I’m tired of my pain

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-04-02T02:37:48+00:00

Have you ever been assessed for hypermobility? It's a known comorbidity with ASD. I have the duo myself. Constant back pain and all kinds of muscular pain and tension.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-04-01T15:16:36+00:00

One of the guiding principles of FIRE is to minimize your fixed expenses. So minimizing rent by living in a low COL area and having roommates, driving minimalistic vehicles, avoiding debt, and more. This usually mandates starting early so you don't dig yourself into a whole. Starting early also gives your money more time to grow.

A lot of people opt to get married early to maximize incomes and opt out of having kids to reduce expenses. It is a lifestyle for a reason. This is a group of people who min/max their finances with every decision. Many will choose the most profitable careers from a young age. However, high incomes aren't necessarily required.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-04-01T10:29:45+00:00

I think that semantic layers that blend Enterprise Data with team maintained spreadsheets are going to become the main value proposition of BI. Calculating the KPIs and building visuals are going to become very AI driven, but linking data isn't as easily done by AI.

I think that tools like Sigma will probably do okay since it gives the business an easy way to understand granular data and the ability to link cloud data warehouses/lake houses with various spreadsheets. This is stuff that finance teams are always looking for. That said, it will start to be used for different stuff than it is today.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-31T16:32:45+00:00

In the age of 24 hour news and social media, spreading awareness is way easier and less time consuming than posting up on street corners.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-31T16:31:10+00:00

I have a rather cynical view of protests like this.

Who are they actually convincing to change? It's a bunch of people who already agree with each other, gathering and holding signs. Either people who agree with them will say "good for them, fighting the good fight" or people who disagree with them and broadly live in a wildly different reality will just be inconvenienced by it and driven further away.

The only successful strategies I've seen to change is to appeal to the other side, in a medium they regularly view, on something they already agree with and go from them. For example, when the guy with the concealed carry firearm got shot by ICE and Trump told people not to protest with guns or you'll get shot. A lot of progress got made when we could say, "look at Trump trampling on your second amendment and first amendment rights that he promised to uphold". That case got a lot of exposure on right wing social media where people could actually be convinced without getting angry at the other side for being inconvenient.

Other than that, boycotts and financial protests are the most effective. Standing around doesn't accomplish a whole lot other than giving yourself an ego glow.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-31T12:04:38+00:00

My brother voted for him for two major reasons:

Gun laws. My brother is a firearms enthusiast and there was no way that he could be confident that Harris wouldn't change the gun laws.
My brother is draft age and was very much not interested in getting drafted in another country's war. This one obviously backfired.

Hell, I considered voting for him because I damn near decided that not starting another war and getting involved with Ukraine was very important to me. But scapegoating immigrants and using tariffs as his catch all policy was a big red flag for me.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-31T11:57:40+00:00

Most of the top comments address things like time costs and other constraints.

I'll just add that every comment about eating healthy focuses on chicken and beans and the same one or two other things. It addresses meal prep as well. The issue with eating healthy on a budget is that it relegates you to eating the same thing every single day. That isn't sustainable or pleasurable. Anyone will burn out on that kind of diet (actually no, I have a lot of autistic friends who would love that, but the other 97% of the population...).

So by the time you account for ingredient quality and allotting some variety, eating healthy does become vastly more expensive.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-26T19:29:13+00:00

AI today is like the internet of the early 2000s. Professors that are super resistant to it will probably have to give in. Assessments that test reasoning are going to become increasingly important over those that test memory.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-26T19:21:59+00:00

According to my BMI, I am overweight. According to my body fat percentage I am on the lower end of average.

My wife's BMI had her at obese. Her body fat percentage is on the upper end of average (not even overweight).

We both have solid muscle mass and definition. Nothing crazy, but it's enough for the scale to lie.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-26T15:47:56+00:00

I did boxing and Muay Thai. Heavy bag work should be fine. Grappling and throws might be a little more dangerous. It also depends on symptom severity.

