Look people idk how to call it is it depression tiredness or apathy but I am just so lost
I am a 22M, I started a new job in February I am truly at a loss if it was a positive thing or negative I had fun first two month but now I feel overwhelmed, bored and with no sense for a bright future
This job provides for me but I am stuck in my town that I wanted to leave for so long. All my friends have either left it or are in the process of leaving it and I feel stuck just stuck there are no opportunities to meet new people, to do something exciting to have hobbies.
I just feel like I have missed a great opportunity somewhere in the past 2 years and now I am suffering for it.

I'm at an absolute loss at this point and I don't know if it's me or him or both.
We spent a great deal of the day Monday smashing all over the house and talking about finishing later on. We go to a kickball game my job is putting on, we have fun, and we're tired. We go home, he falls asleep so I wait in the other room to watch TV and not wake him up. He wake up, goes to take his normal post nap shit, comes back in the living room, then says "my stomach still hurts" and proceeds to go do his thing for like an hour. He then goes and listens to music for hours. I finally come to talk to him and he's trying to snuggle and starts saying how he knows he needs to improve, like drinking and this obviously. I proceed to ask "why do you choose days we've been active all day and talking about finishing to lie and say your stomach hurts and spend an hour on the toilet seat?" At first he apologies then he gets mad. Overall he feels I need every intimate moment to be about me but he says that it's easier for him to finish alone because with a person it takes so much effort he's drenched in sweat and exhausted, well this is because he handles himself so much. He says he needs me to be more exciting and initiate, I have been trying tons of things and pointed that out and he just apologies, I asked if he's wanting me to replicate porn and he says a bit but not totally, I tell him that's not possible but I'm willing to spice things up.
He feels like I'm putting "rules and stipulations" on his life, I say I'm working through my complicated feelings with corn and personally don't see a reason to be alone if you live with your fucking wife?? And he also keeps asking me to be truthful and if he satisfied me when I obviously don't for him?
I don't know how to explain this to him and not sound selfish. He's amazing in the bedroom and has also had a shit ton of lovers compared to mine single digits. I feel like if he literally begs me to tell him I'm there or about to be to tell him because he likes it, and I'm like hey I like the same and want to provide the same and instead he tells me in the heat of the moment I'm boring in bed? I say so let me fix it instead of hiding in the bathroom? He says it's not all about my feelings and he feels like even when he's trying he's wrong, i just personally feel like that was a fucking odd day to choose to do that and asking for me to not be in the house or during a time when he at least checked to see if I wanted to help, no that doesn't mean hes never allowed to self pleasure again but why do you need to so bad???? YOU HAVE A WIFE ??

I (29M) was seeing this girl (27F) since around January. We matched on Hinge back in October 2023 and hit it off pretty well, but she ghosted me for a few months and I thought that was it. In January she got back in touch with me, and we started talking again and she explained that she went into a mental health break for that time. I forgave her and we started officially seeing each other.
She was amazing, beautiful, super funny and I ended up falling in love. We were dating and everything was going well. I was doing everything I could to make her happy (Dates, order food while she was a work sometimes, take/drive her home from work, etc.)
Fast forward to the middle of March and my mother passes away suddenly while on a trip in Tampa, FL. It was an extremely painful time. I took a month of my military leave until mid-April to mourn the loss of my Mom and to attend her funeral in Georgia. After I came back I was a mess, but my gf did her best to check on me and be there for me. I realized this and wanted to make sure I was still putting effort into our relationship.
At the beginning of May, I find out she is moving back to New York at the end of the month and I was absolutely crushed. I asked her if we could spend time together and she says yes. Unfortunately, she started to cancel the times we set to see each other due to her feeling “stressed out and avoidant”. I try to respect her time, but was wandering if she was still interested in me.
A couple of days ago, I call her because she canceled plans to see each other on Friday. She then tells me she found she is leaving this Sunday. We agree that if she gets everything done, we’ll see each other a few hours before she goes to the airport. Fast forward to Sunday, I call her a few times and text her, but she leaves me on read for a few hours. I’m out running errands and a get a really bad feeling of dread in my stomach so, I did something rash and went to the place she was staying to check on her. I’m told she was out taking care of things. I leave then call her. To be honest I was blowing up her phone at this point. After a while a dude picks up and I ask who this is and he treats it as a joke and hangs up. At this point, I don’t know what got into me but I lost it and went back to her place. When I got there, I was told by her best friend that she moved back to NY this morning. I go back home to realize that I am blocked on everything. She reaches out on final time on Discord to tell me that I had no place to go to the place that she was staying unannounced and that she was blocking me. I tried everything to convince her but it was over.
All the emotions over the past few months caught up with me and the dam breaks: I had a severe mental breakdown and cried like I never cried before.
I feel so fucking ashamed for giving into impulse and acting like a creep. I really loved her and I wanted to make sure she was okay, but I went too far and disrespected the boundaries of people who were not even involved. I should have just left it alone and minded my business.
The last two nights, I’ve had nightmares about it, woke up in cold sweats and just started sobbing. I’ve never felt so alone and stupid in my entire life.
I plan to go see a Chaplain tomorrow to talk and get some help because I feel like I’ve lost everything.

36 years old, male Never had history of sleeping issues Always fell asleep within minutes and only woke up maybe once or twice to pee but never had sleep issues
November of 2023, I was severely ill, stressed, with extreme stomach pain, woke up with rapid heart rate, feeling of choking, sweating, for a few days could not eat much and started losing sleep which until now has not returned to normal. (Ended up going to ER where doctors dismissed me and said I need to better manage stress and potentially have acid reflux which turns out I don't when I got an endoscopy at the Gastroenterologist.) Still dealing with chronic indigestion, fatigue, other health issues. But what bothers me the most is that I cannot get back to how I slept before. Every night I would lie awake most of the time for hours before falling asleep, only to wake up a few hours later, multiple times a night, wide awake, and having very vivid dreams which I also never remembered previous to the insomnia. Each night I would wake up with vivid dreams multiple times a night a never feel rested when I get out of bed in the morning. I'm at a loss as I've seen so many specialists, psychiatrists, went to ER, I don't know what to do anymore. I have a wife and a 18 month old son which keeps me going but I'm here for any advice. I do not have sleep apnea nor do I snore. Tried a bunch of antidepressants, sleep medication, which none really worked for me. Hoping I can hear some positive feedback and support. Thanks for reading.

