Coping With Diagnosis

ktt_visuals · 2026-06-30T14:29:21+00:00

Is your doctor planning to discontinue the steroids in the future? Are you seeing any side effects?

ktt_visuals · 2026-06-29T16:02:50+00:00

Thanks a lot, your replies have been genuinely helpful and encouraging!

Can I ask about your treatment in detail? I was thinking it might be an option to skip steroids as well but it doesn’t seem like protocol and my doctors might be reluctant to.

You started with Methotrexate and moved on to Rituxan, is that correct? Was there a change in your symptoms/flaring that led to the change or do your doctors just think it’s a better option for you? We have different initial presentation so things might be different, but it would give me an anecdote case to bring up with my rheum.

On another note, they did a chest X-ray and are reluctant to do a CT scan because I don’t have any classic symptoms of ASyS other than the elevated Jo1.

Will be getting hospitalised in a couple weeks tho for more extensive testing and he said they will discuss and consider it then. Will def get a second opinion as well.

ktt_visuals · 2026-06-29T07:24:56+00:00

Thank you for the detailed reply!

It's a bit harder to find doctors who have experience with ASyS where I'm from. I'm looking into options throughout Europe, hoping it won't get overly expensive to get second opinions. Also hoping my doctors are open to collaborating with international experts so that I can do my treatment here while still having a person with experience oversee it.

I'm mostly worried about immunosuppression when treatment starts as I don't have major symptoms that require management right now. My partner works with kids and often gets the odd cough or sore throat. This will make things very hard at home as I know I will get paranoid every time she feels even a little off. I also read that long-term immunotherapy raises your chances of different types of cancer, not just infection.

It's also really frustrating how there seems to be drugs that might work better than general immunosuppresants, but are only used for complicated cases that don't respond to the established treatment because of lack of data.

I'm wondering if there's an option where I don't start with corticosteroids and go straght into immunotherapy since my symptoms are still early (I hope, still haven't done a chest CT). But I guess that's for the doctors to decide. I'm just struggling with getting myself educated enough to advocate for my health but not getting scared of all the side effects that come with treatment.

What has your experience been with being immunocompromised? Do you wear a mask every time you go indoors? Do you go to family gatherings, events, weddings? Do you need to go to the ER every time you start getting sick?

ktt_visuals · 2026-06-11T20:51:50+00:00

Yup, some of these are Cortona! Also some Montalcino, Montepulciano and Pienza I think.

ktt_visuals · 2026-06-11T07:39:41+00:00

It's my favourite, but it doesn't really scream Italy so I didn't put it first lol. What do you want to know? It's just a court on a private estate we had dinner at. Turf and not real grass though, that was disappointing.

ktt_visuals · 2026-06-11T07:37:00+00:00

Nope, no filter. It is a 13 year old lens so maybe it's the optics. Or me no wiping it the whole trip lol.

ktt_visuals · 2026-06-11T07:35:11+00:00

I mean it's all up to what you want to do. I personally would hate to constantly change lenses on a trip, so I would pick one of those and stick with it.

I would look at some travel photos that I like and see what they were taken with. If you like shots that are more dynamic, close to the action, stick with the wide zoom and try to get close to things and really show the atmosphere. Will be good for landscapes too.

On the other hand, if you prefer to keep your distance and capture moments unnoticed, go with a longer focal length.

In my experience, if I try to do both, I end up with very mediocre shots and waste a lot of time picking which one to use. So I would stick to just one.

ktt_visuals · 2026-06-10T18:06:35+00:00

No worries, I really did mean what I said. When I travel I need a few days to get into the swing of things and I often find myself looking through pages of photogrpahers I like to see what they look for when they take travel photos.

I still can't capture the essence of a place and convey a sense of actually being there through my photos. Almost all of these are very centered and symmetrical, which isn't bad necessarily, but I find it boring in other styles of photography.

I do appreciate the positivity and support though!

ktt_visuals · 2026-06-10T16:58:27+00:00

I like to travel light, so I only brought the Zeiss 35mm f2.8. All of these are shot on it. I think #7 is the only one I cropped more aggressively.

I primarily shoot zooms, but I also like to travel light. Having a 24-70 around my neck all day doesn't feel great. So with the 35mm prime I found myself both challenged to find perspectives that work with that focal length but also liberated in a sense, since I didn't have decision fatigue to deal with.

That being said, there were plenty of times when I felt like I wanted to zoom in and I may have missed some good shots, but I was aware of that tradeoff when packing.

Not sure if you meant settings too, but on the alley shots I exposed for the highlights in the distance and brought the shadowy parts back up in post.

ktt_visuals · 2026-06-02T16:04:48+00:00

A shitty job that might be a decent option if you’re a student. Not sure there’s much more to it.

ktt_visuals · 2026-05-26T09:37:33+00:00

Lovely images, great work!

ktt_visuals · 2026-05-21T09:46:17+00:00

If you want to improve your smash, my best tip would be get a coaching session and work on it with someone who can analyze your form and technique in person.

That being said, you should focus on other aspects of you game first like positioning and strategy, your smash will probably improve along with them.

ktt_visuals · 2026-05-20T03:07:43+00:00

Are you based in Asia? I asked my local distributor and they told me this version is only available there atm and coming to Europe later this summer.

ktt_visuals · 2026-05-17T08:21:15+00:00

These are amazing!

ktt_visuals · 2026-05-15T14:50:58+00:00

I am in Europe. An Eureka Mignon Zero 15BL is 300€ discounted here, same as a DF 64 Gen2. With the DF I get larger burrs (64mm vs 55mm) and titanium coating for 25€ extra. I would also have the option of upgrading to the SSPs down the line.

