Hello, 34m from Italy, nice to meet you all. What I ask you today, with all my heart, is to read this post, hoping that someone can click with it.
Since 2012 my life has been nothing less than a hell. I gradually developed a huge amount of symptoms, some of these are unbearable and I’m really, really having trouble imagining a future like this.
I’ll try to be as concise as possible while listing my symptoms:

• a terrible migraine-like headache, pounding pain, 27 days/month on average. At this point I can only manage it with morphine ev. I checked everything, tried everything.
  
• Sexual dysfunction, where erextion problems and lack of spontaneous erection are the worst.
  
• Stuttering
  
• Dermatitis
  
• Terrible loss of short term memory
  
• Struggle urinating, urgency, weak stream and huge effort to do it
  
• Confusion
  
• Anxiety
  
• I had seizures once, but eeg showed no epilepsy
  
• Feeling constantly stress but with no reason at all
  
• Vision problems, need to keep my eye closed like they were super tired focusing things
  

And probably something I’m missing right now.
I spent all my money traveling in search of answers. I lost my job because of my chronic pain. I’m living a miserable life. I lost the chance to pursue a blooming career in music. I simply cannot accept this scenario, I need at least to give a name to this monster.
I hope someone will see himself in this story, and maybe some hint could come up. This would have an inestimable value for me.
Wish you all the best, and thanks ❤️

People that spread the internet without an official diagnosis or any prove of an mast cell involvement, antihistamines are used for multiple diseases. There have been people that think they have MCAS because Cromolyn helped their asthma, H1 medication helped their urticaria, or H2 helped their heartburn. These medications are all widely used and are rather "off label" used for MCAS. That is why all 3 criteria need to be present.
Websites present various doctors that claim to be "specialists" and who give out diagnoses to anyone based of unspecific symptoms, reportedly these do not even make tests at all. Or use unvalidated biomarkers or questionable diagnostic criteria.
People who actually have a serious and rare disease named MCAS, struggle to be taken seriously, because many doctors are fed up by the sheer amount of psychic conspicuous patients, who only want a proof for their google based self diagnoses. Often times there is no proof and these people make a burden for health care resources.
Mast cell medication is free and if you have no relief at all with antihistamines, MCAS is very unlikely. There is not much any further medication that someone would get, if not presented with serious reactions, most of the times anaphylaxis. Ketotifen and cromolyn are also mainly antihistamines, still many gaslight themselfs thinking that that is the medication they need.
Primary and secondary MCAS are easy to rule out, due to specific and severe symptoms and quite obvious underlying mechanism like an IgE dependant allergy or the genetic mutation. The diagnosis that is under question is the idiopathic MCAS, where the underlying mechanism is unknown, these people still need to fullfill the diagnostic markers, but in reality this happens only rarely.
Still many think they have a secondary MCAS, it is said by certain authors that a secondary MCAS would have a prevalance of 17-30 per cent. They say that long covid and/or T-Cells are the problem. That this would be quite easy to proof if it would be happening they do not care about. That this has already been evaluated they do not care about. The desperate patients are easy to convince it seems.
Some people even make claims their MCAS would be due to a root cause of "Sibo", "Leaky gut" or "microbiome disbalance", all which are unrelated to a MCAS. Mast cells in the gut have been studied and people with IBS have had no success with mast cell treatment.
It is also a burden for patients, knowing that even some doctors do not stick to authentic measures and give out misinformation. Maybe because of a conflict of interest? Since most internet posts that come up include misinformation, it is hard for sufferers to find alike. MCAS communities are full of people who do not have MCAS. MCAS sufferers have no community right now.
.
"My blood and 24hr urine collection testing came back normal. The allergist I saw also told me outright he doubted I had MCAS (a fad diagnosis along with EDS and POTS, as he said) but did end up suggesting I come back to get samples tested during an episode. I was so frustrated with the allergist that I’ve never gone through with that. Instead my amazing primary doctor decided to prescribe me montelukast and monitor my reaction to trialing antihistamines at home, and I had immediate positive response! We also first ruled out everything else he could think of and clearly test for; my main symptom is facial flushing so I had things like lupus and carcinoid syndrome ruled out.
Although we treat it as such, I don’t actually have an “official” MCAS diagnosis on my chart. IME the specialists who do inquire about all my meds or listen to my symptoms don’t seem to differentiate between MCAS and allergies/sensitivities anyway :/ but my case isn’t super severe and currently well-controlled so that works for me. Good luck to you - I hope you find proper care regardless of your test results!"
.
"I have normal tryptase levels and definitely have MCAS. They diagnosed it after POTS, and it was mostly based on symptoms as well as the “scratch test”"
.
"Spoke about it with my GP, she referred me to an internal medicine doc who specializes in MCAS. I told him my symptoms and he went “yep that sounds like MCAS” and proceeded to literally dump an armful of antihistamine samples into my lap and bounce off to his next appointment. I am definitely in the minority of people whose experience was that easy. It was so easy that I almost don’t believe him."
.
"This is the same as my experience! Walked in, diagnosed by rheumatologist in 5 mins based off symptoms and loaded up with antihistamines as a starting point. No testing or anything."
.
"went to my allergist and had the blood work panel done. nothing in it came back weird, but my allergist is treating me as if i have MCAS based on all my symptoms and pictures of flares."
.
"Went in to get my pots diagnosis and the doctor was like “btw your blood tests show you have mast cell activation syndrome” and then gave me some medicine and did not elaborate further"
"As it turned out my diagnosis was literally not true. I don’t have MCAS (and even if i did what they gave me for it was beyond overkill) after talking to an actual allergist I believe that most likely I was given an extra diagnosis on extremely weak basis. Using something from what they saw in my blood so they could bill higher and prescribe more medicine to me. I no longer go to that practice and instead go to a different cardiologist and actively do not recommend going there. Unfortunately this stopped me for years from properly treating my pain as I was trying to treat it on the basis it was being caused by MCAS :/"
.
"Mine was actually fairly easy when I finally figured out it was MCAS.
Got referred to immunology to rule out mastocytosis. Then my PCP at the time did a clinical diagnosis. She wasn’t risking putting me into anaphylaxis to maybe get a positive result on any of the mast cell mediator labs (this doctor was one who didn’t list a diagnosis unless she was confident it isn’t anything else and spent 8 years trying to get an answer).
My current doctors don’t question it because my symptoms at this point line up perfectly with MCAS."

