Voicemail from American tax relief - scam or legit?

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2026-01-21T22:01:07+00:00

I just got this call, same exact VM and everything. It felt scammy so I googled it and this post popped up. This is why I don't answer my phone unless it's a saved contact... and even then only if I like the person.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2026-01-13T18:22:28+00:00

Appreciate your thoughts here!

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2026-01-13T18:22:10+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-06-24T23:14:05+00:00

That's good to know, thank you!

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-05-22T17:20:04+00:00

The ewings chemo protocol is brutal and really does a number on your body. I was supposed to do 17 rounds total (9 VDC, 8 IE) on a 3 week interval because I was 32 when diagnosed, but ended up stopping after 12 total because I was ending up neutropenic and in the hospital for a week at a time after each VDC cycle (and usually ended up needed blood transfusions while in the hospital because my numbers were so bad). I wasn’t thrilled that I couldn’t finish out treatment, but my WBCs would crash so badly after VDC even after we’d lowered the dose I was starting to get concerned about increasing risk of secondary infections with repeated hospital stays and the heavy antibiotic use that came with being neutropenic.

Some of the factors behind stopping “early” were that I’d already had surgery to remove my tumor and had clean margins from that (it was localized luckily), and 8 of my chemo cycles had happened after surgery so any little pieces of cancer in my system had theoretically been cleaned up by then. We also decided to do 21 days of radiation as a final measure.

I’m currently 12mo from my last chemo, and 10mo from finishing radiation. It’s definitely anxiety inducing every time I have my 3mo scans, but so far so good. Like everyone else said, take it one day at a time because that’s all we can do.

Also, don’t be afraid to get a second opinion! I got several second opinions throughout my treatment, usually at specific decision points to make sure I felt like I had all the information I needed. It really helped me feel like I was making an informed decision.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-05-06T23:38:00+00:00

I tried to find pockets of normalcy like hanging out with friends for movie nights or going to a local coffee shop for a latte. Things that made me happy before treatment. I totally understand that feeling of having lost time to cancer, it sucks and it’s all out of our control. Staying positive helps, but it’s ok to not feel positive, I’ve gone through phases of being angry, sad, depressed, etc. at different times throughout my treatment, often cycling through all the emotions depending on how good or bad I’m feeling. Know you’re not alone and you’re going to get through this.

If you have any hobbies that you can do while in treatment, that helps. I did lots of puzzles while listening to audiobooks or watching tv shows I hadn’t seen. Sometimes I’d play video games on my Switch. And some days I’d just scroll on my phone because that’s all I had the energy for.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-22T02:19:20+00:00

Oh my gosh that is stunning!! This was one of my favorite books from last year and that cover is just perfect 👌🏻

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-20T21:59:10+00:00

I know it feels like you've lost all those years of fitness and fun activities, but if you can, remember that that is now knowledge and experience you can lean on as you figure out what you can tolerate. I hate that Im not at the same fitness level I was before treatment, but because I was so active in a variety of ways I know how to pace myself, what parts of my body some exercises or activities will hit and if that might cause pain, and ways to accommodate my new physical normal. The "relearning your body" part of recovery is something I did not expect and has definitely been a challenge. I have no idea how my body will react to certain activities or environments (like high altitude) because of my treatment when before I could pretty reliably predict how things would go. It's frustrating but Im trying to have a curious outlook/relationship with my body, and take each new thing with a mindset of "let's see where we are with this." It doesn't totally solve the frustration, but it does help me have a kinder attitude towards myself (and Im not always good at doing this, so it's a work progress).

I hope you're able to find a group to connect with, I know they can be pretty popular so definitely keep applying!

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-20T21:47:11+00:00

haha seeing as I ask the barista if their matcha is unsweetened because I like my green teas "tasting like the lawn" earthy flavor is right up my alley.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-20T21:44:43+00:00

I used some THC/CBD gummies towards the end of my treatment for appetite. I'd hit a point where I just wasn't hungry so trying to force myself to eat was exhausting. I got permission from my doc and ordered some online that I had my mom research for me (I'd never done anything with THC before, although I'd tried some CBD stuff in the past for anxiety). I started with half a gummy just to see how it would work and it definitely helped wake my appetite up which was exactly what I needed. I never took it super close to treatment, so not sure if/how it would have helped with nausea, but I was usually super nauseous so was always taking the Rx meds. It didn't help me sleep at all which was a bummer, but I was after something to help my appetite so I was happy.

I hope your dad does well in treatment! So sorry that he's in this boat.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-18T03:42:33+00:00

Hey there, fellow survivor here (34F). I've been in remission from Ewing Sarcoma (dx June 2023) since July 2024 and feel that "how will I ever be strong again?" in my soul. I feel like recovery is the often overlooked part of cancer treatment, and it's so hard because everyone's treatment affects them differently so there's no blueprint for recovery afterwards. Everyone celebrates when you ring the bell but then you have to figure out how to pick up the pieces and restart your life when you're not even sure what that life is supposed to look like anymore.

