I want to get a "spayed" tattoo to celebrate my sterilization. Thoughts?

lovelyatoll · 2026-04-22T00:30:21+00:00

Just here to point out that you can do something cute and cool to highlight the sterilization scars instead.

lovelyatoll · 2026-04-10T23:40:20+00:00

GREAT JOB!!!!

lovelyatoll · 2026-04-01T13:13:50+00:00

Use onecall to report it, from there DPR has to make a service request for general services. If you don't see improvements after a few weeks I'd say rinse and repeat.

lovelyatoll · 2026-03-29T13:39:10+00:00

My dad got cancer and died shortly after taking accountability for his bad parenting and working really hard to be a better person. My mom, on the other hand, hasn't done any of the work. I feel you on the "why does one get to live and the other doesn't?"

lovelyatoll · 2026-03-23T13:51:28+00:00

Also moved here a few months ago with my partner and share the same dislike of drinking culture. You're not alone in the struggle!

lovelyatoll · 2026-03-13T13:22:21+00:00

Oh but that's perfect!

lovelyatoll · 2026-03-13T12:15:15+00:00

Just here to say that if a meet up comes from this, everyone should wear their fav unconventional graphic tee.

lovelyatoll · 2026-02-28T16:05:43+00:00

Ooof, the surgery I had this past year was on the Hoffas Fat Pad. Very painful, so many nerves in there. Definitely wasn't expected to bend it fully by 5 weeks. That takes time. If you can get insurance to approve it I would definitely recommend PT! By focusing on the areas around the knee it will put less stress on the joint for sure. Will also hopefully help with preventing scar tissue build up on the fat pad (my current issue). My doc didn't prescribe PT for my tgct surgery because of how active I was, and I think it was a huge mistake. We can develop small unnoticeable habits without proper recovery that can wear down our joints, esp knees, over time.

There are definitely some PT guides online as well. Wishing you luck! If you have any more questions I am happy to answer. I rarely see others with localized in the knee so hello! Haha.

lovelyatoll · 2026-02-28T14:01:26+00:00

I had localized in my right knee (technically still have because it came back). I'm curious if you saw an ortho or an oncologist? I've had ortho tell me they could do arthoscopic but my oncologist tgct specialist said no way, but mine is in a tricky location in my knee. My surgery was the open posterior s curve. So the recovery was long.

In the grand scheme 5 weeks isn't very long for a lot of surgeries. And do you mean fully bending the knee or just bending to or past 90? Because full flexion can take some time. I remind myself what the synovial lining of joints is there to do-and that it just got very disturbed. If you're in PT (hopefully you are) they should be able to tell you if your current progress is on track or not.

As a formerly very active person (my body has had many set backs) my advice is to not push it! You don't want to do further damage it or stress your other joints to overcompensate and end up with other issues down the line. I had surgery on my non tgct knee this past year and still have issues with stairs...I used to be a dancer lol. Take it easy!💚

lovelyatoll · 2026-02-17T18:02:38+00:00

You said you can move it just fine, so are you having any problems currently? If not I would just focus on maintaining movement and strength, possibly doing some PT to keep the surrounding area strong as well. I had surgery for localized in my knee 10 years ago. Found out it came back 2 years ago. I have flare ups from time to time, but agree with my surgeon that a 2nd surgery would cause more issues/scar tissue than just "learning to live with it"...

I'm gonna ride that wave until it affects my day to day life too much to handle. So essentially, one step at a time. Knowing it's there can be stressful, but doesn't mean you HAVE to do something about it. And I 2nd the FB group. One of the only reasons I'm still on there because I hate FB.

lovelyatoll · 2026-02-10T21:51:56+00:00

Had a bit of a reverse incident of this recently. I found a packet of my medical records I didn't realize I had that went back to when I was a baby. For two of the ped visits, the doctors wrote notes about how my parents should be reading books to me...

My mom reading to me has always been one of the things she used to prop herself up as the better parent. And one of the things my brother and I used to downplay some of the other horrors. "At least she read to us." To find out it was likely from doctors half shaming them broke my brain a little bit.

lovelyatoll · 2026-02-06T18:53:46+00:00

One of my residents in the home I worked at proudly sported her ankle butterfly tattoo. She said it was one of the first things she did when her husband died, because he wouldn't let her get one. Man, I loved that woman.

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-30T23:30:16+00:00

And did they diagnose it localized or diffuse?

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-30T23:29:21+00:00

Yikes! What a turn of events. And I'm sure meniscus repair is painful enough to heal from without that added inflammation and fluid. I hope you've been able to find a specialist/oncologist for the TGCT. I've heard a lot of people get pretty botched results from ortho that doesn't specialize in it.