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Hi reddit, my 12 year old schnauzer has been going through some sudden health issues that seem to be worsening than it started and I would appreciate if I could get some feedback on making further decisions.
Two weeks ago, he had black diarrhea so I took him to the vet. Upon examinations, his liver rates were too high, so they prescribed Zentonil, Metronidazole and a GI paste to try out for a month. Since the visit to the vet, he has not been eating at all. This included everything but water; until about a week ago, water included. He doesn't even look at his favourite snack, I tried blending meat or rice into a soup, Hill's prepared foods, bone broth, making the kibbles softer, giving little portions on my hands-everything. For the first week, since the last two medications needed to be eaten with/after food, I spooned puree into his throat with the pill. I think the pills stopped the diarrhea but since then, he would puke everything that went in, even in small portions. Soon after I saw the yellow stomach bile being vomited I stopped force feeding entirely. Since then, no puking. However, this means he has no source of nutrition which lead to his drastic weight loss. He is usually 8.5kg. At the vet, he was 7.4kg. This morning, I weighed him, he was 6.2kg. He seriously can't even walk anymore but keeps his eye wide open the whole time. He breathes really hard. His hind leg shivers. The Metronidazole and GI paste finished in a little over a week, and just about then was when he stopped puking because I stopped force feeding; I also stopped the Zentonil as well. I have a month's supply of Zentonil and the vet told me to try for a month but his serious appetite loss is concerning me and I don't know what to do.
I called the vet about a week ago about his appetite issue and they said they can either give him an IV drop that will probably just last a few hours; or to do an ultrasound (but they don't know what they're looking for so it could come out clean). My boy had a half-year long visit due to a neurology-related issue, only after spending 6k and numerous exams the specialist told me that his symptoms are gone so there's no need to do anything. I was happy to see that he was feeling better, but I just don't want this to be something that will make me toss him around to different specialists only to give him more pain. Should I go to my vet and proceed with an ultrasound or is there anything else I can do? I am really concerned.

• Species: Canine
• Age: 12
• Sex/Neuter status: Neutered
• Breed: Schnauzer
• Body weight: 6.2kg
• History: See above
• Clinical signs: Severe weight loss, no appetite, heavy breathing, hind leg shivering intermittently
• Duration: 1-2 week
• Your general location: Canada

Thanks for taking the time to read.

In 2018, I went to see a psychiatrist, a "doctor" after an episode in which I was awake for most of a week, with at most 5-8 hours of sleep, and woke up feeling my brain was on fire.
In the one or two months after that, I started to recover slowly. I wasn't fully aware of it at the time, but I had started to suspect I was bipolar, which I now know I am. Looking back, in my early 20s, I started to get hypomanic highs one to two times a month, and also, from what I now know, very likely fueled by the food I was eating at the time.
My mom, on the recommendation of her psychologist at the time, took me to a psychiatrist 2-3 months after the incident, who put me on 3-4 drugs, including an atypical antipsychotic, Saphris, which "rebalances" dopamine and serotonin in the brain, sertraline, and one or two others I can't remember, one may have been buproprion.
I was on these for about one and a half years, from 2018 (autumn I think) to April of 2020. During that time, I lost nearly all my motivation and energy, my libido essentially died, I used to have a certain "sheen" as best as I can describe it that I would see around many objects, trees and forests in particular, and that went away, I could no longer feel happiness, I became emotionally dead inside. My memory was affected, I have had maybe three super vivid dreams in my life, and one of them was on this drug, and I know it was because of it.
I stopped doing most things I used to, because of the loss of motivation and energy, I took Russian lessons online with a woman, my teacher whom I had come to trust and love, and would never under normal circumstances have stopped them. I used to do a lot of vigorous exercise, pushups, pullups, situps, and I stopped doing those. Most of the time I was on this medication, all I could do was play the same video game on my computer every day, and walk around where I lived. I stopped working semi-regularly with my father, and stopped doing chores around the house.
When I realized the saphris was doing this to me, I tried to go off, months or even a year after starting, only to discover I could not sleep for even a second. I had always had some trouble with insomnia, and I thought the saphris was doing some good, because after taking it, I would fall asleep within 5-10 minutes. I ended up screaming at the ceiling so many nights because I couldn't sleep at all. I know now it was definitely the saphris that ruined my sleep, and I suspect most of the other things, but, I think it was likely the sertraline or the sertraline and saphris both that destroyed my libido.
When I went off of the saphris, I needed trazadone, which is prescribed off label as a sleep aid, just to sleep at all, and I barely slept. Some months into this, I began to feel a sort of hyper aggression I had never known before or since, and ended up in a psychiatric hospital several times. It only departed from me one day about 10 months ago. Lithium would barely keep it in check, just behind the surface. I was also perceiving memories differently at this time, they were coming back in a way that was hard to describe, old memories, many of them unpleasant, which under normal circumstances, wouldn't come to my mind. The aggression combined with an unpleasant memory coming to mind, like being bullied as a child, was a horrible combo as the emotional pain from the memory would make me rage more. In the very last months I was on the saphris, I believe I had a form of akathisia, as I would involuntarily cross my fingers on my right hand.
I have learned, because of this miserable experience, more about dopamine and serotonin than I knew before, and how many things these are responsible foregulate. Sleep, memory, libido, aggression, appetite, motivation, pleasure (I can't feel it anymore). Besides all of that, for a time I was feeling temperature differently, something I have learned is not uncommon with antipsychotics/atypical antipsychotics.
Now, five and a half years after being off the medication, I have never fully recovered. I have extremely little motivation and energy, my libido is dead, I take one prescription drug (gabapentin) and antihistamines and melatonin every night to sleep, and they don't always work, I cannot feel anything but the most fleeting sense of pleasure, I feel largely emotionally dead inside, my memory still doesn't work like it once did.
I have read that buspirone may help at least with sexual side effects from SSRIs, in another thread here.
Buspirone might reduce sexual side effects associated with SSRIs : Psychiatry (reddit.com)
within that thread, this was posted
...
"Bupropion is commonly used adjunctively with antidepressants to treat SSRI-induced sexual side effects. Again, the rationale for using a dopaminergic agent, even a modest one, to impact sexual side effects appears sound. Stimulants and other dopamine-­enhancing agents enhance libido.
So, I am at a bit of a loss here, I am still not sure exactly what the saphris and maybe others did, I know it has to do with dopamine and serotonin in my brain. I don't understand all of these things fully, I don't know if I have too little dopamine, serotonin, or both, or if the saphris damaged the receptors or whatever. One thing that really got my attention with the above was the part that "Stimulants and other dopamine-­enhancing agents enhance libido."
One reason I know I have issues with dopamine and serotonin, and that the saphris damaged the receptor(s) for these in my brain or something, is that I have problems with so many things that are tied to these neurotransmitters, sleep, energy, motivation, libido, et cetra. When I take caffeine, up until recently, I would notice, despite the sexual dysfunction I suffer from, that my libido would still noticeably increase, my memory would improve, of course I had more energy, motivation, and I could feel an ever so slight increase in happiness. These are all tied to dopamine and serotonin. It seems to me that there is something or things out there that could reverse this in me, or cause a really noticeable improvement for me. Before this cursed medication, I was a generally happy person, with ADHD, high functioning autistic, bipolar, but generally happy. Now i have lived in hell for more than five years, and I want it to end, desperately. I have some very small hope maybe if I could try buspirone I would see improvement, but I don't know until I try, and I am hoping my current psychiatrist will let me try it. I need to find something that undoes the damage.

