Motor neurone disease (MND) can be a frightening condition, but early detection is crucial to effectively manage the condition. Learn the common early symptoms of MND and how regenerative medicine will allow you to take charge of your health. Click on the link below to explore the available alternative treatment plans for MND.
Read More: https://www.advancells.com/early-symptoms-of-mnd-and-the-possibility-of-treatment-with-stem-cell-therapy/

The technology is still not there, despite the numerous reports from the media that "we're getting there" year by year
By the subject of the title, I mean creating gametes from a cell of some tissue:
1) Sperm cells from a person with XX karyotype
The thing is there were reports back in 2008, of successfully creating underdeveloped sperm cells from a somatic cell with XX karyotype (using cells from bone marrow) : [1], [2]
But that was more than 16 years ago! Why is this research taking so long?
2) Egg cells from a person with XY karyotype
Would creating an egg cell be more complicated than a sperm cell?
Overall
From more modern reports, it seems like more scientists are using the approach like
Take adult skin cells -> Convert them to iPSCs -> Grow the cells in vitro -> Use new gametes for reproductive experiments
I might have an idea that replicating meiosis is tricky, since the adult cells that we're using have 46 chromosomes and we need to create germ line cells with just 23 chromosomes each. Just placing iPSCs among other germ line cells will not do the thing
What are the biggest issues? Technically difficult? Does the field need more funding? Is the regulatory red tape so bad?

Prosperity gospel = financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them. Some churches use this to encourage their members to tithe more to their churches, often for non-godly purposes. See: Kenneth Copeland.
When I was 13, I had an experience like this in a megachurch. The cell group leader sat me and my friends down and reprimanded us for not giving our allowance to the church during service. That and the fact that during their annual "Building Fund" season, pastors HEAVILY ENCOURAGE members to donate to the church (they get little plaques if they donate a certain amount, my cousins have about 5 or 6 at their house. The most disgusting part is where a 13-14 year old gave a testimony of setting up a home-based business and raised money for this Fund, and the church gave her a standing ovation and cheers, obviously encouraging the other kids in this YOUTH church to do the same. Mind you, that church was extremely rich and had high-tech screens and cameras.
This disillusioned me in continuing in my walk with God and made me skeptical of the Christian community in my country, until I managed to find a better spiritual environment in my current church.

(Heyyyyy everyone, it’s currently 2:05 am Pacific standard time and I’m kinda bored and kinda just want to babble and rant so if this isn’t your cup of tea then yall can scroll on by :). )
Anywho, I (22F) have a partner (23M) and we’ve been together for 7 months now. I won’t lie, this is my first healthy relationship I’ve had in a LONG time. Last time I EVER had a healthy relationship was in the 10th grade (was in that relationship for 1yr and 4 months). In my past relationship my exes were toxic, abusive and narcissistic. After my high school boyfriend (10th grade) andI broke up I kinda spiraled into a deep depression and it didn’t help having abusive parents as well so at 16 I went looking for love in all the wrong places, which I totally regret 🤦‍♀️ now obviously. But it eventually got worse and worse after every relationship I went into it was trauma after trauma. My worst relationship was when I was 16 and he was 18 and he had alot of issues. He would get angry and kinda Hulk out and throw things and break things. He would hit me and I didn’t have any help. The police didn’t believe me, my parents said I deserved it so…for a long time I thought that was normal. No one told me otherwise. But somehow I found strength in myself and left that relationship but I still ended up with guys like him because I was so blinded in love and wanted to be loved since I wasn’t loved at home. So I thought I could find it in a man but boy was I wrong. Now fast forward I’m 18 living on my own and started therapy again and I finally found real strength and self love within myself and for a little while I stopped dating and just focused on myself and on my life. When I was 20 I started dating again but eh it wasn’t really working out. Then last year (21 yrs old) I moved in with a friend and started downloaded dating apps and started dating again. That is when I met my current partner, my best friend, my love, my boyfriend 😍🥰! It’s still crazy to me, I was on those dating apps last year just for shits and giggles. I wasn’t expecting anything and I was also just looking for more friends too. But he one day liked my profile and I read his bio and he seemed like an interesting guy so, I liked his profile back. Let me just say that liking his profile was the BESTEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE!!! This maybe cheesy and corny but it truly was like love at first sight but instead of it being at first sight, it was almost like our souls knew each other. When we met for our first date, it was like I knew him, it was like my heart and soul met him before. It’s hard to explain how I felt and still feel. But I just felt INSTANTLY comfortable and connected to my boyfriend. We went on a few more dates and then he asked me to be his girlfriend and of course I said yes 😁. We are currently long distance at the moment, so spending time with him is so precious to me and makes seeing him even more special! But yeah that’s my love story and how I met my partner 😁. He is the first green flag I’ve ever met in real life 😅😂💀. He is so sweet and so caring. It’s so weird to me!! I’m still getting used to being treated like a Queen. I’ve never ever got affection from my exes unless it was sex, I never got gifts or cards or letters from my exes, I never got flowers or valentines day stuff from my exes, it was so bad that I wasn’t even allowed to express myself or my emotions to my exes because they would call me over dramatic or I’m being hormonal or that my feelings don’t matter so I should just shut up…that was all I ever got from my exes. So being treated correctly for the first time in a long time is awesome, sweet, overwhelming and confusing all at the same time. I know these feelings stem from my ptsd from my family and my past relationships, I am getting better ❤️‍🩹 from it. But wow, just wow!! I never knew being loved the right way was a real possibility for me until I met my partner! We have already started talking about marriage and such. He wants to get married and have kids just like me, so we’re on the same page thankfully. We also talked about how we’d want our wedding to look like and I swear! It makes me so giddy and has me kicking my legs up in the air like a little girl whenever we talk about our future!! I 100% see him in my future and he see’s me in his future too. I feel like I’m finally getting my happy ending after 21 years of pain and trauma. To everyone who has reached the bottom of this post, just know NEVER 👏🏼 SETTLE 👏🏼 FOR 👏🏼 LESS!!! It doesn’t matter what age you are or who you are (unless you’re a shitty toxic person) YOU 🫵🏼 deserve to be treated right and loved correctly!! If you’re in a shitty or abusive relationships GET OUT!! You don’t deserve that kind of treatment. If you need help getting out of the relationship, get help. There are resources available to help you. Please remember your worth, love yourself always and don’t take the bare minimum or the bs in a relationship. Anywho, it’s getting REALLY late now (it’s 2:48 am). I’m heading to sleep now. Goodnight you lovely, amazing people! Remember CHOOSE YOU AND LOVE YOURSELF!! Have a great night or day 😄!

