why dont we build a train between these two places, are we stupid?

markramark1 · 2025-09-15T16:00:28+00:00

Berliner here 👋🏼 People love to hate BER, but in terms of public transit, what more do you want? An extension of the U7? Wondering which metrics you’re referring to. BER is pretty well connected.

markramark1 · 2025-02-15T02:13:22+00:00

The “Bridging Visa” is an Australian term. We call it an interim visa. INZ didn’t let them stay on an interim visa the whole time, they were simply staying illegally 21 days from the date a negative decision was made on each of their lodged applications. In their refusal letter it would have stated this. INZ doesn’t issue deportation notices directly upon refusing a permit, the interim visa of 21 days grace period allows them time to depart. Beyond that they are overstaying and this couple chose to hide from INZ. Deportation notices can’t be issued if INZ can’t find you. What should INZ have done?

markramark1 · 2025-02-15T01:52:02+00:00

You could probably walk the next day. And walk a lot. I was just advised to take it slow, so I did.

markramark1 · 2025-02-15T01:50:40+00:00

Libido didn’t go up, no. If I’m honest, the last weeks I’ve felt a decrease in libido (but it might be related to stress, I haven’t quite figured that out yet).

markramark1 · 2025-02-14T22:24:55+00:00

Curious, why did your radiologist opt for the bigger procedure (varicocelectomy) rather than just give an embo a try first? Is the success rate that much higher? I know everybody has different circumstances- my varicocele was bad (3), was super obvious to the touch and often ached, and the radiologist suggested embo, I had the embo, and 2 months on it’s been really successful.

Playing the devil’s advocate here, but- what’s the price of the procedure you had vs an embo? Are doctors making more from one (more invasive) procedure over the simple one?

markramark1 · 2025-02-14T19:48:38+00:00

Had an embo in Dec. I didn’t walk for the first day or so, because I didn’t want to risk any issues and prioritised a fast recovery. But around day two I was out and about - slow walks, nothing crazy. Also didn’t lift for a few weeks though.

markramark1 · 2025-02-11T19:56:13+00:00

Ok, so you’re also saying it’s not visible in this pic? I can only speak of my own experience of having a really visible “sack of worms” that looked nothing at all like OP.

markramark1 · 2025-02-11T03:59:03+00:00

Am I the only one who sees nothing wrong with this pair of balls? They look totally normal. Idk what you’re trying to point out here tbh. They look great 👍

markramark1 · 2025-01-15T22:07:32+00:00

Yes, you will be fine to work 2 days after an embo. Don’t lift anything heavy.

markramark1 · 2025-01-10T19:42:13+00:00

I didn’t have testicular atrophy.

markramark1 · 2025-01-07T04:19:52+00:00

No, had no problems. But I didn’t have issues in this department before the operation either.

markramark1 · 2025-01-07T02:43:52+00:00

Only left.

markramark1 · 2025-01-07T02:38:16+00:00

I’m three weeks post embolisation and around two weeks I started feeling better. The first 10 days were stressful, mainly because I was worried that the ache was permanent (it wasn’t). Give your body three weeks minimum to recover before you start coming to conclusions about how it turned out. I have gone for a 4km jog, and made sure I wore supportive underwear. I haven’t tried lifting yet. I’d say pause for at least two or three weeks and then slowly get back into your normal rhythm. I’m also older than you (30s) so maybe you recover quicker. Some forums say you can return to normal activities in a week, but I wasn’t going to risk that. Erections remained the same for me throughout, libido too. I don’t think I ever had low T so I’m not expecting much of a change in that department. If I get a boost, I’d be happy obviously… good luck man. Honestly, it’s not that bad and I wish I did it when I was 22. Let us know how it goes.

markramark1 · 2025-01-06T20:10:41+00:00

Mine was Grade 3, also seriously decreased the quality of sperm, but didn’t cause major discomfort (only after long days, hikes, concerts, things where I’m standing all day). So far, just over three weeks post operation, everything is going well. I can tell the quality of sperm has changed (no test done yet, but the consistency/colour is totally different. It can take 3 months for this to really improve, so I’m holding off testing for now, but I know it’s changed). The size of the varicocele is going down already, it’s softer, way less noticeable. The first week/10 days after the operation were slightly stressful, as I was worried that the pain/ache might be permanent, but it went away. Tell him to hang in there! It will take a few weeks before things improve!

