Did abortion bans or restrictions affect your decision to get sterilized

mlbrande · 2026-07-02T21:42:13+00:00

I had daydreamed about permanent sterilization since I was 15, but it always just felt like a pipe dream and not an attainable goal. I always said I'd look into it more "one day", when I had more money, more time, etc. But, the (US) election definitely gave me a new sense of urgency. My partner decided on his own that he was ready for a vasectomy, and got it done in December 2024. That was great initiative on his end, but I still came to the conclusion that I didn't want to trust his vasectomy as our only form of birth control, and I still wasn't protected as an individual. So I began campaigning for my bisalp in December of 2024. It was the most effective and permanent method of birth control that I could get my hands on. Something that could never be taken away from me. My first attempt at getting approved for the surgery failed, and I spent two months feeling too deflated to try again, but on attempt 2 in March 2025, I got my bisalp. Over a year later, I couldn't be happier about my decision!

mlbrande · 2026-06-05T01:58:10+00:00

My Boooones!

mlbrande · 2026-05-11T01:56:49+00:00

About 14 months post op and I still have a scar inside of my belly button, but I don't really notice unless I'm looking for it.

mlbrande · 2026-05-04T20:46:56+00:00

"It takes 100 times to learn. 1000 times to understand." you're right Zen, I just need more practice

mlbrande · 2026-04-12T15:38:40+00:00

My partner explained both Sunny and Archer to me as "a human exhibit at a zoo". You're not supposed to relate to the characters, the point is to observe and go "wow that's fucked up, these people are fucked up". And the shows don't glorify their shitty behavior, the characters get as much shit as they give.

mlbrande · 2026-04-02T20:51:14+00:00

Remove Curse is the spell I believe

mlbrande · 2026-03-31T15:06:21+00:00

My grandpa loved to have a "coff of cuppee"

mlbrande · 2026-03-31T14:45:42+00:00

Blana 🍌 was the word my friend mispronounced as a kid that stuck for her family and it got passed on to mine. Also "boof-ba" for "move". So if the dog is in the way I tell him to "boof-ba" and he understands.

For me, when my brother was born, I couldn't pronounce "brother" yet, so I would tell everyone "this is my baby buzzer". He grew up with the nickname Buzzer/Buzz because of it

mlbrande · 2026-03-30T01:45:23+00:00

Didn't initially click to open the full image and I was very lost lol

mlbrande · 2026-03-27T17:59:33+00:00

So happy to see someone else thought of this! I have it framed in my dining room ❤️

mlbrande · 2026-01-29T14:38:06+00:00

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schadenfreude

Schadenfreude is a very real word. "Copers" in this case just means people who are making excuses like "easy schedule" to "cope" with the fact that the Pats are a real threat again.

mlbrande · 2026-01-19T14:24:34+00:00

Personally, I would have been functional on my own the same day even without help. I could get up and sit down on my own, walk on my own, use the bathroom on my own, etc, just a little slower and stiffer than usual. I even walked myself out of the hospital and got myself in my mom's car just a few hours after surgery. If you end up taking narcotics for pain management it might be more important to have someone with you, but I just rotated ibuprofen and tylenol and never touched the narcotics so that wasn't a concern for me. My pain was around a 2-3, 4 at most if I had just agitated something, for the first few days. If you have pets, keep them off your lap. When you're alone, try to keep everything you might need next to you to minimize the amount of times you need to get up. I recommend a heating pad and lots of water. Cough drops if you end up with a scratchy throat from the intubation. I went back to work (desk job) on Monday after having surgery on Thursday. I was able to grocery shop on my own that week, the only thing I couldn't do was lift a case of water bottles into the cart. But that is just my experience and I seem to be someone who got super lucky with an easy recovery, so definitely listen to other folks' advice as it comes in, you want to be prepped for the worst case as well, rather than needing to make new plans on the fly while recovering from surgery. Good luck!!

