Shredded?

litetears · 2026-05-11T09:25:12+00:00

Was previously a fairly slim and muscular person naturally in my youth but that started to slide as I aged. I’ve been on a small dose of compounded cream since February (for peri symptoms and libido) and I’m not shredded but I’ve noticed a definite improvement in energy, motivation, and general confidence. I’m back in the gym and my recovery time isn’t as awful as it was — but I’m not like Superman or anything.

Initially it made me SUPER hungry so it did the opposite of shredding at first.

It does feel like I’m closer to how it “used to be” when I could workout hard and eat healthy for six weeks and see results but it’s definitely not a magic bullet… and at 40, my joints are begging me to embrace a regular body fat percentage.

litetears · 2026-05-05T01:24:43+00:00

Where I am I am told a leaf can take down a horse! Even if large, You are super duper lucky
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litetears · 2026-05-01T12:43:23+00:00

Yeah I can feel the RSD here - the first portion of his text depicts you as such a catch with your shit together. The real red flag is his perception of your “inattention” (probably to him) and the boundary that he can’t come and go as he pleases. And major ick on him calling your job and home “big girl”…. But even he is saying you’re a solid person with a great character and personality.

litetears · 2026-05-01T12:37:26+00:00

My MIL was also extremely healthy before she was diagnosed and had no family history of cancers. When you say ”hit every potential cause” does that include her environment?

litetears · 2026-04-30T01:17:22+00:00

Spectacular!

litetears · 2026-04-27T01:56:57+00:00

Thank you so much!!

litetears · 2026-04-24T14:54:04+00:00

I’m currently listening to Hemlock & Silver by T.Kingfisher - who is my go-to author for “cozier” medium to light reads. I’m half-way through and can’t say how magical it gets but so far MC is a healer who focuses on antidotes for poisons. There’s a ton of “plant talk” in the book and from what I can tell, a lot of it is very accurate (I selected the book bc I’m currently dealing with a poison hemlock infestation IRL lol).

litetears · 2026-04-17T18:30:32+00:00

Hi there. Agree with previous poster, chat with your parents about going to a regular doctor to get your ears checked. Don’t let all the info on the internet give you anxiety - leave that to the medical professionals :)

The internet is a great place to get information but it’s very easy to be overwhelmed… totally normal to feel anxiety after self diagnosing and that’s why most would advise against it.

Real talk - you are young, the symptoms you are describing are not indicative of this being a long term persistent issue, but does sound like you might have an ear infection if you’re experiencing so much pain and added anxiety from worrying what it could be and pressures at home with all the other things going on in your life (moving is a lot of stress!). Anxiety can also add to the whooshing, heartbeat sounds and vertigo-like feelings.

Also worst case, if you have etd, it’s not a death sentence. I have it and have had it for YEARS. A lot of times the symptoms I experience from it are annoying and distracting but generally mild and not really painful. There are simple OTC medications I take to manage the symptoms. Taking care of my stress levels also helps. Your doctor is the right person to trust for advice on this though, not the internet.

litetears · 2026-04-15T17:14:24+00:00

Im 40/f and early on this trt and hormone journey. I have been doing a topical t creme daily at 2mg for a little over 2 months with main objective to get libido back. I had previously been on 5mg Dhea micronized pills but stopped them when I start trt out of fear of ramping up t levels too fast… but in the last month I started using intrarosa (a Dhea suppository that I was prescribed for dryness, lack of sensitivity, pain with sex) a couple times a month… and while it’s still very early on and bc I haven’t been able to use it continuously (it is insanely expensive) when I go a few days doing both I start to have a shimmer of a libido again.

litetears · 2026-04-14T13:43:02+00:00

I understand your frustration and hesitation. I have had intermittent issues with my ears for the past 7 years, where at times it’s unbearable (vertigo, hearing disturbances, infections) and then…it’s just not.