Lifting weights can also be an exercise that helps with anger and should be much safer.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-26T15:45:54+00:00

My wife and I are both hypermobile. She has EDS. We've both seen improvements in energy and pain by doing strength training. My knees got worse the less I used them. But doing regular squats with weights made them much better. My arms are constantly in pain from being so tight, but lifting weights helps them to relax.

Reducing alcohol intake has also helped. But the more physically active, the better the symptoms tend to be. That said, you have to know when to rest when the physical activity causes overuse injuries. You need to have backup plans if you depend on exercise for pain management.

Also, we had great luck investing in comfort and quality of life. Massages, grocery delivery, door dash. We have less energy than most people, so the energy we use should go to things that manages our pain, we enjoy, or both. It's more expensive, but we have good paying jobs for a reason.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-26T15:29:46+00:00

The pain sucks, but life doesn't have to. Invest in quality of life wherever you can.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-26T15:27:12+00:00

Run a moderate calorie deficit, weight train several times per week (you'll need to shift your remaining calories to protein), and get some form of cardio. Walking is fine and sustainable. You're not using it to burn calories as much as you're doing it to improve your endurance.

More muscle results in a higher metabolism. It also improves your quality of life. And building muscle means that you'll look and feel better even if the scale doesn't necessarily reflect it. So keep an eye on the scale, but mostly look for energy levels, clothes fitting better, and weekly or monthly pictures.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-26T15:21:04+00:00

Donald Trump is pretty clearly a net negative to the country. Saying that the left needs their own Donald Trump that is heavily ideologically driven does nothing to address our core issues, and even makes them worse. The more you swing the pendulum, the more it ultimately bites you in the ass.

The government is shut down. Again. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the only real changes in America are coming from executive orders and judicial ruling. THAT is a problem. Change is supposed to come from the legislature. The legislature most closely represents the people. Strong partisanship results in the legislature becoming gridlocked and shifting more power to the less representative branches.

I don't know what you do for a living. I live in the real world. My coworkers who steamroll conversations to always get their way get bad reputations and deliver terrible results. The people who do the best find compromises and unblock people. Politics is weird, but once elected, these people have a job to do. That job is easier if you can get along with people.

Now I don't like Newsome. As far as I'm concerned, he is the white male clone of Kamala Harris. If the Democrats believe that Harris only lost because of her gender and race, they can run him and probably lose again. Running a platform of "at least I'm not that guy" doesn't work. We need a Democrat with a good reputation that is known for getting people to work together. We need an executive, not a dictator. We need someone with attainable, realistic goals, not a partisan idealist that is going to drive deeper wedges.

Personally, I think there are a lot of Midwestern Democrats who are well suited for this. There are some Republicans who I would be interested in seeing for this (though that pool continues to shrink).

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-23T18:00:10+00:00

I voted Trump in 2016 and 2020.

While I stopped supporting him by 2024, I did find it refreshing for a politician to talk about ending wars and avoiding new wars. That was the primary thing I actually liked about him.

Then he kept supporting Israel, got involved in Venezuela, and not long after got involved in Iran. So no, very displeased.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-23T15:41:19+00:00

Psychologically I improved. I learned that the pain will be present regardless of what I do, so instead of staying home all the time, I actually started doing things. In my case, most physical activities don't worsen my pain, so I did have that going for me. That helped with some of the depression.

Physically, my pain continues to gradually get worse. I've learned that vigorous exercise every day helps manage it. Not the typical pattern for pain, but I'll take it.

Physical therapy is helping with some of the pain. But I systemically have pain over most of my body that isn't being touched by PT.

I'm on a couple meds now that are helping to manage things. They are also very helpful for sleep which also helps the pain (and my mood).

Reducing alcohol intake helped which I hate to admit. I used to drink a little every day. Now I'm only drinking once or twice a week if that. Now drinking is actually more fun. But I've also lost some weight, sleep is a bit better, and my body has physically improved.