I’m at my wits end and I really need some help or direction. I (28f) have always had issues with my hormones. I’m average height and weight and my family has a history of low hormones but not anything that’s been treated by a doctor.
I didn’t have a period until I was 17 and that was only after multiple sonograms, ultrasounds, blood tests, and putting me on estrogen/progesterone to medically induce a period. Back then, I was told I was too skinny so my body wasn’t producing hormones like it should. There was also talk about possibly having PCOS. Once my body started menstruating on its own with the help of birth control, my periods were awful and painful. I had suicidal ideation while I was on birth control so I stopped taking it.
Afterwards, my periods would start and stop randomly for years. I think I went almost a year without a period and then ended up having one for 6 weeks straight. At this point, I went to an OBGYN and she told me I could have a partial hysterectomy due to my severe side effects of birth control. At 26, I had my uterus removed and that has been one of the best decisions I made. The OBGYN found lots of endometriosis during this process as well.
But lately I’ve become more aware of symptoms that I probably should’ve taken account of before. No libido, extreme fatigue, irritability, really hot sometimes and sweat during the night, muscle weakness and loss.
I had been looking at previous hormone tests and they all fall in the “normal” range. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to read all of them but the testosterone test. My T serum test peaked at 19 years old with 25 ng/dL. My most recent serum test before my hysterectomy was 14 ng/dL and records show it has steadily dropped over the years. I recently had a free testosterone direct blood test done and it came back as 0.8 pg/mL.
Every single test has been labeled as normal but I still have all these weird symptoms. I have an appointment with an endocrinologist next month but I’m afraid they’ll say the same thing. I know google doesn’t hold much weight but everything I’ve looked at has said at least my testosterone is low. But no doctor has said anything is low.
I just want to live a normal life and feel good in my body again. Please help or give advice, anything at all!! I feel so alone and like I’m going nuts.

I’m at my wits end and I really need some help or direction. I (28f) have always had issues with my hormones. I’m average height and weight and my family has a history of low hormones but not anything that’s been treated by a doctor.
I didn’t have a period until I was 17 and that was only after multiple sonograms, ultrasounds, blood tests, and putting me on estrogen/progesterone to medically induce a period. Back then, I was told I was too skinny so my body wasn’t producing hormones like it should. There was also talk about possibly having PCOS. Once my body started menstruating on its own with the help of birth control, my periods were awful and painful. I had suicidal ideation while I was on birth control so I stopped taking it.
Afterwards, my periods would start and stop randomly for years. I think I went almost a year without a period and then ended up having one for 6 weeks straight. At this point, I went to an OBGYN and she told me I could have a partial hysterectomy due to my severe side effects of birth control. At 26, I had my uterus removed and that has been one of the best decisions I made. The OBGYN found lots of endometriosis during this process as well.
But lately I’ve become more aware of symptoms that I probably should’ve taken account of before. No libido, extreme fatigue, irritability, really hot sometimes and sweat during the night, muscle weakness and loss.
I had been looking at previous hormone tests and they all fall in the “normal” range. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to read all of them but the testosterone test. My T serum test peaked at 19 years old with 25 ng/dL. My most recent serum test before my hysterectomy was 14 ng/dL and records show it has steadily dropped over the years. I recently had a free testosterone direct blood test done and it came back as 0.8 pg/mL.
Every single test has been labeled as normal but I still have all these weird symptoms. I have an appointment with an endocrinologist next month but I’m afraid they’ll say the same thing. I know google doesn’t hold much weight but everything I’ve looked at has said at least my testosterone is low. But no doctor has said anything is low.
I just want to live a normal life and feel good in my body again. Please help or give advice, anything at all!! I feel so alone and like I’m going nuts.

Hey everyone,
I use 100% organic, non toxic, and regenerative methods on my property- garden, clover lawn, flower beds, etc. My husband and I came home the other day to a pesticide company trespassing on our property and spraying what we found out was a professional strength glyphosate mixture, all over my freshly emerging cut flower seedlings (heirloom varieties that I sell bouquets on the side). It’s about 120 sq ft that was still wet when we showed up… but it was a sunny day and I’m not positive there wasn’t more. Things are just starting to turn brown. The employee was completely aloof on every aspect of why we were upset. The next door neighbor hired them for his own property, and at no point had we ever discussed services with the company or neighbor.
I’m really pissed about this, from a toxicity, income loss, and sweat equity standpoint. I’m contacting the company and if they don’t financially cover the damage/loss/replacement, we are taking them to small claims court.
What steps would you take for the physical remediation of the glyphosate? The area is currently 2” of river rock with good soil underneath (I grow drought tolerant varieties that do really well in that space). I found USDA guidance of it lasting in the soil for 6 months. I’m thinking the rock and soil need to be removed, replaced, and everything replanted. Would that even work or am I doomed to just wait it out? Anything I’m not thinking of, or other considerations?
I’m asking for two reasons. 1. To calculate the cost of damages for material/labor and 2. To actually attempt to fix this if I can.
TLDR; a company we didn’t hire trespassed on our property and sprayed glyphosate on my income producing cut flowers. Need to figure out reimbursement $ amount, and practical steps for remediation of the area if possible.

Ok I’m finishing week three and have been alternating injection sites between left and right side of my stomach.
1st week (left side): crazy effective. Lost 7lbs no food noise. 2nd week (right side): no weight loss, food noise returned and huge appetite. 3rd week (left side): 2 more lbs gone, food noise gone, very little appetite.
Am I tripping and it’s all in my head or has anyone else experienced this?

