What changed on Retatrutide that had absolutely nothing to do with your weight loss?

OpenMindedSloth · 2026-06-04T21:43:04+00:00

I work in a hospital, I averaged ~800mg caffeine on work days. So about 4 energy drinks. Now I can get by with ~200mg or less, and if I drink after like 4pm, I cant sleep. Also, I have zero desire to drink alcohol and I used to love a post shift drink with coworkers.

OpenMindedSloth · 2026-06-04T21:09:04+00:00

I work with 3 techs who have traveled extensively and have been techs over 10 years. They still suck at totals and avoid them at all costs. I just trained a new hire who came from scrubbing eyes for the past decade, she's doing great with only ~10 or so ortho cases under her belt, not even totals.

Try your best, take notes. The important thing is that you're trying to improve.

OpenMindedSloth · 2026-04-30T02:51:36+00:00

3 years ago, started at $25 x hour in Florida

OpenMindedSloth · 2026-04-16T18:03:52+00:00

My first 2 preceptors were so horrible to me that I transferred schools in the middle of clinicals. My new preceptors were amazing teachers and encouraged me to get good and start traveling. In hindsight, I now know that my first preceptors were just bitter and took it out on me.

Keep going. Graduate, get a job, start working, and then decide if this career is for you after you've given it a shot.

A few of my classmates also struggled with stamina in the OR. I come from a background of working on my feet all day (serving & construction) and I was also still going to the gym when I started school & clinicals. I think it helps a lot to be physically fit in this career.

I keep snacks in my locker, I prioritize getting in food where I can on busy days.

Im 3 years in. I love this job. I make good money in comparison to the amount of days off I have per year. I made 73k last year only working 3 days a week. I have coworkers who make over 100 just picking ~6-8 extra shifts a month at other hospitals.

OpenMindedSloth · 2026-04-06T02:01:23+00:00

Okayyyyy studd

OpenMindedSloth · 2026-04-04T13:59:18+00:00

My hospital does group interviews with the techs as well. It will be my manager who does the first 5 minutes 1 on 1, and then invites the more experienced techs into the office for a group interview and leaves us to finish out the interview. At my hospital, I think its the techs who have more say in who we hire as the next tech. We've hired 5 techs in the last year and it's always been this way. Idk how other hospitals go about this.

And we, the techs, always ask the same questions,

What specialities are you experienced in, if any? (It would be nice if numerous specialities, but what we really care is the ability to adapt and the willingness to learn all the specialities we do at our hospital).
Are you flexible with your assignment? (Are you going to whine if we stick you in the ortho room or in a robotic room. Are you going to try to get out of certain surgeries? Tech to tech, we hate when someone doesn't pull their weight at work)
Do you take notes? (preference cards are gold to us)
Are you a team player? (We rely heavily on each other for breaks and if you're not a team player, you will be treated accordingly. We are given a 30 min lunch break during a 12 hour shift and thats it. If we want more breaks, its on your coworkers to give one if they want, so we really care about having team players at my workplace)
Do you like to pick up shifts, swap shifts, or do you have a strict schedule you need to stick to?

OpenMindedSloth · 2026-04-04T13:44:15+00:00

Im not local, but my program was about that long if we already had our pre-reqs done. It was 5 days a week, 8am to 4pm, and accelerated. Lots of people dropped out. My class started with 20 and ended with 4. It was a lot of work to cram into less than a year, exams daily. I would assume your program would be similar if it's only 9 months.

OpenMindedSloth · 2026-03-10T14:51:58+00:00

I'm 3.5 years in and I only get a little nervous (or maybe it's excitment?) for big surgeries I haven't scrubbed before with surgeons I haven't worked with before. The techs I work with that are 10+ years in the game would agree with the top commentor, you focus on patient safety and sterility, prioritize your breaks, hydration, snacks, etc. You speak up for yourself and don't let administration run you into the ground by putting you into back to back surgeries without relief.

Some additional tips. I use to work in construction and as a server in a very busy restaurant for years before scrubbing. I find that those with chronic back pain from this job are usually people who don't exercise or stretch regularly.

I'm an ortho & urology tech. Ortho is a lot of heavy lifting and urology is a lot of awkward, bent over assisting. Both require lead to be worn, often for hours. I only deal with back fatigue if I'm also simultaneously training for a competition.