I went to Costa Rica for my implants and they loaded the lowers but uppers are not. My gums settled down and I needed a soft reline. No suction at all and adhesive powder worked but it was not the same.
So I called about 7 dentists and no one would soft reline my uppers. Everyone said they would need to start over with a treatment plan. I said I just need you to soft reline my perfectly fine uppers and no one would accomadate me. I knew this was a thing but man what dicks everyone was. What are you going to do, put 12 more implants in my head?
So I ordered densurfit silicone soft reline and wow. $65 bucks and 10 minutes later I have a better reline than my local dentist ever did for my immediates they supplied.
I highly recommend DenSureFit. They were amazing and took picts of my uppers and told me exactly what I needed to do. I have my suction back to hold them in and don't need adhesive powder anymore. I still use a bit if I am going to be wearing them all day.
Anyway, dentists get so dissed when you need help with something they did not do.
Glad to answer any questions on how easy it was to do and my great results. So happy with the results.

• Cheers

So long story short, I'm a guy who is here because I'm nervous and hope maybe you all can offer your insight. I masturbate once daily, 4-6 days a week. I used to watch porn daily, sometimes even twice a day though now I'm in this weird spot where one day I don't need porn to ejaculate and the next day I will. For example, this week I looked at a video of my favorite porn actress twice and didn't use porn twice.
I decided today that I'm giving up porn, forever. I'm also going to take a break from maturation for a bit. My question is, is it too late for me? Am I never going to be able to be aroused and ejaculate when making love to a woman? This has me nervous. I have no problem giving up porn, I just want to function properly.
Tia.

Apologies in advance for any spelling errors emotions are running high as I’m writing this.
For context this happened a few days ago.
I, M 24 have been in a relationship with my boyfriend who I’ll call Red (Not his real name), M 23 for around 4 years now after we met at our mutual friends house. We had hit it off after a few drinks and I ended the night with his number and 3 months later we started chatting exclusively and 6 months later we started dating. (At this point in time we hadn’t met each other’s families and he hadn’t mentioned them during the whole 9 month period.) When we first started dating Ill admit I was head over heels and wanted him to meet my family (I have a rather large family) right away and was quite pushy about them meeting although we hadn’t been dating for 5 months at that point. But he talked me out of it saying I was “Moving too fast.” I dont know if that was a red flag or not but I don’t think it was. Anyways, around 1.5-2 years ago I learned that Red had a little brother 23 M (they are twins, Red was just born first by a little over 5 hours.) which came as a shock to me because during our entire relationship Red had never mentioned his brother and was every adamant that not only did he and his family weren’t close but that he had cut them all off. I which was a major red flag for me because for starters I had only met his brother because I had a package delivered to his house and need to pick it up. I have a key to his house but I have a habit of knocking because I OCD. So imagine my shock when the door is opened by not Red but someone who looked suspiciously like him who immediately asked me who I was. When I told him I was asking for Red (MY boyfriend) he said he wasn’t home and that he was at the store and he’ll tell him that someone came to the door to ask for him. At which I told him that I was his boyfriend and that I needed to pick up a package. He looked a little suspicious but let me in regardless and we sat in the living room and talked till red came home. I was really curious about who these mystery person was and for a while thought Red was cheating on me until his brother who I’ll call Jane (Not his real name) informed me that he was reds twin brother. I was in shock because for two years Red had told me that he had not relationship with any of his family and here’s his twin brother in his house. (I’ve been to his house before and at not pint in time did he ever have any roommates or other people living in his apartment. So it was shocking and I felt really betrayed because at that point he had already met my family.) Me and Jane made more small talk till Red came home 20 something minutes later and was shocked to see both me and Jane sitting on the couch. I was gonna stay for longer after red came home but the moment I saw his face I just couldn’t and ended up leaving shortly after. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he never told me he had a brother and later that night at like 8 pm I texted him and asked him why he never told me he had a brother nonetheless a TWIN brother and why he lied about cutting off all his family. He responded 2 hours later at 10 and asked me to call him which I did and I he told me that the reason he never told me about Jane was because although he actually didn’t cut all his family off but those he did still talk too he didn’t tell other people about too which I asked why? Only to be met with him avoiding the question and trying to steer the conversation away from his family and more to about my day which was the next red flag. We got into an argument and he walked away from the phone but didn’t hang up so I did and I ended up blocking him for 2 days before he showed up at my door apologizing up and down and swearing to never keep a secret from me again which I had believed. For the next 2 years that wasn’t the last I’d seen of Jane and I learned that Red and Jane were extremely close. (Idk if it’s a twin thing but they are just really close) But at multiple points in our relationship I thought they’ve been too close if that’s even possible. For example when we had planned an anniversary trip together and went we started discussing locations he wouldn’t agree to certain places because “Jane wouldn’t be comfortable with him going there.” Or “Jane wouldn’t like that.” When I asked why it mattered what jane liked because it’s not like he was going, he said something along the lines of. “Just let it go.” Or would just ignore me till I started talking about a different place which threw off my flow for the rest of the planning. Or when he pushed back out trip for almost a month because he didn’t want to leave Jane alone. (Jane is autistic and possibly physically disabled which I swear is important but he’s not low functioning and even lives in his own with a job.) When I brought this up Red glared at me without saying anything but let it go after a while. This is only one example of their relationship coming between things we had planned but there are plenty more examples of them being physically close as well. (Cuddling togethe sitting extremely close to each other, Jane following Red around to the point something’s they walk in sync, feeding one another,hugging for extended periods of time, playing with each other’s hands/hair ext.) I swear if they didn’t look so similar you’d think they were the ones dating. I won’t lie I’ve found myself being jealous/ disgusted at the way they treat each other but I had pushed it aside because I convinced myself that Red was just looking out for Jane. (Before you question that like I said while Jane isn’t behind mentally or anything you can see he struggles with a lot things like standing for long periods of time and often goes non verbal or only makes illegible noise that Red understands.) So I truly pushed my thoughts aside because I didn’t want to be seen as an overprotective or anything and it’s not like I have anything against Jane or anything but sometimes it’s just really fucking weird. But recently I’ve reached my limit when I went to Reds apartment and when I opened the door I saw janes phone on the counter. Which is really at weird because at the end of the day theyre family and that’s not weird but what was weird was that Jane nor Red were anywhere to be found. I had walked around the apartment for a while till I got Reds bedroom and saw both of them laying in bed together (They weren’t naked or anything but they were like laying ontop on one another, like cuddling skin to skin whilst clothed from what I could see.) When I walked in a saw them next to each other all the memories of the way they had acted with eachother rushed into my head and I just assumed the worst and started screaming and cursing which got Reds attention and he immediately sat up and started screaming back at me asking me what I was scream about and we started a screaming match and I told him off about his weird behaviour with Jane and how brothers don’t act that way with each other until they are getting with eachother and he froze and just started at me and before he could say anything else I left his apartment and drove back home. (If jane had said anything I didn’t hear it over the screaming but idk) I don’t know who the tell this to or what to do because I’m well aware that siblings don’t act that way and that something has to be going on but I don’t know how to talk to Red about it and I don’t think I should bring this up to anyone close friends because of bias so I’m asking Reddit. What do I do???