Think about it, you buy a 6 pack. Each one comes sealed with an expiration date. You open it, 30 seconds in the microwave, pop it in your fleshlight holder and then toss it away when you’re done.
Yeah it’s pretty dismal and dystopian but the person that accomplishes this will be a billionaire.

Hi,
I am very new to this genre, but I came here via horrorlit while looking for cozy horror that was gentle, mysterious, slower paced and not jarring/traumatic. Since browsing this space, I have really been thinking what I am seeking may be more likely to fall under cozy fantasy.
Some context:
I am looking after a parent that's very ill. We are not very close (they were abusive), but life after their passing feels like an odd mix of hopeful and devastating. I have mostly come to terms with it and am well supported in therapy, but I have really been wanting to lean into cozy, relaxed, fantasy reads that may/may not be about bereavement but are about finding ourselves after loss.
I love the idea of finding joy and meaning not just in suffering but beyond it, in picking up the pieces and living anew, fresh starts.
I think I'd enjoy "finding ourselves" and adult coming of age novels involving travel, meeting new people (maybe even love interests), making friends in unexpected places, career changes that are more fulfilling and aligned. I tend to like books involving cute/fun/creative clubs, like a new person moving to a small town being invited to join the local book club kinda thing.
Themes I enjoy:

• Humor (gentle, witty, acerbic, dark, satirical, just not oppressive/harmful to marginalized groups)
• Book Clubs
• Seaside/mountainside towns/villages with beautiful descriptions of these settings since I can't travel right now
• Baking/cooking/chocolate/coffee shops
• Supernatural elements are always cool (pets/familiars, vampires, ghosts etc.)
• Mystery like even a whodunit recommendation would work where folks get together to solve a murdecrime ( but nothing super disturbing, like think Nancy Drew all the way up to T. Kingfisher, Simone St. James and Gilian Flynn at most but not Jack Ketchum)
• BIPOC authors and characters (protagonists) preferred but do not have to be BIPOC-only (am open to a wide range of suggestions)
  • BIPOC spirituality like Buddhism, Santeria etc. (and only if these books are written by folks from corresponding groups)
• Feminist, women/nonbinary folx centered
• Wise elders/teachers/making new friends who are seniors
• As a reader myself, I also like books that feature tarot/divination/psychics
• YA is not my top preference but is okay
• Romance that is cozy, non-toxic, has elements of fantasy
• Found family
• Career changes, moving to a small town and starting afresh after burnout / job stress in a demanding profession (Fresh starts broadly)
• Halloween/autumn/winter vibes/themes

Themes I am not into:

• Space, aliens, machines/time machines, math/physics/tech/stem heavy plots, high school setting (too young to feel resonant in my 30s), loss of pets/children or heavy bereavement, SA, emotional/physical/psychological abuse (mentioned in context is okay but not in detail).
• I tend to enjoy children's lit, but I am just not too sure if that's what I am seeking right now.

Thanks in advance folks. <3

On 3/15 I had a ultrasound on my testicles because I also had a history of vericoceles which were corrected in 2018 and at the time because it was affecting my fertility , my ultrasound was clear on both testicles. Fast forward to 3/15 they grew in size since then , but also there was a 3mm hypoechoic focus found on the ultrasound. The urologist had me do Lactate Dehydrogenase , AFP, and HCG tumor markers. They all came back clear The urologist says likely a harmless cyst and check again in a month, so on April 8th I got another ultrasound done which showed now change and on the report It said 2mm. The radiologist said neoplasm , but the urologist said again cyst/ lesion with no vascularity , it’s hypoechoic and looks like it had fluid in the center of it , and it has remained unchanged . Within that time I also developed a nervous / anxiety attack which led me to do more follow ups with the urologist leading to a CT Scan with and without Contrast of my pelvic area and abdomen, which all was clear as well. Also in January for chest pain I had an xray of my lungs and heart which was clear too. Lastly , the urologist wants me to check again in August , 3 months from now. How do I trust what they say is true , they said it’s perfectly safe to wait 6 months for another ultrasound. But with my extreme anxiety They stitched to 3 months on August…And they do not seem concerned , they recommend that I go into therapy which I had started. But I keep reading stories on here and that oh I had negative markers too but it grew or they taken it out.
My question is , should I trust my doctors. Idk how long it had been there but I know I did not have anything in 2018. If it was cancer is a month long enough to see a change ? I read articles or research about hypoechoic and on here meaning if it’s hypoechoic it’s cancer if it’s not cancer it’s andchoic but my doctor says that doesn’t matter it just means there a lot of echos idk… the thing that is scaring me is Leydig Cell Tumors and that 2% can be malignant and if so they have poor prognosis like 2 years max zz they keep saying it looks like a cyst .. It’s possible that it’s new but also possible I’ve had it for a while now. Would they have taken it out by now if it was cancer. I read articles / research that 80% of legions / cysts less than 1cm or whatever were benign with negative tumor markers and appearance/ no vascularity etc make it even more likely. I also had varicoceles so I wonder could that have contributed to the change? Also the fact that my CT scan was clear is that another positive sign? I don’t have any genetic issues so I’m not at higher risk.
This is different for me I am in limbo I don’t know if it will turn into anything or not if it were within a month between the two ultrasounds I’m sure it would have changed if it were anything ??? , I don’t even know how long I’ve had it within the 6 years between ultrasounds, I guess cysts can pop up at anytime .. but they still want to keep an eye on it they all say oh it’s so small ..
Like idk what to do… do i seek a second opinion,., do I ask for an MRI to tell better if there is internal vascularity? The ultrasound didn’t mention and my doctor also said there is blood flow in my testicle but not coming inside of it. Again this is not causing my testosterone issue for me as I had that back in 2018..
I’m freaking out that I have the malignant version of Leydig Cell Tumors which has a poor prognosis.. I had a clear Cat Scan in April as well.. idk what to do and I’m freaking out

