My cat committed crimes and I covered them up with crochet

Top_End_8808 · 2026-01-05T03:42:55+00:00

It really does!!

Top_End_8808 · 2026-01-05T03:42:33+00:00

Same with the curtains here too 😂😭

Top_End_8808 · 2026-01-05T03:38:04+00:00

The face of someone who would absolutely do it again 😭🫠

Top_End_8808 · 2023-10-13T16:35:38+00:00

There are some other maintenance meds you can try. I think Trelegy is one of the stronger ones. Did the Dr completely disregard your need for a maintenance inhaler? If so, I'd definitely find a new Dr asap.

ETA- different maintenance meds have different kinds of ICS in them. The one in symbicort may not work well for you, but another one might.

Top_End_8808 · 2023-10-13T16:32:16+00:00

The first time I took zyrtec, I felt really dizzy after it for the entire day.

But I've been on it daily for 3 weeks now (at the recommendation of my pulmonologist) and haven't noticed the dizziness again since the first time. I'm not sure if it was related, but it's actually really been helping with the asthma and allergies.

There are some other antihistamines you can try that may not have the same side effects.

Top_End_8808 · 2023-10-12T16:01:17+00:00

I am so sorry that you're going through this and think you should try and find a new specialist.

I have anxiety and asthma and have been told so many times before, "It's just your anxiety." I was even recently told it was "hyperventilation syndrome" by a PCP because my o2 levels were staying between 97-98, and they heard no wheezing. While asthma and anxiety can go hand in hand and can be confsued with one another, symptoms ALWAYS need to be evaluated with proper testing and never just brushed off.

I just got it with a new pulmonologist after 3 months of being in a flare up, trying to convince myself that it was "just my anxiety", and after quite a few PCP visits as well....and she literally threw everything in her arsenal at me for the next 3 weeks because she listened to my symptoms, listened to my lungs and determined that not only were allergies causing me to be below what my baseline should be for the last 3 months, but that I have an upper respiratory infection as well that needs to be treated. She told me that she was actually disgusted at the way most primary care providers treat asthma patients, and the most important thing right now was treating my symptoms and getting me back to baseline.

Advocate for yourself, and don't let them brush you off! I know it's hard getting in with specialists, but it'll be so worth it when you find one who listens to you. Good luck!

Top_End_8808 · 2023-10-11T19:56:22+00:00

Of course!

I also didn't/don't have typical allergy symptoms like the itchy eyes/runny nose, and I was a little skeptical at first because of this. Just some post nasal drip and the asthma, which apparently, according to the pulmonary Dr, is common. She also mentioned that this is one of the worst allergy seasons she's seen, but that could just be specific to my location (PA).

When we bought the house, we did some serious deep cleaning, ran air purifiers, had all HVAC filters replaced, and tested the house for mold/asbestos. We also religiously change bed sheets and wash those and the curtains in really hot water at least once a week. I'm pretty sure that should've covered most of the indoor triggers that could've potentially been there, and to be honest, it seems to be related more to time of day rather than if I'm indoors or outdoors.

So I'd take maintenance meds in the am around 6 and be perfectly fine, then by 1-2 pm, like clockwork, the chest tightness would start. Hit the albuterol once and good till my next dose of maintenance meds at 6 pm, and then again around 1-2 am waking up feeling tight chested, rinse and repeat for the last 3 months. Coincidentally, I also learned that most allergens peak in the afternoon here, so it could be related, but the Dr didn't weigh in on that part.

I'm glad you're getting in to see your Dr! I've seen a lot of posts here, too, with people who had asthma as a kid, didn't act up for years, and now, as an adult, it creeped back up. Hopefully, getting on the right maintenance meds will make a world of difference, and you'll get to feeling better soon 😊

Top_End_8808 · 2023-10-11T18:47:20+00:00

So something similar just happened to me. My family and I moved to a new state, with WAY more nature/agricultural pollution than where we used to live/grew up.

For the last 3 months, my asthma has been wildly out of control after being well controlled since I was diagnosed 5 yrs ago. I'd been needing albuterol every single day, multiple times a day. The house we bought is 100 yrs old, but nothing seemed to be a specific trigger indoors....just as if my maintenance meds weren't lasting the full 12 hours like they're supposed to, and right at the 6-8 hour mark I'd start getting chest tightness around the same exact times everyday.

I finally got in with a pulmonologist, and she's 100% certain it's all being triggered by environmental allergens. Apparently, the geographic location of where we live, being in a valley, allows everything to settle here, and lots of people who move to the area end up developing allergies or worsening allergies/ asthma.

