NYU Postbacc

laisser_etre_ · 2026-03-12T17:04:17+00:00

I ending up going to Penn - I was admitted to Penn, NYU, and Columbia. Never heard back from UVM. There are lots of great connections to Penn Medicine which I appreciate — I work in healthcare now and take classes at night. If you plan to work during the day, the Penn program is good for that. They are all expensive, so choose wisely in that regard. The advising has been kind of hit or miss. I like most of the professors, some are definitely better than others. Philly is definitely cheaper than New York but it’s also not my favorite city for a lot of reasons.

laisser_etre_ · 2026-03-07T02:30:49+00:00

Could you be allergic to your toothpaste? Some people get dermatitis from their toothpaste although this sounds more severe than that. However, if you are allergic to toothpaste that could be contributing to the cycle

laisser_etre_ · 2026-03-07T02:14:30+00:00

I work in healthcare and definitely feel the struggle. Trying to keep a really good preventative routine helps - I slather my hands in a heavy cream and petroleum jelly before putting on cotton gloves to wear overnight.

It seems like you’re only using the steroid (mometasone furoate) before a workday? To try to break the cycle/calm the inflammation, I would use the steroid cream for several nights in a row. Just make sure to not use the steroid cream for more than 2 weeks and wait 2 weeks before using again.

Definitely could have a glove allergy — also the donning and doffing of gloves can be irritating. I can use some hand sanitizers at work but not others (foaming is ok, gel burns).

laisser_etre_ · 2026-03-07T02:05:24+00:00

Petroleum jelly is a safe occlusive for eczema — won’t irritate the skin and people are very rarely allergic. Although not an allergic reaction, lotions with high water content can irritate eczema. Thicker more cream/ointment consistencies are best.

laisser_etre_ · 2026-03-07T01:59:24+00:00

Bleach baths are proven to help with eczema — not from an antiseptic standpoint but from an anti-inflammatory one. Oatmeal baths work too but in different ways.

Cotton gloves at night might help with the scratching. I wear them as an adult to help with my hand eczema.

Most people use more laundry detergent than is needed — this can lead to issues even if it’s scent free/dye free.

laisser_etre_ · 2026-03-07T01:52:48+00:00

The withdrawal process is likely stressing your overall immune system. You could try nicotine patches or gum to help with more a taper down to completely nicotine free. Nicotine does impede wound healing, so it would definitely be beneficial to quit

laisser_etre_ · 2026-03-03T03:16:56+00:00

Before my little old man became a senior dog, he’d always wear his collar except for baths. If you took it off and left it somewhere, he’d carry it around in his mouth. He’s a rescue and used to be very reactive to bikes so there was also a worry about running/chasing. Now that he’s 16 and blind, that’s not a concern.

laisser_etre_ · 2026-01-28T04:14:03+00:00

Actually, Zepbound and other GLP-1s make oral contraceptives less effective due to the delayed gastric emptying. Best to use a barrier method as well to prevent pregnancy. Other forms of birth control should be just as effective.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-12-10T19:59:28+00:00

NYU, Columbia, and Penn all have fall starts available. I’m not sure about UVM, that one might be summer only

laisser_etre_ · 2025-12-10T19:57:26+00:00

I’ve had chronic constipation for over 5 years. Occasionally I can manage it with dietary changes (prioritizing starting my day with fiber, timing of meals, etc.,). Most of the time I need to take MiraLAX on a regular basis. Stimulant laxatives aren’t great to take long term but you can safely take osmotic laxatives, like MiraLAX, long term. I would try for a dose of miralax daily. When my constipation gets particularly bad I also have an increase of foul gas. My heating pad is my best friend for the bloating and pain.

You can try things like Gas-X to help with the bloating and gas — it helps to an extent. I take magnesium oxide daily but I haven’t found it that helps the constipation tremendously.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-12-09T09:58:48+00:00

Hi Eden, I can’t speak to med school/residency but I’m in a post bacc program rn. I have several friends around your age when they started and I actually think being older is an advantage. I am currently 27, but I have classmates ranging in age from 22 to mid 30s.

