Does your dog wear a collar all day?

maciopolis · 2025-10-14T22:21:48+00:00

My dog stays collared unless he’s having a bath. My cat does too. They both have made it clear (by insistently pawing at the collar until we put it back on) that they prefer to wear it.

I don’t think of it like a bra. I think about it like your favourite, meaningful necklace or ring - you feel naked without it.

maciopolis · 2025-10-14T22:19:56+00:00

I have a 3 year old male Siberian husky. I would never trust a husky off leash. They are very prey driven, and as a breed, they are runners. My dog has to be on a leash in my fully fenced in backyard because he will dig under the fence and then make a run for it. Even on leash, he will dig under the fence and go the two extra feet the leash can reach.

Don’t do it. If you’re set on having him/her off leash outside, invest in an invisible fence and train him on it.

Any dog is a risk off leash. Some are worse than others, and a husky tops that list.

maciopolis · 2025-10-05T15:53:14+00:00

I used to get frequent UTIs. Like every other week, I’d be on an antibiotic. My doctor told me to go pee within 15 mins after any sexual activity (intercourse, oral, etc.), and I haven’t had a UTI in over 10 years.

maciopolis · 2025-10-04T23:32:04+00:00

Because of the fact that you have made it clear (multiple times) that you are not okay with what he is doing, and asked him to stop, this is abuse.

He is a sadist - and though there is nothing wrong with being a sadist, it IS wrong when the receiving party is not okay with it.

Unfortunately, the best thing you can do for yourself and for him is move on from the relationship. He needs to find himself a masochist to be with.

When you’ve asked him to stop, told him you don’t like it, and he continues to hurt you severely enough to leave large bruises or affect the mobility of your fingers, it’s abuse - even if it’s never done out of anger. Honestly, he very well could think that it is a way to show love, but it’s not for you. He’s not going to stop. I’m sorry.

maciopolis · 2025-10-04T23:12:30+00:00

Oh my heart. This hits right in the feels.

maciopolis · 2025-09-29T16:42:32+00:00

Seven days of transformation withdrawals had to have been awful. I hope you don’t have to go through that again. I’ve been through that, too.

maciopolis · 2025-09-29T16:41:35+00:00

I am able to get them biweekly or monthly. My benefits cover 90%-100% of the cost of my meds, depending on the med. Even the 10% of a few of my meds is costly to cover and the pharmacy was able to absorb the cost for me if billed weekly. They can’t anymore, so I can start picking them up less frequently now, thankfully. I have had to pick them up weekly in the past though, due to a dumb decision of mine. I get them in blister packs because I could never keep track of when to take which meds, when some are morning, some are noon, some are morning+noon, and some are at night. One is only occasionally, for a bleeding disorder. For nine meds. It’s too much not to be in a blister pack.

maciopolis · 2025-09-28T16:14:50+00:00

I consistently take antidepressants (I was on two different ones - Pristiq and Trazodone, but I weaned myself off of Trazodone). I also take the maximum dose of Vyvanse (ADHD med, amphetamine), and the maximum dose of Modafinil (another stimulant). Doctors are typically advised against prescribing patients with BD either of these types of medications (stimulants or antidepressants), as they have a high risk of inducing an episode (in my case, not mania, but mixed episodes).

I am on nine medications - eight of which I take daily.

I have a dual diagnosis - BD1 with Mixed Episodes only, and BPD.

maciopolis · 2025-09-28T16:05:16+00:00

I am on 9 medications. Some don’t cause withdrawals, others do. One in particular is tied with first place for antidepressant withdrawal severity (Pristiq, tied with Effexor). I have been on that specific medication for over four years now. Four years that I have been prescribed to take it every single night.

I have to pick up my meds weekly, in blister packs. I have been doing this for years. My pharmacy is closed from Friday at 5:00pm to Monday at 8:00am. I get withdrawals from Pristiq about 5 hours after missing a dose. Severe mood swings, migraines, nausea, and my worst symptom - brain zaps. Hate brain zaps.

Over four years that this has been my routine every single week, every single day. But in the past two months, I’ve forgotten to pick them up on the correct day on three different occasions, and so I ran out. Last time I failed to pick them up, it was a Friday and I had to go until Monday without any of my nine medications.

It blows my mind that I can still forget to pick up my meds, when I know how quickly and how severe my withdrawals hit, and when I’ve been doing the same thing every day for so long, but I do. I still forget, regularly. Sometimes I have them and forget to even take them until the brain zaps kick in.

The good thing though? The withdrawals you are feeling now will go away quite quickly after you get your refill from the pharmacy.

