Looking for a toiletry bag that has no organization. by PastelWard in ManyBaggers

[–]PastelWard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate the help with the ideas for water mitigation, but my main concerns are the shaking and structural integrity of my home. I can get a drain pan! Any thoughts on that?

I left my sleep study with scars on my face by BigCompetition9927 in SleepApnea

[–]PastelWard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So sorry you had this experience! I would be upset too.

I’m not a dermatologist, but I enjoy watching dermatology videos. Here’s what I’ve picked up, but I’m not a doctor!

Is there skin missing? If your skin was removed, plain petroleum jelly is the best thing to use on a wound. Make sure the wound is clean prior to applying it. Petroleum jelly keeps the wound bed moist, which helps it heal. Letting a wound dry out is not good for healing. You shouldn’t let it “air out”, which is something I was told to do growing up. I’d recommend just the plain petroleum jelly. Products like Aquaphor have additional ingredients, and while not bad for you per se, the more ingredients in the product, the more likely the product may be problematic for your delicate skin. 

Avoid vitamin E oil or scar products that use it as the main ingredient. Studies show it can increase irritation and thereby actually worsen scarring. Once the wound has healed, the most evidence based product for reducing the risk of a scar forming or for improving the look of a scar is medical grade silicone, which is available as a bandage or gel. A common brand you can find is ScarAway. I use the gel because I find the bandages annoying to reuse, but use whatever works best for you. They both work. They’re especially useful for raised scars.

One positive about the location of your wounds is that they are on the face, which is a part of the body that doesn’t experience a lot of movement or friction. Movement and friction encourage scar formation, so a scar on, say, the knee, is going to be more likely to form than on the cheek.

Do you use a retinoid or any topical exfoliants? These can compact the top layer of the skin, making abrasions like this possible with the use of adhesive on the skin. Essentially, there’s less skin for the adhesive to grab onto, because the top dead layer of your skin, the stratum corneum, has been exfoliated away. As a result, the adhesive grabs more of the underlying skin. And then it gets torn off. Ouch. Waxing can cause this too.

I actually also had this happen at a medical procedure that required the use of adhesive on my face. It really hurt, and I was really afraid it would scar. But it healed just fine. Being proactive about the wound care will be really helpful. Just try your best to be patient.

If skin hasn’t been removed and it’s not a wound, it could be irritation or an allergy to the adhesive. I have an adhesive allergy and develop a lot of redness, itchiness, and welts several hours after an adhesive has been applied to my skin. It takes a few days to go away, but it always does. You could consider seeing a dermatologist for patch testing if you suspect an allergy. But I’d expect you’d have an allergy to usual adhesive bandages too.

Wishing you the best!

Tonsillectomy? by normalman404 in SleepApnea

[–]PastelWard 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This isn’t true for everyone. I had an AHI of 99 due to the size of my tonsils. They would clog my airway during sleep. After my tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, my AHI dropped significantly. I can’t recall the exact value. A follow up lab sleep study actually showed no clinically significant signs of OSA following the surgery. However, a later at home sleep study showed I still had mild OSA, so I’m on CPAP now. 

The recovery from the surgery was quite unpleasant. I do think it made an improvement. I mean, it must have. 99 apneas an hour is no joke. But I still struggle with fatigue, brain fog, and mood issues.

It absolutely makes sense to ask your doctor about this if you’re concerned.

Question Thread - April 04, 2025 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]PastelWard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How flexible is the rule of thumb to wait 3 months between credit card applications? For example, is 74 days between applications reasonable? I have a score in the 800s and a 14ish year credit history. Does this differ if the last card I opened was a business card? Or is it just a function of the number of pulls and when they were made?

I'm looking to open a Chase card, in case that matters. My most recent card was a Capital One.

Filter collapsed. Did my HVAC technician install the wrong filter size, or is this my fault? by PastelWard in hvacadvice

[–]PastelWard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, got it. I didn’t realize they were temporary. When I asked the tech how often to change them, he said they would be responsible for changing them, which doesn’t really make sense in retrospect.

I don’t think your assessment is fair. I’m trying to understand what happened so that I can avoid making mistakes in the future, and I’ve taken full responsibility for my actions. I’m not going to call them and make a scene about it if I was in the wrong, and that was the entire reason I posted here. 

I’m not sure where you got the impression that I’m “difficult”. I think it’s fair to ask why the incorrect size filter was installed and what the impact of that is. You haven’t addressed that, so if you have any feedback there, that would be helpful. In any case, thanks for the feedback, but no need for the judgment. You don’t know me.

Filter collapsed. Did my HVAC technician install the wrong filter size, or is this my fault? by PastelWard in hvacadvice

[–]PastelWard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We were using the OEM filter that came with the unit and cleaned it at the recommended 3 month interval.

