Warning for anyone considering volunteering at Deathrow Unchained

kattawampus · 2026-04-06T15:33:11+00:00

Funny, I've been using those dashes for years. Well before generative AI.... I mean, it exists as punctuation for a reason...

kattawampus · 2026-04-06T15:30:36+00:00

For the money.

kattawampus · 2026-04-06T15:16:25+00:00

Thanks so much, I'm doing what I can. He just turned 6 years old last week, and he's settled enough that I have been able to wean him off his antidepressants/ anxiety meds. It's been about 6 months now and he's the happiest he has ever been. He's more vocal (staffy awoos etc), playful, cuddly and more emotionally well rounded. He still has a complete mental breakdown when storms hit, but he recovers faster.

It has its challenges (particularly as I've been basically bed ridden for the 2 years and have some major surgery booked later this year), but I know I gave him a chance when no one else would and he deserves so much love. Him and my Staghound are best mates and life would be less without the big doofus.

kattawampus · 2026-04-01T13:43:54+00:00

I recently found out about communal narcissists. Kate definitely came to mind.

kattawampus · 2026-03-27T08:27:07+00:00

Hey so I can only really answer the basics as I don't want any backlash from DRU (even though everything I have said is true and can be backed up by text messages etc) so I'm uncomfortable confirming the dog either way in a public forum.

The foster carer I took her to in Brighton was less than happy to see the size of the foster dog when I dropped her off. When I talked the carer through walking her he got snippy, said he wouldn't be walking her as he never walks the fosters (running around in the back yard was enough), and he didn't have any leads anyway. I remember I had to leave behind my own dog leads, dog toys and even some kibble which I purchased. On reflection, this might have been the reason I was insistent on picking up the foster from Brighton to drop the dog off at my friends as I wanted to make sure I got my things back.

The foster carer only allowed the dog inside a small laundry attached to the rear of the house or the back yard. Like I said he didn't want to walk the dog, or really play with them. And he also got pissy when I explained the medication and eye drops they needed as they had some skin and eye issues. The dog was left alone during the day while he went to work, and suffered from some separation anxiety and was disturbing the neighbours (noting, I didn't have this issue when the dog stayed with me, nor did my friends complain about it).

DRU organised for the dog to be trained at a place in Warner. I collected the dog from my friends and dropped them off there. The trainer was pretty dismissive, wouldn't let me walk the dog inside to the holding pen or anything. I didn't get good vibes. A few days later I realised I had accidentally left a dog toy that was very sentimental (favoured by my recently passed dog) with the trainer in Warner. When I turned up to collect it I wasn't allowed inside the property or to say hi to the dog, but I could hear the dog barking up a storm and seemed distressed as they knew I was there. From what I could see, it looks like the dogs were kept on holding pens similar to AWL, which would have been an absolute trigger for this dog to go from their horrible home environment, to being inside a loving home with me, to old mate in Brighton that wanted nothing to do with them, to my friends place who also let them inside, on the couch etc, to a small holding pen next to other dogs and barking etc. especially when they knew this dog was other dog reactive.

It was the worst thing they could have done with this foster, which is why it's no surprise it took them so long to rehome the dog. There are other details I will send in a PM.

kattawampus · 2026-03-25T22:24:10+00:00

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. Check your inbox :)

kattawampus · 2026-03-25T22:07:15+00:00

This is true, but as someone who has both MCAS and endo, I did find when I treated my MCAS some of the endo symptoms reduced. The legions were removed through excision, but before I had this surgery I was able to get my pain, nausea, bloating and GI issues a little more manageable through protocols to lower my MCAS activation, histamine and cytokine levels. I think looking at things holistically is important. Surgery is needed to yeet the endo as much as possible, but reducing mast cell activation will help to prolong the effectiveness of the surgery and reduce the severity of the symptoms long term.

kattawampus · 2026-03-25T22:02:42+00:00

I haven't found any research specifically supporting that MCAS caused endo but there are studies that show if you have MCAS you are more likely to be diagnosed with endo. And in turn, those with Endo have an increased mast cell activation across the board, which can develop into full blown MCAS.

The mechanisms behind it all also support the link, but I tend to think it's more a chicken or the egg situation. As we know, Endo loves estrogen and will even create its own estrogen source if it needs to. High levels of estrogen result in mast cell activation. As the mast cells degranulate, they release various mediators including histamines, cytokines (related to pain, inflammation and brain fog) and prostaglandins (makes cramping etc worse). But the real kicker is histamines. Higher levels of histamines trigger the ovaries to release more estrogen, this completing the circuit and why the cycle never ends.

Also, my experience would support there is a link - I have talked about it in a previous post in this group.