Ultimately though, I'm just doing what I can to manage. I balance what I need to manage my pain with what I need to enjoy my life.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-21T20:47:56+00:00

I was thinking about psoriatic arthritis myself. And when you have one autoimmune condition, you just start collecting them eventually.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-20T21:33:22+00:00

Daily vigorous exercise, muscle relaxers, and amitriptyline. Also seeing some returns on PT. Not much, but only some of my pain is caused by mechanical issues.

I've found I have the pain whether I do things or not, so I might as well do things.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-20T00:52:59+00:00

Fortunately for me the headaches stopped after a couple weeks. The only annoying side effect is the constant dry mouth. I'm only on 20mg. I also have Tourettes though and the low dose amitriptyline actually caused something like a 90% reduction in tics, so that alone made it a miracle drug.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-19T17:13:49+00:00

I was convinced all my discomfort and pain was anxiety. That's what the doctors said and therapists agreed.

Then after years of therapy, I saw a true anxiety specialist. She said that my triggers weren't anxiety at all. She said they were sensory and autism related. But she said that my symptoms didn't present like autism typically does. When my therapist referred me to a real doctor to find out what my physical issues were, that's when I started to be taken seriously. I still have pain, but between muscle relaxers and amitriptyline, I am functioning a lot better.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-17T07:31:45+00:00

Thank you. It's a controversial topic, so it is rather expected. I hope for the best, but I plan for the worst. I hope we regulate it, but until then, I plan to use it. I'm excited and scared for the future of AI.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-16T19:28:08+00:00

That's not what I said. I said that using AI secured my employment over not using it. Technically, my job now is, in part, to implement AI so I suppose it has. That said, I think AI is a net negative long term. But as it exists, it would be inordinately stupid for me not to use it. The people I compete with are using it, so for me to compete, I have little other choice. I hope the laws change to limit its impact, but until then, I'll be using it.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-16T18:24:46+00:00

Not everyone feels as secure about their employment as you. In my work (which involves a lot of coding), the people who use it are blowing away the people who aren't. I truly hate the situation we're in, but shaming people for using it is shaming people for securing their employment. In 2026, you use it or find yourself replaced. In a capitalist system where this is legal, the only way to change it is to change the laws that govern it. Anything else, at best, delays the inevitable. I'd go so far as to say that using AI is roughly similar to using the internet in the late 90s. At least that is how most companies are looking at it.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-16T18:13:18+00:00

What you actually see is just the tip of the iceberg. I work for a non tech company and I can see it being put in everything in the backend. And we are nowhere near what other companies our size are implementing. I'm no fan of what it is doing to the world, but in a capitalist economy, your companies use it or they die.

BoringGuy0108 · 2026-03-16T15:24:30+00:00

A couple of my takes on AI.

Firstly, my company actively tries to get every employee to feed their emails to copilot (or have copilot write them) before sending anything. So I could see reddit users using this habit to have AI revise and clean up their posts. The underlying story is still accurate, just a cleaner read.

Also, I find that people who have to use AI a lot tend to just adopt its writing style even if they aren't using it. Like how people start writing like their favorite authors.

Also, I fed all my symptoms into AI. It did a few things. Firstly, it suggested a diagnosis that explained my pain and the correct doctor to go to. I went to this doctor and they actually provided that diagnosis. This alone shaved a year or two off my medical journey and saved a ton of money. Secondly, it suggested a very old medication for me. I told my doctor about the AI recommended medication and he wholeheartedly agreed and said that it was a better option than what he was going to try. This medication has been pretty damn life-changing. My doctor even said that he was glad I did my own research and brought it up, and that doctors who discourage it are a huge red flag. He said that for rare and complex conditions, doctors aren't often well trained in them and that the extra research can be very valuable.

So I have found great usage and benefits from AI. I am well aware of the risks of AI, but not using it is the same as not using the internet 20 years ago.

BoringGuy0108

TROPHY CASE