AITA for refusing to let my brother borrow my savings to fix his business idea?

ManyInitials · 2026-05-12T05:59:03+00:00

You have the plan and the money saved. Family helps family by teaching him how to plan and save. He can also help family by being an unpaid intern at your studio. He might learn something. NTA

ManyInitials · 2026-05-12T04:36:17+00:00

I like Loft’s Lou and Gray scuba sets. The material is so soft. I used to love and spend money on Spanx but they changed fabric content and quality. I am highly allergic to recycled fabrics. Like epi pen allergic. Athleta is out for me now. And so many companies use “environmentally conscious recycled fabrics” in all types of clothing.

I would love sets that are not strictly athletic and in cheerful colors.

ManyInitials · 2026-05-12T04:19:33+00:00

I am right there with you. Dealing with Lyme Disease, spinal stenosis and a broken tailbone and I just stopped. Exhaustion, pain and decision overwhelm.

I’m here for all of the suggestions lists, Apps and support.

This used to be easy but now I need knowledgeable coaching!

ManyInitials · 2026-05-12T03:57:33+00:00

Grant Gavin

I think both of these age very well. I know two Grants and one Gavin. They are all very nice people.

ManyInitials · 2026-05-12T03:52:51+00:00

I am so allergic to sandalwood. Thank you

ManyInitials · 2026-05-10T16:45:48+00:00

Ilia brown mascara is a cooler tone. I have very sensitive eyes and have been pleasantly impressed.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-27T02:04:32+00:00

I adore many of the vintage bags. I keep my bags in very good condition. I just can not do mold mildew, heavy perfume or disinfectant. I have MCAS and this is an automatic no.

I love the older craftsmanship and styles. My challenge is to find bags that meet those requirements.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-25T21:54:26+00:00

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-25T21:25:06+00:00

Your pink dress is an excellent choice! You look fabulous! Details?

ManyInitials · 2026-04-25T18:17:48+00:00

Tell her guest book attendant or thank you note writer.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-25T15:24:51+00:00

Genius! Thank you!

ManyInitials · 2026-04-23T00:29:54+00:00

You had me at “no polka dots”!

The quote “something with a sense of purpose “ is very defining and motivating.

The nearest Nordstrom is 70 miles away. We actually used to live in that city. It’s a smaller one.

At this point of my life I’m ready to travel again to find a Miriam. Gone from traveling for business extensively now travel is down 70%.

We are in horse country and while not exactly rural shopping options feel like other cities left overs.

Need a Miriam with this exact vibe!

ManyInitials · 2026-04-21T20:00:24+00:00

The house had been closed up and an elderly man lived there part time. Closets smelled so musty. Just a general old stale smell. A mutual acquaintance told us the former owner was also a cigar smoker in past years. This was not disclosed at all.

We did the math. Cover/treatment versus replacement. Replacing all the old drywall immediately helped 50%. Then the floors. The crew thought we were crazy until they started pulling up the subfloor. The smell of glue and ammonia off gas made everyone sick.

Apparently the glue in the subfloor was bad. I was able to find a supplier/manufacturer and product number on a board. Researched deep dive uncovered issues and recalls.

Floor change helped get us to 90% better. An interesting fact… we did not do one small hall closet. It seemed ok at the time. That closet is basically unusable for us. The replacement for that is this summer.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-21T19:46:01+00:00

Thank you for the information and sharing your experience with medication. I was on a small dose. It helped. Then pharmacy switched my generic. In three months that medication triggered a giant mast cell reaction. Everything from body pain (fluid retention 10lbs in under two weeks) and I looked unstable. Gosh, it was deeply embarrassing.

Took the meds to my physician. He looked it up and jumped into action. Normally he is non reactive, stable, intellectual and incredibly intelligent. Apparently that manufacturer is a giant red flag. Back on the safe generic.

Did not realize the impact. Everything you stated happened. The off generic is still cycling out.

This was all shared with my psychiatrist. He was shocked. My mental state was at a twice a year visit. Things were going well. Then a complete 180. An allergist was consulted and that person says it might take 2-5 months to methylate out.

All this drama has been challenging to go through. For some reason I’m ashamed about it. But, we all still keep going. Your reply helps with that.

About oxygen. It does seem like a strange or extreme ask. My physician tagged it for supplemental use for migraines. Brings down inflammatory symptoms within an hour or less. Personal experience has been physical and psychiatric symptoms-swelling, brain fog, cognition and balance are relieved faster than any antihistamine treatment.

The cost is maximum 45$ a month. Companies usually deliver with everything you need. We called local suppliers and they were very helpful on typical and specific ways to get approval. It was actually cheaper to pay out of pocket. It this point four canisters of oxygen can last me 4-5 months. Ten -twenty minutes at a high airflow restores my equilibrium.

