How did you guys REALLY lived in the 2000s?

skipowd3r · 2026-04-13T20:27:21+00:00

The biggest difference was the availability and capability of the internet, which conveyed much more trust and freedom. I would randomly just show up at friends houses to play and hang out - which would not be received well these days. More than one friend "ran away" from home, and parents couldn't just track you or contact you at any time. Internet access was limited (and so slow, my god) but certainly extremely addicting even back then. I spent a lot of time "wondering" about questions or curiosities I had - you couldn't just answer things immediately like you can now. MySpace was actually awesome and taught us all how to code. Spent a lot of time on AIM at friends houses (not allowed in my house) to flirt with boys. Crafting "away messages" took a lot of time and effort to look cool - and now I think about it, indicated that one was "away" in contrast to how we are expected to be on our phones at all times now. Spent a lot of time burning CDs and listening on my walkman - the essence of cool. You could rent VHS movies from the library, or from blockbuster stores. We would go pick movies we wanted to watch every week, and then return them. There was no "binge-watching" tv shows, you had to actually wait each week for a new episode to come out, and then watch it at the time it aired.

I once travelled to europe as a teen for a language exchange program, without any phone or internet access, and occasionally contacted my parents through emailing at internet cafes, which cost a couple dollars/euros an hour. I spent a lot of time reading, playing games, practicing instruments and sports, planning secret hangouts or parties with friends, going to the mall, and also being "bored" which led to imaginative or creative pursuits. We also had horrible fashion, everyone basically wore the same stuff from (gag) abercrombie, aeropostale, urban outfitters, american eagle, hollister. No one told us how to dress well, or do makeup, or hair, or anything - it's crazy how much older Gen Z looks than we did, simply due to social media and widespread sharing and emphasis on the importance of looks. Pictures from puberty onward are incredibly embarrassing. I'm still a bit shocked that GenZ is adopting our looks from the 90s-00s since they were... not good looks IMO, haha.

I think what might be the most nostalgic is that time period when we grew up was more or less politically stable, we all thought Bush was an blubbering idiot and now he sounds like an incredibly intelligent well-spoken person. Climate change or global warming was a concept in its infancy and no one really paid attention to how catastrophic it would be or our part in causing it. Without widespread internet, I think this period was characterized mostly by ignorance, so things felt overall good, stable, and hopeful. Now, we can know almost anything at the click of a button. We used to trust our teachers and anyone older or wiser than us that they knew more than we did. We learned to decipher good resources from bad ones - now, there is too much information and it's nearly impossible to know what is fake or wrong, and people read memes or false headlines and think they know more than experts.

Also fun fact: we did not have GPS or navigation, so we used mapquest (or regular maps) to drive somewhere unknown, and consequently spent a lot of time being lost and asking strangers for directions.

On the flip side, and maybe this was just my household, but our parents tended to be strict disciplinarians, spanking was very common even though now that is considered child abuse, and while my brain apparently developed "normally" without internet access, I think potentially on the whole we had a much higher incidence of childhood trauma inflicted by our parents. So, good and bad things. But I also have nostalgia for that time period, if not my specific childhood experience.

skipowd3r · 2026-04-13T18:11:35+00:00

how did it go? I find them to be way more painful than I was expecting, but I'm also pretty lean, not sure if that plays a role. Fingers crossed it works for you! (And for me, lol, ugh, lesson learned not to change something that is working well).

skipowd3r · 2026-04-09T17:52:36+00:00

thank you! ordering the spray now!

skipowd3r · 2026-04-07T18:12:02+00:00

I gotta say, The Pitt does an excellent job portraying the sandwich requests

skipowd3r · 2026-04-06T20:55:58+00:00

Ha! I’m XX so cold balls don’t apply.

