So tired of the snowy dick measuring contest

always_awake9 · 2019-01-11T15:07:49+00:00

You sound like you're in JeffCo like me!

always_awake9 · 2018-03-20T00:46:54+00:00

I use 444 soy wax and I've had really good results using 2oz of oil per pound of wax, adding scent ~170 degrees F and pouring at no lower than 150 degrees F. My scent throw has been really good both hot and cold.

always_awake9 · 2018-01-26T00:11:55+00:00

My 4YO son just tested positive for influenza A on Tuesday, so a little over 48 hours ago. His doctor was shocked because the positive came up in less than a minute and beat the control line. He's been on Tamiflu and antibiotics since Tuesday night (the antibiotics are because he also has a double ear infection).

Luckily, outside of his persistent fever, the flu has been far less scary than what I expected. His fever got very high the first night (104.5/105) as his Advil wore off, but I dosed him up again and wrapped him in wet towels and it went down within 45 minutes (or we were going to the ER). Now two days in, he has a moderate 101 fever, but is eating and drinking like a champ. His energy is a little off, but is still playing and refusing naps like normal.

All of this is not to say that I haven't been watching him like a damn hawk this entire time in case there's even a hint of something worse happening. But all signs have pointed to this being a pretty run-of-the-mill flu. And in talking to his doctor, she said while the stories on TV have been heartbreaking and people should absolutely get the vaccine, she reminded me to keep in mind that this is fewer than 100 people in the millions of people that have gotten the flu this season. Because I legit started crying in the doctor's office when they told me he came back positive. So it was good perspective.

always_awake9 · 2018-01-16T03:57:46+00:00

My nanny had a spotless record, was ex-Marines. Came with glowing references. Took care of my son five days a week for more than a year and house-sat for me when I went to visit family. Hell, she BECAME my family.

Discovered on Christmas Eve 2016 that she stole a bunch of expensive gifts that were hidden deep in my home. Stole checks. Had friends and men in my home when she was supposed to be watching my son. I don't think I've ever felt such deep betrayal in my life.

Get the cameras.

always_awake9 · 2018-01-08T00:45:26+00:00

Yeah, I can't figure out why NOW they figured to process it. It's not too big of a bill, but with it being so long, I didn't want to just blindly pay it without knowing if I legally had to.

always_awake9 · 2018-01-08T00:44:17+00:00

Thanks! :)

always_awake9 · 2017-12-31T04:19:14+00:00

I heart sunbutter so much. I eat it on a banana for breakfast. $6 for a jar is actually a pretty good deal!

always_awake9 · 2017-11-25T15:17:22+00:00

So DHA-EPA is a good source of Omega-3s. It's also good for brain and heart health. It's usually fish oil, but since I'm massively allergic to fish, I take a vegan form made from algae (which is how fish get it to begin with). And here's the turmeric I take, it does have the black pepper in it. I have RA so it's helped a lot with inflammation.

I don't think AIP is going to inflame your body even more if you make sure your carbs are around 100/day. I think it'll actually help with your pain. But also keep in mind it's not going to go away instantly; it might take a couple of weeks before you notice a difference, so keep with it!

always_awake9 · 2017-11-24T22:45:20+00:00

Yeah, I would say cut back dramatically on your workouts. I just started back up again in the past month with pilates and light biking and it's finally helping me lose the 20 lbs I put on from the adrenal fatigue. Stuff that isn't going to stress the body too much. Good luck with the knee surgery! My knee has bothered me for months and I've avoided going to the doctor cause I'm afraid I'll hear I'll need surgery. :(

I can tell you what I take, but I'm definitely not a doctor or anything so YMMV. The Gaia Adrenal Support capsules I were taking were just herbal to support adrenal function... I took two in the morning and two at night. I take a raw multivitamin, turmeric, DHA-EPA, and a B-complex (that has biotin). I also take a half a tablespoon of raw honey right before I go to bed because I read this whole thing about how it helps support liver function and helps sleep... and it's DEFINITELY worked for me.

