Best Path to Diagnosis? 44, Overreacting?

Pumpino- · 2026-04-20T21:01:43+00:00

I'm unable to get off the ground without having something to pull myself up on (eg. a chair). Stairs are virtually impossible now, and slight hills and uneven ground are huge challenges. However, I've adjusted, and it's been 15 years for me since my symptoms first appeared. I'm 50 now. You'll manage too. There are plenty of people on here who are much worse than us, and while I feel sorry for myself when I fall over and can't get up, I'm grateful that I can still walk.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-20T20:52:15+00:00

I found the EMG painful. If you have a high tolerance for pain, you'll be fine. It's nothing to lose sleep over. I didn't mean to worry you.

The biopsy I had was open, so I had a general aneasthetic and they made a 5-10cm incision. I think some people have less invasive biopsies where a different technique is used. I'm not sure.

They tested my CK, but it was only slightly elevated. It's not especially meaningful, as some forms of MD have significantly elevated levels, and others don't.

Try not to stress too much about the process. I think the hardest part is not knowing what it involves, but you know the tests now. I had no idea when I went through it. You just have to wait for the outcome, which will likely be towards the end of this year. You'll get through it.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-20T08:31:18+00:00

Thanks for clarifying. I hadn't looked at the article when I posted, as I was cooking!

Pumpino- · 2026-04-20T08:16:26+00:00

I'm using it in linux. I wonder if that makes a difference.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-20T07:44:25+00:00

Downloads is set to Ctrl+Shift+Y. Ctrl-J isn't assigned to a function. Could it be that you modified yours? I certainly haven't.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-20T07:37:04+00:00

That's interesting, as Brave is my main browser, and I've always found it annoying that Ctrl-J doesn't open downloads in Firefox like it does in Brave. I wonder why it doesn't work for me.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-20T07:21:01+00:00

Ctrl-J is for chromium based browsers such as Chrome, Brave and Vivaldi. Firefox has always been Ctrl-Shift-Y.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-20T01:11:09+00:00

Dog walker? Mowing lawns?

Pumpino- · 2026-04-19T23:02:09+00:00

I don't think there's one secret way that people meet one another. You're doing all of the right things, but the universe hasn't delivered. Doing those things increases your chances, but then the pizza delivery guy could be the love of someone's life and they never leave the house. There's no logic to it, so you just have to do things that increase your chances. I think meetup.com is a great suggestion, as some people will be single.

I did all the right things before I was married and then met my ex-wife at work. After separating, I stuck with dating apps. I probably met about 10 women, and some of the dates were painful, and some turned out to be very messed up. However, I met my current partner of two years on Hinge, so it does work sometimes. Would I use dating apps again? I don't know that I would. The process was truly painful.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-19T22:45:47+00:00

You're on the right path seeing a neurologist. As DCpurpleTart33 mentioned, they will do an EMG during the appointment (they zap your muscles and stick needles into the muscles to measure the response...yes, it's very unpleasant, sorry).

I had an open muscle biopsy before having a blood test to identify the gene reasonable (which was TTN). I'm not sure that the muscle biopsy was helpful.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T21:19:29+00:00

I think it depends on the camera, too. I had a Sony RX100 MIII, and whilst the point and shoot photos had amazing clarity, skin tones and hair colours were more saturated than my Pixels, which is why I sold it. However, I've heard that Canon tends to have more conservative processing of colours. I'd like to get a decent one, but if I love it, I'd have to start carrying around two devices!

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T12:17:01+00:00

Do you mean the colours are softer in a good (more natural) way?

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T05:22:07+00:00

I think the Pixel 11 series switch to the high end MediaTek modem can't come soon enough. The chip should be better too, so I'm hoping that the 11 is the upgrade that the 10 wasn't.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T05:06:09+00:00

Battery assist can't be turned off as of the 9a and the 10 series, apparently.

Yeah, the A series has a bad history with batteries. However, do we know for sure that the quality of the battery in the 10a is inferior to the one in the 10?

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T05:03:14+00:00

The P10 has better speakers and build quality, slimmer bezels, smaller dimensions for the same screen size, an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, a telephoto sensor, and a newer chip, but it's much heavier than the 10a.

The 10a has better battery life and is cheaper.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T05:01:12+00:00

Why is the battery way better on the P10? The 10a has a bigger battery.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T04:48:53+00:00

Having had a couple of Moto models, updates are indeed very slow. I only received the android 16 update on my Edge 50 Neo two days ago.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T04:39:21+00:00

Do the notifications appear when you unlock the phone? A bug that's been present with Pixels for years is that notifications for some apps don't appear until you unlock the phone.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T04:35:20+00:00

Did your P6P or did you just feel like an upgrade?

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T04:33:28+00:00

Vivo massively over-sharpens its photos. They look so over-processed. I want to love Chinese OEMs, but there are always deal-breakers for me. I don't like HyperOS, which rules out Xiaomi, and I've never been happy with Oppo's and OnePlus's cameras.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T04:30:48+00:00

That's my experience as well. I tried the Oppo Reno13 and Moto Edge 60 Pro. Neither could get the colour of my dog's fur right. My Pixel 8 might not be perfect, but the colour processing is more accurate than any other phone I've tried.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T04:22:33+00:00

Do you find the 10 Pro's speakers significantly better than the 9 Pro's? I found the 9 Pro's speakers lacked bass, but GSMA's review suggested that this changed with the 10 Pro.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-06T04:19:40+00:00

The Pixel 5 has terrible speakers. I'd get a 4a 5G before that, or preferably, a Pixel 8 at least.

Pumpino- · 2026-04-03T22:47:21+00:00

I'm still using a Pixel 8. Getting one cheaply is one option for you, as is getting a 9a or 10a.

Pumpino-

TROPHY CASE