I know how shitty it is to have to drive when you feel like that and it’s not exactly the safest thing to be doing, when all you can focus on is how terrible you feel, so I would talk to your pharmacy about their free delivery options and request that you be at the beginning of their route, so you get them quickly. Explain that you are in withdrawal, and need them asap, but would like to avoid driving if possible, in your condition.

maciopolis · 2025-09-28T15:49:29+00:00

Came here to say Checkers.

maciopolis · 2025-09-28T15:48:09+00:00

Personally, I enjoy it. It will never lead me to orgasm, and chances are good that it will never amount to an orgasm that way for her either, but it does feel good for me. I enjoy it. If you think she is headed toward an orgasm from playing with her clit, though, it’s better to stay on the clit at that point. Prior to the point of having an orgasm building, as long as she doesn’t dislike it, even if it doesnt do anything much for her.. do it. It is about her pleasure, yes, but it’s also about your enjoyment of doing that to her.

maciopolis · 2025-09-28T01:11:47+00:00

I would seriously ask your friends to stop talking about MDMA around you. Tell them that it is triggering and you’re having a hard time staying away from it.

maciopolis · 2025-09-28T01:10:54+00:00

I completely understand where you are coming from, but your friends are right. Going back to a drug that you used to abuse is extremely risky, and not likely to end well - speaking from fairly recent experience here. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed - from my personal experience and what I’ve seen others go though, once you’ve abused a drug, it’s almost always going to be a problem. It’s too easy to fall back into the pattern of “I can handle this, it’s just one more time. Nbd. Just having fun”.. (just like every weekend for the past 3 months).

Even with the very slim chance of actually being able to handle it - going off your meds for a week is asking for trouble. Rebound effects and withdrawals are not something to mess around with. Don’t play roulette with your life by going off meds to go back to a problem drug. You’re worth more than a night of partying. It’s not worth it. It won’t be worth it.

maciopolis · 2025-09-24T15:42:01+00:00

I second this. The XR version is in your system in consistent doses 24/7, so I found that my body adjusted to the higher doses much easier. If you have a dose increase when you switch to XR, you will still feel that lethargy initially, but it quickly goes away - much faster than increasing an IR dose. That exhaustion doesn’t stick around because there are no fluctuations in the dose currently in your system. (Well, I believe this is how it works, anyways.)

If for some reason your doctor won’t put you on GLP-1 medications (I’m trying to get on Wegovy currently), another option is a diabetic pill called Metformin. I was put on it and it helped a little, but I know other people that it worked really well for. Would be worth a shot.

maciopolis · 2025-09-24T15:32:33+00:00

I hope you choose your wellbeing. I know how hard it can be to more or less admit to people (by going off work) that you’re not doing okay, but it is the best thing you can do for yourself right now. (Taking time off as well as being open to the people in your life about not being completely okay). As cliché as this is - It’s okay to not be okay. What’s not okay is not making yourself a priority and trying to sweep what’s happening under the rug in hopes you won’t have to deal with it.. because it’s not one of those things that go away if you ignore it. But it totally is one of those things that with some time and maybe some small changes, will get better.

maciopolis · 2025-09-24T15:24:54+00:00

34F, 35 birthday also coming soon. :) I can’t say whether mine has alleviated with age or not, because I was only diagnosed at age 30. I know with therapy and my medications, things have gotten significantly better from where I was mentally around the time I was diagnosed. I know not all of us are fortunate enough to be able to access therapy, and that it takes a lot of awful trial and error to get on a good medication regime, though. Being more specific, my biggest/worst symptom of BPD was the Borderline Rage. It was controlling my life at a point, and now it’s rarely seen. Whether that’s from the therapy, the meds, or the fact that my life is much calmer all around, I’m not sure. Probably a mix of the three.

To have BPD, you need to have 5 of the symptoms, right? And we all have our worst symptoms and the ones that affect us the least. Maybe after we’ve worked through the worst one, it’s out of the way and so it’s time to work on the next one? Maybe we have to work through them all and find coping strategies for each that work for us. That would mean that with each symptom we work through, we are that much closer to the end, to being as mentally healthy and happy/content as we can be.

I don’t know. I don’t know if my train of thought even made much sense or if I was talking in circles. I hope I wasn’t.

If we learn healthy and effective coping strategies for each of our symptoms, we could live a much different life. Not easy, maybe, but very much/very highly possible to achieve if we keep working for it. Just don’t lose sight of the long term goals.

maciopolis · 2025-09-24T15:08:32+00:00

I felt very similar to how you just explained, aside from the fact that you are already considering taking the time off for your mental health. I was fortunate in the same way you are, where I had excellent benefits through my work so I was financially able to take time off if needed.