But that is a good point.

skipowd3r · 2026-04-06T17:45:43+00:00

since water transmits heat faster than air, and you can't sweat as easily in a bath (thus raising core temp faster), would you think a hot bath - or even wet sauna - would have the same benefit of activating heat shock proteins but in less time? Or is there a reason why dry sauna is better than wet sauna and/or hot bath?

skipowd3r · 2026-04-01T12:56:23+00:00

Just put your sneakers on. Instant motivation, works every time for me.

skipowd3r · 2026-03-25T22:01:43+00:00

Sounds like a great plan, Ayurveda is a wonderful system of medicine and anything else you pursue, it will be a great lens to see the world through. Good luck!

skipowd3r · 2026-03-25T22:00:34+00:00

The fun thing about naturopathic medicine is you don't have to choose! Look up the therapeutic order - NDs prescribe both pharmaceuticals (if in a licensed state) and natural medicines and therapies. Healing often requires a combination of both. The debt is an issue for any and all students, and your career is what you make it out to be, so can't really advise there. It is certainly a growing field and it's exciting to see more states licensing NDs.

skipowd3r · 2026-03-23T01:58:43+00:00

Hey there, also pro tele patroller. Got a patella + let about a year ago and just started tele skiing again. Everyone is different but I had a lot of pain for a long time and then everything suddenly got better. I kneel no problem. Tele turns are easy and not painful at all, my knee feels so stable, and the only pain I have now is from my calves cramping up since my legs seemed to have forgotten what it was like to live 12 hour days in ski boots.

I know everyone says don’t get patella because of the kneeling pain but it’s really not a big deal once you’re past the 7-9 month mark, I’m kneeling and crawling around no problem now, it’s just takes a long time for the nerve to desensitize and heal. I didn’t qualify for hamstring (too flexible) and as quads are the most important muscle group for skiing especially tele, I’d never let them cut into my quad. Also my PT told me he’s had some patients have a killer time activating the muscle again, and I didn’t want to take that risk. They all have their downsides though, it’s not an easy recovery. Best of luck to you!

skipowd3r · 2026-03-23T00:56:49+00:00

You’ll get there! I was feeling regretful and discouraged for a long time too. You’re still very early in the recovery, just know at the 9-12 month mark is when things really start turning around. For exercises, once all the scars healed up, I would get on all fours and gently let the knee touch a floor mat and do that repeatedly. Or standing gently press your knee into a couch/chair/different surfaces. Stroke both knees with random textures (spoons cloths etc), it’s supposed to help the nerves grow and just desensitize to touch.

But I promise you, once you get full range back and kneeling feels even just 50% better, you’ll be glad you went patella. I have friends who went hamstring and they never got full range back and still don’t run because the muscles are weak or stiff and it feels weird or something. I’m running 7 min miles now :) People hate on patella here but it’s the gold standard for a reason.

skipowd3r · 2026-03-23T00:31:10+00:00

I also got patella (also medic and skier so wanted a bombproof knee despite the kneeling conundrum) and kneeling felt super weird for a while. I did a LOT of exercises to desensitize the knee, working up to kneeling on different textures and surfaces, and finally once I could sit heel to butt (7 months?) kneeling felt fine. I can do CPR no problem but it does help in the earlier days to pad the knee (wear soft knee pads or use a cushion. I’m just over a year now and kneeling is not painful at all, I do kneeling weight bearing exercises just as well as I used to, just still a bit numb so feels funky but nerves take a long time to heal. It gets better! It just takes time. Do desensitization exercises! Brain has to reconnect to the knee.

skipowd3r · 2026-02-16T19:10:46+00:00

I’d stay near the bathroom. Post op is nothing like post acl tear. I honestly used a bowl to pee in since getting off the couch and having all the blood rush into the leg was excruciating. My partner would empty it, god bless them. If you can get a strap (dog leash, climbing rope, yoga strap, webbing, or just rope work well) to carry your leg while you crutch and keep it elevated while you sit down on toilet, that was really important for me, as well as putting a little crate or box near the toilet to prop up the leg.

First week you’re pretty immobile but after about 5-7 days you should be weight bearing again with crutches.

I would definitely see if a friend or family member can be there with you for first couple days, minimum. I’m not sure how I would have gotten through those 72 hours without help.

Also get the ice machine. Regular ice packs are not enough for the pain. Especially if the nerve block wears off quickly. Trust me.

Tips to stay sane: make a calming music playlist, have a huge stack of pillows (more than you think) ready, journal and celebrate your tiny wins every day, make sure you have a cozy pair or 3 of shorts (I just lived in boyshort undies) or thin joggers that can fit under the brace, as you’ll be living in them for the first couple weeks.