Hi all! First off, so glad this sub reddit exists because it was a life saver when I was making decisions on my own ACLr and knowing what to expect from surgery. I'm a 2x cancer surviver, Paramedic, Rugby player, and now have been a caregiver to my partner who just celebrated 3 months from her own ACLr. I collected a bunch of advice and tips and tricks that I have used both during cancer treatment, my own experience with ACLr, and now through care taking my partner through hers. I know there have been guides before, but mine is a bit different and aimed at caregivers so I thought I'd post it here since ya'll helped me so much instead of it just circulating the rugby community every time a teammate or friend has to have ACLr or some other reconstruction. Hope it's allowed and helps!
A Cancer Patients Guide To Knee Reconstruction Recovery
A Comprehensive Guide To Surviving and Thriving In the Pre and Post-op Period Built From The Perspective of Caretaker and Patient.
Before The Date
__/__/____

Preparation

It is important to adequately prepare for surgery in the weeks and days leading up to the procedure. A significant period of immobility and reliance on support can be expected immediately post-op and will vary by procedure and personal experience. Physical modification of living space and thorough preparation allows for the immediate post-op period to be free of emergency store runs and the small inconveniences that can add up to big frustration. Not having food and drink nearby as well as other essentials may be a small deal now, but can turn into a big deal when you can no longer get those things for yourself. While physical preparation (home modifications, adaptive tools, meal prepping, etc.) are important, mental preparation is crucial to the long term success of the repair. Making small, achievable goals in the immediate post-op period and maintaining a long sighted view of recovery will make the pain and immobility that is initially experienced more bearable. Additionally, social support through a partner, family members, or friends is an essential part of recovery, as is maintaining contact with sports teams or other social groups during rehabilitation.

General PEARLs

• Pre-surgical rehab is an essential part of recovery and can improve immediate outcome so if it is a resource available to you- use it!
• Learn the basics of your procedure such as reconstruction technique, graft type, surgeons recovery timeline, where you will do your rehab, and what you should expect going into and coming out of surgery. Knowledge is power and can give a sense of control and set reasonable expectations in a situation that is otherwise out of your control.
• Seek out positive experiences and recovery stories from other people who have had your procedure and gather as much advice as possible from resources such as ACL. Know that some people will have negative experiences, everyone is an individual, and that much of your long term recovery is in your control.
• Expect and learn to advocate for yourself or the person you are taking care of. Be vocal and honest with any needs you may have and understand that issues may come up in the immediate post-operative time that you as a patient or caregiver may have to contact your surgeon to resolve. Familiarize yourself with who to call and when *before* you leave after surgery, as well as being quick to call with any questions or problems that arise. It is better to be told that what you are experiencing is normal than to sit with the anxiety of the unknown.
• Create a folder with all relevant information: Surgeons name, procedure information, follow-up appointment dates and times, phone numbers, emergency contacts, facility of choice in an emergency situation, and any other important information. Maintain this folder throughout your recovery and add paperwork as it comes.

Days Leading Up To Surgery

• Contact support people and confirm any arrangements that have been made including but not limited to: Who is taking you to/from surgery, child or pet care, transportation to first PT appointments, meals, etc.
• Recommended Items we found essential:
  • Ice Machine (Polarcube, etc) if at all possible
    • Recommend checking facebook marketplace or other second hand options, as they cost hundreds new but can be found for $40 or so used.
    • Studies have shown these do actually reduce pain and lend to earlier mobilisation and our experience has shown this to be essential not just immediately post-op but in the weeks and months afterwards so if you *can* obtain one you absolutely should.
  • Large sweatshirt and oversized shorts for surgery day, especially if you wear a bra, as putting clothes on after surgery can be a struggle and it’s easiest to just throw on a sweatshirt and shorts that fit over your post-op bandages and brace.
    • In particular, we found a blanket hoodie to be very useful both for going home and the first few days as it could stay on when moving around/when napping.
  • Neck Pillow
    • Helps with reading or other activities during long hours spent in bed or on the couch and really helped in the first two days to prevent neck strain and provide head positioning during napping.
  • Large pillows for body positioning and elevation of the leg
    • We found cheap, giant, dog beds from places like TJ Max or Marshalls to be more affordable than specialty products
    • A large, thin, dog bed (or blanket) rolled into a tube and secured with stretch bandage or tape around the surgical leg and brace helped significantly with comfort during sleep so that the leg was padded, comfortable, and the other leg didn’t get roughed up from the brace.
  • A shower chair
    • Can be found used at second hand stores like Goodwill, or cheap online
    • Easy substitute is a chair covered in a trash bag
    • Allowed showering the second day post-op which was a huge mental boost and relieved physical discomfort and achy muscles
  • Extra large leg cast cover
    • Can be found cheap online
    • Placed around outside of brace covering the entire leg initially, we then found it easier to place on the leg and place the brace outside of the cover for the remaining healing period for the incisions: We did this after the first PT appointment when it was safe to take off the brace for short periods while laying down. We acquired a second post op brace from a friend (you can find on eBay for cheap) and it was amazing to have, as we could let it dry after showering and immediately put her post op brace back on.
  • Foldable stool
    • Great for elevating the leg during transfers, while on the toilet, etc.
  • Lap Desk
    • Great for eating on the couch or in bed, but we also found it useful as a side table for holding drinks/meds/remotes/books that could be taken to whatever room they landed in at the time
    • A small table works as well, really just anything that can be used to set things on within arms reach
  • Assortment of sodas, water, seltzers, snacks, etc.
    • There is no way to know what you will want and when, but when you want it it’s nice to *have* it available
