Hey guys, I don’t post on Reddit much, but am super scared for my doctor’s appointment tomorrow. I (F14) have (what seems to be) some form of hypothyroidism. Though my TSH is just slightly above the normal range (4.84), when I got an antibodies test done my T3 and T4 came back normal, but my antibodies were pretty wack. My “Thyroid Peroxidase Ab” was 76, and my “Thyroglobulin Ab” was 394. I don’t know much about what all the blood levels mean exactly, but I was told that I am (most likely) in the early stages of hypothyroidism and have Hashimoto’s Disease. I was then referred to a pediatric endocrinologist, who managed to squeeze me in for an appointment tomorrow. My mom and grandma both have hypothyroidism, so I was bound to get it at some point… I just didn’t realize that it would come so soon! Another important thing to mention is that I’m an elite level age group competitive swimmer, who swims for over 15 hours a week and is ranked in the top 100 (in multiple events, might I add) every year. For the last 18 months, I have been experiencing MAJOR fatigue in both races and in practice. I’ve always been the type of person who is super strong (I’m over 6 feet tall, haha) and can thug it out whenever workouts get hard, especially at the parts in them where others fail— that has NOT been the case, and has honestly gotten wayyyyy worse over time. Though I didn’t realize what these symptoms were at the time, I am now strongly believing that they are associated with hypothyroidism, or my Hashimoto’s Disease. Here are some of my symptoms that follow:

• EXTREME FATIGUE… like I’m talking extreme! I’ve never been this tired before, not just out of the water but in it as well. I am totally dying in all of my sets, and in my races.
  
• Muscle Weakness. My muscles just give out on me after what feels like a 50.
  
• Muscle Soreness. My muscles are sore— they’ve never been sore before!! Additionally, when I look back on videos of me swimming in a race, I look like I’m taking it easy. It doesn’t feel that way at all— rather, I feel like I’m pushing it harder than I ever have before.
  
• Dry Skin. My skin is constantly peeling, dry, and prone to break outs. I live in a very humid place as well, where most of my friends have extremely oily skin.
  
• Hair Loss/Thinning Hair. My hair has always been super thick and curly, but it has started falling out a lot!!
  
• Puffy Face. My face has also gotten a lot fatter, if I’m being honest. I’ve always been the type of person with a long, skinny face, but over the last year my face has turned incredibly round and makes me look like I weigh a lot more than I actually do.
  
• Weight Gain. I’ve always had a fast metabolism, but my weight gain has progressed a lot more exponentially within the past month. One week, I went from 153 pounds to 160… I hadn’t been eating any differently than I was before, and was working out at the same intensity.
  
• Cold Sensitivity. I sleep in an 80 degree room every night, and still wake up due to being too cold. Well we’re on the topic of sleep, I sleep well over 10 hours a night (I’ve never needed more than 8) and still wake up feeling exhausted.
  
• Depression. Since January of 2023, I’ve been feeling depressed, and it has only gotten worse since then. I’ve found Jesus, focused on the positives, gone to a therapist, and I am still feeling pretty depressed. Though it’s only minor (I never think about killing myself or anything), I’ve read a lot about how hypothyroidism can trigger this sort of thing, which makes a lot of sense, as that’s when all of my other symptoms began to form as well.
  
• I have more symptoms as well, which I could mention in the comments, if necessary.
  

My coaches and mother all thought that I was burned out. I kept on saying “I’m not! I feel motivated, and I absolutely can’t live without this sport!” (I LOVE swimming with all of my heart, and have never doubted that I wouldn’t be wanting to do it anymore.) Well, once the lab results came back… I was finally believed! I’ve changed my workouts to be shorter and all at race-pace (USRPT, if you swim), which has helped a little bit, with me taking a rest after I feel myself get to that same level of fatigued.
Where I’m going with this, is that my mother and older sister don’t believe I’m going to be medicated for this, as my mother wasn’t put on medication until her TSH was well over 10. I can’t express through words how much I believe that being medicated would help me, especially in swimming. My energy levels are impacted everything I do, and I’m sure that if I wasn’t an athlete, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal. The problem is that swimming is my bloodline, and also incredibly difficult— even if you don’t have a thyroid issue! The surplus makes it almost impossible for me to achieve my full potential and go much faster than I am right now.
I’d be surprised if anyone were to have read this through the whole way, but these are my questions: - Will I (more than likely) be medicated after my appointment tomorrow? - If I’m not, should I go to another endocrinologist to see if they will? - Are there any other (serious) athletes on this sub who have gone through hypothyroidism, and would they have any sort of tips for dealing with this issue well?
Thanks again if any of you read this far!!

I’m an incoming PGY-1 (psych) dating a soon to be PGY-2 (anesthesia). We have been dating for 2.5 years, friends for 2 years prior (met in med school).
The past year has been extremely taxing, both on my partner and our relationship. I see him oscillating between exhaustion, burn out, and depression. He feels too fatigued to try to create social connections in the program or maintain them from home. He tried a counseling session once where he felt the therapist was dismissive and didn’t try to reschedule. He keeps saying he will call a psychiatrist but often gets out after their office is closed.
I feel constantly emotionally put off. Aside from our FaceTimes for a few minutes every night — often consisting of rants of patients from the day or exhaustion cutting them short- it’s hard to find intentional conversation or activity time. We try to schedule monthly check ins to discuss the relationship, a conversation question each night to connect briefly, etc but usually they’re skipped.
He keeps saying I don’t understand the extent of the exhaustion, and that is true to some extent of course. It breaks my heart to see him this way. He’s put on weight which has resulted in poor self esteem, he says he needs to study and workout and meal prep but can never find the time or energy to do any of those things. I just don’t understand what I’m supposed to do. We’re in our mid 20s, and I feel like I’m clinging onto this relationship in hopes that it will become better in attending-hood. It’s just a long wait with no guarantee. I feel like I barely know this version of him. I want to know if I should stay in this relationship or if it will always be this way, but it feels impossible to evaluate.
Should we try taking a break? Couples therapy? Break up? That hurts me to think about but this feeling is all consuming.

About 2.5 years ago I started to have really bad stomach issues. I noticed every time I ate dairy my stomach would hurt and when I would drink carbonation I would immediate hiccup after one sip and get extremely bloated. I went to my first GI doctor who said to cut out all dairy. That did help for a bit but then I started noticing reflux symptoms. It was constant every day. I call them my bubbles and I would feel it every day no matter what I ate or drank and there was never any relief. I could feel it literally come from my stomach up my esophagus and hit my throat but no burning whatsoever. I went back to the GI and they said to cut out dairy, carbonation, caffeine, and alcohol. During this appointment i believe is when I mentioned I’ve never burped before. It had always just been a fun fact I would tell people and no one would believe me growing up. That was dismissed. I was then put on omeprazole which really didn’t do anything and scheduled for an Upper Endoscopy. During that they found nothing but told me just to continue the omeprazole and when I said it wasn’t working I was told to go buy some Pepcid. I was livid so I immediately dropped that doctor and found another GI and started the whole process over again. I mentioned to this GI that I have never burped before but that was also just a fact that was glossed over. This GI seemed to think it was a sensory issue and put me on mirtazapine. Over the next two months of being on that I did semi notice a change in the very beginning of taking it but that progress stopped pretty quickly. Over two months I gained 20lbs on that medication and my mental health plummeted. I went back and was told basically to cold turkey the mirtazapine and start nortryptaline. I took a half dose for one night and I felt like I just got out of a swimming pool for two days. Extreme sweating. After that I wasn’t on anything and this just kept going downhill. I was extremely depressed and felt like there was no hope for figuring out what this was. I found a therapist and Phychiatrist to help regulate my mental health again after being put on and ripped off so many medications. I then decided to take things into my own hands. I had researched RCPD because I truly felt that described exactly what I was going through. I booked an appointment for an ENT and wrote the disorder down on my chart. The doctor came in and she was my lifesaver! She had never heard of the disorder and actually admitted she had to google it before coming in but she had already called another specialist and read him my chart and he told her to send me his way because he agreed with my diagnosis! Two days later I was in Dr. Bradley’s office and he ran through everything with me and started the process of getting me scheduled for the Botox procedure. Now I am 5 days post op and my life is completely changed! I started micro burping and a few big burps the day after the procedure! I no longer feel sick or bloated every day. I used to puke after one alcoholic drink and now I am trying to figure out what my tolerance actually is because I feel totally “normal” when drinking. I no longer have to air vomit every time I drink or even times I’m not drinking and the bubbles were bad to get relief. It has been crazy to realize this is what my body should actually feel like every day! I am so glad I took things into my own hands and got this done! I am already feeling like my old self before symptoms got bad! I can’t wait to continue to see the progress and get control over the burping but for now I’m just enjoying the feeling of relief and my friends have found it entertaining! No one could believe I’d never burped before and now that I am I have to find a new never have I ever fact haha!
I am also so glad I found this subreddit! Finding people who truly understand what I’ve been going through and relating to all these posts knowing I’m not alone has been so great!

