My brother didn’t take much infliximab and rinvoq before he had his surgery. Obviously, the medications are not working. He had his ileostomy done, 6th post op, had abdominal pain, turns out there are some fluids stuck in his belly (from the infliximab). Fixed it, had drainage for a while. Right now having NG tube for decompression of the stomach, stoma working well although watery. Might come off the NG Tube soon. He also has a PICC for nutrition done the same time as the NG tube. He has been having fever for a while now. At first, it always appears during the night. No pain, nausea or vomiting. But the fever gets consistent now. All the tests came back negative: urine, feces, blood, etc. Nothing seen on CT scan, but just a bit of fluid below the right lung but doctor said it should be fixed with antibiotic and mobility. Okay, fever is still going on, he’s still been given the nutrition, antibiotics everything. Doctors do not know where the fever is coming from now. They said that the immunosuppressants are the factor why he heals slowly. I am very worried. Has this ever happened to anyone? Please answer.

I won't say that I am writing a proper review or something. Just sharing my personal experience with my Xiaomi 12T. Excuse my English, it's not my first language. Btw I am from SEA, the weather here is either hot most of the time or just a little bit cold because of heavy rain during rainy season. Some of the most popular games here I would say are ML/Mobile Legends (still playing on my 12T) and PUBGM/PUBG Mobile (stop playing on my 12T cause I play on my iPad).
First of all, why do I bought my current Xiaomi 12T? Because my phone before, Poco X3 Pro, just died while I am PUBG Mobile. When I search through the internet, I figured it out that there're many Poco X3 Pro out there with the same problem as mine. So, I brought it to the closest service center and it is the motherboard burn or something. And, the cost for replacing the motherboard is like >90% of the price I paid for when I bought my Poco X3 Pro. The customer service's staff advice me not to repair it, so I do. At this point, I just use my Poco X3 Pro for almost one year and a half (1.5 year) which is unacceptable because my phone before that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 being my main for 3.5 years at least. Even though, my Redmi Note 5 is just sitting on my desk, it is still alive until today which make it almost 6 years. I just open and charge it once in while. And for it entire lifespan, I just change it's battery and charging port, that's all.
So, even though part of me being "I won't buy Xiaomi any more" because of my not so good experience with my Poco X3 Pro. There's still part of me feel like giving Xiaomi a second chance with 2 reasons.

1. I have a very good experience with my Redmi Note 5. Even though I tortured it as much as my Poco X3 Pro and try to bent it through the back like JerryRigEverything, it still survive.
   
2. Maybe I just being unlucky and got into problem this time around with my Poco X3 Pro. Like, that's why warranty exist because it's not like 100% product manufactured is completely perfect. Unfortunately, mine is out of warranty. And maybe this is why an ex-flagship chip Snapdragon 860 can be put inside such a budget device.
   

So, while waiting for my Xiaomi 12T, I back to using my Redmi Note 5. Even though it was lagging and "old smartphone problem" everything, it still get the basic job done. Then, my Xiaomi 12T arrived. I can't really remember my whole experience from the beginning to right now with 12T as I don't write on note or something, I will just write this base on my memories.
First few weeks/month, honeymoon phase some will say. Few things that I notice compared to my Poco X3 Pro is that the 120Hz is much smoother and the AMOLED is beautiful. 108mp is an upgrade compared to 48mp on Poco X3 Pro, I keep zooming and testing on the camera and the snap/shutter is much more responsive. 120w is really fast and hot. Under display optical fingerprint scanner is much more convenient than side mounted fingerprint, not sure if it is faster. I can play ML at high graphic and Ultra/120fps frame rate, 90fps smooth on PUBGM. I really enjoy my Xiaomi 12T. So, I will say these is few things that I realized as a significant upgrade compared to Poco X3 Pro.
So here are a few problems or things that I personally don't like with my Xiaomi 12T. 1. PUBGM even though 90fps is enable, it was not that enjoyable. Meshes/Texture was not completely rendered. I am not sure if this is the correct word. Like, I can see the building and structure but the surface of those building and structure take few seconds or never rendered.

1. I rarely use the ultrawide unless I really need it. Never touch the macro lens, I rather use the main camera and zoom/crop in. Main camera is good with enough light and not-that-good on lowlight situation. The other thing I don't really like is the colour processing on the default camera app as I don't see such problem with third party app. Which is the black colour or dark area being processed quite weird, it look unnatural in my eyes.
   
2. Sometime, quite rarely, it didn't detect when I try to charge it. I am sure it was charging but somehow the charging notification or something didn't appear. I can solved it by unplug and re plug again. If that doesn't work, I will try to reboot the device. Then, it detect the charging.
   
3. "Power button ghosting" I would say. It rarely happened but the first time it happened it was really frustrating as I can't use my phone as it continue to power off and power on itself for half a day. The next time this almost-same problem happened again, it is not that problematic and frustrating as the first time but still a problem.
   
4. ML unstable performance. Sometimes, if it's alright, I can do high graphics 120fps. When it was not alright, no matter what I do even though put the graphic on low, it still lagging/low frame rate. When war, it can drop under 15 fps when not alright. I don't use app or tool to measure, but my eyes know that is definitely under 15 fps. So, I tried to delete some games and heavy stuff and maintain my storage around 200GB/256GB, it was alright for a while. Then, it come back again. I tried to delete some stuff more, it seem to not disappeared. Maybe I should delete more stuffs, but what the points of me buying 256GB if I can't use it all.
   

All in all, I have a good time with my Xiaomi 12T if the above problem does not occur. Maybe because I become much more tech-nit-picky as my knowledge about smartphone and technology increased and I know how a good phone should act. It's a midrange device after all, I know I can't expect it to perform like a flagship.