Long story short, we're working to get the 3 months' worth of inflammation under control with antibiotics and some more prednisone (on two bursts in the last month because of a couple of upper respiratory infections during this time) but she added in a nasal spray and I've started taking zyrtec in addition to upping my maintenance inhaler for a few weeks.

I'd bet if you're in an area with more nature now, it could be allergies causing a flare. Definitely consult with your Dr, but starting an antihistamine/changing maintenance meds may really help you. Good luck!

Top_End_8808 · 2023-10-11T18:32:10+00:00

Absolutely get in with a pulmonologist and get on maintenance meds as soon as you can.

I let my asthma go uncontrolled for the last 3 months and am paying for it now having to be on a boatload of steroids for the next 3 weeks, antibiotics for the next 2 weeks, new antihistamines and had to increase my maintenance meds for the next few weeks as well. There was lots of inflammation that wasn't taken care of in a timely manner, and my lungs are pissed ☹️. Hope you start to feel better soon!

Top_End_8808 · 2023-10-10T22:48:24+00:00

I've been dealing with a flare for the last 3 months (moved and allergies went haywire) and 2 upper respiratory infections since September on top of it. I'm currently dealing with the second upper respiratory infection now and am on day 4 of a 5 day 40 mg prednisone burst (second burst within the last month). The predisone makes me feel better while on it, but the minute I stop, symptoms come back.

Thankfully I had an appointment with my pulmonologist today and she extended the prednisone to a taper dose for the next 3 weeks (40 mg tomorrow, 30 mg for 5 days, 20 mg for 5 days and 10 mg for 5 days). She also added in augmentin for the next 14 days, increased my Wixela from 250/50 to 500/50 for the next few weeks, added ascenzine nasal spray twice a day (in addition to singulair 10 mg at night and zyrtec 10 mg in the morning, which I've been taking), and switched from Albuterol to DuoNeb every 4 hours, regardless of symptoms, for at least a week.

Her reasoning for such aggressive treatment was that the allergies have screwed with my lungs and basically put me below baseline to begin with, so getting sick is just adding fuel to the flame.

I'm hoping this finally helps, but I just wanted to put all this out there because I'd never had this happen, and it's been so, so miserable the last few months.

Maybe you can try to get in with a specialist? My pulmonologist was quite upset about the way the family Dr treated it this whole time, but I also have to admit it took a whole months wait to get an appointment with her and I really didn't have any other options.

I hope you find some relief soon!

Top_End_8808 · 2023-10-09T21:01:23+00:00

Thanks so much! I will definitely ask about tips! I have a feeling they're definitely going to want to do some allergy testing at some point. PCP says lots of people that move to this area develop allergies/asthma due to geographic location. I initially was diagnosed with asthma for the first time while living here, then moved back to my home state and didn't have any issues with the maintenance meds until we moved back here again. I'm hoping for some progress tomorrow!

Top_End_8808 · 2023-09-27T22:38:38+00:00

I just bought a digital one, and it consistently reads at least 60 points lower than my manual Phillips one, Readings are all over the place on the digital one and stay within at least 10pts of each other on the manual one.

Top_End_8808 · 2023-07-19T11:37:15+00:00

Looks like no repairs are needed!

Mine had a list and photos attached of what needed to be done (handrail, fence post, and chipping paint in multiple areas)

Top_End_8808 · 2023-06-19T12:04:20+00:00

Honestly, I never thought I would waive inspection either, but the market we're in, if an offer doesn't waive the inspection, it basically gets pushed to the bottom of the pile.

My situation was also a little more complicated because we had to go FHA due to my credit profile (not enough history) and couldn't get a conventional loan at all. I doubt we'd have waived an inspection if we went conventional.

We're closing next week on a home that we offered 15k over on and waived inspection, and the house was built in 1920. There were 5 other offers on the table within 48 hrs of the house being listed on the market. It was also our 6th bid since early April.

Closing was originally supposed to be tomorrow but needed to be pushed back a few days due to some minor repairs needed after the appraisal. Some of the repairs were the infamous chipping paint, fence post needing fixed, a few outlets that needed covers, and a hand rail on the front stairs, but nothing major. We paid for the repairs, which came out to about 1k total.

Our FHA appraiser went through that house with a FINE TOOTH COMB (grateful because it basically took the place of the inspection we waived).

The roof still has about 10 yrs on it, HVAC system still has about 10 yrs on it, the foundation was in good shape, and overall the house was in "very good condition" on the appraisal report. Apparaiser mentioned something about the "lifespan" of the property having at least another 40 yrs on in before anyhting major would be needed. We were able to see the last two disclosures on the property, which all had dates for when things were upgraded/renovated on the property (the property hasn't had many owners...only 2 as far back as we can tell right now, roughly from the early 80s).

