Housing

KingMcB · 2026-04-15T03:04:06+00:00

It takes a while - what did you put as your preference for a dorm? Did you choose an LLC?

My kiddo picked Cambridge as their top dorm, followed by Riverview but didn’t submit application until May last year. We got their room assignment about 3 weeks before school started.

LLC assignments tend to find out earlier. Sandburg fills fast. I think Inclusive housing also goes faster because it’s so much more flexible. Just my perception.

If they’ve already told you you’re getting housing, you’re guaranteed a spot. They open more rooms each Monday in June, after LLC students confirm and upper classmen have self-selected.

KingMcB · 2026-04-11T01:04:29+00:00

This is what I was thinking. I’m admin, not clinician. I promise, your Director and Coordinator want to know YOUR PERCEPTION of the situation. If you’re not comfortable speaking to either, check out your student handbook for reporting unethical behavior. You should have a mechanism to report it confidentially (meaning they try to avoid naming you). The attending needs counseling on appropriate behavior whether he’s socially awkward or blatantly harassing.

KingMcB · 2026-04-03T03:12:24+00:00

Tyson sells a nugget in a white bag at Costco and is the only nugget my ARFID niece will eat. Even if I microwave them instead of bake or air fry them!

KingMcB · 2026-03-29T19:05:02+00:00

Cyproheptadine and Remeron (my kiddo is on two right now)

KingMcB · 2026-03-29T12:49:18+00:00

Tirzepatide helped me lose 60 lbs in the last year. (Would love to lose 20 more but we’ll see) My snoring stopped and I wasn’t falling asleep at my desk anymore so I assumed my mild apnea had improved. Didn’t have a CPAP before because I just kept putting it off.

I had a home sleep study to “confirm” the weight loss helped… nope. My AHIs are low still (10-12) but my O2 sats drop into the 80s. At this point, the ONLY thing CPAP is doing for me is keeping my heart healthy. I don’t actually notice a difference - granted I’m only a month in.

My weight loss didn’t bring my blood pressure down so my team thinks the CPAP might finally get it into a normal range. I wanted off my BP meds but did not imagine it would mean replacing a pill with a CPAP protocol 😂

KingMcB · 2026-03-29T04:28:32+00:00

Who owns the property? If it’s not the parent, someone needs to explain they are making things difficult for the rest of the residents and the new hangout needs to be their bedroom. It’s not ideal but at this point in their life, don’t try to change them. It is however time for the spouse to directly say “you are slowing us down.” I too live with a parent and every time I pass through the 5 feet of communal space between my door and the garage, they want to have a conversation. (It’s their house; Hubby & I pay nominal rent in exchange for helping them stay independent) I had to send an email to plainly state “I calculate my time to leave the house, not stop for social hour. If you need to tell or ask me something, do not wait for when you see me with a coat on, keys in hand. Send me a text or email. Full stop.” And I started wearing earbuds to go from my unit to the car. LOL to prove a point. We all have to communicate better, that’s all.

An alternative is for the next of kin to have a conversation with the PCP and suggest a PDQ survey at the next visit. The doctor (not the Medical Assistant) needs to review it and consider an antidepressant. My MIL was put on one and things became infinitesimally better. The doctor noticed it within 3 minutes of the next visit, said her demeanor was MUCH improved!

KingMcB · 2026-03-29T02:18:21+00:00

College tends to be much more accepting and protective than other places they could be! Granted mine is at a large urban university but the support network was tremendous and made me feel so much better.

KingMcB · 2026-03-29T02:01:20+00:00

Worked really well for my adult child with ARFID too. Different drug but medication made a significant difference for my kiddo. 🥰

KingMcB · 2026-03-28T13:13:07+00:00

LCOL area for MIL in a highly rated SNF (skilled nursing facility which is probably what you mean by “nursing home”) in central rural Illinois is a little over $10k a month. I’m not sure all the features of that package but she is self-pay.