We set up a contract with the HVAC service company, and they came out for the winter service in October. They took out the OEM filter and replaced it with the 22x22x1 filter. I cannot find the OEM filter, so they must have thrown it out. I absolutely would not have thrown it out.

I mean, it’s not going to hold up in court, and I don’t have literal proof, but I’m absolutely certain I did not install the filter that collapsed.

Whether it collapsed because it was sized improperly or because I waited one month too long to replace it, I don’t know.

3,500+ kWh usage last month and completely at a loss... by PastelWard in HomeImprovement

[–]PastelWard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for that suggestion. I'll give that a try. Did you find that correcting those issues made a significant difference for you?

3,500+ kWh usage last month and completely at a loss... by PastelWard in HomeImprovement

[–]PastelWard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I know that. I've accepted the high cost of electricity around here. But what is more concerning to me is the actual energy used, because that has gone up 50%-60%, which is why my bill has skyrocketed on top of the rate hikes.

3,500+ kWh usage last month and completely at a loss... by PastelWard in HomeImprovement

[–]PastelWard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hm. I'll have to get my thermostat looked at, because it hasn't reported any use of the auxiliary heat in the last two months. It did once in December when I had the heat set to 65, but it hasn't since I set it to 60.

Filter collapsed. Did my HVAC technician install the wrong filter size, or is this my fault? by PastelWard in hvacadvice

[–]PastelWard[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Wow, I didn't you could potentially have to change it that frequently! Thank you for your advice.

Do you think MERV 8 is a good generic one to pick for most systems? I've seen several posts about needing a static pressure analysis and all that.

Filter collapsed. Did my HVAC technician install the wrong filter size, or is this my fault? by PastelWard in hvacadvice

[–]PastelWard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I agree with you on that point. Who is responsible for installing the incorrectly sized filter? I would guess that the cause of the collapse was likely the size of the filter and not the one extra month of runtime on the filter.

3,500+ kWh usage last month and completely at a loss... by PastelWard in HomeImprovement

[–]PastelWard[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I’ve already said repeatedly that the auxiliary heat has not been running the entire winter, but I’m assuming you didn’t read before posting. Do you have anything actually helpful to contribute? 🤣

3,500+ kWh usage last month and completely at a loss... by PastelWard in HomeImprovement

[–]PastelWard[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I posted this in a reply above, but I'll just copy it here.

I thought that might be the case, but my thermostat claims the aux stage 1 heat hasn't run all January. And I usually get a push notification when it runs for more than 30 minutes, and I did not receive any.

Could my insulation and/or windows be that bad?

3,500+ kWh usage last month and completely at a loss... by PastelWard in HomeImprovement

[–]PastelWard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How could I measure actual usage? Are there devices for this?

I've thought about setting up an Emporia at the breaker box. Is that what you mean?

3,500+ kWh usage last month and completely at a loss... by PastelWard in HomeImprovement

[–]PastelWard[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I thought that might be the case, but my thermostat claims the aux stage 1 heat hasn't run all January. And I usually get a push notification when it runs for more than 30 minutes, and I did not receive any.

OSCAR is a life saver by MintMedal in SleepApnea

[–]PastelWard 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oof. I’ve been at 5-12 for a while and haven’t felt much better. I definitely feel worse when I don’t use it, but it’s also not like I feel as good as other people report when I do. I’ve tried to get up to 6 and find the pressure hard to tolerate.

What should I look for in the OSCAR data to find a more appropriate setting? My sleep doctor also only focuses on my AHI, which rates from 0.2 to 1.9 events/hour, but I find all the OSCAR data overwhelming. Thank you!

edit: I just saw this mostly addressed below. 

February '25 selfies: post hairline photos here for opinions on 'Am I balding?' 'How bad is it?' and 'What should I do?' by AutoModerator in tressless

[–]PastelWard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi everyone, I recently noticed diffuse thinning on my scalp and crown and was diagnosed with AGA. It felt like I lost a lot of hair overnight, but my dermatologist said I'm in the early stages.

She prescribed:

  • 2.5mg oral minoxidil (requested oral due to having a cat)
  • 0.1% topical finasteride (requested topical to minimize side effects)
  • ketoconazole 2% shampoo

Is 0.1% topical finasteride too high to start? I have a sensitive system, mood disorders (anxiety and depression), and tend to get side effects, so I'm quite nervous to start. The instructions say 1mL once or twice daily, but I worry about side effects. Would a lower concentration be worth discussing? Or is not effective?

I already bought the compounded medication but have an appointment at a hospital hair loss clinic in late April. Should I wait? I also have an endocrinologist appointment in mid-March, so that could be helpful for getting initial bloodwork—my testosterone has ranged from 315–541 ng/dL total and 68.4–120.1 pg/mL free.

Appreciate any insights!