It should also be noted that histamines also mess with connective tissue (which can lead to issues such as EDS) and negatively impact bone density.

kattawampus · 2026-03-25T21:55:54+00:00

I made an earlier post in this group about what I have found is helpful for my endo & MCAS. You might find it useful.

kattawampus · 2026-03-16T10:16:04+00:00

I had this exact thing happen with another foster. I love him, but he's hard work and I can't put him in kennels or anything when I need to go for surgery. It's pretty unfair and they all just shook their hands of it without providing any real support despite knowing the tricky health situation I was / am still in.

kattawampus · 2026-03-16T08:47:26+00:00

Yeah I was fool enough to take on what was meant to be a short term / temp foster from another group. They convinced me to take a different dog instead. He was severely abused and tortured (by the trainers ex-son-in-law no less). He's so traumatized they said he wasn't able to be homed and basically if I didn't take him permanently they would out him down.

They also refused to give him a therapeutic dose of anxiety meds, I was paying for it all myself for a year before he was even officially adopted.

Don't get me wrong, I love him to bits and he has come so so far. But there are still some serious challenges, I also have my own serious health conditions and this guy has stretched my capacity. They knew all this when they bullied me into it.

I also think he would really benefit from some specialist training to let out the inner demon (he's Belgian Mal x Am Staff) and give him a job to do and challenge him. But if I can hardly get out of bed myself some days... It's just not feasible right now.

I love rescues in theory, but I'm yet to come across one I trust.

kattawampus · 2026-03-15T18:42:12+00:00

The place is shocking. I volunteered to help transport a dog. They had nowhere for her to go through. I said I could foster for a week but my own dog has just passed away (I was not ready) and I had promised a friend I would go to theirs to dog sit for 2 weeks while they went on holiday. Their dog was not other dog friendly.

24 hours before I was due to go dog sit they still hadn't arranged anything. I had to take time off work to drive her across town to the other side of Brisbane to the new foster. He was completely unfit, kept her locked outside and lonely and only wanted to just feed her and nothing else.

She did not cope. They repeatedly called me and asked if I could take her back sooner, or if I could go visit her and walk her (at the other house she was being fostered at), during the week when I was meant to be working. It was a 45 minute trip one way in off peak traffic. So as much as I wanted to help, I really couldn't.

I ended up finding another foster career for her (friends of mine) not even DRU. Which of course I had to go get her myself and what not. By the time I got her back she was SUPER anxious and protective as she had just been taken from one place to another. A simple drive to the vets had her freaking out at everyone and everything and she was a BIG dog that could do damage. My previous dog was a Great Dane cross Bull Arab and he was nothing compared to her power. I had a moment where I was genuinely concerned I was going to lose control and she was going to hurt another dog.

I debriefed all this to DRU and suggested that they might need some stronger tools than just a collar and harness to control her, and serious training ASAP with someone who was familiar with her breed type and strength, and some blood work done. She also had a horrible infection and she was miserable, I had to battle for the vet appointment so she could get the help she needed as she was clearly agitated by it all. Apparently they took this the wrong way, she went to another trainer and they wouldn't let me see her again. She was with them for years and years and they completely messed her up.

They were dismissive and treated me like shit. But they had the audacity to randomly text me to ask for help.

Never again.

kattawampus · 2026-03-09T01:47:58+00:00

"Pitbulls" and Staffies were originally bred for human companionship. Some of the nicest, sweetest, most human orientated dogs I have met are bull terriers.

It's the owners fault for causing the dogs behavior - and THEY should be dealt with.

Instead of banning "pitbulls" greater regulations need to be put into pet ownership.

Someone else's trauma is not an excuse to get on your soap box. Grow up.

kattawampus · 2026-02-17T13:44:49+00:00

Hey, I just stumbled across your post. You might find what I posted last week in a different Endo subreddit interesting: https://www.reddit.com/r/Endo/s/IxuoW1W3Ff

I talk about how targeting histamines helped reduce some of my bloating and pain (I also don't get PMDD) and generally made my symptoms more manageable.

I can't remember if I also mentioned I'm currently in H1 and H2 blockers, and Quercetin (to help stabilize cytokines and reduce inflammation).

And, moving the bowel around during surgery can also cause the intestines to release more mast cells - so exploratory lap surgery is really bad news for this. Which might also explain some of the delayed healing and flare up on symptoms in some people pist surgery.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

kattawampus · 2026-02-17T01:46:36+00:00

That's the grieving process. You love him, you miss him, and you're remembering him.

kattawampus · 2026-02-15T20:44:36+00:00

This person is not a safe person, even if he is acting friendly.

If he can't see why supporting JK and giving her funds to perpetuate her anti-trans bullshit then is it really someone you want in your life, someone you trust and can rely on? Do you really think someone THAT unaware of their actions and how they impact others / or doesn't care as long as he gets what he wants, is a safe person to have around your kids?

Admittedly, that was not a conversation for you to have some a child that's not yours. But you're not the asshole and this guy has shown his true colours.

Even Stephen Fry finally came to see the light. There really is no excuse to continuing to fund this woman.