My catfish story - trigger warning talk of suicide and abuse
Soo this still lives rent free in my mind though its been about a year since loss of contact with said catfish. The emotional and mental damage that came from my experience still haunts me and the constant questions I have constantly cross my mind. Who was he? Why? Was anything real? What was the end goal? Are my pictures floating around? Did he sell photos of my son? That last one hits right in the mom guilt...
My story starts the end of 2019 early 2020. I was a new mom struggling with PPD on-top of my already bad depression, untreated ADHD, insomnia and my then husband was no help. For example I had issues with breastfeeding and would often try to nurse for a small amount of time then supplement with formula. One night I was going down to warm up the bottle after another failed attempt of nursing that night. It had been a difficult night and sleep at this time was none existent. I heard my son crying harder after a few moments and heard my ex yelling at him to stop crying. By the time I got upstairs I walked in on him shaking him out of frustration. I took my son, got him settled and fed them attempted to have a conversation with my ex about what happened and as per usual it ended in a verbal fight. I took over all night time wake times from this point forward. I took care of the house, cooking, cleaning, paying bills etc. it was a very hard time in my life and I started having small joints or bowls after giving up breastfeeding to help control my constant anxiety and sleep. I never did this when I was alone with my son and only once he was asleep at night. My ex began to get more and more verbally abusive in the relationship and my mental health took a downward spiral. He blamed my smoking for my lake of affection towards him, my baby weight staying on and causing me not to be a 10 among many other nasty things. He began to pressure me to quite and seek help for my addiction but for free and online as I needed to be home with my son and had minimal money. (My ex hide a huge amount of debt before we got married, had me build us a brand new home to fit his life style as I was fortunate to be in a good finical standing at that time so money was tight) So I joined an app called Sober grid. And that's how I met "Michael"....
So I joined as mentioned about late 2019 earlier 2020, I had received numerous messages on the app from people reaching out to support me becoming sober. Michael was one of them. He was sweet and extremely charming. He came off extremely carrying and empathetic to my situation. As time progressed we chatted more and more and it slowly became more about our personal life's then sobriety. He would make jokes, send memes, listen to me cry over my house situation.. basically became my best friend. We stopped talking on the app and moved to what up as we live in seperate countries but only a few hours apart (he is in the states and I am in Canada) . He began to open up about his personal situation, informing me of his childhood trauma and war traumas as he had been a marine during the height of the Afghan war. I was 27 at the time and he 33. He knew I was married and had a son. He would ask questions about my son, never anything to personal or sus and about my husband. Eventually we began talking on the phone, I was enjoying the feeling of being desired, being appreciated, being dodted on even though he was hours away, he always seemed to make time for me.
Eventually as you all can assume that friendship grew feelings. So I began an emotional affair seeking all the things I was missing and to supplement my lack of self love. We talked from sun rise to sun down. Text and phone calls. The feelings grew, the texts and phone calls became more and more intense and pictures were sent. He sent me millions of photos of himself in different cloths, doing different things, and they mostly matched what he said he was doing at the time. I attempted FaceTime a few times but things just didn't work out. I didn't think much of it as I was addicted to the feeling I was feeling and my mental health was a mess...
Things between my wx husband and I deterated. I was primary caregiver and 9months after having my son I had to return to work so we wouldn't lose our home and could afford food. Mat leave in Canada is 12-18months.. I opted 12 and returned early. At this point my mental health went further down the gutter, my ex and I were seperation and getting back together on repeat and constantly fighting. I am so glad my son will have no memories of this time due to being so young. My choices became worse and judgement continued to be clouded by this delusion that me and "Michael" would be together as he promised. In sept 2020 I began having suicidal ideation a believing I was a horrible human and mom and absolutely useless. I spent sometime in therapy and got medication but I didn't continued the treatments as in my mind once I get to make a plan and remove my marriage I can be with this person who makes me feel like a queen and talks to highly of my son.
I did send him a few photos of my son solo and some of me and him. Never anything exposing just mostly of us playing and what we were up to. He always spoke so kindly of my son, told me he wanted to be a bonus dad and take care of us.
Like I said, I really just ran past those flags..
In Jan 2021 everything in my life came to a crashing end. I ended up informing my ex of "Michael" and explained that this man was going to get himself killed because of me. At the time "Michael" had convinced me that he was going to rejoin the marines and remove himself from this situation n find peace in death as he couldn't live without me and couldn't commit suicide.. Due to the poor state my mental health came to a crashing point in this moment. My ex said some harsh things (deservingly so I was an idiot at this time - though he was abusive an ass what I did was wrong) and "Michael" walked away... I thought... To get himself killed because of me.
I ended up in a spiral and attempting suicide believing that was the only way out. Michael began calling and texting me off 2 numbers (his work and personal cell) to tell me he made a mistake and he wanted to stay in my life. I ended up on a form and in inpatient mental health unit for treatment. I was there for 4 days.
Upon discharge I attempted marriage counseling and personal counseling but things between myself and ex never improved only worsened. And "Michael" had gotten in contact with me and sweet talked his way back into my life..
I left my husband a few weeks later in 2021..
I fully committed to "Michael" and hung off his every word, photo and phone call. He spoke to my friends, my son, and sent me surprise flowers and pizza all the time. Though hours away always tried to look out for me...
This is when I started to become more aware of the flags. Through 2021 and the beginning of 2022 we continued down our path of on and off relationship, him always leaving and coming back. He said he was afraid of me leaving him over his PTSD and wounds from war. That's what he stated then.. the facetiming never happened, he always face timed when I was busy or never answered mine. I became aware of the toxicity that had began happening, him leaving saying he was not good enough for me and my son, me fighting, him coming back and promising me things and then repeat. One time he told me he had obtained a job in my area and was moving here. He was apparently here, completed some training and then the night we were to meet he chickened out and pulled one of his I'm not good enough, I'm a horrible person act as he always did. He would get jealous easy, he had found an inactive dating profile once from a period of time we were not talking and lost his mind. He called me "mo" as he always wanted more of me.
I could provide so many stories and examples of these fights, toxic behavior, red flags I ran past etc.
Then one day he told me he wasn't who he said he was, his storyline was true but the person was not. I asked him to explain and he covered it up with a war PTSD storey, foster home story or homeless teenage story that would distract me to thinking he ment personality wise and decency wise not looks.
I was very on my toes with him at this point but trusted him...why I do not know...
This continued till the end of 2022 when I bought a home and started to live life and not wait for him to join me. We slowly driftes apart as clearly after basically 2 years of this I was at a point where he needed to meet me or leave me.. in early 2023 all contact stopped. Not blocked but I had started treatment a few months earlier, got medicated and mentally stable.. I noticed the red flags and began calling him on them. Asking him about his pipe fitting at "Nicor" and how they let him leave to go to Ukraine. He was trying to convince me he had went to Ukraine to stand with them, text me as if he was there in war fighting to get back to me. Purposing to me over the phone, telling me he placed me as his beneficiary, giving me a marine number that would identify him and allow me access to his fund if something happened.
I did some digging as things just didn't add up. At this point I asked more questions and became more stand off.
This man never told me who he was, why, or that he was even a catfish.
He began to distance himself from me and I to him.
Later 2023 I found out about face ID websites and uploaded one of the images I still had of him just put of curiousity. He had never had any social media - told me he didn't like it but I'm assuming my guliable ass just fell for a lie there.
Well.... He was not in fact the person he sent me all those photos of.. I'm genuinely concerned how he got all these photos of this person he had so many different ones.. the person in those photos was an Italian soccer player..I attempted to confront him up n both numbers but have never recieved an answer. Just silence... He's never blocked me either and clearly still has the number as the person never responds.
I have come a very far way from who I was when I met this man. I have come even further since becoming more active in my mental health care. I am at the most stable I have ever been, the happiest I have ever been, and overall just happy with who I have grown into. I have done some stupid shit and this was probably the number one thing (though it did help me leave a horrific situation I should of handled it way better).
Don't be me.. ask the questions, do the face times and ask for all the proof. Don't be left haunted by a bad choice and if this person, who you have no idea what they look like, could be around you or your son. If your in an abusive relationship, find a safe way out and take your time to heal.
I hope someone who reads this avoids being dragged through it like I did and asks all the smart questions..
Remember it's not capture the flag ppl