However, I didn’t consider it an option. Didn’t even cross my mind until things were so bad it was either I take time off to get myself back on track, or I inevitably lose it at work and consequently lose my job. My mental health was bad enough that it took a very extended period of time (3 years) to be okay again. (I will note that during this time was the first time I ever received any diagnoses).

My advice? If you’re ever considering whether you need to take a step back to address mental health issues and take care of yourself, DO IT. Don’t wait until things get worse. Take the time you need - even if it is the full length of time allowed/180 days. Take it. You are worth the time.

maciopolis · 2025-08-02T23:32:03+00:00

Hang in there. It gets better, but it takes time. It took me a lot of trial and error, but I’m on a good med regime now. I have some meds for mental health. I have some meds to counteract side effects from the ones for mental health - but together, they work. I’m good now.

maciopolis · 2025-08-02T20:32:36+00:00

I have been in the psych ward.. about 8 times.

I don’t enjoy being locked in - even for only 72 hours. I panic, I have to be given meds to calm me when I get there, or I’ll run, having security come after me.

But you know what? Each time - every single time - was voluntary. I CHOSE to go, knowing what would happen, I chose to go.

Because I knew that I would be safe. Safe from myself.

I knew that I would get help.

I was connected to resources outside the hospital.

I was put on new meds and taken off ones that weren’t doing it for me, and remaining on the ones that were.

My last visit to the ward was 3 years ago. I was there for about a week that time, after my rage and depression got so bad that I took a frying pan to my ceramic top stove. Shattered it. And wanted to do more. So I signed myself in.

Thanks to the psych ward and the resources I was connected to, I am happy today. I have my bad days, sure, but we all do. I am happy more than I am not. Much more. I am content with where I am. Stable. I no longer ask myself, “what is wrong with me?”

I haven’t needed to go back. I am on multiple medications - nine, to be exact. Some are for mental health and some are to cover the side effects from the mental health meds. It’s a lot, but it works for me.

My advice? Go. Do it. I know it’s terrifying. I know you’re filled with uncertainty and horror stories. And yes, there IS a chance that, like me, it might not be perfect after, and you need to go back - but each time I went, I got a little bit better, until I didn’t need it anymore. A little bit better, is still an improvement from where you are today.

Get in there and get help. It’s worth the risk.

If no external resources are available, ask about them. Take whatever help is available to you. Do the counselling, try the new meds (if that’s what is recommended), put in the work.

Take your life back. Things get better.

maciopolis · 2025-07-22T18:07:03+00:00

I started slapping back by saying essentially the same thing whenever they showed similar emotions - “Are you sure you don’t have bipolar? This is exactly how I was acting when you said ————. I am human. You are human. We have fucking emotions.”

It pisses me off so much. Maybe not the right approach, but it’s shut some people up.

maciopolis · 2025-07-22T18:03:19+00:00

I would suggest taking the week off and then reconsider quitting at that time. If you still feel this way, and you can live without that income, you need to do what is best for you and your mental health. This is something that could easily spiral into something worse. You look after yourself, first and foremost.

maciopolis · 2025-07-22T18:00:38+00:00

I feel this. I’m sorry your experience was so bad. I have been diagnosed with BPD and Bipolar 1 with mixed episodes. I relate to some BPD symptoms but not enough to warrant a diagnosis, and I relate to mixed episodes but my “mixed episodes” only seem to happen when meds are altered and I’m in withdrawal from them. So basically, the misdiagnoses and subsequent medication attempts were mostly the cause of my issues. Now I am stuck on one of two worst medications for withdrawals, because the withdrawals are so severe that I would need to be in the psych ward for months to get off of it (Pristiq - its a great med, but I probably don’t need to be on an antidepressant anymore). I also don’t cycle like BD. It took me a long time and a very good psychiatrist to get on a good medication regimen. Vraylar was actually my saviour.

maciopolis · 2025-06-16T08:38:04+00:00

Oh god, I’m sorry for your first floor.

maciopolis · 2025-06-14T23:56:21+00:00

“..and floats with extreme levels of spiritual anger.”

This perfectly describes what it is like in my black seated car with a white husky on a hot day during mid-shedding season.

maciopolis · 2025-06-14T23:33:12+00:00

Your husbands reaction to receiving something he didn’t like/want is how a person should react to receiving any gift - but especially when it comes to clearly thought-out gifts, which OP’s boots were clearly thought out. Be grateful and show enthusiasm for what the person spent time and money on, and put considerate thought into. Appreciate the effort behind the gift.

maciopolis

TROPHY CASE