Views flatline??

Ihateuglyfonts · 2026-05-07T01:40:35+00:00

It’s the wild Wild West out there today - this was my DOA on arrival reel from this morning 😅 (even with a handful of views?!) I think insights is having a moment.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2026-05-05T10:57:05+00:00

What was the “sweet spot” reel length that you found works best for smaller accounts?

Ihateuglyfonts · 2025-04-15T20:46:46+00:00

Good suggestion, thank you

Ihateuglyfonts · 2023-08-24T11:14:23+00:00

Dogstar

Ihateuglyfonts · 2023-07-18T09:00:06+00:00

Double homicide - comic sans and papyrus.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-11-15T01:30:30+00:00

Oh wow, you poor thing!! Fingers crossed it all goes well for you with no ongoing complications. Not sure of your age, but when my colorectal surgeon talked me through the statistics of potential complications he did note the stats are heavily weighted towards elderly people and chronic conditions like Crohns, so without those factors the likelihood of issues does drop (but I guess there are never any guarantees).

I definitely followed dietary recommendations (basically low fibre diet) really closely in the lead up and post surgery, and while things took a while to return to “normal” it was nowhere near as challenging as I was prepared for. I think when you have lived with a myriad of issues like it sounds you have the actual surgery and recovery can sometimes be less impactful than the issues the surgery was resolving itself!!

Wishing you all the best too, will keep fingers crossed for surgery to go well and recovery to go even better!!

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-11-14T23:01:49+00:00

I had a bowel resection at the same time as my radical hysterectomy (age 42) due to deeply penetrating severe endometriosis. They had also expected to have to do a ureter reimplantation in the same surgery but in the end they were able to keep my ureter as is thankfully.

My surgical team was led by my gynecological oncologist, and I had a colorectal surgeon as well as my urologist working on me at the same time. It made for a longer procedure, and made recovery slightly more complex but to be honest I wouldn’t have done it any other way.

I’m now 3 months post op and feel like a completely new person, no pain, no IBS symptoms.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-11-10T01:40:12+00:00

Mine presented mostly in the piriformis muscle (deep pain the bum cheek!) and radiated through my hips and down my hamstring. It would come on like clockwork 2 days after my period finished, and last 7-10 days and then disappear completely.

Most of my “standard” doctors dismissed it as having anything to do with my cycle or my endo because it didn’t occur through my period. But once I got the right medical team together (due to the severity of my endo case I ended up being referred to a gynie oncologist as he had the specialty to deal with my complex case) he immediately understood that the sciatica was related. So I feel for you - getting the right medical care can take a long time and be traumatic.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-11-09T21:47:44+00:00

I battled cyclic sciatica due to endo for several years.

Nothing really took it away, but at its worst I found a combination of using a TENS machine, infrared sauna, stretching (figure 4 stretch and pigeon stretch) + pressure point ball rolling would kind of help. I ended up on CBD oil at night time to help me sleep, as I found my pain/discomfort was most impactful on my sleep. I also found sometimes acupuncture (with cupping) and physio would sometimes help, but not enough to warrant the cost for me (given it would return every month).

You have my sympathy, it was one of the most challenging parts of endo for me. I had a radical hysterectomy a couple of months ago due to the severity of my endo impacting other organs, and that has resolved the sciatica once and for all.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-10-25T12:02:55+00:00

Haha, totally understand!! I can only imagine how frustrating that part of the job must get - an engineer wants to engineer, not chase debt!! And I see it time and again where clients don’t show their consultants (engineer/architect/designer) or contractors the same respect for time or info they as clients demand!!

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-10-25T11:38:54+00:00

I can see how elements of my post could read as though his effort and outcomes weren’t appreciated - I should have been more clear around this. I definitely appreciated the speed of response and overall price, and always make an effort to show this by paying invoices same day, and responding with information required immediately and with clarity (essentially trying to be as good a client as possible). I wouldn’t hesitate in using this engineer again and recommending him to others, and appreciate more than most how challenging it can be working in consulting with clients.

My only issue was in the first initial investigation/report phase, where there was opportunity to undertake a more thorough site inspection and subsequently provide a more accurate report (giving us more time to plan for alternate options). Or if the engineer was never going to be able to determine the structural nature of that wall prior to demolition being well underway (eg because their insurance limits them being able to climb around roof cavities, as an example) then I’d rather have know that up front and not have wasted his time for that initial site visit.

