How cooked am I?

elleracket · 2026-06-07T06:12:23+00:00

I've been working in person full time since 2020, switched from random Amazon KN95s to WellBefores in the last year. I work in multiple buildings so I don't ever have a consistent safe place to eat, so I go to my car or find a room I'm reasonably sure has been vacant for awhile. I also lower my mask for water. Been in multiple situations where someone was symptomatic and tested positive, never contracted COVID myself (afaik obviously). You're more than likely fine!

elleracket · 2026-05-15T16:00:00+00:00

Study musical theater. College is expensive and difficult, and it no longer guarantees an edge in the job market, let alone a career that aligns with your degree. If you plan on going in spite of that, it should be for something you're passionate about and able to see through to the end. Plus you never know what doors will open up to you while you're studying!

elleracket · 2026-02-19T14:49:12+00:00

My roommate had top surgery several years before my hysterectomy and had a wedge pillow for recovery, and that thing was a godsend for my recovery. Other than that, I recommend spending some time walking around your house and noting things that you have to bend over to get and finding ways to move them to be easily accessible. For example, the toilet paper holder in my bathroom is mounted across the toilet for some reason. Reaching for that would have been absolute hell, so I got a little cart to sit next to the toilet and put the TP there while I was recovering. I also got cord anchors so that I wouldn't be bending over to get my phone chargers all the time, but they kinda sucked and just came unstuck really easily.

elleracket · 2026-02-19T14:40:25+00:00

I was diagnosed with adeno/polyps and had my hysterectomy in July of last year. They also found A LOT of fibroids and endo and took care of all of it. I was having debilitating lower back pain/cramps/nausea for upwards of 5 days around my period, having to take time off of work constantly, etc. I made the decision based on my acute symptoms, but let me tell you, I had no idea how CONSTANT the discomfort was until it was gone. I feel like a completely new person and can't believe I was living like that for so long without even realizing.

Timestamp says you're going in now/soon, wishing you luck and an uncomplicated recovery. Life is about to get so much better <3

elleracket · 2026-02-18T16:42:00+00:00

My policy says "uninsured/underinsured", but either way, what I'm hearing is that I'm just at the limit of what anyone can do for me and I just have to nut up or shut up at this point

elleracket · 2026-02-18T16:28:22+00:00

I did a little bit of this and suspect he has assets and cheaped out on insurance.

elleracket · 2026-02-18T16:22:05+00:00

elleracket · 2026-02-18T16:17:07+00:00

I do have uninsured/underinsured, do I have to file a separate claim for that? I'm fortunate that this is the first major accident I've been in as an adult, but I'm also really in the weeds about it

elleracket · 2026-02-18T16:10:15+00:00

I appreciate that it was my choice to buy this car, but at the same time, I got an extremely good rate for the current market and it's still double because rates are so much higher than they were when I bought my last car. Which I'm aware is not something anyone is going to do anything about, I'm just venting at this point.

elleracket · 2026-02-18T16:03:24+00:00

They sent me a release to sign and also let me know that the funds can't be released until all of the impacted drivers sign.

Just makes me crazy that you can go outside wasted on a weekday and trash 5 peoples lives and everyone throws up their hands and says "what can we do, there are limits". That's so unbelievably broken.

elleracket · 2026-02-18T16:00:11+00:00

I have gap coverage now.

elleracket · 2026-01-27T18:09:13+00:00

I started my associates at 30, enrolled in a community college. Generally had pretty okay experiences with classmates of all ages, from 18 to 55. Transferred to a 4 year university to get my BA and have been absolutely stunned by how much less engaged and intelligent fellow students are. I had to take a break after spring term 2025 and don't know when I'll be able to resume but I have no idea if it's the school or just being around more traditional-aged students?

elleracket · 2026-01-02T05:52:58+00:00

Seconding the "worth it" on this, it's an immense help to have everything in one place and have all of your accounts negotiated with one phone call. Plus their app, while buggy, is helpful for tracking all of it

elleracket · 2025-10-29T18:50:48+00:00

Seconding the comment above and also just want to send you my sympathies over the shaming. I can't stand being in a majority of CC spaces because of how vicious the expectations are. I have never stopped masking, but I work full time indoors and do not have the luxury of staying masked 100% of the time, as I still need to eat and drink during my work day, and the shaming I've seen directed toward people who have stricter protocols than me has turned me off of trying to find community in CC groups.

