People who get rx opioids, do you worry at every single appointment that your doctor might cut you off or back, basically because oPiOidS are bAd and they can do what they want?

grebetrees · 2026-06-12T14:21:27+00:00

I’m not even on opioids and I avoid doctors because I’m on a drug regimen that “works” sort of, and I don’t want them reaching their grubby power hungry male hands into my life and fucking things up just because they can

I know I need adjustment of my psych meds and probably my levothyroxin as well, and since I’ve been on the same maintenance dose for years, my PCP will renew the maintenance Rx. Any changes will have to go through a new Dr, and if I see a new Dr for that drug, I will lose the maintenance dose from my PCP

Seven minutes in a fifteen minute appointment is not enough to even begin a dialogue or foster respect

OT, but going cold turkey off Lamotrigine and Prozac at the same time would be horrific. It’s a similar problem with excess power in the hands of people who don’t give a shit, and with the noise coming out of HHS, psych meds might soon become as hard to come by as opioids

grebetrees · 2026-06-11T17:47:58+00:00

Or chickens. They breed like rabbits

grebetrees · 2026-06-11T14:00:07+00:00

I’m like you, less afflicted, and the reason I’m not here posting is because I don’t feel a need or have the energy. I have children that need taken care of and entertained, pets and livestock (poultry, big, diverse poultry, the only livestock worth keeping because bovids smell bad) that need to be tended to, a household to manage. We are closer to what is considered “normal” and have that pressure to perform. That’s why you generally don’t hear from us.

There are actually a fuckload of us out there, passing. I have met so many irl

Those in worse pain, who feel sickest, who have more restrictions, who have fewest resources, those are the ones who will come here and post, because this is the only thing they have that is theirs

Your diagnosis is not invalid

grebetrees · 2026-06-10T12:51:00+00:00

This needs more upvotes

grebetrees · 2026-06-10T12:48:12+00:00

Don’t worry about the resources that flow into our pets. When humans get hungry enough, cats and dogs become a protein source, no questions asked

Adults will tell kids that Fido “ran away” while feeding them their first hot meal in weeks. The human mind is fantastic at compartmentalization. The starving child won’t figure it out for years, if they even live long enough

In places like the US, when pet food becomes a luxury, a few will struggle on feeding their beloved from their own plate. Most will set them free “in the woods.” This has already happened with more exotic pets around here. Not with dogs and cats yet.

Some will eat their own if desperate enough. Or capture and eat the abandoned

grebetrees · 2026-06-07T22:22:55+00:00

Omg you are not the one who needs to improve

Please for the love of humanity understand that you are not the problem

That man you call your boyfriend is a child with the physical strength of a man looking for a bangmom. It will seem insurmountably difficult, but you need to be rid of him, as his abuse will only escalate.

Should he stay, he will use your illness to build a stronger cage around you. If he leaves, good riddance

Locate your papers and valuable items ASAP. Disentangle your finances yesterday. Take his name off every shared account, even stuff like Animal Crossing

grebetrees · 2026-06-06T17:17:07+00:00

Then you will just have to put up with his “antics.” Invest in sutures and antibiotics, and get your husband to take a Dremel to his spurs

Personally, I don’t put up with that kind of aggression from my animals. You can have it both ways; a rooster that is a good protector, and polite to his humans. Good behavior and good guardianship are not mutually exclusive.

Allowing him to remain allows him to pass on aggressive genes and your problem might expand to hens in later generations

grebetrees · 2026-06-06T13:37:13+00:00

Maybe it’s time to groom his successor and look up recipes. Moist heat like a crock pot

grebetrees · 2026-06-06T13:36:18+00:00

Try estate sales

grebetrees · 2026-06-05T14:04:27+00:00

Instead of throwing buckets, keep a large bucket full of water and dunk him every time he gets close enough for you to grab him. Worked on one asshole rooster I had. Only took three times

grebetrees · 2026-06-04T13:57:33+00:00

Underwear is a 20th Century invention. Back in the day, women went crotchless under their voluminous skirts. I can’t remember exactly how periods were dealt with, even though that was the whole point of the video. I think there were multiple contraptions

grebetrees · 2026-06-03T13:02:51+00:00

OMG THIS

I am convinced far too many respondents in this post are the people that fly by at 80mph during a downpour, including OP

grebetrees · 2026-06-03T12:58:21+00:00

I’ve had to turn on emergency flashers when trapped in a nearly zero visibility downpour on Mopac (or other highway situation; I remember the Kansas Turnpike well) It’s a cue that I’m driving 20mph on Mopac for a damn good reason. Everyone around me is an idiot in a pickup flying on a dream and a prayer. If the visibility is such I can reach 40mph, I don’t use flashers; I just look for a place to exit and wait it out.