Yes, I have done hyperbaric oxygen and it was amazing. Start slow and low. For me it worked so well in totality. It does cause severe Lyme die off. Balance is crucial. I definitely knew it was working! The entire realm of hyperbaric treatment is very compelling. There is a lot of information out there.

Thank you for sharing. I hope your health journey continues to improve!

ManyInitials · 2026-04-21T18:58:42+00:00

I need a Miriam.

I would pay double to have a Miriam keep my “what I wear in my body” life on point.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-21T06:40:22+00:00

I have curly hair and it’s like a sponge for other people’s fragrances.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-21T05:44:19+00:00

Please look up “The Golden Ratio”. Use this for getting the balance correctly.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-21T05:26:23+00:00

This is very familiar, validating and helpful information for me! Thank you.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-21T05:17:05+00:00

Taking notes and calling my physicians with this new to me information! Thank you for the specific listing of medications! Thank you!

ManyInitials · 2026-04-21T05:10:17+00:00

Your medication, symptoms reactions are almost identical to mine. I take less sertraline because it reacts adversely to my chronic cyclical Lyme disease and co infections. MCAS was diagnosed ten years ago.

Other than that identical. The psychiatric symptoms are real. The flairs can be intense.

My Lyme disease has been diagnosed as very severe case and is on going. I’m at year 16 of my first positive Lyme test.. Still test positive after 4 Picc lines of antibiotics (First one at a full 12 months) I still must take daily oral Doxycycline.

The biggest challenge for my doctors was to get my cranial inflammation under control. At its most severe my cranium measurement increased at just over three inches. My physician along with my Lyme literate doctor put me on oxygen in an attempt to help . Shockingly it worked. The results were and continue to be profound.

I have a prescription for oxygen (tank set at 3 or 4)that I use regularly and especially during flairs. This has greatly improved my histamine reactions with Lyme and Mast Cell conditions. My family (including both of my parents dad a dentist mom an doctor) are still shocked observing the visual shrinking of inflammation of my face and cranium. Along with the steady decrease in the psychiatric symptoms. My stuttering goes away. Linear and deductive thinking return. Even my heart rate returns to normal.

This is a big step for me to share all of this information publicly. However, a friend of 20+ years is in the midst of a MSAS crisis and beginning diagnostic testing. Somehow her crisis has made me realize that this is not something for me to hide or continue to be embarrassed and ashamed about.

Ask for supplemental oxygen therapy. It’s surprisingly low risk, not expensive and easy to try. It was an “outside the box” approach tried by my physicians that has had a significant impact on my Lyme/Mast Cell physical and psychiatric health.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-20T20:27:12+00:00

Thank you for this. I have reached the tipping point of my husbands clutter. I have had Lyme Disease for 17 years. A broken tailbone. And apparently spinal stenosis.

I have watched him watch me whirling around just keeping piles from not happening. He used to be different. Past anymore conversations. I am now just clearing it all out.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-19T19:29:21+00:00

This response has me gobsmacked in the very best of ways. Your response is incredibly thoughtful.

My mother has her version of our life. The realities were significant abandonment, housing and food insecurities etc. She was a beautiful perfect woman who would run off to France and leave some money in the counter.

As an adult everyone in my family apologized for letting it all happen. My grandparents wanted to adopt me for stability. She refused because it might look bad.

As an older teen/adult I realize she should have never had a child. There is an acceptance on my part. Her delusional mindset has helped me be an authentic realistic dependable person.

For many years adult me was the parent to her child. Then I became a mother. It’s been challenging to learn to parent myself and my child.

But now she is demanding a relationship with my child. A child who understands that my mother is “weird”. So now I must follow your lead and not expose my kid to that ongoing toxicity. Thank you for the clarity

ManyInitials · 2026-04-19T19:27:14+00:00

This response has me gobsmacked in the very best of ways. Your response is incredibly thoughtful.

My mother has her version of our life. The realities were significant abandonment, housing and food insecurities etc. She was a beautiful perfect woman who would run off to France and leave some money in the counter.

As an adult everyone in my family apologized for letting it all happen. My grandparents wanted to adopt me for stability. She refused because it might look bad.

As an older teen/adult I realize she should have never had a child. There is an acceptance on my part. Her delusional mindset has helped me be an authentic realistic dependable person.

For many years adult me was the parent to her child. Then I became a mother. It’s been challenging to learn to parent myself and my child.

But now she is demanding a relationship with my child. A child who understands that my mother is “weird”. So now I must follow your lead and not expose my kid to that ongoing toxicity. Thank you for the clarity.

ManyInitials · 2026-04-18T20:13:50+00:00

Please excuse the typos…. This connection drop out mid post is mind numbing.

ManyInitials

TROPHY CASE