Taking csgo skins mainly (knives, gloves, aks, m4s, awps and so on). Anything as long as offer is good
I don't update this list everyday, so I have many items which aren't listed here. Check if something interests you! Also, some of the items are on trade hold, for release date you can add me or check by yourself.
TRADE LINK: https://steamcommunity.com/tradeoffenew/?partner=35769104&token=J30wyEpy
Add me to talk here: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197996034832
Keys from these buy outs aren't TF2 keys. I don't take Hydra keys either.
Buy outs are in keys for the sake of having a buy out, I trade for skins mainly.
Gloves/wraps:
Gloves Fade MW - B/O 200 keys
Gloves Cool Mint FT - B/O 75 keys
Wraps Cobalt Skulls FT - B/O 74 keys
Gloves Smoke Out MW - B/O 60 keys
Gloves Finish Line MW - B/O 51 keys
Gloves Turtle MW - B/O 50 keys
Gloves Scarlet Shamagh WW - B/O 46 keys
Wraps Caution FT - B/O 40 keys
Wraps Overprint FT - B/O 40 keys
Gloves Black Tie FT - B/O 38 keys
Gloves Rezan MW - B/O 35 keys
Wraps Leather FT - B/O 32 keys
Gloves Lt. Commander FT - B/O 31 keys
Gloves Mogul FT - B/O 31 keys
Gloves Overtake MW - B/O 30 keys
Gloves Tiger Strike BS - B/O 28 keys
Gloves Boom FT - B/O 28 keys
Gloves Polygon WW - B/O 28 keys
Gloves Cool Mint BS - B/O 27 keys
Gloves POW WW - B/O 27 keys
Gloves Mogul WW - B/O 25 keys
Gloves Lunar Weave FT - B/O 24 keys
Gloves Diamondback FT - B/O 22 keys
Wraps Giraffe MW - B/O 22 keys
Gloves Black Tie BS - B/O 21 keys
Gloves Yellow-banded MW - B/O 20 keys
Gloves Jade FT - B/O 20 keys
Gloves 3rd Commando MW - B/O 18 keys
Gloves Forest Ddpat FT - B/O 18 keys
Gloves Rezan FT - B/O 18 keys
Gloves Blood Pressure BS - B/O 16 keys
Gloves Case Hardened BS - B/O 16 keys
Gloves Needle Point MW - B/O 16 keys
Gloves Rezan WW - B/O 16 keys
Gloves POW BS - B/O 16 keys
Wraps Desert Shamagh MW - B/O 15 keys
Gloves Boom BS - B/O 15 keys
Gloves Diamondback BS - B/O 15 keys
Wraps Arboreal FT - B/O 14 keys
Wraps Giraffe FT - B/O 14 keys
Gloves Yellow-banded FT - B/O 14 keys
Gloves Queen Jaguar FT - B/O 14 keys
Gloves Rezan BS - B/O 14 keys
Gloves Needle Point FT - B/O 13 keys
Gloves Guerrilla FT - B/O 13 keys
Gloves Buckshot FT - B/O 13 keys
Wraps Constrictor FT - B/O 13 keys
Gloves Transport FT - B/O 13 keys
Gloves Bronzed FT - B/O 13 keys
Wraps Duct Tape FT - B/O 13 keys
Gloves Convoy FT - B/O 13 keys
Wraps Arboreal WW - B/O 13 keys
Wraps Desert Shamagh FT - B/O 13 keys
Gloves Bronzed WW - B/O 12 keys
Gloves Guerrilla BS - B/O 12 keys
Gloves Mangrove MW - B/O 12 keys
Wraps Constrictor BS - B/O 12 keys
Gloves Emerald FT - B/O 12 keys
Wraps Desert Shamagh WW - B/O 12 keys
Gloves Bronzed BS - B/O 12 keys
Wraps Duct Tape WW - B/O 12 keys
Gloves Rattler FT - B/O 12 keys
Gloves Convoy WW - B/O 12 keys
Gloves Racing Green FT - B/O 12 keys
Gloves Overtake BS - B/O 12 keys
Gloves Emerald WW - B/O 11 keys
GLoves Yellow-banded BS - B/O 11 keys
Gloves Transport BS - B/O 11 keys
Gloves Racing Green BS - B/O 11 keys
Gloves Emerald BS - B/O 11 keys
Knives and high tier items:
M9 Doppler FN P2 - B/O 360 keys
Nomad Fade FN - B/O 180 keys
Butterfly Black Laminate FT - B/O 180 keys
Kukri Crimson Web MW - B/O 135 keys
Butterfly Rust Coat BS - B/O 130 keys
Butterfly Stained BS - B/O 125 keys
Karambit Night FT - B/O 110 keys
Flip Doppler FN P2 - B/O 110 keys
Karambit Rust Coat BS - B/O 106 keys
M9 Freehand FT - B/O 100 keys
Nomad Slaughter FN - B/O 100 keys
Huntsman Gamma Doppler FN P2 - B/O 96 keys
M9 Ultraviolet FT - B/O 95 keys
Karambit Scorched FT - B/O 93 keys
Karambit Safari Mesh MW - B/O 90 keys
Huntsman Doppler FN P4 - B/O 87 keys
Talon Vanilla - B/O 87 keys
M9 Urban Masked BS - B/O 85 keys
UMP Fade FN - B/O 80 keys
M9 Urban Masked FT - B/O 80 keys
M9 Boreal Forest FT - B/O 78 keys
Bayonet Case Hardened MW - B/O 78 keys
Talon Damascus Steel MW - B/O 75 keys
M9 Safari Mesh FT - B/O 75 keys
Flip Slaughter FT - B/O 68 keys
Huntsman Marble Fade FN - B/O 63 keys
Talon Ultraviolet FT - B/O 61 keys
Flip Autotronic MW - B/O 60 keys
Classic Vanilla - B/O 56 keys
Talon Night FT - B/O 52 keys
Bowie Marble Fade FN - B/O 52 keys
Gut Gamma Doppler FN P2 - B/O 51 keys
Talon Night BS - B/O 49 keys
Stiletto Damascus Steel WW - B/O 48 keys
Talon Urban Masked FT - B/O 47 keys
Bayonet Bright Water FT - B/O 47 keys
Survival Slaughter FT ST - B/O 45 keys
Talon Forest Ddpat FT - B/O 45 keys
Talon Boreal FT - B/O 45 keys
Huntsman Autotronic MW - B/O 45 keys
Gut Fade MW - B/O 44 keys
Flip Case Hardened FT - B/O 43 keys
Flip Damascus Steel FN - B/O 42 keys
Gut Fade FN - B/O 41 keys
Gut Lore FN - B/O 41 keys
Bowie Case Hardened FT - B/O 41 keys
Ursus Case Hardened FT - B/O 39 keys
Huntsman Case Hardened WW - B/O 38 keys
Classic Blue Steel BS - B/O 38 keys
Kukri Forest Ddpat BS - B/O 38 keys
Bowie Case Hardened BS - B/O 36 keys
Navaja Doppler FN - B/O 36 keys
Bayonet Urban Masked WW - B/O 36 keys
Daggers Gamma Doppler FN P3 - B/O 35 keys
Bayonet Scorched BS - B/O 35 keys
Flip Bright Water FT - B/O 35 keys
Huntsman Blue Steel FT - B/O 35 keys
Nomad Night FT - B/O 35 keys
Gut Marble Fade FN - B/O 34 keys
Paracord Crimson Web FT - B/O 34 keys
Flip Ultraviolet WW - B/O 33 keys
Flip Night FT - B/O 33 keys
Gut Lore MW - B/O 33 keys
Nomad Scorched MW - B/O 33 keys
Survival Case Hardened FT - B/O 33 keys
Stiletto Forest Ddpat FT - B/O 32 keys
Huntsman Crimson Web FT - B/O 31 keys
Classic Stained FT - B/O 31 keys
Stiletto Safari Mesh FT - B/O 31 keys
Flip Urban Masked MW - B/O 29 keys
Falchion Crimson Web FT - B/O 29 keys
Daggers Marble Fade FN - B/O 29 keys
Classic Night MW - B/O 29 keys
Flip Rust Coat BS - B/O 29 keys
Gut Case Hardened MW - B/O 29 keys
Bowie Crimson Web WW - B/O 29 keys
Survival Case Hardened WW - B/O 28 keys
Classic Stained WW - B/O 28 keys
Navaja Vanilla - B/O 27 keys
Navaja Tiger Tooth FN ST - B/O 26 keys
Nomad Forest Ddpat FT - B/O 26 keys
Gut Freehand BS - B/O 25 keys
Flip Boreal FT - B/O 25 keys
Huntsman Lore BS - B/O 25 keys
Navaja Case Hardened FT - B/O 25 keys
Huntsman Black Laminate FT - B/O 25 keys
Falchion Freehand FT - B/O 24 keys
Nomad Safari Mesh FT - B/O 24 keys
Classic Urban Masked FT - B/O 24 keys
Navaja Tiger Tooth FN - B/O 24 keys
Nomad Safari Mesh WW - B/O 23 keys
Gut Vanilla - B/O 23 keys
Huntsman Freehand FT - B/O 23 keys
Bowie Bright Water FN - B/O 22 keys
Daggers Case Hardened FT - B/O 22 keys
Huntsman Forest Ddpat MW - B/o 22 keys
Gut Lore BS - B/O 22 keys
Classic Urban Masked BS - B/O 22 keys
Ursus Rust Coat BS ST - B/O 22 keys
Classic Scorched BS - B/O 22 keys
Ursus Rust Coat BS - B/O 21 keys
Survival Stained FT - B/O 21 keys
Huntsman Ultraviolet WW - B/O 21 keys
Paracord Stained FT - B/O 21 keys
Gut Freehand FN - B/O 21 keys
Huntsman Ultraviolet FT - B/O 21 keys
Falchion Safari Mesh MW ST - B/o 21 keys
Huntsman Bright Water FT - B/O 21 keys
Huntsman Ultraviolet BS - B/O 21 keys
Navaja Case Hardened WW - B/O 21 keys
Ursus Scorched MW - B/O 21 keys
Falchion Bright Water FT - B/O 21 keys
Gut Blue Steel MW - B/O 20 keys
Huntsman Bright Water BS - B/O 20 keys
Bowie Ultraviolet FT - B/O 20 keys
Huntsman Rust Coat BS - B/O 19 keys
Ursus Forest Ddpat FT - B/o 19 keys
Bowie Bright Water FT - B/O 19 keys
Ursus Scorched WW - B/o 19 keys
Ursus Scorched FT - B/O 19 keys
Daggers Freehand FN - B/O 19 keys
Bowie Black Laminate WW - B/O 19 keys
Huntsman Boreal FT - B/O 18 keys
Huntsman Safari Mesh BS - B/O 18 keys
Falchion Forest Ddpat MW - B/O 18 kes
Bowie Forest Ddpat MW - B/O 18 keys
Bowie Night BS - B/O 18 keys
Gut Black Laminate FT - B/O 18 keys
Daggers Lore WW - B/O 18 keys
Falchion Night BS - B/O 18 keys
Daggers Lore BS - B/O 18 keys
Survival Night FT - B/o 18 keys
Ursus Safari Mesh BS ST - B/O 18 keys
Gut Damascus Steel WW - B/O 18 keys
Ursus Safari Mesh WW - B/O 18 keys
Ursus Boreal BS - B/O 17 keys
Bowie Forest Ddpat WW - B/o 17 keys
Falchion Boreal FT - B/o 17 keys
Bowie Safari Mesh FT ST - B/O 17 keys
Falchion Urban Masked BS - B/O 17 keys
Navaja Damascus Steel FN - B/O 17 keys
Gut Bright Water FT - B/O 17 keys
Gut Ultraviolet FT - B/O 17 keys
Navaja Blue Steel MW - B/O 16 keys
Gut Stained BS - B/O 16 keys
Daggers Autotronic BS - B/O 16 keys
Daggers Damascus Steel MW - B/O 16 keys
Gut Bright Water BS - B/O 16 keys
Bowie Safari Mesh FT - B/O 16 keys
Navaja Damascus Steel MW - B/O 16 keys
Daggers Freehand FT - B/O 16 keys
Paracord Forest Ddpat FT - B/O 16 keys
Navaja Blue Steel BS - B/O 16 keys
Navaja Night BS ST - B/O 15 keys
Navaja Blue Steel FT - B/O 15 keys
Gut Boreal MW - B/O 15 keys
Survival Forest Ddpat FT - B/O 15 keys
Survival Boreal FT - B/O 15 keys
Navaja Rust Coat WW - B/O 15 keys
Paracord Safari Mesh FT - B/O 15 keys
Gut Night FT - B/O 15 keys
Paracord Safari Mesh WW - B/O 15 keys
Survival Safari Mesh WW - B/O 15 keys
Gut Forest Ddpat FT - B/O 15 keys
Survival Boreal BS - B/O 15 keys
Navaja Damascus Steel WW - B/O 15 keys
Navaja Damascus Steel FT - B/O 15 keys
Daggers Boreal WW - B/O 15 keys
Gut Urban Masked FT - B/O 15 keys
Navaja Night FT ST - B/O 15 keys
Navaja Night MW - B/O 15 keys
Daggers Urban Masked WW - B/O 14 keys
Daggers Scorched WW - B/O 14 keys
Daggers Black Laminate MW - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Ultraviolet FT - B/O 14 keys
Daggers Bright Water MW - B/O 14 keys
Daggers Ultraviolet BS - B/O 14 keys
Gut Safari Mesh FT - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Scorched MW - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Stained WW - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Boreal MW - B/O 14 keys
Daggers Bright Water FT - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Scorched FT - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Urban Masked FT - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Night FT - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Ultraviolet BS - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Forest Ddpat FT - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Forest Ddpat WW - B/O 14 keys
Navaja Boreal WW - B/O 13 keys
Daggers Urban Masked BS - B/O 13 keys
Daggers Forest Ddpat FT - B/O 13 keys
Navaja Night BS - B/O 13 keys

