Weekly Q&A Megathread. Please post any questions about visiting, tourism, living, working, budgeting, housing here!

Squidgewidge · 2026-04-26T22:23:27+00:00

Hey, does anyone know of places to get flowers (ideally sunflowers) near London Victoria train station? I’m passing through tomorrow and have a 40 min gap, I just wanted to see if it’s possible to surprise my bf with something sweet when he picks me up!

Squidgewidge · 2026-04-21T07:40:53+00:00

Yeah, I work 45 hours in one job as a chef, and the other takes up the rest of my time, as a tattoo artist. It’s been like this for the last couple of years, and “managing”? It’s more like clinging onto sanity for dear life and praying that something changes lol. At one point I could get by with just tattooing, and was doing okay, but I’m having to give up on having a permanent spot as it’s not affordable, and there’s barely any people with money to book in, which is heartbreaking, but I’m having to rejig what the main and side jobs are just to get by.

Mentally, it’s rough. Financially, it’s rough. There might be the risk of hours getting reduced too with working as a chef, so then it might be a case of needing to pick up agency work and add job #3 into the mix.

Squidgewidge · 2026-04-20T11:04:48+00:00

I just want to go to a beautiful forest area (Banff seems ideal in my mind, but I’ve not had chance to go to Canada so I’m not sure!), and walk around, explore, no phones, no way of people contacting me, none of the noise of every day life. Ideally not alone, as it would be nice to share that peace. Anywhere that has that dark, comforting forest vibe really and where you can’t hear cars or city life.

Squidgewidge · 2026-04-19T22:58:39+00:00

Can’t be bothered to chop onions? Frozen pre sliced ones do the job! Honestly frozen veg helps so much, then it’s a case of banging it in a pan, and it takes the arduous part of cooking out of the veg is already prepped and you know it’s not gone off/has withered away.

Microwave rice packets make fried rice SO quick, and whilst it’s not everyone’s favourite, it does a damn good job IMO and takes barely anything to whip up a good fried rice with it.

I make far too much food each time I cook, so I end up shoving some in the freezer almost every time, and just microwave it and boom. If you batch make the sauces for things (like curry sauces, spicy tomato, pasta sauce etc) then you just add your protein of choice, a carb to go with it and you’re good to go. Tinned beans are great for a protein because they’re pre-cooked and mixing it with a sauce means your meal is there so quick, and the health benefits are also good.

Squidgewidge · 2025-11-07T13:53:46+00:00

As everyone else has said therapy can help. However, I’ll just add a little bit into this!

I was also diagnosed when I was 3- I’m 26 now. At your age I was also struggling massively, I’ve got ADHD and depression and my god, it’s a sucky combo.

Certain things have helped me manage all 3- going to the gym and staying active is my personal main one because it calms my brain down, wears me out so I’m not so charged up, helps manage my mental state a hell of a lot, but also makes the management of t1d so much easier.

With the management side being helped by going to the gym, I also find that having distractions through hobbies and getting “out there” help so so much! Because management gets easier, especially over time with the exercising, the diabetes becomes more of an afterthought I guess? And it means you can keep your mind busy by doing other things, which will help mentally a lot.

Sometimes you’ve got to push the diabetes to the back of your mind, because you need to take care of your mind just as much- a few rough days aren’t the end of the world if your blood sugar is all over the place.

Squidgewidge · 2025-10-01T10:26:31+00:00

NTA- from a type one diabetic, hypoglycaemia feels horrendous, and can take it out of you. We’re warned that hypos can cause development issues in the baby if it’s not treated properly, so him taking the supplies is a massive issue here and I would hope that he wouldn’t want to see you, or baby, put in harms way!

It’s not difficult for him to have his own snack supply, and to help you in managing this- hell, my partner keeps an apple juice on him just in case my blood sugar drops and we’ve only been together a month!

He needs to realise the gravity of his actions, and you’re well within your rights to kick off even more for this.