i apologize if this has already been answered, i tried looking for a thread on it already but couldn’t find one.
last week i made a fragrance purchase that, now that i’ve tried it, i don’t like. however, since last week i made a purchase online and used points to purchase rewards items. my question is, if i return the fragrance, what happens regarding the items i purchased with points? do i get charged for them?

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with JME years ago - but as time passes by, I find my self getting more and more scared and overwhelmed by fear.
While I’ve done a lot in the past like walks, runs, sports - over the years I’ve come to question almost everything. I get scared of going to the gym, runs, walking alone, cycling …. Travelling, dancing, Disneyland! To make a few I feel scared to do pretty much anything alone
What do y’all do? Do you walk alone? Go one runs? Cycle? Do some selected rides at Disneyland? Do you travel? Do you travel internationally? How do you feel somewhat independent? How do you feel confident in yourself?
Any positive stories or insight will help :) I used to be a string athlete but now I hesitate to do anything because I get scared…. My neuro says it’s okay to do it but the fear stops me.
Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great day ahead :)

I'm 25F and living at home, though currently applying for jobs and looking into apartments. I've been negligent of my health for a while, mostly because I didn't have the time nor assertiveness to take charge of my health. In the past few months, however, I have started making appointments as minor health issues piled up. So why is this context important?
My parents noticed I was making more doctor's appointments and asked why I was going. I didn't tell them, but when they said, "You need to let us know if something serious is going on." I simply said, "Nothing serious is happening. I haven't gone to the doctor's in a while, so I'm a little behind. I will tell you if you need to know." They were irked, but dropped it.
Last week I bought a pill case last time I was at the store to better keep track of the medicine the doctor recommended I use. My mom saw it and asked why I needed it. I said, "For my pills." She started questioning me about what medications I was taking and I didn't tell her. She began raising her voice, asking, "Is it something you shouldn't be taking?" and saying, "I NEED to know what you're taking!!" I continued to stand my ground, explicitly stating, "It's my medical information. I am allowed to keep it private." She responded, "If something were to happen to you, I would need to know what you're taking!! If I had to call an ambulance, what do I tell them if I don't know what you're taking?" (Let's pause here--I have never needed an ambulance. I have never gone to the ER. I am not suicidal and never have been.). I told her she just needs to tell the EMT that she doesn't know what I'm taking. She was yelling at this point, citing a story about someone who committed suicide while on medication (again, not suicidal. Never self harmed.). I informed her knowing someone's medication does not prevent suicide. She started scoffing, saying that my resistance to disclosing my medication "tells her everything she needs to know." I continued asserting that I have my own insurance and I pay for my medications. I said, "I'm 25 and have a right to privacy. This is a fair boundary to have." While yelling, she says: "This isn't about legal rights! You think I'm violating your privacy--fine! Take me to jail!!"
I ended up telling her what I was taking since she was about to pop a vein.
Are you curious to know my medications? Perhaps you're thinking, "Surely there must be something serious going on to prompt such a reaction!" I'll satiate your curiosity--iron supplements and stool softener. Yes, for real. Titillating, isn't it?
So now I'm angry. Yes, at my mom. But I'm angry at myself, too. While she was yelling, I kept reminding myself to let her be mad and I should continue to hold a boundary. I reminded myself multiple times. But I still told her. I feel let down by myself. I folded to someone who has forced me to fold for my whole life. I'm so angry at myself. Why can't I just be content with the knowledge that I know what I'm taking and that's all that's important? I tend to be hard on myself. I feel like I gave into my bully instead of protecting myself. My parents have always been invasive, but now that I'm an adult it actually seems like they've gotten worse.