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.

Hello,
A few days I (male, 27 years old) got sent into the ER to check for a heart attack. Luckily it was not a heart attack. Since then I quit smoking and coffeine entirely.
I’m 6‘1 and weigh 286 lbs. currently located in Germany.
I used to smoke up to 30 cigarettes per day and drank approx. two redbulls per day.
Now my blood pressure (Sys/Dys) and Pulse looks like this (today I took 2,5mg of Bisolich (Betablocker) usually I’m on 5mg per day).
95/51 - 52 100/48 - 56 109/54 - 55 115/61 - 60 119/80 - 64
Before I quit smoking and caffein it looked like this a year ago:
142/84 - 100 150/88 - 94 146/90 - 125
My doc said to me that it’s very likely I experience drops of blood pressure like this when I quit smoking. But I’m not sure if I should go to my Cardiologist to check further, especially because the ER and the family doc (general practitioner) told me everything is alright.
I may note that I feel a little bit dizzy and cold.
What would you do in my case?
Best regards

Crossposted on TwoHotTakes - Original
I honestly don’t even know where to start, I apologize if the timeline is difficult to follow.
My (30F) husband (30M) is currently a nurse. Two years ago, my husband, let’s call him Wayne, enrolled in a one year, accelerated nursing program at a university in our city. This was a super intense program that basically shoved four years of nursing school into one year. (The program is designed for people who already have an undergrad degree and have completed pre-reqs for the program) Wayne quit his job so he could focus all of his energy on the nursing program and pass the NCLEX. I was fully supportive of this and basically told him whatever he needed to do to study and feel prepared, I was game. I think it is important to mention that Wayne and I have been together for 15 years now, we are high school sweethearts.
During the first week of his program, Wayne met two other students and became friends with them. I will call them Bonnie (27F) and Gail (28F). The three of them became fast friends and quickly made a habit of studying together every single day for almost a year. They would take turns going to each other’s houses for study sessions. The majority of the time the three would be at our house because it was somewhat in the middle between their houses and the university. Since I worked during the day, they could study all day if they wanted.
I also really liked Bonnie and Gail. Eventually, we all became friends and Bonnie’s boyfriend, Dan (27M), and Gail’s girlfriend, Tanis (28F) would come over for dinners. Before anyone asks, I had absolutely no issue with Wayne befriending women or spending time with them. Wayne and I are best friends and have a very secure relationship. I trust him completely. Not to mention, Bonnie and Gail were also in relationships, so it was no big deal. Eventually, Wayne and Bonnie even helped Gail work through some of her relationship drama and helped her break up with Tanis. The get-togethers became smaller after that, because Tanis was gone and Dan was working more and couldn’t come.
Fast forward to graduation, Wayne and Bonnie decided that they wanted to work in the Emergency Department and Gail was going to work in a less intense area. Both Wayne and Bonnie got a job at the same ER and their shifts would be similar so they would be co-workers. We all thought this was awesome because that particular ER is in a tough part of town and they see a lot of level one traumas. It’s great that Wayne and Bonnie can “debrief” after shifts and vent to each other. Gail was forced to go on night shift, which was the opposite schedule of Wayne and Bonnie. Over the past year, Wayne and Gail haven’t really spoken. Wayne rationalized that they both got really busy and just lost touch. Bonnie still spoke regularly with Gail.
Around this time, Dan proposed to Bonnie! This was a long time coming and we were all very happy for them. Bonnie said that Wayne and I were definitely invited and it was going to be so much fun! The happy couple eventually told us that the wedding would not be in town, but take place in a state far away. Easily twelve to thirteen hours drive or a flight away. While that would be a lot of money for us, we said that we would do our best to come. Bonnie asked Gail to be a bridesmaid and we were super pumped because it would be like a small reunion! At this time, I found out I was pregnant!! We had been trying for a while and we were so happy. It would work out great because our baby boy would be approximately nine months old at the time of the wedding. Old enough that we could leave him for a day or two with my parents to go to the wedding.
Fast forward to last week. On Tuesday, Bonnie hand delivered Wayne our invitation to their wedding. I was able to request off work and we’ve been slowly saving money to travel for the wedding. On Friday, Bonnie pulled Wayne aside after their shift. Bonnie said that her and Dan had a really bad fight because Bonnie invited Wayne and I to the wedding. Wayne was very confused, why would Dan be upset that we were invited? Bonnie then said:
Since Wayne, Bonnie, and Gail met in nursing school, Gail has been under the delusion that Wayne was in love with her. Apparently, Bonnie and Dan would talk with Gail almost EVERY DAY and tell Gail that there was nothing between her and Wayne. Gail would insist that Wayne was in love with her. Bonnie would tell Gail that she was in the room when such and such happened and there was nothing that happened. As time went on, Gail started to badmouth me to Bonnie and Dan. She would say that I was manipulative and I was mean to Wayne, etc. Gail started saying that she needed to break up with Tanis because Wayne and her were going to be together. Eventually, Gail thought that Wayne was going to leave me to be with her. Bonnie and Dan continued to tell Gail that she was crazy and nothing was happening. When Wayne told them that we were trying for a baby, Gail started a whole other delusion that Wayne and her were going to have kids.
According to Bonnie, during one of our dinners when it was just the four of us, I said something that Gail then passed on to Dan. This was around the time of a school shooting where an AR-15 was used. For context, I was a teacher in an urban school district for five years. During those five years, I was in five lockdowns, one of which had an armed intruder. While I am not anti-gun, I feel very strongly about school safety and gun restrictions. Dan enjoys guns and owns an AR-15. He is also very passionate about gun safety. Gail told Dan that I said something to the effect of “anyone who owns an AR-15 has those children’s blood on their hands”. I can say with 100% certainty that I never said that. I am sure because that is a super unhinged thing to say and it would never come to my mind to say that. If anything, I would have said that AR-15s shouldn’t be so readily available to citizens and there should be restrictions in place so these tragedies don’t happen.
Regardless, Gail told Dan that I allegedly said this. According to Bonnie, Gail talked to Dan without Bonnie present and she was unaware that this conversation had taken place. Dan was very angry and hurt by what Gail said and chose to internalize his anger towards me. Apparently, Dan decided he no longer wanted to see Wayne and I and lied about his work schedule so as to not attend dinners with us. It was not until a couple months after this, that Bonnie invited Dan to dinner at our house and he said, “why would I spend time with those people after what they said?”. Bonnie was confused and then Dan told her what Gail told him. Bonnie told Dan that those words were never spoken and Gail was lying. By this point, Dan had convinced himself that I had said those things and didn’t believe Gail would lie.
When they graduated from nursing school and started working, they stopped hanging out as much because of their schedules. Gail took this as Wayne “ghosting” her and “breaking up” with her. Gail continued to bad mouth me and Wayne.
When Dan found out that Bonnie had given us a wedding invitation, he was livid. He felt that Bonnie went behind his back to invite us even though “we hurt him”.
When Wayne reiterated this to me, I was shocked. We had been completely in the dark about this whole thing FOR TWO YEARS. Bonnie had been acting like nothing was wrong. After almost every shift, Wayne and Bonnie talk on the phone. Not once has she even mentioned anything about this. Gail is still in the wedding party despite this. Dan still hates us.
Bonnie wants Wayne and I to be at her wedding and says, “she can’t get married without her best friend [Wayne] there”.
Firstly, Bonnie has lied by omission for two years. Frankly, I don’t trust Bonnie anymore. I am skeptical that we have all of the information and there isn’t something more at play here.
Secondly, I am offended that Dan would think that I said those things. And I’m shocked he would blindly believe Gail, especially after her delusions about Wayne.
Thirdly, why would I want to go to a wedding where Gail is a bridesmaid? Who is to say she doesn’t start something and cause a scene? Also, why would I want to spend thousands of dollars to travel to a wedding where I am uncomfortable? AND I’m leaving my baby?
While Wayne is as confused as I am, he still wants to go to the wedding. He has trauma-bonded with Bonnie through work and values her as a friend. While I understand this, I can not get over this. Bonnie is trying to talk to Dan and convince him that we are good people and Gail twisted everything. Honestly, after being left in the dark for two years, I don’t want to have to convince anyone that we’re innocent in this. If anything, we should be getting an apology from all parties.
Wayne and I are currently still waiting to hear from Bonnie about her “talk” with Dan and Gail. As of right now, 5/21, Gail is still a bridesmaid and Dan still doesn’t want us at the wedding.
Am I wrong for feeling this way? What would you do?