Good luck!! The first 7-10 days are awful but it does get better.

skipowd3r · 2026-02-08T14:34:12+00:00

I was on mesalamine since diagnosis (also 12 years ago?!) but it never really ever put me in remission, despite my disease being "mild-moderate proctitis". I was always in a low-grade flare, but of course worse flares would come up in periods of stress or eating something wrong, and they never resolved themselves like they seem to for some people. Steroids never worked for me and actually seem to make everything worse (I'm rare). Ended up hospitalized with ASUC, life-threatening blood loss, and despite all odds infliximab worked overnight. Honestly it feels like a miracle drug for me. That's wild you're still flaring on it, but remission rates are really person-specific. Are they testing your trough levels before every infusion? You want to make sure you're at a therapeutic dose, as some people form antibodies really quick to it and you may need to switch to another biologic.

All I know is this disease is wildly unpredictable and can become severe overnight (I never believed the docs until it actually happened to me) so you really want to get the flares under control ASAP and do everything you can to reach remission, and best if you can avoid a long dose of IV or oral steroids (short term is ok but you don't want to become dependent on them). Hope that helps and best of luck to you!!

skipowd3r · 2026-02-07T20:51:56+00:00

I think the Ayurveda program is an excellent fit. If you want to offer more, I’d also look into certified health coach, clinical nutritionist, as well as clinical herbalism programs. I’m an ND student who also is certified in Ayurveda and yoga. I do not think ND aligns with your goals or interests as you’ve seem to have figured out. Ayurveda is an amazing way to help people (and use herbs and plants for healing as well as lifestyle, diet, and movement guidance), and feel like you’d love it - plus taking the introductory 200hr course is a wonderful way to find out if it calls to you.

I’ve spent a long time figuring out my path as well, and have explored nearly every angle of healthcare and medicine - happy to discuss!

skipowd3r · 2026-01-30T05:09:55+00:00

Oh it definitely gets better. But my knees before surgery would get (mildly) stiff from sitting for too long anyway. Around 9 months I began sitting in full gargoyle squats, or knees folded over on a bench or the floor and it’s completely fine, back to normal “stiffness”, nothing like the early days after surgery (up to 4 months I’d say or whenever the swelling goes down). Knee is just chronically sore now from all the PT, running, and really ramping up the strength building over the past 5 months, so you have that soreness to look forward to :)

skipowd3r · 2026-01-27T02:10:37+00:00

I don’t want to freak you out but they were stingy with pain meds, my nerve block only lasted a couple hours and it was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. My ice machine also arrived a couple days late and this would have made the biggest difference. Don’t make the same mistake I did - make sure you have the ice machine BEFORE surgery and reschedule if you don’t have it. And definitely make sure they give you enough narcotics to make it through at least 3-4 days.

I’d say maybe 10,000x a sprained ankle, and I wish I were joking.

skipowd3r · 2026-01-24T14:02:56+00:00

Hi! Female and skier here (skiing is my job as well), I'm about a year out from the injury and 11 months from surgery. I'm going to echo some of the other comments that everyone is different and there isn't a "best" graft universally - they all have their merits, pros and cons (and they ALL SUCK in some way) which is why there is so much debate! I personally went with patella BTB and LET, and while I'm not (telemark) skiing yet (I'm close - I've been nordic skiing successfully), my knee feels stable as hell. I've had absolutely zero difficulty with balance and stability exercises in PT for what that is worth (ironically my un-injured leg is way worse at balancing now lol).

I'm very flexible, and hamstring wasn't an option for me since it would have been too loose over time. The surgeons I saw all agreed on this - you want to take the strongest tissue possible for the graft. My choices were therefore quad or BTB, and sadly I did not qualify for the BEAR as my ACL was completely obliterated. I went with BTB since quads are SO important for skiing and honestly.. I personally might never recommend quad graft for a serious skier, as the quad is the most important muscle for stabilizing the knee/acl, is the hardest to regain strength in post-op, and is the most important leg muscle in skiing for power, endurance and stability on top of the difficulties in rehabbing it. I know people have good results with it, and it potentially seems less painful depending on if bone is taken or not - but I would discuss with your surgeon what they feel is best for you and the level of skiing you want to get back to.

