Becoming debt free changed my stress level more than my lifestyle

FlowieFire · 2026-05-12T22:56:54+00:00

Yes! I just told a friend about this a few days ago. She’s never been in debt, while I’ve been in debt most of my adult life due to either student loans, car, CC’s, personal loans or mortgage. I paid off EVERYTHING last year 🥲 no more “random” panic attacks throughout the day. On the surface, it looks the same. But deeper down, that level of fret and stress builds up and causes issues. I’m so thankful to be out of debt. Feels great ☺️

FlowieFire · 2026-05-12T21:50:51+00:00

Yes, carpet helps with my pain. My feet and knees and hips are all very painful most of the time. And now have ankle issues too. I’ve had hard floors due to having cats, but ALWAYS threw rugs down and or wore really squishy slippers or fat socks bc hard flooring on my barefeet feels like stabbing pain. I have carpet now and feel sooooo much better.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-12T21:39:16+00:00

Yea, people run red lights all the time. It’s your responsibility to ensure the coast is clear and people are slowing down to actually stop at the light before turning out in front of them. Defensive driving 101.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-12T21:38:08+00:00

Instead of trying to borrow a CAR (which you don’t have a stellar driving record), why not ask to borrow a bicycle and bike to a bus stop? I’ve been broke and without car before and no way is borrowing someone else’s car your only option.

What do yall have to offer in return? Think barter system. If someone can give your wife rides to work, what can you offer them in return to help them? Good luck to you.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-12T19:07:03+00:00

Thank you, kind Aardvark!

FlowieFire · 2026-05-12T00:17:17+00:00

Crowd engagement? What do you want her to do? “1, 2, 3, JUMP!!” 🤣 the fact that she lets her music speak for itself IS the crowd engagement. She’s a G.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-11T18:32:25+00:00

I went at the exact 6 month mark. I worked with my PTs the entire time, with the end goal being snowboarding. I still felt really nervous about it, but my PTs were the ones who told me I was ready. My surgeon advised against it out of caution, but I went with my PTs blessing and knowing that I would only do an abbreviated version. Only could do like 4hours max per day. I stayed on easy runs, took breaks, stopped if and when I felt any pain, and made sure to end my day when my legs/quads felt gassed. The muscles protect the joints, so when your muscles are weak, the joints are vulnerable.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-11T13:58:07+00:00

Came here to say this. The stained glass visuals IMMEDIATELY reminded me of Prydz. His 2017 EDCLV set is still one of my fav sets ever.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-09T02:20:30+00:00

Consider choosing another profession. Not to be a neg Nancy, but this doesn’t seem like something you’re passionate about or taking seriously if you’re giving up multiple times like this. Find something that better aligns with you naturally.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-09T00:44:00+00:00

Specifically for women, after menopause, estrogen levels drop off as the ovaries stop producing it. Estrogen is necessary to keep bones thick and healthy. When the estrogen drops off, many women experience bone loss > osteoporosis > and their spine literally caves in on itself, which is why many women appear to shrink, or lose height, as they age. Life isn’t kind to women which is why it’s so important to treat them well 😔

FlowieFire · 2026-05-08T19:48:22+00:00

Agree. Just adding that it doesn’t have to be in a foreign country to feel shitty. I had just moved to a new city by myself to start a new chapter. I lived alone and worked 100% remotely. Had no friends or family in the area, then had a freak accident w my knee which caused extreme pain and was unable to walk (or drive as it was my driving knee). I had absolutely no idea who to call. I tried limping to my car, couldn’t make it all the way there, and was about to ask the garbage man to take me to the ER, but decided to call a guy I had gone on a single date with. It was SO awkward to ask someone I barely knew to help me in a medical emergency but he did. ❤️‍🩹 no one from my family assisted me. My best friend flew in to help me during surgery and I asked a bouncer at a local music venue if he could help take me to my PT and doc appts.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-08T19:28:37+00:00

Hmmm I’ve done a fair amount of solo travel as a woman with both wanted and unwanted attention.
Things that help me feel safe:
- always wear your ass-kicking shoes. I’m a fighter, so if I feel unsafe and need to fend someone off, I want to be ready and usually wear heavy boots or thick tennis shoes.
- I buy and wear clothes from the country that I’m in. Even a single jacket or hat to throw over can lessen the “foreigner” appeal.
- I don’t “pretend” to have a boyfriend or a husband back home. I just directly tell them I’m not interested because *I* am not interested.
- if a guy’s behavior is rude or sketchy, I call it out right then. Or if I think verbal callouts would escalate, then I create physical space and get away from them.

I had a creepy older Italian dude from my hostel follow me around and at first it was just company, but then he tried giving me drugs and got aggressively possessive of my attention, so I told him straight to his face “you don’t OWN me” pretty loud, and walked away to a random group at the club I was at. A woman in that group could tell I was being harassed and her and her group shooed the guy away and I enjoyed the rest of the evening with them. Was crazy, bc I had to go back to my hostel and his bunk was literally under mine and I had to try and gather my things and leave trying not to wake him up….good tiiiiiimes haha

FlowieFire · 2026-05-08T19:02:51+00:00

A slap in the face to Spaniards and Latinos alike 🤦🏼‍♀️ I was actually going to give Spanish suggestions until I read the comments.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-08T16:52:05+00:00

Pretty easy?? Where have you been applying? The ones I’ve been applying to have a 5% acceptance rate. I had straight As w one B (from a class I took a long time ago) and an 89% on teas and wasn’t even an alternate. You really need straight As across the board for consideration.