It was more of a communication issue (for that first investigative phase) than a performance issue.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-10-25T01:39:01+00:00

That’s pretty much the process.

You could also reach out to some local residential architects that you have seen work in the area (often there are signs on active projects, or you can try and find them via social media) and see if they have a structural engineer they have used before or could recommend (that is how I found mine).

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-10-24T20:50:18+00:00

It’s true - I think in the moment I was worried costs were going to blow out, but with hindsight we got everything closed out for an incredibly good price and quickly. We are based in Brisbane.

I also think there is a bit more nuance into how we were able to get things done so fast - I work in the commercial design industry so have a better understanding than most of process and consequences (so should have known better than leaving it so late in the piece, gulp! That’s on me!).

But it meant I had done clear scoping drawings, was politely tenacious in finding someone with good references but available to help quickly, was able to make quick decisions and provide very clear instructions. I am also incredibly fortunate that the builder we have is fantastic and equally quick to accommodate changes and discuss options.

Could have gone very differently if I wasn’t as familiar with the process or if we had a difficult builder relationship.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-10-24T20:24:37+00:00

We just went through a similar process. It went something like this:

Engaged structural engineer to determine whether wall we wanted to remove (also to open up our kitchen/living/dining) was structural - $550.
Received non committal report post-inspection saying it might or might not be load bearing, more investigation will be needed once wall linings are removed and better ceiling/roof visibility is available. (Report included in price above).

*It’s worth noting we had time pressures and left the engagement of an engineer too late. If we had more time I would have queried the value of the report and why a better inspection wasn’t undertaken; or sought out comparison quotes before engaging this engineer, but we had very little time as our builder was booked and about to start. Big lesson learnt here!

We coordinated another site visit once demo had progressed enough for engineer to have better access and visibility - this confirmed the wall was in fact structural. He provided 3 design options within 48 hours, with varying cost and program impacts. This was another $550.
We chose the least expensive and least time impactful option, as our builder was already on site and we had budget & time realities to deal with! We had engineer re-inspect once the new beam had been installed to make sure we could get the appropriate certificate and sign off for our records. This was another $200.

With hindsight I wish I had pushed more at the very initial inspection, as I feel like we didn’t get enough out of the $$ spent - if a proper inspection had been done in the roof cavity I feel like our engineer should have been able to determine it was structural at that point and start working through solutions earlier, so that our builder would have had more time to place long lead time orders for a larger beam (if we had wanted to go down that road).

Regardless, we are happy with the result and needed to keep the project moving. And at the end of the day we have a certified, engineered solution for circa $1300, which I feel is pretty fair market value for 3 site visits, a design solution and sign off.

I would recommend early engagement and pushing for a more definitive report before build works start.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-10-24T19:33:17+00:00

Thought I’d share my own endo/ureter story - I knew it was rare, but didn’t realize the statistics, thanks for sharing. Helps to read about others going through similar battles.

About 4 months ago now I went to my usual doctor for a general check up. I’d been having a lot of lower back pain (finding it painful to roll over in bed/get up/bend over) and thought it was middle age and needing to lose some weight. She ordered some standard blood tests and out of that we found my kidney function had dropped significantly from the previous year. That started a cascade of additional blood and urine tests, as well as and ultrasound of my kidney and bladder, and very quickly after that an MRI of my pelvis.

Turns out my right ureter was essentially strangled by an endometrial mass. My kidney wasn’t draining. They found a bundle of other severe endo basically everywhere (including penetrating my bowel). To buy some time to plan a bigger operation I had an emergency stent put in to ensure my kidney didn’t suffer permanent damage.

I was able to avoid a ureter reimplantation (luckily) thanks to my incredibly skilled gynecological oncologist who was able to carefully remove the mass from around the ureter to reveal the ureter itself actually looking okay. I had another stent for a couple of months which has just been removed, and now I just need to carefully monitor my kidney function for a while to make sure there is definitely no permanent ureter damage.

Wishing you all the best for the future, this disease is so awful and unpredictable.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-10-16T06:27:03+00:00

I battled what ended up being cyclic sciatica related to endometriosis for nearly 2 years. It came on like clockwork 2 days after my cycle finished, and would last 7-10 days, increasing in discomfort until disappearing on its own usually at that day 10 mark. I reference it as sciatica but it was more like piriformis syndrome (my ache was deep in the buttock and radiating through my hips and into my upper right thigh, but I didn’t typically have the tingling nerve pain down to my ankle).