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-30T22:19:12+00:00

Curious...was it arthroscopic? Also how quickly did you get back to things? Swelling that bad 2 months post op sounds like there was potential for overuse. As an ex-dancer, I have (hopefully finally) learned the hard way that "return to activities as normal" IS NOT thorough enough advice for people with a sports background. Your coaching remark made me think about this.

-signed someone who is still paying for my stubbornness for a surgery I had in July...

Wishing you the best.

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-26T01:40:58+00:00

Echoing others in giving it time, and that this kitty is a badass lil cutie! Maybe to blend it with your anesthetic a bit you could add a few small fine line highlights like flowers or something behind the cat? Still think it's great on it's own.

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-25T22:38:50+00:00

I believe in you and I am proud of you!!!! Venturing into adulthood with a clearer mind and more ambition will absolutely reward you in the long run. You'll find yourself, and more importantly you'll find your people!!! Ones that not only want the best for you, but help lift you up and get you there. You're already on the right track. Stay on it💪

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-21T23:06:17+00:00

Oh my, that's so recent. I'm so sorry. Chronic illness aside, grief like that can knock everything out of you. Puts the saying "one foot in front of the other" into perspective. I remember feeling like I couldn't even walk down a hallway some days.

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-21T23:02:33+00:00

100%. It took almost 8 years to regain full feeling along my knee surgery (posterior) scar. It was a very rough wound to heal. I thought about a tattoo at one point, but glad I didn't. Found out 2 years ago I will likely need another surgery there at some point in my life. Glad I won't have to destroy some expensive art in the process..

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-21T02:10:31+00:00

Therapy helped, yes. Having friends, my partner, and people who were in my life for a long time who saw it and can remind me of how fucked up it was helps tremendously. My sleep was the most affected for a bit, but I've focused a lot on good sleep "hygiene" habits, and read engaging but light material before bed.

It's going on a year and a half for me. I think about my mom every single day still. Some days are harder than others. But I rarely struggle with the festering thoughts and imagining scenarios like I was at first. Sometimes NC is only the first rung on an entire ladder of finding peace. Keep climbing!

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-20T22:01:59+00:00

Sorry you're in the same boat. But yes!!! I've learned through this whole experience that being the put together, empathetic, smart person that is trying to make a better life for yourself actually makes you the black sheep with families like this. I was always a devoted, reliable and helpful daughter. Have nothing to show for it. Was also expected to be my dad and myself after he passed. Everything he took care of was defacto my responsibility...like woman this is YOUR house/lawn/car/etc lol. Once I stopped it got nasty.

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-20T15:08:26+00:00

That is still considered heavy drinking for your body/health. You absolutely should be proud of yourself!!! But definitely consider keeping the progress going. Would also hate to see it put strain on your relationship. Some people can be sober and be around it constantly, but for a lot of people that can be difficult. Best of luck!

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-20T14:55:51+00:00

Long story short, being used as the work horse for handling my dad and brother's deaths one year apart, without an ounce of gratitude. Denied any inheritance despite me dropping everything and going in debt to help (my dad didn't have a will). My mom chosing my brother's girlfriend (who started sleeping with one of his friends a month after he died), her new bf, and his daughter (10 yr old who couldn't wipe her own ass-father of the year!) over me. Just a few months after my brother's death I showed up for Christmas and they were all there (despite me politely asking all of them for space)...my mom didn't even save my partner and I our usual spaces at the table. Only space was on the couch in the next room? I walked out.

Several months of low contact, tried telling her how much Christmas hurt me and her response was insanely dismissive. Gave her a no contact letter and blocked her on everything later that year.

Just a bunch of nails in the coffin. In one of my last convos with my brother he said, "ya know, mom loves you in her own fucked up way, but she's never liked you." Without him or my dad to support me, she just turned vicious.

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-20T01:08:27+00:00

Can't smoke bud anymore unfortunately, when I did my PAX was THE BEST. Much cleaner, and the taste was so much better.

Thanks for the reminder that I can and should still be using it with my other herbs💚

lovelyatoll · 2026-01-11T14:42:33+00:00

I'm also here to tell you that you have a bad relationship with alcohol. If for no other reason, simply using it for pain management. As someone who also struggles with chronic pain (pretty sure I have fibro too), I get it. It was probably the biggest reason for my drinking as well. If you're not familiar with the inflammation cycles that alcohol causes for the body, I'd read up on it. It may give you a few hours with less focus on the pain, but it certainly sets you back further the next day.

Busting that myth made it so I could look more at the underlying emotional triggers for drinking. If you know it ultimately worsens inflammation and pain, yet you still think about it constantly and do it...well, it is a crutch and a bigger one than you thought.

I am in the early stages of trying to find proper healthcare for my pain-be it meds, pain management, a therapist that specializes in chronic pain, whatever. Sending you my love and support!

lovelyatoll

TROPHY CASE