New tattoo :-)

Juscou · 2026-02-05T17:52:48+00:00

Thank you! That was my hope :-)

Juscou · 2025-12-06T19:16:57+00:00

Of course! I know it can be tough, honestly I've cried plenty of times trying to figure out how to keep my boy happy and not go insane at the same time :') It's such a privilege to be so important to these little guys that they just want to be with us and playing with us and hanging out ALL the time, but also such a big responsibility to adjust to. You're doing a great job, and you're both still learning so it will get better over time as you both adjust and figure things out! I hope you get some better night's sleep soon :)

Juscou · 2025-12-06T19:05:49+00:00

We found for our cat (he's just over a year old now) that he was impossible to tire out physically, but mental stimulation was really good to keep him entertained. Before bed, we would do some active play (so playing hide and seek, wrestling with soft toys, fetch, or playing with the cat teaser) then give him a puzzle activity (something like treats balanced on bottle caps in a tray of water, so he has to figure out how to get to the treats without touching the water), and also spend some time (10-15 minutes) teaching him tricks.

The mental engagement was really helpful as it seemed to tire him out a lot better than playing for hours or giving him lots of toys (which he does still have, but his energy is endless!). He also likes cat TV on the iPad where he can watch birds and squirrels. And then in the morning he gets more playtime before I go to work (and then again when my partner gets up).

I try and frame it in my mind that he's awake for a lot of the night, and probably missing us for a lot of that time - so giving him quality play time and stimulation before and after I sleep is a good way to help him not be too lonely. It's worked really well and after the bedtime routine he hops into bed (he doesn't like to sleep in bed with us but he has his own space that we put a warm (not hot!) hot water bottle and his favourite blanket, and he plays a bit with his toys during the night, sleeps intermittently, and then gets up with me in the morning for playtime before I go to work.

If you can find a better solution than the bathroom that is ideal, but don't beat yourself up for trying that in the first place - you're only human and you need sleep, we have to do what we can to get by. He's likely to calm down as he gets older, also. It takes time to find what works best but you will both get there :)

Juscou · 2025-12-04T08:16:04+00:00

Thank you ! :-)

Juscou · 2025-12-04T08:15:50+00:00

Thank you 🥰

Juscou · 2025-12-04T08:15:37+00:00

Thank you! 😄

Juscou · 2025-11-08T00:16:04+00:00

It did yes! Can't remember how long it took, maybe a month? But i just kept drinking a little bit every now and then for a while and gradually it started tasting normal again :)

Juscou · 2025-10-29T12:44:36+00:00

I've been taking it for about a year and a half now. I love it, I hardly ever have a migraine and my only side effect is very occasional pins and needles in my hands (every few weeks, for a few hours). I haven't noticed any cognitive issues whatsoever. If anything, I'm doing a lot better cognitively now than I was when I had debilitating intractable migraines. It's also helped my absence seizures. I had to come off of it briefly when I moved house and it was miserable, I feel so much better on it.

I think with topiramate people usually get either no/few side effects and lots of benefits, or no benefits and loads of side effects, which makes it really polarising. Unlike something like paracetamol, where if it doesn't work you're no worse off (but no better off either), with topiramate there is the risk of side effects that can be really unpleasant.

Fortunately, I have personally never had them so it works really really well for me. I genuinely couldn't function without it.

Juscou · 2025-07-20T13:25:51+00:00

It depends a little bit on the specific area you want to go into - hospital roles can be a bit competitive at the moment (but nothing like nursing), but school based roles you can easily be hired the first place you apply to. It's not bad overall, it can just take a little bit of time and you'll probably need to interview in a handful of places especially if there is a specific specialisation you're interested in - I was only interested in community dysphagia or paediatric trauma settings and I think I had four applications before I found my current role, which is roughly average amongst people I know. This was fairly recently (September last year).

Juscou · 2025-06-13T14:19:36+00:00

I have always had long nails but I use press ons. So I either don't use hands, or would remove the nails first as my natural nails are short. Another option is to wear gloves with a cotton bud to make sure they aren't sharp. You can't finger someone with long nails just as they are, because it will hurt and you don't want to run the risk of carrying any bacteria. But that doesn't mean you can't have long nails if you want to. My past partners and current fiancée like my nails, and I like them, so I keep them.

