy with some Belgian waffles & a few strips of bacon, and a mango iced tea, and a few sips of my ride's cinnamon milkshake lol I then stopped by Walgreens to grab a few house things I forgot to pick up last night, my ride helped & carried everything 😊
The ride home was smooth, I didn't have any discomfort from the shitty ass bumpy roads on our 30 min drive home lol I did bring a squishmallow to put between my belly and the seat belt, which was a genius idea I picked up on here!
BTW, I'm an occasional recreational cannabis user. I was honest and disclosed my use to my anesthesiologist only (VERY IMPORTANT), I didn't want that ICD-10 diagnosis use code going to Tricare from my consult appt ahead of surgery & prior authorization for obvious reasons lol. I quit edibles 2 months ago, and vaping 1 month ago. My anesthesiologist said I would've been fine discontinuing use just 5-7 days prior to surgery (no ibuprofen 7 days before either lol), but I did a month + to be safe, I'm a bit on the heavier side, and I've heard edibles stick around in your system (fat lol) much longer than just smoking/vaping, so I wanted to be super certain that I'd be clear and not fuck up anesthesia for myself. For reference, I'm 5'6", 180lbs. I took 3-4 puffs of a vape 4-5 days a week, and 10mg worth of edibles once almost every weekend for a few months straight, so not a super heavy user.
I hope my experience can help others make the decision to take the plunge too before election day lol I called to set up the consult appt back in December, had the actual consult appt in February, and first available surgery was today, late May.
I am a generally super anxious person by nature, and had my bestie/coworker take me to my very first surgery. My family is 3k miles away on the east Coast and couldn't be here, so if my anxious ass can do it, literally anybody can do it! I literally have nobody out here but my bestie, no family, no nothing. My soon to be ex husband is on deployment right now out in the Pacific, and is unreachable at the moment, and frankly doesn't give a shit. He knows I had surgery today too, and I KNOW he won't call or email out of common human decency to at least ask how it went when he does get back in service/port. He asked for a divorce a week after my consult appt, which happened to be 2 weeks before deployment, how convenient, after saying straight to my face before & after the appt that he totally supported my choice, and was looking forward to the DINK lifestyle with me. Oh well.
Y'all are 💯 when you say men aren't ~truly~ childfree unless they've had a vasectomy, or atleast got one scheduled on the books soon lol My conservative family back on the east coast are losing their shit over this, they're all christofacist trump bootlickers, I'm so glad I got to move away from all that and experience personal freedom/a different & better way of life out here. I'm so thankful to be in a position financially & geographically to have been able to take care of this. My GYN back home wouldn't even put an IUD in me at 29yrs old cause I never had kid before, so my cervix wasn't soft enough 🙄 Whatever bitch, I left and got spayed in Cali at 34 with no pushback from my Drs out here, kiss my grits lol
Thanks for coming to my hippie TED talk, hope this helps others! ♥️

It all went wrong in an instant. The cabin begins to glow red and scream at you in various analog tongues. Beeping, whirring, and hissing. They fill up your train of thought as the adrenaline fills your hands and arms with blood. You feel like you could tear out the center console with ease, but instead you give a deathgrip to your center-stick.
Your logical side tells you that this is a death-sentence and begins to scream at you.
“Eject”.
“Eject!”
“EJECT EJECT EJECT EJECT EJECT”
The screams subside as the thumping in your cranium drowns them out. Your voice of reason tore its vocal cords. It’s only your training and instincts now.
You can’t eject. You won’t eject. You will save your jet, or be incinerated with it.
You start frantically flipping different switches hoping one of them can diagnose your issue. You radio over to another jet.
“This is Delta I repeat this is Delta. Jet experiencing critical error. I need he-“
Static. They got your comms too. You mash the side panel to bits in a spurt of rage. You curse to yourself, the adrenaline started talking. It doesn’t matter how rude you are, there’s no one to be rude to but the damned error voice module. She keeps talking to you, repeating the same danger and procedure.
The same red light illuminating your future coffin. It’s dimmer now, especially now that you’ve fried one of its circuits. The combination of the dimness, monotonous voice, and intensifying heat remind you of before you were born. Of course you don’t actually remember this time, but some instinctual part does.
The oxygen begins to run thin. Your head begins to spin as your agitated heart continues to pump in overdrive. You begin to lose consciousness, but you grit your teeth and fight this off. You’re too stubborn to pass out, too much of a nuisance to die. Your last moments are terrifying as you continue to hurl towards the ground. The cabin begins to shake violently, but you don’t feel it. Your mind won’t let you.
“I won't die”, you begin to repeat to yourself.
The words become jumbled together and slurred to the point where they integrate with your breathing. It’s your breathing and the errors.
As the altitude becomes critical the errors change. You put all of your faith into your armor and luck. Your head kicks back in your seat as far as it comes to brace for the impact. You give one last final prayer and let the errors fill the cabin.
Altitude critical. Pull up.
Altitude critical. Pull up.
Oxygen critical. Deploy mask.
Altitude critical. Pull up.
Oxygen critical. Deploy mask.
Heat critical. Activate coolant.
Heat critical. Activate coolant.
Altitude critical. Pull up.
Crash Imminent.
Crash Imminent.
Impact.
The once sturdy cockpit precipitates on your head as shards of glass. Every dial and node on the control panel folded in on itself all with a maxed out reading. Your hands tremor in a fixed clasped position. Whatever you were holding onto must’ve been very important. You can feel every heartbeat like a concussive in your temple. Your breathing feels thin and fleeting; whatever air you’re getting is simply not enough. Your neck gives way, and you collapse forward onto the control panel. You pass out.
Hours pass.
You come to. Bewildered that you survived your breathing goes from frequent and thin to slow and heavy. Your body needs repairs, and fast. You reach for your knife and sever your harnesses. Your abdomen free, you reach for the radio at your feet.
It hums with no signal. You mess with the antenna and dial, praying for a signal. You are only meant with the hisses of broken signals. You are alone.
You heave yourself out of the rubble with great exertion. It was a risky move, it nearly killed you. Exhausted, you stumble through a desolate desert of ice and snow. Completely devoid of form, it’s an infinite white expanse. Without any options you equip your visor and begin a scan.
Result = [NULL]
Result = [NULL]
Result = [NULL]
Result = [MATCH]
Heat Detected.
Life Classification: Unidentified
You see a faint outline of a rectangle highlighted on the scan. With no other scan, you begin your trek towards it. Walking takes your mind off of the crash.
Your mind can finally exit its adrenal state.
The questions begin.
“Where the hell am I?”
“What did they hit me with?”
“Why am I alive?”
After an hour of limping you come across a small abode, a middle ground between a shack and an outhouse. Its patchy carpentry sticks out like a sore thumb in the vast whiteness, the festering mold on the walls turn your crash site into a stellar two-tone piece. The door made of some wisened material is about as strong as driftwood. However even with such a weak material, you are weaker and you struggle to make it inside. Knock after knock the door begins to give and bulge, more and more splinters flying everywhere. Your heavy breathing becomes panting and coughing, the thick air filled with dust, mold, and dried petrol. Finally your shoulder overcomes the door and you fall through the hole in the door onto the floor of the hut. Your coughing fit escalates into near-choking. Your heart begins to pound through your ribs, your stomach begins to tumble within your abdomen. All of your insides are writhing and screaming.
YOU SHOULD NOT BE HERE