To get this up early, I’m splitting the two days of round 2. Here’s Wednesday’s ATP. The WTA Wednesday matches will go up around 12:30AM EST.

Rublev vs Martinez :

For a good chunk of his career, Rublev has made quick work of matches like this. When he’s the bigger hitter and his opponent doesn’t have a huge serve, he’s supposed to thrive. Lately though, Andrey hasn’t been automatic in these spots. He’s always had a temper, but it’s been on display following his errors lately and it has given his opponents belief. Taro Daniel won a set, and Martinez is at least as good as him. 5 sets with Tirante doesn’t indicate he’s ready to upset Rublev, but I would expect the bulk of this to be fairly competitive. Rublev in 4.

Muller vs Arnadli :

Muller scored a comfortable victory against Luca Nardi in the opening round, and he will continue to battle the Italian federation in round two against Matteo Arnaldi. Arnaldi had a fairly easy time with Arthur Fils, despite getting broken 6 times. Fils is a solid player with all the attributes to be a top player on clay, but he has no patience. He’s extremely willing to go for broke from any position, and when the rally stretches long he tries to hit the big shot as soon as it appears. As a fan, I want to see big shots, but to win on clay you need to play a more conservative approach. Arnaldi is way more stable from the baseline than Fils, but bailing out of rallies early isn’t the right plan because it means Arnaldi doesn’t really feel like he has to do anything special to win.
Muller will hang in rallies longer and is a good bit better than Fils on clay, but he doesn’t have this level of win on his resume yet. Arnaldi’s register is very high and I mostly only see him losing to players who hit bigger. I expect him to have to work harder and longer than he did against Fils, but this should go to Arnaldi in 3-4.

Sonego vs Zhang :

Immense power. A huge forehand. Inconsistent results. A cannon of a serve but a slightly subpar backhand. Which player am I describing? This is a matchup that is very close. Humbert fell apart against Koepfer last week in Lyon and his slump continued, allowing Sonego to get a much-needed win. Zhang had a great draw and took advantage of it, besting Vukic in 4. The big difference I see in these two players is the speed. Sonego is a bit quicker around the court and that might allow him to win a few extra points. Given they both have the ability to protect their service games I would expect a tiebreaker or two, and at least 4 sets. I’m a big Zhang fan but he hasn’t been as good on clay as he was in the Challenger grind, so Sonego in 4-5.

Altmaier vs Tsitsipas :

Tsitsipas was clinical in beating Fucsovics in round one. He’s back with Badosa, he’s a dark horse to win this event, and he’s playing great tennis. Having that focus is big for a player who’s struggled for confidence, and Altmaier is a player he can probably beat. Daniel has always been capable on clay, and he has some amazing clashes with big name players like Sinner in the past, but lately I haven’t loved his level. Beating an inactive Djere was honestly good, but I think Tsitsipas is fresh and will be hitting the ball bigger the entire match here. Altmaier moves the ball well but he will very likely get worn down as this progresses. Tsitsipas in 4.

Shelton vs Nishikori :

Nishikori pulling up and beating one of the better qualifiers was impressive, but I guess if we’re being honest Diallo isn’t automatic yet. He has a bright future, but big hitters can often be undone by a slick defender and Nishikori has all the experience in the world. I think this will be fun because Shelton is a lefty. Attacking Nishikori’s backhand will get him punished up the line and cross-court, because Kei has one of the best backhands the tour has ever seen. The downside is Kei just played a five setter so he might be a bit tired, and he’s not serving well enough to score easy points. Shelton’s team hopefully has told him to take his forehand inside out and down the line as often as possible. Shelton in 4.

Auger-Alliassime vs Squire :

Gutsy performance in round one from Squire. Even in the fifth set tiebreak he was still hitting his backhand down the line for effect, and while he double faulted in a few crucial moments he served effectively the entire match. I’m not sure how his game will fare against Felix. FAA is inconsistent but he’s had a good month and he does everything a little bigger than Squire here. Felix in 3-4.

Korda vs Kwon :

Korda winning in straight sets is honestly surprising the way it feels like his season is going. Checking his history though he’s been winning his fair share of matches, it’s just watching his losses that makes me feel he’s struggling. More surprising is Kwon winning in straights. Ruusuvuori continues to struggle on clay and Kwon returning from a layoff to black him is a great result for him. His insistence on pushing the pace and hitting to the open court will bother Korda a bit, but he’s a bit out of his weight class here. Korda’s serving is good enough to get him through here, but Kwon winning in straights means expecting him to just lose in straights is pretty unreasonable. Korda in 4-5. The problem here is Korda is supposed to win this in straights, but Kwon is supposed to lose round one so he’s at a level beyond what we’re estimating him at when we say Korda in 3.

De Jong vs Alcaraz :

Jesper De Jong won the best match of his career in round one, getting past Jack Draper and setting up a matchup against the current tournament favorite. It almost has to be the end of the road, but De Jong will give us our first look at how Alcaraz is playing. Carlos was immaculate in round one, losing only 4 games, but Wolf is just not good on clay, and is having one of his worst runs ever on tour. Alcaraz in 3 is likely again because De Jong doesn’t have the hugest serve, but this will be much more competitive than the Wolf match. Alcaraz in 3-4.

Hurkacz vs Nakashima :

Considering Mochizuki took Hurkacz to 5, Nakashima has to like his chances here. Mochigoat is one of the fun players to watch on tour and his volleys at net are unreal, but Hurkacz is supposed to win that match in a safe manner. Now he’s playing Nakashima who won against Moreno De Alboran in a solid performance, and has been grinding clay events the entire year, using them almost exclusively to earn his way back into the top 100. Hurkacz won’t necessarily struggle as much in this one; it’s fairly common on tour for players to squeak through a strugglebus performance and feel like they’re freerolling in the next round. You already should have been out, so you play with no pressure and your best tennis comes out.
Hubert’s serve can get him to the finish line against pretty much anyone as well, so Nakashima will have to lock in and try to wear Hurkacz down. It may sound silly, but Isner used to struggle more against the guys that couldn’t ace him. Putting the serve return in is great, but if the other player is a solid baseliner, it means you’re playing 6-8 shot rallies over and over. This can take the legs away from a big server, and Nakashima fits this bill. While I’m bullish on Nakashima here, I think it’s more likely that this will be close enough that anyone can win, and whoever plays the big points better will. A server like Hurkacz in tiebreakers is pretty efficient, and playing a servebot in a 5th is a really tough ask if they’re serving first. Honestly, I saw this match in the draw and thought Nakashima was 50/50, so I’m sticking with it. Nakashima in 5.

Shapovalov vs Tiafoe :

Shapovalov is winning tennis matches again. It’s great to see, but he’s in Dimitrov territory for me. Sure he’s winning, but I’m not going near it because I don’t want to get hurt again. His opponent this round is a player whose range of play goes from “does he even play tennis anymore?” to “omg he’s going to win the US Open” Bellucci almost had Tiafoe, and a few big returns for Tiafoe ended up being the key in the end. Tiafoe will probably be competitive here, and playing a lefty the round before means his backhand got a good workout and he’ll be comfortable with the generic patterns that a lefty will bring. Shapovalov hits bigger than Tiafoe regularly, and it will take a big step up in effort/consistency from Tiafoe to win this. Given his serving ability and the underlying ability to play top level tennis, being sure Tiafoe will lose here doesn’t make sense. I’m expecting a match where both players will be pretty frustrated at times, and I think the one who’s more willing to lock in and play stingy defensive tennis will win. For once, that seems to be Shapo. Shapovalov in 4-5.

Bergs vs Marterer :

There were some wild first round results, but Tabilo losing quickly to Zizou Bergs was one of the biggest. Not only does he get a huge result, but he’s a favorite to win his second round also. Marterer has gotten a lot of respect and fallen short on tour for a few seasons, but he made good on the respect and beat Thompson in 3. Marterer is a powerful lefty who crushes the ball, and the one problem with his game is he sort of plays at one speed. Hitting big is great but he sometimes plays his opponents into form by showing them the same pace over and over. Shapovalov had a similar problem during his slump as well. Marterer shouldn’t be counted out of this match at all, but Bergs is much quicker around the court and I think Maximilian’s backhand will get worn down eventually. Bergs in 4.

Maroszan vs Dimitrov :

I’ll take tickets to this match. Both are through in straight sets, and both hit extremely clean and play skilled tennis. Maroszan can win this match, but I think Dimitrov’s ability to defend will eventually get him through. Maroszan’s power and forehand are good enough to hit some winners, but he also scores a lot off of dropshots. I think it’s still a viable option, but Dimitrov’s speed will make it a risky option. Expecting a high level clash here and when both players are extremely skilled sets usually get traded. Dimitrov in 4 is what I suspect, but since it’s his defense I expect to get him across the finish line this could easily go 5. Maroszan is really good, and it’s just fitness and decision-making that are left for him to work on.