I have high blood pressure and take Amlodipine and Ramipril but I've seen the massive list of common side effects of Citalopram, one of which being high blood pressure.
Should I be concerned? I have my doubts that my GP bothered to check my file regarding current health problems and I feel like if she had seen the meds I currently take, she may not have given me Citalopram. I haven't taken it yet and I'm almost certain I'll refuse. Luckily, I don't have suicidal tendencies or self harm tendencies so I feel like I'd rather live with my depression (closer to Anhedonia) than risk those side effects.
Does anyone know if they're safe to take if you already have high blood pressure?

Basically I feel like sh*t … racing heart rate, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, skin rashes, pooping all the time, weight loss (12lbs in last few months), exhausted, blurry vision, anxious AF, etc.
I had a blood test which showed my TSH level is pretty normal (0.9 mIU/L) - but my Free T4 is 21.8 pmol/L and Free T3 is 6.2 pmol/L which I’m aware is on the high end.
Basically my question is, can you have hyperthyroidism even if your TSH is normal and your T3 & T4 are on the high end of normal but not clinically high?
This is all coming off the back of trying to work out why I have chronically very high SHBG and Albumin levels.
Thanks in advance.

Age 17 Female 5'10 215 lbs
A few months ago a got a cold and my fever got pretty high (99/100 ish). One morning when I woke up I couldn't move my head, my eyes could open just a little bit but couldn't focus. I sitting up on the couch because my snot would be so bad if I laid down flat to sleep. The rest of my body could move but was uncoordinated. I felt like I couldn't flex my neck muscles. I was having trouble swallowing but I could breathe just fine. I had to grab my head with my hands and physically hold it up for a minute for it to stay up and gain control again. This whole episode lasted around 2-5 minutes and only happened once. I'm still a little freaked out about it because it's never happened before.

DAY: MAY 20 2024
5-20-2024

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5-20-2024 Improving online depression treatment
Symptom course of depression for individuals who dropped out of treatment and those who completed treatment. In the dropout group, there is an initial decrease in symptoms while the patients were still in treatment, which tapers off as they drop out. For completers, there is close to a linear change over time. This suggests there is a relation between the more that an individual continues to participate in ICBT and their depressive symptom improvement.
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5-20-2024 New AI model uses federated learning for multi-organ segmentation based on medical image data
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There'll be days like this, matches like this, when you look back at them four or five years down the line, you'll barely remember what happened in them. This is why you should bookmark this post in case you're a masochist.
🔆 Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong! Actually, no, it didn't. I did revisionism again. It went pretty right for us. We won the most important toss of the season. We chose to do the thing we are best at. We subjected the opposition to RRR pressure in a knockout game. So, what happened? Everything went wrong after that. Head forgot to bring his bat down and cover his off-stump line. Abhi didn't move his feet as usual and halfheartedly played a drive without reaching the pitch of the ball. NKR got done by Starc more than anything else. And Shahbaz... Oh, Shahbaz... what do you even say about that! Sanvir got done by the pitch and probably didn't expect the first ball to be this good. In this entire innings, two KKR bowlers were on hat-tricks at two different phases of the innings, and that fact alone explains everything wrong with this performance, doesn't it? Before one of you asks me why I'm not talking about Samad, you need to visit one of my earlier PMAs.
🔆 You'll feel for Tripathi, as this looked like an innings where he was in control for once after all these years and it just had to be taken away from him. The interesting thing about Tripathi has been how he has been timing the ball so well since the last game. He no longer gets beaten trying to fetch a shot out of nowhere, nor does he try that stupid ramp shot as his pressure-relieving shot. He's just going at it as only he can. Still, Head's lovely extension of the arms, maybe a twerk or two, and he's off. The man continues to put forward a strong case for an opening spot, and right on time as well. Surely, the teams would take notice. Klaasen's hot-and-cold temperament will never fail to frustrate me. On the very first ball he faces, he plays a flashy drive on the up when the team was already four wickets down. This man needs some counseling on match awareness and how not to fall victim to his own ego. The pattern has been there for far too long to just be brushed aside. The team uses him as their trump card in the middle order, and when he doesn't put a value on his wicket, it shows a serious lack of commitment.
🔆 159 was not enough... Never enough... especially when you have sacrificed the prospect of having your fifth bowler in favor of an extra batting option (an event that fails). And the body language showed it. I sensed a loss the moment Shahbaz got out, but I felt the loss looking at the body language of our guys from ball one in the second innings. More than the runs themselves, it's the collective shoulder drop that should worry the coaching staff. Now, those complaining about Bhuvi not getting early wickets like Starc will need to understand that it had more to do with Starc's mentality and determination than anything else. The pitch didn't have demons(maybe I'm exaggerating again). Starc decided to show up on a big stage, and it does happen with bowlers in particular spells, when every ball is pitched nice and every length is the perfect counter to the batsmen. You hope to escape out of such spells and we were just unfortunate enough to be the collateral damage.
🔆 And that brings me to my final point. It's going to be a short write-up because we really had nothing to do in this game, did we? Outbatted, outbowled, and horribly outfielded. With every ball, our players acted like they didn't want to be there and would rather hide somewhere else. There wasn't a single sense of belief in that group whatsoever. Having seen this team defend even the lowest of totals (in all fairness, with a better bowling unit), I feel baffled by this massive fall from grace. The dew did come and made it difficult for us. But how do you justify dropping these dollies? How do you justify the seamers spraying it on the pads when every ball was worth its weight in gold? Normally, I'd say we live to fight another day. But losses like this take you back significantly on a psychological level. I'm forced to relive the PTSD from Q1 in 2018. And let me tell you, it's not a good place to be...