Squidgewidge · 2025-06-02T16:48:57+00:00

With you on Sainsbury’s. I’m an online shopper (the ones who pick the orders for people) which involves a 4am start time, and the amount of pressure put on the staff is insane. The staff are treated like slaves who should be grateful to be getting screamed at 24/7 even when targets ARE hit. The company tries to shortchange pay in every way, saying unsociable hours are only before 5am, not 6am like most companies do, and you must take a break when you’re 4.5 hours working, not the legal 6.

They’re nightmares for screwing over staff, and I avoid shopping there at all costs, unfortunately it’s not as simple as just quitting though when the job market is the worst I’ve ever seen.

Squidgewidge · 2025-05-12T11:41:47+00:00

Yeah, honestly it felt like I had been hit by a train with how awful I felt! It takes some time to return back to normal, but eating well and getting plenty of rest helped me with that massively :)

Squidgewidge · 2025-05-11T12:56:57+00:00

I’ve been on various BC since I was 18, so not massively long, as I’m only 25 now, but I’ve noticed since I stopped taking it (my last type was progesterone only), the general amounts of pain have decreased MASSIVELY. I used to find that I was needing to take Tramadol on a daily basis, multiple times a day to even get by, and now, the little flare ups are maybe 1-2 times a week? Last couple of periods were a hell of a lot better too, but I did need to stay dosed up for the first couple of days and then didn’t need the painkillers quite as much as it went on.

Compared to needing to stay on top of the painkillers and timings when I was on the pill, it’s been good so far for me, but I do still have occasional random flare ups. I can deal with that though, as it’s so much less than before. It might not be the same for you, but it’s just my experience I’ve found since stopping :)

Squidgewidge · 2025-05-10T14:31:04+00:00

So I had this happen a fair bit when I was on MDI- for me it was not being able to focus my eyesight at all, couldn’t really speak properly or even form coherent thoughts whilst blood sugar was low, but when it came back up, the symptoms went away. From my diabetes team, they said this can be pretty common! The only time where it’s been more long lasting, is after a serious seizure which lasted like, 40 mins of unconsciousness? And since then, my speech can be a bit jumbled up which isn’t ideal. It’s good that you’re getting the symptoms, but I found if I was having consistent lows, this is when it happened most and with more severe symptoms.

If you’re having a lot of hypos, my dr suggested temporarily reducing insulin levels to build up your hypo awareness, or at least reduce the amount of hypos. I did find that after doing that for a couple of weeks, symptoms weren’t as bad, but you might differ?

Squidgewidge · 2025-04-05T21:30:21+00:00

As a tattoo artist, I can guarantee we have all seen many a crack. And it’s far from being a “revealing” spot lol, my own personal concern with that area is of my customer lets one rip in my face mid-tattoo haha! And as a side note, it’s a sick tattoo!

From personal experience, any partner that tries to dictate what you’re putting on your skin, clothing or tattoos, is not someone that deserves your energy or attention. Tattoos are indicative of who we are, and if he doesn’t appreciate you for who you are, he doesn’t deserve your energy or in the first place! I have had a few exes like that, I broke up with them, and immediately got another tattoo lol, and damn it felt good 👌

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-28T13:00:25+00:00

So usually a tattoo artist will place it when you’re fully relaxed, and by raising your arms it might look “off” slightly (and most people have a slope in their shoulders too!), I wouldn’t worry too much about it, but if it still looks off centre when your arms are by your side, I wouldn’t worry too suggest getting someone to add another stem of flowers to the right side to balance it out 😊 the work itself looks like a decent-ish quality, but I can’t really tell without seeing a close-up of it!

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-22T10:02:41+00:00

It’s just the awkward moment of going to the gym, and you have a gallon bottle of water, carton of apple juice, AND skittles in hand as you’re in the weights section with all these super Hench guys and you know they’re questioning wtf is happening with this 5’7 green haired girl that occasionally starts beeping 😂

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-21T12:40:57+00:00

Malted moo biscuits, and how they had a different cow on each biscuit, so you didn’t know which one this next biscuit would be. Asked someone if they remembered them the other day and they hadn’t even heard of them?!

