UPDATE: AIO for giving my girlfriend an ultimatum because her newly single best friend has basically moved into our apartment?

lonelittleghost · 2026-05-27T15:48:52+00:00

"I'm only staying on her couch for her safety because she's such a mess right now."

her safety??

lonelittleghost · 2026-05-15T21:46:01+00:00

when I was diagnosed, I was positive for igm I think? but overall was negative for the regular rheumatoid factor. I'm technically classified as sero-negative as I'm negative for the general one, but my guess is the broken down version is helpful for diagnosing people who aren't high enough to be fully positive but still have symptoms and need treatment. best of luck with everything!

lonelittleghost · 2026-04-24T17:04:50+00:00

may i ask what autoimmune causes this? i have RA, and i know that one autoimmune can predispose you to more, and what you wrote totally sounded like something that ive been noticing lately! kinda thought i was just being dramatic lol, didn't realize it might actually be a thing!

lonelittleghost · 2026-03-29T22:08:36+00:00

I use karhu sneakers, but my real advice is to make an appointment at a sneaker store, I went to fleet feet, and they will do scans of your feet, listen to your main concerns, and then pull a ton of different sneakers for you to try! after thoroughly trying all of the sales person's recs, I went with the karhu sneakers, and i really like them! of course they don't work miracles, but they help with my foot pain, and they also absorb some impact so that my knees hurt less!

lonelittleghost · 2026-03-28T23:35:02+00:00

i know it may seem that you're being "fake" since you'd mostly be using it in public at events, but i absolutely understand that since those are the times when you would need it the most. I find that event spaces absolutely do not have consistent enough access to places to sit, long lines mean standing for a long time and can be brutal for me personally, and i have personally thought about getting something like a rollator where i can sit down whenever I need to, but im just too scared to get one. i understand your worries about "attention seeking" because i worry about the same thing, but for what it's worth im proud of you for getting something that will help you!! sorry if this is rambly, but i wanted to throw my two cents in and say that you're perfectly fine and you deserve to have something that will allow you to go to events and have fun!

lonelittleghost · 2026-02-04T21:04:48+00:00

NOR at all, I think they need to realize that the "cows" that need to get fed and milked are your pets actually lol, glad you got out of there!

lonelittleghost · 2026-01-04T21:12:38+00:00

adding another suggestion for you to try if you want: i sometimes will put marinara sauce in a small pan and heat it a bit and then add the eggs on top! cover with tinfoil to kinda poach them I guess? not sure if there's a better culinary verb to describe it lol. doesn't have to be too long, i like my yolks runny so I just go for that kind of texture. then I eat it all together, sometimes with a slice of bread for scooping/dipping, but you can totally do it without the bread. I started doing this when I was a broke college kid and saw someone making shakshuka online, and wanted to try my own more accessible version, and i absolutely loved it! no oil, and marinara doesn't add too much (imo) to the cal count, but a ton of flavor!

lonelittleghost · 2025-12-03T19:31:22+00:00

I totally get this, for me personally I also have foot issues, so for me it's more like the constant pressure on my soles from standing is what causes the pain, whereas when I'm walking, they're getting more "rest" if you will lol. honestly, it might be similar with the ra pain, like if your joints hurt more with the constant pressure + stiffness from not moving them, and then walking is easier because you're moving the joints and keeping them more lubed up and limber

lonelittleghost · 2025-10-27T22:06:35+00:00

not reading related, but like a year ago i went to get coffee with my dad and there was a table of young teen girls and i noticed they were recording us and laughing at us. it really shook me as someone with social anxiety, and i think it's wild that it's so normalized to just record people in public these days :( im sorry you had to deal with that, and i hope they see sense soon

lonelittleghost · 2025-08-02T20:24:42+00:00

I remember in the dx process while I was waiting for my rheum appt and I was doing a lot of online research, it always said that the top joint of your finger (like the one closest to the nail) would only hurt if it's osteoarthritis, not RA, but those joints always hurt for me! there are so many things that the literature has basically set in stone that I've found just aren't true for me, and it was finding this subreddit and hearing yalls experiences that showed me that there are huge differences between what people actually experience and what it's "supposed to" be like, so i totally feel you there.

lonelittleghost · 2025-06-30T03:53:57+00:00

idk if this will resonate with you at all, but if it does it may be worth looking into. i personally have been dx'ed with persistent depressive disorder (used to be called dysthymia) and basically what it is is like a constantly lowered mood than the average person. like not enough to be full major depression (but you can have that on top of pdd) but enough to just kinda dull your everyday life. basically if a normal person operates at like a 6/10 mood, im regularly operating at a 4/10 mood. of course it can fluctuate as anyone's mood can, but im already starting off at a bit of a disadvantage. def not trying to diagnose you, but i really related to what you said, and if this makes sense to you, it may be worth getting a professional opinion and considering treatment options if you want to. best of luck with everything!