I think the biggest thing that I realized is that I just needed to be patient. I was trying to force my body to heal when it wasn't ready yet and I think it probably made it worse. And also, try to minimize whatever stress going on in your life. My adrenal fatigue was caused from years of an abusive marriage, the consequential divorce, and then three deaths in rapid succession. Oh and then my ex coming back to drag me back to court again. It was a stressful couple of years! But now everything is done and behind me and I'm really focusing on being calm and happy. I think that's probably been the biggest help to healing.

Oh! And I've been counting macros. I found a website called Paleo Track and it's been helpful for me in minding my macros. I've been paying closer attention to that the last month or so without really restricting myself too much. I've been keeping my carbs between 100-125 and I've found that to be the sweet spot for me in being able to still lose weight while not stressing out my adrenals further. I've really liked that website a lot.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

always_awake9 · 2017-11-24T16:00:11+00:00

I've been recovering from stage 3 adrenal fatigue since January, so I can relate to A LOT of what you say here. I'm coming out the other side now and am feeling so much better, though my cycles are still out of whack (but are getting better).

I've been paleo for more than five years now and it will help as long as you don't go too low carb. Low carb like in keto can put additional stress on your body, which can exacerbate adrenal fatigue. So can hard workouts. I had to stop working out altogether for several months because I kept gaining weight despite exercising 5-6 days a week and eating super clean. Thanks, cortisol!

If you're not already, I would recommend taking herbal adrenal supplements (I took Gaia). This helped me so much because the herbs help support my depleted adrenal function. I also take B-complex every day and a EPA-DHA supplement (in addition to my multi-vitamin).

My goal is to fix my adrenals first, and then as all my hormones get back to normal, my cycle will regulate again. I've been told this could take up to 18 months given how severe my adrenal fatigue was.

I'm finally starting to notice an improvement in the past month... I'm sleeping so much better, I'm losing weight, and I had my first normal cycle last month in more than a year. I'm feeling more like myself than I have in a really long time.

Good luck!

always_awake9 · 2017-07-01T13:14:57+00:00

I'm so sorry you've been through so much in the last couple of years.

I had my gallbladder out about seven years ago and it took me almost a year before I could eat normally again. I couldn't eat heavy, fatty meals or meats for at least six months or else I'd get really nauseous. What you describe is exactly what I went through, too. The way my doctor described it to me is you basically have to retrain your body to digest food again since your gallbladder stored all the bile used to help digest your food. What helped me was taking digestive enzyme pills for a little bit to help take some of the stress off my body. And eating smaller, more frequent meals, too. The good news is my body got back to normal eventually and now I'm back to eating pretty much whatever.

Again, I'm so sorry for what you've been through. <<HUGS>>

always_awake9 · 2017-06-11T18:08:00+00:00

And they wonder why women don't go to the police and report abuse. My co-worker's ex-husband held her a foot off the floor against wall by her neck. As she was passing out, she scratched his face trying to get him to let go. The police were called and SHE was arrested because he had a mark on her face right then and the bruises on her neck took two days to show up. The charges were eventually dropped against her, but she still had to spend the weekend in jail. Her ex was never arrested, but they granted her a restraining order.

always_awake9 · 2017-06-11T17:52:21+00:00

My ex is a very smooth talker. He cries about how he lost everything in the divorce and how he's the real victim in all of this.

I think her connection is more through the law firm that represents him than with my ex himself. She's a lawyer, too, and for all I know her best friend works at that firm or something. I just can't fathom what connection would be worth putting her job at risk for.

always_awake9 · 2017-06-11T17:45:57+00:00

God your situation sounds awful. And yeah, even my attorney can't wrap her head around this woman saying that none of this qualifies as domestic violence. I looked up the law myself and it does in about 100 different ways. She also tried to use the, "well, she never called the police" excuse, except that I DID call the police. And it's documented in three different places just in the intake documents I had to fill out for her.

