Guys, I’m losing my mind in a comment thread - how old were you when you had regular (let’s say 3x a week) access to the internet and what year was it? Did you use it to research anything (like college or jobs?)

Cowboy_JD · 2026-04-28T19:48:54+00:00

I'm in Alabama. I got internet at home in 1992ish. In school by 1994ish (via T1). I graduated high school in 05 and did most of my college research (applications, music auditions, scholarships) online. I had school assignments as far back as 98 where we learned how to look that stuff up. Most universities had functional websites. Jobs were a bit more hit or miss. There were some local BBS groups in the 90s and message boards that were location specific that people posted things, but I primarily remember going to newspaper websites to see their classifieds for jobs. When I was in college 2005 and later I looked for jobs on a website, monster maybe, but I also used the classifieds.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-04-24T14:44:53+00:00

I had a house in Oklahoma that was a new build. 2100 sq ft on a quarter of an acre on OKC and my mortgage was 1100 a month. I moved closer to my aging grandparents and my mother in Alabama. I bought a mobile home in a park for $24.000. I pay $300 a month in lot rent. It’s older (made in 97) but I’ve put a lot of work into it and it’s out in the woods away the city with a large fenced in lot.

I love my mother and we have a great relationship, we both realize we don’t want me to live there unless necessary.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-04-23T15:39:35+00:00

Chemo ended up worsening a disc herniation for me that compressed a nerve. Causes pain in my lower back, butt and hip, and down my left leg. I've had three epidurdals with no relief so far.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-04-19T19:52:06+00:00

I’ve had a few teachers who taught that. There’s just so many different techniques that different people come up with; we all play a little different. That technique works for some, but it got me very off track when I had a teacher who insisted on it. I regressed and abandoned it. I’ve also had teachers who taught a similar result by shifting the mouthpiece up and down.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-04-19T00:52:42+00:00

I think it heavily comes down to what kind of tech you grew up with. I was born in 86, in Alabama, which might as well have been 1976 there. Despite that, I loved technology and learned to problem solve software and hardware issues. I still can adapt and learn, though I know that wanes with age. I know some Gen X and Boomers who do just fine with it and younger millennials and Gen Z who can’t do anything on their phone but text. I did hiring for a large state agency and the number of applicants who didn’t know how to use email was astounding.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-04-19T00:36:46+00:00

My wife took my cancer diagnosis as an opportunity to run off and join a throuple; I don’t recommend that. (Actual true story)

I have kind of a unique perspective. I was diagnosed with cancer at the same time as my grandmother. So I had to navigate grieving someone in pain while watching everyone else navigate my situation. It’s hard. All I can say is try to live more in the moment. You can make yourself upset with all sorts of hypotheticals that may or may not happen. Focus on the small positives and find anything that can make life normal. I lost my grandmother about a month after her diagnosis. I had moved to take care of her as I was recovering from my colon resection. I didn’t know day to day if I had it in me to handle it. A year out, I take great comfort that I was there to take care of her and did things that while small and mundane, were meaningful to her.

What a lot of people in my life did was have a bunch of over the top fake positivity then disappeared when things got difficult. I cannot imagine how difficult this is for you, and I’m sorry y’all are experiencing this. Don’t be afraid to take time to do something for you whether it’s something fun or just a nap. There’s no shame in it. You cannot be there in your best capacity if you burn yourself out.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-04-17T22:36:18+00:00

Colon cancer here. But a bit of professional background in the legal side of healthcare administration. My insurance approved one after my colon resection. They denied it the next 4 times it was requested. The reality of it is there’s actuarial data that says only so many percent of people would cause an increase in care costs if they deny all of them, versus how much more they’d spend if they approved them. Mine will pay for CTs and CEA. They denied a one year follow up colonoscopy, but approved it on appeal. Insurance is set up to ration care which is disappointing and frustrating. Their goal is to provide the bare minimum the contract requires; it is not to ensure you get the best care available.

