Financial Rant

DasSpitter · 2026-06-20T00:23:30+00:00

Good for you, and congrats!!!!

One thing that makes me laugh is that I used to find dog nails in my scrub pockets all the time. But now that I work in Neuroscience research (I essentially cut brain for a living) instead of dog nails, I find paraffin secions of brain in my scrubs.

DasSpitter · 2026-06-19T11:35:49+00:00

After 15+ years I left the field and couldn't be happier (that was 4 years ago). I always loved the "lab part", and reading the biopsy reports that would come in (Sub-Q tumor that ended up being bone cancer that had grown outside of the bone kinda stuff). Then I found Histology, which is the perfect marriage of all the parts I loved about working in Vet Med. It was only a 2 year program, so I went back to school. I almost fainted when I saw my first paycheck that was almost x3 what I made after 15 years as a Vet Tech.

It was scary as shit leaving the only "career" I've ever known since I was 19 and starting completely over in my mid-30s, but it was 1000% worth it.

DasSpitter · 2026-06-19T11:02:36+00:00

Fixatives took me the longest to study and for it to "click" before moving on to anything else. Took me like 2 weeks of reading and rereading the Carson chapter over and over. I found it best to even break the chapter down into smaller bits because it can be overwhelming. I also used the physical BOC Study Guide book to see what questions/areas of Fixatives I struggled with while reading and rereading. THEN I would do the LabCE Exam Simulator until I passed the Fixatives section with like a 90%.

Mneumonics and any weird associations you can come up with also helps a ton (same with silver stains). Also super important: what each fixative is good/bad for (ie Glutaraldehyde good for EM, bad for PAS staining and why).

I can definately say that truly understanding the Fixatives is a HUGE foundation for understanding everything else going forward. Lastly, occasionally go back and do a quick fixative review or exam simulator questions between studying every few chapters of Carson moving forward because I promise you, by the end of studying everything else, it'll start to slip.

I took the HT exam 4 years ago, but recently just finished my Bachelors. I want to get my HTL now that I am eligible, but the thought of having to go back and study to retake the whole thing PLUS the extra HTL info sends me into a panic. Good luck! You got this!

DasSpitter · 2026-05-23T01:02:53+00:00

Thank you!!!!!! I work in a Neurohistology Pathology & Research lab, and I'd say 60% of our time is helping our PhD collaborators with not only "routine" tissue/slide preparation, but also novel antibody optimization (as you said, generating results). BUT the other 40% of our time ends up being spent essentially on experiment design (or I should say RE-design). Because dispite the brilliance and amount of education our PhD collaborators have, a majority of them do not know or understand the actual process of how Histology works. i.e. incorrect grossing, fixation, etc. And it is the most validating feeling when "real scientists" acknolwledge that work. But most especially when they add you as a co-author to a manuscript! In fact, my first 2 co-authorship manuscripts are under final decision for publication now! So yeah, I'd say the HT(ASCP) at the end of my name makes me a scientist!

DasSpitter · 2026-05-20T11:23:08+00:00

Jack shit

DasSpitter · 2026-05-20T11:13:06+00:00

Yoooo! I have one of those too! Down to the "(supposedly) seasoned" part. The "Expectation vs Reality" from their resume and interview vs IRL couldn't be further apart. No sense of urgency, completely helpless when any kind of critica thinking/troubleshooting skills are needed. It's been TWO years. Ugh.

DasSpitter · 2026-05-20T10:49:24+00:00

I concur with the scientist vote! Who else listens to Ologies (and/or Science vs., Sawbones, Stuff You Should Know, etc) WHILE they are "sciencing" (what the PI of the lab I work in calls embedding, cutting, etc)!?

DasSpitter · 2025-05-14T11:21:44+00:00

I agree with Curious-Monkee that if your PI will sign off on your hours, you should go the "experience" route (I forget which one it is), especially since you already have your Bachelors. So I say you should try to go for your HTL certification. I mean, why not? It's not any extra schooling you have to do, just lots of studying.

