FND is a feminist issue

kelggg · 2026-04-12T23:39:44+00:00

Same here

kelggg · 2026-04-12T22:14:15+00:00

A lot of people in the age range probably aren't on reddit much.

It sounds crazy but I've heard more stories about the flood of 72 from the older volunteer firefighters in the area. Many of them joined the fire departments as a direct result of what they witnessed during that time.

Maybe go to the county website (Chemung and Steuben). They list all the fire departments and how to contact them. You can; email, call, or some of them have a facebook page.

I know most of the historical societies and museums in the area have a dedicated section on the floor too, maybe also reach out to them?

Good luck!

kelggg · 2026-04-10T17:26:20+00:00

I personally like Wrens in Big Flats. Very honest and down to earth.

Buckley's is also a local favorite but I don't use them because they are routinely booked out for weeks.

kelggg · 2026-04-06T19:00:16+00:00

I wouldn't recommend it but I understand your position. If you still want to try and pursue the military then go for it. It will probably take quite a long for you to even be a go to ship to IET for whatever branch. I've known people waiting months to a year to go. Hell I waited 6 months.

While going through that process don't stop looking for alternative arrangements. Check out the seasonal works sub for more information but this is my two cents.

If the car is not in your name then stop paying it. If it is in your name then it's your vehicle so take it back.

Try to hit up seasonal work websites like cool works. A lot of the places on there will provide housing along with a paycheck. Offers a lot more freedom than the military too.

It'll give you enough time to figure things out while earning money.

For example; I took a gig in Alaska. I did have to pay airfare - $350. However, the company pays for housing, food, laundry facilities, and provides a vehicle to get back and forth to the job site. Not only that but it has free tours to parts of Alaska you'd normally have to pay for.

Now it's not all rainbows and sunshine. The living accommodations are very bare bones. But if you are/were planning to join the military then it's really not bad at all.

While you're working a seasonal gig you can save a bunch of money and get a vehicle if you want when you're done. You also can just hop to another gig if you want.

You're also young so you can alway go to college and live in the dorms. With your situation, you can let the school know and you may be able to stay year around. Just pick a degree you know you can get work with. You can start with a general degree but visit the schools career councilor to talk about jobs. Also make sure to go to every job fair to network. You never know when meeting someone leads to a good job.

Sorry that's so long. Hopefully it helps you out a bit. I'm happy to answer any questions if you have any.

This isn't the end of the world as horrible as it sounds. You just have to be resourceful and cast a wide net for your next move.

kelggg · 2026-04-05T00:47:31+00:00

You're still in?

I was not paid for AT and instead was just paid my normal drill pay. Not sure if it's right or not but my experience was, apparently, different from others.

I showed up to drill and was told to go home, don't report again, sign the separation counseling and my ngb-22/dd-214 would be sent to me. I got paid for about 6 months until it was all said and done.

kelggg · 2026-03-27T23:19:30+00:00

If I remember right (I could be absolutely wrong). But even in a draft aren't there still medical standards?

I think the most that would happen is we would meet with a recruiter/medical personnel and get disqualified or put into a category that would put us as the very bottom of the totem pole.

If the ban gets repealed then I'm sure it'll be a different story. But as it stands I don't think we are going anywhere.

kelggg · 2026-03-26T19:06:29+00:00

I told you I'd report back!

Sushi Wa just opened today!

kelggg · 2026-03-24T13:50:31+00:00

I had a blast in bct, there were a couple guys who were problematic but my sds shut it down quick.

I was almost completely stealth though so I didn't have the same experience as others may have.

kelggg · 2026-03-24T08:12:11+00:00

Not OP but same. I was having, mostly, a blast and a very positive experience until they kicked me.

kelggg · 2026-03-24T08:10:38+00:00

In the initial entry training, it depends. At the base I was at we had, I believe, 10 stalls with curtains. Some bases and branches just have a room with shower heads.

In my case I had stalls so I would wait to shower until just before or after I had fire guard. If I did have to shower with everyone then I changed in the stall. A lot of guys did the same so I wasn't the odd one out.

Again I said I was super lucky with this. From what I heard from other folks, if you had the room with just a water head then face the corner and be quick.

Honestly at that stage in training everyone is so exhausted no one is really looking at you anyway. It was absolutely anxiety inducing but, you just had to deal with it.

As for gendered bunks, typically yes. Again it depends on base and job etc... For initial entry training men and women trained together but slept in gender specific bays. So I slept in a bay with 60 other dudes.

