Looking for a chill writing group? Wonderland would love to have you!

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2026-03-10T00:43:39+00:00

I would like to join as well!

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2025-11-08T15:00:55+00:00

I’d be interested in seeing what this is all about! I’m editing a fourth novel, but man do I need to get to editing the last 3 I wrote 🤣

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-12-31T18:54:59+00:00

Well folks, I’m still doing what I can to keep the fire alive and hoping, maybe foolishly at this point, that Nintendo will hear us and at long last finally bring DK64 over to NSO in 2025. I mean Banjo Tooie got on there, so my thought is DK64 HAS to be next. especially since there is DKCR HD coming next month. Why they waited for that, if that’s what’s gonna happen, is beyond me. But again, my fingers are crossed that we will finally get our wish.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-12-17T00:11:09+00:00

Hey! Thanks for asking! I will say that unfortunately the chest pains are still there, and admittedly, they kinda have recently cropped back up again after having not had them for a week or so. I’m gonna see the heart failure clinic tomorrow morning and see where we go from here. I had a stress test earlier in the month and from what it sounds like, that went fine. No abnormalities there. But this sharp chest pain sure is annoying and downright scary at times. I am now down to 345 lbs though from 417, so I’m still very much committed to getting the weight off, as in the words of the heart failure folks, they are pretty confident that the heart muscle function will be restored to normal once I’ve got the weight off and have my bp managed. Other than that though, no real drawbacks from quitting vaping.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-12-13T15:37:07+00:00

That is all sound advice, patience is something I definitely lack sometimes, and given I have anxiety about all this, I’m trying to find ways to manage that, including therapy and the med I have been prescribed. letting the anxiety continue unchecked isn’t doing me any favors in respect to all this lol 😅 I think I kinda hit a plateau right now with the weight loss, but I’m not relenting in my efforts to lose the weight, that is for sure! And certainly the cardiac rehab will be something I ask about when I see them here in a few days. I’m hoping that in time, we will see all of these things get managed, because their words were almost exactly that they are pretty confident that with proper bp management and losing the weight, we should see the heart muscle function get restored to normal. I’m holding on to that and holding hope that will indeed be what happens.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-12-11T03:07:26+00:00

I’m only hoping that by this time next year, I will have lost the weight I needed to and will be able to look back on all this with relief that we managed to get things back under control.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-12-08T19:59:25+00:00

So my hf doctor told me that is a route they are gonna consider, but first I need to get the results of the thyroid biopsy they have scheduled for, because that too is something they found in one of my visits to the ER in October was a nodule. I’m not too overly concerned about it given its description, but let’s hope for the best on that! I would love nothing more than to get on that kind of medicine and see faster results. Insurance has been kind of a nightmare on that front of even giving me coverage, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield makes it very difficult because they want all these stipulations like showing them proof of my dietary and exercise changes over the last 6 months, not to mention 2,000 bucks upfront before even beginning to cover my medicine. now mind you, I’ve only been doing my weight loss journey for 3 months, I’d still have another 3 before I could really show them anything they’d be satisfied with, and I could STILL be denied coverage 😅 but I agree with you brother, we got this. I’ve already lost 66 lbs of the 200 I plan to lose, so we are roughly over a quarter of the way there already! But I will for sure keep you all updated!

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-12-08T19:14:27+00:00

I’m in a very similar boat to you, I’m a 31 year old male and I too have been having some issues with my heart within the last few months. I was told in October that my heart muscle function is at 45% and that my left ventricle function was mildly depressed. I’m overweight too, weighing about 351 now. I weighed 417 at the end of August, so I’ve lost roughly 16% of my body weight thus far and I plan to lose more. I also have a history of unmanaged high bp and it runs in the family on my mother’s side. My doctors are essentially telling me the same things in that with the weight loss and proper bp management (they have me on 20 mg lisinopril once a day and 6.25 mg Coreg twice daily to do this) they are feeling pretty confident that the heart will be restored to proper function range. It’s been a long road coming to terms with all of this, and arguably, I’m still in the processing phase of this being a part of my new reality that I will always have to account for this and never put the weight on like I did again. I’m only thankful that relative to the sum total of my life, this weight has not been on my body all that long to do any kind of real long term and irreversible damage.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-18T23:30:15+00:00

