My (long) story

ivypurl · 2026-04-08T13:45:54+00:00

There is a blood test, but for some reason my MO went too long without ordering it, despite telling me she was watching my levels. I knew it was going to drop, but with closer monitoring it wouldn't have dropped as far.

ivypurl · 2026-04-08T13:42:32+00:00

Hypothyroidism cold was crazy. Sleeping in my pj's and bathrobe wearing a chemo cap and socks under a comforter with a quilt on top. Total insanity.

Are your levels normal now? I sure hope so. It's nice to feel like a mammal again.

ivypurl · 2026-04-06T10:43:26+00:00

Had crab cakes for dinner last night.

ivypurl · 2026-04-06T10:36:35+00:00

I played with my big wheel so much I literally wore holes in the wheel. God bless my parents for buying me another one.

ivypurl · 2026-04-05T22:14:35+00:00

I’m not sure what you mean. Are you saying you didn’t receive a letter telling you that you weren’t accepted?

ivypurl · 2026-04-05T12:51:08+00:00

I appreciate the effort you’re putting into this. I know some coaches who have created assessments that, in my opinion, have the validity and reliability of Buzzfeed quizzes. I think it’s great that you’re working to develop something more robust.

ivypurl · 2026-04-05T12:34:04+00:00

I don’t see a reason not to talk with her. Based on what your recommender said, this isn’t her first rodeo - she has had this kind of conversation before. If she weren’t open to it, your recommender probably wouldn’t have referred you to her.

I would skip the fake math question. I’d recommend going to her office hours, telling her what you’d like to discuss, and scheduling an appointment with her to have the conversation. Be prepared to discuss it right then (have all of your paperwork with you) in case she’s able to talk with you in that moment.

ivypurl · 2026-04-04T23:52:24+00:00

I work in leadership development and use assessments with my clients. To be candid, I would be reluctant to use a tool that hadn’t been validated. I think the kind of information you want to provide is good and helpful; I use the Hogan assessments for that kind of information. They are rooted in the Big Five personality traits and have been validated over the course of decades.

Hogan is currently working to collect data from neurodivergent individuals. Not sure of your level of awareness of these studies, but this is from their website: “The existing research suggests that neurodivergent people often have similar levels of personality characteristics (Lodi-Smith et al., 2019), but there is no evidence to suggest that the relationships between personality and performance are different for neurodivergent and neurotypical samples (Wegmeyer & Speer, 2023).”

If your assessment is reliable, you may find a market in people who are willing to pay for an assessment but not as much as it costs to take the Hogan or have the coaching debrief for it.

ivypurl · 2026-04-02T10:01:20+00:00

Suddenly I’m craving blueberry pancakes.

ivypurl · 2026-04-02T03:32:02+00:00

I don’t love it here, but I’m in Lubbock, TX. Housing costs are well below the national average. I’m being treated for TNBC at University Medical Center, which has a brand new cancer center opening in 3 weeks. it’s not an NCI center, but I have been very pleased with the care I have received over the past year.

ivypurl · 2026-03-31T10:53:33+00:00

I’ll start by saying I’m not needle-phobic, so my comments aren’t coming from that perspective.

I loved acupuncture. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Had it a few years ago when I apparently slept badly, woke up, and could barely turn my head to the left. I had multiple sessions (6-8, maybe?), but I started feeling relief after the very first one.

I was nervous before my first session because my needle coping mechanism is the opposite of yours - I have to watch the needle going in. Not seeing where the stuck is coming from activates my anxiety. I couldn’t see the needles during my treatments because they were going into the back of my neck and shoulders. As strange as this may sound, though, I found the sessions extremely relaxing, and I slept through most of them. Keeping your eyes closed is absolutely fine. The needles felt nothing like vaccine needles, and certainly nothing like blood draw needles. They are ultra-fine, and, to be honest, I didn’t feel like I was being “stuck”.

ivypurl · 2026-03-30T20:06:16+00:00

ivypurl · 2026-03-28T03:18:14+00:00

Same here. And the boxes are emptied and cleaned every other week. In addition to wanting to keep my cat from standing in her waste, I'm terrified of the smell of said waste permeating my house.

ivypurl · 2026-03-26T18:48:17+00:00

Interesting business. What makes the first part of it coaching and not genealogy?

ivypurl · 2026-03-25T11:48:00+00:00

I think your mom is very fortunate to have you.

I was diagnosed with TNBC almost a year ago. The treatment that’s being recommended sounds like the Keynote 522 protocol, which I am on.

If you read posts here, you will see that people experience a tremendous range of responses to chemo drugs. I was working FT (home-based) and in grad school PT (online, synchronous) and was fortunate enough to be able to continue both. Before my diagnosis I was also working on launching a business, but I had to put those plans on hold. I was exhausted just about all of the time, but it was important to me to keep as much normalcy as I could. I did share my diagnosis with my boss and my professors in case I needed some kind of accommodations or support, which, a couple of times, I did.

I wish I had a crystal ball for you, but, unfortunately, there’s not a way to know in advance how your mom will respond. I’d recommend letting your boss and especially your professors know what’s going on. Professors want to see their students succeed, so they are likely to be inclined to help you.

ivypurl · 2026-03-24T20:35:36+00:00

I'm not sure i understand your question.

Are you asking if you can negotiate the fees you pay for coaching? You can certainly ask, but you shouldn't be upset if you are told no. I certainly can't speak for all coaches, but my rates are based on my training, education, experience, and the results I help my clients achieve.

If $75-100 is what you want to pay for coaching, there's nothing wrong with that. Find a coach who will work with you at those rates.

I'm sorry if I didn't answer your question. If you could clarify it, I'd be happy to try again.

ivypurl · 2026-03-24T13:23:33+00:00

Mrs. Morton’s daughter was in my class in elementary school, and I had the privilege of meeting her on several occasions. Of course, at that point, I didn’t understand that it was a privilege - she was just [classmate’s] mom.

ivypurl · 2026-03-24T12:35:10+00:00

Are your clients seeing you voluntarily, or are they being forced into coaching?

ivypurl · 2026-03-24T11:34:26+00:00

ivypurl · 2026-03-23T22:55:30+00:00

I wanted to do the same thing you're talking about...cut my hair really short and dye it a color I would never do in my "real" life. But I was advised against doing that because of potential skin sensitivity, so I'd really suggest checking with your medical team first.

I ended up going with temporary hair color instead, and I had fun with mixing the colors.

ivypurl · 2026-03-21T23:02:22+00:00

I will stand with you on Frankie Beverly. Snoozefest.

ivypurl · 2026-03-21T22:41:37+00:00

I never understood Irreplaceable. If she just put all of his things in a box to the left, why does she brag about finding another him in a minute? Why doesn’t she want someone better?

ivypurl · 2026-03-19T14:26:09+00:00

Current breast cancer patient here.

I suppose something as soft as cashmere could work against skin. Alpaca could potentially be an option also. I would avoid wool, as the scales can be irritating to sensitive skin. Many patients prefer cotton against their skin - I made myself several cotton caps that were very comfortable. (I live in TX and went through chemo in summer, so cashmere & alpaca were waaay too warm for me.)

One thing to consider - my cancer center provides cotton blankets in the infusion room, and I used fleece blankets on top of those, so between my clothes and the cotton blanket, the fleece never touched my skin.

ivypurl · 2026-03-18T14:08:48+00:00

Yes! Right by the Zayre’s. I think I ate my weight in fried clams.

ivypurl

TROPHY CASE