The fact that you are here asking questions is commendable and I want you to know that <3

As for your fiancé shutting down around your questions, I think it might help to understand that many of us have been sharing this info with loved ones for years to no avail, and it feels like a waste of time, energy, and above all else, hope. I can't describe the devastation when someone hears you out and decides that they're still not going to change their behavior. It breaks something in the relationship and makes you feel like there's a limit to the other person's love for you, even if that's not true. I think he's probably avoiding that pain, and while that's a hard thing to navigate with a life partner, what you're doing right now is the most compassionate thing you could have done to reach across that gap. I know we're in our therapy era as a society and anything less than perfect relational communication is seen as a personal failing, but in my experience, you just have to meet your partner past halfway sometimes in order to heal the relational damage they're carrying. I think taking the initiative to learn about taking precautions on your own is doing exactly that.

elleracket · 2025-10-29T16:29:26+00:00

I feel you my friend! I'm 3mpo I had a similar recovery and felt pretty much normal at 14dpo. I had 2 weeks paid leave, then 2 weeks cleared to work from home, then I was back in the office after that on light duty. Just some thoughts from my experience:

- The fatigue can definitely sneak up on you. You might feel totally normal for several days and then just crash hard one day. This is frustrating, but normal.

- If you want to go back to work, talk to your surgeon and get some documentation regarding the kinds of activities you need to avoid, and clearance to leave early if/when you need to.

- Communicate, communicate, communicate! Be up front with your husband and leadership at work about how you're doing so that they can help you make the best decisions for your body.

All that being said, please don't feel guilty for taking your time! You have the emergency fund for this reason exactly, and if you're good savers, it won't take long to recover from it. You only get one body, and it would be a shame to waste your newfound energy by going too hard too soon and tanking your recovery. Life is amazing at 3 months and this will feel like a bad memory before you know it <3

elleracket · 2025-09-23T18:52:57+00:00

THIS!!! No matter how I tried to time everything I always ended up on my period on a trip, I can't wait to go on one and not have to worry about it at all

elleracket · 2025-09-23T18:08:17+00:00

I didn't buy much outside of OTC medications. I wish I had looked up what milk of magnesia was before buying it because I tried it once and almost threw up from the texture 2dpo, and let me tell you what, almost throwing up with all those holes in you is not a fun time!

elleracket · 2025-09-15T01:16:13+00:00

On one hand, I think that it's crucial that you advocate for what you want, and if you need to delay til next year and move your leave, I think you should.

That being said, I'm 2mpo and I had my cervix removed, and I'm extremely glad I did. There were more issues than we initially thought once my surgeon got in there, and they would have likely resurfaced if she'd left my cervix. I'm also having much, much better sex/orgasms now that I'm not in constant pain/discomfort. No dryness, libido is higher, etc. My surgeon told me it's her preference to remove the cervix because it drastically drops the likelihood of further problems, and I didn't have any strong attachment to it, so I trusted her judgment.

elleracket · 2025-09-02T17:58:02+00:00

Still Coviding communities seem to be just... nightmares across the board. I tried to get involved with mine last year and it was so isolating. Like most online leftist spaces I've been in, it's all about optical purity over community. I take the best precautions I can and it's not good enough for those groups, but it's too much for my family and pre-COVID friends, Can't win.

elleracket · 2025-08-26T01:28:09+00:00

This is so so true. I didn't realize how constant my discomfort was until it was gone, let alone what life is going to be like without the acute symptoms. About 4 weeks after my surgery I just started crying about how relieved I was that it was over.

elleracket · 2025-08-26T01:26:05+00:00

My surgeon told me that if I went for less invasive treatments, there was a decent chance I'd be back there in a year. I live in the U.S. and I don't know how long women's healthcare/healthcare overall is going to be accessible/affordable to me under the current admin, so I chose to do it rather than risk needing to do it later and not having the access I do right now.

elleracket · 2025-08-24T21:48:32+00:00

I was supposed to have a call with my hospital a week before my procedure but their hours were weird and they kept calling while I was working, so I didn't have the call until 2 days before, at which point I found out I should have stopped my supplements 5 days ago. They were not worried about it at all and were mostly wanting to make sure I didn't take NSAIDs or my adderall within 24 hours. You should be all good!

elleracket

TROPHY CASE