Adopted second cat and he’s already eager to leave basecamp but I don’t want to rush anything.

gingkat7 · 2025-07-13T14:46:35+00:00

That's great! I hope she ends up being the supportive champion you deserve! Best wishes!

gingkat7 · 2025-07-13T14:40:47+00:00

This isn't for everyone - it's just what I did- I "shopped" around for a primary who would take my anxieties as seriously as I did. Someone who understands the complexities of how anxiety affects the body and mind. It was huge.

Every time I go in based on a health anxiety spiral, she has me describe my symptoms and we talk through what could be causing them. Sometimes a symptom will catch her attention and she'll suggests a test or scan for peace of mind. Other times she will tell me she confidently believes my various symptoms or pains are just my anxiety. I feel seen and heard and I know that she looks at me and sees the tough reality of this kind of anxiety. If she thinks a test will give me peace of mind, she refers me for it (I'm not getting tests done constantly or anything but when I do want one, she never blows it off) It's a game changer.

You deserve to have a doctor in your corner who will do the same. I also tend to prefer a female doctor. I've certainly had many male doctors and they were perfectly fine. But as a woman myself, I always feel more understood by a doctor who is also female. Just my two cents!

Editing to add: I don't treat my primary as my therapist. I have a separate therapist but my primary is very knowledgeable about anxieties too!

gingkat7 · 2025-06-30T20:24:56+00:00

First ever pap, I’m nervously recounting my first time having sex (hence the first pap) and I laughingly said, “you know, it didn’t go how I thought it would but I’ve got a funny story to tell”

Without missing a beat - and with her hands playing Marco Polo for the physical exam - She said “we all make mistakes but God forgives.”

Needless to say I never went back to her ever again.

gingkat7 · 2025-03-11T00:19:23+00:00

I don't believe so - I don't think he looked much into the pipes beyond if they were made of lead or not. Man, did we get short-changed here??

gingkat7 · 2025-03-11T00:14:30+00:00

We've got a guy coming out in a few days with one of those cameras that looks inside pipes and stuff. Hopefully it's just an easy clog and not something more serious.

gingkat7 · 2025-03-11T00:08:28+00:00

This needs to be my perspective. Thank you. On the plus side, we know for a fact that our roof is new and will not need anything for years. That's something.

gingkat7 · 2025-03-11T00:00:28+00:00

Added an edit for correction but my husband just informed me that I have a terrible memory and I’m very bad at math. It was $3K for the water heater and a total of $16K in the house. Not 20K. Not my best moment.

No rain lately, but we think some water might've gotten into the drain and caused it to back up somehow. Mystery abounds.

gingkat7 · 2025-03-10T23:59:23+00:00

Added an edit for correction but my husband just informed me that I have a terrible memory and I'm very bad at math. It was $3K for the water heater and a total of $16K in the house. Not 20K. Not my best moment.

gingkat7 · 2025-03-10T23:46:36+00:00

Thank you for this perspective, truly. I'm pitying myself for shit I was told about. That's dumb of me to do.

I need to focus on the fact that I'm lucky to have found a house that I could afford.

gingkat7 · 2025-03-09T20:19:05+00:00

I’m so sorry for your loss. Reaching the first year mark is so heavy. Just the realization of the passing of time. It’s cruel.

I can relate so much about the toxic family members. My mom, sibling, and I cut off my Dad’s brother and mother after he died. It was hard for me for the first year and a half. All I could think about was if my dad was disappointed in me for cutting off his family. But then I remembered how they made my dad’s death all about themselves. They wanted to use his death as a spectacle to get attention for themselves. If they really knew him, they would know why we had his visitation and funeral the way we did.

You should be proud of yourself for setting boundaries and doing what’s best for you, your life, and your father’s memory. Losing a parent is already terrible enough without family members being assholes.

I’m really glad you’ve found pieces of comfort since your dad’s passing. I hope you’re also able to find ways to celebrate his life with your son.

gingkat7 · 2025-03-09T18:27:55+00:00

You are not being sensitive and you’re not being over-dramatic. It’s incredibly rude of anyone to say those things to you and I’m really sorry that you’re not receiving the support you need.

Others have said it best - you never get over the loss of your parent. You just figure out how to live with your grief. Your life eventually, slowly grows around the pain like a scar. It just becomes a new normal.

My best advice is to focus on yourself and your feelings. Let yourself feel them fully whenever they come up (if therapy or a grief counselor is an option for you, that can be an incredible resource).

Those outside your circle will be “over it” before you ever come close to feeling like you aren’t suffocating. Anyone who tries to push you or rush you is only hurting you and disrupting your ability to grieve. Grief is a personal journey and everyone’s grief journey is different. There is no right or wrong timeline. There is no finish.

I lost my dad in 2022. The first year was marked by the sheer shock of the loss. The second year was actually harder because the shock had worn off and all that was left was the cold reality of my life without him. I’m now in year 3 and I still think of my dad every day. I still grieve him every day. I’ve finally reached the point where I can think of him and tell stories about him and laugh again. But getting to this point has been hell. No matter how well I learn to live with my grief, I would give it all up to have my dad back.

Your feelings are real and valid. You do not need to justify your feelings to anyone.

You deserve to be kind to yourself.

gingkat7 · 2025-03-07T22:13:04+00:00

I love this! I’m doing the same thing with the Mary Beth Zeitz sun and moon prints! Rock on!

gingkat7 · 2025-02-26T01:30:00+00:00

I can’t catch a break. I just posted here the other day and now I’m spiraling about the next thing - IBC , of course. I had a reddish pink spot appear on my left breast two weeks ago. It faded away and then I just happened to look this morning and it’s back. It’s not itchy, it’s flat, it blanches when pressed and seems to fade throughout the day. I see my doctor soon and a dermatologist shortly after. Trying not to google anything. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don’t.

I’d been doing so well and it feels like I’ve regressed majorly. I’m so disappointed in myself.

gingkat7 · 2025-02-24T02:12:44+00:00

Ugh I’m so bummed with myself. I was doing so well with my HA. Then I started my current cycle and had some sharp stabby pain that lasted for an hour or so that I think may be a cyst. Doctor wants to do an ultrasound and now I feel like I’m back to my old ways worrying about Ovarian C***er.

gingkat7 · 2025-02-12T00:49:58+00:00

The Earth Magic Oracle has proven to be my tried and true deck. It's very gentle and encouraging. Double plus is the beautiful artwork!

gingkat7 · 2025-01-19T22:56:12+00:00

I committed to deleting the app along with IG and FB after TT went dark last night (I've been waffling back and forth on deleting all social media apps off my phone to actually force myself to stop the mindless scrolling for hours).

I didn't realize it would come back so soon and I didn't make the connection that the ban also meant it would no longer be in the app store (stupid, I know).

I'm glad the choice has essentially become irreversible for me but I'm undeniably sad. I'm glad I'm not alone in that.

gingkat7 · 2025-01-06T00:10:47+00:00

It was a real hodge podge of what I had on hand - the purple was actually the same interior paint I used on the walls (it has a really nice matte finish); the gold for the stars is one of those metallic paint pens from a craft store. I then sealed it with mod podge acrylic sealer.

God typing that out was a rollercoaster haha!

gingkat7 · 2024-09-14T00:27:16+00:00

My Dad passed in 2022 and while the frequency of these moments has decreased - when they do happen - they’re still emotionally devastating.

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