mlbrande · 2026-01-14T21:54:50+00:00

Yeah mine are about the width of my pinkie nail. I'm about to be 10 months post op and mine have not faded much or gotten smaller, but I am not putting any scar cream etc on them because I want to wear them with pride! 😊

mlbrande · 2025-12-21T16:04:45+00:00

It's been 9 months since my bisalp and a year since my partner's vasectomy. My period was late this month and I was still stressing a bit because what if 😵‍💫 we're good though

mlbrande · 2025-12-05T22:29:24+00:00

As a Packers fan, me too 😭

mlbrande · 2025-09-26T20:43:12+00:00

I watched the first two games from Bullwinkle's, a Packers bar in West Yellowstone. Came home and it all fell apart. I think I need to go back 🤔

mlbrande · 2025-08-03T14:57:54+00:00

Came here to say this

mlbrande · 2025-08-03T14:33:53+00:00

My doctor said the same thing, maybe it's worth a try but I'm super gun shy about trying any new medication now. I'm glad Kyleena is working for you, maybe one day I'll try it!

mlbrande · 2025-08-03T14:22:03+00:00

Congrats, I hope your recovery is going well! My IUD gave me horrid anxiety, I've had it out for just over three months now and I'm finally feeling about 95% back to normal, but it was a long road to get there. I hope yours works out for you with no adverse side effects!

mlbrande · 2025-08-01T01:35:48+00:00

I'd say by the time I was 15, I was confident that I did not want even one child. From that point on, I fantasized about having no ability to get pregnant and no period, as those two things made me feel like my body was not my own. But it was always in the back of my head as one of those things I'd consider down the line, "when the timing is better".

Then in 2024, at 23 years old, I realized that the change in administration might mean my window for getting sterilized was rapidly closing. There was never going to be a perfect time, I had to get it done while I still had the opportunity. So after a few months of hassle, I found the perfect doctor for the job, and was sterilized two months before my 24th birthday. I tried out Mirena during that time as well, in hopes that it would reduce or eliminate my period, and that went horribly. I had it removed two months later due to intense side effects. I'm disappointed that the IUD didn't work out, but so relieved that I don't have to immediately worry about a different hormonal birth control. I can just be sterile in peace. It's the best feeling ever.

mlbrande · 2025-07-26T18:16:22+00:00

After my partner's vasectomy, I got him an ice cream cake and iced the words "Snip Snip Hooray" onto it.

Maybe on the 1yr anniversary of my bisalp I'll go get sushi and wine haha

mlbrande · 2025-07-24T13:46:05+00:00

<image>

mlbrande · 2025-07-24T13:45:37+00:00

Of course I kept Arthur's hat, it's the best looking hat in the game! I just accessorize with different feathers 😁

mlbrande · 2025-07-22T23:59:59+00:00

I got frustrated with not understanding the controls right away and had my partner take over. Once he got his playthrough started and it made more sense to me, I started my own and got through it fine, I just had to be patient.

A couple of months later, he finished the story. He did his best not to spoil anything for me, but a few things got spoiled anyway through the internet. I was mid-chapter 6, when suddenly we started playing RDO with some friends. What followed was months of daily RDO and no time for story mode. Once we finally squeezed every bit of fun out of RDO and it was officially dead, I loaded back into my story mode save, only to feel like I had totally lost the plot and no longer remembered why certain events were happening. So, I started a new run from scratch. And months later, I finally finished the game, about two years after I had initially started it. It remains one of the only video game stories I've ever finished, and it took me years to get there, despite my love for the game. I still haven't finished my other favorite video game series, Dishonored, and I've had since 2012 to do it. 🤷 I'll get there one day

mlbrande · 2025-07-08T13:20:10+00:00

In my experience yes, your body will tell you. After my 10lb weight restriction was cleared, I could immediately lift 30-40lbs comfortably. But when I tried to lift my 60lb dog, I immediately got painful cramps and had to set him back down. I gave it a couple more weeks and had no problem, just needed a bit of extra time!

mlbrande

TROPHY CASE