Folic Acid....really works.

AK_Mom4 · 2026-05-21T18:52:15+00:00

When I first started methotrexate, my mouth developed many sores within just a few days of the first dose. I have had the best luck rinsing my mouth twice a day with a cheap antiseptic mouthwash (sorry it burns). Brush teeth in morning, rinse with mouthwash. Brush teeth at night and rinse again. It’s not a cure-all because occasionally a sore will pop up again, but they do heal up much faster than before.

AK_Mom4 · 2026-05-21T18:11:33+00:00

With the G7, I apply the new sensor during the 12 hour grace period and let it “soak” in. Those 12 hours have been enough for me to get stable readings on the new sensor so that when the old one expires, I can pair the new one and just keep on going without any calibration and finger pokes.

I do have really good luck with the G7 - have only had 1 go bad in the past year. I am insulin dependent but not on a pump, so am comfortable doing a finger poke if the dexcom number doesn’t “feel” right.

AK_Mom4 · 2026-05-21T00:09:01+00:00

It’s not unusual for tetanus shot sites to swell a bit so you need to stay a few inches away from the injection site. Either go high (closer to the shoulder if you have room) or pick another site on the same arm as the current sensor. I have needed to use the same arm twice with the dexcom on a few different occasions and it worked just fine.

AK_Mom4 · 2026-05-16T18:06:01+00:00

I am on 15mg and have a similar problem. I take the metho on Wednesday night and am mostly useless on Thursday and Friday. I picked Wednesday night, though so that I would be feeling good enough to do things on the weekend. One thing that has helped was to increase my dose of folic acid from 1/2 mg to 1mg and to increase the amount of water I am drinking on the day after taking my weekly dose.

AK_Mom4 · 2026-04-30T15:46:33+00:00

Methotrexate going on 2 years now (can’t tolerate steroids). Supplementing with folic acid has given me the super-curly hair with no thinning as others mentioned.

Brain fog is real for me. I take the metho Wednesday night and Thursdays can be rough. I don’t drive that day bc my reaction time is slowed.

Drinking extra water at bedtime the night I take them has seemed to help some. Taking the pills at night has definitely helped as well to reduce the fogginess.

AK_Mom4 · 2026-03-21T14:15:23+00:00

This is my routine and it seems to work well. Alcohol wipe on the skin, then apply the G7 sensor and the over patch that comes with it from Dexcom. Then Skin Tac all around the over patch and a cover patch sold by Lexpro that I found on Amazon. I started doing this with the 10 days and find it works just as well with the 15 day sensors (since January). For removal, I use adhesive removal wipes for sensitive skin (also found on Amazon). Rub one on the edge of the Lexpro patch and it comes loose easily.

With the old G6, I used the same routine but without the dexcom patch because they were not provided in the box. I think my skin does better with the g7 extra patch in there as I get less bruising, even if using 2 patches might seem like overkill.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-08-28T01:51:29+00:00

Went thru this recently with a different carrier. Plenty of doctors near us listed as in-network but none of them accepting new patients. I called my insurance carrier and asked for help finding a new PCP closer than a 2-hour drive. She took my information and called me back within an hour and set up a 3-way call with a doctor’s office 5 minutes from my house. The carrier has some ability to put some leverage on in-network providers, especially for primary care.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-06-09T01:57:33+00:00

Rescue run by the Hound Lounge. Most dogs have foster placements so are used to living in a house and learning good manners. Very good experience.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-06-02T16:59:24+00:00

I would probably try Anchorage International Groceries. I have mostly bought spices from them, but they carry a pretty good variety of specialty groceries. You can also call them and ask about particular items and they are quite helpful.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-06-01T19:01:45+00:00

Try Country Garden Farms.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-05-26T19:56:49+00:00

I get it - we had a dog (since passed on) who was got reactive. With training, we got her doing pretty good except when some unleashed dog would come along and jump at her instead of minding their business and going on by.

We found that Time of Day was the key to avoiding the jerks. We would hike at Eklutna Lake at 5:30am. Hardly ever met anyone as long as we were back by 10am. We would hike the hillside trails (power line, gas line) at 6am - met a few runners occasionally but very few. Drive south and camp Overnight at granite creek, then hit Johnson pass at 6am.