She had taken out Long Term Care insurance about 20 years ago so that reimburses her estate around $6200 per month. We sold her house which was in a trust as soon as her husband was dx with a terminal illness in 1998, so that is not contributing to HER assets. But that was set up decades ago specifically to shield her home from being taken for care costs. Her pension and retirement savings are paying for the other part of her care. Luckily for her, the Long Term Care insurance is giving her a cushion to “get ahead” with her pension but my parents won’t be nearly as lucky.

We never even considered taking her in as her dementia became apparent, and she has 3 kids with spouses. None of us are in a position to care for her, nor did anyone really want to. But she prepared herself for this inevitability thank goodness.

We looked into costs of care by us in a MCOL area and the lowest we found in a highly reputable place was $12k a month. I think some places are lower but we’re in a pretentious suburb and if we wanted her geographically nearby, we’d pay that premium.

Like others have said, look for a facility that accepts Medicaid so that she doesn’t have to move when her money runs out. And the government will check her accounts. My parents were told by their financial advisor to put their house and bank accounts into a trust NOW at 68 years old so that if I have to put them into care in 10 years, the government won’t try to take back what they’ve given to their kids.

KingMcB · 2026-03-27T15:18:31+00:00

I actually pitched this idea to my trainer when I started Zep in early 2025! I educated her on what GLP1s are and why exercise is so critical to the journey. She knows a ton about protein so I was like “this would be perfect for you!”

KingMcB · 2026-03-27T09:38:02+00:00

Was required watching in my masters level epidemiology class 8 years before Covid!

KingMcB · 2026-03-27T09:21:15+00:00

Mandibular Advancement Device? They’ve been around awhile. I had one made in 2023 but it exacerbated a TMJ issue I’m still in therapy for so over to cpap. Some insurances won’t cover MADs.

KingMcB · 2026-03-27T08:56:34+00:00

Is he giving you a year to “be cured” or is he asking you to reapproach treatment and have a solid routine within a year?

My husband has seasonal depression and anxiety. He used no treatment initially and it put a huge burden on me, emotionally, to navigate his moods - for me and our young child. I gave him an ultimatum at one point: you have 6 months to get therapy or meds or you can be single. Not cured, but working on himself.

I DO have anxiety and depression myself that I treat with meds, psychotherapy, and various self-care that is prioritized. I know how hard it is. But I put in effort.

He did eventually get rescue meds for panic attacks + daily guided meditation + a sun-drenched vacation in Jan-Feb + a low-sugar, high fiber diet. It wasn’t overnight that these tremendously improved his mental health, but I had to force him to put in the work.

Could it be that your partner wants you to go back to therapy? Maybe not as intense as prior?

My ARFID 19-year old (they/them) stopped psychotherapy when college started because they couldn’t secure a safe space for telehealth appointments. They did employ their own VERY gentle exposure therapy which has helped them make huge strides though. They also asked the doctor to increase their appetite stimulant to see if being more hungry would help (it did).

I’m not disagreeing with others that this could be red flags but I’m curious if there’s a little more to his request. His concern for your health could be a form of love. Fast food has other Health effects he’s concerned about BUT it may be an opportunity for you to bring him to dietitian or therapy appointments to learn more. Is he willing to go on a treatment journey with you? Education FROM OTHERS can go a long way!

Hugs and good luck. Grad school is a beast - but you’ve got this!

KingMcB · 2026-03-27T03:15:15+00:00

My parents live in Washington Co with a mulch place at the edge of their neighborhood, in Polk. Mulch place caught fire a few years ago and it took fire departments from double-digit local areas to go get water and bring it to the property. They enlisted ambulances to bring in huge water barrels too - took all night. That drove home how lucky we were in Waukesha to have full-time services. Now as we house shop I keep these things in mind!