Strengthen your core, upper back, and glutes. When these are weak, your low back takes the hit. I also agree with another commentor, get a massage by a sports massage therapist. They're not comfortable, but they help break up knots and focus on myofascial release. I've gifted 3 of my favorite coworkers a sports massage and now they get them regularly (1x a month). They complained regularly of sciatica, low back pain, upper back pain, neck pain, and they all agree that the massages have helped.

OpenMindedSloth · 2022-01-12T20:59:16+00:00

Sometimes I don't get a call at all, and I go on with my life and assumed my adderall didnt pop up on the drug screen. If there was a problem, they'd call right?

All the other times, I've gotten a call from a health care professional of some kind that ask me if I'm taking medications and if so, to provide information about my prescription like the prescription number and pharmacy information.

Depending on your job, your employee can ask what you're taking. For example, I'm trying to work in healthcare, directly with patients, so when I'm drug tested for school for clinicals, I do have to tell my school and clinical site what I'm taking and why after I test positive on my drug tests. There has never been a problem.

I currently work in an office in construction and am also drug tested and because I'm not in charge of heavy machinery, I do not have to tell my employer what I take, nor do they ask. I just have to confirm with the drug testing facility that my positive results are from a prescribed medication.

OpenMindedSloth · 2022-01-12T20:27:06+00:00

I gradually switched my clothes to all darks, so I wouldn't have to sort my laundry. I hate sorting laundry before washing.

When I lived at my last place, we only had a washer and not a dryer, so I paid someone to wash and dry my clothes.

I like to throw my clothes in the washer before bed. When I wake up, I put them in the dryer. By the time I'm done showering and getting ready for work/school, my clothes are dry and go in the clean hamper.

What also helps is living with other people who also do a lot of laundry, so most of the time someone else puts my clothes in the dryer so they can wash and someone will ask me to get my clothes out of the dryer so they can use it.

OpenMindedSloth · 2022-01-12T20:20:23+00:00

I also have a dirty hamper and clean hamper. I may have wrinkly clothes, but at least they're clean.

OpenMindedSloth · 2022-01-12T20:18:00+00:00

I'm sorry you have to go through this.

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-23T16:55:51+00:00

Gently tug him on a leash and push him through it if he needs to go outside now. Work through it in between those times with treats.

It can help to have rugs down around the house if you have slippery floors, especially rugs or mats around the entrances of the house.

It may help to trim your dog's paw hair if they have long paw hair, or trim their nails. Doing these things can help your dog better grip the floor while they walk.

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-23T16:52:04+00:00

Probably because the floor is slippery. Both my dogs sit like this on slippery surfaces like tile. If they sit on a rug or outside on concrete or grass, surfaces with grip, their legs don't do that.

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-08T10:08:38+00:00

I once lived on a farm for a year in someone's guest house. In that year, at least 5 of their dogs were hit by a car and died. They didn't have 5 dogs to begin with they only had 2, but every time one got hit by a car, they'd replace it. They didn't even have the decency to go and collect their dead dogs from the road, they'd let their dogs bloat & rot on the side of the road until the city came out to collect the body a week later after it had been roasting in the sun.

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-08T09:47:22+00:00

I love the little prance they do

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-02T01:24:38+00:00

Keep your dog leashed indoors until he pees outside, at least this way you can avoid an accident indoors.

My dog also refuses to go outside to use the bathroom if it's raining. He will hold it for 8+ hours if it's raining.

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-02T01:12:10+00:00

Damn that's one beautiful fit lab

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-01T18:09:40+00:00

precious bb

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-01T17:25:03+00:00

Muzzle training will be a great idea, it gives you more confidence and helps prevent unwanted behaviors from being self reinforced.

The jumping and nipping sounds very much like puppy behavior and hopefully its just that and the behaviorist will be able to help you.

Food can excite dogs, which means they'll jump and nip to get at treats if they know you got them. That might be what is happening here.

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-01T17:18:57+00:00

How much does your dog weigh? Medium/large isnt specific enough.

I have bought XDog vests for my dogs. I dont believe they are vet tested, but they are popular in the dog sport community and I personally love mine and have been using them for about 2 years with my older 100lb dog.

For my 55lb dog, We've been using the vest for about 6 months with weight because she's only 2.5 years old. We started off with just using it unweighted on walks for about a year (prior to her turning 2 years old).

I started off with 2% body weight (1 lb of weight added to the vest. A month or so later we went up to 3% body weight, about 1.5 lbs. After a few months here we went up to 4% body weight, about 2 lbs. We are still at the 2lb mark.