I had a 24 hour blood pressure monitoring done because my bp at my psychiatrist was 169/118 HR 107bpm when I was anxious and so she prescribed me propranolol (I also take adhd meds which increase my heart rate and bp) and the second time my bp was 182/103 HR 102bpm on propranolol but I hadnt slept all night.
Anyway, I went to my family doctor to get a referral letter and my systolic pressure there was 145. So I had the 24 hour blood pressure monitoring done and according to it my average was 192/105 with the highest systolic at 2am 262mmHg and lowest at 3am 99mmHg (with my heart rate at 38bpm, average 75bpm)
It said my systolic pressure was over 135 97% of the time and my diastolic pressure was over 85 70% of the time.
But it makes no sense to me how my bp could be higher when im relaxed and sleeping vs going to an appointment with really bad social anxiety. And measuring at home with my own bp monitor I rarely go over 140 systolic. Something seems off here and im not sure how to proceed. Ive had high bp ever since I was a kid but this seems way over the norm

GOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING SUPERSTONKERS! HAHA. It's me again. Yeah, i slipped past the defenses again to drop this off so you can all refresh yourselves on the state of FUD and disinformation in this protracted fight against the legal larcenists doing their best to try and get you to sell. Please spread this amongst the holders, the more people know the less power they have over us holders. We don't sell until we get a call from marge, and that's always been the play.
TLDR: This is a set of tactics used by the Alphabet Boys(CIA, FBI, DEA) to control and manipulate us into drama to collapse our communities and movements. And should be read in full by anyone willing and wanting to learn how these things work.
I've come to notice recently, people keep asking me to repost this for the sake of keeping the new people abreast on what needs to be done to protect the holders of GME. Beneath here will be a detailed account on what you need to be aware of in your online interactions, to avoid being taken for a fool!
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1. COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum
2. Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation
3. Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist
4. How to Spot a Spy (Cointelpro Agent)
5. Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