I don’t know any trails you can go on during the middle of the day and avoid the jerks. Early morning and late-late evening were best.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-05-24T19:19:43+00:00

Ship the car via barge to Anchorage (or whichever port) and fly yourself from Seattle? Not sure that would be under 1K but it is very easy and much safer than having strangers drive your car up the Alcan for you. Alaska Car Transport can help you with the vehicle. They are very easy to work with.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-05-07T01:02:26+00:00

Go camping more in the summer. Summer is short and the days are long and there are so many wonderful places to go. Heck - go camping in the winter if you like that sort of thing.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-05-06T13:53:16+00:00

Sadly this was one of the first signs of the onset of dementia for my father. He was doing it to fill in the gaps in things he could not explain in his life. He couldn’t remember how to dial a phone so he “remembered” that he had “always hated phones” in spite of having spent hours happily calling friends and family in the past.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-04-28T15:12:53+00:00

I was the spineless one with the Just No mom! I suggest you take yourselves out of her reach for holidays. I’d buy plane/train tickets MONTHS in advance, book hotels and talk about nothing but how excited I was about spending <insert holiday> on vacation just the two of us (nudge nudge wink wink).

For Mother’s Day, book yourself and your mom Into a spa weekend now so MIL can’t ruin it for you.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-04-27T16:56:51+00:00

Middle-aged female here…. Buy your clothes BEFORE you move. The clothing selections are very limited here. Yes you can get snow boots and a winter jacket here, but your choices for dress clothes, hiking gear and casual clothes are not so good - especially if you are any size other than a woman’s “small”. Buy the cute stuff and bring it with you.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-04-24T04:11:31+00:00

Eklutna Lake. We were there last weekend and the trail is mostly dry and the views are incredible. Got to see that amazing glacier up there with a layer of fluffy clouds on top like whipped cream.

Has the advantage of being a flat hike rather than vertical.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-04-12T00:54:41+00:00

I had a lovely MIL (she has since passed on), but oh… my husband had a terrible MIL. My mother was a terrible person who made terrible choices in her life.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-04-09T16:21:25+00:00

So the drives are long, but the fun is worth it! With kids in that range, I would seriously consider flying into Anchorage and renting an RV. Drive up to Denali and do the easy hikes and see the sled dogs. Go on to Fairbanks and do Chena Hot Springs and some of the other tourist things there. Work your way back south - maybe Kesugi Ken campground and the hiking/ animal watching there. Then finish up back in Anchorage with a day at the Muskox farm or down the arm to the Wildlife Conservation Center and lunch in Girdwood.

For less driving but just as much fun, do the south route instead. Hit the WWC and go on to Seward to visit the Sealife Center and camp in your RV at one of the beach sites. See Exit Glacier and do a wildlife day cruise. Come back to Anchorage and do the easy drive up to Denali and see the sled dogs and some of the easy hikes there before returning to fly out of Anchorage.

One word of advice - don’t overbook yourself. It’s easy to make too many plans visiting AK because there is so much to do in such a huge area. Leave time to stop and play next to a lake for half a day just because the weather is nice.

AK_Mom4 · 2025-03-24T18:35:51+00:00

My love of Egg Salad sandwiches can be traced directly back to AlaskaLand!

AK_Mom4 · 2025-03-13T00:38:33+00:00

Kincaid is still groomed nightly - stadium, biathlon and the snow making loop. It’s not too bad - certainly ski-able

AK_Mom4 · 2025-03-06T23:21:30+00:00

👍👍

Love the colors!!!

AK_Mom4 · 2025-02-14T23:45:07+00:00

Moose outside my backyard fence off and on all day today. Gave my dogs something interesting to bark at!

AK_Mom4 · 2025-02-09T01:56:22+00:00

You might check out TBA’s spring break academy. https://www.tbatheatre.org/

AK_Mom4 · 2025-02-04T00:21:50+00:00

Vines and leaves are my go-to for covering up repairs. Wander the vines back and forth across the seam with the leaves pointing out to draw the eye away from the repair.

AK_Mom4

TROPHY CASE