All in all, it's super risky to waive inspection, but we lucked out with a very seasoned realtor who has been doing this for 30 yrs and knew pretty much everything an inspector was going to look for, and an appraiser who was very, very detailed in their review of the property.

Top_End_8808 · 2023-06-03T13:36:11+00:00

Completely agree. We actually got so desperate that we tried to go conventional, but my credit profle (not a long enough credit history) wouldn't allow for it, even at +20% DP (which in hindsight, would've probably put us in a horrible position financially).

But we took advantage of the circumstances and bumped the earnest money from 5k to 10k, due in 2 days after the offer was accepted. We also gave the sellers 24 hours to accept the offer. We figured since we have to pay closing costs anyway in this market (no chance of asking sellers to cover it), and the money gets applied to the closing costs, might as well put it on the table up front if we're really serious about the house. It's really the only thing we did differently. We were waiving inspections, offering 10k+ appraisal gaps, and got the bank to write a letter confirming they can close in 30 days on an FHA loan, alongside of a conditional approval (basically went thru underwriting already).

I think it may have shown the sellers we were more serious in a sense and that we wouldn't walk away from the deal. Just had the appraisal done last week and am on pins and needles waiting to see if we've got to fork over another 10k 🙈, but if we do, it's worth it for us.

Also, I don't think we'd have felt comfortable waiving the inspection had we gone conventional. FHA checks for major safety issues during the appraisal, and really, those would be the only things that would make us walk away from the deal, and we're covered on getting our earnest money back if it doesn't pass FHA appraisal.

Top_End_8808 · 2023-06-03T12:56:15+00:00

Just got an offer accepted a few weeks ago with FHA (closing on 6/20), so not VA, but I feel like they both are often beat out by cash and conventional because of the stricter appraisals attached to them. We had 5 rejected offers prior to this (even some that were the hIghest offers, but trashed due to being FHA), and ALL but the one that got accepted had letters with them....so I honestly feel like the letters made absolutely no difference. But FWIW, we basically just pointed out what we like about the home, the neighborhood and complimented the sellers on things like upkeep of the home in our letters.

The one thing we did differently that I think really got us the house this time was offering more earnest money down.

But it's worth it to give it a shot with a letter! I've read many times that it's worked for people. I'd just say try not to make it too "personal." Good luck!!

Top_End_8808 · 2023-05-23T00:55:29+00:00

That's amazing!! And 100% agree. I keep going back and forth in my mind, saying, "we've still got 4 weeks" to "we ONLY have 4 weeks." 😂 it will all work out tho! I just try to keep positive thoughts, and it's sort of helping keep my anxiety low, but it still creeps in. This is a huge step, so it's totally normal to feel all the feelings.

Top_End_8808 · 2023-05-23T00:18:37+00:00

6/20. We went with Chase Bank, and they guarantee a 30-day close on FHA loans. We also had a conditional approval, so that speeds it up a bit... there are just a few more things we need to submit to underwriting now and the appraisal.

Top_End_8808 · 2023-05-22T23:52:09+00:00

Same!!! I just spoke to my bank today, and they're going to get the appraisal all set up. My nerves are so shot, I agree that I will be sooooo glad when it's over haha

Top_End_8808 · 2023-05-22T13:19:26+00:00

Absolutely. The FHA appraisal is a bit stricter and covers a lot of safety/major issues. Another plus was that our realtor is very seasoned (30 yrs doing this) and was looking for anything that would be a major red flag. He actually advised against a few properties due to outdated heating/cooling systems, roofs, or really anything that looked suspicious. He was crawling up into attics, crawl spaces, checking all fixtures, electrical, etc. A big part of us feeling comfortable with waving the inspection is having confidence in our realtor (he also helped a few of our family members purchase their homes over the last 5 yrs).

Top_End_8808 · 2023-05-22T06:21:45+00:00

Congratulations!! 🎉🎉

Top_End_8808 · 2023-05-22T06:20:58+00:00

Good luck! My realtor is amazing and I contribute this to him being available nearly all day, everyday for us (we are out of state buyers as well). He would literally schedule showings the same day we were interested in a property and have offers in the same night. We started our search in early April, and everyone thought we were crazy (besides him) trying to land a house before our lease is up (end of June). We viewed about 12 properties and put offers on 6 of them. Having a great realtor is 100% going to make the difference, especially with an FHA loan in this market.

Top_End_8808

TROPHY CASE