I (31F) have been married to my (32M) husband for 6 years, we have been together for 10. We seem to continuously have the same argument, he is not emotionally available for me and I am too "needy" and "sensitive" to him. I complain about this often, as I have felt neglected and unloved for a while now. We sometimes talk about things and then our lives get better until they decline again, this has been the same cycle for years now. I often try things to get him to open up and be more considerate not just for the sake of our relationship but for the world, he can be pretty mean and is definitely a hot head which creates issues with family and work. I purchased a deck of card that has relationship questions to deepen your connection with you sig oth and he reluctantly agreed to play with me, after 4 questions or so, he just gave short answers and at the end he just "couldn't think of anything", this really hurt my feelings as this was a question regarding how he felt about me now versus when we first started dating, I told him this upset me, and he shut down, i started crying and told him I didn't want to keep playing the game. This was a week ago or so. I just let it go and moved on. We did not talk about it. Last night, we had a bbq at a friend's house, at the end of the night everyone went home besides the host/her bf, me and my husband. We had been drinking a bit so she(the host) started thanking us for coming and telling us how happy she is we came over and how she loves us, my husband quickly started reciprocating the feelings saying he had a great night, he is so thankful for our friendship, etc, we all shared a drink and talked about the success of the evening.
Now, I feel so fucking upset over this, it was difficult to watch him express his emotions so clearly and easily to other people when I have been trying for years to get him to express his love for me in any way. I have felt disconnected from him so i have asked for some sort of confirmation of our love, a card, a recording, via text, anything really, and all I get is a shrug, or a "idk what to say", or "that feels like homework". I feel like this was my breaking point after years of trying, I have not spoken to him since last night. I am so drained I honestly don't even want to start an argument and he is an avoidant and is currently nursing a hangover.
I had considered couples counseling in the past so we can work on ways to communicate better since this is a skill I feel we both lack in. He's never been thrilled about it but said he would give it a try. After last night i dont know if my marriage is salvageable anymore. I now see he can be emotional and loving but just never towards me. Im here for an outsiders perspective, am i over reacting? I know im not perfect and have lots of issues im currently working on in therapy myself, but I'd like to feel like my home life is my safe space like it used to be. Thank you in advance.

A gripping plot is the backbone of a compelling story. Let’s dip into creating plots that grip your readers!
Plot Development Strategies
1. Start Strong: Open with an event that immediately hooks readers.
2. Conflict is Key: Drive the story with challenges or clashes.
3. Peaks & Valleys: Balance tension and calm for rhythm.
4. Stakes Matter: Ensure readers know what’s at risk.
5. Be Unpredictable: Incorporate twists to maintain interest.
6. Aim for a Climax: Build towards a significant turning point.
7. Satisfying Resolution: Tie up the story, showing character growth.
Tips

1. Outline: Sketch your story’s main events.
2. Ask "What If?": Explore various scenarios to enrich the plot.
3. Character-Driven: Let characters’ decisions guide story events.

Remember, a plot is more than just things happening. It's about characters facing challenges and how they're changed by them.
📝🎢 Challenge: Write a short plot outline. What’s the conflict, twist, and resolution? Share your ideas!
#SelfDiscovery #PlotDevelopment #CreativeWritingTips

Okay so I m(22) was in a relationship for about three months with someone f(23) and then one day she said she couldn’t do it anymore, and I understood but we were still talking and such, and I’ve been very patient and understanding with everything, and recently she has said she still has feelings for me, but doesn’t want a relationship at this moment. She did hurt me by not considering my feelings and she did admit she didn’t know what she wanted when we first began to date, but that she was selfish. I’m asking Reddit because I wanted to see what your perspective is on this, there’s more to the story so I’m glad to answer any questions if needed. Thank you.

​
Hello and welcome to BlackDesertOnline! Please use this thread to ask any simple, frequently asked questions you have about the game. If your post was removed from the subreddit for being a commonly asked question, this is the right place for you to be! This thread is refreshed every three days to allow time for responses, but in a pinch you should use this post for links to helpful resources.
​
Don't play Black Desert on PC? Try these subreddits for more specific help:
Black Desert for Console PlayBlackDesert
Black Desert Mobile BlackDesertMobile
​
For new or returning players, you may find a quick answer to your FAQ's with these helpful links:
​

• Black Desert Online Forums - Official forums for Black Desert Online provided by Pearl Aybss.
• "Is It Worth Playing in 2024?" -Concerns & Reality of Black Desert Online by EvilDoUsHarm.
• Gearing Guide - Gearing Guide by Choice.
• GrumpyGreenCricket - Community Game Guides and New Player Resources.
• BDOCodex - General Wiki and Quest/Knowledge resources.
• Lifeskill info and calculator - General lifeskill & market info.
• Garmoth - Helpful tools for planing your gear path, tracking grind sessions and other useful resourses.
• Discord Servers - blackdesertonline - Wiki list of Official and Community driven discord servers.
• Official Black Desert Website

Black Desert on Social Media:

• twitter.com/NewsBlackDesert
• instagram.com/BlackDesertGame
• twitch.tv/blackdesertgame
• facebook.com/NewsBlackDesert
• youtube.com/c/BlackDesertOnline
• discord.gg/blackdesertonline

​
Issue with the subreddit or your post/comments? Message the mods. (not in-game/BDO support)
Issue with reddit or your reddit account? Send a ticket to reddit help. (not in-game/BDO support)