    • Appetite often decreases after surgery so make sure to have favourites on hand so that when you *are* hungry you have it immediately before your body changes its mind
  • A big bucket
    • We used a soft plastic beach type bucket from the dollar store, it was extremely useful to have to put small items in, a small towel, a spare water bottle, extra meds, baby wipes, etc.
    • Also doubled as an emergency puke bucket, as you never know when a sudden bout of nausea might hit in the first day or two after surgery
  • Extra reusable ice packs and bags of ice
    • Your home ice maker will not be able to keep up with the demands of constant icing the first week or so
    • Reusable ones are great for ‘hot spots’ and short trips where you can’t take the ice machine
  • Extra steri-strips and assortment of bandages
    • Sometimes there’s extra leakage, sometimes your steri-strips come off and you need to slap a new one on, sometimes you’re allergic to the ones they put on you at the hospital. Always consult a medical professional, but it’s handy to have these on hand just in case.
    • We also used a bulky padded bandaid to keep the brace off the healing incisions once the large post-op dressing was taken off which helped immensely.
  • Compression sleeves
    • Aside from helping with swelling these also provided a layer of protection under the post-op brace
    • We found cheap ones at Wal-Mart (copper brand) but also just bought a cheap pair of leggings a size down and cut off one of the legs to use before getting a more expensive one once swelling had fully subsided after a few weeks. Your leg will change so cheap works great at first, then you can get something a bit more substantial when you know what you’ll need long term. Now she wears high compression socks to sleep 3 months out.
  • Slide on shoes
    • Self explanatory, bending down to put on shoes becomes a chore after surgery. Avoid flip flops or other styles that can become a trip hazard.
  • Baby Wipes/Dude Wipes/etc.
    • Wiping down after you get home from surgery can help prevent that icky feeling and restore some sense of normalcy, then can be used over the next few days before you can shower more normally
  • Lotion and chapstick
    • Hospitals dry out your skin big time, and lips are often cracked post surgery from intubation/LMA placement
  • Small, easily labelled tupperware containers
    • Regular pill containers are too small to hold pain meds, OTC pain meds, anticoagulants such as aspirin, supplements, and edibles or other small things you take with your medication. We got small tupperware boxes with lids from the dollar store.
    • We found it very convenient to have six sets of meds set up and labelled with times which meant we never missed doses and could leave the next dose of meds at bedside, take them with us when going to appointments, and keep up with what had been given and when.
  • Small notebook to record med times and other important information
  • Two extra changes of clothes already setup and ready to go
  • Compression device
    • We are athletes so we already had leg compression sleeves but these days off brand versions can be bought online cheap. Studies have shown these lead to reduced pain, increased mobilisation, reduced the chance of blood clots, and there is even some evidence they help with bone healing.
    • We used it 3 days post op and beyond and her range of motion was significantly improved after the first time.
  • A yoga strap
    • Excellent for strapping to the brace and moving the surgical leg
• If possible, pick up post-op medications prior to surgery to prevent any unexpected delay in obtaining them. If this is not possible, verify that the prescription can be filled the day of the surgery by your selected pharmacy and that it has been filled prior to leaving after your surgery. Controlled substances cannot be transferred to another pharmacy without a new prescription sent directly from the provider. You do not want to be trying to get in contact with a physician in the hours after surgery, unable to manage pain, before the pharmacies close for the night.
• Do a thorough clean of your living area, it will make the time after surgery when you cannot independently do normal activities more bearable and a neat organised space is easier to function in when your body is not cooperating. Take special attention to removing tripping hazards and clearing a wide path from wherever you plan to spend your recovery and the bathroom.
• Plan to spend the first couple of days in one spot and on one floor and set up that area the day before surgery. If you have a downstairs bathroom a floor mattress or well setup couch can be your landing pad until you are more mobile and is the easiest during the immediate post-op period. That being said, if you don’t, it’s easier to get upstairs by sliding up on your bum immediately post-op when your pain is still well controlled than realise that you have no bathroom downstairs a few hours later when the pain has started to set in. Wherever you intend to land, plan on staying there at least a couple of days and bring all your supplies to that area. Plan to lay with your surgical leg on the outside of what you are laying on, this makes transferring easier.
• Have your recovery bed setup the day before surgery and prepared for when you return before you leave the day of, including blankets and your supply table setup.
• Meal prep, whether that means cooking or getting easy to make microwave meals is up to you. You won’t feel like cooking and neither will your caretaker the first few days. High protein, easy to eat meals are key! We had chicken and broccoli casserole, egg and sausage frittata, and lots of applesauce the first few days and it was a lifesaver not to have to think about meals.
• Spend some time mentally preparing for the long haul of recovery and make long term plans that fit within your timeline. For example, we planned to attend a rugby game five days after surgery *but* planned nothing else for that day and the next day. We also planned hiking trips the next fall, and other events appropriate for her timeline along the way that could be looked forward to and keep up morale. Remember that this is temporary and that it is okay to be recovering and resting, expect hard moments and days but keep things planned so you don’t get stuck in those down places.
• Eat your favourite meal and eat well the day before surgery. Your body needs fuel to recover and fasting the day of surgery sucks. As weird as it sounds, after multiple surgeries, the pre-surgery night meal of whatever I want is one shiny thing in a crappy situation to hold on to.
• Plan for what you want your first meal to be and consider making a playlist for the ride to and from surgery. Small things, again, help maintain a sense of control and comfort in a situation where you are largely out of control and these things can be done with friends or support people in the days leading up to reduce anxiety and pass time.
• Hit the gym, take a walk, do a hike, visit places or do things you enjoy but won’t be able to do in immediate recovery! We took my partners knee to one last tournament before her surgery, it helped pass time and kept spirits high.

