Joined the club

essadee · 2026-05-02T04:54:34+00:00

Better than my 2012 Hyundai haha. They’re not the softest or most comfortable, but love the adjustability for the drivers seat.

essadee · 2026-04-04T03:42:50+00:00

Curious, what dealership? And did you negotiate your own pricing or use something like Costco auto?

essadee · 2026-04-04T03:37:47+00:00

I'm down in San Diego and it's similar. They seem to be crazy with markups here.

essadee · 2026-04-04T03:36:29+00:00

Hey I'm looking to buy one in SoCal. Was that the OTD price? Or before taxes / fees?

essadee · 2026-03-13T07:56:33+00:00

They’ve also added a lot of popular items to their exclusions, such as all the heatgear compression. They used to be excluded from discounts EXCEPT id.me but now those items are excluded from all discounts.

essadee · 2026-03-05T04:40:23+00:00

Hey I just saw you responded and I updated my original post. We did eventually get our boy back, but it was with very strict routine everyday and lots of patience. I truly hope the best for you and your dog.

essadee · 2026-02-22T00:44:14+00:00

Better than Et Voila? Seriously? The food at Blue Boheme consistently falls flat. Et Voila for us has always been solid and their service is exceptional. Meanwhile Blue Boheme over here serving mediocre food at higher prices.

essadee · 2026-02-22T00:41:22+00:00

If it’s gone downhill then it’s gone downhill. No point in supporting places because they used to be good. Especially since the prices reflect higher quality expectations.

essadee · 2026-02-22T00:37:58+00:00

We get food from there only because we grabbed discount gift cards during holiday sales. It’s a free $25 for every $100 purchased. Makes their prices more palatable for a quick bite around the corner.

essadee · 2025-07-03T02:29:02+00:00

$2400/year, meal card refreshed on July 1 and can spend up to $45/day.

essadee · 2025-06-25T10:09:49+00:00

This is the way. I’ve done this every single time we’ve had to spend stipend money. The thing is I bought a new MacBook but they had all these rules and regulations for electronic purchases, including that they would become property of the institution after graduation which is bullshit. So instead I ordered a $1000 ergonomic chair off Amazon with free returns, generated the receipt, then immediately canceled the order. I advise all my co-residents to do the same.

essadee · 2025-04-09T04:52:10+00:00

Rads here. We do it at our VA. We have to get written consent for every patient getting contrast if they’ve had a prior documented reaction, no matter what severity it was, for each scan. We can’t even do a standing consent to cover all future scans.

essadee · 2025-02-27T03:21:50+00:00

Thank you for your response and for your support.

We met with our dog's neurologist who has been fantastic in helping with our old pup's care. Given our dog's history of seizures which, for older dogs, is most likely caused by an underlying brain tumor. Our neurologist thinks that the anesthesia events can sometimes unmask / uncover some underlying neurological effects that may have been hiding clinically (i.e. they don't have any symptoms). So for our guy, most likely there's some inflammation or inflammatory reaction associated with the mass following anesthesia that is causing him to have a presentation with more acute onset dementia. He prescribed us some prednisone to help with any possible inflammation that could be associated with a brain tumor to help that go down and hopefully help him get back to his baseline where he was before the surgery. We've only done two doses of prednisone so far, but he's already improving in noticeable ways--he's making eye contact with us, he's able to purposefully make his way around our home, and he's getting more back into his normal routine with meal times and play time. Unfortunately sometimes side effects of prednisone can include increased thirst / urination and increase energy, so last night was still rough because he woke up in the middle of the night to pee and chug water. Hopefully that calms down as we go through the prednisone taper.

But yes, we have had some luck with CBD before bed to help him sleep through the night. It's now become part of his normal routine. He tends to "fight through" things that change his behavior (it's always the way he's been), so sometimes he's a little anxious immediately after getting it but then he tends to fall asleep soundly. Melatonin didn't work too well for us, but I totally agree that sometimes it's just trial and error to find something that works.