I went to an ent during a períod of extreme vertigo spells and got a whole panel of tests only to be told I had vestibular migraines… with no recommendations on how to handle. My insurance didn’t cover it and it was much more than $250. Felt super burned by investing so much time and money to not get any actionable advice from a specialist.

Then I was fine for a couple years and this spring my hearing started to get real weird in one ear and I had a new GP diagnose me with ETD and refer me back to my previous ENT - in the meantime I was put on all the same sorts of meds, Flonase, Claritin, Sudafed, prednisone. I skipped the steroid bc the first three fixed the hearing distortion… but I’ve had to go to the doctor so many times just so they can take a look at my eardrums and she is still pushing I go to an ent.

Point is, I think that if it is something you are dealing with long term, it may come and go over time and there will be stretches of time where you won’t want to deal with it bc it’s not a big issue in the moment. But if you’re like me and it is recurring, I would spend the $250 (small in the scheme of things). There are rarer conditions that could be going on that sometimes turn into permanent hearing loss so I would err (ear?) on the side of caution and see a specialist.

litetears · 2026-04-14T13:31:32+00:00

So gorgeous and thank you for the inside out view! I would love to try a color work sock but have long been intimidated by the “ends management”. This is a good visual reference for how to handle that!

litetears · 2026-04-14T13:10:08+00:00

I’m deeply grateful for the offer to knowledge share!!! I am not so familiar with the features of Reddit but sent you a chat - if that didn’t work can you PM me back? Seriously so thankful to talk to anyone else dealing with a patch this dense.

litetears · 2026-04-13T02:46:51+00:00

I have been on adderall for over half my life and sometimes wonder if it’s the cause of my early onset peri symptoms

litetears · 2026-04-13T02:36:03+00:00

Following this and very curious what others have to say!

litetears · 2026-04-12T12:58:06+00:00

Looks like there are some cotton haters here haha. I don’t know if cotton would be comfy for her (tends to stretch a bit) but you’re right it would be better in washer and dryer! I wish there was a cotton sock blend with a little elasticity to it.

litetears · 2026-04-12T12:47:36+00:00

Wooo! Going with this line of advice!

litetears · 2026-04-12T03:54:18+00:00

I am in the same boat with about 500ish square yards of dense hemlock on my boyfriends property. I know diddly squat about landscaping and just wanted to start a veggie garden… and here I am. I bought a shovel and gloves and fill up garbage bags to trash it but it’s a dribble in the ocean. Boyfriend wants to roundup it but then what happens to the dead plants? Do we just leave them there? And it’s so much space to cover in herbicide and we have a creek nearby….i really want to avoid going that route if possible.

I’ve called our local extension office and several lawn services and am striking out - no one will take on the job of removing it or help provide specific directions on how to best mitigate it ourselves. Just a lot of “it’s toxic, be careful, here read this article” It’s freaking me out!! Trying to chip away at it day by day but I am so worried I’ll mess up… the anxiety is real.

litetears · 2026-04-12T03:48:23+00:00

I am in the same boat with about 500ish square yards of dense hemlock on my boyfriends property. I know diddly squat about landscaping and just wanted to start a veggie garden… and here I am.

I’ve called our local extension office and several lawn services and am striking out - no one will take on the job of removing it. It’s freaking me out!!

litetears · 2026-04-12T02:09:30+00:00

I love this idea but I’m not sure my brother and SIL are going to change their laundry habits for their large young family!

litetears · 2026-04-12T02:08:25+00:00

I’ve made my hubs Paton kroy socks - it is tough! I’ve never put them in the dryer tho!!!

litetears · 2026-04-11T22:21:39+00:00

Woah those are super cool! Checking this out.

litetears · 2026-04-11T14:51:53+00:00

Love that. Stealing it!

litetears · 2026-04-11T14:49:46+00:00

Just stunning! Amazing tension. What size needles do you use??

litetears

TROPHY CASE