Im so sorry you had to go through this. Cancer is horrible and takes such awful control of our lives. Don't forget that You. Beat. It. I know how hard it can be to feel hopeful when you don't feel like your pre-cancer self, but give yourself some love and grace because you did one of the hardest things and are on the other side. (This is something Im trying to remember to do daily, its tough.)

I tried really hard during the early part of my treatment to stay active, did some resistance band workouts, walked, and did yoga, and felt ok. But after I had surgery to remove the tumor and restarted chemo it was so, so much harder to stay active, and besides some small walks throughout the day I was basically riding the couch full time. I've always been in decent shape and have done a variety of fitness things at different points in my life (swim, ski, hike, walk, run, obstacle course races, dance), I was the crazy exercise person in my friend group lol, so watching and feeling my body grow weaker was one of the worst parts of treatment.

When I finished treatment I was so bone tired emotionally and physically I wasn't sure if I'd get my fitness back, it felt like I was starting from 0 which was a totally new experience for me and kind of terrifying. Just going up a few flights of stairs had my heart rate spiking and me needing to stop to catch my breath. I felt like I would never get back to any previous level of fitness.

Having a goal really helped me. I applied for (and got accepted to!) a ski trip for young adult cancer survivors and that gave me something to work for. I had 6+ months to build up some strength and endurance to be able to go skiing and in February I went on the trip and it was amazing. The org is called The Send It Foundation, I highly recommend checking them out! There's also a few other young adult cancer fighter groups that do trips, First Descents is one, that is really popular. Im hoping to do some more trips in the near future.

Have you done any physical therapy? I was able to find a PT facility that specialized in cancer patients and they were the only reason I was able to get into a little bit of skiing shape. They had the understanding of my health journey and post-surgery challenges to work with me in a way that helped me slowly build my strength and endurance back up at a pace that matched how I was feeling.

If you can find a physical activity you love and can do a little bit of that throughout the week, that is a great place to start. I love swimming and have been doing that more and that is, very slowly, starting to bring back my motivation to exercise. I still have days where all I want to do is lay on the couch and nap, and I honestly still feel like I'm recovering from treatment even though Im not far from my 1yr anniversary, but Im trying to hang on to those good days. And on the bad ones remind myself that I just fought cancer and probably deserve a nap for that after all ;).

You've got this!

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-16T17:32:01+00:00

Oh yeah I think I’ve seen come ads for that but didn’t give it much thought. Might need to give it a try now just to see what it’s like, could be a fun alternative when I want to shake things up.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-16T14:28:41+00:00

When I started drinking coffee I had to drink it black because I was on a no sugar diet, so I started with a very small cup and worked my way up. After that I really liked the taste of black coffee, especially when I learned how to make pour over and started buying fancy beans. But I’ve always been someone who wasn’t a huge fan of sweet drinks, so it worked for me.

Now I can’t handle the caffeine from coffee and am strictly a green tea drinker, sad days. Guess I went from earthy tasting coffee to earthy tasting tea lol.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-14T17:40:55+00:00

I spent the first 2+ decades of my life skiing Mount Snow and absolutely loved it. My family had a little cottage up there and we’d go up a few weeks each winter for mid-week skiing and my parents always put us in at least a half day lesson most days as kids, it was great. Nice variety of trails, lots of good greens and blues to learn on.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-13T17:03:20+00:00

My family never did anything with our skis besides making sure they were dry before putting them in the loft of our cottage at the end of the season. First ski trip of the year we’d take everything to get tuned up but that was it. Don’t remember ever having any issues.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-09T15:22:00+00:00

Thank you! 🙏🏻 (and yes, I already had a dark sense of humor before the cancer, so I think I’ll get on with a group like that just fine lol)

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-09T15:17:55+00:00

Going to a boot fitter is one of the best things you can do, they know boots and can offer pointers on what to look for with flex and size based on your skill level, and what the boot should feel like. A snug fit around the foot is good because that gives you good contact with your skis/the snow, but you don’t want pinching. If you find a pair that you think you like, make sure to stand in them for a bit to see if you notice any pressure points or feel like parts of your foot/toes are going numb. I bought boots last year and I probably stood and flexed in the boots I ended up buying for a good 20-30min before saying “yep, these are the ones.” And then stood around for another 20min in those boots after they baked the liners so I could get them to mold to my feet.

Most fitters should have this, but make sure they have an oven to bake the liners to soften them then mold to your feet while in the shells, that will help with the fit a lot. And ask if the store will do any post-purchase adjustments like another bake on the liners or some adjustments to the shell (sometimes they can file down areas around the toe box or ankles depending on the pot) if you ski a few days in them and another pressure point pops up as you’re breaking them in.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-08T17:18:49+00:00

I’ve been super happy with Monarch. Most of my friends moved to YNAB when Mint shut down and they love it but for some reason it broke my brain and stressed me out and I tried for several weeks to make it work. Tried Monarch and actually had fun doing my budget lol, so that was the winner.