Moutet vs Shevchenko :

Moutet’s coach got a bit spicy before the Jarry match, allegedly mad about fans’ behavior in the Moutet Jarry clash in Chile. It seemed to work, as Moutet played some of the best tennis he ever has and beat Jarry in 4 exhilarating sets. That same level should win this contest, but a slightly different style of opponent can complicate things. Shevchenko is a plucky baseliner and he will make Moutet earn all his points. He managed to outlast Karatsev in round one in a 5 set clash that had a million changes in momentum and 21 breaks. Moutet’s level was higher, but besting another offense is sometimes a simpler task. Shevchenko is going to put the ball in annoying spots and try to outlast Moutet, so this is a mental test. I think Moutet is up for it, but I could see it taking some time to happen. Moutet in 4.

Ofner vs Baez :

Gustavo Heide should be on everyone’s radar now. He hits the ball huge and clean, and has one of the better serves from the young crop of talents on tour. Honestly, when I first saw him 2 years ago I think he was a servebot and an old guy, and now his baseline game has developed in a major way and somehow he’s 22. Stay still Gustavo! Baez had this mostly wrapped up and Heide was tired, and then he won 2 lopsided sets in a row. I was expecting Baez to go on a run here, and he played Ruud close in Geneva so this is a good reprieve for him (playing Ofner). Ofner beat Atmane in 5 and he has the power to compete with Baez, but not the consistency. The 5 setter with Heide was surprising, but I’m willing to chalk it up to Heide’s high level rather than Baez being a flight risk. Baez in 4.

Kotov vs Wawrinka :

Hehe. Kinda fair for these two to play each other. If there were any two players to look both ways during a changeover and then sneak a cupcake out of their bag and scarf it, it’s these two offensive wizards. Kotov managed to outlast Norrie which is honestly a tremendous win, and Wawrinka continued his clay dominance against Murray in a straight set win. Kotov is a little better and has more stamina at this point, but Wawrinka is serving well and I expect him to win at least 1 of the first two sets.
Wawrinka has been losing to a lot of players right around Kotov’s level recently (Martinez in 2, ARV in 3, Borges in 3) so it’s tempting but tricky to declare him a winner. Tennis-wise, my brain won’t let me see Kotov winning. Pavel serves well and hits big, and for a guy who appears out of shape he wins a lot of marathon matches and has good power late in the game. 5 sets with Norrie isn’t going to help him here, and if Wawrinka can get up 2-0 or 2-1 it could easily be goodnight just because he can then open up. Norrie is a tough out, but on clay his shots don’t really clear the court. Wawrinka is almost a clay specialist at this point in his career, and he serves a lot bigger than Cam also.
This is wide open, and if I could skip a match, it’d be this one. Wawrinka in 4 or Kotov in 5. Stan needs to win quickly, but his recent results don’t make it realistic. You can point to him smoking Murray, but Murray is really a gimme these days on clay.

Gasquet vs Sinner :

Jannik Sinner has filled the void that the gradual departure of the big 3 is creating. He was always a tremendous player, but now he’s become extremely reliable at that level. His returning is world class, his serve is constantly improving, and his baseline game is now measured and tactical rather than an all-out assault. He knows when to just put the ball in play, and his footwork is constant. I love it. Gasquet turned back the clock and smoked Coric in straight sets, but the road probably ends here. This will be a high-level match and the crowd will be behind Gasquet in a major way. Jannik is a classy kid and will understand the atmosphere and respect it enough to navigate to the finish line. Sinner in 3-4.

I’m a 54 year old male. I’ve been taking Mounjaro for 15 months. I started out at 419.6lbs and am currently at 227.6lbs, down 192.0lbs. I post from time to time. I don’t post for pats on the back. I post because when I began I 15 months ago, I relied on posts from experienced MJ users to get me on the right track. So now I do it for those looking for some insight and maybe a few tips.

• I started at 2.5mg and worked my way up to 15mg, increasing by 2.5 every 4 weeks. I stayed at 15mg until about 3 months ago when availability became an issue. The last 3 months I have taken what’s been available, mostly it has been 10mg.
  
• I have continued to lose weight the last 3 months. While MJ has continued to help, I think it is a smaller part of my recent successes.
  
• I definitely have developed better eating habits over the last 15 months. I think doing this is extremely important for me because I think my system is not as impacted by MJ as when I began. The silver lining there is my side effects are nowhere as bad as they were when I started.
  
• I have been a big advocate of hitting the gym. I go to Planet Fitness but any gym or physical activity I think would help. I try to get there at least 3 times a week. I alternate between weights and cardio.
  
• The new wrinkle in my situation has been during the MJ availability crunch the last three months. I’ve started doing yoga. I chose to do DDP yoga. (Diamond Dallas Page is a former wrestler that helped come out with this particular program). It has been a game changer for me. I’m able to do the different workouts almost daily which includes an 11 minute wake up session that really gets me on the right track each morning. My flexibility and range of motion has gotten so much better and it has really helped my weight loss, especially in my core area. It has become quite addictive for me.
  
• This product is definitely a game changer. I surely hope they get the availability issues taken care of.
  
• As I usually close with….I’m not proud that I had to embark on this journey, but I am very proud of how my journey has gone and that is what I choose to focus on.
  

-Til next time! 👍

Calling all love and affection enthusiasts! Agent Twilight, hailing from the clandestine realm of SpyxFamily, embarks on a covert mission to unearth the perfect partner. If you possess the elusive blend of stealthy charm and wit, join forces with Agent Twilight for a romantic espionage adventure! Decode the secrets of our hearts together by applying within.
If you get the reference, I like you already! If you don't, that's okay but I definitely recommend watching SpyxFamily! It's an extremely cute and wholesome anime! On a serious note, falling in love sounds great right about now, okay but like when does it never? Let me go buy you your favorite flowers, get your favorite chocolates, and take you out on a cute, romantic date that will last for the whole day! I will take the time to plan everything out and if it goes great, maybe a second date too? Possibly fall madly in love with each other in the process? Sounds good with you? Bet, let's go!
I'm looking for a potential long-term partner to go on cute dates together, cozy up with some cuddles while we watch movies/shows and just be cute overall together! I'm hoping to meet someone who I can connect and vibe with! Down below is some stuff about me and what I'm looking for in a partner!
Here's a little about myself:

• Age: 23
• Height: 5'10"
• Sexuality: Straight
• Gender: Male
• Pronouns: He/Him
• Ethnicity: Chinese American
• Location: New York City
• Zodiac: Aries
• MBTI/Enneagram: ESFP-T & 2w3
• Religion: Agnostic
• Love Language: Quality Time & Physical Touch
• Occupation: Accountant
• Hobbies:
  • I love watching all kinds of shows and movies ranging from Netflix/Hulu/Disney+/HBO Max to kdramas and animes! I'm also a huge Star Wars, Harry Potter (I'm in the House of Hufflepuff), MCU, and Studio Ghibili fan too!
  • I'm a huge foodie! I love exploring all the restaurants and hidden spots in NYC especially to try out new places which includes dessert and boba spots too! My favorite foods usually start with Asian foods but I'm always open to trying new things! I’m also trying to learn how to cook as well, especially so I can meal prep meals for myself throughout the week.
  • I love exploring the city and chilling with friends, however I do like a balance going on adventures around the city/world and relaxing at home.
  • I do photography on the side. I specialize in doing portrait, food and film photography! If you'd like to see some of my work please don't hesitate to ask me!
  • I'm a gamer as well! I play games like Honkai Star Rail, Azur Lane, Nikke, LoL, TFT, Valorant, , Destiny 2, overwatch 2, Minecraft, etc. but I also own consoles such as the switch!
  • I really enjoy building different things especially Lego's, PC's and keyboards! If you want to see some pics or hear about my specs happy to talk about it! I have a massive lego collection plus plenty of unopened sets waiting to be built.
  • I’m not exactly sure if this is considered to be a hobby, but I really enjoy going to the gym. I’m not some gym rat or anything, but I am trying to lose weight and get fit so I do a mix of weightlifting and cardio whenever I go which is 5x a week haha. I’ve kept a very consistent M-F schedule for the past month and a half so far so I’m pretty happy about that.
  • I don’t really do a whole lot of this, but I however do want to make this a big part of my lifestyle which is having a better skincare routine. While I do have a very minimum skincare routine, I’d very much love to learn how to improve my skin and also fix the scarring and acne I already had. If you’re someone who knows and loves doing skincare, I’d very much love to learn from you!
  • I’m not sure if listening to music is considered a hobby, but I love listening to all kinds of music ranging from American pop modern to like kpop and jpop songs! I also really enjoy classical music too! Crazy enough I just started going to concerts last year, mainly because some of them were free for me (perks of my job) but they were super fun!

Here are some Fun Facts about me!