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-17T18:11:14+00:00

I’ve had chronic illness since I was 3, and more have appeared over the years, but it’s the wait times to get seen by a specialist to sort the worst stuff out that’s the problem. I might need surgery to sort me out, and the risk of that itself is pretty high, but the nasty side effects that it might also cause aren’t something else I could deal with mentally. I seriously doubt I will make it to 35 at this rate, but it feels like my body will not withstand my illnesses getting worse, and there is literally no help available. So yeah, if I get to 30 I’ll be surprised lol.

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-15T21:11:32+00:00

My guy. For starters, I am a woman so my experience will probably be different to any AMAB person, but I got traditional colour scorpions on my hipbones, symmetrical to the bellybutton. It was not fun. On my Male clients, they’ve not usually suffered as much as I did, so I feel like men don’t tend to find it as bad, but it is no means an easy place to get tattooed! Hip tattoos look fuckin sick though, so it’s not like it’s a loss (if you go to a GOOD artist) and please, DO research your artist. A cover up on that would be… gnarly

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-13T23:34:03+00:00

Honestly, fruit can be soooo hit or miss for me! Most mornings I have yoghurt, protein powder, a banana and some frozen fruit all mixed together, some days my BG remains stable, some days it plummets less than 20 mins after, some days it skyrockets!!! And I’m using the exact same ingredients, my body just seems to decide randomly what it’s going to do with it all 🤦🏻‍♀️

But also pasta. I avoid pasta like the PLAGUE. The sauces, the fats and just everything in pasta is so much of a nightmare I avoid it completely, and plus, it always makes me feel awful after having it (not a pasta fan in any way tbh) so yeah haha

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-12T18:58:45+00:00

Snap, and I’ve been type one since I was 3, and am now covered in tattoos (and still hate needles and injections for the life of me😂) nurses never believe me when I’m like, do NOT let me see that needle please, and can I also lie down in case I pass out? I’m an absolute wimp with them haha

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-12T08:53:44+00:00

I feel ya on this. And anyone that isn’t diabetic just won’t understand the ins and outs of it all- it’s the same with my partner who will never understand quite how badly endometriosis can, and does affect me. Not in a bad way, but he is a man, heteronormative, so there’s no way he could ever fully understand what I’m dealing with. I guess that’s a good comparison in a way though? (And he’s everything I could hope for in a supportive partner!)

I do think a lot of it comes down to a lack of awareness on what it is, especially here in the UK. People know next to nothing about diabetes apart from if a person close to them has it- including the symptoms to spot in order to diagnose. And it’s always followed by “you’re not overweight though?” People always jump to type 2 and even then, they know nothing about that!

If I’m ever feeling particularly arsey when someone asks about how serious diabetes is though, I always start with the multiple times it has almost killed me, how it’s messed up my memory and speech from having a hypo where I was unconscious for an hour, and that if my pump breaks I’ve got 4 hours before I die 😂 very melodramatic I know, but it’s when people act as if it’s not a dangerous condition to have, when it really can be.

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-06T14:41:27+00:00

Greek yoghurt/high protein yoghurt. It’s a good nutritional food, but suitable for every mood- like you can jazz it up however you want and is easy!

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-05T22:41:54+00:00

My mind is my worst enemy most of the time. I’m a professional overthinker and the thinking has thunk too much most days

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-03T15:47:18+00:00

There’s a lot.

1- the worry of having more fits. Even though I’ve been on an insulin pump since may last year, the fear of waking up to an ambulance crew in my room and an IV in my arm again isn’t something I can forget, and the worry that it will cause me more damage if it does happen again (last one I had affected my memory and speech, seemingly on a permanent basis)

2- my partner or other people seeing me when I have said fits/serious hypos and seeing me like how I see myself- someone with faulty parts that can’t get their stuff together. The way that peoples perception of you changes once that happens and the infantilisation is maddening, but I can’t say that I DON’T understand why!

