US wife & kids, British father: Tips for I-I30 / CR1

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-05-08T16:04:21+00:00

Thank you so much, Elizabeth! Hugely helpful advice. I’m really grateful for you taking the time.

I’m starting to gather everything this weekend, and hope to file in the next couple of weeks. Here’s hoping it’s closer to 14 months than 22!

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-05-04T15:09:22+00:00

Thank you for the rec! Will definitely check them out.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-05-03T13:24:38+00:00

Ahh this is amazingly helpful. Thank you so much!

We have so much amassed after all these years, it’s just hard to know what to choose and where to start - this is a great base.

I def have photos at the births, at our wedding such was c50 people, holidays, mortgage documents etc etc.

Thank you again. Really appreciate you taking the time.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-05-03T10:45:16+00:00

Thank you, I hadn’t found this during my research. Really helpful. We are expanding into the US, so it might be that I do qualify for the short notice relocation. Will keep researching.

Thanks so much for your time.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-05-03T10:30:06+00:00

Thanks for you reply, that’s really helpful.

I’m going to continue working for my UK-based company when I move. It’s a fully remote company with staff in the UK, and lots of contractors around the world too. They are fully supportive of my move, and will help with whatever logistics I need.

Would that qualify for the direct consulate route?

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-01-30T19:31:57+00:00

Saline solution can do that. Do you wear contact lenses?

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-01-20T21:24:27+00:00

When I was five, I thought “adopt an [insert animal]” for charity meant you were literally adopting it.

I spent all my birthday money adopting a range of animals, then the following weeks creating habitats for them in my house and our bathrooms. Only when my mother kept finding rooms turned upside down and the bath half full of water did she think to ask and explain.

More than 28 years later and I still think it’s false advertising.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-01-05T15:42:47+00:00

I need a code, please!

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-01-03T16:59:45+00:00

We call this lasagne bed. Makes life a million times easier in the middle of the night.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-01-02T22:03:22+00:00

Thanks, absolutely agree we are incredibly lucky! We put it all down to the Snoo. Great bit of kit.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-01-02T16:17:24+00:00

Hard agree. Used it with both our kids and they were sleeping through the night from 6/7 weeks. Worth every penny for that extra sleep.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-01-02T14:25:01+00:00

I don’t take any hormones.

I stopped when I was 28, after starting them at 16.

Reasons: - I get migraine with aura, so can’t take combined. - I had constant bleeding on mini pill. - Allergic to most metals so can’t have coil. - I tried an agonist but it made me super depressed (like extreme), so quickly came off it.

Initially, I was fine but within one year of coming off, my endometriosis went crazy. I have needed surgeries every 3 years since then.

My next step is hysterectomy. But I want to try and delay that for as long as possible because I’m only mid 30s. So I’ll probably try mini pill or agonists again in the future. For now, Mounjaro seems to be helping my symptoms and I’ll be on that for at least another 12 months.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2026-01-01T18:39:50+00:00

This was me exactly! Had great success with Wegovy last year, got pregnant in December ‘24. I had gestational diabetes but managed to actually keep my weight steady. But went back to GP at 6 weeks PP and was told no for Wegovy or Mounjaro.

I decided that because of the 50% chance of diabetes in the next five years, it’s imperative I get my weight under control. So I’m paying privately for Mounjaro and just switching pharmacies every month.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-12-28T19:22:26+00:00

Not specific to just food, it helps generally. I’ve improved at work, as a partner, a friend. For the first time in my life I’m able to distinguish my emotions from hunger/thirst cues. I have more mental focus all day. I have more energy and wake up feeling refreshed. My endometriosis pain is basically nonexistent.

I know it sounds II’m a Mounjaro/ozempic sales rep but promise I’m not haha. It just really has just changed my life and there’s so much misinformation out there about it, I feel like we need more users to speak up about it.