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COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum..
There are several techniques for the control and manipulation of a internet forum no matter what, or who is on it. We will go over each technique and demonstrate that only a minimal number of operatives can be used to eventually and effectively gain a control of a 'uncontrolled forum.'
Technique #1 - 'FORUM SLIDING'
If a very sensitive posting of a critical nature has been posted on a forum - it can be quickly removed from public view by 'forum sliding.' In this technique a number of unrelated posts are quietly prepositioned on the forum and allowed to 'age.' Each of these misdirectional forum postings can then be called upon at will to trigger a 'forum slide.' The second requirement is that several fake accounts exist, which can be called upon, to ensure that this technique is not exposed to the public. To trigger a 'forum slide' and 'flush' the critical post out of public view it is simply a matter of logging into each account both real and fake and then 'replying' to prepositioned postings with a simple 1 or 2 line comment. This brings the unrelated postings to the top of the forum list, and the critical posting 'slides' down the front page, and quickly out of public view. Although it is difficult or impossible to censor the posting it is now lost in a sea of unrelated and unuseful postings. By this means it becomes effective to keep the readers of the forum reading unrelated and non-issue items.
Technique #2 - 'CONSENSUS CRACKING'
A second highly effective technique (which you can see in operation all the time at www.abovetopsecret.com
) is 'consensus cracking.' To develop a consensus crack, the following technique is used. Under the guise of a fake account a posting is made which looks legitimate and is towards the truth is made - but the critical point is that it has a VERY WEAK PREMISE without substantive proof to back the posting. Once this is done then under alternative fake accounts a very strong position in your favor is slowly introduced over the life of the posting. It is IMPERATIVE that both sides are initially presented, so the uninformed reader cannot determine which side is the truth. As postings and replies are made the stronger 'evidence' or disinformation in your favor is slowly 'seeded in.' Thus the uninformed reader will most like develop the same position as you, and if their position is against you their opposition to your posting will be most likely dropped. However in some cases where the forum members are highly educated and can counter your disinformation with real facts and linked postings, you can then 'abort' the consensus cracking by initiating a 'forum slide.'
Technique #3 - 'TOPIC DILUTION'
Topic dilution is not only effective in forum sliding it is also very useful in keeping the forum readers on unrelated and non-productive issues. This is a critical and useful technique to cause a 'RESOURCE BURN.' By implementing continual and non-related postings that distract and disrupt (trolling ) the forum readers they are more effectively stopped from anything of any real productivity. If the intensity of gradual dilution is intense enough, the readers will effectively stop researching and simply slip into a 'gossip mode.' In this state they can be more easily misdirected away from facts towards uninformed conjecture and opinion. The less informed they are the more effective and easy it becomes to control the entire group in the direction that you would desire the group to go in. It must be stressed that a proper assessment of the psychological capabilities and levels of education is first determined of the group to determine at what level to 'drive in the wedge.' By being too far off topic too quickly it may trigger censorship by a forum moderator.
Technique #4 - 'INFORMATION COLLECTION'
Information collection is also a very effective method to determine the psychological level of the forum members, and to gather intelligence that can be used against them. In this technique in a light and positive environment a 'show you mine so me yours' posting is initiated. From the number of replies and the answers that are provided much statistical information can be gathered. An example is to post your 'favorite weapon' and then encourage other members of the forum to showcase what they have. In this matter it can be determined by reverse proration what percentage of the forum community owns a firearm, and or a illegal weapon. This same method can be used by posing as one of the form members and posting your favorite 'technique of operation.' From the replies various methods that the group utilizes can be studied and effective methods developed to stop them from their activities.
Technique #5 - 'ANGER TROLLING'
Statistically, there is always a percentage of the forum posters who are more inclined to violence. In order to determine who these individuals are, it is a requirement to present a image to the forum to deliberately incite a strong psychological reaction. From this the most violent in the group can be effectively singled out for reverse IP location and possibly local enforcement tracking. To accomplish this only requires posting a link to a video depicting a local police officer massively abusing his power against a very innocent individual. Statistically of the million or so police officers in America there is always one or two being caught abusing there powers and the taping of the activity can be then used for intelligence gathering purposes - without the requirement to 'stage' a fake abuse video. This method is extremely effective, and the more so the more abusive the video can be made to look. Sometimes it is useful to 'lead' the forum by replying to your own posting with your own statement of violent intent, and that you 'do not care what the authorities think!!' inflammation. By doing this and showing no fear it may be more effective in getting the more silent and self-disciplined violent intent members of the forum to slip and post their real intentions. This can be used later in a court of law during prosecution.
Technique #6 - 'GAINING FULL CONTROL'
It is important to also be harvesting and continually maneuvering for a forum moderator position. Once this position is obtained, the forum can then be effectively and quietly controlled by deleting unfavourable postings - and one can eventually steer the forum into complete failure and lack of interest by the general public. This is the 'ultimate victory' as the forum is no longer participated with by the general public and no longer useful in maintaining their freedoms. Depending on the level of control you can obtain, you can deliberately steer a forum into defeat by censoring postings, deleting memberships, flooding, and or accidentally taking the forum offline. By this method the forum can be quickly killed. However it is not always in the interest to kill a forum as it can be converted into a 'honey pot' gathering center to collect and misdirect newcomers and from this point be completely used for your control for your agenda purposes.
CONCLUSION
Remember these techniques are only effective if the forum participants DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM. Once they are aware of these techniques the operation can completely fail, and the forum can become uncontrolled. At this point other avenues must be considered such as initiating a false legal precidence to simply have the forum shut down and taken offline. This is not desirable as it then leaves the enforcement agencies unable to track the percentage of those in the population who always resist attempts for control against them. Many other techniques can be utilized and developed by the individual and as you develop further techniques of infiltration and control it is imperative to share then with HQ.
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Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation
Note: The first rule and last five (or six, depending on situation) rules are generally not directly within the ability of the traditional disinfo artist to apply. These rules are generally used more directly by those at the leadership, key players, or planning level of the criminal conspiracy or conspiracy to cover up.
1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Regardless of what you know, don't discuss it -- especially if you are a public figure, news anchor, etc. If it's not reported, it didn't happen, and you never have to deal with the issues.
2. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used show the topic as being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the 'How dare you!' gambit.
3. Create rumor mongers. Avoid discussing issues by describing all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations. Other derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This method which works especially well with a silent press, because the only way the public can learn of the facts are through such 'arguable rumors'. If you can associate the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a 'wild rumor' from a 'bunch of kids on the Internet' which can have no basis in fact.
4. Use a straw man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent's argument which you can easily knock down to make yourself look good and the opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent/opponent arguments/situation, or select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges. Amplify their significance and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and fabricated alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.
5. Sidetrack opponents with name calling and ridicule. This is also known as the primary 'attack the messenger' ploy, though other methods qualify as variants of that approach. Associate opponents with unpopular titles such as 'kooks', 'right-wing', 'liberal', 'left-wing', 'terrorists', 'conspiracy buffs', 'radicals', 'militia', 'racists', 'religious fanatics', 'sexual deviates', and so forth. This makes others shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same label, and you avoid dealing with issues.
6. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an answer can be fielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet and letters-to-the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities can be called upon without having to explain criticism, reasoning -- simply make an accusation or other attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any subsequent response, for that would dignify the opponent's viewpoint.
7. Question motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could be taken to imply that the opponent operates out of a hidden personal agenda or other bias. This avoids discussing issues and forces the accuser on the defensive.
8. Invoke authority. Claim for yourself or associate yourself with authority and present your argument with enough 'jargon' and 'minutia' to illustrate you are 'one who knows', and simply say it isn't so without discussing issues or demonstrating concretely why or citing sources.
9. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues except with denials they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.
10. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative of the straw man -- usually, in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone will make charges early on which can be or were already easily dealt with - a kind of investment for the future should the matter not be so easily contained.) Where it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt with early on as part of the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually then be associated with the original charge and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues -- so much the better where the opponent is or was involved with the original source.
11. Establish and rely upon fall-back positions. Using a minor matter or element of the facts, take the 'high road' and 'confess' with candor that some innocent mistake, in hindsight, was made -- but that opponents have seized on the opportunity to blow it all out of proportion and imply greater criminalities which, 'just isn't so.' Others can reinforce this on your behalf, later, and even publicly 'call for an end to the nonsense' because you have already 'done the right thing.' Done properly, this can garner sympathy and respect for 'coming clean' and 'owning up' to your mistakes without addressing more serious issues.
12. Enigmas have no solution. Drawing upon the overall umbrella of events surrounding the crime and the multitude of players and events, paint the entire affair as too complex to solve. This causes those otherwise following the matter to begin to lose interest more quickly without having to address the actual issues.
13. Alice in Wonderland Logic. Avoid discussion of the issues by reasoning backwards or with an apparent deductive logic which forbears any actual material fact.
14. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the issues by requiring opponents to solve the crime at hand completely, a ploy which works best with issues qualifying for rule 10.
15. Fit the facts to alternate conclusions. This requires creative thinking unless the crime was planned with contingency conclusions in place.
16. Vanish evidence and witnesses. If it does not exist, it is not fact, and you won't have to address the issue.
17. Change the subject. Usually in connection with one of the other ploys listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive or controversial comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable topic. This works especially well with companions who can 'argue' with you over the new topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more key issues.
18. Emotionalize, Antagonize, and Goad Opponents. If you can't do anything else, chide and taunt your opponents and draw them into emotional responses which will tend to make them look foolish and overly motivated, and generally render their material somewhat less coherent. Not only will you avoid discussing the issues in the first instance, but even if their emotional response addresses the issue, you can further avoid the issues by then focusing on how 'sensitive they are to criticism.'
19. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps a variant of the 'play dumb' rule. Regardless of what material may be presented by an opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant and demand proof that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld, such as a murder weapon.) In order to completely avoid discussing issues, it may be required that you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements made by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance.
20. False evidence. Whenever possible, introduce new facts or clues designed and manufactured to conflict with opponent presentations -- as useful tools to neutralize sensitive issues or impede resolution. This works best when the crime was designed with contingencies for the purpose, and the facts cannot be easily separated from the fabrications.
21. Call a Grand Jury, Special Prosecutor, or other empowered investigative body. Subvert the (process) to your benefit and effectively neutralize all sensitive issues without open discussion. Once convened, the evidence and testimony are required to be secret when properly handled. For instance, if you own the prosecuting attorney, it can insure a Grand Jury hears no useful evidence and that the evidence is sealed and unavailable to subsequent investigators. Once a favorable verdict is achieved, the matter can be considered officially closed. Usually, this technique is applied to find the guilty innocent, but it can also be used to obtain charges when seeking to frame a victim.
22. Manufacture a new truth. Create your own expert(s), group(s), author(s), leader(s) or influence existing ones willing to forge new ground via scientific, investigative, or social research or testimony which concludes favorably. In this way, if you must actually address issues, you can do so authoritatively.
23. Create bigger distractions. If the above does not seem to be working to distract from sensitive issues, or to prevent unwanted media coverage of unstoppable events such as trials, create bigger news stories (or treat them as such) to distract the multitudes.
24. Silence critics. If the above methods do not prevail, consider removing opponents from circulation by some definitive solution so that the need to address issues is removed entirely. This can be by their death, arrest and detention, blackmail or destruction of their character by release of blackmail information, or merely by destroying them financially, emotionally, or severely damaging their health.
25. Vanish. If you are a key holder of secrets or otherwise overly illuminated and you think the heat is getting too hot, to avoid the issues, vacate the kitchen.
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Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist
1) Avoidance. They never actually discuss issues head-on or provide constructive input, generally avoiding citation of references or credentials. Rather, they merely imply this, that, and the other. Virtually everything about their presentation implies their authority and expert knowledge in the matter without any further justification for credibility.
2) Selectivity. They tend to pick and choose opponents carefully, either applying the hit-and-run approach against mere commentators supportive of opponents, or focusing heavier attacks on key opponents who are known to directly address issues. Should a commentator become argumentative with any success, the focus will shift to include the commentator as well.
3) Coincidental. They tend to surface suddenly and somewhat coincidentally with a new controversial topic with no clear prior record of participation in general discussions in the particular public arena involved. They likewise tend to vanish once the topic is no longer of general concern. They were likely directed or elected to be there for a reason, and vanish with the reason.
4) Teamwork. They tend to operate in self-congratulatory and complementary packs or teams. Of course, this can happen naturally in any public forum, but there will likely be an ongoing pattern of frequent exchanges of this sort where professionals are involved. Sometimes one of the players will infiltrate the opponent camp to become a source for straw man or other tactics designed to dilute opponent presentation strength.
5) Anti-conspiratorial. They almost always have disdain for 'conspiracy theorists' and, usually, for those who in any way believe JFK was not killed by LHO. Ask yourself why, if they hold such disdain for conspiracy theorists, do they focus on defending a single topic discussed in a NG focusing on conspiracies? One might think they would either be trying to make fools of everyone on every topic, or simply ignore the group they hold in such disdain. Or, one might more rightly conclude they have an ulterior motive for their actions in going out of their way to focus as they do.
6) Artificial Emotions. An odd kind of 'artificial' emotionalism and an unusually thick skin -- an ability to persevere and persist even in the face of overwhelming criticism and unacceptance. This likely stems from intelligence community training that, no matter how condemning the evidence, deny everything, and never become emotionally involved or reactive. The net result for a disinfo artist is that emotions can seem artificial.
Most people, if responding in anger, for instance, will express their animosity throughout their rebuttal. But disinfo types usually have trouble maintaining the 'image' and are hot and cold with respect to pretended emotions and their usually more calm or unemotional communications style. It's just a job, and they often seem unable to 'act their role in character' as well in a communications medium as they might be able in a real face-to-face conversation/confrontation. You might have outright rage and indignation one moment, ho-hum the next, and more anger later -- an emotional yo-yo.
With respect to being thick-skinned, no amount of criticism will deter them from doing their job, and they will generally continue their old disinfo patterns without any adjustments to criticisms of how obvious it is that they play that game -- where a more rational individual who truly cares what others think might seek to improve their communications style, substance, and so forth, or simply give up.
7) Inconsistent. There is also a tendency to make mistakes which betray their true self/motives. This may stem from not really knowing their topic, or it may be somewhat 'freudian', so to speak, in that perhaps they really root for the side of truth deep within.
I have noted that often, they will simply cite contradictory information which neutralizes itself and the author. For instance, one such player claimed to be a Navy pilot, but blamed his poor communicating skills (spelling, grammar, incoherent style) on having only a grade-school education. I'm not aware of too many Navy pilots who don't have a college degree. Another claimed no knowledge of a particular topic/situation but later claimed first-hand knowledge of it.
8) Time Constant. Recently discovered, with respect to News Groups, is the response time factor. There are three ways this can be seen to work, especially when the government or other empowered player is involved in a cover up operation:
a) ANY NG posting by a targeted proponent for truth can result in an IMMEDIATE response. The government and other empowered players can afford to pay people to sit there and watch for an opportunity to do some damage. SINCE DISINFO IN A NG ONLY WORKS IF THE READER SEES IT - FAST RESPONSE IS CALLED FOR, or the visitor may be swayed towards truth.
b) When dealing in more direct ways with a disinformationalist, such as email, DELAY IS CALLED FOR - there will usually be a minimum of a 48-72 hour delay. This allows a sit-down team discussion on response strategy for best effect, and even enough time to 'get permission' or instruction from a formal chain of command.
c) In the NG example 1) above, it will often ALSO be seen that bigger guns are drawn and fired after the same 48-72 hours delay - the team approach in play. This is especially true when the targeted truth seeker or their comments are considered more important with respect to potential to reveal truth. Thus, a serious truth sayer will be attacked twice for the same sin.
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How to Spot a Spy (Cointelpro Agent)
One way to neutralize a potential activist is to get them to be in a group that does all the wrong things. Why?
1) The message doesn't get out.
2) A lot of time is wasted
3) The activist is frustrated and discouraged
4) Nothing good is accomplished.
FBI and Police Informers and Infiltrators will infest any group and they have phoney activist organizations established.
Their purpose is to prevent any real movement for justice or eco-peace from developing in this country.
Agents come in small, medium or large. They can be of any ethnic background. They can be male or female.
The actual size of the group or movement being infiltrated is irrelevant. It is the potential the movement has for becoming large which brings on the spies and saboteurs.
This booklet lists tactics agents use to slow things down, foul things up, destroy the movement and keep tabs on activists.
It is the agent's job to keep the activist from quitting such a group, thus keeping him/her under control.
In some situations, to get control, the agent will tell the activist:

• "You're dividing the movement."