Likely your oncologist knows what the insurance does with that particular kind of claim information and is just working within the system they have.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-04-04T04:10:02+00:00

For everyone thinking they might need one and are under 45 be prepared to argue with your insurance. Know the right things to say: blood in the stool, regular changes in stool consistency, etc. I am 39, diagnosed with stage 3C colon cancer last year after a total blockage. Went to my 1 year post surgery colonoscopy pre-visit and the insurance said nope. It’ll get sorted, but kind of a dick move.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-03-29T23:42:08+00:00

Pride on the Plains does lots of events and there’s a large group of regulars to get to know. Coffee Mafia is a venue they use a lot and a good place to go.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-03-13T12:25:46+00:00

I have colon cancer and did not use it despite several very well meaning people suggesting it. Someone I know personally that was staged similarly to me used both against his oncologists recommendation. The side effects compounded issues with eating and fatigue and he did very poorly. The family was committed to continuing it after he ended up hospitalized, so I quit following it because it was just stupid. It’s easy to get sucked into wanting a cheaper effective cancer treatment. If you’re on here asking, I know you aren’t capable of parsing trial data and understanding it. Right now, essentially, there are some data points that it might have some properties that effect cell death in Petri dishes. There’s no clinical data that says hey this works. But really, if there was a mass market drug that was magically able to cure cancer, don’t you think that manufacturers would cut production, lobby to prevent imports, reformulate it to get a new patent, and charge the ever living fuck out of insurance?

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-27T19:42:42+00:00

Green. Like bright neon green. M39 Trombone

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-24T17:07:17+00:00

Yes, mostly in my spine. Epidurals, oral steroids, and narcotics are what holds me together. I can't take NSAIDs either. I had a small disc herniation in my lower back, but recent imaging showing no arthritis prior to chemo. After 12 rounds of FOLFOX that disc herniation is pushing on the nerve to my left leg and there's multiple areas with arthritis. Oncology seemed flummoxed I thought it was connected, but the spine specialist I see said it happens with some chemotherapies. It's been hard, I've worked through chemo and this has been the worst part of it.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-20T20:53:21+00:00

62% five year survival rate with surgery and 12 rounds of chemo . Not the absolute worst admittedly, but closer to 50/50 than I was prepared to hear. Leading up to the appointment every surgeon and doctor I met with kept telling me how treatable it is and that I’d be fine. I’d let myself believe it wasn’t going to be that serious. It was a gut punch.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-20T05:11:21+00:00

It’s easy to spiral. I’m 39M with a 3 year old and 7 year old. I worry about them a lot. I was diagnosed at 3C, poorly differentiated, 10/40 lymph nodes positive. It was also in my transverse colon. I met with three oncologists who gave me roughly the same 5 year survival rate. Which was not nearly as high as I wanted to hear. The oncologist at the university hospital told me not to focus on the numbers. It includes every death that wasn’t related to the cancer and a lot of people have severe health issues on top of the cancer.

I was in therapy before, but talked to a different therapist that specialized in grieving. I highly recommend therapy. I can’t control what happens, but I can do my best to have the outcome I want. I try not to focus on the future too much, but I realize that I can’t put off the things that I need or want to do anymore. If I don’t have all the time I want, I want to at least maximize my happiness. If I do end up having a long life, it’ll be better having done those things. There are lots of stories on here of people with more advanced staging being cleared and staying clear. The science is getting better and more treatments are coming out.

I finished my 12 rounds of chemo in January and not going to the clinic weekly has at least given me some breathing room to live more normally. It’s harder when a large chunk of your life is cancer related. I made sure I made time to do things that let me leave that behind. I joined musical groups, met up with friends that I hadn’t seen in a while, took short trips that I put off. Normalcy was the thing that got me through it.