Soo this still lives rent free in my mind though its been about a year since loss of contact with said catfish. The emotional and mental damage that came from my experience still haunts me and the constant questions I have constantly cross my mind. Who was he? Why? Was anything real? What was the end goal? Are my pictures floating around? Did he sell photos of my son? That last one hits right in the mom guilt...
My story starts the end of 2019 early 2020. I was a new mom struggling with PPD on-top of my already bad depression, untreated ADHD, insomnia and my then husband was no help. For example I had issues with breastfeeding and would often try to nurse for a small amount of time then supplement with formula. One night I was going down to warm up the bottle after another failed attempt of nursing that night. It had been a difficult night and sleep at this time was none existent. I heard my son crying harder after a few moments and heard my ex yelling at him to stop crying. By the time I got upstairs I walked in on him shaking him out of frustration. I took my son, got him settled and fed them attempted to have a conversation with my ex about what happened and as per usual it ended in a verbal fight. I took over all night time wake times from this point forward. I took care of the house, cooking, cleaning, paying bills etc. it was a very hard time in my life and I started having small joints or bowls after giving up breastfeeding to help control my constant anxiety and sleep. I never did this when I was alone with my son and only once he was asleep at night. My ex began to get more and more verbally abusive in the relationship and my mental health took a downward spiral. He blamed my smoking for my lake of affection towards him, my baby weight staying on and causing me not to be a 10 among many other nasty things. He began to pressure me to quite and seek help for my addiction but for free and online as I needed to be home with my son and had minimal money. (My ex hide a huge amount of debt before we got married, had me build us a brand new home to fit his life style as I was fortunate to be in a good finical standing at that time so money was tight) So I joined an app called Sober grid. And that's how I met "Michael"....
So I joined as mentioned about late 2019 earlier 2020, I had received numerous messages on the app from people reaching out to support me becoming sober. Michael was one of them. He was sweet and extremely charming. He came off extremely carrying and empathetic to my situation. As time progressed we chatted more and more and it slowly became more about our personal life's then sobriety. He would make jokes, send memes, listen to me cry over my house situation.. basically became my best friend. We stopped talking on the app and moved to what up as we live in seperate countries but only a few hours apart (he is in the states and I am in Canada) . He began to open up about his personal situation, informing me of his childhood trauma and war traumas as he had been a marine during the height of the Afghan war. I was 27 at the time and he 33. He knew I was married and had a son. He would ask questions about my son, never anything to personal or sus and about my husband. Eventually we began talking on the phone, I was enjoying the feeling of being desired, being appreciated, being dodted on even though he was hours away, he always seemed to make time for me.
Eventually as you all can assume that friendship grew feelings. So I began an emotional affair seeking all the things I was missing and to supplement my lack of self love. We talked from sun rise to sun down. Text and phone calls. The feelings grew, the texts and phone calls became more and more intense and pictures were sent. He sent me millions of photos of himself in different cloths, doing different things, and they mostly matched what he said he was doing at the time. I attempted FaceTime a few times but things just didn't work out. I didn't think much of it as I was addicted to the feeling I was feeling and my mental health was a mess...
Things between my wx husband and I deterated. I was primary caregiver and 9months after having my son I had to return to work so we wouldn't lose our home and could afford food. Mat leave in Canada is 12-18months.. I opted 12 and returned early. At this point my mental health went further down the gutter, my ex and I were seperation and getting back together on repeat and constantly fighting. I am so glad my son will have no memories of this time due to being so young. My choices became worse and judgement continued to be clouded by this delusion that me and "Michael" would be together as he promised. In sept 2020 I began having suicidal ideation a believing I was a horrible human and mom and absolutely useless. I spent sometime in therapy and got medication but I didn't continued the treatments as in my mind once I get to make a plan and remove my marriage I can be with this person who makes me feel like a queen and talks to highly of my son.
I did send him a few photos of my son solo and some of me and him. Never anything exposing just mostly of us playing and what we were up to. He always spoke so kindly of my son, told me he wanted to be a bonus dad and take care of us.
Like I said, I really just ran past those flags..
In Jan 2021 everything in my life came to a crashing end. I ended up informing my ex of "Michael" and explained that this man was going to get himself killed because of me. At the time "Michael" had convinced me that he was going to rejoin the marines and remove himself from this situation n find peace in death as he couldn't live without me and couldn't commit suicide.. Due to the poor state my mental health came to a crashing point in this moment. My ex said some harsh things (deservingly so I was an idiot at this time - though he was abusive an ass what I did was wrong) and "Michael" walked away... I thought... To get himself killed because of me.
I ended up in a spiral and attempting suicide believing that was the only way out. Michael began calling and texting me off 2 numbers (his work and personal cell) to tell me he made a mistake and he wanted to stay in my life. I ended up on a form and in inpatient mental health unit for treatment. I was there for 4 days.
Upon discharge I attempted marriage counseling and personal counseling but things between myself and ex never improved only worsened. And "Michael" had gotten in contact with me and sweet talked his way back into my life..
I left my husband a few weeks later in 2021..
I fully committed to "Michael" and hung off his every word, photo and phone call. He spoke to my friends, my son, and sent me surprise flowers and pizza all the time. Though hours away always tried to look out for me...
This is when I started to become more aware of the flags. Through 2021 and the beginning of 2022 we continued down our path of on and off relationship, him always leaving and coming back. He said he was afraid of me leaving him over his PTSD and wounds from war. That's what he stated then.. the facetiming never happened, he always face timed when I was busy or never answered mine. I became aware of the toxicity that had began happening, him leaving saying he was not good enough for me and my son, me fighting, him coming back and promising me things and then repeat. One time he told me he had obtained a job in my area and was moving here. He was apparently here, completed some training and then the night we were to meet he chickened out and pulled one of his I'm not good enough, I'm a horrible person act as he always did. He would get jealous easy, he had found an inactive dating profile once from a period of time we were not talking and lost his mind. He called me "mo" as he always wanted more of me.
I could provide so many stories and examples of these fights, toxic behavior, red flags I ran past etc.
Then one day he told me he wasn't who he said he was, his storyline was true but the person was not. I asked him to explain and he covered it up with a war PTSD storey, foster home story or homeless teenage story that would distract me to thinking he ment personality wise and decency wise not looks.
I was very on my toes with him at this point but trusted him...why I do not know...
This continued till the end of 2022 when I bought a home and started to live life and not wait for him to join me. We slowly driftes apart as clearly after basically 2 years of this I was at a point where he needed to meet me or leave me.. in early 2023 all contact stopped. Not blocked but I had started treatment a few months earlier, got medicated and mentally stable.. I noticed the red flags and began calling him on them. Asking him about his pipe fitting at "Nicor" and how they let him leave to go to Ukraine. He was trying to convince me he had went to Ukraine to stand with them, text me as if he was there in war fighting to get back to me. Purposing to me over the phone, telling me he placed me as his beneficiary, giving me a marine number that would identify him and allow me access to his fund if something happened.
I did some digging as things just didn't add up. At this point I asked more questions and became more stand off.
This man never told me who he was, why, or that he was even a catfish.
He began to distance himself from me and I to him.
Later 2023 I found out about face ID websites and uploaded one of the images I still had of him just put of curiousity. He had never had any social media - told me he didn't like it but I'm assuming my guliable ass just fell for a lie there.
Well.... He was not in fact the person he sent me all those photos of.. I'm genuinely concerned how he got all these photos of this person he had so many different ones.. the person in those photos was an Italian soccer player..I attempted to confront him up n both numbers but have never recieved an answer. Just silence... He's never blocked me either and clearly still has the number as the person never responds.
I have come a very far way from who I was when I met this man. I have come even further since becoming more active in my mental health care. I am at the most stable I have ever been, the happiest I have ever been, and overall just happy with who I have grown into. I have done some stupid shit and this was probably the number one thing (though it did help me leave a horrific situation I should of handled it way better).
Don't be me.. ask the questions, do the face times and ask for all the proof. Don't be left haunted by a bad choice and if this person, who you have no idea what they look like, could be around you or your son. If your in an abusive relationship, find a safe way out and take your time to heal.
I hope someone who reads this avoids being dragged through it like I did and asks all the smart questions..
Remember it's not capture the flag ppl