[Here, I have added the psychological reasons as to WHY this maneuver works to control people]
This invites guilty feelings. Many people can be controlled by guilt. The agents begin relationships with activists behind a well-developed mask of "dedication to the cause." Because of their often declared dedication, (and actions designed to prove this), when they criticize the activist, he or she - being truly dedicated to the movement - becomes convinced that somehow, any issues are THEIR fault. This is because a truly dedicated person tends to believe that everyone has a conscience and that nobody would dissimulate and lie like that "on purpose." It's amazing how far agents can go in manipulating an activist because the activist will constantly make excuses for the agent who regularly declares their dedication to the cause. Even if they do, occasionally, suspect the agent, they will pull the wool over their own eyes by rationalizing: "they did that unconsciously... they didn't really mean it... I can help them by being forgiving and accepting " and so on and so forth.
The agent will tell the activist:

• "You're a leader!"

This is designed to enhance the activist's self-esteem. His or her narcissistic admiration of his/her own activist/altruistic intentions increase as he or she identifies with and consciously admires the altruistic declarations of the agent which are deliberately set up to mirror those of the activist.
This is "malignant pseudo identification." It is the process by which the agent consciously imitates or simulates a certain behavior to foster the activist's identification with him/her, thus increasing the activist's vulnerability to exploitation. The agent will simulate the more subtle self-concepts of the activist.
Activists and those who have altruistic self-concepts are most vulnerable to malignant pseudo identification especially during work with the agent when the interaction includes matter relating to their competency, autonomy, or knowledge.
The goal of the agent is to increase the activist's general empathy for the agent through pseudo-identification with the activist's self-concepts.
The most common example of this is the agent who will compliment the activist for his competency or knowledge or value to the movement. On a more subtle level, the agent will simulate affects and mannerisms of the activist which promotes identification via mirroring and feelings of "twinship". It is not unheard of for activists, enamored by the perceived helpfulness and competence of a good agent, to find themselves considering ethical violations and perhaps, even illegal behavior, in the service of their agent/handler.
The activist's "felt quality of perfection" [self-concept] is enhanced, and a strong empathic bond is developed with the agent through his/her imitation and simulation of the victim's own narcissistic investments. [self-concepts] That is, if the activist knows, deep inside, their own dedication to the cause, they will project that onto the agent who is "mirroring" them.
The activist will be deluded into thinking that the agent shares this feeling of identification and bonding. In an activist/social movement setting, the adversarial roles that activists naturally play vis a vis the establishment/government, fosters ongoing processes of intrapsychic splitting so that "twinship alliances" between activist and agent may render whole sectors or reality testing unavailable to the activist. They literally "lose touch with reality."
Activists who deny their own narcissistic investments [do not have a good idea of their own self-concepts and that they ARE concepts] and consciously perceive themselves (accurately, as it were) to be "helpers" endowed with a special amount of altruism are exceedingly vulnerable to the affective (emotional) simulation of the accomplished agent.
Empathy is fostered in the activist through the expression of quite visible affects. The presentation of tearfulness, sadness, longing, fear, remorse, and guilt, may induce in the helper-oriented activist a strong sense of compassion, while unconsciously enhancing the activist's narcissistic investment in self as the embodiment of goodness.
The agent's expresssion of such simulated affects may be quite compelling to the observer and difficult to distinguish from deep emotion.
It can usually be identified by two events, however:
First, the activist who has analyzed his/her own narcissistic roots and is aware of his/her own potential for being "emotionally hooked," will be able to remain cool and unaffected by such emotional outpourings by the agent.
As a result of this unaffected, cool, attitude, the Second event will occur: The agent will recompensate much too quickly following such an affective expression leaving the activist with the impression that "the play has ended, the curtain has fallen," and the imposture, for the moment, has finished. The agent will then move quickly to another activist/victim.
The fact is, the movement doesn't need leaders, it needs MOVERS. "Follow the leader" is a waste of time.
A good agent will want to meet as often as possible. He or she will talk a lot and say little. One can expect an onslaught of long, unresolved discussions.
Some agents take on a pushy, arrogant, or defensive manner:
1) To disrupt the agenda
2) To side-track the discussion
3) To interrupt repeatedly
4) To feign ignorance
5) To make an unfounded accusation against a person.
Calling someone a racist, for example. This tactic is used to discredit a person in the eyes of all other group members.
Saboteurs
Some saboteurs pretend to be activists. She or he will ....
1) Write encyclopedic flyers (in the present day, websites)
2) Print flyers in English only.
3) Have demonstrations in places where no one cares.
4) Solicit funding from rich people instead of grass roots support
5) Display banners with too many words that are confusing.
6) Confuse issues.
7) Make the wrong demands.
8) Compromise the goal.
9) Have endless discussions that waste everyone's time. The agent may accompany the endless discussions with drinking, pot smoking or other amusement to slow down the activist's work.
Provocateurs
1) Want to establish "leaders" to set them up for a fall in order to stop the movement.
2) Suggest doing foolish, illegal things to get the activists in trouble.
3) Encourage militancy.
4) Want to taunt the authorities.
5) Attempt to make the activist compromise their values.
6) Attempt to instigate violence. Activism ought to always be non-violent.
7) Attempt to provoke revolt among people who are ill-prepared to deal with the reaction of the authorities to such violence.
Informants
1) Want everyone to sign up and sing in and sign everything.
2) Ask a lot of questions (gathering data).
3) Want to know what events the activist is planning to attend.
4) Attempt to make the activist defend him or herself to identify his or her beliefs, goals, and level of commitment.
Recruiting
Legitimate activists do not subject people to hours of persuasive dialog. Their actions, beliefs, and goals speak for themselves.
Groups that DO recruit are missionaries, military, and fake political parties or movements set up by agents.
Surveillance
ALWAYS assume that you are under surveillance.
At this point, if you are NOT under surveillance, you are not a very good activist!
Scare Tactics
They use them.
Such tactics include slander, defamation, threats, getting close to disaffected or minimally committed fellow activists to persuade them (via psychological tactics described above) to turn against the movement and give false testimony against their former compatriots. They will plant illegal substances on the activist and set up an arrest; they will plant false information and set up "exposure," they will send incriminating letters [emails] in the name of the activist; and more; they will do whatever society will allow.
This booklet in no way covers all the ways agents use to sabotage the lives of sincere an dedicated activists.
If an agent is "exposed," he or she will be transferred or replaced.
COINTELPRO is still in operation today under a different code name. It is no longer placed on paper where it can be discovered through the freedom of information act.
The FBI counterintelligence program's stated purpose: To expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, and otherwise neutralize individuals who the FBI categorize as opposed to the National Interests. "National Security" means the FBI's security from the people ever finding out the vicious things it does in violation of people's civil liberties.
_______________________________________________________________________
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression
Strong, credible allegations of high-level criminal activity can bring down a government. When the government lacks an effective, fact-based defense, other techniques must be employed. The success of these techniques depends heavily upon a cooperative, compliant press and a mere token opposition party.
1. Dummy up. If it's not reported, if it's not news, it didn't happen.
2. Wax indignant. This is also known as the "How dare you?" gambit.
3. Characterize the charges as "rumors" or, better yet, "wild rumors." If, in spite of the news blackout, the public is still able to learn about the suspicious facts, it can only be through "rumors." (If they tend to believe the "rumors" it must be because they are simply "paranoid" or "hysterical.")
4. Knock down straw men. Deal only with the weakest aspects of the weakest charges. Even better, create your own straw men. Make up wild rumors (or plant false stories) and give them lead play when you appear to debunk all the charges, real and fanciful alike.
5. Call the skeptics names like "conspiracy theorist," "nutcase," "ranter," "kook," "crackpot," and, of course, "rumor monger." Be sure, too, to use heavily loaded verbs and adjectives when characterizing their charges and defending the "more reasonable" government and its defenders. You must then carefully avoid fair and open debate with any of the people you have thus maligned. For insurance, set up your own "skeptics" to shoot down.
6. Impugn motives. Attempt to marginalize the critics by suggesting strongly that they are not really interested in the truth but are simply pursuing a partisan political agenda or are out to make money (compared to over-compensated adherents to the government line who, presumably, are not).
7. Invoke authority. Here the controlled press and the sham opposition can be very useful.
8. Dismiss the charges as "old news."
9. Come half-clean. This is also known as "confession and avoidance" or "taking the limited hangout route." This way, you create the impression of candor and honesty while you admit only to relatively harmless, less-than-criminal "mistakes." This stratagem often requires the embrace of a fall-back position quite different from the one originally taken. With effective damage control, the fall-back position need only be peddled by stooge skeptics to carefully limited markets.
10. Characterize the crimes as impossibly complex and the truth as ultimately unknowable.
11. Reason backward, using the deductive method with a vengeance. With thoroughly rigorous deduction, troublesome evidence is irrelevant. E.g. We have a completely free press. If evidence exists that the Vince Foster "suicide" note was forged, they would have reported it. They haven't reported it so there is no such evidence. Another variation on this theme involves the likelihood of a conspiracy leaker and a press who would report the leak.
12. Require the skeptics to solve the crime completely. E.g. If Foster was murdered, who did it and why?
13. Change the subject. This technique includes creating and/or publicizing distractions.
14. Lightly report incriminating facts, and then make nothing of them. This is sometimes referred to as "bump and run" reporting.
15. Baldly and brazenly lie. A favorite way of doing this is to attribute the "facts" furnished the public to a plausible-sounding, but anonymous, source.
16. Expanding further on numbers 4 and 5, have your own stooges "expose" scandals and champion popular causes. Their job is to pre-empt real opponents and to play 99-yard football. A variation is to pay rich people for the job who will pretend to spend their own money.
17. Flood the Internet with agents. This is the answer to the question, "What could possibly motivate a person to spend hour upon hour on Internet news groups defending the government and/or the press and harassing genuine critics?" Don t the authorities have defenders enough in all the newspapers, magazines, radio, and television? One would think refusing to print critical letters and screening out serious callers or dumping them from radio talk shows would be control enough, but, obviously, it is not.