• I've never been out of the country before but I would love to travel more one day, especially around Asia like South Korea, China, & Japan!
• I was born on Friday the 13th!
• I played piano for about 14 years and plus I also know how to play 3 other instruments too! Can you guess what they are? Also crazy enough, I met this pianist who made song covers on youtube recently and not gonna lie, it blew my mind since i watched their videos years ago.
• I'm a pet owner! I have a dog and 4 cats.
• I know how to solve a 3x3 Rubik's cube and my fastest time was 28 seconds but that was ages ago.
• I really like to collect a lot of cute pins and stickers especially from anime or Asian theme things.
• I’ve met Eric Nam and Ronny Chieng, if you’re Asian, you’ll probably know who they are.
• This is more of a League/Valorant reference for those who play, but I have the Riot Buddy and Riot Fist Bump Ward.
• Personality wise, my friends would describe me as someone who is open-minded, wholesome, sweet, easy to talk to, outgoing, empathetic, trustworthy, etc. I will however let my actions speak for itself though! I'm a great listener as well so if you want to rant/ vent out I'm always here to listen! Honestly though I'm a pretty open person overall so you're always welcome to ask me any questions you wish to know!

Here is who and what I am looking for:

• Someone to build a genuine connection with who is willing to reciprocate the time, effort and energy, I'd put in.
• Someone who can be both a best friend and my partner.
• Someone who can grow together with me to become both a better individual but also better partners too.
• Has similar interests and values as I do! (We can discuss this more in depth later) but for example someone who values transparency, open communication, honesty, trust, loyalty, etc.
• Loves and enjoys voice/video chat - I really enjoy having my partner's presence even if we aren’t exactly talking.
• Enjoys the little things in life. Since my love language is quality time, I personally don’t expect to always do something grand whenever we’re together. I’m always more than happy to be doing grocery shopping together or even just run errands.
• Possibly a gym partner. It’d honestly be nice to have a gym partner as well to workout together.
• I'm a huge hopeless romantic and would love to meet someone who is also a hopeless romantic as well! I absolutely love doing all those cute and romantic couple things you'd always see on like Tik Tok, kdramas and/or romance shows/movies! You know things like , going on cute dates together whether that would be dates in the city or dates at home, exploring the city/ world together, trying new things together and overall just making everlasting fun cute memories together that will last a lifetime!

If you have gotten this far and you feel like we can vibe well or share some common interests please don't hesitate to hit me up! You can send me a message through reddit chat or DM's whichever you prefer. Before you do message me though please tell me about yourself and also include your ASL, favorite foods and ideal kind of date so I know you've read all of this! DO NOT message me with just "Hi", "Hey", "How are you" or any kind of low effort message. I will not bother answering your message if you do that. Also I am strictly looking for females, if you are a male, please do not bother messaging me. I can't wait to hear from you! I hope you have an amazing and wonderful day!

About a year ago i started working out in my basment with a set of dumbbells and a bench (no weight rack or weights just the actual bench) and a bowflex. Now i have been able to bench the 50s on my dumbbells (which is the highest they go) for about 20 something reps with no leg drive. Ive done research most places say i can get about 160-180 on a barbell bench for my one rep max. I now workout at an actual gym but i don't barbell bench often and don't have it in my routine actually. Today i tried it out cause i had some extra time and i was only able to get 135 for about 3-5 good reps. I didn't feel any fatigue or struggle in my muscle i just couldn't do it. It was not like any other exercise where i go for a pr instead i just couldn't do it that well but i knew i could because i felt no actual struggle. Ive looked everywhere and asked people at my gym for help and they all say my form is great. So i now wonder if maybe i just have to bench more often now and that'll fix it.

Purtle's Internet Lineup for May 28th, 2024 7:05pm
Pics:

• reminder that the Pokémon Heroes movie still hasn't gotten a fixed english release https://twitter.com/Lewchube/status/1795205277752377482
  
• I can't believe an Ed fan on twitter who was bad at fighting games is partially why world tour exists?? https://twitter.com/kujikawaii/status/1795250860458705127
  
• Delayed emotional processing sucks because when people ask, "Why didn't you tell me that bothered you earlier?" you need to explain that it normally takes 3-5 business days to realize you were bothered. https://twitter.com/dreamsofskies/status/1794970389434806655
  
• reading about game design https://twitter.com/CWheezy22/status/1795325430968508803
  
• it looked like this im not joking https://twitter.com/skinworms/status/1795287035244396622
  
• how am i supposed to find out who wrote "amish paradise" now https://twitter.com/uyukat/status/1795065146492023260
  
• Wallace and Gromit fightstick https://twitter.com/fightstickart/status/1795041599577108951
  
• Google Then and Now https://twitter.com/chazhutton/status/1795382555455181002
  

Clips:

• Multiversus character reveal trailers be like: https://twitter.com/Barbie4MVS/status/1794700611755422140
  
• TIL there's a port of "Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity" that released on PS1 exclusively in Japan & it's dubbed by Japanese comedy duo "London Boots Ichi-gō Ni-gō". https://twitter.com/Baust528/status/1795215386134102321
  
• Professional Counterstrike players fail to notice each other for almost a minute https://clips.twitch.tv/ViscousAmazingPangolinPraiseIt-xMYuSqiCN0xLBRq9
  
• BRO WHY DOES JASON HAVE THE ICE CLIMBERS glitch INFINITE FROM MELEE?! https://twitter.com/avataryaya_/status/1795481659103494222
  
• Lebron unlimited ball works https://twitter.com/UltimaShadowX/status/1795438040112144384
  
• music made out of chart drawn to look like cat https://twitter.com/tannokasa3/status/1795092602263367931
  
• The crown jewel of Ghost in the Shell video games remains the PS1 version. GitS PS1 is uniquely based on the manga & made by Exact, the developers of Jumping Flash. It has a techno soundtrack by various musicians including German DJ Mijk Van Dijk. It rules HARD https://twitter.com/Dreamboum/status/1795194055271309340
  

Videos

• Stingless bees guard tasty honey with barricades, bouncers and bites Deep Look [6:16] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sln3LiPvuVA
  
• Play testing keeps going [Team Management] Sakurai [3:32] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TayNJ4603Hc
  
• Everyone got new combos! - desk [8:24] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9nmvRPslrY
  
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 'The Truth Lies' Live Action Reveal Trailer [:57] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V08UPqchVgQ
  

Articles/News/Other

• YouTube has now begun skipping videos altogether for users with ad blockers https://old.reddit.com/technology/comments/1d25w6k/youtube_has_now_begun_skipping_videos_altogethe
  
• Sorry to say, http://archive.org is under a ddos attack. The data is not affected, but most services are unavailable. We are working on it. This thread will have updates. https://twitter.com/internetarchive/status/1795117949499445554
  
• Anti cancer drug being sold in America for $70,000 is being sold for $177 in India after the company lost patent in India https://old.reddit.com/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/1d2h19x/anti_cancer_drug_being_sold_in_america_for_70000/
  
• I'm a few days early, but based on current forecasts, it looks like May, 2024 will end up over 1.5°C. If this holds for the next 5 days, May, 2024 will mark the 11th consecutive month over 1.5°C and the 12th straight month setting a record monthly high. https://twitter.com/EliotJacobson/status/1795455386088083912
  
  • Calling it early like https://twitter.com/LeonSimons8/status/1795467824166588452
• Most populated city in North America and there’s very little coverage. Mexico City could run out of water within weeks. "Day Zero" is counting down to June 26th. The whole country is in drought conditions, and huge parts are in Extreme drought https://twitter.com/ZombiePanther2/status/1795525249292996992
  

Hi all,
I am a gay male (19m) and want to start working out consistently at the gym. I've gone to the gym at least 50 times and still get extremely nervous/panicky in there and I feel like it affects my workouts.
Today I went in for the first time in a while, had a panic attack, and then just used the StairMaster for 20 minutes and left. I was nervous to go up to the weights section as it was dominated by stronger guys around my age. I went at a relatively off-peak time too.
Things I get nervous about:

• Being seen using the equipment wrong and using bad form
  
• Seeing other guys my age (comparison that I'm skinny/potential trauma response from being bullied and unaccepted by guys in the past? Being around straight guys has always made me nervous.)
  

Does anyone have advice on how to stop caring and get through my workouts without getting overly nervous?

