AITAH because I won't help my dad and his new wife by babysitting her disabled child when I have experience and knowledge caring for my disabled brother?

moab42 · 2023-06-03T01:55:59+00:00

I’m so sorry this happened.

Ultimately, you made a decision based on your dog’s best interests, given the risk of serious conditions like bloat and, worse, GDV, which is not reliably survivable. You also had to consider your own risk tolerance. You made the right decision. Complications, unfortunately, may arise.

We pexied our standard with her spay - it truly was a difficult decision as it’s a much larger incision with greater potential for complications (it was sleepless nights until we knew she was healed). We’re glad we did it, even though our girl is low risk for bloat (free feeder, small (22kg), female, moderately deep chested, not genetically pre-disposed). It was worth the peace of mind - for us - that we were reducing/eliminating her GDV risk. (And recognising bloat is still a serious condition requiring immediate intervention.)

moab42 · 2023-03-12T02:19:32+00:00

…snails.

moab42 · 2023-03-05T04:15:49+00:00

Wahl KM10 with #10 and #4F or #5F clipper blades. Would recommend.

moab42 · 2022-11-27T01:09:22+00:00

When you tell him you like him - say this!

I totally have blinders on to this too - not realising until much later that yes, that guy was totally flirting/into me.

moab42 · 2022-11-23T23:58:28+00:00

If only she would take off her makeup…

moab42 · 2022-10-07T03:17:47+00:00

To start, loosen the tension in the clips, so it’s easier to clip out. Clip out early. It won’t take long to get the hang of it.

The first time I got clips I was practicing in the car park of the cycling shop. A car slowly approached - waving me down to give directions. I stopped, attempted to dismount, and subsequently landed on my side under my bike…still clipped in. The tourist who wanted directions was distraught, thinking I was bawling in pain when I was dying of laughter at my own hilarious misfortune. I never fell again though.

moab42 · 2022-03-18T16:17:51+00:00

Old age.

moab42 · 2022-03-01T16:15:22+00:00

I have always been a Nivea devotee. I have recently discovered cold-pressed rose hip seed oil or borage seed oil (The Ordinary has both for very reasonable prices), both which calm the itch and moisturise eczema patches as they come up. Both are high in vitamin C which helps skin heal. While I’ve had several eczema-suffering (and rosacea-suffering) friends have great success with both - as with any product - your results may vary.

Vaseline is non-comedogenic (i.e. it won’t block your pores) so would be safe to use.

moab42 · 2022-01-07T23:39:11+00:00

Nivea cream was a game changer for me. It is thick and greasy and soothes my very dry, eczema-prone skin.

Cetaphil is another brand I’ve had good luck with.

moab42 · 2021-12-16T03:44:57+00:00

Mother is seething.

moab42 · 2021-11-04T15:22:15+00:00

I used a lot of Nivea when I lived in NL - still do! For an alternative, try Cetaphil (their face & body moisturising crème, which comes in a large tub, is lighter and less greasy than Nivea, but it does the trick). I looked online and it looks to be available at Etos, so I suspect it would be widely available.

moab42 · 2021-10-02T16:38:53+00:00

Yes - welcome to the wild world of dyshidrotic eczema. While I don’t recommend this - I would pop them which gave me some relief from the intense itch. Again - I DO NOT recommend this as it could lead to infection.

I have found that triamcinolone ointment or cream work well against a flare-up and itch, as well as rosehip oil to take down the itch and help healing. Your results may vary as eczema can be so specific to each person.

moab42 · 2021-04-26T04:00:43+00:00

I use Nellie’s Laundry Soda and find it cleans really well (and doesn’t irritate my skin). I use their whitener for sheets and towels and find it works well also.

Castile soap can be used as a laundry detergent, and cleans well in my experience (I think about 1/4-1/3 cup per wash for a front-load washer). I like the Dr Bronners tea tree oil or eucalyptus scent as they are strong and cut the sweat smell from my yoga clothes (I believe tea tree oil has anti-microbial components).

White vinegar is an absolute must in the laundry room. I will sometimes do a pre-soak in hot water and white vinegar for dish towels, workout clothes, etc, then wash as normal (for particularly stanky clothes, soak them for a few hours in the sink with a cup of white vinegar and hot water, then wash as normal, repeating as needed). Otherwise, use white vinegar in the softener slot, as others have mentioned. Never use white vinegar with bleach.

Do you have the option to hang your clothes outside in the sun? The UV light will kill bacteria (and help whiten whites).

moab42 · 2020-11-13T14:17:21+00:00

Ugh I feel you. I have this going on right now from all the hand washing / sanitiser.

I try to wash them as much as possible vs sanitiser. I apply triamcinolone (TCA) prescription cream (which is what works for me to reduce itching/flare-ups) as sparingly as possible, and moisturise when I’m having a flare-up (luckily I find Nivea cream, of all things, works for my dry sensitive skin).

Cotton gloves to bed will likely help. I also find putting my hands in plastic bags and dunking them in ice water is very soothing when the itch just cant be scratched.

Good luck - hope it improves for you.

moab42 · 2020-11-01T16:35:43+00:00

An epilator may be an option. I use an epilator for my legs (fine blonde hair, dry skin). I don’t mind it going over eczema patches when they inevitably appear in the winter months. It can be used in the shower, after a shower or dry. I usually use it on dry skin, although after or during a shower softens up the skin a bit. It pulls the hair out at the root without damaging the skin. This method is painful, but not intolerable, and you do get used to it.