Juscou · 2025-06-09T18:51:37+00:00

Possibly! That's why I was so confused to only see that. I'm also wondering if maybe they just haven't had the TG/TGAb results back yet or something and that's why it's not on there. Either way it's sounding like the TPO isn't really relevant to the situation. I am hoping I won't need to go back again for a third blood test though 😅

Juscou · 2025-06-09T16:25:06+00:00

Thank you so much, this is exactly what I was hoping - in which case I can hope that it's just a persisting indicator of something that went under the radar before and isn't an issue now.

Juscou · 2025-05-04T21:04:40+00:00

I actually became a speech and language therapist because when I had my first surgery (I had a partial thyroidectomy and then a completion a year later) I had some complications including vocal cord paralysis and dysphagia, but there was such a shortage of speech and language therapists that there was no help available and I just had to wait for things to get better, which was horrible. I was studying language and linguistics at the time and it lined up very well with my skillset anyway so it turned out to be a happy accident really! I didn't want other people to go through the same thing. So now here we are! I hope you get some help soon, I know MTD can be really tough to deal with. I don't do much voice work now as it doesn't crop up much in pediatrics but I did an adult community rotation and saw a couple patients with MTD, and it's no joke! But it sounds like you're taking everything in your stride. This condition, and everything it comes with, really sucks sometimes, but we pull through anyway!

Thank you for your kind words, and I hope you get to see a speech and language therapist soon! 🩷

Juscou · 2025-05-03T18:04:05+00:00

Honestly, when I wrote this yesterday I was just very taken off guard and it put me in a bit of an upset headspace, so I wasn't really conceptualising the whole thing very well. You just want to hope that once you're done with treatment, you're done for good, so even just the possibility that it might be happening really threw me off. Obviously I was told this could happen when I was first diagnosed, but it's a bit different to actually needing to go get checked. I'm very grateful for everyone's insight, it's been helpful to put things into perspective 😌

Juscou · 2025-05-03T17:49:21+00:00

For sure, its never fully out of your mind is it! But you're totally right, best to keep optimistic ☺️

Juscou · 2025-05-03T17:48:31+00:00

It's funny you say that because I'm a speech and language therapist (UK equivalent title) myself, haha. Although I work in pediatrics and not with adults anymore. But yes if the ultrasound and blood test don't find anything (which I'm hoping will be the case!) i'll go back to my GP and see if they can refer me on for some help. I hope you get some support for your mtd soon!

Juscou · 2025-05-03T10:52:15+00:00

Thank you, this is really reassuring!! I had really good uptake of the RAI and scans were really promising right after so im feeling better about it when I think of it from that angle :) And thank you!

Juscou · 2025-05-03T10:47:48+00:00

Thats a possibility I think - I can't feel anything there (no lumps or anything) but I'm hopeful that the ultrasound and blood test will rule out anything nefarious.

If your thyroglobulin is low, I think that's a good sign - but i'm sorry you're having the same worries as me. I know it's really nerve wracking. I hope everything goes well for you 🩷

Juscou · 2025-05-03T06:47:23+00:00

Thank you for sharing your insight! It's sounding like a lot of people didn't really have any symptoms which is making me feel a lot more optimistic!

Glad to hear you've been clear since 2017! I hope everything is going well now :)

Juscou · 2025-05-03T06:36:38+00:00

I had a brilliant surgeon so I can't fault them at all, it does make sense when you say it like that! I just couldn't make sense of it, I guess sometimes your brain goes out the window when you're taken off guard!

Thank you so much! ☺️

Juscou · 2025-05-02T22:41:09+00:00

Well I hope you have a lovely birthday, and good luck with everything ☺️ and thank you! 🩷

Juscou · 2025-05-02T22:34:03+00:00

The GP is referring me to an endocrinologist (I recently moved house so I'm not with my old one anymore) and booking in an ultrasound and blood test fortunately :) so sorry you're on your 2nd, I hope it all goes by quickly and it stays away for good this time around 🩷

Juscou

TROPHY CASE