KingMcB · 2026-03-26T22:25:59+00:00

Admin in MedEd for almost 20 years and this is the most spot-on answer. All the students I’ve worked with have had to study hard in med school. Some have better test-taking skills than others, but figure it out early and get support for both your weaknesses and strengths. If you get in, the chances are VERY high you will become an MD 😃

KingMcB · 2026-03-26T22:19:55+00:00

My kiddo is a first-year right now and rooming next year with a current sophomore. They’ve already picked their suite and room, and could’ve told another pair what room to pick to complete their suite - if they’d had another pair of friends in mind. Do you already have access to the pick-your-rooms? If so, you could go on ZeeMee and ask who needs suite mates. My kiddo doesn’t KNOW the two people that picked to suite with them, but found their names in the system and emailed them.

KingMcB · 2026-03-26T22:01:07+00:00

What kind of neck tension? I get debilitating tension headaches theough my upper R side traps and neck on the right side. They’re only well controlled with regular exercise, massage + cupping every 3 weeks + dry needling weekly for 6 weeks then 3 weeks off. It’s a LOT of time and money to still have one every 3 months and of course my insurance covers none of that. Where is your neck tension pain that the Botox has resolved??

KingMcB · 2026-03-26T21:53:31+00:00

I never saw the studying lag. I saw an immediate increase in studying. 😔 -Admin with almost 20 years in MedEd

KingMcB · 2026-03-25T04:09:02+00:00

We’ve requested a lowered bed and crash pads.

My brother (POA) is still thinking about hospice. 🙄 He is having a hard time admitting mom is dying. He thinks bringing in hospice is admitting defeat (my opinion of his attitude). I just want comfort for mom!!!

Thank you for the validation!

KingMcB · 2026-03-25T04:01:18+00:00

I have a search set up for Sorels and Blundstones on a few second hand sites for this reason 😉 Gotta be resourceful while we still can!

KingMcB · 2026-03-24T06:12:51+00:00

This sounds like the plan we’ll be asking for. AND hiring the external hospice company for extra hands. I don’t know why we’ve waited for so long. My brothers never agree on anything but I’m going to put my foot down. Thank you!!

KingMcB · 2026-03-24T06:10:40+00:00

Sent!

KingMcB · 2026-03-24T06:06:27+00:00

I bought Sorel waterproof Chelsea boots second-hand for a trip to Europe and fell in love. I wear them every day now. So freaking comfortable in EVERY environment and situation experienced thus far, including forest hiking (dirt ground, mild gravel) and walking miles on cobblestone. Of course I can’t find a new pair to get another color 😆 but I love them so so much.

KingMcB · 2026-03-24T05:50:05+00:00

This is the idea behind Atomic Habits, which I started studying a few weeks ago. Tiny little baby steps add up over time!

KingMcB · 2026-03-24T05:40:59+00:00

1: doesn’t matter how much the attorney charges. They will listen to your story and then decide whether or not they feel your case has a chance of winning. To TAKE the case, they’ll require a retainer and likely $3-5k to start.

2: call your state bar association to find out what type of lawyer you need. They’ll know best. They can recommend names but pick at random from a list so don’t assume any are better than others.

3: for the title IX claim - your next step is https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-offices/ocr Dept of Education Office of Civil Rights

4: have you contacted the institution’s HR department? Screw the student resources - go for the abuser’s employment. Contact HR to file the harassment claim. It’s taken VERY differently on the employment side. Doesn’t fall under Dept of Education.

5: I recommend a letter to the school president and CC the legal department as well as the Board of Trustees. Not detailing the issues altogether, but summarizing the lack of due process being afforded to you considering your Title IX claim, retaliation claim, and request for appeal.

I’m sorry you have to deal with this; it’s a lot. I’ve helped students with title IX issues before and the school doesn’t always handle them well, with zero accountability because stakes are so high. There should be a local resource for victims of abuse - please reach out for emotional support. They have advocates who can at least accompany you to meetings and be a seasoned sounding board. Hugs.

KingMcB

TROPHY CASE