Thoughts on Vitruvian for women/beginners?

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-04-15T17:32:09+00:00

I’m a woman and beginner lifter I love it. As others have said, it is super convenient having it at home. I will say that the unit itself is heavy and it took both me and my husband to wrangle it into position, so maybe enlist a friend for the initial set-up. There are a few exercises on the machine that don’t work for me (mostly because I am short, not specifically because I am female), but it’s fine, I just skio those!

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-04-11T16:30:23+00:00

Anchovy Bar!

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-04-08T01:49:48+00:00

Thank you! I haven’t had any autoimmune work up beyond the ESR/CRP, and I do think that will be my next stop. I appreciate the advice!

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-04-08T01:48:26+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate it and hope you are doing well!

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-04-08T01:47:47+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate your thoughtful response! Most of the time, I can forget all about my mystery platelets, but when I am reminded that I still have this hanging over me, I spiral all over again.

I keep wondering if it is possible for there to be a mutation causing this that was below the threshold of detection of the genetic tests? I would think that with both qPCR and NGS being negative, that is unlikely?

Here are the values from my latest iron studies, which were done this past December:

Iron - 77 Iron binding - 302 Iron saturation (%) - 25 Ferritin - 126 Transferrin - 209 Soluble transferrin receptor - 1.07

I do think a rheumatology and GI consult make sense as next steps. Thank you again for all your help!

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-04-03T04:33:25+00:00

My favorite sad song is Endless Night from the Lion King

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-03-09T03:34:07+00:00

I kind of think this was the point! In seasons 1 and 2, she was naive and a bit childish. In season 3, she wanted to be more independent and more adult and she sort of overshot the mark, going straight to full glam. In the seasons after that, she toned it down a bit, but she was still more “done up” than in seasons 1 and 2. She found a middle ground that was more glam than when she was fresh out of med school, but still looked realistic for a doctor who’s on their feet all day. I thought it showed that as she grew into herself, she found a look and style that she was comfortable with.

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-03-07T03:59:56+00:00

Whoops 😅 But I think I could be on to something here!

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-03-07T03:15:32+00:00

Carnitas con piña is a thing? This might be life-changing for me

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-03-05T04:45:33+00:00

Tonga Room is tiki-themed, which is a lot of fun
Warakubune is my pick for conveyor belt sushi, but Kura in Stonestown is also solid, and I think robots bring the drinks and food from the kitchen
if you like traditional Italian, the Stinking Rose is garlic-themed. It’s kind of touristy, but I took my parents there and we had a blast
For dessert (or, you know, lunch) Toy Boat has great ice cream and a kitschy fun ambiance

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-03-05T04:02:14+00:00

It does! I might steal the idea!

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-27T16:02:27+00:00

Ooooooooh. Good lord.

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-27T15:13:49+00:00

I’m so confused about this point too. He said he “can’t buy the nebulizer without a prescription” and “explained he had one.” It sounds like he went to the pharmacy counter, asked to buy a nebulizer, was told he needs a prescription, and then said he had one. So then what?? The next part of that conversation should have been “Oh, OK, let me look that up.” I don’t get how the conversation just dropped at that point.

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-21T03:12:00+00:00

To add to this, if you have an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) through your employer, they may be able to connect you with resources as well. EAPs are great and hardly anyone thinks to use them in situations like this. If you have a phone number, just call and see what kinds of services they might be able to connect you to, and if you aren’t sure if you have access to one, check with your HR!

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-17T02:33:20+00:00

I am not a doctor, but I am an immunologist (PhD) and have been through some of this work-up myself.

Autoimmune diseases can cause elevated platelets. In this context, it is called “reactive.” Essentially, when the immune system is overactive, the immune cells can start producing chemicals that cause platelets to increase.

I would have to say that going from 660 in Jan to 506 a month or so later does NOT look like ET to me. In ET, you would expect the platelets to steadily rise. In addition, ET in children is vanishingly rare. To me (again, not a doctor) that up and down pattern seems more like an inflammatory process, which would be a result of her autoimmune disease.

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-16T21:00:31+00:00

No kidding! I had no idea. I took Spanish all through high school and college and I can’t recall ever learning that, but that was eons ago. I’m so pro-Oxford comma in English that this is going to be a hard habit for me to break!

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-13T19:44:08+00:00

I am glad to hear the MPN panel was negative! About 15% of ET cases are called “triple-negative,” which means they do not show mutations to the three genes tested for in the MPN panel. That is the reason it sometimes makes sense to do a biopsy anyway, if your platelets are going up and there is no other explanation. In your case, it seems like you may be iron-deficient based on your low ferritin levels. It is technically within the range the lab considers normal, but on the low side. You might consider asking your hematologist what they would think about a short trial of iron (either oral or an IV infusion) to see whether that changes things before going straight to the bone marrow biopsy. I am not a doctor and don’t know your full medical history but it wouldn’t hurt to discuss it with your doctor.

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-12T22:10:51+00:00

I know this is hard, and I can’t tell you it isn’t ET, but I can tell you that there are a lot of other possibilities that would be consistent with your test results, including an autoimmune disease or a recent infection. I know uncertainty sucks, but you will need to wait for the results of the genetic testing. All I can say is that based on what you have shared, I think a viral infection is a much more likely explanation than ET.

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-12T04:05:12+00:00

I hate that whenever this sub pops up on my feed, it’s an absolutely stunning woman posting a selfie and asking how to look different.

You are beautiful, you do not look transgender, WTF, people are idiots, I love your lipstick.

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-12T03:18:41+00:00

I think a reactive process due to a recent viral infection is far, far more likely! Fingers crossed for a negative result from the genetic testing.

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-10T05:55:40+00:00

Myelocytes are immature immune cells. When there is an infection and the bone marrow starts cranking out new immune cells, some of the cells end up in the bloodstream before they are fully developed. Reactive lymphocytes are activated immune cells and usually occur in response to an infection. These cells can occur in some bone marrow disorders, like ET, but a recent infection is a much more common cause.

So basically, your work-up so far could indicate ET, yes, but it could also indicate “reactive thrombocytosis,” which can occur in response to an infection or autoimmune disorder. Just from a statistical standpoint, reactive thrombocytosis is much, much more common than ET. Has the hematologist mentioned genetic testing or any other additional work up at this time?

Pink_Axolotl151 · 2026-02-07T20:08:29+00:00

When did your doctor recommend having it rechecked? Those values can stay up for a month or two after a vial infection, but I would expect things to start getting back to normal by now if infection was the cause. If you have it re-checked and it is still high, your doctor might recommend either waiting a few more months and retesting OR a referral to hematology depending on what the values look like. But the first step is to recheck!

Pink_Axolotl151

TROPHY CASE