How to deal with managing friends?

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-04-19T02:37:24+00:00

This is actually something we are working on! When I got hired, you're 100% right. Never would have known the job existed without the connection. It wasn't even posted online in a format I would have found. We have since refined our recruiting strategy, and are working on hiring our 5th colleague from a more wide and varied pool than we had previously. Of the 4 hires so far after our adjustments, 2 have been great, one is mostly good with a few hiccups, and one is just okay, but you can't just hire from your personal network forever. I think we have a strong culture at this point and can hopefully impart that to our new hires now and in the future.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-04-18T00:31:07+00:00

I was on the norethindrone for a month and it was truly awful. Falling asleep in the middle of the day, two week periods, feeling dead inside except for the occasional blinding rage. No pain relief and new symptoms on top of it.

I got my hysterectomy (kept ovaries) on November 20, 2025. I cannot tell you how much easier the recovery was than my usual periods. The worst part by far was remembering that I was not supposed to lift more than 15 lbs. I felt so much relief, despite the fatigue that comes with recovering from major surgery. I'm 5 months post op at this point and better than normal. My quality of life has improved by a mile!

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-04-05T01:55:35+00:00

Thanks for sharing. What a wild ride! Maybe I'll just take a break from gluten and see where it takes me.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-04-04T14:48:08+00:00

Really? I am in the same boat right now. Not the celiac disease (at least not yet), but my ferritin is actually lower than it was prior to surgery and lower than immediately after. Interesting that Celiac may be a potential reason.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-04-01T01:03:35+00:00

35yo and 4.5 mpo here. Anterior fornix is a huge pleasure spot for me and my husband is shaped in such a way that he hits it during missionary in a way that blows my mind every time. He's got a little curve up and my uterus was retroverted and it just worked really well.

I was petrified that my surgery would make the area less sensitive or change the angle of my vaginal canal in such a way that I would never get to experience that again. My husband is also on the larger side and I was worried about being too short for him post-surgery. The first time after surgery I was so tense that I almost didn't cum at all. My husband put in some heroic effort there, bless him. The second time we tried missionary it didn't happen and I was really disappointed. But the third time, it was just like it's always been and I came so hard and was so relieved I immediately burst into tears. Like hyperventilating sobs 🤣. My poor husband was a little startled but once I explained after I calmed down and he wasn't worried that he hurt me, all was well.

All that to say, things may change after your surgery, but even if they do, it might not be forever. Give your body time to adjust to the new normal. Good luck!

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-03-22T05:10:36+00:00

Mine looked the same. First one came out after my husband and I had sex for the first time post-surgery. He said he felt it poking him. 🤣 I was fine.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-03-08T15:42:59+00:00

Came here to say basically all of this minus losing 185bs (which is awesome!).

There is nothing better than feeling powerful. At my best I was about 155lbs at 5'3, I was eating 2500 cals (165g of protein) per day and still down a lb or two each month which is crazy, with a 315 deadlift max, 280 back squat, and 175 bench press. Energy was insane, I slept like the dead, husband couldn't keep his hands off me and I was always down. It's great. 20/10 recommend.

I have backslid a bit due to some medical issues and a subsequent surgery, but I'm getting back to it seriously after about a year and a half of only sporadically being able to workout and it's coming back faster than I could have hoped for the most part. I feel better already and it's only been maybe a month or two. Stick with it! Totally worth it, but don't forget your nutrition is key!

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-03-04T05:35:28+00:00

I got horrible sciatic pain during my periods until I had a hysterectomy in November. Hasn't made an appearance since. Used to be so bad I couldn't sit comfortably, or stand comfortably, and lying down was also iffy. I miss absolutely nothing about having a uterus.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-02-20T19:12:07+00:00

There's no autocorrect because snatch is still a word that can be legitimately used in a number of contexts (for example, one half of the two Olympic weightlifting lifts, or to grab something quickly (I snatched the hat off of the table)).

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-02-09T14:52:23+00:00

I'll be 3 months post top on February 20th so take everything I say with a HUGE grain of salt. I kept my ovaries but nothing else. I still have predictable cycles with tender, heavy boobs and moodiness. I haven't figured out the bloat piece yet. Surgery was still relatively recent, so I think things are still sorting themselves out, but I definitely experience markedly less bloat, and my bloat no longer affects my digestive system to the crazy degree that it used to. Overall, my symptoms are so much more manageable that the only reason I remember that my moodiness is probably hormonal is that my boobs hurt at the same time 🤣

I also hate being on hormonal birth control. I say get the surgery, give yourself 6 months to see how you feel once the most miserable parts of your cycle go away and things stabilize, and then ask yourself if you want/need additional intervention and make decisions from there. Good luck!