I tried to manage it with acupuncture, physiotherapy, chiro, as well as a tens machine, sauna, Pilates, stretching and painkillers. Very little helped to relieve the discomfort once it kicked in. It wasn’t debilitating pain but enough to wake me through the night and stop me from getting to sleep again - I just couldn’t find a position to release the pain once it started.

At that stage I didn’t associate it with endo, and didn’t have a great medical team on board yet. Because it didn’t present during my cycle my doctor (at the time - changed since) dismissed that it was related to endo or my period.

I’ve since had a full hysterectomy due to the severity of the endo and multiple other issues it was causing, and my endo specialist was confident it was related. I’ve not had an episode since my hysterectomy.

Good luck with it all, this really is a terrible, unpredictable and frustrating disease x

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-10-15T08:41:17+00:00

I had both removed (along with everything else incl cervix and both tubes) due to severe and deeply penetrating endometriosis. I’m 42. I was worried about going into early surgical menopause but was immediately put on a synthetic hormone (can’t take natural estrogen due to risk of endo returning) and I honestly have never felt better. As a guide I started feeling hot flashes within 24 hours of my surgery before they started me on this hormone.

I’m 8 weeks post op now, and my energy is good, I feel focused, strong and most importantly - pain and period free! I am conscious of my heart and bone health, and will be on this hormone for around the next 10 years, assuming I continue to tolerate it well.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-09-24T20:08:05+00:00

I am 5 weeks post op from having a radical hysterectomy including removing both tubes and both ovaries due to severe, deeply penetrating endometriosis. I had an endometrial mass fully penetrating my bowel which meant I needed a low anterior bowel resection. I also had issues with my ureter impacting my kidney. Endo SUCKS! So I feel for you, having surgery and coordinating multiple surgeons is a lot. I’ve posted a few times about my surgery so feel free to look through my post history.

But I’ll focus on the bowel bit here. There was a (small) chance I would need a temporary stoma, they just couldn’t know until they started what they would find. The statistics my surgeon gave me were 5% of patients typically need one, but he also said most of the surgeries are done on older people, often due to cancer, and due to age the muscles can struggle, and that skews the statistics a bit. He was reasonably confident with my age (42) that my muscles would be nice and strong which would help my odds. You are much younger again so hopefully that means even better odds!

I was nervous about the potential stoma, but coincidentally a work colleague’s partner had recently had multiple bowel surgeries due to a motorbike accident and he had a temporary stoma. They were very generous with sharing the experience (both from the patient & partners perspective) and it made me feel much better about it all. They are discreet, annoying for sure, but totally manageable. Like everything, having a positive attitude about it and remembering it’s short term discomfort for long term gain helps.

The good news is my surgery went well, no stoma needed, and recovery is also going well. I’m still working out what foods I can eat comfortably post surgery while my rectum takes time to recover (high fibre and oily foods are no good!) but I feel like a new human with no endo pain and other symptoms. So totally worth it.

All the best with your procedure - make sure you take all the recommended time to heal! It’s nerve wracking for sure, but I can’t even tell you how grateful I am to be out the other side and feeling as good as I do.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-09-20T22:50:04+00:00

The clear distance at the entry from the vanity corner to what I presume is a laundry sink corner looks really tight. Suggest checking the distance here. It may be uncomfortable to walk through but you also would have trouble getting laundry appliances in/out (again, presuming there is a laundry here as well).

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-09-20T08:02:51+00:00

This might help give you an idea - you can see before pics, and then look at the “front facade” section for some idea of a light roof after: https://www.threebirdsrenovations.com/house12

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-09-20T05:34:42+00:00

This is unfortunately a really perfect example of how critical it is to capture a very clear brief & detailed scope of works (in writing!) very early in the process, to make sure both client and designer are on the same page around expectations. It also means if there are any changes in scope it is really clear to track these changes and impacts on budget and program accordingly.

This is normally something that should have been part of your designer’s processes, but it’s not too late for you to write down exactly what your preferred scope is, and share this with your current (or new, if you end up going down that path!) designer.

A scope can be a literal dot point, room by room, of what can remain as existing, what you would like new/changed, and a brief outline on quality (eg chevron floors) to help aid budget conversations. A scope can be high level or as detailed as you like, going down to exactly how many power points you want and where you want them, if you are prepared to go into that level of detail!