TL;DR: Can you help me with what I should be getting tested for to help figure out a high anion gap?
Hello, I am turning here after having about 5 years of worsening health issues. There is a lot in my history that I might have a hard time remembering right now because I am not feeling too well. But essentially, I wanted to ask for help in doing more bloodwork on my own to look into a "pure anion gap acidosis" of between 10-20 mEq/L over the past few years in this chart of 5 past blood test dates. I also want to share basic problems I have been having in case this can help. This has happened between the ages of 15 and 20.
Starting with five years ago, I had an extreme episode of stomach pain which got worse after having Ibuprofen (15). It would leave me somewhat bedridden. Later that year, I had a paralysis on the left side of the throat which made it so I couldn't eat for about a month before getting better (they put me on antibiotics). Later that year, I had hyperthyroidism and they put me on a medication, and eventually this went away too (16). Around this time, I also noticed constant sore eyes which made focusing on the computer and books more difficult. I also noticed around this time or in the following months that my eyes didn't look quite right, kinda bulgy. By the next year, I wasn't able to play video games for more than an hour due to the eye pain (18).
Over the next several years, my recurring eye soreness has turned into constant pain where I was learning Braille. It's worst when I am driving or listening to speaker and watching their body language, and I have problems focusing my eyes on the road for more than 30-60 minutes which is highly dangerous (19). I was diagnosed with BVD (Strabismus) a year ago and got prism lenses which seemed to help a lot. Originally, I noticed that I was having major issues with watching my surroundings, bumping into stuff, focusing, and needing to sleep a lot. I was having "warped vision" where my phone or other stuff didn't look right as I wasn't processing depth correctly. I wasn't able to look at the Speedometer before prism lenses because looking back at stuff that was too close was really difficult. It was weird in that it seemed like an "attack" where things got so much worse for a month, but equalized out eventually.
The really annoying thing is being told I don't have any clear health issues, which has made me feel like a crab that is slowly being boiled in a pot by now. In these past months, I am having fatigue issues, the gut pain has been constant but a bit worse. I got tested for allergies again; I originally had none, but at 15 developed 6 new ones when going out of network with an allergist, and we did the same thing ago a month ago and I have 24 new allergies and the original 6 are gone. I have begun a diet eating only stuff I tested negatively for, as a food log seems useless when I am depending largely on items with a +2 rating for allergies and unable to tell what is hurting me, and my eyes seem to feel better and look better, although I am still having major issues with fatigue, now mixed in with huge issues with memory, taking care of myself, mental confusion, studying (when before I was an A+ student no problem), etc.
I am seeing a Neuro-Ophthamologist in a couple weeks, but I am scared that because I tested negatively for Graves disease (which I heavily suspected I had due to these past history) they'll not be able to help me. I linked my blood results, which have a couple elevated things, but the main thing I wanted to focus on was figuring out the high anion gap, which I think may have something to do with it. If there is other stuff I should mention, I can answer questions, I am sort of here as a last resort. I am going to ask them about Orbital Myositis, because even if I don’t have that, it and TED are good references for the symptoms of the eye problems I am having. But once again, in the absence of easy answers, I want to check the anion gap because other abnormalities in the chart I linked can be related to IBS/IBD. Thank you for your time and consideration.
I am 20M, five foot eight, 150 pounds, mixed European/Latino.
Isaiah's Lab Results History Type of LabRange6/20/20198/19/201910/8/201911/21/20196/9/233/22/213/6/244/29/245/14/2024 Glucose85-99 mg/dL 921029652 91 Hemoglobin A1c4.8%-5.6% 5.3 5.4 Uric Acid(F) 3.2-5.5 mg/dL (M) 3.7-6.0 mg/dL 6.6 BUN13-18 mg/dL 13121314 13 Creatine(F) 0.65-0.9 mg/dL (M) 0.85-1.1 mg/dL 0.790.890.990.99 1.02 (if non-African American)eGFR .59 mL/min/1.73 113 108 (if African American)eGFR .59 mL/min/1.73 BUN/Creatine Ratio10-20 1613 14 13 Sodium135-140 mmol/L 139143138139 139 Potassium4.0-4.5 mmol/L 4.34.64.34.8 4.0 Chloride100-106 mmol/L 100103102101 102 Carbon Dioxide22-27 mmol/L 24212625 21 Anion Gap7-12 mmol/L 15/19~19/24~10/14~13~18 16/20~ Calcium9.2-10.1 mg/dL 9.49.69.79.7 9.7 Phosphorus3.5-4.0 mg/dL 3.4 Magnesium2.0-2.5 mg/dL Total Protein6.9-7.4 g/dL 7.17.37.97.3 7.3 Albumin4.0-5.0 g/dL 4.95.154.8 4.9 Globulin2.4-2.8 g/dL 2.22.22.92.5 2.4 A/G Ratio1.5-2.0 2.22.31.71.9 2.0 Bilirubin (direct)0.0-0.4 mg/dL Total Bilirubin0.1-1.2 mg/dL 0.70.60.70.8 1.0 Alkaline Phosphatase44-90 IU/L 15216074126 90 LDH140-180 IU/L 167 SGOT (AST)10-26 IU/L 22241720 20 SGPT (ALT)10-26 IU/L 15161718 19 GGTP(F) 10-60 IU/L (M) 10-65 IU/L 21 TIBC250-350 ug/dL 319 UIBC150-375 ug/dL 209 Serum Iron80-130 ug/dL 110 Iron Saturation15%-55% 34 Ferritin(premenopause)10-122 ng/mL (postmenopause)10-263 ng/mL (male)33-236 ng/mL 85 Transferrin200-370 mg/dL Cholesterol150-199 mg/dL 181 167 Triglycerides75-100 mg/dL 165 61 HDL55-100 mg/dL 50 49 VLDLAbove Lab Range 12 LDL<99 mg/dL 103 106 Cholesterol/HDL Ratio<3.1 3.6 3.4 CRP (high sensitivity)0-3 mg/L 0.88 Homocysteine<7 umol/L 10.7 TSH1.8-3.0 ulU/mL 0.981.371.641.120.950.831.261.44 T46-12 ug/dL 6.57.9 9.7 T3 Uptake28%-38% 31 FTI1.2-4.9 mg/dL 3.0 T3100-180 ng/dL 123110 95 116 Free T32.0-4.0 pg/mL 43.5 3.3 Reverse T39.2-24.1 ng/dL 29.9 Free T41.0-1.5 ng/dL 1.281.481.43 1.501.401.511.81 Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO), Ab0-34 IU/mL 1210 <9 <9 Thyroglobulin, Ab0.0-0.9 IU/mL <1.0<1.0 <1.0 TBG18-27 ug/mL Thyroid Stim Immunoglobulin <0.10 Calcitriol(1,25 di-OJH Vit D)24.8-81.5 pg/mL 89.4 25-OH Vitamin D332-100 ng/mL 28.1 26.2 1,25-Dihydroxy Vitamin D10-75 pg/mL Fibrinogen Activity193-507 mg/dL 336 WBC5-88.1 6.46.76.84.35.9 5.6 RBC(F) 3.9-4.5 (M) 4.4-4.94.63 4.794.564.995.14.96 4.86 HGB(F) 13.5-14.5 (M) 14-15 g/dL14.2 14.91415.816.215.1 15.1 HCT(F) 37%-44% (M) 39%-55%41.9 44.341.345.147.844.1 45.8 MCV85-92 fL91 939190.49488.9 94 MCH27.7-32 pg30.7 31.130.731.731.831.3 31.1 MCHC32-36 g/dL33.9 33.633.93533.935.1 33.0 RDW11.7%-15%13.3 12.61312.111.912.2 12.6 Platelets155K-379K326 284293302256301 316 Neutrophils40%-60%68 5446 4755.1 50 Lymphocytes25%-40%20 3336 3730.5 34 Monocytes4%-7%12 912 1211.6 12 Eosinophils0%-3%0 35 32 3 Basophils0%-3%0 11 10.8 1 Magnesium, RBC6.5.-6.8 mg/dL 4.5 Immature Granulocytes 0 Immature Grans (Abs) 0.0 Specific Gravity 1.0008 pH 7.0 Urine Color Yellow Appearance Clear WBC Esterase Negative Protein Negative Glucose Negative Ketones Negative Occult Blood Negative Bilirubin Negative Urobilinogen,Semi-Qn0.2-1 mg/dL 0.2 Nitrite, Urine Negative AChR Binding Abs, Serum0.00-0.24 nmol/L0.04 AChR Blocking Abs, Serum0%-25%15 ANA Direct Negative Tryptaseug/L 3.8 Sedimentation Rate-Westergrenmm/hr 52 Endomysial Antibody IgA Negative t-Trasglutaminase (tTG) IgAu/mL <2 Immunoglobulin A, Qn, Serummg/dL 137 Ambig Abbrev CMP14 Default results? Calprotectin, Fecalug/g 30 WBC, Stool None H. Pylori Stool, Ag, EIA Negative

Hi there! We just wrapped up our wedding last weekend and I found this community super helpful when I was researching and planning my own wedding. I'm sharing this breakdown in hopes that I can give back to the group via some information sharing! I'm modeling this post after another super helpful budget breakdown post I saw a few weeks ago. Feel free to AMA in the comments - though I'm heading out on our honeymoon in two days and may be slow to reply while we're gone! :)

What is NOT included in the breakdown:

Engagement ring, wedding bands, honeymoon, bachelor & bachelorette parties. And the following things were covered by our parents as a gift: rehearsal dinner ($700 + tip for 30 people at Peking Restaurant), hotel stay (~$500 for 2 nights at Infinity Hotel), after party (~$300 + tip for 25 people at Campus Bar in the Marina)

The breakdown:

Expense	Cost	Vendor	Notes
All-Inclusive Elite Package for 90 guests	$31,353.77	Wedgewood Weddings	Included Ceremony + Reception Venue Booking, Invitations, Cake Cutting Set, DJ, Catering, Set Up/Breakdown, Open Bar, Linens, Table Settings, Cake, Floral Centerpieces, Sweetheart Table Florals, plus bonus decor they provided (votives, easels, table stands)
Additional Florals (Centerpieces & Sweetheart Table included in above line item)	$2,865.15	Angella Floral Design (WW Vendor)	Arch Florals, 1 large Bride Bouquet, 6 Bridesmaid Bouquets, Aisle Petals, Large Welcome Table Floral, Floral arrangement for base of sign
Bistro Lights and Draping	$3,310.00	Brown A/V (WW Vendor)
Photo & Video	$4,000.00	Gala Photo & Films	8 hours of photo and video, We had two photographers & 1 videographer. Includes a 3-5 min highlight reel, 30-45 min documentary style video, 500-700 edited photos, and an engagement shoot. Marc and Gia were amazing through this entire process, and I 100% recommend their team.
Save the Dates	$40.00	Canva + USPS
Boba Cart	$1,308.00	Boba Passion	Two hours of boba bar serving time (fully staffed) and a really cute boba bar cart. Sharlene and Lowell were so sweet to work with, and had a really great tasting process so that I could build my boba menu. This was a huge hit with the guests!
Misc Decor	$678.08	Etsy & Amazon	Match Bottle Favors, Seating Chart, Guest Book, Card Box, Flower Girl Baskets, Dried Florals for Table Setting, Welcome Mirror, Blankets for Guests
Donuts & Egg Tarts	$302	Dynamo Donuts & AA Bakery	Cake was included in our package, but we also ordered donuts for our vegan guests and egg tarts for our older Chinese guests. We ordered for pick up and had a family member pick up & drop off to the venue. The venue graciously provided dessert table decor (stands, donut wall holder)
Suit	$3,000	Tailor's Keep	My partner really wanted to splurge on his suit, especially because he works in finance and will have plenty of opportunities to rewear it. He got a fully custom-made suit + shirt made by the SF location of Tailor's Keep and absolutely loved the process. Definitely a splurge though!
Wedding Dress	$1,400	Blue Sky Bridal	A beautiful secondhand Louvienne Theo dress (it had pockets!) which originally retailed for close to $3K. Highly recommend Blue Sky Bridal for an amazing selection of secondhand and sample (basically new!) dresses. It was great to be able to shop "second hand" and still have a boutique-like shopping experience. All of the dresses are in amazing condition and well-taken care of.
Dress Alterations	$589.23	Le Caprice	I had my dress hemmed (had a few layers), buttons added down the back, bust adjusted to fit better, straps shortened, added a bustle, and cups put in. They also pressed my dress before pick up.
Cathedral Veil	$327.38	Le Caprice	I ordered a cheap one off of Azazie and absolutely hated how it looked/laid, so splurged for a nicer one from Le Caprice. If I had to do it again, I probably would've spent more time looking for a more affordable veil.
Hair & Make Up (Bride)	$680	Joyce Zhou Designs	Joyce was super sweet and knew exactly how to work with my Asian features. My hair held through 16MPH SF winds the day of the ceremony, which I was so grateful for! This also included a 15 minute hair & make up session for the groom.
Hair & Make Up (Trial)	$380	Joyce Zhou Designs
Hair & Make Up (Partial for Bridesmaids & Family)	$1,370	Joyce Zhou Designs	It was $230 for both hair & make up per bridesmaid, and $130 if you only did one service. We covered the full cost for our family members and $130 per bridesmaid. This total includes the full cost of single service for MOG & Best Person ($130 each), full cost of hair and make up for MOB and MOH ($230 each), and then 5 additional bridesmaids. They did services for 9 people, plus myself and my partner.
Groomsmen Suits	$1,500	SuitSupply	We contributed $500 per groomsmen for them to buy a custom suit from SuitSupply. The suits turned out great and now all of our groomsmen have something they can rewear in the future!
Bridesmaid Dresses	$643.13	Azazie	I let my bridesmaids choose the style of their dresses, and then waited for a Black Friday sale to order them. We covered the cost of the dresses.
Lion Dancers	$700	Leung's White Crane Association	We paid $700 which included 2 lions for a 15-20 minute performance that included benches + scrolls.
String Quartet	$1,170	SF Conservatory of Music	Hands down one of the best last minute decisions we made. The guests loved it, it made the ceremony music extra special, and it didn't cost and arm & a leg since we went through the SFCM. Someone on this Reddit thread suggested them and I could not be more grateful!
Tips	$990	-	There was a 22% service charge included with our WW bill, but we felt that many of our vendors went above and beyond so we tipped them. We gave $150 to our DJ, $100 to our coordinator, $350 to our photo/video team, and I can't remember the exact dollar amounts but also tipped 4 servers, a banquet captain, hair & make up, and the string quartet.

Wedgewood Experience

We went back and forth when booking our venue because we had heard really mixed reviews about Wedgewood Weddings. At the end of the day, my partner and I didn't have a strong preference regarding our vendors and our top priority was to have a stress-free and painless wedding planning process. Since we didn't have a "vision" for the big day, Wedgewood was absolutely perfect for us. Their planning process is well structured, organized, and saved us the headache of having to vet, source, and coordinate with our own vendors. And, because they turn over weddings on a regular basis there were so many things that they provided that we didn't need to purchase because they just have on hand for each wedding. For example, they had a cake stand, ceremony arch (those are expensive to rent!), easels for our signs, table numbers (we opted to use our own) and table number holders.
We did the Elite package (the top tier) which included almost everything we needed for the day, and then worked with our Wedgewood coordinators to make actual selections regarding menu, design/decor, and all of that fun stuff. All of the vendors we booked through Wedgewood were amazing (DJ, florist, cake, open bar, etc.) and we got really great feedback on the food as well which was probably the strongest unknown for us (we did a buffet with salads, rice pilaf, panko chicken, five cheese tortellini, and a prime rib carving station).
The coordinator was also able to handle a lot of other things the day of like tip distribution, setting up all of our personal decor, managing our timeline, and even coordinated with a few of our outside vendors (lion dancers, boba bar, photo/video, and string quartet). Their services were so comprehensive we absolutely didn't need any outside coordination services. Our day of coordinator was AMAZING and I really appreciated how on top of things he was. We had a snafu where our lion dancers were double booked (!) and 40 minutes late to our grand entrance, and our coordinator finessed our timeline and worked with the DJ to make sure the switch up was seamless. The guests didn't notice that anything had gone wrong, and it was so nice that we didn't have to worry about it ourselves.
Re: The Log Cabin specifically - We thought the venue was the perfect size for a wedding of 90 people or smaller. It was perfectly warm, cozy and intimate which is what we wanted. The outdoor ceremony area has an amazing peekaboo view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and Karl the Fog cooperated so that we could have the perfect backdrop to our ceremony. I know when I was reviewing venues, one of the concerns someone else had raised about The Log Cabin was that it is just over the freeway (where cars enter the GGB) and that there's a softball field nearby that makes parking difficult. We didn't have issues with either -- no one even noticed that the freeway was there, and the A/V system made it so it wasn't an issue even if there was any freeway noise. Our package included a parking lot buy out so parking was a breeze and it also included a security guard to ensure no one random strolled onto the property.

Areas for Cost Savings

• Wedding Party: We covered a lot of things for our wedding party because it was within our means and we wanted to show our appreciation for them. In lieu of wedding party gifts, we covered half the bridesmaids hair & make up services (and made the other half optional), subsidized the groomsmen suits, and paid for the bridesmaid dresses. This is definitely something that would have saved us several thousand dollars if we hadn't, and I think our wedding party would have been totally fine if we hadn't.
• Lights: Bistro lights and draping made for amazing photos, but this was definitely a nice to have and not a need to have.
• Party favors: Honestly, I had read so many comments about not doing them because most people leave them behind. We did custom match bottles and small dried floral magnets, and most of them got left behind. However, we went into it knowing that it might be the case but decided to still move forward because we thought it would add a nice look to the table scape. There were a few people who were extremely sentimental and thrilled to have the favors to bring home. We'll see how they look in photos once the detail pics come in. :) If you're looking for an area to cut costs though, ABSOLUTELy skip the favors.
• Wedding Dress: I definitely could have found a more affordable wedding dress via David's Bridal, Brides for a Cause, or even at Blue Sky Bridal (there were plenty of options <$1000) but I ended up falling in love with my dress. If you're on a budget, definitely stick to trying on dresses within that range or you might risk getting attached to something out of budget. I didn't want to spend $1400 on my dress, but made the mistake of pulling it off the rack without checking the price tag. I was lucky enough to be able to afford it, but would have been heartbroken if I couldn't.
• Groom's Suit: Honestly, Tailor's Keep was such a splurge but my now husband was SO SO happy with the process. I think if you're not someone who wears suits a lot, or just doesn't have a need for that nice of a suit you could rent to save $. Or if you want to get a nice custom suit that doesn't break the bank, SuitSupply did an amazing job with our groomsmen suits and had plenty of options in the $500-800 range.
• Veil: I splurged on my veil (~$300) and this is probably my biggest regret. You only wear it for the ceremony - and my ceremony was SO windy - and it honestly doesn't end up looking the way you think it will trailing behind you... unless you have a perfectly windless day. Most of my photos are without the veil, and I think they looked amazing without it. If I could do it over, I'd nix the veil and save myself a few hundred dollars.
• Extra Desserts: We had so much leftover dessert... at the end of the night most people are off at the bar, using the photo booth, or dancing. I feel like most of our guests either opted to skip or just totally forgot the desserts were there!