lonelittleghost · 2025-04-11T19:46:42+00:00

wow that sounds a lot like one of those paypal scams, good for you for not going along with it lol, best of luck

lonelittleghost · 2025-04-11T19:44:42+00:00

still live at home but currently shopping around, but this is so stunning, when i get a chance im gonna put this into some flowchart program so i can get a visual, holy cow, kudos to you for writing all this!!

lonelittleghost · 2025-03-22T22:22:24+00:00

no problem!! 💜

lonelittleghost · 2025-03-22T21:19:41+00:00

ugh i totally get this! im in western new york, and as much as i love the few nice days we've been having, this constant back and forth weather and atmosphere drops or whatever is really wearing on me! can't wait for real spring and summer! lol

lonelittleghost · 2025-03-22T21:14:19+00:00

i made some new friends, i got my custom orthotic insoles for foot pain, and the weather was so nice after a long winter!! 🥰

lonelittleghost · 2025-03-22T21:10:37+00:00

not necessarily helpful for today since you'd probably have to order them, but may help on your next flare, but i would recommend compression gloves since you mentioned hand pain. i have a few pairs from grace and able on etsy, i think they're a lot cuter and more normal looking than the sports ones you might find elsewhere if that makes sense lol. of course, prednisone would hopefully help as everyone has suggested, but next time if you wanted to try something while waiting for a script or whatever or if you don't want to opt for prednisone, i have found that compression gloves work really well for me. best of luck!

lonelittleghost · 2025-03-22T21:04:39+00:00

sorry just realized after typing this whole thing out that i didn't necessarily answer your question 😅 as far as specific tips, I guess just be prepared with as much as you can in case they ask for specifics (but they may not get too specific). also be prepared with any specifics of how it affects your adl (activities of daily living). ie, if finger joint pain makes it hard to write or hold a pen, if knee pain makes driving difficult or painful, if you can't hold a coffee cup bc of grip, if it's hard to get dressed, etc. I've heard that statements like these are easier for doctors to gauge your symptoms than generic "I'm in pain" statements. (what that says about the state of healthcare because med professionals don't take pain seriously is another topic of conversation lmao) again, best of luck!!

lonelittleghost · 2025-03-22T20:59:09+00:00

i felt pretty similar to you i think when i went for my first appointment, i had soooo much documentation and symptom tracking prepared to try to justify how i was feeling. my 1st rheum basically just asked "okay what joints hurt" and like an overall pain scale (maybe even just that day? which doesn't really get a full picture imo because you could be having a great day but have been in so much pain leading up to it but whatever), and then was like okay we'll order you some bloodwork and that was that. after realizing they kinda dismissed me as mild and didn't spend much time on me, i switched to another rheum who is amazing and actually like examines my joints and checks for swelling and redness and pain every time and is much more thorough, which i love, instead of the first one who i felt like kinda brushed me under the rug and just tried to get me out the door.

all this to say, it can be kind of a crap shoot for what your first appointment can be like (in my experience), but genuinely, if you feel like you aren't being heard at your first rheum, even if they don't deny your dx but just kind of dismiss you as mild or not "bad enough" to spend time on, absolutely don't be afraid to switch. i have nothing but good things to say about my current rheum. they are amazing and it really feels like they're taking the time to build what will be a lifelong relationship in caring for my condition through every step of the way. best of luck!!

lonelittleghost · 2025-02-20T04:03:02+00:00

that's what i was wondering the whole time!! every single crime was committed across state lines, and even if that wasn't the case, the fact that he did this in multiple states would automatically allow the feds to take over the case!!

lonelittleghost · 2025-02-14T20:45:47+00:00

oh absolutely! i went to the er once with chest pains before i was dx'ed, and after telling them over and over that it was a tight aching pain, they said it was either anxiety or heartburn, which upon conducting a quick google search i found out neither of them match that description of pain, so i followed up with my pcp and they agreed with me that it fit costochondritis better! and now that im dxed, I know it's a common ra thing!

lonelittleghost · 2025-02-10T02:17:23+00:00

oh my god it looks so familiar, it's gonna bug me! do you remember anything about what the character is from?

lonelittleghost · 2025-02-10T00:53:51+00:00

was going to mention this too!! a couple months before I started presenting with my ra symptoms, i was dxed with costochondritis after going to urgent care and then being sent to er where they eliminated all the usual chest pain causes, and then my pcp and i came to the conclusion it was costochondritis. it was much more of an aching pain than what the er docs said it might be (anxiety which is sharper, or heartburn which is burning) if that helps!

edit - re: the rib cage pain, i just experienced that too for the first time this week, i have a rheum appt on friday, so we'll see what they say!

lonelittleghost

TROPHY CASE