Recently, I was fortunate enough to receive Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for 10 Sessions after it was recommended and referred by my therapist.
I attended a private clinic, so it wasn't at a hospital so I can't speak for all HBOT protocols, but I sat in a long tube that was shaped like a pill capsule, wore an oxygen mask to breathe in 100% oxygen, and the chamber was pressurized to be around 30 feet below sea level.
I was allowed to bring my own blanket, a stuffed animal, and wear comfortable clothes. No outsider technology is allowed inside due to the pressure, but the clinic I went to provided an IPad to help with 'Box Breathing' while in the chamber itself. (Box Breathing is actually also incredible, but it can feel scary at first because it calms your body down and calm is scary.)
I was in the chamber for about 70 minutes (including compression and decompression). I was also instructed to fast for about 8 hours before hand.
My therapist recommended HBOT to me because after 9+ years of therapy (and still attending), and equine therapy, I was having increasingly horrible symptoms. I have always struggled with the sensation that there were insects under my skin, peeling my skin, picking, plucking, scratching, anything you can think of, I would do. I have severe neuropathy to the point where I would go without sleep for about two and a half days until I was too tired to feel the pain.
I am a shut in, too afraid to leave my home, and too afraid to do much of anything. My other PTSD symptoms were as controlled as they could be, but truthfully, it wasn't good enough. I was tired and drained, and honestly at my wits end and quickly losing any hope I had managed to find. Basically, I was a complete shit show.
After jumping through so many loops, I was able to get sessions booked. My experience was something I never thought was possible for me.
For the first time, I felt something like calm. My pupils were balanced, not dilated (fight/flight), not pin pricks, (dissociative), but actually okay (therapist reported that.) I was able to cry freely, something I hadn't been able to do before. The intensity of 'bugs under the skin' has lessened to such a small degree I no longer have to take 3-4 showers daily. My skin isn't raw and angry.
God, I can sleep. I can actually sleep at night, and wake up at a decent time now. I've been able to feel things, textures of clothing, the breeze, the sun. I've apparently had such a noticeable difference that multiple family members, and my therapist could tell before the end of the first week.
I was able to hug the horse I work with and feel the warmth from him, and the texture of his fur. I was able to hold conversations with my family and my equine therapist. I was able to walk into a building that would normally trigger me beyond belief and regulate myself to the point of still being able to speak.
I don't know how to explain it other than it's like I can think freely now. I don't feel clouded with terror, it's like I can actually control my body instead of watching on a screen.
The way the Doctor that attended me helped explain it is that HBOT dampens all of the things that are loud, and helps grow the things that are quiet. So in my case, it helped dampen all the symptoms I was having. It basically helped connect my Pre frontal cortex and turn it on instead of letting my brain stem so all the fight/flight,
I was also a lucky case. According to the doctor, most patients don't see my kind of improvements for around twenty sessions, but I suppose I attribute that to the fact that I attend weekly therapy and every other week equine therapy.
Sometimes the results don't last and you have to do more sessions, but holy fuck. I don't even care. I get a small reprieve from the shit show that PTSD can bring.
HBOT certainly isn't a fix all. I've worked my ass off to get to where I am today, but my god, it's given me a hope that maybe I have a shot at a normal life.