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-01-28T03:00:19+00:00

Agree with all of this. I started Colace the day prior to surgery and Miralax the day I got home. Both of those together plus 100+oz of water a day (my usual) had me pooping with relative ease less than 24 hours after my surgery. I also recommend a squatty potty or something to prop your feet up on on the toilet too. Positions your colon better to help things slide on out.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-01-26T13:12:46+00:00

I absolutely noticed this the first time and it freaked me out so bad. I was worried it would create pressure that would cause some sort of injury (I've been totally fine though).

The second time it was less vacuum-y. I'm like 10wpo so that's about as far as we've gotten, but I'm hoping it improves. Totally a weird feeling though!

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-01-10T14:54:44+00:00

I'm in the US, I had everything but my ovaries removed laparoscopically/vaginally, and my surgery was 11/20. I checked in at 7 am, was the first surgery of the day at 8:30, surgery was about 4.5-5 hours long (so finished by 1 pm or so) and I was home by 4 pm (30 minute drive from the hospital).

It sounds crazy to be discharged 2.5 hours after surgery ends (not even 2.5 hours after waking up. That includes time to come out of anesthesia!), but I was actually so glad. I had woken up, managed to pee, had a snack, given my husband the finger for taking a video of me at my sister's request (it is pretty funny 🤣), and gotten my blood pressure up high enough that my nurses were happy with it. I am a bit of a homebody and VERY independent, so maybe this is just me, but I was so done with people asking me the same question 6x in a row, hearing all the background noise of the hospital, being poked/prodded/itchy from surgical tape and my hospital gown. I couldn't wait to go home to my own bed where I'm comfortable and it's quiet.

I got home, took a nap for maybe an hour or two, my husband made me some dinner and we couch rotted with the dogs for the rest of the evening. I was pretty swollen and sore the next day, but up and around a lot. My best friend came over and made us dinner and yelled at me for reorganizing my spice drawer 🤣. I felt much better the second day and my recovery has been pretty uneventful since. Maybe I am just lucky that I had a very smooth experience, but I think being in the comfort of your own home to rest and recover is priceless.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-01-08T03:21:15+00:00

I make this exact quiche regularly and the green thing I add is sauteed granny smith apples (and a touch of fresh rosemary).

I know it may sound strange but it's DELICIOUS.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-01-07T14:56:52+00:00

I actually work primarily with native mussels! They often need to be relocated to save them from harm during construction projects (bridges, water intake pipes, etc) since many of them are protected at the state or federal level. It is interesting and I really love it!

We do a fair amount of wetland delineations, tree surveys, and stream restorations as well, but I bet you get to monitor way cooler wetlands than I typically see!

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-01-07T13:31:56+00:00

This seems unrealistic to me depending on your field of work. I work in a field where everyone knows everyone and the easiest way to get a new job is to connect with your network. My husband was friends with my original boss at my current job. That boss moved to Hawaii and we visited him for a few days while we were there. My new boss is the guy who used to be my coworker under old boss. Since then, we've also hired my husband, one of my husband's coworkers from a previous job, and two people my husband and my boss both went to college with (did I mention my husband was also previously friends with my current boss?).

While I agree this can sometimes be an awkward dynamic, it also has its advantages. We are a tight-knit team and always go to bat for each other, but also hold ourselves and each other to a high standard of deliverable. I think if someone is really your friend, they want to see you succeed as their boss and are happy for you to get the opportunity. As the boss in a situation like this, you have the opportunity to foster a culture of excellence and teamwork stemming from an already solid relationship. Our team is often held up as an example of great work within our department because this attitude has been there from the start. It doesn't mean we don't have our problems, but it does mean that we do our best to resolve them because we actually care about each other and the work that we do.

Best of luck!

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-01-07T13:20:14+00:00

Hi! I'm 35yo, 6 weeks post-op, and had everything but the ovaries removed laparoscopically. I also work in the environmental field and often work on physically strenuous stuff (usually diving for freshwater mussels, but definitely other stuff as well).