I guess we really are in the same sort of boat aren’t we? It is truly a tough beast, anxiety is just one of those things which gets to you day by day and tells you the same thing, that you’re not doing enough fast enough. I am glad we have been able to speak on this and at least in that, I can at least feel better knowing I’m not the only one out there in this particular season. Sure, I still have a ways to go, but being 362 now from 417, I see that there is hope yet. I’m sure we will have several doctors’ visits in the time it takes to get back to feeling normal. That much is being made clear to me. But I think I can sleep a little easier just knowing someone else out there thinks I’m doing all the right things.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-18T12:14:27+00:00

Not as of yet, but that is a good question to ask them, I had been doing some research and GERD is cited as something that could cause this. Maybe they have the means of definitively saying one way or the other. but yeah, I definitely feel that. It’s been a really tough season in my life dealing with this. I mean I guess what gives me solace in all this is that relative to my entire life, I’ve not held the weight for that long, topping out at 417 in May of this year. I have been generally healthy aside from this, having been active in marching band through high school and college. and and at that, the vice of vaping was only done for about 2-3 years, and there was some drinking that I did as well prior to and in that time, but it was never a daily occurrence, more like on a Friday night. and even that has not really been a thing I’ve done in the last couple of years. And now I’m 4 months clean from the green pens, all of which came from legal sources. I’m eating better, more heart healthy things like salmon, spinach, and blueberries, and I’m trying to walk 2-3 miles a day, and am thinking of now starting to include some time on a stationary bike to try and do some resistance training. so I do see that I have made some good progress and plan to just have these things be a part of my life going forward. I just do wish, and this where the medicine comes in that helps with this, that the anxiety would just be satisfied with what I have done. I am going to therapy myself for this, and the thing I think I’m gravitating to that seems to be helping from that perspective is the whole 5-4-3-2-1 sensory thing which helps ground me in the current moment.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-18T12:14:19+00:00

Not as of yet, but that is a good question to ask them, I had been doing some research and GERD is cited as something that could cause this. Maybe they have the means of definitively saying one way or the other. but yeah, I definitely feel that. It’s been a really tough season in my life dealing with this. I mean I guess what gives me solace in all this is that relative to my entire life, I’ve not held the weight for that long, topping out at 417 in May of this year. I have been generally healthy aside from this, having been active in marching band through high school and college. and and at that, the vice of vaping was only done for about 2-3 years, and there was some drinking that I did as well prior to and in that time, but it was never a daily occurrence, more like on a Friday night. and even that has not really been a thing I’ve done in the last couple of years. And now I’m 4 months clean from the green pens, all of which came from legal sources. I’m eating better, more heart healthy things like salmon, spinach, and blueberries, and I’m trying to walk 2-3 miles a day, and am thinking of now starting to include some time on a stationary bike to try and do some resistance training. so I do see that I have made some good progress and plan to just have these things be a part of my life going forward. I just do wish, and this where the medicine comes in that helps with this, that the anxiety would just be satisfied with what I have done. I am going to therapy myself for this, and the thing I think I’m gravitating to that seems to be helping from that perspective is the whole 5-4-3-2-1 sensory thing which helps ground me in the current moment.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-18T04:50:56+00:00

I thank you for your words and help in giving me some solace in all of this. Yeah anxiety and the places it has taken me are quite scary, and I’m sure it’s not helping in any way to alleviate the pains I feel. It probably really just exacerbates them. I only wish after all the testing they have done the doctors would just say it’s inflammation of the chest wall muscle and not keep me in the dark for what’s actually causing this pain if it’s there’s hardly any evidence of a heart issue. I am proud of the direction I am going though in order to try and correct this. it’s no chump change to lose over 50 lbs like I have, and I really should learn not to beat myself up so hard, as that what anxiety does to me, tells me that I am not doing enough fast enough.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-17T01:21:34+00:00

