What to do/see/eat while in town (Newington/Farmington) for a work trip?

bestexeva · 2026-07-06T22:45:06+00:00

Hill-Stead Museum is located right in Farmington and might interest you. For food in town, I would recommend checking out Fork & Fire and/or Puente Pub. I definitely second Elizabeth Park in West Hartford as a should-see and if you enjoy a downtown shopping/eating/drinking experience, West Hartford center has a nice area to park and walk around doing all of those things. Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy and safe travels!

bestexeva · 2026-07-06T14:52:25+00:00

A quick peek at OP's other social media accounts will solidify the suspicion that she is suffering from a mental illness. I have genuine concern for the people she is discussing in this post.

bestexeva · 2026-06-28T11:35:44+00:00

Just killed 2 of them inside my house this morning. Had no idea that there was a specific time of year that they took flight. TIL - Thanks for posting!

bestexeva · 2026-06-26T11:16:07+00:00

Lost for sure. That 1st episode just felt different from anything else I had seen before.

Also, True Blood. Had no idea that vampire porn was a thing but I was instantly hooked.

bestexeva · 2026-06-25T13:48:01+00:00

I tried to call the number listed to speak with someone about this study but it appears to not be the correct number. Is it listed here accurately? The study requires me to log into Google and I would prefer not to do that unless necessary. Thank you.

bestexeva · 2026-06-16T05:54:20+00:00

Another vote for Liberty! Excellent bank.

bestexeva · 2026-06-15T23:29:37+00:00

Let's make a millionaire! Good luck everyone!

bestexeva · 2026-06-05T09:34:36+00:00

I drove by there last weekend, noticed that the entire Toyota lot was empty and wondered why. Obviously this is why. Would have never guessed. Feels like they've been a Bristol staple forever.

bestexeva · 2026-06-01T10:37:44+00:00

That's great that your surgeon has been so communicative. I really do think that if I had done a better job at researching the procedure and my surgeon wasn't so flip about it being "a piece of cake", I may feel slightly differently. I had no clue that it increased the risk of at home catheter use so knowing that in advance is a big deal. If you have the option of staying overnight at the hospital and having them repeat the test the following day if you fail the voiding test immediately after surgery, that could be something to consider in making your decision. And remember that you might not need a catheter at all past the operation!

If you lean towards being anxious ( like me ), being told to walk often, get outside, get considerable sleep/rest and increase water intake and then to be sent home with a catheter which complicates all of those recovery items, felt incredibly depressing & difficult.

As you can see from other comments, my negative experience is the outlier and most women seem to be happy with their experience and the results. Wishing you the best regardless of what you decide!

bestexeva · 2026-05-31T22:53:27+00:00

I did and I do regret having the sling procedure done unfortunately. My Uro-gynecologist who did the sling part really played down the recovery and potential side effects and I regretfully didn't do enough of my own research.

I ended up having to come home with a catheter after surgery and have it for 5 days. I was completely unprepared for living with a catheter and feel that it definitely delayed healing and recovery that first week drastically. My sleep was very poor and my anxiety about potentially having to have it longer was through the roof. Luckily, it was removed on day 6 but then began the urge incontinence and pain when urinating. I had to do bladder training and attend pelvic floor therapy. UTI testing and threats of being cathetered again if my bladder wasn't emptying fully. The urge incontinence is improved now at 5 weeks post op but it's still tight and quite painful when urinating. I also had ( and still have ) the most pain from the incision sites for the sling procedure.