So I’m in a LDR relationship. I’ve known him for a few years but we just rekindled (long story) our relationship and became official a few months ago.
My bf 24M and I 23F live on different sides of the world. I am doing my best to move to his country as I’ve always wanted to. Ever since I met him I knew he’d go on walks with a girl friend of his, but at the time I didn’t really care. Then I dated another guy and I had an issue with a girl he called “like his sister”. He didn’t cheat as far as I know, but he was definitely being inappropriate and not setting boundaries. Needless to say after that, I have other ideas about girl-friends.
My now bf, met this girl (let’s call her Anna) I believe in school. A year before he met me, he developed a crush on her. He’s told me the story but not in full detail bc I never asked much and I didn’t wanna know. They were friends, he had a crush, and kissed one time, but Anna ended up rejecting him and according to him, she suggested they weren’t friends anymore but he was able to continue. They’ve been just friends ever since.
Fast forward to now, I am having extreme issues with their friendship. They started going to these workout classes together back when he was with his ex. I know also his ex wasn’t a fan of Anna. Then he started dating me. Everything started one day when he went to a party Anna invited him too. He didn’t reply to me litt for the rest of the day and for the first time ever, I lost it. I thought the worst. He reassured me he just went to a late shift at work and right after to the party, got home and couldn’t help but fall asleep. After this, Anna became something else for me.
Just going to say all HER red flags now: she invited him to a festival (with her fiends too but he doesn’t know anyone else), she sends him “streaks” or random pics on snap (he never sends anything back), they follow each other even on freaking Spotify, she had an extra IG acc where she only followed him and other 2 people(?), my bf created a new TT acc and the only followers/following where Anna and me- I believe she sent him something as an excuse to follow him (he removed his following to her but not hers), they went to an event together (related to their working out classes), they (or she, tbh idk) send each other stuff in IG like memes, videos related to what they do together and stuff, etc. ALL OF THIS, while SHE KNOWS his ex AND me don’t like this friendship. Not to mention, I visited him for the first time not long ago and he told her about getting the 3 of us together so her and I could meet (I did not approve of that plan, he just suggested it to her idk why) and she “wasn’t a fan of it” bc it would be only the three of us. Then after I came back home he said he showed her pics of us and she said I was really pretty and she also was super excited to meet me some day. Like BRO!?! She had the chance to change my mind about her and she didn't take it.
DISCLAIMER - I don’t doubt my bf. I have two trusted sources that can tell me he’s not being unfaithful. I know he loves me and she is just a friend to him. He’s told me they don’t text unless to see if the other one is going to the class and occasional IG stuff. Cultural differences are also a consideration here. But I’m not sure she knows how to be a girl-friend when the guy is in a relationship.
I have told him I’m uncomfortable, he’s suggested twice to stop seeing her. At first I thought it was just an insecurity of mine or my anxiety, but I don’t have issues with other girls in his life. Just Anna. So, I decided to put my big girl pants on and start therapy/working on my self, told him to keep seeing her but only for the working out classes (which I also find extremely “date like”. That is something he and I always talked about of doing together since we met and I’d never workout with another guy that wasn’t a trainer or my bf). I thought with time I’ll learn to trust him more (I did) but also her (I HAVE NOT).
Almost. Every. Single. Month. We have a convo about her. Somehow, she always comes up. She’s always there. Every social media app suggests her as a friend to me. Ever her second acc. She’s EVERYWHERE. In the back of my mind, all the time.
He’s coming to visit me soon. I heard by one of those sources that she’s the kind of girl who doesn’t respect boundaries. That she doesn’t care he has someone. Can’t fully confirm this to be 100% real but this was my last straw.
I will have a conversation about this for the millionth time with him when I see him. I’m scared he won’t understand me. About a month ago we had our last convo about her, he reacted a bit upset at first but then came to his senses and he said he’d now only see her once a month for that class. But I really can’t with this anymore. I think about it all the time. Something tells me it’s intuition, not anxiety/insecurities. I didn’t accept his “stop seeing her” propositions in the past bc I am not one of those girls who wants to “control” my bfs’ frienships. And I trusted he’d be able to spot if any girl is his friend for the wrong reasons.
But now, I can’t separate him from my feelings about her. Sometimes I don’t even want to talk to him, I cry and cry about the subject bc I know he’s not doing anything bad, but it hurts me that even if he knows how much it hurts, he doesn’t take the initiative to put some definite boundaries or even stop seeing her all together. Bc if he really didn't care that much like he says, and he noticed the love of his life (his words) is feeling this about ONE girl in his life, then it's an easy answer. Right? He’s noticing my distance lately, and I don't know how to tell him when I see him that this is taking a toll on me and little by little it will start taking a bigger place in our relationship. He’s loosing me slowly. And he doesn’t even know it.
But I also feel like sometimes I’m thinking too much about her actions and not focusing enough in the fact he doesn’t reciprocate what she does. But at the same time if I were to do the things he does with her or have a friendship like that with a guy friend I once kissed I KNOW he’d get mad. Maybe even ask me to stop it. Bc he gets jealous, I don't. Maybe in the past setting boundaries like the snapchats or the sending each other things would’ve worked. But at this point, I’m afraid if he wants to keep me he’ll have to talk to her and be like “you’re causing issues since my last relationship. This is my sign to stop and put some boundaries so my girl doesn’t feel disrespected and we can be friendly but not friends (at least that way) anymore"
I’m scared of what he’ll think and do. I’m scared he won’t take action and I’ll be forced to leave him. Specially bc he’s someone I’ve loved and longed since I was so young and now that we’re together, now that I am planning to move to his country for work, maybe I’ll be forced to say goodbye. But I cannot let another man not respect me this way again. I understand he may not know better (boys are boys) but after all the problems we've had maybe that should be his sign?
Please be kind. I want actual opinions and suggestions of how to bring it up w him with all the love in the world so he doesn’t feel attacked. Girls, would u do the stuff she does with a guy friend of yours with who’s in a relationship?

This is my first day and this is my plan. Wanted to get people's thoughts:
1) Workouts

• I usually work out in the mornings between 5:30-6:30am. I live in the Midwestern US and it's summer and so the mornings are pleasant. Perfect outdoor exercise weather right now. My morning workouts are going to rotate between running, cycling, and lifting/HIIT. I have some weights in my garage, as does a neighbor a couple blocks over. We'll drag all equipment out of the garage and use it in the driveway just to make sure we're completely checking the box on getting that outdoor workout. At least a couple days a week I think I'll probably be pretty sore and tired, so my workout will be a 45 minute walk. My second workout I'm dedicating to recovery, so it'll focus on yoga to improve pliability and mobility. These workouts make me pretty sweaty, so I believe it fully meets the intent of 75 Hard. It's also something I can do on the living room floor when my kid is toddling around, and she loves to climb on me while I do it.

2) Water

• I already drink a ton of water, I have a 1L Hydroflask that'll be my main consumption vessel. I chug a 1 liter of water every morning when I first wake up (it helps with that morning bowl movement) before I work out, so I'm starting the day already ahead.

3) Diet

• I plan to follow a “clean” diet. No processed stuff, no juice, no sugar. Focus on a "Mediterranean" style diet of fish, veggies, fruit, legumes, some pasta or rice (but no wine!) and limited amounts of red meat or dairy. I also plan to make 1 full day per week a vegetarian day. I'm still going to try and hit a daily protein goal of 180g (I currently weigh 225lbs). I think that's going to be tough, but still doable.

4) Reading

• I read a lot as it is, but it's almost all history or current events related. I hardly read fiction. I'm going to try and focus on books on leadership for the time being, starting with "Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. I also have a copy of "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall, which is more of a history/philosophy of running and exercise book and less of a "self help" book. I think it still meets the spirit and intent of the 75 Hard program though. Please let me know if you think otherwise.
  
• I also plan to keep a daily journal. Even if its only a couple sentences jotted down, I'm going to do it.
  

5) Progress Pics

• I've set a reminder to do it in the bathroom as soon as I wake up.

My reasons for doing this:

• I'm 38 years old, have a young child (and a second on the way), and being a dad + working full time + I'm in the Army Reserves has meant I've been struggling to prioritize time for myself. Also, being in the Army Reserves means I have to maintain a certain level of fitness. I've always been able to work out and pass the physical standards tests, but I'm very borderline within the bodyfat standards. Since becoming a dad my uniform has been fitting very tight and making sure I don't face the embarrassment of failing a height/weight screening is a huge driver. I also have just struggled to maintain focus with all the things I have to do in life. I want to improve my mental resilience and mental toughness, and this seems like a great way to deliberately approach these goals.