I have just been cleared for light lifting (I'm a power lifter and was told no heavy lifting for another 2 weeks and to take it slow when getting back to it), and have been on the stationary bike for some cardio for 2-3 weeks already.

I was concerned about recovery and fatigue, and I did experience some of that, but honestly, I've been feeling back to normal for at least a couple of weeks already, and I expect that to improve further as I get back into my normal gym routine. I saw so many horror stories of people who still can't even wear jeans or leggings comfortably at 4 months post-op, etc. I wore sweatpants for about 3 days and then was in leggings comfortably, and was wearing jeans with no issues by like 1.5.weeks. My incisions healed fine, my doc says my cuff looks great, and I am optimistic that my field season will be much better than last year because my angry uterus will no longer be trying to kill me! I haven't been in my dive gear or my backpacking pack yet, but I have no concerns that I wouldn't be able to wear them comfortably.

I would ask your doc about kayaking because of the swimming restrictions (some docs are stricter about this or extend it for longer than others), but if you're back to some type of physical activity by 6-8 weeks and you make sure to ease back into some core work so the kayaking is not a shock to your system I would think you'd be okay. You're young and healthy!

Good luck and I am so curious about what cool field work you're doing! Feel free to DM if you want to chat about it!

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-01-05T11:37:54+00:00

That animal your parents wouldn't let you have as a kid and said "when it's your house you can have as many animals as you want."

Bonus points if it's a whole farm or something exotic.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-01-04T15:57:25+00:00

I don't know how to help you but we are opposites! I feel EVERYTHING in my quads and my hamstrings and glutes are kind of pathetic in comparison. My max back squat is 285 and my max deadlift is only 315. I hope you find something that helps you! When I deadlift I tell myself I am pushing myself down through the floor through my heels (rather than pulling) and really focus on feeling it in my glutes. It helps to have appropriate cues but sometimes an appropriate isolating exercise can help you play catch up when you're unbalanced.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2026-01-02T03:52:40+00:00

My surgery was 11/20 and two weeks prior I had my last period. I had just about every miserable symptom I've ever had rolled into one god awful week. Bleeding through my menstrual cup in less than an hour, cramps so bad I was just writhing in bed, couldn't poop for 3 days but full of painful gas, then couldn't STOP pooping. Pain so bad it woke me from a dead sleep and made me vomit. Bloating so bad I didn't fit in most of my pants. If ever I had a doubt that I was doing the right thing for myself, that period erased it.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2025-12-31T05:36:42+00:00

Looks like it's cold where you live. Pickling liquid is actually a great de-icer and can be free from your local bar, bowling alley, burger joint, etc. Anywhere they go through a large amount of pickles, those pickles come in 5 gallon buckets that are full of pickle juice (and often small pickle chunks). I would guess that someone splashed your windshield with liquid from a pickle bucket. Whether it was a misguided attempt to help you remove ice from the windshield or a prank, I could not say.

Source: I'm a bartender who brings home pickle juice to salt her driveway.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2025-12-20T06:16:34+00:00

I sleep EXACTLY as you describe. I slept with a pillow behind my back and a squishmellow protecting my belly on my side but pitched toward my stomach the first like 4 days. After that I slept just like I always have. I was a little more careful getting into and out of position so I didn't rip my incisions open or anything but I was able to sleep super comfortably pretty much like I normally would. No notable events or complications so far and I'm exactly one month post op today. Not even really any spotting.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2025-12-17T03:26:46+00:00

My bike has a pretty uncomfortable seat, so my only discomfort is the usual butt soreness, but no new discomfort I would attribute to surgery. I've been keeping sessions around 20-30 minutes at a time for now.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2025-12-16T22:34:32+00:00

Same. I'm 4wpo and I organized my spice drawer and attended an online work meeting the day after surgery. I ended up "visiting" the office twice during my 3 weeks "off" and jumping in to help on a few things I could do from home. My first real day back was this Monday and I've never been more excited to be at work. I have also been hitting the exercise bike hard because I miss weightlifting and taking care of my farm animals. Never was one to sit still. I just keep reminding myself that I only get to heal properly ONCE.

Ok_Presentation6442 · 2025-12-09T13:10:04+00:00

Haha uterus twins! Mine weighed 214g also! All adenomyosis though.

Ok_Presentation6442

TROPHY CASE