I apologize if this is long but I would really appreciate anyone who takes the time to read or skim over it. It means a lot to me because I have a lot to say and no one to listen.
I'm probably gonna delete this post shortly but I just really need someone to support me rn. I have a therapist but she's no help. I originally went to her for an eating disorder and my dad started seeing her for therapy and I feel like he's enabling him. All of my requests for a new one are ignored. ... I don't think I've been genuinely happy since in 5 years. I have OCD, GAD, and depression along with a recovered ED and I can't help but feel like my parents are doing the bare minimum. They dangle things over my head so much I remember when I was upset as a kid I used to make myself sleep on the ground and say I didn't deserve a bed. I've been though recovery and stuff for my issues but it never really helped and now every time I'm having a breakdown they get so mad and complain that it didn't work and I don't put in enough effort even though the past 5 years of my life have been about that.
I've had so many problems in the past few years all my joy is short lived and I only am happy when I'm with my friends. I literally cry every day and I feel like my friends love me more than my parents.
When I see all these people around me have good relationships with their parents, and their parents will sacrifice everything for their child to be happy, I feel so blank and hopeless. I don't think that will ever happen in my life. I don't know the last time I've felt genuine love and all I have to look forward to is moving out because everything my parents don't want to deal with they tell me to do when I'm not in their house. Go out with certain people, have open use of a cell phone that isn't highly monitored, have a boyfriend, dress the way you want, keep my room the way I want it, go though preferred education, etc. The sad thing though is that I don't even think that I'll make it until then because I'll either be dead or I won't be able to make ends meet because Im failing school rn.
I just want people who care about me. Everything that is important to me is totally disregarded (wether it's fun things or things to help me with my depression and other problems,) and my father spends more time spilling his money on his own interests and going on trips a lot for work, but then usually says a few days after for vacation. He doesn't even tell me and my siblings when he leaves. He doesn't even greet us either. The last trip he came back from recently, the first words I heard from his mouth was him yelling "fuck you" and other rude things because I accidentally woke him up. The sad part is I feel like my mom is actually trying but my dad just always brings her down and I hear him talking down to her constantly and I know she's just worn out, and has to listen to him.
But still I feel like there's no room left for me or my siblings because everything is based on how they're feeling and what they want. This is a bit of a bad example, but my ask as a gift for my birthday every year (on and off) ten years has been a dog and it's been ignored every year and I feel so empty every time my birthday comes around because I know what I want to have to fill the void will never be considered. I really don't want to sound spoiled or anything when I say that but the reason is because even when I was super young I remember wanting a dog because it would "make me feel less scared all the time" and I could care for it the way I wish I was cared for. Again bad example but I think it means something. I think it captures the feeling of rejection I feel a lot when I approach my patents. Most things I ask for are not just if I want something, other than getting age appropriate piercings and hair dye but that's also declined as always. But whether it's about relationship asks or personal asks, I feel that same rejection because I want something that makes me happy and I want to live in an environment that I'm not anxious to be in. Either way, not much gets done and it hurts because that's what's important to me. It really hurts with the whole appearance thing though because I don't like how I look since: a.) people say I look like my dad b.) I just genuinely want to be the person I feel like on the inside because I am terrible at expressing myself any other way.
Either way that's kind of off topic but I just feel like parents who genuinely want their kids to be happy would do more things like that. Whether it's understanding or making change when they're asked to stop doing something (for me, I ask them to stop mocking me and it still happens), Or if their kid wants to look a certain way or pursue a certain thing, I feel like there should be effort to make it happen at least some of the time. Even if I meet up to their standards there's always one thing that I do wrong that will make them throw out any kind of encouragement, support, or reward for things I do. I haven't heard I love you genuinely from anyone in a long time and I have to make up things in my head pretending there's someone who loves me for who I am to make myself feel better at times. I don't get hugs, I've never held someones hand, and I miss the days when my mom would sing me songs when I was going to sleep because I miss that kind of genuine love. I just really don't think this is normal what's happening to me and no matter what I do nothing about it will change. any help, advice, or support about my situation would be helpful and I apologize again for the long rant. I hope people out there are doing better than me right now and if there's anything I need to clarify please let me know. Thanks.

I'm in a bit of a difficult situation and could really use some advice. I recently moved to a new country, leaving my parents back home. I've been struggling to find a job, and meanwhile, my brother, who comes home late from work every night, seems distant and detached. Despite his late nights, he never shares anything with me and just smiles, seemingly unaffected by fatigue.
Yesterday evening, he left me alone at home and went to a café after jummah prayer for work. Later, I saw his story on instagram of the café and noticed a similar story from a woman, probably in her late 30s from Europe.
This woman seems to have a significant influence on my brother. He's mentioned considering therapy before, but I'm unsure if he's ever pursued it. My brother insists his behavior stems from childhood trauma, which baffles me because he was always the perfect child in everyone's eyes.
Our childhood was challenging for me as I never received the same attention and praise as my brother did. Despite my efforts, I was always overshadowed by his achievements. Last year, he liked a girl but my mum asked him to breakup cause she didn’t dress modestly, so he agreed to break up with her after lot of drama!
Lately, I've noticed him exchanging messages with a blonde woman, their Instagram chat theme is "love." Although he denies any romantic involvement when we discuss marriage prospects. Today, I discovered that she has a four-year-old daughter and a husband too, she recently moved without them I think to this new country. My brother has been spending the entire weekend with her.
I'm deeply concerned about his actions and have tried discussing it with my parents, but they seem unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation, they only said that Allah is testing them. However, I feel compelled to gather evidence and confront my brother about his behavior.
I have an interview in few hours and I’m stressed about my brother..