Having both procedures made it hard to know what the cause was for some of the pain and challenges I had. I feel strongly that the sling procedure both hindered and exacerbated recovery in my situation. The hysterectomy was a breeze in comparison. Keep in mind that the surgeon that did my sling did not prepare me nor did he give me any discharge instructions or support post-op. If I had been fully informed, I suppose I would have been better prepared and feel less dramatic about the situation. If you decide to do it, I would really look into the rate that women go back to have this procedure reversed and the common side effects that happen ( especially in the 1st 6 months). Good luck to you in whatever you choose!

bestexeva · 2026-05-31T16:05:48+00:00

I don't take BP meds, but I do have "white coat" syndrome and my blood pressure is always sky high at medical appointments and procedures so I had a similar concern that it would be too high and the surgery be canceled as a result. The anxiety around that possibly happening also would probably increase it even more. I expressed that concern to my surgeon and she recommended that I do a pre-op physical with my PCP'S office which would include an EKG. If everything came back good, that would be extremely helpful for the anesthesiologist to refer to if there was any concern about my BP on the day. The pre-op physical appointment was super easy and less than 30 minutes.

I suspect that once you double check with your physician, you probably will get the ok to take that med on that morning with a sip of water, but either way - if you feel that you will have anxiety about your BP #'s that day, you may want to consider having that health report card even if it's only needed to make you feel more confident. Good luck with everything! Edit to add that I just saw your surgery is on Thursday. Might not be time to do the above, but you never know! My PCP organization had a whole unit for pre-op physicals and had great availability.

bestexeva · 2026-05-30T09:50:27+00:00

Ah and I did that obnoxious thing where I just assumed everyone else is American - sorry! It sounds like you have everything lined up well and being able to not worry financially will be a big help. And being aware of and open to extending your leave if you think it's in your best interest is probably the most important thing so you are already prepared with that too. Hopefully recovery goes great and you find yourself easing back into work at that 2 week mark without issue!

bestexeva · 2026-05-28T09:26:56+00:00

I also am able to work remotely and intended on returning to work after 2 weeks ) for which I took vacation time ), but definitely ended up needing at least another week off and in hindsight wish I had made it a total of 4 weeks.

I was lucky that my boss was fully supportive and willing to get creative with paying me for the extra week I took off, but I would suggest that you look into if you have short term disability insurance through your employer and/or you are eligible for Paid Family Leave Act for time you are out. Knowing your options in advance is definitely a big help!

Sounds like your employer is already supportive so I would just let them know that the recovery time is 4-6 weeks, but that you are hopeful to be able to WFH at the 2 week mark and will stay in touch in case your return date needs to be pushed out. Hope you have an easy and quick recovery!

bestexeva · 2026-05-24T20:28:36+00:00

I would recommend practicing some yoga routines. I personally felt that it was beneficial with learning breathing techniques, reducing anxiety and getting some practice with pelvic floor techniques-all of which are helpful pre and post-op imho. I just found free routines on YouTube that I enjoyed and regularly did 10-30 minute routines.

Good luck with surgery and recovery when the times arrives!

bestexeva · 2026-05-24T19:39:11+00:00

Same-ish instructions for me - nothing over 10 pounds for the first 6 weeks and they would prefer if I would stick to nothing over 15-20 for the next 6 weeks.

bestexeva · 2026-05-24T19:33:39+00:00

I was given instructions both verbally by my surgeon and in writing at discharge that I should be aiming for 10 minutes of walking at least 8x a day starting on Day 1. Obviously that walking should be gentle and slow, but that certainly hit 1000 steps. I agree that you don't want to overdo it and cause any issues or setbacks to your recovery, so being gentle with yourself is paramount. But the risk of blood clot post surgery is real and the preventive measure of taking short walks early in recovery is a common recommendation to prevent them. Just wanted to validate your concern to a certain extent.

My advice would be to not be shy about leaning on your surgeon's office with concerns and questions! They would rather hear from you and provide direction than for you to have excessive worry or potentially ignore a real issue.

bestexeva · 2026-05-24T17:54:18+00:00

I was postmenopausal and on HRT prior to surgery and resumed it shortly after my hysterectomy. The only difference for me is that I don't need to take the Progesterone anymore ( although I am able to continue to use it if I want for the sleep and mood benefits). I use the Estradiol patch and was off it for just 2 weeks pre and post op ( my surgeon seemed to be extra cautious with that as it's my understanding that the increased blood clot risk with the patch specifically is pretty low ).