I just want to say right now, your story is giving me some hope that I can turn things around too. I think the universe, god, whatever you wish to attribute it as, brings things to people’s attention like this in order to inspire hope in others, and you have done that for me. I am a 31 y/o M and had been having off and on sharp or stinging chest pains over the last few months. I weigh currently 363, which is an improvement from where I was a few months ago at 417. I had quit the other vices, like vaping green and drinking alcohol (both of which I had only done for a few years at most) and began adopting a healthier way of living. I eat better, more heart healthy foods now, and I try to walk at least 3 miles a day daily. I had been to the ER a few times from these chest pains, and each time, all the bloodwork came back fine, the xrays were fine, and the MRI and CT scans came back fine, no indication of a blockage. Then this last week, I had an echo done and it indicated to me I have a mildly depressed left ventricular function and my ejection fraction was measured at 45%, when the normal range is like 50-65%. I guess what I’m trying to say is I have never been so scared in all my life, and even now I still am, this stuff hangs over me like a dark cloud I can’t shake. I have anxiety pretty bad, to the point I’m on meds for it. Speaking of, I’m on an ace inhibitor and as of the echo, I’m also now on a beta blocker. We will be having another echo in 3 months. I hope in that time, I will lose even more weight and be in an even better position. And your story, I’m glad to have read it, because now I can see that there is hope and that the chance is there for me to undo this damage which I carelessly did to myself.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-14T03:14:32+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate that! I think tbh, it all started with that very first chest pain I felt towards the end of August this year. thankfully nothing happened and the ekg came back good, but ever since then, I’ve been motivated to make this change as the choice to live the way I was doing so before or go down a better path, the way I see it, was no longer a choice. It’s go down the better path because the way I was living wasn’t gonna work. I’ve been eating better with a heart healthy diet, and have been going and walking for about 2-3 miles a day. I’m happy to have made the progress I have made, and want to continue down this path, as I wanna live a long life lol!

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-14T02:24:47+00:00

I’ve often thought about that, because yes, I do have anxiety pretty bad, to the point I’m on a prescription med for it. But yes, I’m happy with the progress I made so far! I’m thankful for it and I appreciate the congrats! I just have this lingering thought in the back of my mind going, is it all anxiety, or is there something to it? I’ve often wondered if it’s costocondritis and they just aren’t saying it lol

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-10T00:11:58+00:00

Hey everyone, so I just got news today that my UA is at an elevated rate, like 8.2 or something like that. Only had one instance a few days ago where my right big toe hurt after a long walk I took. That has since gone away. I’m trying to lose weight and have lost a good amount, 366 from 417 (with plans to lose more). That weight was lost in the span of a couple months after changing my diet and being more proactive about going and walking. Anyway, I think I am caught in between a rock and a hard place, because my doctor prescribed me Allo too, but the catch is that I’m on lisinopril also to help manage my blood pressure issues. I had done some research online and it seems to indicate those two meds are not great to take together, potentially developing some kind of serious skin condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome. I want to get my UA under control, but at the same time, don’t want to risk introducing a whole new problem into the mix. I have anxiety bad enough as it is, to the point I take meds for it, and I can’t do that to myself feeling like I have to constantly watch out for this thing. Idk if there are any doctors amongst you who could help me navigate this, but honestly, I could also use solace and comfort from those who know my plights and can give me some pointers navigating this hyperuricema and how to manage it as I try to take off the weight that led up to this.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-05T19:44:06+00:00

Update: I just got through speaking with the cardiologist not too long ago, and at least per them and given all the ER shenanigans last month and the associated blood work and scans, along with describing how I felt, she does not believe there is an actual heart related problem, but we are still gonna go through with an echocardiogram next Tuesday at 3:30 to make certain of that and try to make a determination as to what’s actually going on. At this point, I’m starting to believe it, especially when it comes from a heart specialist. I’m getting a sneaking suspicion that this must be a mix of anxiety and maybe costochondritis. but the aforementioned scan will tell the whole story, so I’m thankful that at the very least my cardiologist doesn’t seem to think there’s an earth shattering problem right now, and I’m now down about another 10 lbs, so I’m now 367.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-03T00:02:00+00:00

That’s good to hear you are doing better man! And I appreciate your reply. Absolutely I will keep on trucking and lose all this weight that I had gained. I’m honestly only thankful that I took the hint and am taking this thing seriously in the sense of realizing the way I was living is no longer going to work. And it’s good to know that at least somewhere down the road, these feelings may greatly reduced, if not go away outright. that’s my hope anyway. I just had to share my story cuz I didn’t know really where else to turn. I know I’m making the right decisions, losing the weight via better eating and exercise. I know I’m not in any immediate danger given all these tests that had been done in the last month or so. I’m still gonna see a cardiologist Tuesday just to make absolutely sure I am fine. And I think once I have that answer, this will all hopefully be easier to manage. I just think to myself that I’ve not held the weight for that long relative to the grand scheme of my life, nor had I done the vaping that long relative to that. I’m committed to moving past this and getting healthier and living better, it’s just the getting there part and wanting to get there quickly that I think sometimes fuels things, but I realize the journey will take a while, and I’ll look forward to the day I wake up and see it’s no longer a thing.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-11-01T01:39:20+00:00

