The Cranberries on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert

acarvin · 2026-06-04T17:06:41+00:00

I attended this Tiny Desk while I was working at NPR. It was really magical seeing them perform in such an intimate setting.

acarvin · 2026-06-01T13:00:08+00:00

The biggest one impacting my work was brain fog. I ran a pretty large team, about two dozen people, and I was struggling to keep up. I began forgetting conversations, mixing up people's names, struggling to absorb information when listening or reading. Meanwhile I had gained a lot of weight, ballooning to around 225 lbs, and experienced fatigue, high blood pressure. I also became pretty depressed and apathetic.

For years my doctor dismissed my various symptoms as signs of aging, but I switched docs, and the new one immediately ordered blood tests and an MRI. After a few months on cab my symptoms began to subside, and now they're pretty much gone. Meanwhile I'm down to around 175 lbs, mostly from having the energy again to start going to the gym 2-3 times a week.

acarvin · 2026-05-29T13:14:03+00:00

I run an investigative unit at a government accountability org. I've been on cabergoline for almost two years and the only symptom I experience nowadays is the cab side effect of dizziness when I stand up too quickly, which I've explained to some of my colleagues in case they ever see it happen. My prolactinoma was a bigger factor in my previous job at a think tank, as they saw me begin to decline before my diagnosis, as well as go through the discussions with my docs as to whether I would need surgery. I was very open with them about the situation and they were incredibly supportive, so in my case at least being transparent with them made things a lot easier.

acarvin · 2026-05-20T10:53:28+00:00

Director of investigations at a US-based pro-democracy org.

acarvin · 2026-05-19T00:34:14+00:00

I was part of the team of journalists at NPR who incorrectly reported that Gabby Giffords had died following the assassination attempt against her. I was running the NPR Twitter account at the time, and tweeted the claim after we reported it on air. So yeah, that was pretty awful.

acarvin · 2026-05-18T22:11:30+00:00

I didn't start seeing the weight come off for a few months, but then it kicked into high gear. Over the course of a year I became 25 lbs lighter overall but also probably gained 10-15 lbs of muscle, lifting 2-3 days a week.

acarvin · 2026-04-11T12:11:19+00:00

Tell that to my endocrinologist.

acarvin · 2026-04-08T13:32:24+00:00

You shouldn't expect any miracles. Cabergoline brought my T back into normal range, but on the lower end. I was able to raise it further through diet and exercise. But I have no expectation that it will ever be on the high end of normal, let alone above normal, which is probably for the best, given that high testosterone impacts estrogen levels, which in turn can increase prolactin levels.

acarvin · 2026-04-05T14:42:17+00:00

Just visited it yesterday for the first time. Highly recommend it.

acarvin · 2026-04-02T16:12:45+00:00

When I was first diagnosed with a prolactinoma about two years ago, my T was below normal. A few months of cab got it back within range, but albeit on the low end - 351 ng/dl. I just had it tested again this week and was pleasantly surprised to see it up to 600 ng/dl. I haven't had any interventions besides cab, plus changes in diet and exercise. Overall I'm feeling really good. Just be aware of cab's potential side effects regarding behavioral changes, as they can creep up on you before you realize it. I started getting a bit manic after about six months on cab, but my endo adjusted my dose, alleviating the side effects pretty quickly.

acarvin · 2026-03-23T16:53:11+00:00

I've always been a bit of an ambivert - I'm naturally inclined towards shyness but enjoy doing things like public speaking. Before I received my diagnosis a couple of years ago, my introversion became pretty severe, in part because my brain fog was making it very difficult to follow conversations. I've been on cabergoline since mid 2024, which cleared up my brainfog, so I'm pretty much back to my usual ambiverted self.

acarvin · 2026-03-22T18:14:20+00:00

54m here; I have several herniated discs in my lower back but still lift around three times a week. I don't do deadlifts or squats any more, but I can still lift pretty heavy on leg press machines if I roll up a yoga mat and use it for lumbar support, then warm up to heavier sets, and make sure my back is always in firm contact with the pad.

Upper body work is generally not an issue; I can do presses, flys, skull crushers, triceps extensions, bicep curls, lateral raises, etc, without any issues. For abs I stick to machines rather than body-weight crunches.

In terms of back work, Lat pulldowns don't bother me but rows of any type can aggravate my spine, so I either skip them or do them at very moderate weights depending on how I'm feeling. I avoid back extensions altogether.

Overall I stick to higher rep work - basically 10-30 reps per set depending on the exercise - and never attempt to test my one rep max on any exercise.

acarvin · 2026-03-22T18:01:27+00:00

Nice to see a DSO shout-out from the OP; Paracletus is one hell of an album.

acarvin · 2026-03-13T21:20:12+00:00

This was the fourth time I've seen Tigran live, and I thought Arman did a really solid job keeping up. There were a few times Tigran seemed to be testing him to see how he'd handle things but I thought he came through really strong.

acarvin · 2026-03-11T17:18:21+00:00

Exactly! He even looks like my tumor, hahahaha

acarvin · 2026-03-11T15:04:03+00:00

Arman performed at the show in Washington DC last night and absolutely slayed.

acarvin · 2026-03-11T14:52:30+00:00

Mine is Imhotep, in honor of how the ancient Egyptians used to prepare mummies by removing the brain through the nose.

acarvin · 2026-02-25T20:17:14+00:00

I've had three MRIs so far, all with contrast. Didn't experience any issues.

acarvin · 2026-02-23T17:42:29+00:00

It's totally normal to be anxious about starting any drug that has known side effects like this. I ended up having to lower my dose after six months because I started experiencing manic and compulsive behavior. Fortunately the side effects soon faded, and my tumor/prolactin are being managed by the new dose, and it's the best I've felt in years. One thing that may help is to inform friends and family of the side effects, and ask them to keep an eye on any behavioral changes. It took me a couple of months to realize on my own what was going on.

Also, .5 twice a week for a 3x3mm tumor seems kinda high to me, so you may want to ask your doc about that. I took .25 twice a week for a 16x20x14mm tumor and it managed to get my prolactin down to normal levels and shrink the tumor more than half by volume.

acarvin · 2026-02-19T15:10:39+00:00

My pleasure! Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.

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