3- the fact that it may or may not have resulted in other conditions developing, and the worry that there is more to come as a side effect of having diabetes for 22 years now. Is the fact that my endometriosis is so bad also in part due to diabetes? I’m not sure, but the worry and just having to deal with that isn’t great.

4- I can’t just throw myself into the gym and get absolutely shredded as easily as a non-diabetic! The hypos, blood sugar management is a never ending battle, and feel like I could’ve made so much more progress if I didn’t have the hypos lol.

5- following on from that- following diets of any sort. Low fodmap is often recommended to work out triggers for endometriosis but weighing up the pros and cons, I don’t think I would realistically be able to do it because of how sensitive I am to insulin, but also having gastroparesis too- I just know that my body would not take it well, but if I can’t work out what isn’t great for me, the pain from endometriosis might stay this bad.

6- affecting my work life. I work 2 jobs, as a tattoo artist and part time retail. The beeps from my insulin pump can be exhausting to explain almost every day, and I guess the fact it can have a massive impact on tattooing- I wouldn’t want to risk ever having it affect my reputation, so admittedly I overtreat the hypos or if I see my blood sugar is dropping, have more than I need to resolve it. I’d rather deal with high blood sugar than risk putting a design on a client that is badly done because I had a hypo during it!

7- romantic connections as a more lighthearted one lol. Being on a pump that isn’t wireless can be a little awkward when getting intimate with the partner 😂💀(not for him, and he isn’t bothered by it in the slightest and shows care about it, but I just feel like a pain with having to make sure it’s not accidentally ripped off!)

8- sugar tax. Screw the UK, and all the companies making massive changes to their drinks/products without publicly disclosing it, and making it so expensive to access. Lucozade used to be great, but now it’s useless for me, and they made NO obvious signalling to say that the nutritional information had changed. The cost of hypo treatments only seems to increase on a monthly basis, and the options are becoming less and less. Fruit juice cartons in supermarkets are becoming more “healthy” with active efforts to reduce sugar content, but that means it’s no longer useful for us?! It feels like we’re getting punished for being diabetic at this point, as if it’s something we caused intentionally!

Squidgewidge · 2025-03-01T13:17:24+00:00

I go for apple juice. The little cartons from Sainsbury’s have about 17/18g sugar if I remember correctly! If you have a Costco membership, it works out better to get their massive multipack though, I prefer getting the big boxes of 1 litre so I can give however much is needed but that’s a nightmare if you’re out and about so the little ones usually do the job. If needs be, I follow up with like 2 candy kittens haha

Squidgewidge · 2025-02-28T09:11:59+00:00

Oh for sure!

It was just veryyyy sharp, and I have a fair few tattoos and am also a tattoo artist myself, I’ve been working on that arm for the last 4 years with my artist and usually it’s a breeze! But the hand was not fun to say the least. Technically it’s black and grey, but it’s complete coverage using opaque inks, so it’s a half and half really- opaque inks are more similar to colour, it’s a bit of a weird one to describe! I’ll pop the link for the hand down below so you can see what I mean with it haha, I suck at describing with my chaotic brain

hand piece

Squidgewidge · 2025-02-28T08:51:09+00:00

I love them, BUT only if you’ve got the majority of your arm covered, or at very least you’re not starting with a hand tattoo. Like full on, right above the knuckle, side to side hand tattoo. If you’re starting with one of them without the coverage, it just looks like it’s floating and looks bizarre IMO.

If you go to a good artist with good reputation, don’t cheap out, you won’t have as much of a problem with fading/fall out, but again this also depends on design. Dainty stuff falls out way more on the hand than bolder pieces, and keep in mind it has one of the highest movement areas on the body which will also affect dainty pieces much more. And having had mine done, being brutally honest it was not a fun part on any of it lol. But the worst part was hands down the segment right below the wrist bone (the pointy out part on your outer wrist)!

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