I have absolutely horrid KP on my thighs, butt and less horrid KP on my arms and shoulders.. To be fair.. I have always given my facial skin care more priority than body.. as I always resigned myself to the fact of never wearing tank tops or shorts very often.. I didn't moisturize my body very often and when I did it was mainly my arms.. Anywho..
Any one else got the same recommendation from your Derm? of course I will follow her instructions.. I am just curious since I see that some people here report that their Derms encourage occasional physical exfoliation.
Currently doing a 2 step body cleanse/moisturize of Naturium Glycolic Acid Body Wash and Amlactin Ultra Smoothing Cream 15% lactic acid in the morning and evening. I feel that the Amlactin makes me feel super greasy.. but I will give it try.. I have a follow up in 4 weeks to see my progress..
Wish me luck yall!
https://preview.redd.it/lqknspsbbt1d1.jpg?width=991&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b6f5e3a996e9e8e47c53af6822dd53980c196e8
https://preview.redd.it/gpgz7qkabt1d1.jpg?width=341&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d95f768109c0b99e70c36a85a6174969ed494c86

Hey everyone,
It's been one week since surgery and I'm sharing my notes on my daily condition/progress here in case it's helpful to anyone. Feel free to ask questions!
Overview: Here's a link to my first post that includes some details about my injury and pre-op experience. https://www.reddit.com/ACL/s/UOegIkH9i2
Day 0 - Surgery Day Surgeon said everything went well. Surgery itself was about 2.5 hours - ACL reconstruction with patella autograph and repairs of both menisci. MCL and LCL healed on its own and there was no need for the LET. Leg is locked at 0° extension and I'm NWB for at least 8 weeks. I was told to schedule PT after my 2wk follow up and to do ankle pumps and (attempt) leg raises in the meantime.
Pain levels are 5/10 on average, even with the nerve block. I was prescribed Percocet (pain relief), Diclofenac (NSAID), Cephalexin (antibiotic), and regular strength aspirin (DVT prophylaxis); I'm taking them on a strict schedule with alarms so I don't miss a dose.
I also take fiber gummies in the morning (it was already part of my daily routine) and Sennakot dual at night, along with bananas and apples as snacks/meals with my pills throughout. I bought 5mg THC/10mg CBD/15mg CBN edibles for when I'm done with the Percocet. I'm also elevating and icing as much as possible (cold therapy machine + ice packs)
Day 1: Didn't sleep as well, mostly because I'm sleeping on an air mattress in my living room and it usually takes me a night to get comfortable in a new bed/space (I'm in my living room to be closer to the bathroom and so visitors can have easier access to me.)
Nerve block wore off by the evening and pain seemed like it was at it's peak, reaching as high a 9/10 especially when dealing with the blood rush after standing. Had to take two Percocets instead of my one for a dose to get through it, but pain is still manageable.
Day 2: Slept much better than the previous night, even with having to wake up multiple times to take medication.
Pain has subsided back to a 5-6/10 like Day 0, so just sticking with my medicine schedule. My most comfortable position is laying down with my leg elevated on my wedge pillow, followed by sitting upright with my leg at level.
I had my first bowel movements today. Not only is it earlier than I expected (based on other people's stories in these threads), but it's more frequent and came with some sight cramping. I'm hoping we're back to normal after this.
Day 3: Did not sleep as well as the night before. The "heaviness" of my leg is more noticeable and I think I experienced some swelling (leading to increased pain) due to blood rush throughout my leg. Leg felt more comfortable and less swollen by around 3am. Also had to wake up more often than before; my bathroom schedule did not line up with my medication schedule as I hoped it would, so this caused me to wake up at least 5 times a night to do either.
Knee pain when sitting is a 3/10 and a 6-7/10 when initially standing up. It also starts to flare up 30-60 mins before my next Percocet dose, so I'm currently sticking with my timing and dose and will taper off/switch to edibles in the next few days.
A few hours later, I realized that I was having ambiguous and worrisome symptoms from -- I assumed -- the Percocet (chest discomfort, heart palpitations, and increased anxiety), so I decided to pause on the next dose and switch to my edibles + extra strength acetaminophen. I'm starting to feel a 7/10 knee pain.
Day 4: Worst sleep of my life. Not only did I have to pee so often, the knee pain shot up to a 7-9/10 accompanied by what felt like swelling, even with elevation and icing. I think me getting up so often to use the bathroom also aggravated the pain/swelling. Doesn't help that a mosquito made it's way into my living room and harassed me all night. I feel fewer chest symptoms and anxiety, so I'm still deciding if I should officially stop the Percocet and just use the rest of my prescriptions + OTC pain relief to get through or just cut down my dosage.
I feel like shit overall. I'm also sleep deprived, groggy/still high from the edibles, nauseous, sad, and in so much pain. Definitely the worse than Day 2 - I was dealing with pain but was in a fantastic mood on Day 2 lol
I truly didn't realize how much pain the Percocet was blocking until I stopped using it. The pain was so constant and uncomfortable that I decided to get back on it (after toughing it out through three missed doses) and only take a half pill every six hours. My concerning side effects have diminished and I also have pain relief, so I think I found the balance.
Day 5: I slept MUCH better last night, especially compared to the night before. I also had to use the bathroom way less often in the middle of the night, so I was able to get longer hours of sleep and only wake up to take my medications. I coupled the night dose with my THC/CBD/CBN gummies and I feel like this definitely helped with both pain and sleep.
We're back to an avg 3/10 for pain, which is a relief.
Day 6: Looking forward to not having to wake up in the middle of the night to take medications so that I can have a chance at more interrupted sleep.
Pain is at a minimum, but I'm a little worried about the levels when I run out of the Percocet (tomorrow night). I don't intend on getting a refill, so I really hope my pain has actually decreased and can be managed by Tylenol extra strength + my already prescribed NSAID + edibles.
My bigger annoyance is how heavy the brace feels on my leg and how bulky the ace wrap is on my knee. I've been wearing this brace since my injury, but it's never felt heavier, so I assume it feels this way because of my weakening muscles. I think weight of it is also slightly pulling on my incisions, so that's an unpleasant feeling. I have to keep the wrap on until my 2wk follow up, so I'm desperately counting down to that moment.
I'm now trying to keep myself constructively occupied during the times that I'm alone. The medications and pain made focusing on things like reading a tad challenging, so I've mostly been watching TV and scrolling through social media. I'm hoping to do more with my time now that the pain seems more under control.

We've been in the US for a year and currently live in Riverside County, Southern California. However, it’s too expensive to buy my first house here, and the weather is too hot, so I plan to move. We are a family of three (37, 38, 12).
What would you recommend, and what can you tell me about Raleigh, NC, in my case?
Here are my priorities:

1. Not too hot / not freezing cold
   
2. 200+ sunny days a year
   
3. Four seasons
   
4. Low crime level
   
5. Low population density, preferably rural
   
6. Low or no traffic
   
7. Good nature, outdoor activities
   
8. Decent IT job opportunities
   
9. Good middle/high schools
   
10. Good universities within 30 miles
    
11. Good quality of life
    
12. Low unemployment rate
    
13. Low drug tolerance
    
14. Good income vs. housing cost ratio
    
15. Tolerance to legal immigrants
    

I considered Raleigh, NC; Austin, TX; Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX; Phoenix, AZ; Des Moines, IA; Columbus, OH; Huntsville, AL; New Hampshire; Denver, CO; and Salt Lake City, UT. All except Raleigh were dismissed due to red flags.
Can you share your thoughts on that, please?
Thank you!