Okay, so I will give all the background information first and then explain my issue, aka, the part where I need advice.
I am 22 years old, just graduated from college and about to start my first “adult job” in the next coming months (I will be a teacher!!). I live at home with my parents, reasons being: 1) I went to college 10 minutes away and it was cheaper than housing 2) my family is very isolated and we quite iterally are the only 3 people in our family, so I’m close with my parents because they are my only family, and 3) my parents have told me several times that I am welcome with live with them for as long as I need/want so that I can save money and all sorts. I am very grateful for them!!
I currently have a 2017 Civic which my parents bought for me brand new after I got my license. Again, I am extremely grateful and I LOVE my Civic. It has got me through nearly 7 years of school and life!!
My new job a city over which is about 30-45 minutes away and all interstate. I have not had problems with my Civic and I truly believe it will last me until I die. I know that. However, I am the type of person who likes new and so I do tend to gravitate towards things I don’t really need.
I have a lot of money saved up, and have decided that I would like to trade my car in for a newer Honda SUV model, (a car that might do better where I live for icy winters and snow) and pay for the rest (or most of the rest) in cash. I would also like to pay for the insurance and payments on my own— which my parents have very kindly always done for me. I would also like to mention that I have done a TON of research on this entire thing as it has been stewing in my brain for months.
My “reasoning”, or more so my way of justifying buying a car over moving out for those people I know will ask/be curious about, is because realistically, in my state with the salary and savings I have, moving out within the next year or even two isn’t reasonable, unfortunately. If I were to move out rather than buy the car per se, it would be about another 6-8 years before I could think about upgrading my vehicle which at that point will’ve dropped in value even more. I would also be basically living check to check, so all my money would be towards the house and things for me to live. I also think that considering I really have never truly ever paid for anything in my life, that a small car payment and car insurance would be a good way for me to develop some responsibility as an adult.
Long story short, which honestly doesn’t relate to the background info as much as I was thinking, I am wondering how I could APPROACH my parents about doing something like this? I want them to know how grateful I am and what I want to do. I’m pretty determined about my decision, but I really don’t want to hurt their feelings about trading in the car they bought me or make them think I’m being super irresponsible. Maybe I am. But, I don’t know, I’m young and dumb, so sometimes I think about life, how short it is and ultimately start feeling impulsive. I have never asked/talked to my parents about something like this or really anything “big”, to be honest. I’m not sure how to start the conversation without being disrespectful or causing them stress. Also, buying cars in my family is very normal as my dad does so every couple years, if that means anything to you— it did for my personal justification lol.
Also, I would like to respectfully say that I understand not everyone will agree with me or anything I have said, and I don’t expect people to. That’s why I didn’t give any specific details. I’m just here asking for advice on how to talk to my parents about a situation which is considered big in my 3 person family. Thank you for your help!

I posted in this sub a few times last year when I was really going through it. Brain fog, anxiety, fatigue, vision issues, debilitating headaches and hyper sensitivity (“mini” concussions from small bumps of the head). I had 4-5 concussions over the course of 3 years, with 3 of those occurring within 2 months of each other. Outside of some lingering neck issues, I’ve made a full recovery and want to share what worked for me.
Please don’t let this long list stress you out though. There were days when getting out of bed in the morning felt like an accomplishment. Every recovery is different and only you can know what your body and brain are feeling.
Commitment After my most recent injury I decided that getting better was the most important thing in my life and I completely dedicated myself to my recovery. That’s why this list is as long as it is — I decided I was going to try everything.
Research Learning about concussions is a great place to start! It really helped me plan my course of action and think rationally about recovery. This sub is a great source of knowledge. Complete concussion management on YouTube has some great intro videos too.
Exercise I think that exercise was the #1 most important factor in my recovery. I started by going on short daily walks and doing light yoga in my house and eventually built up to 2x cardio 3x weightlifting 2x yoga every week. I got in the habit of exercising early in the day and felt like it really helped with my mental energy throughout the day.
Diet I tried to eat an anti inflammatory diet but it was hard (I really love to eat lol). I couldn’t go completely keto but I cut out carbs where I could and made an effort to cook all of my own meals with a lot of protein and vegetables. Avocado and olive oils give you omega 9s which are important for omega 3 absorption. I also didn’t really drink at all.
Supplements I don’t know exactly what worked and what didn’t but you should definitely be taking omega 3 (and probably creatine). My stack: - 4000 mg Nordic Naturals omega 3. Can cut down to normal dose after a couple months - 5 mg creatine monohydrate - 2000 mg magnesium l-theronate - 1g ImmPower AHCC (mushroom-based immune supplement) - 125 mcg vitamin d3 - Multivitamin - Dietary fiber + probiotic (gut health is important)
CBD Only way I could get to sleep for a couple months. Great for headaches. It’s also a nice substitute for alcohol when going out with friends.
Concussion clinic + Neurofeedback I went to a concussion clinic in NC shortly after my last concussion. Most of my problems were cognitive so my doctor recommended a neurofeedback program. I was super skeptical at first but it definitely improved my screen tolerance and I felt like it helped with teaching my brain how to switch off.
Neurologist + Nortryptoline Neurologists are really only good for one thing: prescribing meds. There’s a good chance you don’t need to take an SNRI but I had nerve damage at the site of impact that, whenever touched, would cause me a lot of pain and trigger hours of concussion symptoms. I think that my meds (prescribed for nerve pain) helped get some of this hypersensitivity under control.
Meditation There are people on this sub who can speak to this better than me but after a concussion your autonomic nervous system can be in an “always on” mode where you’re constantly in a state of fight or flight. Meditation while concussed is very challenging and won’t immediately zen you out but it will help you notice just how overactive your brain is and help you train yourself to redirect your attention when your mind runs wild.
Physical therapy + dry needling If you have any neck pain at all, go to PT. Seriously! It might be causing most if not all of your headaches. A few months of stretching and strengthening exercises helped resolve most of my headaches. Also, if dry needling is legal in your state, seek it out for really intense neck tightness. My PT offered needling and it was a godsend on my worst days.
Brain challenges I’m a computer programmer so getting back into work was challenging enough but I also made an effort to try to learn a new language and do some daily puzzles to help foster some new neural connections.
Try to relax when I bump my head Idk I still freak out when I bonk. I probably have had 30-40 “flare ups” over the past 2 years. No one on the internet seems to have a great answer for why this happens. I think it’s probably some sort of learned response from the brain in response to a stressor. I recently took the approach of doing everything in my power to chill out when I bump my head on something (including taking cbd immediately after). Not sure if this helped or I just needed time but I hit my head on a cabinet pretty hard last week and experienced no symptoms! That’s honestly what encouraged me to write this post.
I hope some of this will be helpful to someone. Feel free to comment or hit my dm’s if you want any more detail on anything.

