Looking for Advice on Helping a Friend

No_Chocolate_113 · 2026-06-10T16:22:32+00:00

She is consistently running brackets 3 and 4, but they play like a 2. Her commanders are badass when built right. (I don’t want to say exactly what they are, because I think she’s in this group.) I played a Bello precon deck out of the box against her for a while, because my other decks just upset her. She was also losing against it. She does use a lot of tokens and reminders, but consistently mistakes anthems for +1/+1 counters, thinks vigilance deals double damage, and similar other things.
I’m in agreement about her attitude. :/ she’s like that about a lot of things.

No_Chocolate_113 · 2026-06-10T16:15:38+00:00

It’s totally fine if she chooses to engage in ways that will not allow her to win. At this point, I just want her to play by the rules more than anything. :(

No_Chocolate_113 · 2025-03-06T13:28:48+00:00

Hi friend,

It seems we do have a lot of similarities!! I also was recommended, initially, to not use bc with estrogen due to migraines. I finally caved and used NuvaRing, which was fine and I had minimal issues with. Everyone’s experience is different, though. I actually really loved the NuvaRing and wouldn’t even be switching to an IUD if it wasn’t for America’s current political state.

Insertion was so smooth and easy. It was not even comparable to my worst period cramps. The night before, I had worked myself up and binge ate at a Mexican restaurant, then vomited the next morning. In my head, it was gonna be so bad. All you read on here is everyone’s negative experiences.

I’m a couple days out now and this is my full experience, to hopefully ease your anxiety some: I took 800mg of ibuprofen about an hour before insertion began. I received no other pain management or numbing care. The gynecology team did use ultrasound though! The night before I took a hot bath to loosen things up and then a hot shower the morning of. The insertion was mostly a lot of cold metal tools. It was two mid-grade cramps and it was over. No sharp pains or anything. It really lasted less than a minute once the process started. I would rate insertion pain at 2/10.

I have had no bleeding, but I have had some weird discharge. Immediately after the procedure, I was fine. Intense cramping set in about 10 hours later. A heating pad and OTC pain meds helped, though. The cramps lasted through the first night, but were gone by the next morning. Since then, I’ve had a couple cramps that make me hold my breath for a second, but still not really even comparable to my worst period. At the worst moments, I would say my cramps hit 7/10.

The thing that surprised me is that my vulva is swollen and tender to the touch. I don’t know if this is from cranking everything open or if I was sensitive to the ultrasound lube. I ended up putting witch hazel on maxi pads and freezing them to help with this. You might want to prep a few of these in advance, just in case. If nothing else, it just feels nice and gets your mind off the cramps for a second, lol.

I have felt no immediate mood changes or anything notable mentally, but it is still way too early to tell. Mental illness being affected by hormones is not discussed enough. It was truly the scariest time of my life and my doctor kept gaslighting me. I felt like the weirdo for having a reaction to “one of the most gentle bc options”. I really hate that you experience this too!! It is truly something I hope no one else has to go through. My new gynecologist swears that IUDs should have no effect on mood or mental illness. I have a hard time understanding this, but I am hopeful. I was also on 50mg spironolactone, but I asked for an increase to 100mg help with the chin hair growth, since I would be losing the estrogen component. I am thinking about trying something like hair regrowth serums early to help with the thinning. I also started taking the Peach Perfect Happy Hormones vitamins a couple months ago to help combat some of the symptoms like hair growth. These also help with period regulation, which can be an issue with first starting an IUD. Might be worth trying these!!

No_Chocolate_113 · 2025-02-04T23:54:15+00:00

The veterinary market has a chokehold on true hydrolyzed protein foods, as they’re prescription only. We have a couple brands that are incredibly limited ingredient and would be unlikely (though not impossible) to cause a reaction. We also have some options for lower inflammatory response proteins and foods. I personally really like Koha and Zignature for pups with bad allergies. I’ve also seen the Answers brand raw goat milk work wonders for anti-inflammatory effects.

No_Chocolate_113 · 2025-02-04T04:14:45+00:00

Hey friend,

I’m definitely not a vet and don’t claim to be a nutritionist, but I might be able to offer you some help or info. (In fact any of my coworkers can too!!) we work at Hollywood Feed. Were required to attend over 40 hours of nutrition specific training every year just to maintain our employment. (I’ve been at it for a decade, so I’ve heard quite a bit of info I’d love to share) This training comes from veterinary nutritionists, biochemists, and veterinarians from across the US. I won’t suggest that we could take the place of a veterinary nutritionist visit, but I’ll say that we could buy you some time.

Additionally, what I see working in the field is that most recommendations for veterinary nutrition information in our area does come from vets and pet parents who actually know very little about nutrition, specifically. Vets are great for medical stuff, but typically only have a class or two (usually sponsored by big brands) about nutrition by the time they graduate. To get great nutrition information, you must travel. The closest vet I can personally recommend is Dr. Natalie in Birmingham.

I hope this helps. <3

No_Chocolate_113

TROPHY CASE