I have been riding for 3 years, started just before I turned 40. You are never too old, I have barn friends who started in their 60s.
Horses are prey animals and are terrified of deer, their own shadow, a foggy evening with a soft breeze…you get the picture. (The horses at my barn DGAF about sideshows and spinning donuts though, heaven help usif a bird lands in the arena 🤷‍♀️).
Here is why riding a horse is a huge beneficial ADHD exercise:
Emotional regulation- they can read your energy from across that barn. If you are on edge, they are edge. If you think you are chill, but in reality you are stressed, your horse will know. If you are actually chill, your horse will know. A nervous horse is a dangerous horse. A chill horse is a safe horse.
Finding my chill when my life outside the barn is a shit show took me 2 years to make headway personally. I found this out when the nervous horse was no longer nervous with me, and have just continued to practice managing the emotions around this particularly nervous horse and he keeps remaining calm!
Calm app, good night of sleep, decent breakfast, one cup of coffee max on days I ride, unless I’m stressed already, I skip), meds, yoga, massage, reiki, meditation, crochet, gardening, painting, therapy, deep ass breathing on drive to barn- bottom line is learning to ride has forced me to show up emotionally for myself. Oh yea, and sobriety- 4 years now of feeling my damn feelings, ugh/woot woot!(started riding a year into sobriety).
I’m 3 years in and I think about my emotional state every day that I ride (need to use this more in daily life, hello parenting!!)
Riding: you have a brain, emotions, good/bad day, sore back
Your horse has a brain, emotions, good/bad day, sore back
As in you both have your own shit and ya gotta communicate by centering yourself, balance, leg placement, soft tension on the reigns/bit, follow through, being in control, etc etc
You have an amazing ride one week and a shit ride on same horse the next week.
Executive function: you steer the horse with one leg and opposite hand while keeping connection with other leg and hand, keeping yourself balanced, gently going up and down instead of slamming down, you keep the horses pace up by squeezing legs on down beat while posting, keeping your heels down and toes up (so unnatural!!!) back flat, abs engaged, there is a crop in your hand, then your other hand depending on your direction, you gently, other riders in are in the area, and a ton of shit I can’t think of at moment or haven’t yet learned….. ITS A LOT MENTALLY
Oh yea, and the sequencing practice- my understanding is that everyone, and I mean everyone, picks hooves, Curries, tacks up and removes tack in the same order starting from the same side- like at least the western world(correct me if I’m wrong, I also ride English so could be different for western). You also need to be mindful of ropes/leads, which rings you clip on, hazards closing arena gates, entering arena when clear, putting things back every single time. As in thinking before acting, for every action you take around a horse (prey animals with tiny brains, like acorn or fig size?)
Honestly I could go on and on, but this is enough word vomit and 3 years in I am absolutely a beginner, well, an advanced beginner.
One day, when my kids need me less I’ll lease a horse. Maybe own one when they fly the coop. For now, I’ll take lessons 1-2x a week and keep following through for myself.
Oh yea, and I am terrified every morning I know I am riding because it is dangerous. But I get my shit together mentally, find my zen, and get to the barn.
Highly recommend.

Hi, I've been using transtape for quite a bit now, and something I've noticed is that it makes my chest feel a bit 'sore'? It's not really pain, just some discomfort. But, if i touch my chest with any amount of force, it kinda hurts, as does laying on my side. Sometimes I can feel an idle discomfort too, (could be just from focusing on it, though). Is this normal, or does it indicate some form of damage to my body?
If more info is needed, I'm about a B cup and I tape with two 3in strips (bottom piece goes below my chest a tad) on each side going down a bit diagonally, the tape is a good 1 to 1 1/2 in from my sternum.
P.S. Has anybody here had skin stretching from taping, or is it rarer than it seems? Thanks!