Day Of And Immediate Post-Surgery Phase

• Maintain fasting starting at whatever hour you are told. Some people can drink clear liquids up to a certain point, others are completely nothing by mouth. Your instructions will guide you on this.
• Before leaving home double check that everything is set up how you need it and place a blanket, pillow, drink, and snack of choice in the car. You may or may not need it but if you do it is important to have. Make sure your ice packs are in the freezer ready to go!
• Bring your own post-op snack if you are picky or have food allergies, otherwise you’re stuck with whatever graham cracker and applesauce combo the facility gives you.
• Go with the flow, or as I always say “surrender”. Feel what you feel, have a cry in the car before you go in, listen to your playlist, bring your blanket or other comfort items into pre-op, tell your support person what’s going through your mind, tell your pre-op staff how you’re doing, ask all the questions, and most importantly just do what you have to do. For some people surgery can be overwhelming and the loss of control frightening, but fighting only makes it worse, so whatever you are just be it. I’m pre-op pacer myself, but some people just snuggle up under some warm blankets and wait. Either way, just let the waves take you where they go and know you’re along for the ride. Remember that future you with a healthy joint thanks you for what you’re doing today.
• Speak frankly with your anesthesiologist and utilise any pain control or anxiety control options given to you. There is no award for least meds taken or toughest patient of the day. If a nerve block is available, know that you can request sedation for its placement, and utilise that option if at all possible.
• Caregivers should bring something to keep them entertained and be prepared for a long period without update once surgery has started. Honour your feelings as well, it can be tough to watch someone you care about go through this! Consider having someone to act as a support person for you as well through text or phone, that way you can divert your own worries or struggles to them and away from the person having surgery while still making sure you are also taken care of.
• Make sure that pain is well controlled before leaving after surgery. You have more options there than you will at home and getting things under control once pain has become unbearable can be very difficult.
• Make sure you note when the next dose of medication is due, what medication they should be taking, and write it down.
• Double check contacts from your surgeons office and add any post op paperwork to your folder in case you need the information later.
• If your post-op meal requires picking up, or your prescription, try and do that immediately after leaving surgery even if you are not hungry yet. This is the most comfortable you will be for a while and your support person will be unable to leave for at least that day and night. I have been known to peruse the big gas station after surgery in search of snacks, my partner however simply waved to the nice people at the drive through and napped the rest of the way home before eating some hours later.
• Once you get home crash wherever you plan on spending the rest of the time. Don’t have friends or family over that first day. Just go ahead and sleep through the rest of the anaesthesia and get comfortable.
• Try and keep your home cool, and consider keeping the room dim for the first few hours if not days. Sleep is precious and pain meds can make you hot, and getting hot can lead to nausea. It is better to have the home cool and the person snuggled under blankets and comfortable than be trying to cool someone down who just had surgery and got too hot and is now dizzy, nauseous, and miserable. The least stimulation for the first little while the better, and naps will happen throughout the rest of the day and over the next few days. A cool, dim place lets this happen much easier than a bright, warm place where they might be overstimulated or awakened by noise or activity.
• If allowed, try and activate the quad muscle immediately after returning home and once every few hours by having them squeeze it and feeling for contraction while in the brace. Some people will be able to begin range of motion exercises immediately and if so, make sure to do them as soon as allowed even if that means just helping them by doing gentle manual range of motion movements in the brace.
• If it’s not already on, begin continuous icing as soon as you come out of surgery either by meticulously timing the replacement of ice packs or with the ice machine. Make sure to check the ice machine, replace ice as often as needed, and keep it on *continuously* for the next few days. For us this meant I checked it at every medication dose throughout the night and added ice during that time as well. We went through frozen mini water bottles and bags of ice like crazy the first week.
• Elevate the surgical leg as high as possible, placing support under the heel and calf but not directly under the knee to promote extension and prevent more headaches with gaining range of motion later on.
  • We found that icepacks directly under the knee helped tremendously with the discomfort associated with this.
• Anticipate that bathroom trips will not be fun or easy and take them extremely slow. As a caregiver allow the person to guide you on what they need and don’t need your help with and avoid grabbing or moving someone unexpectedly. Standing, acclimating to being upright, and then proceeding to the bathroom is the best way to do things and rushing will only result in frustration for both of you. A rolling chair or wheelchair can be helpful, but for some people standing up and sitting down is harder than just moving on to the bathroom. Pay attention as a caregiver and know that it is possible they may need your help getting off the toilet or back from the bathroom so be close by and available should that happen. For the first few days do not lock the bathroom door in case of an emergency.
• Place chairs or things to sit on around your path to the bathroom, kitchen, etc. And consider a small backpack or using a rolling chair to carry items around the house.
• Once you know when your next dose is, set alarms for each time your doses are due. If using the med boxes this makes doing meds and keeping track very easy, as they are each labelled with a time and all we had to do was open the box and take the meds instead of finding each bottle and dosing each med individually each time. As the days went on we were able to re-label and time the boxes as needed and remove meds as needed or adapt to what was needed when sleeping or up during the day.
  • For example day 1 would look like:
    • First post-op doses at 4pm box: 250mg tylenol, 10mg oxycodone, 5mg edible.
    • 8pm box: 250mg tylenol, 10mg oxycodone, 800mg ibuprofen, 10mg edible, 12.5mg diphenhydramine (itching and sleep), stool softener, and regular night time meds.
    • Midnight box: 250mg tylenol, 5mg oxycodone, 5mg edible.
    • 4AM: 250mg tylenol, 5mg oxycodone, 800mg ibuprofen, edible (if nauseas or restless).
    • 8AM box (preparing to get up): 250mg tylenol, 10mg oxycodone, 5mg edible, aspirin, stool softener, normal morning meds.
    • 12pm: 250mg tylenol, 10mg oxycodone, 5mg edible, 800mg ibuprofen.
    • Repeated on time, reducing pain med dose as tolerable, and refilling boxes 1x a day.
• If possible do scheduled tylenol (paracetamol) and ibuprofen (or another NSAID), alternating them on the dosing schedule, and take them religiously even through the night. This also goes for additional pain medications, which you will also need to wake to take through the night if you are prescribed for at least the first night.
• Staying on schedule might mean waking up in the night, but it’s better to be awoken to take meds than to wake up in pain and spend several hours trying to get it under control. You may find you seldom need them if your nerve block is in place, or you may just not need very much at all during your recovery. It is easier to trial run this after the first day by stretching out the time between doses from 4 to 6 to 8 and then potentially off entirely, but everyone will have their preferences.
• Eat a small snack with every med dose and keep emergency meds (extra pain med doses, nausea meds, etc.) at bedside as well as the next set of meds due so they can be taken when it is time.
• We found that edibles were a great addition to pain and nausea control after surgery. There are medication options available and having at least one option for nausea is advisable for the first few days after surgery when anaesthesia and medication can really make you want to puke.
• Expect absolutely nothing in the first few days post-op. Some people will feel well enough to move around, others will not be able to do anything but get up to use the bathroom. Expecting nothing is better than expecting more and being disappointed or frustrated. I would highly suggest not making plans until your first follow up 7 or so days after surgery.
• Be obsessive about icing, meds, any PT you have been given, and keeping track of appointments. Give yourself the best start to your recovery that you can and you will thank yourself later!

I’m at my wits end and I really need some help or direction. I (28f) have always had issues with my hormones. I’m average height and weight and my family has a history of low hormones but not anything that’s been treated by a doctor.
I didn’t have a period until I was 17 and that was only after multiple sonograms, ultrasounds, blood tests, and putting me on estrogen/progesterone to medically induce a period. Back then, I was told I was too skinny so my body wasn’t producing hormones like it should. There was also talk about possibly having PCOS. Once my body started menstruating on its own with the help of birth control, my periods were awful and painful. I had suicidal ideation while I was on birth control so I stopped taking it.
Afterwards, my periods would start and stop randomly for years. I think I went almost a year without a period and then ended up having one for 6 weeks straight. At this point, I went to an OBGYN and she told me I could have a partial hysterectomy due to my severe side effects of birth control. At 26, I had my uterus removed and that has been one of the best decisions I made. The OBGYN found lots of endometriosis during this process as well.
But lately I’ve become more aware of symptoms that I probably should’ve taken account of before. No libido, extreme fatigue, irritability, really hot sometimes and sweat during the night, muscle weakness and loss.
I had been looking at previous hormone tests and they all fall in the “normal” range. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to read all of them but the testosterone test. My T serum test peaked at 19 years old with 25 ng/dL. My most recent serum test before my hysterectomy was 14 ng/dL and records show it has steadily dropped over the years. I recently had a free testosterone direct blood test done and it came back as 0.8 pg/mL.
Every single test has been labeled as normal but I still have all these weird symptoms. I have an appointment with an endocrinologist next month but I’m afraid they’ll say the same thing. I know google doesn’t hold much weight but everything I’ve looked at has said at least my testosterone is low. But no doctor has said anything is low.
I just want to live a normal life and feel good in my body again. Please help or give advice, anything at all!! I feel so alone and like I’m going nuts.