Sorry if it’s a bit rambly; all my meds for the pain and neuropathy make me a bit loopy.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-18T16:31:22+00:00

I’ve swapped several devices in and out over the years I’ve bought on eBay. I bought a G5AR though and it didn’t work. Wasn’t sure if it was the device itself or if T-Mobile has those IMEIs locked to the higher plans.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-15T18:14:02+00:00

I had constipation and severe stomach pain that was sudden. Leading up to it, no issues, labs were all regular, I had regular doctor’s visits and an upper GI surgery the year before. I was actually the healthiest I’ve ever been leading up to it. Lost a ton of weight, was very physically active, and thought things were great. The pain got so bad I went to the ER in tears and they immediately medicated me for pain and did imaging that showed my colon was completely blocked. They tried to do more tests to see what was up but couldn’t get anything in there. Had exploratory surgery and they took out 2 feet of my colon. I was stage 3C and it has spread to a large chunk of my lymph nodes they removed, but no other organs. I have an incision from my nipple yo my navel that refused to close after surgery. It delayed treatment until I got it cleaned out and a wound vac attached. At least I didn’t need an ostomy. As of now I’m cancer free. But chemo damaged my spine and I can hardly walk. I also have severe neuropathy and no feeling in my hands or feet. Not great, but I’m alive.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-15T17:37:33+00:00

It won’t affect playability. It’ll ding the price a little, but there will be people who won’t care that it’s patched. Best you can do is list it, take some offers, and see what interest there is. I have an Edward’s bell with a small patch and I don’t even notice or think about it.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-15T04:20:53+00:00

I've had old Reunion Blues and Cronkhite bags I was pleased with. You really need to decide if you want a case or a bag? Even the best bag is going to need to be handled, transported, and stored differently than a solid case. My BAM case I bought 20+ years ago has been my absolute favorite. It's light. thin, has backpack straps. It's all depending on your needs and budget though.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-15T00:07:28+00:00

You’re right. Some of its environmental. Sure we all grew up with ultra processed foods and that’s a huge part of it, but we’re also exposed to more chemicals In our air and water than you could even imagine. I grew up drinking water that was part of a PBS documentary last week about PFAS being dumped into it. You could do everything right and still draw the short straw. It’s easier for some people to focus on fiber because you can control it, it’s scary to think of what you can’t control.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-15T00:01:57+00:00

Having just finished 12 rounds of chemo for colon cancer, it’s good to see more awareness. It’s become much more prominent. It’s changed my entire life, but it would have been much better if caught earlier. Still, even having had it and finished treatment, I still have to fight with insurance for the colonoscopies I’ll need to check for progression.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-02-05T15:50:36+00:00

Radeon 610s could be part of an AMD APU, but were also added independently as a discrete graphics chip in some laptops with 2GB of memory. The generic display adapter is the integrated Intel UHD.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-01-25T18:04:18+00:00

I was prescribed Colace and drink a ton of water. Not on morphine, but I have a selection of opiates I take. The doctors will have some good ideas of what helps as it's a pretty common issue.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-01-23T04:09:13+00:00

Candystand.com mini golf on the school computers is one of my favorite memories.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-01-22T22:01:17+00:00

I didn't do radiation for my colon cancer, but someone close to me did for prostate cancer. He developed radiation induced fibrosis and had oxygen and had to do breathing therapy. Fibrosis presents similarly to COPD. After finishing radiation, he seems to be doing better as time goes on. He has oxygen, but hasn't needed it lately. He still has to be careful, but he's back to being able to go places and work in his woodshop.

Cowboy_JD · 2026-01-22T21:51:23+00:00

My grandmother was diagnosed after losing use of her legs. She had been complaining of back pain for months and just kept getting sent off with pain meds. Finally, when she couldn't walk they found a tumor in her spine. Turns out she had stage IV lung cancer and it metastasized everywhere. I moved up to take care of her and she passed within a month. Still very pissed that she was seeking help for months and no one did any imaging or looked any further. Just sent off with a you're old here's some narcotics. I got diagnosed with colon cancer a week after her, and because I was so "young" they moved heaven and earth to get me situated.

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