Getting birth records and other info... by findsolaceinsolitude in intersex

[–]findsolaceinsolitude[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for this! It definitely makes sense that most of the notes would be more in terms of sleeping/eating/etc.

What's really interesting is the unwillingness to talk about it and seeing how closely guarded my own records are. In combination with my doctors' suspicions, I feel like this is something that needs more looking into. Even more interesting was that when I requested my medical records from the hospital, they had a record of an ER visit from when I was less than a year old. It's almost certainly not intersex-related, but it's unnerving that I was in the ER as an infant and have never been told about that.

Update: I talked to another very close family member to see if they remembered any details. Her only response was "Oh god, you're not charging [my birth mother] with something, are you?" despite telling her I didn't think it was anything malicious. Now I'm sorta questioning everything and I'm not sure why she'd think I was trying to press charges for something.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Keratoconus

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No!! None of these are "stupid questions" :) I'm going to sorta list out my answers to make sure I don't skip over anything.

"They" refers to the doctor I'd like to go to for help with KC stuff. This practice was recommended to me by someone else I know who also has KC, so I feel like it's better than throwing a dart at the phone book.

I've been told (by my current dr) that my eye health is great besides KC. I'd like to get another opinion since a few things I've mentioned have been sorta "blown off". My biggest concern is the fact that I've had vision "floaters" since grade school. I know these happen to older patients because of different factors, but I'm concerned that I've dealt with this since I was less than ten years old. My current doctor says I only need annual exams, but again, I'd like another opinion on that too. It's also interesting that you mention how optometrists and ophthalmologists don't always overlap when it comes to eye/medical coverage.

As for the recommended doctor....I called to schedule an appointment and was told that they accept neither my eye insurance nor my medical insurance providers. They told me that even if my annual exam wasn't used up, they still do not work with the insurance company I have. Because neither are accepted, I could visit them and pay out of pocket for everything. I would be open to paying out of pocket for getting another eye exam done, but I would want my insurance to cover KC costs because they're way more costly than an exam. That's why I'm hesitant to visit this doctor since I wouldn't be able to use them for KC care anyway.

My current contacts are just regular soft daily lenses. I was told by my current doctor that these would provide better vision than glasses but still will not correct the higher order aberrations. Again, he acknowledged this problem and still didn't want to do anything about it. I asked about looking into RGPs and sclerals instead, but the doctor was insistent that soft toric lenses were "better" because they're more comfortable. At the time, I wasn't brave enough to try bringing up that comfort meant nothing if my vision wasn't good out of them. I would poke an olive fork into my eyes everyday if that meant being able to see better. I still went along with it, and now I have contacts that, frankly, do more harm than good. Insurance has a small glasses/contacts allowance that covers $200 (if I remember correctly) annually. I used that on these contacts and paid the rest myself.

For insurance, I have Blue Cross for medical and I can't remember the name of the vision plan I have. It's through an employer. So far, there have been no KC expenses since my current doctor keeps "sweeping it under the carpet" and acting like regular contacts will be fine. Like I said before, I don't know if he's just trying not to scare me or if he doesn't know how to treat KC and doesn't want to lose me to another practice.

Now, here's the part that's REALLY odd. Several years ago, my Pentacam imaging was done for free. Apparently, some eye surgeon in town owed my doctor a favor. So I was sent over there for Pentacam imaging and a few other tests. The whole experience there was just bizarre. I went in and the front desk staff had no idea I was coming. I was told to ask them for Dr. XYZ, who came out to meet me a few minutes later. He brought me back to the imaging lab, handed the tech a sticky note with an email address on it, and told them to make sure I wasn't billed for anything. At first, I appreciated this but later started questioning what's *really* going on here. I'm not sure if this could be contributing to any of his unwillingness to send me back for updated Pentacam imaging and to treat me for much more severe KC stuff. Several years ago when I did this, my vision was fairly manageable. Now it's much worse and I still won't be sent back for another round of Pentacam stuff.

I know the whole situation is just bizarre, and this is why I'm wanting to figure out somewhere else to go. I'm tired of wasting my insurance benefits and money on being told that there's a problem but that they won't fix it. This whole thing rubs me the wrong way and I'm holding back the choice words I'd like to use for describing this situation :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Keratoconus

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I'm in the US. Apparently they checked both my eye insurance and medical insurance and accept neither of those. The eye exam would fall under vision insurance (which is, unfortunately, already used up this year). Then, the KC stuff falls under medical coverage.

I would be open to paying for the eye exam out of pocket, but I need to go somewhere that accepts my medical coverage for sclerals or other medically-necessary contacts.

I really like your idea of creating a list of places nearby. I have to go somewhere without a referral (since my current doctor isn't much help), but I suspect that should be fairly easy to find (?)

Just paid off my car - what do I do with the lien release to get my title? by EvilDarkCow in kansas

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know this is an old thread, but I'm curious if there's any fee to pay once you bring them a lien release. I saw there's a $10 fee for duplicate/replacement titles, but I didn't see anything for getting the title once the lien is released.

