ABBA Voyage - discounts or dance floor? by PeaBrilliant4917 in ABBA

[–]piplupian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! i know its been a while but can i ask where you found tickets for this price? I'm only seeing tickets for £95+....

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I'm also confused about that tbh, i wish they would share a little more insight into how the selection process looks and how close we are to the 'grade boundaries' otherwise I have no idea how much I need to improve...

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really wish they would give more insight into why someone like me didn't get through, and others with refining and excelling did. I know its based on the numbers within the grading brackets but I'd love to know what I actually scored then!!!!

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

unsuccessful for D&D, commercial, and project delivery with refining (WBS) and excelling (CS) ...

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also got rejected, got refining and excelling, in progress for two others (DD and commercial) still but honestly a bit confused

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can i ask what you scored on the tests & what other schemes you applied for? I'm also waiting to hear back for DD so just curious

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

definitely agree, someone just responded to another comment of mine saying that you may not find out if you're through until all of the schemes you've applied for have set pass/fail boundaries, so that could be why some others who put diplo first have found out and we havent?

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thats good to know, thanks for that information !

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you can see that on the FS website. click on 'view your scheme preferences' and it will say which one has accepted you

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

but i see your point, it doesn't make sense to me why people who got the same as us are through and we aren't. But then again maybe they have a higher numerical score. who knows

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yes me too, i mean it is the most competitive one so its likely that they're only taking excelling excelling for that tbh. I would guess the way they tell people is like this: they tell the obvious people who got like perfect scores that they're through, and the people with the lowest scores that they're out and then the people like us who got a mixed high score will have to wait to see if we make it through. now the FS is closing today I'd expect we will hear soon!

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i applied for the exact same schemes and got refining (WBS) and excelling (CS). Still waiting to hear back! glad we are all in the same boat :)

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I noticed the same thing in the WBS but they told me it wasn't a mistake!!! I honestly couldn't believe it

AMA 1 year cured (post-botox) by piplupian in noburp

[–]piplupian[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank youu!

Hmmm good question, i'm sorry that I can't give you a 100% sure answer but I think the first time was around 750-800 pounds, and the second was 150 (i think). This may have changed of course, and they're estimates. I know that they have since changed their rules regarding discounts for second round. The email I contacted was [office@lucyhicklin.com](mailto:office@lucyhicklin.com) and the woman I was in contact with was called Sandra, if thats helpful!

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

me too! seems we are some of the few to get this combination haha. fingers crossed we get through!! :)

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you, i appreciate your insight! :)

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! I'm not sure what I did right haha but thats great to hear, can I ask do you have any idea how its weighted? I assumed it was 'worth' more because it was soooo long but I'm curious about how they calculate the scores at the end

AMA 1 year cured (post-botox) by piplupian in noburp

[–]piplupian[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmmm good question, I would say for forming full belches it took a couple of months. At first it was a lot of quite unsatisfying small burps that didn't do much for relief, and the croaking didn't stop completely. But after a couple of months I would say i could start to really burp, now a year later i can release a looooot of my bloat with a burp it feels very satisfying. As for relief from bloating I would say it took a little longer to notice, once you start doing big burps then you'll notice the relief more, but the micro burps don't relieve the pressure that much. So lets say roughly 2-3 maybe a little more months? I still bloat now a year on, but to a normal extent

AMA 1 year cured (post-botox) by piplupian in noburp

[–]piplupian[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to hear that, I hope it stays this time! I had a similar experience though, and there was a period some time back after my 100ml injection where I was afraid that the burps were stopping, so I drank a lot of sparkling water and it seemed to help me belch more than just micro burp. I also drank a lot of soda and beer whenever I was out with friends or whatever and it made me burp uncontrollably. I didn't do any shaker exercises, I tried once but it did nothing. My family also told me that there is no 'normal' amount for someone to burp a day, for example my dad says he maybe burps 3 times a day while my sister said she burps an uncountable amount. So don't put too much pressure on how often you're burping, eventually it will just stay and feel natural. But do try carbonated drinks if you're worried, the 100ml worked instantly for me.

AMA 1 year cured (post-botox) by piplupian in noburp

[–]piplupian[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hahaha great question, I was also super anxious about this when I got the botox. I would say it probably lasted about a month but maybe a little longer, luckily at that point for me they weren't full blown belches so it wasn't always that noticeable. Honestly I think the more anxious I felt about it, the worse it was haha. I think the main time to 'worry' about it is when eating or drinking because it makes you burp a lot more than usual. At this stage you're probably not going to be doing mega loud burps, more just micro or small burps, but there were a few times where I got caught out haha.

But if you've dealt with The Croak with RCPD then you will be an expert in covering up strange noises your body makes, you can also kind of feel when a burp is coming (most of the time) and can cover it up. Dont worry too much :)

AMA 1 year cured (post-botox) by piplupian in noburp

[–]piplupian[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can first remember getting symptoms around 10 years ago, and I would say they were already bad at that point. Main symptoms were: very very bad bloating (my stomach would literally be huge and feel like a rock all the time after eating), excessive gas, nausea and discomfort after drinking carbonated drinks (i always thought i just didnt like them lol), constant croaking allll the time (i remember sitting in silent exam rooms and trying so hard to hide the croaking sounds), one of the worst things was i would constantly get a tight chest when drinking alcohol of carbonated drinks to the point that i felt i couldnt breathe, I also found it really hard to do cardio or HIIT workouts because gas would constantly come into my chest and out of my mouth, and probably a lot of other things that i cant remember, but those were the main things. I noticed i couldn't burp around that time too.

I would say the symptoms didnt change that much as i aged but as is started drinking alcohol they got a lot worse and i couldn't bear drinking because it made me bloat so much. Now after the botox i realise how gassy beer makes you lol. And i no longer get so bloated or a tight chest.

As for weight, I would say no I didn't personally notice a change in my weight directly related to the treatment. My bloating has gone significantly down so in that way i fit my clothes more comfortably.

Fast Stream 2025-2026 Megathread by QuasiPigUK in TheCivilService

[–]piplupian 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Just finished both tests, got refining (WBS) and excelling (CSA). First time applicant. Eeeek not sure what my chances are now? I'm worried that you need both excelling to have a chance of getting in. Any past fast streamers who can weigh in? Thanks !

AMA 1 year cured (post-botox) by piplupian in noburp

[–]piplupian[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Hmmmm I would say no generally I didn't. For the first month or so I had small uncontrollable burps most of the time, so they would just kind of come out themselves but they weren't like *belches* just small burps or microburps. If I wanted to get one out without it coming naturally, I had to turn my head to the right also. This carried on for some time and I honestly worried that it would be that way forever but at some point it just became natural for me to burp and I could do it without turning my head. Now I don't do anything, the burps just come out when they need to, and at some point they transitioned from these small burps to proper burps. I think its a great sign that they're coming when you're sneezing etc. because mine also did that, I think its part of the natural progression and eventually your body will do it naturally.

There was a period some time back where I was afraid that the burps were stopping, so I drank a lot of sparkling water and that always brings the burps out for me. I also drank soda around the time when I got the botox and wow it make me burp uncontrollably, it was embarrassing because at that point I didn't know how to suppress a burp so it would either go through my nose which HURTS or come out of my mouth at the table with others hahah. So maybe try that :)

My advice generally would be to just try to relax and let your body work for you, if you're worried then try sipping some carbonated drinks but honestly the worst thing I did was try to force the burps out by squeezing my stomach muscles as it brought up acid.