Hi friends! I need to share some feelings that I've been keeping to myself. I haven't talked about this with anyone, not even my closest friends or family. Here's a bit about me: I was born and raised in the Philippines, and I'm a first-generation college student. My mom worked incredibly hard to support me and my brothers so we could move to America for a better life.
In high school, I was always an honor student and heavily involved in various activities. I even won first place in an art contest and had my work featured on three billboards in town. I've always been an overachiever and did really well academically.
After high school, I decided to pursue college because I've always dreamed of becoming a doctor. This dream stems from my experiences growing up in poverty in the Philippines, where we couldn't afford healthcare. I saw my mom give birth at home, watched my biological father pass away in front of me, and witnessed my family suffer from illnesses without access to medical help. These experiences motivated me to become a doctor so I can help others who are in similar situations. I also had to endure physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from both relatives and strangers, and I was bullied while growing up in the Philippines. These experiences have left lasting trauma. From the ages of 6 to 11, I faced these challenges, and now at 24, the memories are still vivid, contributing to my depression. It's ironic because many people see me as a positive and happy person, which shows how well I hide my scars. Inside, I'm struggling and need help to move past these painful memories. I think being outwardly happy is my way of coping with everything I've been through.
I've noticed that while I can appear cheerful around others, when I'm alone, I often dwell on the past and cry. This has significantly affected my academics. I find it hard to concentrate, sometimes shaking and crying while studying. My grades have dropped, not because of the difficulty of the science courses, but due to my struggle with depression.
Despite these challenges, I haven't stopped contributing and volunteering. I used to volunteer frequently with fellow students, including a week-long trip to Arizona to help those in need (I can go on and on about the volunteers I've done). I was also a leader in New York, assisting people in need, and served as a Delegate to the Northeast-Mid-Atlantic Catholic Relief Services Student Leadership Conference, representing my school. I attended a podiatric conference, gaining valuable insights into the field. My work experience includes being a medical scribe, dietary aide, personal care assistant, emergency medical technician, and waitress/busser. Additionally for my senior independent research, I conducted research on microbial fuel cells, successfully generating electricity for small devices using soil bacteria and got to present at school. It was so much fun and I enjoyed every moment in the lab with the best research mentor!
In college, I took on leadership roles for two years, serving as president of the Emergency Response Team Club, the Biology Club, and the Pre-Health Club, as well as treasurer of the Foundation of International Relief for Children. However, after a year of being actively involved, I gradually withdrew from these activities. I stopped volunteering and contributing to the clubs, which I now realize was a mistake—I should have passed on my responsibilities to other students. The reason for this change was the passing of my father (step father), which deeply affected me and caused me to lose motivation.
Additionally, last summer after junior year, I dedicated three months to studying for the MCAT and scored above 500, but it still wasn't enough for medical school applications. The most heartbreaking part was that my stepdad, who had been my father for 10 years, passed away a week before I took the MCAT. His death worsened my depression because he was the reason my family and I were able to come to the US and escape poverty. His loss hit me hard, and my advisor recommended I stay another semester due to struggling academically.
My only dream was to walk across the stage on May 17th, 2024. Ever since I was in the Philippines, I've dreamed of this moment. I never got the chance to walk on stage before because when I graduated high school, COVID hit.
I'm writing this on May 18th at 12 AM, trying to pour out my feelings. I didn't graduate today, and watching my friends walk across the stage broke my heart. I spent the day crying and feeling sick, without my family knowing. I feel so unmotivated and discouraged, and I worry that I'll never become a doctor. I feel like a failure.
However, part of me knows I must keep going because I've come so far in life and can't give up now. It's really hard, and I'm trying to stay positive every day. I remind myself, "If you could survive with nothing in the Philippines, you can survive now that you have everything."

I left almost two years ago with a discharge for adjustment disorder. At the time I was leaving I didn’t pay attention to any of the out processing stuff we had to do because I thought my depression was truly caused by the military and as soon as I’m out I’ll be fine and back to normal. And at first for a little bit I thought I was fine but I realized my depression took a different form like a “quiet” depression. When I was in I had the stereotypical depression with depressed moods and suicidal thoughts. Now I’m just apathetic. As days goes by it’s getting harder and harder to live. Basic skills that I had no trouble with before are not deteriorating. Almost like what you think of when someone says they’re losing brain cells. If this was difficult to read, it’s because it’s part of one the symptoms I’m experiencing. I’m just all over the place and my thoughts are difficult to organize and put in a concise form. I’m constantly anxious about something and if I’m not anxious I’m irritated. I’m always late for work and class and the only reason I still have my job is because they need people so they have to put up with the trash work ethic. I tried going to therapy but I had to stop because i don’t have health insurance and I was paying out of out of pocket. I’ve also been in antidepressants and they either don’t work or have horrible side effects. I’m not suicidal yet but I just feel like in the future I’m going to get there because living like this just produces a horrible quality of life which fuels the depression even more.
Anyway I’m trying to seek help and I wanted to know if the VA helped with that.

Good evening all,
I am approximately three weeks postop from a TT for PTC, 5.5 cm tumor with a few cells found in a few central compartment lymph nodes in my neck. I have 100 mCi of radioactive iodine scheduled for about three weeks from now. Bodyweight is 70 kg and my endocrinologist has me on 112 mcg of levothyroxine daily now, which put me at 1.9 ng/dL of T4 (slightly high) and 1.2 mcIU/mL of TSH (normal). She told me today she wants to increase my dosage to one and a half pills once a week with the rest being one pill daily to get the TSH down to 0.1 to suppress cancer cell growth. I had not heard of thyroid suppressive therapy prior to this, no one had mentioned it at any point in my treatment plan.
I work as a major airline pilot and the only way the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will allow me to go back to work to support my family, is if I am clinically euthyroid. Several years of suppressive therapy is not an option for me. Is it actually necessary? Why can’t I just get more radioactive iodine if there are surviving cells?
Thanks.