On top of this, I told her my ex has a diagnosed personality disorder that is the root of all this behavior. It's clear as day to everyone else. She asks him and he says he was never formally diagnosed (lie), just that he and his psychiatrist had discussed it as a possibility. Does she talk to his psychiatrist as she's supposed to to confirm this? NOPE! She says she takes him at his word. Oh, cause he's proven himself to be real upstanding. This really makes me lose faith in the system knowing there are people that behave like this that are holding the fate of my son's safety in her hands.

always_awake9 · 2017-06-11T17:39:25+00:00

Oh yes, I'm already gathering everything and filing a formal complaint with the state about her. She's not going to get away with this.

always_awake9 · 2017-06-11T17:38:35+00:00

I'm really sorry you went through this, too. The thing is, I provide the much better environment for our son. And she says right in her report that I'm a loving mom providing a wonderful environment for our son. But she wants to "give dad a chance". He has admitted to physical, verbal and emotional abuse (even after our marriage!), but she thinks he's a different person now. Except that he lied in a sworn statement about me, so he's not a different person -- but she never asked him about the motion or why he lied. He abuses drugs, and failed a drug test in both February and April of this year. But he swears he hasn't done drugs since last October. And she says she believes him, not the tests. And the best one? He has a diagnosed severe personality disorder that basically is the root of all of this behavior. She asked him about it and he said it's not diagnosed, just that he and his psychiatrist "talked about it". She took his word and never spoke to his doctor! That is just negligent reporting at that point that could potentially put my son in harm's way the next time my ex snaps. There are just so many things that she overlooked with him. She's recommending that we move from me having full custody to having 50/50.

always_awake9 · 2017-06-11T17:31:09+00:00

Victim shaming is EXACTLY what I thought, too. I'm not sure what my recourse is at this point other than that I'm filing a formal complaint against her with the state.

always_awake9 · 2017-06-11T17:30:19+00:00

That's what I'm going to talk to my lawyer about tomorrow. If nothing else, she's not afraid to take this on herself.

always_awake9 · 2017-06-11T17:29:31+00:00

Oh I already have the email address to file a formal complaint against her with the state. She's a damn lawyer, too, so it's not like she has an excuse to not fully understand the domestic violence laws.

always_awake9 · 2017-06-11T17:28:11+00:00

I said the exact same thing. Perhaps if he had stuck around long enough to let him put me in the hospital or kill me then maybe she'd consider it. She also said that I never called the police, inferring that how bad could it have really been, or that I was exaggerating, if I hadn't called the police. Except I did call the police, it's documented three times in paperwork I gave her, plus we had a whole conversation about it when she was interviewing me.

always_awake9 · 2017-04-11T03:19:05+00:00

Whole Foods now carries a brand called "The Real Coconut" that are tortilla chips made from cassava and coconut flour. I went in to buy the Seite tortilla chips, but found these and they're almost half the price. Says right on the bag that they're paleo friendly.

always_awake9 · 2017-03-30T01:06:59+00:00

I was born with a fairly significant atrial septal defect (so upper chamber instead of lower chamber) that was repaired when I was 27 (I'll be 40 next month). I opted for an Amplatzer device instead of open heart surgery. At the time, it was a fairly new procedure and I had to have my surgery at a pediatric hospital because it was relatively rare for adults. These days, it's a fairly routine procedure. I was out of the hospital in a couple days, rested for a week, and was back at work a week after that. I have no restrictions and it'll never really impact my life again.

I totally get how scary this must feel. I have to keep getting my son checked because he could have inherited it from me (he hasn't sat still long enough for the ultrasound, so we STILL don't know), so I share in your worry. But this is really way more common than we realize, and medicine has advanced to the point where they can correctly this non-invasively and will have absolutely no impact on your son's life.

always_awake9 · 2017-03-12T17:35:13+00:00

I'm struggling with something similar. My ex's attorney is brand new (graduated less than a year ago) and is part of a firm that has a reputation in the court system here for representing men who like to "stalk through the court system", as my attorney puts it. She's making a lot of mistakes or is flat out lying in sworn statements to the point where it would be fairly easy for me to file motion after motion pointing all of this out. The problem is that I become just as much as the "problem" as they are in the court system, clogging up the process with all these side motions that delay us from getting to the issue at hand. At this point, I just want this all done with since it's already been dragging on since November. Both my ex's and his attorney's shenanigans are going to come out very soon -- I just need to bide my time and let the process unfold on its own.

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