EDIT it was pointed out that I said I was doing Whole30 but also eating carbs. I thought carbs were allowed on Whole30. I thought Whole30 allowed unprocessed carbs like rice, bread, potatoes, and other starches. You just can’t have processed carbs like cereal, white bread, French fries, pizza bagels, all that stuff. Thanks for correcting me.

This forum has helped me a ton so I want to post my story as it is now: 7 days ago on May 21 I had a robotic assisted hysterectomy with salpingectomy. Left the ovaries and cervix. I also had a midurethral sling, specifically a transvaginal tape (TVT) retropubic type.
49 yo female. perimenopausal

1. I have had stress incontinence for almost 17 years since immediately after giving birth and again worsening after my second child 14 years ago.
   
2. Recently in February at my pap smear they discovered I had a 11cm fibroid, which I did not have any obvious symptoms for. I’ve had worsening stress incontinence for a long time and I have recently had very heavy periods but I thought that was normal perimenopause. No pain.
   
3. I asked the gynecologist about ablation and UFE and she strongly discouraged both.
   
4. I met with the urogyno and he said my pelvic floor is strong but a structural problem was causing the stress incontinence, and the fibroid was making it worse.
   
5. I REALLY REALLY REALLY did not want to have any surgery. I’ve never been sick, never gone under anesthesia, am super active, am super busy and it just did not fit with my agenda or image of myself. Why fix something that wasn’t very broken?
   
6. However although I have always been fit, recently every time I try on a dress my husband and daughter would say, well you need to disguise your stomach. Essentially the fibroid was the size of a 20 week pregnancy and while I did not look five months pregnant I could see that it was causing bulk and heaviness. Plus the incontinence had just become even more super debilitating if possible and had to constantly be managed. Several massive poise pads a day, always a worry, etc. Traveling, playing tennis or golf, it was just super debilitating.
   
7. It also turned out that the fibroid was making me mildly anemic which tracked with some other symptoms I’ve had working out and just general fatigue. The anemia was also getting worse instead of better.
   
8. So I scheduled the surgery for May 21 thinking I could always cancel and spent a lot of time researching (this forum was so helpful for the hysterectomy) and I also got a second opinion on the sling from a premier Chicago urogynecologist which reassured me as well. Ultimately what convinced me was that (i) I had a grandmother who was extremely classy and lovely and suffered from incontinence that she stopped being able to manage as she aged and I didn’t want to end up like her, smelling like pee all the time which I know she would have hated.
   
9. I also thought that I am lucky to have more options than she did. While I don’t totally trust the medical system, overall I’m lucky to live in an innovative country that is inventing solutions for me to live better and lucky to have insurance that will pay for it. Also most women seemed satisfied with their hysterectomies.
   
10. I had the surgery as scheduled a week ago- my uterus weighed 900 grams (average is 60grams) I spent the first two days in bed and the rest of the days slowly moving around a bit more and now, a week later I am back in the office at my desk job and feel almost back to normal. I worked at home on days 2 and 3 with naps.
    
11. I definitely feel lighter with less bulk and my pants even fit better (though I haven’t eaten a lot I think it is really removing the uterus. And not to have to worry about incontinence constantly is a huge bonus. It’s amazing. I’ve never had this much bladder capacity even as a child.
    
12. I was never in very much pain and never needed pain killers, just a few advil every once in awhile. For 4 days my stomach felt like it had been in the worst ab workout ever and I could barely move due to soreness, but it wasn’t PAIN exactly. Just extreme discomfort. And the incisions bother me, but it’s not horrible. Nothing near my experience with tooth pain.
    
13. What I wish I knew was how difficult it would be to get up from a lying down prone position without causing massive discomfort in my stomach. A bed rail would have been good. But again it was only a few days.
    
14. On Day 4 I had pain in my lower left side of my back and I worried it was a kidney infection and drank a ton of water. but I think it was just a sore back because it went away the next day.
    
15. On Day 5 I went for a walk around the block but it was exhausting. I still wouldn’t want to do a lot of walking.
    
16. I sleep very well – was the fibroid disrupting my sleep? Or I could just be exhausted from recovering. I took it very easy (for me).
    
17. Hope this helps, happy to answer any questions!
    

For background here are the notes from my doctor for our initial meeting:
Patient has stress urinary incontinence that predates her symptomatic fibroid but is also likely exacerbated by the large uterine fibroid. The fibroid's location and size suggest it could be contributing to the incontinence, though it is unclear to what extent without removal. There is also a noted cystocele, and the patient's pelvic floor strength is good, indicating that the primary issue is structural. The recommended treatment plan includes surgical intervention to address both the stress incontinence and the fibroid. For the incontinence, a midurethral sling, specifically a transvaginal tape (TVT) retropubic type, is proposed to provide robust support. Regarding the fibroid, a minimally invasive hysterectomy is suggested, which could be performed laparoscopically or robotically. The ovaries would be left intact to maintain hormonal function, and the uterus would be removed through belly button incision. A uterosacral ligament suspension or colpopexy would be performed concurrently to prevent future prolapse.
From the MRI I had when I was considering doing nothing:
A large 8.7 x 8.8 x 11.2 cm T2 heterogenous fibroid is seen along the right lateral wall of the uterus. There is adjacent mass effect with shifting of the endometrium towards the left side. A small focus of T1 hyperintense signal is noted along the superior margin of the mass which may reflect underlying hemorrhage. Postcontrast images demonstrate slight heterogenous enhancement. ENDOMETRIUM: 19 mm in thickness. The junctional zone is within normal limits. ADNEXA: Bilateral T2 hyperintense cysts are present in the ovaries measuring up to 2.0 cm on the left and 2.5 cm on the right. ADDITIONAL FINDINGS: No significant incidental findings. No adenopathy

Let me first start off by saying, my program has generally been really great, well-coordinated, and robust with sound information.
I’m one month post-op, total loss of 24lbs since date of surgery. Do I wish it was more? Absolutely, but I will find some solace in the fact I wouldn’t have lost this much in this amount of time otherwise. My program also provided an anticipated weight loss curve graph based on my own stats to ensure I stay on track/manage expectations. I’m on track despite currently being in a stall (which I know is normal).
Week one and two went well considering. Week three, which was when I was cleared to do soft foods, brought difficulties with meeting my fluid intake. Got through week three and four trying out some new behaviors and am now meeting both fluid and protein goals without issue. Also, I’m walking at least two miles per day. I put my Orangetheory membership on a one month freeze due to surgery and will be returning to that in two weeks. I typically workout 4-5x per week.
I’ve met with my nutritionist weekly (so grateful). The plan is to remain within 500-700 calories from week 6/8 - 3 months, obviously with the goal of prioritizing fluid and protein goals.
I met with my surgeon for the first time today post-op and he’s given me conflicting information. I was discussing my stall and he launched into a rather unattuned response in which he stated: 1) the nutritionist would recommend an increase in calories around this time (the aforementioned plan) but disagrees and would recommend “300 - 500 calories max” through six months. 2) He wants me to lose more than what the anticipated weight loss chart is recommended. He then started throwing out weight loss metrics at me (I.e. “if you maintain a four pound weight loss every week, by x, you’ll weigh x.”). Frankly, I started to tune out, as I have a history of disordered eating, in multiple forms, and I don’t find that particular type of approach to be helpful for me to be comprehensively successful.
ANNNND I want to make sure I’m using my tool to the fullest extent. This, in addition to some vulnerability I feel around being in a stall (which I cognitively know is normal), as well as an increase in hunger this past week (legitimate hunger, not head hunger), I’m somewhat at a loss of what to do moving forward. The part of me that wants to lose, lose, lose and says “yeah, 300 calories per day will maximize loss!” is LOUD. I also don’t feel this is sustainable. Additionally, I know people often squander away the “honeymoon phase” of their surgery and don’t want to do that either.
Thoughts? Feedback?

TW for disordered eating, talk of diets, body image issues. Please take care.
My boyfriend and I have been dating for a little less than a year. We are technically long distance but I visit him more often than not (self employed life).
I’ve noticed that when I’m visiting him for an extended period of time I often eat like shit, drink a lot, gain some weight, don’t workout. We love to go out to eat, try new food, and have drinks every night at home.
And when I get home after visiting him, I immediately go into workout and extreme diet mode to lost the weight. I have a history of disordered eating and I always feel myself slipping back into during these times.
He’s in his late 20s and hasn’t really been affected by a slowing metabolism quite yet (I feel like it happens later with guys but not sure if that’s accurate) so eating and drinking a ton isn’t a concern of his because it doesn’t affect his body. But it severely affects mine.
Has anyone else been through this? Any advice on how to move forward? Or how to stay on track with healthier choices when visiting him? It’s hard when you have someone else around who you can just say “fuck it” with.
Thank you!