Hey guys so Long story short, my dad bought a steam deck he can’t see it as well as he thought so he’s offered to sell it to me for super cheap (like 200 dollars for it and a case cheap) and I was just curious if you think I’ll have any performance issues gameplay wise with this model vs an OLED model and is this still a great deal I’m getting?

We have been dating for about a year and together for three months. During time we get sexual he started off introducing to me his kink I personally didn't like it and my feelings still remain the same. He likes to slap my face spit on me and has often times described to me his fantasy of r someone even making me sit in a tub and pee on me to make me feel like trash basically. He has forced anal and oral He's used words like slt bich etc.. I know there are fetishes out there but I never felt comfortable with these sorts of things. He tries to convince me these were my ideas but I truly just want normal intimacy. I've expressed it and often felt him bored. I love him and am quite insecure and afraid to leave. Recently he had a woman move in and was there for 2 weeks where I didn't get to visit and he would come see me. He swares up and down it was just a friend who needed a place to stay. But during a brief period I needed a place and he didn't offer. Not to mention he helped her move. I moved all alone had to sleep on mt moms couch while im his gf. I have found myself drinking and crying in depression as i cant see why he wont just dump me Today was the worst for us and proved to me he doesn't care about me.. my car died leaving his house (i left because i gound a dildo that wasnt mine at his house) and when i valled him ouy he claimed it was old. and when I called him he didn't pick up I was about 5 min drive from him on a freeway exit and couldn't get a tow to help me due to it being electric and completely dead I had to wait until 7 am (this happened around 3 am) because they needed a tow with a special tool. I left my car on the side of the freeway I didn't wanna stay in there until 7. I have heard terrible stories of being stuff on an off ramp. I attempted to call him and no answer. I had to end up walking 1hr towards him with a friend on the phone because I was afraid of the area. Eventually I got tired of walking and hitched a ride(against my better jusgement) but I was afraid and it was so much faster in car. The guy offered me beer and cigarette for the stress but I didn't feel right so I refused the extra offers. I get to his house and he is staring blankly awoken from sleep. I explain the situation and lay on my side avoiding him. I just needed to rest until it was time to reattempt to get the tow truck. I was so tired I just slept with him until he awoke somewhat he then had me reexplain what happened because he was so tired he didn't comprehend what happened that night. I still was bummed he wasn't there for me and feel like this is an ongoing pattern of ignoring my calls. The point is if this is my partner he should have been there for me. In the morning when we awoke around 1030 I began chatting with aaa dispatch preparing to get my vehicle. They didn't understand why I wasnt at it and why there was no key that would work. I explained my phone is the key and the car is dead and my phone would have died as well and at a offramp... after going back and forth and finally getting them to understand the situation they agreed to come get me I waited until the time they agreed to get me and no call. I called dispatch again and they said I needed to be their this time my boyfriend got up angrily and said he would take me to it... I was trying to avoid him taking me. He screamed at me the whole way saying how do I not know where my car was but I knew the whole time and was explaining it's off a specific freeway on a specific exit... he couldn't figure how to.get to it and I was frantically trying to type it into his GPS. He told me how stupid I was for not putting in an address... but it's not an adress he was ready to drop me off and make me walk until we finally spotted the tow truck. He messaged me in apology on text but I feel like all the signs are clear I'm just already to leave

A few years ago, I had the chance to learn about Venerable Minh Tue through the YouTube channel Nhan Ga Vlogs. The videos show the monk in a cave at Mount San (Nha Trang), near my home. In these videos, the Venerable does not preach or talk about himself. He only answers questions and shares his journey of practice honestly. What I am most interested in are his insights on practice and discipline. I realized that Venerable Minh Tue has read extensively and understands the Nikaya scriptures deeply, practicing according to the Buddha's teachings. This led me to conclude that he is a true monk.
Today, Venerable Minh Tue is known by many (I prefer not to use the word "famous" for a monastic) and has widespread influence, reaching beyond national borders. The story of Venerable Minh Tue has become hotter than ever, flooding social media with videos and images of him. This has sparked a variety of opinions, ranging from admiration and respect to criticism and contempt. Many paths of human experience!
Fortunately, those who think negatively about him are still a minority.
Venerable Minh Tue practices the ascetic path of Dhutanga. Some people look at his conduct and attire and criticize him as crazy, self-mortifying, lacking wisdom, and not following the Middle Way that the Buddha encouraged. However, these critics do not realize that Venerable Minh Tue is practicing according to the correct Dharma, following the teachings of the original scriptures. He has abandoned family life, living a pure and simple life, renouncing all attachments, and practicing minimalism and contentment. People confuse the ascetic practices of Dhutanga with the severe austerities the Buddha practiced during his six years of seeking enlightenment. Those severe practices involved extreme self-mortification, causing great physical pain (originating from Brahmanism). Thus, Dhutanga in a sense is a precursor to the Middle Way and still closely aligns with it.
Many argue that monastic life should prioritize wisdom over physical asceticism. However, they confuse worldly wisdom with Buddhist wisdom. Worldly wisdom is human cognitive ability, derived from genetics and education, whereas Buddhist wisdom is only revealed when a practitioner strictly adheres to precepts. Observance of precepts leads to concentration, and concentration leads to wisdom. Therefore, the Buddha said, "Where there is virtue, there is wisdom and vice versa."
The core of practicing Dhutanga is to end all defilements and impurities. This practice helps the practitioner guard the senses, not being influenced by circumstances, gradually eliminating greed, hatred, and delusion. That is why monastics eat only one meal a day (reducing greed for food), sleep sitting (reducing the desire for sleep, as lying down can lead to deep, excessive sleep), and wear three robes (actually one set, the minimum requirement, reducing attachment to clothing).
Some criticize why a Dhutanga practitioner does not live alone in the forest but wanders across the country. The answer is that finding forests in Vietnam today like in the Buddha's time is impossible. Venerable Minh Tue has also spent time in seclusion on Mount San. So why does he choose to walk across the country? He answers that it is to "train and maintain health." In a deeper understanding, he is practicing the true Dharma of the Tathagata. Walking helps him to be mindful of body, feelings, mind, and phenomena; living in hardship, experiencing suffering, and understanding the cause of suffering leads to the end of suffering, rather than hoping to escape suffering to find happiness.
On his journey, if he is tempted by material possessions, money, or beauty, it means that desire has arisen; if he feels troubled by the crowd, it means anger has arisen. Therefore, solitary retreat alone may not necessarily help control the mind when faced with worldly temptations.
Many people also question the social utility of his wanderings. If everyone did as he does, who would produce food? These questions are shortsighted and self-serving.
What have we done for society? Everyone contributes to society in varying degrees, and human values are not solely measured by material contributions but also by spiritual ones. Typically, what we do is visible and beneficial to ourselves and our families. In contrast, what Venerable Minh Tue has done for society is far more significant and evident:

• He has helped many people see the image of original Buddhism and the monastic life of the Buddha.
• He serves as a mirror reflecting the true nature of some "fraudulent monks," "transaction monks," and "advisory monks."
• He has awakened many who were lost in false doctrines, bringing them back to the light of the true Dharma.
• He has maintained faith in Buddhism for many and earned the admiration of followers of other religions.
• He has inspired many to reflect on themselves, reducing greed, hatred, and delusion in their lives. Some have even given up everything to follow his path.
• In a way, he has brought people closer and fostered social harmony.

If society could follow his example, it would be wonderful. Then, I believe, society would not only have food and clothing but also a more peaceful and happy life. However, few people can do what he does!
Some people question why he refers to himself as "con" (child) instead of "thầy" (teacher).
First, he has chosen the path of renunciation, no longer bound by monastic duties at a temple, and does not consider himself anyone's teacher to avoid influencing others and bureaucratic issues.
Second, the self-reference "thầy" among monks and laypeople today is merely a convention in communication. There is no binding requirement. In essence, it is a cultural practice in Vietnamese language, while in English, it is just "I-You," or in Chinese, "Wǒ 我 - Nǐ 你." Some high-ranking monks still refer to themselves as "tôi" (I) or their Dharma names when teaching. Venerable Minh Tue's use of "con" with everyone demonstrates his practice of humility, renouncing the ego, which is the spirit of selflessness.
Currently, wherever he goes, hundreds to thousands of people follow, including many YouTubers, TikTokers, and Facebookers. This has raised concerns about security and disruptions to his practice.
I believe we should not rush to blame or criticize those creating social media content. Let's see the positive side, for without them, how could the beautiful image of a true monk spread? In this era, spreading the Dharma and sharing good things are more effective with the support of media and social networks. How else would Vietnamese Buddhists know about the teachings of monks like Phap Hoa or Tinh Khong and other high-ranking monks?
Moreover, their gathering is also a test for Venerable Minh Tue to practice mind control. If he starts feeling important, central, or like a star due to attention and veneration, he immediately falls into ego clinging and arrogance. If he gets annoyed by the crowd, it means anger has arisen. These situations are ultimate tests on the path of precepts and mindfulness. Observing him, no matter how hard the walk, his face remains serene with a smile. Perhaps he has attained tranquility.
Some people express sympathy for him, tearfully seeing him bareheaded, barefoot, under the sun and rain. This emotional response is understandable but from a worldly perspective. Choosing the path of asceticism makes him feel internal joy, and these hardships help him approach enlightenment.
Some worry about him facing dangers from dark forces. Don't worry; choosing this path requires great courage. Didn't he say, "If I'm allowed to live, I'll continue to practice"? This shows fearlessness as he has thoroughly understood impermanence and selflessness. What we should care about is whether he has truly attained this mindset. If he has, Nirvana is not far away. Therefore, we should rejoice.
I predict that at some stage, after experiencing suffering and training body and mind, Venerable Minh Tue might retreat into seclusion to achieve enlightenment. Once precepts are fully observed, meditation is necessary to attain concentration.
Certainly, his influence has reduced the income of some fraudulent monks, who might even have to sell cars and land. Therefore, it is not surprising that efforts to defame and harm Venerable Minh Tue are intensifying. Initially, they fabricated stories of false monasticism with staged filming. They ridiculed his robe, calling it "plot selling land," or criticized his rice cooker as an unofficial alms bowl. But they fail to understand that he has reached a state of non-attachment, indifferent to shame or ridicule. Having chosen a renunciant life, living without family, sleeping in cemeteries, overcoming family ties is the greatest obstacle.
The meanest tactic they use is labeling him as an agent of foreign anti-government organizations, portraying him as a beggar monk to undermine Vietnamese Buddhism and the nation.
I must say, Vietnamese Buddhism is undermined by fraudulent monks, tolerated and supported. They exploit karma and reincarnation theories, distorting and frightening the ignorant with horrific afterlife scenarios. They continue exploiting donations as a way to resolve karmic debts, seeking blessings, and accumulating merit, the more money, the better, even encouraging devotees to donate entire houses to temples and live simply elsewhere. In short, just donate.
Therefore, the purification of fraudulent monks will be the revival of Vietnamese Buddhism.
Praising Venerable Minh Tue's practice does not mean devaluing other practices of true monks in the country. Each has different capacities and vows, so not everyone can be the same. Every individual is here to fulfill a unique mission.
If the standard of a monk is virtue, clearly, the one who practices surpasses the one who understands. Practicing Dhutanga is a great merit, rarely achieved. Therefore, praising and respecting virtue is right but not deifying or idolizing Venerable Minh Tuệ at this moment, as this would lead to wrong views and contradict the spirit of Buddhism.
To understand the significance of practicing Dhutanga, let me quote the Buddha's praise of Venerable Kasyapa's practice:
“Well done! Well done, Kasyapa! You have brought great benefit and saved innumerable beings, extending this to all the realms of gods and men. Why? Kasyapa, if this ascetic practice remains in the world, then my teachings will also remain long in the world. If my teachings remain in the world, then the path to the heavenly realm will increase, and the three evil paths will diminish. Likewise, the noble paths of Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami, and the Three Vehicles will also remain in the world. Monks, you should practice as Kasyapa does.
Thus, monks, you should learn this.” (4)
Notes: (1) In the Samannaphala Sutta, Kinh Chung Đức (2) Also known as Prajna Wisdom (3) In the Kinh Chung Đức (4) In the Ekottara Agama, Volume I
Nha Trang, May 10, 2024 Nguyen Thanh Huy Email: [thanhhuy1979@gmail.com]()
Editor's Note: (*) Currently a lecturer in the Department of Linguistics at the University.