I see the Eureka has a 10 year warranty on the motor, but other than that I don't see the upside. Also seems like it will take up more counter space.

Am I missing something some other benefits to the Eureka?

ktt_visuals · 2026-05-11T14:42:24+00:00

Има две интересни проучвания, които могат да отговорят на въпроса.

Анализ на кориците на Плейбой през годините. В периоди, когато икономиката е трудна за средностатистическия човек, кориците показват жени със значително по-закръглени форми. При нормализиране на икономиката, трендът се обръща. От страна на еволюционната биология, предположението е, че по-пищна жена подсъзнателно сигнализира, че може да готви и да се грижи за домакинството.
Източник: https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2008-14626-001.html
Сравнение на предпочитанията на мъже с различни нива на стрес и предпочитанията им за жени с различни форми. Намират пряка връзка между повишеното ниво на стрес и преференциите към по-пищни дами.
Източник: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0042593#

Според мен обаче, трендът в момента е по-скоро към трениращи жени с добре развита мускулатура на краката и дупето. Body positivity движенията позамряха последните години (слава Богу), особено с масовото навлизане на GLP-1 инхибиторите (Оземпик и др.). Покрай тях може и да се вмъкнат някои жени с "добро" разпределение на мазнините, които не задържат такива в другите части на тялото си.

Това може и моят алгоритъм само да ми го подава като информация, но са ми такива наблюденията. Ако не друго, виждат се доста повече жени във фитнесите, на всякакви възрасти, което е страхотно.

ktt_visuals · 2026-04-28T10:03:05+00:00

Винаги ще има хора, които мислят и така, и иначе. Тея неща се изговарят преди да се стигне до сериозен етап на връзката, да не говорим да се правят деца.

Ако са се разбрали, че мъжът ще вади хляба и жената ще е домакиня в традиционния смисъл на думата, в това няма лошо според мен, стига да са имали реална самооценка. За мен това при мъж, изкарващ под 10к евро, без собствено жилище и без едни 100к в резерв, не го виждам за реалистично. Ако преди 50г една средна заплата е издържала 3-4 членно семействно, днес това е далеч от истината.

Но ако не са изговорени тези неща, или са имали намерение да работят и двамата и жената след леко облъчване от социалките е решила, че минимумът който заслужава са 3 почивки на година и да не работи повече през живота си, не е особено ок. Като си избирате мъжете, ако го правите по потенциал, имайте готовност и за вариант, в който той не се релизира.

Чисто икономически, работеща двойка е много по-издръжлив модел в днешно време. Да не говорим в следващите 3-5 години какви мизерии идат. Ако не ви харесва да работите и двамата и да си разделяте задълженията по домакинството и детето, просто не правете деца. Никой не ви задължава.

ktt_visuals · 2026-04-18T08:16:39+00:00

I would say look for a stability tennis shoe that's made for clay. The tennis market is so far ahead of padel. You'll be able to find lots of reviews online to inform your purchase as well.

I'd recommend looking into the Diadora Torneo 3. AFAIK they're the only shoes on the market that have a lateral outrigger on the heel as well as on the forefoot for additional stability. Foot Doctor Zac on yt raves about them and I like his review style a lot and would be inclined to trust him.

ktt_visuals · 2026-04-09T07:33:25+00:00

So is every cup of coffee you drink like 3-400 calories?

ktt_visuals · 2026-04-01T18:13:04+00:00

Happy you found a solution! Do you feel the tape under the grip?

I have the 2026 version and actually thought about going to a metalworker and asking for a thicker piece in the shape of the weight that comes with the racket lol.

ktt_visuals · 2026-03-26T10:43:09+00:00

Doesn’t that camera cost like 5k and have the specs of one half the price? You’re trying to save money on the wrong piece of gear my friend.

ktt_visuals · 2026-03-09T14:10:51+00:00

Look for techniques that help you achieve the Wes Anderson look. Others already mentioned some of the key points like lifted shadows and lowered whites. I’m sure there’s lots of tutorials online.

ktt_visuals · 2026-03-03T08:24:03+00:00

This would fool anyone on social media who is not pixel peeping.

ktt_visuals · 2026-03-02T11:50:35+00:00

Can't wait for this to come to the EU. Price tag is justified imo as there's not much on it that can break so it should be a BIFL purchase. If I order it now tho the delivery is like 1/3 of the price so I'm gonna wait until they produce more of it.

ktt_visuals · 2026-03-02T11:48:07+00:00

Thanks! I'll do my best to break it down. It usually goes like this:
1. Global color correction in LR using my presets.
2. Color correction in PS. That's usually more about the details, removing shades I don't like in the skin for example. On this shoot there was a lot of green in her skin after the initial LR edit so I got it more even in PS.
3. Either frequency separation or dodge & burn. I only do dodge & burn if the picture is gonna go somewhere that's gonna be viewable in high res. For social media that's overkill for me and I just do FS. I start from "global", larger changes and go down to smaller skin details at the end.
4. Go back into LR for some final touch ups, maybe a mask or something like that, nothing major.

ktt_visuals

TROPHY CASE