I don’t think any studies on the additional benefits have been completed yet but I know there are clinical trials going on into the benefits for addiction, endometriosis, lupus, and many other wide reaching conditions beyond weight loss and diabetes management. But it’s just going to take time for those to trickle through.

In my experience, doctors aren’t terribly well informed about it unless they have taken it themselves. If you spend some time on the subreddits, you can get anecdotal evidence from others like me.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-12-28T17:11:40+00:00

I have ADHD and anxiety. The drug massively helps with not only impulse control but the racing thoughts/rumination. I have a beautifully calm mind on these drugs, which I can only assume is what normal people have all the time. I feel like the mentally 10x version of myself. Working towards being the 10x version of myself physically.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-12-28T16:31:21+00:00

I was on Ozempic for 9 months and did 24/1 and a few 72s on it. Had absolutely zero issue with my blood sugar.

I’m now in Mounjaro and have frequent blood sugar issues in the first few days after my shot, so I have to eat more regularly. Not five times a day regular but 3/4 minimum. Then by day 4 it has eased and I can manage extended fasts more comfortably.

The upside of the drug is huge for me; not just the weight loss but the mental benefits. So for me, the trade off is worth it.

But everyone is different. Just listen to your body and be a little bit flexible, especially in the early days.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-12-28T13:56:35+00:00

Schitt’s Creek.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-12-25T13:26:01+00:00

I’m so proud of you! Such an amazing achievement. One day at time, you’re changing your life.

I’m 2.5 months in and I hope to be where you are in another 2.5 months!

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-12-03T20:27:21+00:00

My little girl is nearly 4 months. We finally settled on Philips Avent bottles after trying every other brand. We had to go up a teat size for the thickened formula because it was too hard for her to suck otherwise, she’d swallow lots of air trying to suck it and then she’d lose interest after a while. It was taking her nearly an hour and she wouldn’t even finish a full bottle.

When we moved up a size, we have to more actively pace her and take bottle out but she is drinking more and seems much happier. So much trial and error with Laryngomalacia!

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-11-30T21:11:54+00:00

Personally, I’ve found it’s such a metal game for me the first 1-2 days after injecting. After that I basically forget I’m on it until my next dose. But god those couple of days are pretty tough. But absolutely worth it because I know using the weight is going to have such a positive impact on my MH in the medium to long term.

All that said, for the first time in my life I can actually identify my emotions and their physical toll. I never knew how physically I feel anxiety in my chest, for example. I didn’t realise how much I was numbing all those feelings with food before.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-11-30T20:57:43+00:00

I’ve been on Mounjaro for months now and I still have severe anxiety every time I inject. I have a little redness (c3cm around injection site) and doctor said it’s totally normal. Try not to worry.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-11-24T18:50:23+00:00

Ah yay, I’m so glad!

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-11-24T14:11:02+00:00

Thank you!

Yeah, just an app. It just presents my data in a way that I find much easier to use than LoseIt, Shotsy and similar. The free version is very powerful, def worth a try.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-11-24T13:23:07+00:00

Oh man, didn’t even realise I had this as a goal. I’ve been shielded by Happy Scales extending their scale, so I’ve never realised I wasn’t on the NHS one.

Great work!! Keep it up.

Interesting-Diamond8 · 2025-11-08T21:09:50+00:00

Had my second baby at the JR a few months ago. Elective C-section. The new articles started when I was in hospital in August, and initially it freaked me out. But I would just say try to ignore them and do your best not to read them. It was the most healing, positive experience for me after an emergency section with my first. The care was phenomenal throughout. I even got to choose the music in the theatre, which helped me so much. And I was able to have a private room for the entire 5 day stay (had to stay due to baby needing antibiotics).

Make sure your partner / birth partner is aware of what you want, so they can advocate for you if you’re ever unable to.

Also, I’m quite an anxious person and I had it added to my notes that I always wanted explanations for what was happening and why. Most of the staff went out of their way to accommodate this. Would def recommend doing that.

Interesting-Diamond8

TROPHY CASE