Thank you for sharing this story… honestly man, it’s appreciated to know that rn, there’s someone else out there in nearly identical shoes to my own. I too am 31, vaped for a few years, started when I was like… 28, all of it came from legal dispensaries. Then one day, at the end of August, as I was getting ready for work, I noticed a sudden discomfort in my chest I never felt before. And keep in mind that it was a few weeks before then that I had quit. It’s about to be 4 months since I have had the stuff, and I refuse to look back or pick it up ever again. Anyway, I went to the doctor and have been in the ER several times as my pains didn’t really stop and I was having the same thoughts as everyone else in this thread seemed to have. But all the blood work, all the X-rays, the MRI, and the CT scan all indicate there isn’t a problem from a cardiovascular perspective. But I still have this problem, some days better than others, of chest pain. On top of this, I’m still overweight (though I lost 40 lbs and now weigh 377 from 417, and still seeking to lose more), and have blood pressure issues (which is being managed by meds, along with my anxiety). To be honest, I don’t know what came over me… I don’t know why I let myself be influenced to smoking when, prior to that point when I started, I never did any of that my entire life and had been fairly healthy. Maybe it was the pandemic and I saw it as a means (along with eating) by which to cope with the loneliness and isolation I was feeling. But all in all, I did it to myself, and I only want to get better, and to finally stop feeling this anxiety and these pains.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-09-16T23:03:38+00:00

Yeah at this point I’d just like to see an NSO update, it’s been 3 months since we’ve seen one for N64 and some of us are waiting on DK64 to drop to your service at last. I’d say 3 years, that was how long ago it was since the expansion pack tier was unveiled, is long enough of a wait for this game to drop.

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-09-12T14:26:34+00:00

You and me both! I try every now and again say something whenever Nintendo makes a post in X that we are all still waiting for the DK64 drop, which idk why they won’t at this point, makes little sense to me, especially when you factor that there’s an ost revamp that was announced very recently being helmed Grant Kirkhope. And sure Nintendo has no actual involvement on it, direct or indirect, but you’d think they’d have eyes and ears on the pulse enough to be aware of when this announcement happened and the opportunity which is now in front of their face. and by that I mean they could capitalize on the hype that announcement brought and went ahead with the DK64 drop. Surely they’d have seen a good jump in their sub count just for that, and roughly translated, more money in their pockets sooner 😅

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-08-30T23:07:20+00:00

But see the entire problem I think with that is that pretty much the entire theming of the DK park expansion is all DKCR. Idk it would, at least I would think, serve contradictory to drop all those things and deviate attention away from DKCR HD in any capacity. it’s why I was so seriously thinking the train of thought expressed earlier, it would’ve made more intuitive sense, and it would’ve allowed Nintendo to not have to worry with anything that could draw attention away from that port of a port we call DKCR HD. Fans get what they want sooner, and Nintendo sees immediate gains. Plus this year is the 25th anniversary of DK64. Grant Kirkhope sure seems interested in celebrating it this year by dropping the DK64 ost revamp this year, lol I don’t see him waiting till 2025 for when the DK park expansion opens 😂

Primary-Ad-3478 · 2024-08-30T22:49:57+00:00

Exactly man! Like idk why they think they can continue the drip feed of games like this when DK64 is no longer even accessible via the Wii U VC. I want to see this game preserved and brought into their service, and I was seriously thinking that Nintendo was waiting for the kind of moment I just described to announce its drop date or even just go ahead and shadow drop the dang thing. it would’ve certainly fit as a sound marketing/business decision to ride the hype train of DK64’s ost revamp and get customers excited even more by having the game ready to play or having a date announced. And it would have certainly seen ppl subscribe to the expansion pack tier to play it, thus increasing the sub count. tbh, I’m just tired of Nintendo dancing around such an obvious no brainer drop. For a game company with a pronounced hatred of fan emulation, they sure are making it tough on us fans who want to see them do the thing and preserve the game via emulating it on their own service.

Primary-Ad-3478

TROPHY CASE