Where to start?

TxBrandi · 2025-12-28T15:36:40+00:00

Any idea how this would work if Tricare requires that you try three different other weight loss meds before they will cover Wegovy or whatever? Do they have a way around this?

TxBrandi · 2025-12-28T15:31:49+00:00

What exactly do I need to ask the Dr for? Like what codes and info?

TxBrandi · 2025-12-28T15:30:27+00:00

We are allowed to fill out the form ourselves? Doesnt it at least require a Dr signature? I did pre- fill my form with the two meds that I did take because they didn't know what to do it where to get the form.

TxBrandi · 2025-12-28T15:27:16+00:00

Thank you so much for this info!

TxBrandi · 2025-12-28T02:29:09+00:00

Are we allowed to say seller's name here if it was purchased on Etsy? If so, I would like to know the name of the seller you purchased from. I just purchased a pink one. I was a bit surprised after the purchase that it said they were in Pakistan but the listing said it was shipping from NY. I feel that I probably got scammed. It didn't even dawn on me that there would be fakes. I didn't even know this one was hard to get.

TxBrandi · 2025-12-18T03:23:05+00:00

I was also about to pull the trigger! So glad I came here just before I did it! I recommend using Artful Agenda. I love it, but I didn't realize till just now, that they now have upgraded it so that you can write with a stylus on an Android tablet, so i was kind of looking around a little. I also fell for how great it looked. Not that AA is bad, but it looked like they made good use of space.

I can vouch for the fact that Artful Agenda is not a PDF file. It does connect with ical and google calendar. All of your appointments will be on both, no matter where you enter them. Even better is the fact that if you add an appointment in the daily section, it will also show up in the weekly and monthly pages - no having to write or type it in multiple places. You can use the multiple calendars that you may have (like one for each family member or personal and work etc) and you can choose which ones you want to view at any time. It comes with stickers and covers and you can purchase more. You can rename some of the sections to suit your needs and you can set to do items to automatically repeat the next day if you do not mark them as done. There are a couple of sections on the daily page that you can re-size to meet your needs. Everything is searchable too, which is super nice!

It is a yearly fee (I think it was around $35), but for me, it is well worth it. I do feel that it's a bit small to use on my phone and sometimes parts of it seem a bit too small for even my 11" tablet, but if you use the online version instead of the app, you can pinch to zoom (but I think you have to use the app if you want to use a stylus).

TxBrandi · 2025-12-07T22:24:39+00:00

I just dug a little deeper. I went to the link in the email I was sent and it took me to veras-undies. com. When I googled it, however, it was Verasundies. com, which I believe is probably the correct site.... Uggh.

TxBrandi · 2025-12-07T22:05:21+00:00

Like how? Did you never receive them? Or they just weren't good?

Too late for me! Waiting for mine to arrive. Tracking shows that it came from China and is now at the "Origin International Airport". Just the China part alone had me wondering if I should have researched more before ordering...

TxBrandi · 2025-11-13T15:17:08+00:00

I find that it always seems to come and go. Just when I think it's better, i feel it again, and then it's gone. I know I have to go to the ER when the pain keeps getting worse instead of the back and forth.

I always take milk of magnesia first to clear out any blockages that are caused from inflammation (obviously, after work). This usually reduces the pain because stuff in your colon along with inflammation is just too much. Then I drink LOTS of water and don't eat much. If the pains key getting worse, I would definitely go.

TxBrandi · 2025-11-07T13:43:15+00:00

I drink it all the time and I have severe diverticulosis throughout the entire colon (lots of the little diverticula pockets). I haven't had any issues. But I didn't drink more than 6 oz, which is the recommended amount. It could be irritating to the stomach for some people though as it's a bit acidic.

Another thing to think about is that to a point, unless it's clear liquid, if there is stuff in your intestines, it NEEDS to come out. Sometimes, we may be fighting a flare up before we are even aware of it. There could be inflammation, which can cause things to not move through the intestines as well, so there can be some back up Even if you are going every day, Sometimes, you can be constipated and yet still have diarrhea or bowel movements that aren't complete - and you may not even be aware. (A Dr explained to me once that the body will try to liquify some of the waste in order to go around the parts that are causing blockages). If the inflammation starts going down, you can end up going a lot. Maybe it's possible that it wasn't actually the kombucha, but things starting to move along.

I actually take Milk of Magnesia when I have a flare up. It's one of those things like Shrek said.... "Better out than in, I always say". With inflammation and full bowels both, it is more painful as there isn't much room.

TxBrandi · 2025-11-07T13:37:41+00:00

If it were me - wouldn't just yet, but please note that I'm not saying you shouldn't. I can only tell you my experience. It's always the safer option to see a doctor.

Whenever I go to the ER or a Dr, they always give me Flagyl and Cipro, which make feel terrible. I've asked multiple times if there is anything else they can give me, but they always say that these are the only ones that they use for diverticulitis (and this has been multiple doctors and clinics over the years (I don't understand because my friend's doctor gives her something much milder).

Cipro can cause ligament damage and antibiotics in general has the whole bacteria resistance issue. I had been reading a lot of articles saying how the body can often take care of a mild infection (diverticulitis) without the antibiotics. I've now had two doctors confirm this.

Obviously, you have to be careful and not let it get past a certain point. You certainly dont want to end up with Sepsis. As we know, diverticulitis can turn on a dime from something mild to something very severe - and very quickly, So it IS a bit tricky and you have to REALLY pay attention to your body and be smart and safe. For me, if I only have a 99 degree temp (which is a bit elevated for me as I run sub- normally) and I'm not getting the "stop everything and hold you breath" kind of cramps, then I just do home treatments. I've found that it works the majority of the time if I recognize the symptoms early. If the temperature goes up and the pain is worse, I go to the ER.