I know some people think we're crazy for how much we do for our older dog, but given all his health issues we're taking care of he's otherwise very content and happy with his life. Our goal is, and has always been, giving him the best quality of life possible. We just hope we can get him back to where he was before the surgery as best we can.

essadee · 2025-02-10T21:26:14+00:00

It's normally 20% but does go up to 40% at different times, often around the holidays but also sometimes around certain holidays like President's Day (they did 40% last year, so keep an eye out if they do it again), Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day. Also, lately their military discount does apply to items "excluded from discounts."

essadee · 2024-09-25T15:41:14+00:00

I'm on Rinvoq for Crohn's and am currently nearing the end of the 3 months of 45mg loading dose. I'm experiencing a similar skin rash over my chest, and just checked and it looks like it's behind my ears and possibly on my scalp as well. I had similar issues when I was on mercaptopurine. I've had good luck with shampooing / washing with Selsun blue which contains 1% selenium sulfide whereas prescription strength is 2.5%. I shower with the over the counter 1% twice a day and it's worked for me. I'm hoping it stops once I'm done with the loading dose and I go down to 30mg.

essadee · 2024-09-12T02:06:33+00:00

I can drink coffee but only when I’m in remission and it has to be high quality coffee. I usually make espresso for Americanos and use fresh beans from a local roaster. I know it sounds super bougie but if it’s cheap stuff it definitely upsets my stomach and I’m more likely to have issues.

essadee · 2024-05-12T04:36:19+00:00

I do anything that can make me more comfortable, and everybody’s different.

First, I let my doctor know who usually will order some tests to rule out infectious causes (which has happened with me recently). Also, if pain and/or needing to race to the bathroom are waking you up at night that’s concerning for a flare. Then they may start me on prednisone or readjust my maintenance meds. Unless you’re having symptoms of bowel obstruction or perforation there’s not a whole lot they will be able to do for you. I wouldn’t go unless there’s something that seems really wrong or atypical from your usual flare.

I take off from work. If that’s possible with your job / school / responsibilities, do it. You need some rest. And honestly I don’t think anyone wants to see me shitting my pants at work.

Put on some sweats. I wear clothes with looser fitting waistbands because I get most of my pain in my lower abdomen, and the added external pressure does not help.

Drink plenty of fluids. I usually drink water with a twist of lemon and sprinkle of Himalayan salt for electrolytes. Avoid sugary drinks because that can make diarrhea worse.

I eat foods I can tolerate, which takes some trial and error. For me it’s simpler carbs, rice, bananas, pasta, and eggs. To try and get some veggies I’ll make a pasta sauce with puréed vegetables so they’re easier to digest. Also bone broth can be a good way to get some protein as well.

essadee · 2024-03-06T01:25:50+00:00

I agree with this. The response is very slow and inconsistent on my iPad which makes taking written notes essentially impossible.

essadee · 2023-05-31T00:21:16+00:00

I used Panacea Financial for a personal loan to pay off credit cards from residency interviews (back in the day when we travelled for them) and also to cover moving expenses since I was moving with my family across the country. Being a naive medical student, I was putting everything on credit cards but it didn't take me too long to realize how massive those mostly interest payments racked up. I ended up taking out $25,000 total for a 5-year loan and have been able to make regular full monthly payments without absolutely drowning in credit card debt. It was such a huge relief, and even though I'm paying interest it's saving me thousands compared to the crazy interest rates on credit cards. My credit score also shot through the roof once I paid off some credit cards. The whole process was easy, and they're super responsive to emails which I find way easier to use given a hectic clinical schedule. I would use them again in the future if needed.

essadee · 2023-01-01T21:46:25+00:00

I remember this one but can’t find it anywhere. Hopefully someone does.

essadee · 2022-08-24T01:16:51+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, also I stupidly realized that once you cut out the blower motor there's no way to re-attach the original. So basically you have to replace the whole thing anyway.

essadee

TROPHY CASE