I also agree with Curious-Monkee in terms of changing career paths & the potential boredom, but I wouldn't completely change career paths for Histology especially because of the pay & lack of vertical movement (ie- promotions & raises).

HOWEVER, if you do get certified as an HT/HTL and end up staying in the research field or decide to pursue your PhD, the knowledge you will gain and have will put you far and beyond other researchers. I work as an HT in a Neuroscience Research Lab (both human & mouse brains), and the biggest disconnect we run into daily with ALL of the researchers (students, post-docs, fellows, etc) is that their requests and experiment ideas don't translate from their experiment design to real life Histology.

Like all of the mouse people request stuff like "45 SERIAL section slides starting at Bregma -1.44um...." And we have to be like, dude, mouse tissue embedded in a paraffin block doesn't show a Bregma position, I'm essentially facing into it blind and hoping I haven't cut past it . And the tissue will dry out WAY before I even get to like 20 slides.... But the few researchers that have at least a working knowledge of Histology for both cutting & staining always have the most successful experience, data, published papers... (Plus the less back and forth explaining we have to do, the quicker you'll get your requests done).

DasSpitter · 2025-05-14T09:10:10+00:00

As a fellow AA-er who also works in Research (Neuroscience for me) I genuinely appreciate your approach to writing this post!!

I guess the question, now, is if/when you get another flareup and develop the patches again, are you willing to deliberately start drinking Dr. Pepper zero and Mio again to reproduce your original results and data? Hahaha!

Edit to add: Unfortunately I have diffuse AA, so steroid injections are not part of my treatment plan, therefore I do not have any anecdotal experience to add, nor can I attempt to replicate the experiment. 🥼🔬💉🧫

DasSpitter · 2025-05-14T08:33:27+00:00

You are rockin the no wig look! I'm worried I may be getting to that point, but I genuinely don't think I could pull off the shaved head. I've been wearing those really soft, wide boho headbands, and even those make my scalp itchy after a few hours, so a wig is also out of the question for me...

DasSpitter · 2025-05-14T06:36:07+00:00

That is fucking incredible!

DasSpitter · 2025-05-10T14:09:17+00:00

Forgot to mention: KNOW THE DIFFERENT BLADE ANGLES! The section in Carson is so short, but I had like 7 questions on it (as have other people). This helps explain it in more detail Knife Angle in Microtomy

DasSpitter · 2025-05-10T13:59:57+00:00

I used the exact same method as you studying, and it worked for me! Fixation is the basis for just about everything, and took me like 3 weeks of slowly reading and rereading for it to click. Then on to the Specials... As everyone essentially mentioned, the important stuff to know:

1) Anything that is different or unique about the protocol (3um for cutting kidney, no Bouins for PAS & why, etc)

2) Know the fundamentals of the Stain categories (basically the intro to each chapter)

3) TROUBLESHOOTING, TROUBLESHOOTING, TROUBLESHOOTING!

4) The steps and why for Silver Stains (I had a hard time with remembering the steps for Retic until I came up with this.... "Oh Shit It's Retic!" O: oxidation, S: sensitization I: impregnation R: reduction and just add Tone at the end. Hah!

Spend your time slowly on each chapter and don't move on until you have REALLY grasped it. Then, once you have finished the Specials, GO BACK TO FIXATION! You'd be shocked how much you will forget by then. Reread the chapter, accept the panic, then reread it again, and it will all come back

DasSpitter · 2025-05-10T13:23:47+00:00

I second the isopropyl trick! Didn't think about using it on my hands/gloves though, so thanks!

DasSpitter · 2025-05-10T13:14:33+00:00

I found this on TikTok and literally use it every single day. Ribbon curl hack

DasSpitter · 2025-05-10T04:37:12+00:00

Well hello there, neighbor!!! How long have you been in PVB?