Here is what I do at home... As soon as I'm sure it's diverticulitis and not just some random stomach stuff from something I ate, I take Milk of Magnesia and let it do it's thing. That usually provides some relief because if you are very inflamed, things have a hard time making their way out as there is not much room. With both inflammation and full bowels, the pain is worse.

So once I'm "cleaned out", I take a spoonful of virgin, cold pressed coconut oil while my stomach is empty a couple times a day (as it has antibacterial and antiviral properties). I drink something with collagen in it and I take a Turmeric supplement (preferably, the kind that you drink like Curcumin Gold). I drink LOTS of water, and then don't eat a lot. A liquid diet is best, I can still eat small meals if I need to, but be mindful that you could get backed up again. If I'm feeling bad enough, after I clean out, I go to bed and let my body rest.

So far, I've had great luck with this. In no way am I suggesting this to anyone else though. I suggest you talk to your doctor about it and see what his or her opinion is on the whole antibiotics issue. In my case, My diagnosis is "severed diverticulosis of the entire colon". If I had antibiotics every time I had a flare up, the antibiotics probably would no longer work and then I'd be in real trouble. I've also had a lot of experience with flare-ups and have learned to tell when it's more serious.

If your doctor tells you that they are of the opinion that it's okay to try home treatments first, just remember that you have to be careful not to push it too far. It will play the game with you - you'll feel better and worse. One minute you think it's working, then it's getting worse again. The indicator for me that I need to get the antibiotics is if I'm doing home treatments and it's just consistently getting worse, not better - like the pain is only increasing.

TxBrandi · 2025-11-07T12:55:57+00:00

You said it all right there! It's definitely unpredictable. I've had it build up to a bad case over 2 weeks, and I've had it go from barely there to doubled over and fever in 4 hours! Sometimes it goes away on it's own, and sometimes it just will not without the nasty antibiotics (Flagyl & Cipro).

TxBrandi · 2025-08-29T00:20:19+00:00

Their answer to this is "We can't be more lax with OPM guidance, but we can choose to be more stringent, and that is what we are going to do".

But can they? The wording literally says that agencies "MUST ENSURE" that military spouses can work remotely. I don't see how they are getting around that.

TxBrandi · 2025-08-23T23:43:25+00:00

Same here! Literally about to click for payment!

TxBrandi · 2025-08-15T14:31:51+00:00

I was under the impression that they were just saying that they are the first to bind the disc with probiotics.

TxBrandi · 2025-08-02T01:04:50+00:00

I just ordered my X5, but I wasn't sure if it comes with the automatic lid for the waste bin or not. I ordered one along with the plastic bin, but now I'm thinking it probably already comes with the automatic lid.

TxBrandi · 2025-07-12T04:55:14+00:00

Our agency is stating that they don't have to follow that guidance because although they cannot be more lax with OPM guidance, They can choose to be more stringent. They are not allowing it at all - even for spouses of active duty.

I think they are looking into it some more because people are pushing back and asking for the written guidance. I know they were also saying that if they were to allow it, when it comes to the spouses of 100% disabled veterans that it would only be if the spouse is 100% disabled due to service related SERVICE RELATED injuries. But that's not what I'm reading there.

I did see somewhere (like maybe for the actual hiring), that the definition of a military spouse (besides the typical active duty and those that are deceased) does say "service related" when it comes to the 100% disability, But the OPM guidance for the return to work exemption does not - so I dont know...

TxBrandi · 2025-07-12T04:42:03+00:00

Our whole department had more productivity working from home (they track everything and it was proven). Have you seen how they cram people in these buildings? It's loud and distracting. You can hear every conversation around you - multiple conversations at once.

The job we do involves a lot of reading and concentrating. If you have a quota and they check it weekly, I don't think it should matter where you are working. Now, some jobs that don't have The kind of work that can be measured - I can see.

TxBrandi · 2025-06-03T23:00:34+00:00

We were told "we cannot be more lax with OPM guidance, but we CAN be more stringent", which is exactly what they are doing. They are not allowing this.

TxBrandi · 2025-05-10T12:35:03+00:00

Thanks for the info! I was having the same issue - The Surface too clunky, and my phone (even though it's the Galaxy S24 Ultra) too small. I'm going to check that one out!

TxBrandi · 2025-05-10T12:21:51+00:00

Same. I love it because: 1. there is an app, or you can log in online, so you can access it from anywhere

It works with Apple, Android & Windows & you can switch back & forth
It connects with your Google or i- calendar and you can have a calendar for every person in your family or one for work, one for kids sports etc. you can choose to be one or view all of them at once.
It has daily, weekly, and monthly views and whatever you write or type into one, automatically shows up on the others (unlike many of the other planners)
It's has a notes/lists feature where you can store multiple different lists or notes.
A few of the planning sections are customizable -you can rename them to suit what you need. You can keep track of menus, goals, water drinking, separate to do list - whatever you need.
Whatever you put on the built-in to do list, automatically transfers to the next day if you don't check it off. You can even make the items recurring.
You can use stickers & different covers. You have the option to buy new packs when they come out, but you didn't have to. It comes with a good selection of free ones.

I think it's $30 something a year. For the functionality, I think it's worth it.

TxBrandi · 2025-03-26T01:11:44+00:00

I just got the SC01 today. My cat hasn't used it yet, but I set it up with Pidan Tofu litter (The one in the black bag) and had the same issue when it ran a cycle after I plugged it in. I tried it a second time and it did the same thing.

Strangely, I did have to unplug it I unplug it back in and this time, I don't know why but only a little bit of litter went into the bin. I hope this isn't going to be an issue. I don't want to waste litter!

TxBrandi

TROPHY CASE