For context, me (23) and my bf(30) who are co-workers have been together for a year and a half. I'm Indian and he's Arab. We love each other very much and though our styles of expression are different we respect each other and try to communicate. We have been each other's safe spaces from the moment we became friends until now.
However, the major challenge I'm facing is that his family does not know anything about me and he still has to hide our relationship with them. They are aware he has a girlfriend but does not know anything else as they will not be happy about him marrying outside his religion and country. On the other hand my parents have already met him and he even texts my mom to wish us on special occasions/holidays.
I'm trying to be understanding of these actions of his. I get that where he is from, dating is a taboo subject. And both of us being from different religions, nationalities and our age gap does not make things easier. When we agreed to start dating we acknowledged our differences and told each other we will take things day by day. But now that we've been together for a year and a half I'm starting to want more. More of his time, more acceptance and less hiding, and promise of a future together. I'm not someone who is very keen on marriage or having kids so all I just want is assurance that we'd both fight together for our future.
A few weeks ago I had asked him if his family found about us and told him to break up what would he do and he said he doesn't know. I was extremely hurt by this answer and tried to initiate a break up by asking if he wants to stop what we have and he said he definitely does not want to. And in an attempt to stop me from feeling as terrible as I did he said he will handle it when the time comes. His words offered a very short lived comfort and I'm back to square one of thinking he will not do anything for us, especially since he has made it clear on multiple occasions that his family comes first no matter what.
To make things even worse he's currently solely financially supporting his family of 9-10 members who all live with him. This has made it difficult for us to hangout out a lot often as we once did (mind you when we started dating this was not the case). And since he's living in a crowded house I have to be careful when I call him as he might have family near him who might find out about us. The fact that we're coworkers doesn't make it easier as it's not like we can be affectionate in the office.
Due to these circumstances I now feel wedged in between wanting more of him but feeling like I am an inconvenience to his life. He assures i am not and asks me to stop overthinking thinggs but that is difficult for me. I understand that these life circumstances are harder on him than me and he is definitely suffering. But it is also my first relationship. I've reached a point where I find myself crying every other week worried about our future because I can't and don't want to let go of him. It's not easy to find people who you connect with and can be your safe space. Even if I do find the courage to break up I don't even want to think about the bout of depression and loneliness that would await.
Please advise me on my situation as I feel completely lost and stuck with these issues in my relationship
TL;DR: as my bf and I from different cultures and nationalities are almost approaching the 2 year mark I want more from him such as not hiding me from his family and his time. But due to cultural differences and his financial situation he's unable to do the same for me. Please advise

long story short, about a year ago, my friend told me she liked me, and I friend zoned her. eventually, we stopped talking. but I asked her out to hoco this year because I started thinking about her.
we went out, and had an amazing time, we even hooked up later that night at my place. but she told me she’s moving across state to study abroad in Ireland really soon, and we decided not to get too close so that nothing would be complicated.
but the thing is… I have started liking her now, but it seems like she doesn’t want to talk to me anymore. i know she said she didn’t want to get too close, but does that mean she’s friend zoning me, or that she does like me and just genuinely doesn’t want us to get attached?
i asked her if she wanted to get coffee with me, and she said yes, but never followed up. we’re both 18, and graduating soon. i’m kind of a social person in general, and just like talking to her, so I wanted to hang out, not even like a date. i’ll probably see her at graduation, but I don’t want to come off to strong.

I recently stumbled upon Thomas Im's YouTube channel, where he explained how he ended up generating $10k in revenue per month from Upwork in just six months. He mentioned that he had no prior experience and created a social media agency from scratch. I decided to give it a shot.
I submitted 20 proposals, had 3 interviews scheduled, and secured 1 client from the platform. Here's what I learned:

• The most important thing is that you genuinely believe you are helping them by having them hire you. This will create a great mindset for your conversions.
• Quality over quantity. Try to find the right fit for your services and really take your time to answer all their questions properly, people will not hire you if they don't think you care.
• Target low-proposal jobs with longer application processes. Since there are fewer people competing, there are better chances of having people look at your offer.
• Try to understand the challenge your potential customer has and craft a proposal that explains how you would solve that problem for them. By giving free value that aligns with their goals, they have an incentive to take your services.
• Ask them a specific question about the project that would help you complete the job for them. Tell them you would be delighted to help them with it and think that you would be a great fit.
• During the interview, I try to ask simple questions to identify how I can help them :

What do you do? How long? What are you looking for? Why did you reach out to me? Tell them I can help and recap the problems.

• I'm not sure if it's relevant yet, but I've crafted a profile showcasing my experience and accomplishments. I've included a concise summary of my skills and what I can offer. Additionally, I've uploaded my favorite projects to my portfolio, along with my work history.

If anyone has any tips on how to convert more proposals into jobs, please share them below. Let's help each other and grow together.