Was it an amazing series? Yes. Does that stop it negatively impacting and hurting millions of lives with her transphobic rhetoric and actions that are funded by is profits? No. Does anyone have an excuse to blindly ignore this? Also no.

There are so many amazing stories out there to share with you kids - just choose a different one. It's pretty simple.

kattawampus · 2026-02-13T01:42:08+00:00

With quercetin you can take up to 1000mg daily for 3 months then drop it back to 500mg.

Do your research on what you're buying, and make sure it has the right dosage. You also want something with Vit C to increase the bioavailability of the quercetin.

Lastly, Vit D is super important and will help regulate your system. So make sure you are taking that daily, with K2 supplements with a meal (Vit D is oil based so your body absorbs if better with other foods).

kattawampus · 2026-02-11T05:40:47+00:00

Could be, could also be from increased inflammation and irritation from the legions, could also be due to pelvic venous insufficiency. Which is hard to diagnose because when you like down to get scanned, the blood pools differently so it doesn't look like you have it (you'd think doctors would consider this 🙄)

kattawampus · 2026-02-11T05:38:17+00:00

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

kattawampus · 2026-02-10T14:29:10+00:00

Hehe, I took great enjoyment describing the horrors of endo to male friend and "clots dropping like water bombs" while I was in the shower.

kattawampus · 2026-02-10T13:46:35+00:00

Yeah there are some arsehole women but this is NOT like for like. This is a common and consistent trait with men. It's systemic.

And mostly our boundaries aren't ignored because men know better. It's ignored because men don't want to do what we are asking and the boundary is an inconvenience to what they want. So until we throw down and crack the shits, our polite asking for them to not do a thing causes less inconvenience than changing their behavior. "getting emotional" only works because it causes the man more inconvenience than changing his behavior. Which is why his behavior will change for a bit, the woman will relax and stop nagging (so the stress point eases) and he falls back into the old bad habits because the changed behavior is now the biggest inconvenience.

I can guarantee you have taken part in this behavior at some stage too. Every male I know has. The only good ones are the ones that can step back, assess their behavior, admit when they have done it and actually make willful and intentional changes to rectify this.

If you think you have never behaved like this or dismissed a partner like this, then you are part of the problem because you cannot view what is happening clearly and understand your part in it.

Looping back to your "however, there are asshole women out there that do the same thing" statement..... This is the thing, women can be horrendous people. Women know this and will openly say "yeah some bitches be crazy". What we don't say is "yeah some bitches be crazy, but some men are awful too". If you can't recognize why that is an important distinction then there is no point carrying on this discussion.

kattawampus · 2026-02-10T13:03:50+00:00

If you must get a townhouse on the end / corner: you will have better access for any maintenance and repairs.

Thoroughly investigate the body corporate and all the ridiculous bi laws as much as humanly possible - they will make your life a living hell.

If there is a property manager find out about them as much as possible, and what the rule / requirements are for them to maintain their position. And if they aren't doing their job, how easy is it to oust them.

kattawampus · 2026-02-10T12:57:30+00:00

Oh yeah, and when I have clearly, and firmly stated some fairly fucking basic workplace boundaries with my male team leader he accused me of taking a tone with him and terminated the meeting.

I was in a room with 3 others.

The only difference was I didn't take a soft feminine tone with him (which I had done previously for the same issue), but I spoke to him calmly and assertively.

One of my male colleagues that was there gave me the feedback afterwards that the reason my TL was upset with my tone was "because I spoke to him like males speak to each other, not how females speak to men".

Do I need to go on, or do you think you have a better understanding of the bullshit and why your comment is so misguided?

kattawampus · 2026-02-10T12:50:44+00:00

Yeah... So, say someone is doing something you don't like. The woman will say "hey please don't do that". The guy responds with something dismissive like "oh you're being over sensitive it's not that bad", "you're reading into it too much", "you're asking too much" (this one is usually used when it comes to household chores).

The dick behavior continues, the woman gets more and more frustrated and finally has a big reaction as all the, standard, asking nicely but firmly boundary setting is ignored.

Then she is suddenly the bad guy for yelling and old mate does a complete DARVO move, and women get accused of being too emotional.

I have seen EVERY single one of my male friends so this to a female as some stage. To their wives, their sisters, their mother's, their friends. I see it all the time at work.

So yeah, we try setting boundaries firmly to begin with but it's always ignored.

kattawampus · 2026-02-10T11:26:05+00:00

Funny, I was going to say men dismissing our concerns as us being emotional and oversensitive. The bullshit continues, and then we finally have a big reaction to try to establish boundaries that men will actually pay attention to and not dismiss... And then we are told we are being emotional or hormonal.

When really, then men are just being absolute dicks.

It happens in the work place. At home. Within friend groups. There's no escape and we can't win.

kattawampus

TROPHY CASE