I'm recently diagnosed and have been taking Concerta for about 3 months. It's been incredible in so many ways, but I'm having a lot of trouble with nausea and a resulting loss of appetite. I often end up spending a couple hours in bed feeling bad in the morning, there are foods I used to love that I can now rarely stomach, and I've lost about 20 pounds that I don't really have to spare.
I started on Vyvanse and it was worse (and also gave me intense anxiety). I might need to try a non-stimulant medication if I can't get this sorted, but of course those have their own side effects.
I drink coffee, usually 500 ml per day, but I haven't noticed any correlation between when I have my coffee and when I feel nauseous. I always have breakfast before coffee (usually cereal with soy milk), and sometimes don't have coffee until the afternoon. The nausea usually peaks mid-morning, but is still bad enough at lunch to affect my appetite and never completely goes away.
So, anyone have any clever hacks for me? Writing this all out I'm starting to realize it might be more serious than I realized and I might just need a change in medication, but if there's a way I can make this work I would definitely prefer that.

I’m at a loss, I know they’re trying hard to find the reasons and there is no evidence or luck behind these seizures. I had to stay up for them and last night they did catch a glimpse of my night spells. Heart rate spiked during my sleep and I came to sweating, clammy, and convulsing and confused to the number of nurses and PSAs in my room. So another night in which I’m staying awake again 🙃
I wish there was a way to make myself have one, or at least have them catch something.

I still have a long way to go, of course. I started at 5'2" and 141 lbs. I hit 131 this morning though, and I'm super proud of myself for sticking with my diet because in the past I have always given up within a few days/weeks. My next goal is to hit 120 lbs, and then to get down to 105-110 lbs. My lowest I've ever been is 108 lbs, and I was pretty comfortable there so that's my ideal for now.
I try to eat around 1200 calories a day. I'm kind of short and my TDEE isn't the biggest, unfortunately. I also don't personally get much exercise (I have agoraphobia and share a small apartment with two other people) but I'm working on incorporating some at-home exercises into my routine. The weight loss is slow but steady.
I also have to give credit to my Vyvanse prescription for giving me a head start - I take it for ADHD and binge eating. It's also an appetite suppressant. I know not everyone can be on this medication, but for me it has been a godsend. My binging has stopped completely and I'm no longer hungry all the time. My doctor is aware of my weight loss and we both think this med is a great fit for me.
That's not to say the medication is a cure all. I still have been making conscious efforts to choose healthier, more filling food options and drinking plenty of water. I've been really liking protein bars, eggs, vegetables, and greek yogurt.
I also find that eating around the same times every day helps, my body's hunger cues seem to get used the routine and I'm not lefting craving snacks in-between. I also let myself indulge on occasion as long as it fits into my daily calories. I think I'd get pretty depressed if I could never have a treat again!
Anyways, I just wanted to share my progress and hopefully encourage others who are struggling to get that first 10 lbs down. I did have a plateau for a while and I know how frustrating that can be, but it's so worth it to ride it out. I hope everyone is doing well on their weight loss journey!

Good morning! The sun is out! We’ve been having a thick marine layer in SoCal, so I’m happy to see some blue sky! 60 f menopausal 5’7” SW 190.6 CW 183.6 GW 155 I started tirz on 5/11, so that’s 7 lbs in 10 days! I know I won’t lose that fast for next almost 30 lbs, but I’m happy to see that I’m moving in the right direction. I took 1.25 mg on 5/11, and 1.5 mg on 5/18. The appetite suppression waned on day 6 on the 1.25. I am micro dosing as suggested by Dr. Tyna (to be found on YouTube.) I liked her ideas, but not her $2K fee to take her course, so I decided to experiment on my own as I’m looking to take the lowest effective dose for me. I’ll decide if I need to titrate up this coming Saturday, 5/25. I’m having minimal side effects: dry mouth, sometimes a metallic taste, and low grade nausea. I also follow a lady on TikTok, “Chas everyday”. She’s a spokesperson for Valhalla Vitality. She lost 145 lbs. I also get my tirz from them. She’s lovely, down to earth, and has a ton of excellent info on how to make tirz work for you. Lastly, I recently watched a YouTube video on The Diary of a CEO in which the author interviewed was Johann Hari. He is an investigative journalist and recently published a book called “Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risk of the New Weight-loss Drugs”. He has an interesting POV because he has used the drugs himself. He gives an excellent and nuanced overview of sema and tirz. I wish everyone well on their health journey! I hope this is the last thing I have to try. I’ve kept off 25 pounds for 2 years twice, and this last regain was 25 pounds plus. I broke my foot, and had to have surgery, along with a change to a stressful job. The tirz was the only thing that reversed the regain.

Hello,
Concerned dad here 🙋🏼‍♂️
My 5yo son has a some form of diagnosis from a private practitioner (I’m not completely sold but that’s another thread altogether)
That being said I think it’s evident that it’s probably accurate and im trying to be open minded and avoid denial.
Recently he’s gone back a year in school which I felt would be beneficial as he has a global development delay anyway and should have been held back before he started (another another thread)!
His new teacher has suggested to us that he may benefit from being medicated for ADHD, now this worries me as there are so many pros and cons attached and stigmas to boot!
The teacher acknowledged he is super bright but really struggles to concentrate and maintain a task for longer periods of time, which I see at home helping him learn to read with the curriculum books etc.
I know I can’t get a definite answer but I’m trying to understand ADHD at a rapid rate and determine what’s best for my son and mitigate all bad side effects or know what’s coming if this route is taken and what are alternatives that could actually be effective.
Could zeolite help? Are there medicines that aren’t stimulants but work? Could he become dependent on them having a longer term knock on into other drugs? Appetite loss is a no really as he is under weight anyway, how is that navigated.
I just want him to be happy, comfortable and keep being his lovely sweet self.
The format of this post will likely be annoying to some and I’m sorry, I’m kind of frantically trying to get my thoughts out as they happen!
Thanks 🙏

Anyone else in the UK recently tested positive and noticed a difference from previous infection(s)?
Most problematic is the fever and constant cold sweats. Complete exhaustion and loss of smell and taste (which I didn't have first time in Jan 2023).