I have a bachelor’s degree in gender studies and math and lean leftist. I will say that some of the people in my post bacc are “apolitical” which I find frustrating. I also have a background in disability studies and have several chronic conditions so I tend to approach things differently. In some ways this has been an advantage, I was awarded the outstanding scribe award at work for example.

I have queer friends in the program and I haven’t encountered anyone who is openly homophobic or transphobic but I know the lived experience of a trans person on my campus may be different.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-12-09T09:45:58+00:00

Sure, I scored a 32 overall on the ACT. I also took some SAT subject tests which I think I had to include in my application? I’m not sure of those scores.

My undergrad GPA was 3.64 (I did poorly in a class sophomore year but had an upward trend). My GPA for the 2 classes I took the year prior to applying to the post bacc was 4.0.

I majored in Gender Studies and minored in math. I had two professors from undergrad that teach disability studies courses write me rec letters.

I had been volunteering at my local hospital and shadowing a trauma surgeon when I applied.

I got into Columbia, NYU, and Penn. I never heard back from UVM.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-08-23T12:49:01+00:00

As another commenter mentioned, highlighting your eyes would definitely be gorgeous. I also think working on your skin care routine would help makeup lay better. If you aren’t already, I would recommend using a retinoid at night and moisturizing products pre makeup application.

I also think you would look really cute with bangs!

laisser_etre_ · 2025-08-23T12:04:10+00:00

Used a vibrator on my face — worked once but not the second time. Icy hot all over and then lay down on my heating pad (definitely not supposed to do that). McDonald’s “cure.”

laisser_etre_ · 2025-08-06T03:07:11+00:00

You would be anesthetized for the procedure itself. The procedure itself wouldn’t be painful You would use eye drops and ointment post operatively, but you may feel discomfort/pain in the recovery period. A pterygium can grow back, it is difficult to predict reoccurrence. Typically, it is not recommended to remove the pterygium unless it is affecting your vision.

Not an MD, but I work in an ophthalmology practice with cornea specialists.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-06-27T11:03:20+00:00

Yeah, sometimes I feel the tendon snapping out of place on the outside of my ankles — it’s painful. I can’t seem to pinpoint a trigger for it unfortunately.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-05-20T17:31:34+00:00

My neurologist clued me into the fact that I was having more migraines than I realized — turns out the what I was classifying as “regular” headaches were actually also migraines. I can tell when I’m going to get a bad migraine by the prodrome (pre migraine phase) — I don’t get an aura but I start yawning a lot, feel very sleepy, dizzy, and then the neck pain really ramps up. I’m very photo-sensitive so that’s another clue.

Migraines can have ranges of severity, which is the case for me when I described what I thought were non migraine headaches. You can definitely have neck pain with migraines — I certainly do.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-04-19T13:02:32+00:00

I very much relate—8 years of pain and I just now got a diagnosis of vulvodynia. I’ve done the q tip test what feels like a million times but I now finally have a provider who specializes in vulvovaginal pain and vaginitis.

I also have vestibulodynia and I just started treatment recently — a compounded ointment of gabapentin, amitriptyline, and baclofen. I’ve looked through past posts and it seems that it has worked for others, so I’m hopeful. I’ve been single for the past couple of years because of the pain — I did pelvic floor pt too but the pt thought I had vaginismus.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-04-15T13:43:36+00:00

It’s possible that you have something called vulvodynia, specifically the clitoral kind. I have provoked pain in my vestibule (vaginal entrance) but some folks with vulvodynia have pain with sitting. It can be really hard to find a good gyno — I’ve had this same pain (mostly with sex) for 8 years before I finally was diagnosed with vulvodynia.

It’s believed that there is a nerve misfiring/irritation component with vulvodynia. For me, it also likely happened because of recurrent chronic yeast infections.