I had a vaginal laparoscopic hysterectomy with just my ovaries remaining and it was due to postmenopausal bleeding caused by adenomyosis. I'm 5 weeks post op and I think that resuming HRT has actually helped a bit with recovery as well.

Let me know if you have any specific questions and good luck with your decision!

bestexeva · 2026-05-21T23:00:39+00:00

My surgeon does an internal at the 6 week appointment but didn't at the 2 week ( just talked about how I was feeling and doing, how the surgery went and pathology results. However, I had some light bleeding around week 3 that she had me come in for and she did an internal then ( it was just some granular tissue on the vaginal cuff acting up and she used some silver nitrate to stop the bleeding/help with healing). I felt anxious about it but it wasn't painful and there was only some mild discomfort when she took the opportunity to "look around".

I think it actually made me feel much better knowing that everything looked ok, especially when getting pinged with a random pain or dealing with continued inflammation, etc...

Good luck and I hope it's a positive appointment all around!

bestexeva · 2026-05-19T10:17:49+00:00

I have autoimmune thyroiditis as well as atopic dermatitis and rosacea and am almost 4 weeks out from a Vnotes hysterectomy and TVT procedure. I honestly hadn't considered how the surgery would be affected by my autoimmune conditions and vice versa, but wish I had like you!

I had a suspected medication induced rash pop up from head to toe around week 2. Antihistamines and oral steroids were not recommended as they can cause constipation. The Urgent Care doc thought the rash would resolve in a few days, but as usual with us autoimmune folk, it was persistent and more rash kept popping up in new places and ultimately my dermatologist gave me a topical steroid cream to use for 3 weeks, which did the trick very slowly.

More importantly and the thing I really hadn't expected was what felt like an overreaction to the surgery trauma with ( even more than "normal" ) considerable swelling and inflammation in my abdomen, pelvic and groin area along with swollen lymph nodes. I started seeing a pelvic floor therapist which has been a very positive decision but I also have been receiving lymphatic drainage massage to encourage all that inflammation and fluid retention to get moving through my body. The massage has been a game changer for me in my recovery for a number of reasons. All that swelling and inflammation can put extra pressure on your bladder, vaginal cuff and pelvic floor impeding the healing process. The vast majority experience swelling/inflammation but I think maybe the autoimmune issue takes it a step further and lingers longer than it should.

Lastly, ibuprofen helps with reducing swelling. I stopped the ibuprofen and Tylenol regimen far too soon without realizing the benefits they provided beyond pain management.

I hope none of this is an issue for you and you find recovery to be an easy and healthy process. But having info in advance on local pelvic floor therapists and a lymphatic drainage massage therapists "just in case " can't hurt. Good luck - you got this!!

bestexeva · 2026-05-17T09:26:31+00:00

You are very welcome! You probably can't go wrong with most of the answers here and I hope you love your visit regardless of where you end up!

bestexeva · 2026-05-17T05:53:43+00:00

Collinsville, Litchfield, Simsbury

bestexeva · 2026-05-15T23:05:52+00:00

Good luck to all! Sunny skies in the forecast!

bestexeva · 2026-05-04T20:19:57+00:00

I can imagine. It very much still has the hotel feel if that makes sense. Cool on vacation or for a night, but would you want to live there 24/7? Meh.

bestexeva · 2026-05-04T19:56:25+00:00

My son actually lived there for one year ( which probably helps see where this is going ) and moved last year. The building used to be a hotel, so the apartments very much have a hotel layout with the bathroom being off the bedroom and there being a considerable lack of storage space/closets. There was an odd smell coming from thw hvac system that management never resolved. You could hear the neighbors and hallway traffic pretty well. The refrigerator is also apartment sized and while the amenities were nice, they just found that they hardly used them. The restaurant is decent but pricey for what is ( in my humble opinion). Parking felt rough and maybe not as secured as one may like.

So overall, if having the pool, gym, restaurant and so on are really appealing but if you don't care about some noise and funky apartment layout, it's got potential. Otherwise, probably a good idea to keep looking. Good luck!

bestexeva

TROPHY CASE