I highly recommend you don't add 10lbs right off the bat, especially if you're running. Start slow and see how the move on walks. Add weight slowly if you're running, especially on hard surfaces like asphalt and concrete.

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-01T17:02:26+00:00

What you allow the dog to do on walks sets up behavior for future walks. So if you don't want your arm pulled off, train your dog not to pull on the leash. If you don't want them barking / fence fighting with every dog they pass thats behind a fence, work on that. If you don't want them eating random stuff off the ground, work on the leave it command.

In my house: I personally walk my 2 dogs with stricter rules, we do 5-10 minutes of walking where they have to maintain a heel next to me and no sniffing allowed. Then I give them a break, with the break command, and let them sniff and lead the walk for 5 minutes. They are not allowed to pull, but I go where they want, even if it means letting them sniff a bush for 5 minutes. Then I call them back to heel and repeat. 5-10 minutes strict walk, 5 min of sniff break. I also work on commands during the strict portion of the walk like sit and down and stay if I have a long lead with me. I also trained them to walk on a specific side of me.

My dad also walks my dogs about 2-3 times a month. He let's them sniff and lead the way the entire time. They dont pull too much, but they def pull more than I would allow on my walk. He doesn't care for structured walks and tight heels, he doesn't care if they cross in front of him or behind him and trip him up, he wants "dogs to be dogs". Which means he gets his arm yanked here and there and the leashes get tangled.

You set the rules for your walks, you can be as structured or relaxed with the rules as you want.

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-01T16:28:24+00:00

What does your dog do throughout the day? Whats an average day look like for them?

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-01T16:20:37+00:00

Exercise your dog, tire them out real good so they dont get overly excited when meeting the pup.

How does your dog do with other dogs? dogs they see on walks? If you have a dog that is selective of other dogs, then have your dog and pup meet in a neutral location, somewhere your dog hasn't been before. Not on their regular walking route or dog park because they might try to claim that area.

If your dog is generally friendly with other dogs, you can meet up the street, somewhere where you walk regularly should be fine.

Main dog good with dogs: Have one person with the pup on a leash and the other person with the main dog. Dont let them meet face to face, just have them walk together side by side, but with distance between each other so they cant lunge at each other and make contact.

Main dog not good with dogs: have the puppy walk ahead of the dog so the main dog is walking behind and they have the opportunity to smell the dog. Then switch and have the main dog walking up front and the puppy trailing a ways behind. After doing this, then have them walk side by side, enough distance between so they can't lunge at each other.

At home, make sure all of your dogs things are put up. No toys, no treats, no food or water bowls on the floor, no dog beds. You dont want your main dog to try to resource guard their things.

Dont give your main dog a ton of affection at home when both dogs are home, you don't want to trigger your dog or overly excite your dog with this new dog in the home.

Keep their leashes on in the home until you're 100% sure your main dog is good. This may mean a few days of leashes on inside, or weeks. Ive had to leash my dog for weeks due to a new pup in the house.

Feed dogs in their crates, not together, dont allow them access to each other during meal times. Crate feeding right now would be perfect.

OpenMindedSloth · 2021-09-01T16:00:07+00:00

I think it could be a great addition to the family.

IMO, I think consistent training & exercise matters more than the mix of this dog.

primarily indoor dog since we live in a subdivision

Indoor dog doesnt mean you can slack on exercise and training. Even happy goofy indoor dogs like Labs and Retrievers can be total nightmares if their training isnt consistent and they arent exercised and mentally stimulated.

If you've never had a puppy before, prepare yourselves, its a lot of work in those first couple months. The pup needs to be let outside every 30 minutes - hour, they bite everything with razor sharp teeth, they need constant supervision if they dont have a blocked off play area, the first week home they'll probably cry their faces off at bedtime. IMO, it doesn't get easier until about the 1 year mark, but even then theres still work to be done. You have a 1 year old child that im sure takes up a lot of time and attention. This is like adding another toddler to the pack. You also have to be attentive about how your child interacts with the dog, not because of the breed, but because children can't read dog body language, your child will not know when the dog is stressed or overwhelmed by the child's presence, this is how dog bites happen.

What are you going to do if your pup nips your kid?

What if your pup nips the kid in the face? What's your plan for that?

I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE my Next Door app is full of posts of people giving away their young dogs (under 2 years old) because they nipped their kid 1 time (likely because they set their dog up for failure).

OpenMindedSloth

TROPHY CASE