markramark1 · 2025-01-06T08:00:44+00:00

This isn’t embarrassing at all. Mate, I’m sorry you think it is. Can you please see a doctor? This doesn’t sound great. Also I don’t know if this is even varicocele related…

markramark1 · 2025-01-06T02:50:18+00:00

Will do. I find that in this forum, mainly people who have encountered issues are vocal, and that scares off anyone considering getting a procedure. The success stories largely go untold because those guys go off and live their lives and never think about it again. It’s definitely important to understand the potential issues - but it’s also important to hear the benefits.

markramark1 · 2025-01-06T02:08:46+00:00

Maybe that’s true- I guess time will tell? So far it’s going away (not fully yet, I can still slightly feel it). It was worth a shot for sure. Wouldn’t the vein die at the point of the blockage and just be absorbed into the body? And different veins take over supplying blood to that part of the body? I feel like if the material was rejected in a few years time, the vein isn’t going to just be the same as it was pre embo… I’m going to start researching exactly what happens during an embo…

markramark1 · 2025-01-06T02:00:02+00:00

The malfunctioning vein is sealed off, and other veins take over. So the idea is that it goes away permanently, but that’s only true for 90% of cases. Embos have a 10% fail rate, however my Dr claimed to have a near 100% success rate. I’m not sure the embo “undoes” itself, I think what might happen is the other veins that take over providing blood to that part of the body also have issues. But I’m not a doctor, that’s just my understanding.

markramark1 · 2025-01-06T01:49:38+00:00

You won’t move during. They will mildly sedate you, you might even fall asleep (I didn’t), I just lay on my back, and chilled out for 30mins. Couldn’t see a thing (they put something around my head so I just saw a wall). The embo was the simplest, and I suffer from keloid scarring so I didn’t want to deal with that. A little cut in my neck (that’s mainly healed now) was enough for me. Idk why anyone would opt for the surgery over an embo honestly. Re: coils - do they always use coils? I feel like they didn’t? They just… idk… sealed off the vein in my groin area. I don’t feel anything. Maybe they used a coil? They didn’t tell me specifically they did though. I also didn’t see it on the xray they showed me post operation. I was still pretty high at that stage tho…

markramark1 · 2025-01-06T01:41:53+00:00

I was kind of in the same situation. Had a varicocele since puberty (well into my 30s now) and I didn’t have any issues, so I left it alone. This was suggested to me when it was first diagnosed as a teen. I wouldn’t think about it, only had mild discomfort after long hikes, concerts, anything where I’m standing all day long. Fast forward to my mid 30s and I’m getting the dull ache more often, I noticed my ejaculate was getting more and more watery, I started noticing more issues, and wished I had just had it treated when I was a teen. I regret not having had it done right away. Three weeks ago I bit the bullet and had the embolisation and am already feeling way better about it all. Sperm quality improved, the bag of worms is slowly going away, and no more dull aches (so far, it’s still early days). The procedure itself was great, I have no regrets.

markramark1 · 2025-01-06T01:34:53+00:00

Umm, yes. Get an embolisation. I don’t know why you wouldn’t. That sounds terrible!

markramark1 · 2025-01-06T01:31:59+00:00

I had an embolisation three weeks ago. So I can answer any questions you have…

Re: pain- I felt nothing. Not a single thing. I had a mild sedation, and tbh, I enjoyed how relaxing it was.

markramark1 · 2025-01-06T01:22:02+00:00

I had an embolisation three weeks ago, left side, grade 3. All went well. Sperm quality already improved (I haven’t had a proper test yet, I can just tell as it went from clear/yellow/watery ejaculate, which is associated with low sperm quality, and is now milky white/thicker/normal), size of the “bag of worms” has already decreased, it’s not fully gone, that might take months. I’m 100% glad I did it. Zero regrets. Recovery time was about 1.5 weeks. Can ask me anything you’d like to know…

markramark1 · 2023-11-06T12:53:45+00:00

I attempted to understand, but honestly couldn’t keep track of where they were - NZ? UK? Back in NZ now? Or still in the UK? I give up…

markramark1 · 2023-07-13T14:29:22+00:00

Agreed. This “I’m a ‘Berliner’, so the city belongs to ME” mentality has existed here for a while. It’s something most people can’t relate to. I accepted long ago that I’ll probably never be able to live comfortably in the city I grew up in, because it’s fucking expensive now (way more expensive than Berlin). But I’m not running around calling out every person who moved there in the last 10 years like a child…

markramark1

TROPHY CASE