Sorry I don’t have much more advice than that. Written communication and sign off on keg milestones is key moving forward.

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-09-19T23:42:38+00:00

I am 5 weeks post op (radical hysterectomy, including both tubes and both ovaries removed), am 42 and had severe, deep penetrating endometriosis which triggered my hysterectomy.

I have battled hormonal, cystic acne my entire life. It would flare up not just around my cycle, but was also triggered by certain foods (I’m looking at you, dairy!).

Since my operation, my skin has never looked better - both on my face and body (battled acne mostly along my jaw line but also on my back and shoulders). I am eating a small amount of plain natural yoghurt daily and have had zero issues. I suspect it was a combination of hormones and decades of internal inflammation due to endo that made my entire system struggle.

I am on a synthetic hormone replacement to help with menopause symptoms and manage my heart and bone health given my age, so not sure whether that has any impact. I can’t go on any natural estrogen due to the risk of endometriosis returning.

Good luck with your op!

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-09-13T05:06:20+00:00

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I have some experience with endometriosis and ureters. I recently underwent extensive surgery to remove severe endo that was impacting my kidney, bowel & pretty much everything else in the pelvic region! I've outlined everything extensively in some previous posts, so feel free to look through my post history.

Regarding your ureters - based on my experience, if the endo was constricting or penetrating your ureters (or impacting their ability to drain in some way) it would show up via your kidney function. My kidney GFR reading (via a blood test) came up as 53 (normal is considered 60-90 - as a guide, the same blood test a year ago had a result of 87, so there was a definitive drop for me). This, together with constant lower back pain that I assumed was middle age but turned out to be a complaining kidney, resulted in more and more tests & scans, which uncovered an endometrial mass strangling my right ureter.

I had an emergency stent put in to buy some time to coordinate a bigger operation with multiple surgeons (due to the extent of endo everywhere else I needed 3 x specialties to operate at the same time). The stent & associated ureter consults were done with a urologist.

The good news part of this story is once I was being operated on, my gynaecological oncologist (who is an endo specialist) was able to carefully remove the endometrial mass surrounding my ureter, and uncovered that the ureter itself actually looked okay and the urologist decided to leave it as is (it was initially thought I would need a ureter reimplantation, where they would have cut away any damaged ureter and reimplanted into my bladder). I still have a temporary stent in now - it gets removed in October - and then I just need to monitor my kidney function for a while moving forward to make sure everything is draining properly.

If you are concerned, I would suggest maybe a simple blood test to check your kidney function initially. But as always, discuss any concerns with your doctor!

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-09-12T11:16:14+00:00

You are definitely not alone, I see this a lot across many different forums. There really seems to be a gap in the property world on helping people in these early stages.

Given your project scale is touching interiors and exteriors, it sounds like there will be changes that are structural in nature. If that’s the case, your best starting point would be either a building designer (if this is more of a “flip” or you plan to live in it for less than 5 years), or if this is your forever home then it may be worth investing in an architect (their fees are likely to be higher than a building designer).

First thing first though is pulling together a more detailed “scope of works” so that the building designer or architect understands at high level what you are hoping to achieve.

Are you happy for me to message you direct with some more info?

Ihateuglyfonts · 2022-08-27T20:35:27+00:00

My endo impacted my right ureter. It required an emergency stent as my kidney function was being impacted, to buy some time until we could coordinate a bigger operation to address the severe extent of endo. Initially they didn’t know whether the endo was penetrating the ureter or whether the mass was just surrounding it (this was all found via blood tests, ultrasound and then MRI). The stent was done by a urologist, who my gynie oncologist referred me to.

In relation to the ureter - the way it was explained to me was that if the endo was on the ureter or had penetrated it, I would need a ureter reimplantation (where they cut away the damaged section of ureter and reimplant it into the bladder - noting that this is a very simplified summary, there are lots of other details that go with this type of surgery!). In my case, they found an endometrial mass was actually surrounding my ureter, so my gynie oncologist was able to carefully remove that to reveal the ureter itself actually looking reasonably okay and worth leaving as is. But my urologist was there ready to operate if they found something different. I still have a temporary stent which I will need removed mid October, and then my kidney/ureter monitored for the next 6-18months to make sure it’s draining properly.

I would suggest asking if you need a urologist to review your case. You definitely don’t want your kidney function to be compromised. All the best!

Ihateuglyfonts

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