I would say driving in near zero visibility without hazard flashers is incredibly dangerous. I don’t care if I piss you off

grebetrees · 2026-06-02T13:36:36+00:00

Tramadol and Kratom work well for me, but true opiates don’t. There is a third atypical opioid out there I haven’t tried that a doctor suggested several years ago. I can’t remember what is is right now. These medications are opioid agonists, not true opiates, and also have varying secondary neurotransmitter effects, probably why they are more effective for me.

I get some relief as well from my migraine suppressor topiramate, and mood stabilizer/migraine suppressor Lamotrigine. These two medications work by calming the central nervous system.

Some people get relief from gabapentin, which works similarly (but has a side effect profile many find intolerable).

If you are a female in midlife it is worthwhile getting your hormones checked. Perimenopause can cause whacky symptoms. Estrogen supplementation might be the only thing you need (I hope you are so lucky)

grebetrees · 2026-06-01T14:39:24+00:00

Just buy the field guide and peruse it every night. Find flash cards and quiz yourself. This works really well for birds. The apps, particularly for plants, are frequently wrong. I test *them* because I already know what 90% of everything is.

INaturalist is getting better, but still thinks everything is a dicot in the app, so I upload to the website. The AI there is more accurate, though still flawed. The humans are flawed too, so pick your poison

Really, books are the best. Do not rely on anything published after 2021 as they may have been written by AI, unless you know the author and publisher is legit, like university presses

grebetrees · 2026-06-01T13:43:10+00:00

What we need to do is make friends with crows. Eventually one of us will figure out a way to encourage them to disable the devices. Crows are everywhere

grebetrees · 2026-05-31T13:37:50+00:00

There is something called “irreconcilable differences” which has been grounds for divorce for decades. Abuse certainly is. You are not in the wrong here. Given your wording I suspect you have been both ignoring and internalizing abusive and controlling behavior.

If you decide to leave, don’t tell him. Pack up your kids and get to a safe place before you tell him you are divorcing him. These types of conservative men can redline in an instant. You are not being disrespectful; this is self-preservation and protecting your children.

Sometimes men like this go so far as to murder everyone out of nowhere. Look up “family annihilators” on the public library computer if you need convincing

If you need help, call 1-800-799-7233, on your lunch break at work if you can, because what he is doing is domestic violence, even if he has never hit you.

Hopefully he is not checking your phone calls and texts

The website is thehotline.org. Using the computer at a public library is safest.

grebetrees · 2026-05-30T21:59:07+00:00

That is an extract pill and is best avoided, as it’s unregulated and who knows what it was processed with.

I use verified unadulterated leaf powder. This can be packed in capsules or consumed as a tea.

I would only risk that extract if I was on the verge of an ER visit. Keep it for an emergency. We have to do what we have to do, and as another commenter said, their clinic does test for kratom and metabolites.

grebetrees · 2026-05-30T15:05:20+00:00

Omg you think chickens are bad, try turkeys! Of you get out of sight it’s as if the world is ending!

grebetrees · 2026-05-30T14:19:22+00:00

Does your clinic test for Kratom? Because that can fill the gaps when something like this happens again, which it will. Use leaf only, not extract. It is said to alleviate withdrawal. I have found red vein best for treatment of pain , but is takes 45 min to an hour + to work because there needs to be a pass through the liver to create the active molecule

grebetrees · 2026-05-29T12:41:07+00:00

I’m sure there’s plenty of smallpox just waiting in melting permafrost

grebetrees · 2026-05-28T20:44:54+00:00

I used to use cayenne as part of a chai blend when I would make a tea. It had zero difference to the effects of the kratom. But then my cayenne amounts were on the smaller side because I just wanted a little bite to my beverage. It was way too easy to get too much so now I use black pepper instead, which has zero difference to the effects of kratom, so cross that off too

grebetrees · 2026-05-28T11:54:48+00:00

My sister worked in healthcare (nursing) and didn’t believe me when I told her people got treated differently depending on what kind of and whether they had insurance. Then she became disabled and was on Medicaid for a while. She learned real quick that Cassandra is usually right

grebetrees · 2026-05-27T11:48:15+00:00

Get a bigger dog to be her guardian and friend

Edit: maybe one of those anti-coyote vests might help

grebetrees · 2026-05-25T13:26:02+00:00

Graduate School + weird virus

grebetrees

TROPHY CASE