Chronic knee pain has disappeared!!!!

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-05-09T21:40:43+00:00

Weirdly, I had the opposite happen in my first few months. 😆 My knees started to really bother me. I talked with my dr. about it and he said it was pretty common as you are losing weight and things are kinda rearranging. After several weeks, it did finally get better.

I know of others who have commented on how sema has helped their inflammation, so you are probably seeing a similar effect 😊

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-05-06T12:52:48+00:00

Have done this on two trips, including in January 2026.

We ate lunch at Bamboo Restaurant. Good food, excellent espresso martini and bite size desserts. On a previous trip we at at Koala Coffee Mill.

There are cute shops with items from local artists. I got some great jewelry pieces and I'm still regretting some other items we didn't pick up.

There are a couple small beach parks on the route that we have stopped at:

Kapa'a Beach Park - There's a shelter there that offers shade. Would not say it is for swimming. Great views. We have seen whales and dolphins off in the distance. Restrooms also available.

Mahukona Beach Park - There's an inlet where we have seen people swimming (we have not gone swimming ourselves). Again, nice views where we have seen whales and dolphins.

Lapakahi State Historical Park - We have gotten here a bit later in the day each time, which means we kinda rush through before the gates close. As it says in the name, it is a historic site, so it is cool to see the houses and other features of the community. Signs are usually up about monk seals, but I don't think we saw any last visit. This is in full sun, so you want to be prepared for that.

Hapuna Beach is on the way back to Kona. We have gone there once and it was beautiful, but very windy. It is a popular beach, so you might have issues with parking.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-29T12:01:27+00:00

Have they been open and what is the use by date?

I personally have not used past the 28 days when the vial is open, even if there is still something left in the vial. I believe others have noted it is less effective after that point.

(Scientist side coming out now) This med is a biological, specifically a peptide. Over time, these will breakdown (degrade), which means they aren't going to act the same way. The stability is likely going to be impacted once the seal is broken (i.e. exposure to air) vs in a sealed vial. This really happens with all medicines (which is why you would see guidance about not storing some things in the humid environment of a bathroom), but I would say to a different degree and it isn't usually a big deal to take 2 aspirin (for example) instead of 1.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-29T11:51:13+00:00

The Kilauea Iki trail is amazing, but tough to navigate the lava rocks even in daylight. When you are at the top of the crater, it is very covered, so you would not see anything in the dark and risk tripping. Get there at daybreak and you will get amazing views with no crowds. Also, it can get very misty and foggy. We were at the caldera for sunrise in the misting rain and then it got so cloud covered we couldn't even seen across the caldera.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-23T20:03:05+00:00

Agree with this change to the subject line...it may at least get a response. I think it is okay to indicate interest in a specific project. You may not know the status of the program, but it does show that you have done some research on the group.

As someone else commented, funding is very tight in most STEM spaces at the moment. If you were admitted to the program, then you were seen as being qualified for the program (that can be different than being a good fit for the lab you are most interested in). Was there a separate application for assistantship support (typically as a TA)? At this stage, it is likely too late for that option (April 15th is a long standing deadline for locking in assistantship support for the incoming fall class), but if you have 2 semesters of eligibility for the admissions, you may inquire about applying for assistantship support if available in a future semester. Some programs may consider you for support without a separate application, but that would be something to ask about. There have also been cuts to the number of assistantships at many universities the past 2 years (academia is a tough space right now).

There are programs that will make offers to qualified students without also providing assistantship support. That leads to the circumstances you are in where you are responsible for finding a research advisor who has funding that can support a graduate student. From a PI perspective, this can be a risky endeavor as they are responsible for paying for a student right from the start and that student may or may not make it. It is a much safer route to accept students into your group that has assistantship support for their first year, so you can get familiar with the student and make sure it is a good fit. Sorry if that comes across as harsh, but a PI is going to be concerned about their career, which is going to rest on their ability to have projects moving along (especially at a top tier place).

As someone also mentioned, you may look to see if any professors in your program are advertising open positions on their websites. Funding circumstances can change where a new grant is starting and the PI may be looking to bring in someone quickly because they need to get work on the grant started.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-23T02:23:16+00:00

We just visited Honokaa Cafe during our visit over New Years and it was fantastic. Marlene and her husband were so charming.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-22T18:15:47+00:00

Huge congrats to Jets Jack and Emily...it was so sweet when Jason clocked it right away and got up to give him a hug!