Sex: Female Age: late 60's
One of my friends has worn out knees and went to some sort of presentation where they pushed some sort of medical procedure to use stem cells to rebuild knee cartilage.
It's expensive and not covered by insurance, and to be honest sounds like the 21st century version of Snake Oil.
Is this real or just a load of BS?
Trying to save my friend from wasting money and possibly doing actual damage. OTOH, if it's real, non-painful joints would be nice for a lot of people.
I have no idea where the stem cells are supposed to come from.

First and foremost, my daughter loves school. She loves it all; the cafeteria food, the social aspect, she always loves her teachers, clubs, all of it. We recently moved in the middle of the school year to a new school. She was so excited. She was even given the option to finish the school year out at old school but she wanted to change schools as soon as we moved. So we went from a fairly big school 250 in her grade, very suburban area to a very small school, 65 in her grade and much more country. The move was to downsize our payment and live in a house we were using as a rental that is paid off so I could go back to college and become a nurse practitioner. But she hates her new school. She loves the teachers, she's getting really good grades, she says the cafeteria food is not bad, but the kids there are treating her really bad. She gets told daily, either in person or via text that, no one wants her there and that she should move back to her old school. I was trying to let her figure this out by herself. Well today was the last day and I got a call from the school counselor and she's very concerned too. She just isn't adjusting well, the friends she's making arent solid friends and they change every other day. Now aside from the bullying fact, that has been dealt with by school staff, I don't know what to do. This summer she is going to try out for the volleyball team and maybe other sports team. She's very athletic. I'm really hoping this helps and this also came as a recommendation from her counselor. I'm also having serious mom guilt that I'm putting my own goals and dreams ahead of her mental health. Am I being selfish by moving so I can go back to school? Do I postpone my goals until she graduates? Do I just give her more time and assume she will adjust? Also to note, I have her in therapy. She has ADHD and anxiety that has been very well maintained up until the move. She has regular doctor visits where she is extremely upfront with her doctor and we absolutely love her. She is very open with her therapist. We have a very stable home life. I work from home and am taking a couple classes right now so she is rarely home alone. I monitor her cell phone so I am getting notified of any bullying. I have access to her phone so I can see how these texts are coming along. It will be very friendly back and forth about hey do you have gum or something like that then the next day its the same girl telling her to move back to her old school. I am looking for any advice please!

A few nights ago I (33f) finally shared some deep held emotions with my (65f) mother. (Spoiler alert) It did not go well.
After breaking down in tears to my husband, I decided it was time to set a boundary around spending time with her and other family members who treat me poorly. I am the middle daughter between two boys. I was the caretaker, the peacemaker, the housekeeper, the planner - the always amicable.
I called my mother in tears after trying to hold in feelings of fear and anxiety around a planned family trip to my grandmother's house this weekend. I was completely honest about why I was having reservations about the visit, all of which stemmed from how I've been treated by certain family members and by my mother herself. The bottom line was that I was not interested in exhausting myself being the peacekeeper and caretaker of a group of emotionally unstable adults all weekend.
To no surprise, I was met with gaslighting and guilt tripping. Claims that I was ruining the trip that my mother was so excited about. That everyone would be so disappointed. That my prior experiences were not so extreme, "only happened that one time", and "I don't have any memory of that", etc. etc.
I shared this not with the expectation that my mother's behavior would change or that she would even understand. Just that it would not be my fear and anxiety to bear alone. If decades of therapy have taught me anything it's that my mother cannot be what I need her to be in these moments: a good listener, a validator of feelings, an adult.
Despite her poor reaction, I am standing my ground and not going on the trip. I plan to enjoy my weekend with my husband, pets, and friends. I feel immense guilt about my choice, though I know it was the right one.
Just throwing this out into to ether and sharing a bit of the sadness and grief of not having the mother I've always needed.

Hey! I'm a rising senior doing some college research and any feedback and suggestions would be much appreciated.
Demographics:

• Gender: Female
• Race/ethnicity: Asian
• State: Canada (US Citizen)
• Type of school: Private
• Hooks (URM, first generation, legacy, etc.): sibling legacy to T10

Intended Major(s): biomedical engineering/pre-med with interest in business
ACT/SAT/SAT II: 34 ACT (retaking, aiming for 35+ or 1550+ SAT)
UW/W GPA: ~96/100
Coursework: 13 APs by end of senior year, 8 by time of application mostly 5's
Awards:

• AIME Qualifier
• University of Waterloo Math Contest Honour Roll (top 0.03% out of 60k participants)
• HOSA National Finalist (Top 6)
• Canadian Economics Olympiad Honour Roll
• Canadian Biology Olympiad Bronze Medalist
• University of Waterloo Chemistry Contest (top 5%)
• Regional Science Fair 3x Silver Medalist
• DECA States Top 10 Exam Score
• Robotics Innovation Silver Award

Extracurriculars:

• Management and Technology Summer Institute (M&TSI) at Upenn <5% acceptance (this summer)
• Student Council President
• Helped fundraise 350k for cancer research
• STEM Conference Chair ~200 attendees per year
• Student Speaker at JHU <8% acceptance
• Co-Founded gamified news platform to increase youth engagement in global affairs (people’s choice award winner and finalist for company of year at Junior Achievement)
• Volunteer at local hospital >300 hours
• Stem cell and cancer research assistant at hospital with professor

Schools:

• Duke (legacy)
• UPenn LSM
• Brown PLME
• Columbia
• Northwestern
• Harvard
• Vandy
• Boston University BS/MD
• Rice
• USC
• UCLA
• NYU
• JHU
• MIT

What schools do you think are a good fit considering my interest in healthcare, engineering, and business? Looking for a flexible program, as I’m not 100% set on the pre-med route. I’m currently torn between which school to ED to, as I have legacy to Duke but I’m also highly interested in the LSM program at UPenn. Thanks in advance!