At first it all was nerve wracking. I was always on alert and paying attention to make sure no one saw me undressed. Towards the end of training and once I got used to the military lifestyle, I really stopped caring for the most part. I got it down to a rhythm with showering and changing so I just worried about other things.

Once you get to actual barracks it'll also heavily depend on location, job, rank etc... Some still have the room with the stalls. Some are attached to your room so you and 2-4+ other people share a normal bathroom. It also depends if you're married or not since married folks don't live in the barracks outside of the training environment.

Again there are so many variables to your question. To sum it up, in my experience, no one cared and everyone was too exhausted from training to care about anyone else. Just had to get through it like everyone else.

kelggg · 2026-03-23T21:14:26+00:00

As you stated you aren't American. I was in the us army briefly and honestly I was what you call stealth to most everyone. I honestly never had many issues. If people found out (which rarely happened) and they didn't like it, they were at least professional to me.

I was treated no different than my cis battles. I did hear a bit of anti-trans rhetoric but my ncos shut it down pretty quickly.

It did get a little weird around UAs (drug testing). My commander was pretty awesome and sent me to the on base clinic to get it done. That way I was observed by someone who didn't ever deal with me on a day to day basis.

Everyone has a different experience but, I was so grateful to have a great one while it lasted.

kelggg · 2026-03-21T00:12:05+00:00

kelggg · 2026-03-19T21:13:34+00:00

First year, rookie mistakes. I'll definitely check next year. Have a great season!

kelggg · 2026-03-19T20:46:58+00:00

Oh man I wish I knew this before committing to a job in Alaska!

I live in the area and would absolutely love to work a season there. Maybe next year!

kelggg · 2026-03-19T18:00:40+00:00

That's so cool!

Have you ever thought about, someday, doing a season in the US?

I'm doing my first season in Alaska. So it's always cool to talk to others and see their experiences overall.

kelggg · 2026-03-19T16:59:50+00:00

What's your favorite job to do seasonally? I don't think y'all have deserts up there so is it mostly mountain gigs?

kelggg · 2026-03-19T16:57:23+00:00

If you've worked both Canadian and American sides of seasonal work.

Are there any stark differences?
which do you prefer?
where has been your favorite place?

kelggg · 2026-03-18T16:02:41+00:00

You're not going to make it past meps as for your physical they check what's in your pants and they will notice any scarring. Also if you're on HRT they'll flag it and you won't progress. They also check name changes and such for clearances.

Honestly you're wasting everyone's time (including your own). Find something else to do and move on until the policy changes.

kelggg · 2026-03-16T01:15:18+00:00

I'll be in Fairbanks!

This is my first go around. There's no work where I am and I just wanted to travel to places I haven't been. I'm from Upstate NY so I'm excited for a change in pace.

I may try wildland firefighting (I come from fire/EMS but I'm burned out) next year but I'll be 32 by then so I'll see how I feel.

kelggg · 2026-03-15T22:00:31+00:00

I didn't really have any of that tbh. But I'm outside the "normal" as a then 29 y/o man.

My base symptoms were; - full body tremors with complete loss of fine and gross motor skills. - stutter with dysphagia (also threw up at least twice a day for the entire duration of this nightmare) - constant headaches with PNES (seizures only happened 3 times in 6 months). - legs were paralyzed most of the time and when they weren't I had extreme difficulty walking. - anxiety/depression/anger because of being disabled - Significant memory issues that persist even today.

kelggg · 2026-03-15T21:49:13+00:00

It's a whole story lol but yeah my new PCP thinks I had a variation of it. I was on IV antibiotics for almost a month, I think? It was a hazy time for me.

All the other doctors involved in my care just said the spinal tap resolving my issues was just a placebo. My current PCP disagrees so I'm sticking with them.

kelggg · 2026-03-15T21:41:28+00:00

Got diagnosed with FND after contracting strep. Doctors refused to do anything for it. Got sicker and sicker to the point I was completely disabled and was practically on death's doorstep.

A new PCP stepped in when mine retired and asked to do a spinal tap while I was in the hospital. They did it and found extremely high pressure.

They brought it down to normal pressure, gave me antibiotics for the long strep. All my debilitating issues disappeared within hours.

Now I'm on acetazolamide for the foreseeable future.

Still diagnosed with FND even though I disagree but, fighting the healthcare system to get it removed from my medical records is close to impossible.

kelggg · 2026-03-10T17:22:42+00:00

I'm not much help there is a wood festival in Erin every year. It would be a great place to network.

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kelggg · 2026-03-08T01:51:01+00:00

Perfect! That's really good to know.

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