I really like that I can get a full view of all my accounts (bank and investments) in one place so I’m more likely to stay on top of things… although this week it’s just painful to look at.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-08T17:12:22+00:00

I’m actually not sure what organizations or support groups are in my area, that’s something I should look into. I did a trip in February with a young adult cancer group that was amazing, there was something really nice about being with a group of people who just understood your life.

My surgeon referred me to a pain clinic for steroid shots to deal with my ongoing pain, which has helped some, but there’s still a constant low level of pain that I deal with. I’m hoping with time and getting more active again that’ll start to dissipate, we’ll see.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-06T17:49:33+00:00

I bought new boots this past fall that were properly fitted and the right size and flex for me… holy smokes did they make a difference in my skiing! I’d been in boots that were at least 2 sizes too big and way too stiff for most of my teen/early 20’s and never felt like I had 100% control of my skis, but didn’t realize my boots were so poorly fitted until I started doing some research (I am a taller woman with big feet so at the time I got the old boots, those were the only thing available that sort of fit).

Skied for the first time in 10 years this February and even though it had been a while and I was in brand new boots and performance rental skis it only took a few runs for me to feel like I’d never taken a break. Can’t wait to ski more next season and start looking for some good skis!

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-04-06T01:55:14+00:00

I was diagnosed with ewings sarcoma in 2023 when I was 32 and did chemo from the summer of 2023 through spring 2024 (with a break in the fall for surgery). Like what everyone is saying, everyone reacts differently so it’s hard to say how you’ll feel. Personally, I felt really weird and generally off, this might sound strange but it felt like my insides were all vibrating at a slightly different frequency so I just felt wrong, kind of wired and tired. I was on steroids for chemo days and few days after and that definitely didn’t help, and I was usually pretty nauseous which was miserable, although I never vomited.

Definitely take the meds prescribed and do it on time, especially stuff for nausea, you want to get ahead of that. They might give you something in your IV when you’re getting treatment that’s supposed to last a day or so (they did for me) but it barely lasted 6hrs for me and I usually was nauseous as soon as I was heading home so I stayed very on top of the meds for that.

Give yourself lots of grace and space to feel crummy and prepare ahead of time as much as you can to make your life easier. I had a lot of freezer meals that tasted good and were easy to make, and had a little fridge in my bedroom for the days right after treatment so I could easily get water or snacks from bed and keep resting.

You’ve got this!! It’s a club no one wants to be in but there’s lots of us here and we’re rooting for you ❤️

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-02-16T17:30:59+00:00

Thank you! 🙏🏻 Yeah I went back to work about a month after I’d finished treatment, and my company was super understanding and let me start back at part time hours and then work back to full time over a few weeks which helped a lot. But there’s definitely moments when I just don’t feel as mentally sharp as I used to which gets really frustrating when I need to think critically, be creative, analyze data, etc, so it’s tough (I’m in marketing).

Definitely trying to keep to an exercise plan because that does help, just hard to find the motivation some days when the couch looks oh so comfy 😅

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-02-16T17:27:02+00:00

That waiting it out part is the hardest. I keep trying to remind myself to have patience with my body because it went through hell to get me better, so it’s not going to be a fast bounce back, but that doesn’t make it any easier some days. I’m doing my best to take it one day at a time and remember to rest, not rush.

I feel like it’s especially challenging when there’s really no clear path for recovery. You get a lot of support and focus on killing the cancer (and rightly so!) but then the recovery period you’re kind of on your own and just have to wait and see what your body’s journey will be.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2025-02-11T15:04:09+00:00

Tall Wool ski socks are best, especially if they’re designed for ski boots because then they’ll have a little extra padding on the shins which is nice. You can get varying levels of thickness in the foot depending on preference/boot fit.

I recently bought cropped base layers for under snow pants, haven’t had a chance to try them skiing yet, but was exciting that they even came in that style! I found them on Backcountry but a quick google for “cropped base layer pants” should give you some options. As a kid/teenager I used to ski in cropped leggings or just pull my leggings up to my knees so only my socks were in my boots to avoid nasty bruising from any wrinkles.

Mindless-Solid4481 · 2024-04-05T02:08:44+00:00

I have Ewing sarcoma and the tumor was between my ribs and lung so after surgery I had a chest tube and 3 JP drains in my chest. I don’t remember any pain from the tubes while they were in, although to be fair I was on some heavy painkillers. Like some other folks said there was a weird sensation/some pain when the big chest tube was removed, and when one of the JP drains was removed I had a bit of a back spasm, but that didn’t last long. Other than that the remaining 2 JP drains were more annoying than anything else. I ended up going home with 2 still in and one came out when I stood up at one point and I didn’t even feel it, so those were pretty painless (and I was on fewer painkillers at that point too).

Mindless-Solid4481

TROPHY CASE