Even though you have seen me advising others not to fap giving you guys all the tips while trying literally blood and sweat to perfectly follow the advices I failed today.
I broke my streak of such a long time. I feel utter useless and shattered. I can’t get married it would take me atleast 2 years to get a job and graduate.
Knowing this it’s important for me to stay away from PMO until I get married but today my hormones and lust and satanic whipers got hold of me.
I feel shameful even worse because I knew what to do under an urge and all I still failed I am tearing apart internally craving for romance and affection. Ya Allah forgive me I ask you for repentance. Please pray for me to completely quit this I can bear relapses it’s a very heavy and painful loss for me.
I was so high on urge that I thought should just go in shower and rub one out quickly so I don’t go into P. But this constant decision making and stress lead me to a severe relapse that involved watching P until I got thru M then finally O.
This is why I hate myself the most I think I should have just M and repented but I attached P with it. How could I give in ? It involved consent of my hands, eyes and seclusion all of which was under my control?? I used my hands to look it up ogled with my eyes? I am severely guilty of this sin. I feel like if this happens every month at most then for 2 years I may have 24 relapses which I don’t want how do I convince myself of quitting cold turkey ?? Please pray for me and everyone going thru this it’s worst journey ever! It feels like digital Zina. Ngl if I was in seclusion with that person I would have done it in real life. That is how much shattered I am right now. I am equivalent to a zania.

Im 8dpo (31F lap turned abdominal. Kept ovaries and cervix) and i think im past the worst of it. While im still pretty much couch ridden, I figured I would put this out there to maybe help someone else preparing for their surgery! Obviously we all know these experiences are highly personal and will not be exactly like anyone elses experience, but I personally found it helpful gathering peoples experiences and reflecting based on what I know about myself so I thought id write the kind of post Id want to read! I tried to make easy to skim but also included plenty of details!
Heres some things Im glad I did beforehand

• washed and changed my bed sheets -cleaned my bathroom well
• moved things i knew i would need to a hight where I don’t have to bend down to get them. I moved my toilet paper to easy accessible places, my pj shirts and underwear on top of my dresser. Set up a bed stand for water and meds. Also moved my fridge around.
• as for buying stuff, i mostly had everything i needed but was glad to have comfy sweat pants, backless slippers and highwasted underwear. Also those rechargeable battery bricks were handy for charging my phone in the hospital or sitting somewhere not near an outlet. -exercised. Dont stress about this one, i know chronic pain is often the reason for this surgery. I had to stop my routine months before surgery for this reason. But I was glad to be familiar with proper squat form and have strong arms and legs to help get myself up and down without using my core. I also did yoga therapy that helped me understand how to transfer my weight to different parts of my body which helped too!

Heres some things i was extremely stressed about but ended up not being a problem
-Food. My mom came and cooked me some large portion of meals. I ended up throwing most of it away. The idea was to freeze some of it but it was too much of a hassle. I didn’t have much of an appetite and definitely gravitated towards things in the BRAT diet especially bread. I spent the first few days eating like i had the flu and was really sensitive to grease. My mom made wedding soup and it was too greasy. I think i could have survived this week just on a package of bagels and different spreads.
-cleaning and chores. Im pretty sure I have OCD.. this experience has confirmed it. I looked out at my thriving garden yesterday and said to my partner absent mindedly “wow. Things really thrive when im not out there being over involved “ and like wow that is a lesson i did not expect to learn. My partner has been clearing the dishes each day and did some more involved chores once this week. So if you live alone I would advise paper plates and maybe some to help ya once a week for the first week at least.
-in terms of my surgery i was really scared of having a catheter which i did end up needing to have for a day. It was weird but not at all painful. Honestly it was kind of the worst part of my recovery so far just because i felt i had to pee so bad while it was in. Idk if thats typical. Taking it out was not at all painful but also weird. They used the catheter to put sterile water back in my bladder. As soon as i felt a twinge of uncomfortable full feeling i told my nurse. She removed the catheter and i peed it back out no problem.
-being bored. This week has felt like one day. Since it takes me 10x as long to do anything, the days are flying by. I got myself plenty of low key things to do (crafts, activity books, ect) and haven’t even had time to do any of them yet! I still have a feeling this will change in the coming weeks though..
-having enough help. I secretly wished one of my friends or family members would stay with me for a while just so I could be the solo focus of their attention. I live with my partner and two dogs and he has been totally enough support. I needed help getting up and down up until about day 5. He also makes my meals and cleans them up for me and would bring me my meds and water the first few days. I think it makes sense if you live alone to have someone stay a week with you, but ive been fine and honestly anytime someone has come to “help” its just felt draining. I didn’t know how much of a hermit I would wana be.
-my dogs. I piled myself in pillows if i was sitting on the couch with them. I also had a no chew spray near by that we used when they were pups but only had to use it one time. My partner helped to coral them the first few days too. I have not yet been puppy stomped
-the stairs. Its been fine I just have to go slow.
Heres some things I found out along the way that were helpful

• keep cough drops in your pocket. Coughing aint fun and my throat was irritated from being intubated for about 4 days after surgery. Also keep the paper so you can spit em out when they’ve done the job if you want. I started getting a tummy ache from having too many.

-keep lil pillows by your toilet. The hospital gave me one that was plasticy and easy to wipe off (like an outdoor pillow insert). Or even a balled up towel would work. I couldn’t wear a binder because of all my incisions but this helped take the pressure off my stomach/incisions when i needed to have a bowel movement.
-if you stack pillows on either side of you, they can act as “arms” that are handy to push down on when you get up.
-sip your water and take your stool softeners as soon as they say you can! It took me until day 4 to poop but it was no problem when it happened.
-lots of deep slow breaths to calm your nerves and pain.

• those squeezable applesauce packs. Great for when you take your pain pills.

Heres some challenges I encountered that surprised me.
-my throat was so sore! For the first 4 days my throat was irritating, it felt like I had a flap of skin sticking down. The first day it hurt but the rest was just so annoying.

• breathing was a challenge. The first few days i was in bed, it was hard to breathe. I couldn’t take a Deep belly breath because of my incisions. I tried to regularly take a big breath filling my lungs though. Once i started being able to get up and walk around it became less of a problem. I think they have a tool for this at the hospital too but i was not offered it and forgot to ask.

-always laying on my back is getting old. I haven’t quite figured it out yet but im getting there.
-not really a challenge but my lower belly is numb. Apparently that can just happen (even long term). Which has actually been helpful since I can’t feel my lower abdominal incision at all
Lastly!! The pain/symptom scale: Day 0: honestly don’t remember much except feeling i need to pee and my throat being sore. Day 1: was still in the hospital. Pain like cramps and burning pain near certain incisions. I was able to walk the hall but very tired after. Sore throat. Day 2: burning pain near bellybutton incisions. Heavy lung feeling. Left the hospital. Day 3: heavy lung feeling. Pinching pain in incisions whenever I stood or sat. Had some moderate discharge that was yellowish with red and brown. Otherwise no pain Day 4: more like a sharp ache when i stood/sat. Discharge again but a very light amount. Day 5: felt strides..any pain was mild cramping. Tried to shower myself and make myself breakfast which led me to be very tired for the rest of the day. Day 6: most tired yet. Pain the same Day 7: felt like turning a page. Pain very little and energy very good.