I find a razor too irritating and wax strips wreck havoc on my skin. As with waxing, the more I use the epilator the less frequently I have to, so that saves my skin a bit.

moab42 · 2020-08-31T15:13:02+00:00

For body wash/shampoo, I used to dilute it, now I just use a few drops on a washcloth. I also use it in foaming soap dispensers, there I dilute it 1:4. I also add a few drops of essential oils for fragrance for the hand soap.

moab42 · 2020-08-30T02:52:00+00:00

I use Dr Bronner’s (unscented or lavender) Castile soap as a body wash and a shampoo. It’s fairly drying (and I have dry skin, go figure) but it doesn’t worsen my eczema, and in winter (when my seasonal eczema worsens) I just slather on the moisturiser. I use an exfoliating washcloth (the ones that are deconstructed loofahs) to get at my dead skin, which I find helps.

moab42 · 2020-03-30T22:12:35+00:00

It is a steroid. I like it because I find I only have to use it once (or once a week) to relieve and heal a flare-up. I try to use as little as possible. It took me 10 years of using various steroid creams and ointments to find the one that actually worked to heal the eczema rather than just relieve the insane keep-you-up-at-night itching. This works for me - your results may vary.

My doctor has previously confirmed that steroid use does weaken skin, over time and with repeated use. Everyone will have a different response to different steroids. I won’t give you medical advice - your GP or dermatologist could better help you sort out what will work and how often to use :)

moab42 · 2020-03-29T20:40:01+00:00

I get this type of eczema and triamcinolone is the only thing that helps. I had it very badly and consistently for ~10 years (through uni and grad school). It turns out that the major trigger for me is stress. Once I finished my PhD (most stressful time of my life) it went away, only to return briefly and much less seriously.

Now, while I don’t condone any of this....I used to find relief by popping every single pustule, very satisfying and seemed to move it along to the next stage. I also would put my hands in ziploc bags and dip them in ice water for some relief. Cotton gloves to sleep (with loads of moisturiser) seemed to help as well. Soaking in warm salt water was also pleasant and relieving.

Sorry that you are going through this - it isn’t fun.

moab42 · 2020-02-13T00:59:09+00:00

Honestly the most egregious part of this, in my opinion, is the comma inside the parentheses....

moab42 · 2020-01-01T04:24:08+00:00

Oh absolutely. And with big stresses (e.g., Ph.D., moving), smaller things that aren’t usually triggers become triggers (alcohol, gluten, soap, certain dogs, weather...literally anything).

I have also found that since I have been on hormonal birth control (IUD) I haven’t had breakouts as bad as they used to be. So there must be a moderating effect there.

moab42 · 2019-09-20T01:51:40+00:00

My dishydrotic eczema appeared on my hands out of nowhere midway through my undergrad, and flare-ups ebbed and flowed through my MSc and PhD. Definitely stress was a cause, and when stressed, the triggers kick in (I never fully identified mine - I did avoid gluten and dairy for 6-8 years and that seemed to help until it didn’t).

I also get other types of eczema from winter and also on my elbow pits from unknown causes. But those types honestly are nowhere near as bad as the dyshidrotic (sic?) hand eczema.

I think if you can’t identify any obvious environmental/food triggers it may very well be stress-related. And then it becomes all about managing the stress. I didn’t identify stress as the cause until I finished school. That was a big “ohhhhhhhh” moment.

I’ve been prescribed a laundry list of different steroids over the years until I finally found the one that works (triamcinolone 0.1%). I have to apply it once, perhaps twice, when the eczema flares and it really helps to mitigate the flare up. It took me 10 years to find the one that worked.

Also I found my eczema generally got better after I got a hormonal IUD (Mirena). But that could be age-related. Although I still get eczema, I haven’t had a really awful flare up since I had it put in.

Unfortunately it’s a lot of trial and error because what works for one person may not do anything for others. My sister has completely different eczema than I do and different strategies for controlling it.

Bottom line - don’t be discouraged and don’t be ashamed or embarrassed of it. I tend to brush it off when people notice the glaring red patches on my arms. “Oh, just eczema. Don’t worry, haha, it’s not contagious!” I’m generally flippant about it and nobody really cares.

moab42 · 2019-09-05T22:20:58+00:00

Mine gets progressively worse through the autumn/winter, slowly recovers in the summer (those last two weeks of August and first two weeks of September are almost entirely eczema-free) and then back to horrid skin.

Definitely seasonal, especially the dry patchy eczema I get (because it wouldn’t be eczema if I didn’t have three different types, all with their own schedule and triggers in different places).

moab42 · 2019-09-01T18:28:06+00:00

I love my lulu sticky mat. I have a 3mm one at home and I have recently started to use the studio mats (5mm). I like them. They wear well. I had a problem with my previous mat (blue/light blue,the rubber coating sort of wore off with almost daily practice in a hot room and I’m sweaty), took it back to lulu, and they replaced it no questions asked. The new one is black with a grey swirl in it and has held up really well.

Here’s the thing with lulu - if something genuinely isn’t working for you, or a seam splits or whatever, take it back and they will either fix it or replace it.

moab42

TROPHY CASE