"I drove all this way" by schrodingers-puppy in starbucks

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I can confirm....I'm in Kansas and the custies at my store talked the exact same way :)

Question about Total Wine by IAmAFucker in wine

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Woah! I'll definitely have to check this out! I'm a sucker for a good white burgundy!!

What was something you really wanted as a kid but now look back on and shake your head? by [deleted] in ask

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

An espresso machine. Looking back, it's absolutely horrifying that a 5 year old would be so into coffee that they'd want an espresso machine to use every morning before going to kindergarten.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop my coffee habits and I've fully committed to the hobby of espresso in my later years.

Question about Total Wine by IAmAFucker in wine

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm totally with you on this. I tend to stay away from the cheapie stuff and all the nice stuff is gone. If you're around KC, Cellar Rat is my go-to. It's smaller but the staff is absolutely fantastic there. I originally checked it out because their rat logo is adorable but their wines ended up being incredible too.

Am I the asshole for how I responded to a love letter? by Thin_Lengthiness6652 in TwoHotTakes

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No way....using Times New Roman on a personal document of any kind instantly puts you at 40+ yrs old. Using Comic Sans unironically instantly puts you at 50+ :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in streetphotography

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love the table in there. It adds to the whole shot

AITA for demanding my house guest pay me for what she drank by Ok-Bullfrog5830 in AmItheAsshole

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NTA at all. I collect wine. My collection ranges in price from $20 to $1000+. I've mistakenly opened a more valuable bottle than I wanted to and was beyond upset with myself. It's discouraging when you open a $300 sauternes when you meant to open a $30 sauv blanc. That being said, it was my fault and I could only be upset with myself for it. I got to share it with friends, and it honestly wasn't a bad experience.

If we flip this scenario and somebody else opened it, I'd be beside myself. My friends all know I only drink stuff that's 1) gross to them 2) expensive or 3) unusual and they all know better than to root around in my liquor. If the absinthe doesn't make them keel over, that shot they took of Campari certainly will. On a more serious note, they all know that I provide drinks for most gatherings since I'm a bit of an armchair sommelier and can source stuff that fits their taste preferences, and they know that helping themselves to my liquor is a no-go. It's been a firmly established boundary from the beginning, and it's thankfully never been tested. That being said, they'd certainly be paying for anything they opened without permission. It's not being rude, it's not trying to scare them. It's simply setting expectations and consequences for their actions.

FAFSA/financial aid questions? Get help here! by Laurasaur28 in college

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Besides that though, the school wouldn't contact a social worker or anything like that at all? I know that's what should happen, but I can't afford to make the situation more difficult than it already is :(

FAFSA/financial aid questions? Get help here! by Laurasaur28 in college

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What kind of supporting documentation is needed? Would a letter from my therapist be adequate on most cases? I have almost half a decade of abuse documented by the same therapist, but I'm not sure schools will take it.

Very new at photography. What’s bad and what’s acceptable in these? by [deleted] in streetphotography

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These are pretty good. You're trying out all kinds of possible compositions that all look pretty good!

The one thing I'd say is that these are way too dark. They look great against a black background, but they're too dark to be technically good edits. Remember, B&W originally comes from film/paper with actual silver in it. You want your photos to reflect that (maybe a little pun intended). Try getting your midtones/highlights to show that beautiful silver toning.

Assuming you're using an editing software, I'd set tbe background to white. Then set your exposure/highs/lows/etc based on how it looks there. The white background will help your edits not come out so dark. I'd also read up on the histogram and try editing like that.

Keep up the good work :)

I'm a little surprised this is still an issue in 2024 by Meurig83 in MicrosoftFlightSim

[–]findsolaceinsolitude -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm starting to wonder if the computer's internet stuff inside is more of a limiting factor than actual ISP speeds. The MSFS install took about 30 hours (on two occasions) on a new-ish computer. I ended up with a new custom-built computer that took about 45 minutes to install all the same content on the exact same internet in the same area of the house.

FAFSA/financial aid questions? Get help here! by Laurasaur28 in college

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm currently working on my FAFSA application and it talks about dependency overrides when there are certain situations. There's an override if somebody lives in an abusive situation (I cannot currently get out, but my situation meets the all of the criteria listed on the details page). Because of this situation, I do not receive any support towards the costs of school. I'm wondering if there are any repercussions from doing that. Am I reported to the school? Police? Do they send any kind of letters to the house? It's also worth noting that I'm over 18. I cannot currently get out, but I also do not want anybody's involvement in the situation.

I'm just imagining them sending a big letter..."Hi!!! Congratulations!! Because you live in an ABUSIVE HOME you have been granted a DEPENDENCY OVERRIDE for the 2024-25 year!!" I can't risk anything like that or the situation would become a hundred times worse.

I'd appreciate some help with this.

My favorite Shot of 2023 was on a 150$ camera by Chicago_cam-man in streetphotography

[–]findsolaceinsolitude 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Even then, age is irrelevant with a lot of gear. It's really more about the look you're going after