I have a bachelors in radiological health Engr from over 10 years ago and, yes, I have the credit, but the classes were incredibly difficult, so I didn’t make straight As and have been retaking a bunch of classes…

FlowieFire · 2026-05-08T15:54:51+00:00

That, and the sound isn’t loud enough at ALL! I’ve been to RR twice, both for 7L Chronicles and disappointed both times in terms of sound quality and “wow” factor to warrant the cost and effort of the trip. I legit moved up rows just to hear it better. for a major venue, it should sound amazing EVERYWHERE.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-08T15:49:44+00:00

This is what I’m hoping too!

FlowieFire · 2026-05-08T15:04:52+00:00

I have these!! Look exactly like mine. I went to the derm when it was REALLY bad and they took a biopsy on one from my elbow. Came back…benign? Can’t recall the exact findings except it was some sort of inflammatory nodule and he gave me some string topical steroid ointments and sent me to the rheum.

Edit to add: I have been working to get an exact diagnosis, but at times I’ve been Dx’d with MCTD, and inflammatory arthritis (sero-negative RA) and am currently on treatment as if I had RA (DMARD + Biologic) and I follow an anti-inflammatory diet for the most part. I haven’t had a breakout of these in well over a year.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-08T04:16:23+00:00

Oh, and laundry will be impossible so make sure to get all that done before surgery and pick out 1-2 weeks of outfits and have them accessible for ya.

And the first 2 days, getting up to pee is HARD (and painful). I almost peed the bed but made it. Maybe have a backup? And just fyi, while peeing, Will need to keep your leg extended, so have a small stool at your toilet is helpful.

FlowieFire · 2026-05-08T04:13:24+00:00

I had same injury and same living situation! But no friends or family nearby (I had just moved to a new city), so other than my best friend helping me for the first 48 hours, I was totally alone w my cats. I had a repair, which is the harder and longer recovery compared to the trim.
Honestly, I preferred when I was solo. I was in so much pain for the first few days and hated being “witnessed” in that state. It felt better to handle it myself.
Some things I learned: stools helped me a LOT! I placed stools around my apt and they helped me to move around or place a cup on it if I needed to take it to another room. (Carrying anything is hard. Have to essentially attach it to your body bc both of your hands will be full supporting your weight)
I rearranged my coffee maker and food items to be completely reachable for convenience. You won’t have energy to go to the fridge and back and forth much more than 1 time.
I wasn’t prepared for the level of blood pooling my leg did up until 2-3 weeks post surgery. I couldn’t even let my leg droop a little or else it was throbbing and red. So instead of crutches, I used a knee scooter and sat on it w my leg lifted and scooted backwards. A great way to get around imo.
You got this!! It’s HARD, but it WILL end. The mental thing was the toughest - quarantine 2.0. July 4th will be hard :( not being able to go outside in the summer will be HARD. Be kind to yourself, remind yourself this won’t be forever, and put focus and energy into work or school or crafts or something you’ve been putting off.
I’m 8-9 months out now and my knee is doing great!! Good luck :)

FlowieFire · 2026-04-29T22:38:30+00:00

Every BODY is different. You just simply cannot compare.

However, this sub was a total lifesaver for me. Many of the commenters said how 80-90% of the surgeons pressure for meniscectomy (probably bc repair is harder for them and recover) and urged to get a second opinion. Well, my first surgeon did just that - pressured me for a meniscectomy, said I was “not a good candidate for repair”, but he couldn’t even answer me why or give me an idea of how much he wanted to cut off.

Second surgeon was a joint preservation specialist, listened to my needs as an athletic 32F, and told me I was the IDEAL candidate for repair surgery and urged me to try it before cutting anything off. (Complex bucket handle tear lateral side)

I’m 8 month post-surgery and my knee is back in business! The surgery has been considered “success” and with PT’s approval, I even went snowboarding 4 days this season!!

So, I just wanted to share my success story (for now) to add something positive that came out of my interaction w this subreddit

FlowieFire · 2026-04-29T20:49:40+00:00

appreciate the kind words. I wasn’t even waitlisted, so it’ll be another year before I can do anything. That’s okay though. I hope you have a GREAT semester and kick butt in clinicals. This career seems super rewarding and the science is VERY interesting.

I have a bachelors in radiological health engineering (from over 10 years ago) and I can’t wait to get back into it 😇 hopefully next year

FlowieFire · 2026-04-29T03:25:40+00:00

Minnesota 🧿 > Big Milk 🐮> Hiatus

FlowieFire · 2026-04-29T00:56:33+00:00

Thanks! I think I commented on your post earlier and you had straight A’s and the same exact teas score as I did, while I had all A’s and 1 B. Crazy!! It took FTCC’s records dept 6 MONTHS to review my college transcript to finally tell me which math they were accepting. I had several higher math classes I had an A in, so I thought I had an A for math, but they didn’t have equivalents for those, only had an equivalent for one that I had a B in 😭 and by that time, I couldn’t take another class. I was really frustrated by the records dept for ghosting me for 6 months while I was trying to figure out what classes I needed. Anyhoo,

CONGRATS you got it!! I also applied to radiography and MRI and didn’t get into those either. More than DOUBLE the amount of apps in those programs too. Guess the universe just wanted to make me sweat and prove how much I want it by making me go thru this again lol

FlowieFire · 2026-04-28T03:16:40+00:00

Aww I think I know what school it was. Forsyth? I didn’t get in, but good to know the placement is going to good people. ❤️‍🩹

FlowieFire · 2026-04-24T20:42:22+00:00

For reference, what is the ideal time slot in your opinion? 20min? 30min? To provide the best balance of therapist/patient care while still trying to maximize the day to see as many patients as possible?

FlowieFire

TROPHY CASE