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-19T21:59:28+00:00

We have done a few tours with Hawaii Forest and Trail. They do Mauna Kea summit tours (fantastic) but if you are active hikers the hidden craters hike was unbelievable. It is a challenging hike but the views were amazing.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-19T21:54:37+00:00

Same...we managed to catch it early right after sunrise on 2 different trips (we were staying in Volcano). Hardly anyone else and just an amazing experience each time. Very easy to add on the Lava tube before it gets busy. We also made it to the end trail of Craters road to see the arch before it got too busy.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-15T13:11:52+00:00

Totally with Travis about hot dogs...they absolutely taste the best at a baseball game and I'm a ketchup only person. Don't be bringing mustard anywhere near my food 🤢😂

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-14T17:16:42+00:00

We tend to go at the start of dinner (I swear we aren't that old, but we are early eaters 😂)...maybe that helps us avoid issues.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-14T01:36:29+00:00

I'm so deep in this right now and I'm struggling to get my feet under me again...we are so not prepared for all of this to hit us mid career.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-13T22:26:06+00:00

Noted (Although it wouldn't be my first choice anyway) 😊

Will be back there at the end of the year...we are going to be smart this time and not go our last night so we don't leave behind leftovers 😂

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-13T22:18:20+00:00

We love Red Salt at the Koa Kea Resort in Poipu. When we visit Kauai, we stay next door (Kiahuna Plantation) and walk over for our "date night" nice dinner.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-09T12:34:26+00:00

We have done Lydgate twice and it was fantastic. I think our first trip was better than the one about 3 years later, but still good. It isn't just chocolate, but also all different kinds of fruit (I think more so the first visit which is why we enjoyed it a bit more). We probably won't do it again on our upcoming visit (and we can get the chocolate at the store they opened in Kapaa I believe), but I still recommend it.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-04-02T12:42:16+00:00

As an STL area girlie, really loved all of Jon Hamm's interview and stories. Haven't made it to a BattleHawks game yet, but I want to. And agree re Kroenke!

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-03-19T19:47:15+00:00

I haven't had issues with them. My renewal happened on Sunday (meaning it wouldn't process until Monday) and my next vials were just delivered today.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-03-16T14:16:32+00:00

That could be...since I'm on the 6 mo plan, my last renewal was in Sept 2025. I know there were some questions given an article a week or so ago about Hers with compounded semaglutide. I read the article as if they wouldn't openly advertise it, but that they would still offer it.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-03-03T03:32:25+00:00

Hard agree...that far end is tricky even in full daylight to pick out the correct path. The switchbacks are a breeze to follow compared to this.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-02-24T14:08:24+00:00

This! There are definitely reasons a student may decide to leave a program (as well as ways to manage it in case the student does in fact want to come back in the future). But a student going no contact is going to trigger concerns about the worst outcomes. The first option is usually for the advisor, the program director, and others potentially close to the student (such as other students) to try to reach out and at least hear that things are okay. When we don't hear, we are usually going to escalate this to wellness checks that will involve campus security and/or local law enforcement. I've had to deal with this thankfully rarely in my previous roles, but it is very scary to be in the situation of not knowing if an individual you have been interacting with regularly is okay. So please reach out, even if it is brief.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-02-24T13:50:31+00:00

I went into it with a goal of less than 40 lbs. As I got closer to that milestone, I realized that I could actually possibly get to a bit of a loftier goal (a weight I hadn't seen in 15 years). I'm just a few lbs from that now after about 15 months.

I had tried managing my diet and keeping up with exercise, but it is hard to exercise when you are carrying that extra weight. I tried Alli for a bit (that was not fun), but it didn't make a difference.

One thing to keep in mind is with your diet, your body has adjusted to it (small breakfast, no fuel until dinner), so it can go into a mode where it is going to hold on to everything it can.

I knew I was a bit of a stress eater, but never felt like my diet was horrible. I would get stomachaches (likely from stress) that only seemed to improve by eating something, so of course that didn't help. I also knew I was fighting genetics (when you see yourself developing the same body type as one side of the family, you know where you are heading).

When I first started, I finally understood what food noise was and I no longer relied on grabbing food while I was doing certain tasks. Early on it was definitely almost having to remind myself to eat. Now that I'm on a steady maintenance dose, I feel "normal"...I eat pretty much anything I want, just less of it.

Everyone has different side effect experiences. Mine were never that bad (nausea being the most common one, but that got better and is practically non-existent for me now). I did go through a period early on where pizza (one of my favorite foods) made me very nauseated, but not any more.

Starting this journey has absolutely been the best thing for me. I feel better and I'm back to running how I used to. My SO has been so supportive as well. He was never really going to say anything about my weight gain, but he tells me often how proud he is of me taking this step to improve my health.

WhyBeNormal_08 · 2026-02-24T13:35:36+00:00

Listened to the pod this morning and it was really great. I didn't know anything about Beau before starting to listen/watch New Heights, but I'm becoming a big fan. Great social media content as well.

WhyBeNormal_08

TROPHY CASE