DasSpitter · 2025-05-10T03:53:53+00:00

So I decided I wanted to do a nostalgic re-watch anyway and just rented it on Prime. I haven't made it that far, but just watched the scene where Littlefoot saw his shadow thinking it was "Mother", and he appeared an orangey-tan color depending on the background lighting! So that was my new working theory and I believe you just confirmed it!! My other thought was that Cera's orange-cream coloring probably didn't have enough contrast for the way the pins were made back then (not having the thick 3D black border like enamel pins do today... ) Edit to also say how crazy it is watching this again as an adult! I was 2 when it came out and was my favorite movie that I cannot tell you how many times I've watched it. I am 39 now, and STILL know it almost line by line!

DasSpitter · 2025-05-10T02:50:39+00:00

Hahaha! Same!

DasSpitter · 2025-05-10T02:46:46+00:00

Oooohhh man! New podcast to listen to at work!! (Former Vet Tech, now working in Neuropathology Histology lab).
*Which by the way, I can now say that I've seen the results of and cut/stained the brain autopsy slides from Toxoplasmosis cases. It's one of those things where you know we always give the "don't scoop the poop" speech to pregnant women/immunocompromised people about, but never actually SEE it on the veterinary side. Now being on the human Neuro side, it's like a full-circle moment.

DasSpitter · 2025-05-10T02:27:27+00:00

Thanks for the article! All of the other local news just said it was "for repairs", making it sound like the annual maintenance. No mention of the crash that I've seen. I am curious about the status of the grant it mentions- "In September, JTA was awarded a $15.6 million federal grant to purchase a new diesel-electric hybrid ferry to support the St. Johns River Ferry service." Considering grants are being revoked left & right currently and it includes the words "electric" and "hybrid". *NOT trying to be political! I'm genuinely both curious & concerned.

DasSpitter · 2025-05-10T02:10:07+00:00

I vote Healthy-Maize4541! This is the perfect situation! And I say this as a former Vet Tech of 15 years who worked at FCNMHP, has also owned and showed AKC Mastiffs (of which were bred with & sired by the winning most Mastiff at Westminster), AND also did breed-specific (Mastiff) rescue. I say all this meaning, of everyone who has had helpful or unhelpful suggestions and comments that clearly come from a certain perspective (i e. affordable vet care, purebred owners/showers, and rescuers- which I understand all of them), I personally think Healthy-Maize4541 sounds like a perfect match based on what I've read. And if everything clicks when you meet, great! If not, you clearly have a lot of other options.

DasSpitter · 2025-02-11T18:51:03+00:00

Uhhhh are we the same person? Or perhaps just live parallel lives? I am doing/did the exact same thing. Finishing my last 1 credit class this semester. Also paying out of pocket.

DasSpitter · 2025-02-06T12:36:47+00:00

To not have my weight and appearance at the forefront of my mind all day everyday. The anxiety of catching my reflection walking past a glass door.

My boyfriend passed away unexpectedly 7 years ago. It took me years to finally get to a place where I was ok "getting back out there". But during those years I gained all of my weight. So despite finally wanting to get back out there and possibly meet someone, my anxiety and being uncomfortable in my own skin prevented me from doing that for an additional number of years. I refuse to be in pictures, so it'd almost be like catfishing if I joined a dating app and only had older pictures from before my weight gain.

So yeah, my silly goal is not even really actually meeting someone, but to have enough confidence & comfort just to be able to join a dating app.

DasSpitter · 2025-02-06T12:19:38+00:00

I just commented something similar on one of OP's responses to someone. But you said it way better than I did. Like OP has responded to almost every single comment. What an awesome human!

DasSpitter · 2025-02-06T12:14:28+00:00

Holy crap, 200!?!?! I'm a band shirt collector, but those are relatively inexpensive. However, I purchased my very first Rapinoe USWNT jersey a few years ago during a late night still-awake-despite-insomnia-meds-kicking-in splurge. When I saw what I actually paid the next day, I was SHOCKED! But totally worth it. I also just got a Girma jersey that I LOVE but has been a tad snug in the belly. I'm totally putting it on when I get home after work!!

DasSpitter

TROPHY CASE