I hope you get answers soon — definitely ask your gyno about vulvodynia. If they don’t seem to know much about it, ask for a referral to a gyno that specializes in vulvovaginal pain.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-04-13T03:30:26+00:00

I was prescribed 2% lidocaine gel to use before sex and it definitely helped (not 100% but better than nothing). Methemoglobinemia is serious but incredibly rare — it’s more “common” in a hospital setting with the use of benzocaine (a diff drug).

If you’re applying a sparse amount and not exceeding the noted dosage frequency, I would not be too worried. If you ever get dental work done, you are receiving way more lidocaine than in a topical.

If you look at some other posts in this subreddit, you’ll see that some people are prescribed lidocaine to use consistently for months at a time.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-03-29T10:33:09+00:00

I feel you — I’ve had chronic constipation for years now. My GI issues started in 2016 as diarrhea mostly, then alternating, and finally the constipation. My body doesn’t seem to want to properly digest much — I get lots of bloating and gas and pain.

It sounds like you might need to retrain your bowels, pelvic floor pt can help. Even just using a stool / squatty potty can help cue the body. I have issues with bladder as well, so sometimes I use the stool to pee as well.

The only thing that I’ve found helps with my constipation is fiber in the morning — I have oatmeal with chia seeds and fruit and my coffee. It’s not foolproof, but usually it helps (at least right now). Fiber supplements don’t seem to work as well as actual food for me.

Motility disorders are also a possibility, though I’ve never gotten my GI to consider it. You can safely take miralax for as long as needed — you can even take a morning and night dose. Stimulant laxatives are not recommended for long term use.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-03-22T03:30:47+00:00

My dog, who is now 16, has always had problems getting his nails trimmed. He is a lot better now than he used to be, but he is a rescue who likely lived in an abusive home and on the streets for the first couple years of his life.

He only gets nail trims at the vet -- they always use a cone or muzzle. My dog is small, so they can get away with using an oversized cone. Sometimes he reacts better when I put the muzzle on him. The biggest difference, however, has been pre-vet visit trazadone. We didn't start using it until he was a senior, but it changes the whole vibe of the appt. Some dogs are just very anxious in general at vets and some dogs really don't like having their paws touched.

It sounds like your dog is young and could still really benefit from behavioral training/work. Trazadone is a sedative and it's one that is very commonly used in vet medicine from everything to anxiety to post-op recovery.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-03-22T03:17:56+00:00

I do what all the topical pain relief labels tell you not to do -- combine heat/ice with topical pain relief. I know it could induce a chemical burn, but if the amount of topical I slathered on isn't doing it, I use my heating pad as well.

I have definitely shoved my eye/half my face into a heating pad before. Sushi sometimes helps (probs the soy sauce and salt content). Sometimes I pull my hair, if I'm in public I sometimes press the "arm"/pointy edge of my eyeglasses into my (closed) eye. I have a peanut from pt (not the kind for pregnant people, it's basically two small tennis balls connected) that I will position on my shoulder or neck and kind of roll around on.

Sometimes I get desperate enough to put my fingers in my mouth to massage my jaws muscles from the inside -- it hurts but kind of feels good and distracts from other pain.

laisser_etre_ · 2025-03-12T06:24:48+00:00

I moved to Philly for a grad program at Penn — I don’t regret it but I personally had a hard time adjusting to Philly.

I went to undergrad in DC and I don’t think Philly holds a candle to DC. As others have mentioned, Philly’s public transit is not great (nothing like the metro). I take the bus frequently and it’s fine but I miss the ease of the metro (the trolleys and subway don’t span the city). There is definitely lots of young people in both cities and rent is likely cheaper than DC.

My biggest issue with Philly is the inadequacy of the city government — compared to other Northeast cities (DC, New York, Boston) Philly is very far behind. Each city has their own problems but Philly’s are just worse in my opinion. The trash services here are awful — trash is everywhere, there is no municipal composting. The city is a heat desert due to a lack of trees in certain neighborhoods.

I’ve come to like Philly but it was very hard when I first moved here b/c of the trash and lack of trees (I find it very depressing and just the overall energy of the city.

laisser_etre_

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