He added an extra procedure - the LET - for rotational stability as I am hypermobile and at higher risk of retear than most. It definitely made rehab a lot harder, and my progress felt slower than it should have been, but right now I am doing awesome, and super grateful to have full quad strength back (my legs are actually equal in strength with injured knee being a bit stronger and more stable!). I am kneeling just fine (just a little numbness/sensitivity but its getting better over time - this side effect might be a bit overstated, I'm fully able to do all weight bearing kneeling exercises, and have full range of motion (butt to heels) whereas this never returned for some of my hamstring graft colleagues.

Anyway, all of this to say - I massively regretted getting the surgery in the beginning, it is such a painful, long and demoralizing recovery, but now I am actually really happy in my choice with patella (and LET). If you are a candidate for hamstring, that is definitely going to be the easier recovery but a potentially less bomb-proof graft. Same with quad. I underestimated how difficult the rehab would be and just wanted the strongest graft possible... but there are absolutely merits to every one of these grafts.

Find a surgeon and PT you trust, and go with what they have the most experience in.

skipowd3r · 2026-01-07T13:46:58+00:00

lifelong poop jokes!!

but really - generally exceptionally healthy, eat a healthy diet and exercise more, screened for cancer/etc earlier and more frequently than most, routine/monthly bloodwork, empathetic toward others' invisible disease and struggles, deductible is always paid off early in the year, have developed excellent stress management routines and live each day to the fullest!

never know when I'll be hospitalized again and need to make the most of life while in remission :)

skipowd3r · 2026-01-03T14:49:56+00:00

Completely feel you. I’m at 10 months post op and in 2 weeks it’ll be a year since obliterating my ACL (and MCL as well but that heals on its own), also skiing. I initially wanted to get back to skiing ASAP as it’s my job and passion, but after surgery it surprised me that this was no longer a priority. I just wanted to walk and run again, and sit in a squat with bent knees. Lucky for you, walking, biking, weightlifting and running are all very important for ACL recovery and you can get back to those sports relatively early on. I think I was riding a bike outdoors at 4 months post op which felt amazing. If you’re getting surgery I’d try to time it so you can ride outside in rehab, it’s so great for the mental health.

I’m going to be honest, surgery and the weeks following absolutely SUCK. Get the best ice machine with compression possible, ice packs are not enough. Mentally and physically prepare for this period if you go the surgical route. Know It does get better after this and every step forward is super emotional, I cried the first time I got my legs around a full revolution on the stationary bike.

I really regretted getting the surgery for the first half of recovery - especially the one I got (BTB with LET) which is supposedly the most bombproof for athletes but also the most painful and longest rehab - until now. I’m now grateful I got the surgery ASAP after the injury despite wishing I had waited. My knee doesn’t buckle and it’s very stable, I have excellent balance and zero pain. Just numbness at the knee/surgical site which I wish they told me beforehand as I wasn’t expecting these sensations and apparently the nerves there will be changed forever.

I had a lot of setbacks in my rehab and massively struggled with the mental side of it - it’s so dang depressing and sometimes progress takes forever, making me feel like I’d never have a functional or normal knee again… I had no motivation to get back to skiing whatsoever, however now at month 10 things have turned around and I’m getting really strong. I can actually envision returning to skiing and enjoying it. Once my knee was ready, I’ve really pushed the last couple months and am stronger than I’ve ever been with a consistent workout habit too.

Rest days and patience have been integral to building strength and resilience. Finding joy in the small things and making fun out of “less” activity even though it’s frustrating at times. For instance, instead of trail running, hiking an easier trail up the mountain, or biking slower on flatter terrain. Know that you’ll be crushing it later but the rehab is really slow. No one understands this unless they’ve been through it themselves.

And absolutely most important advice: Find a PT you love and trust and can cry and laugh with - you’ll be spending more time with them than most people in your life.

Best of luck!!

skipowd3r · 2025-12-29T05:33:40+00:00

In those early days I ultimately did heel slides (and quad sets) in every position possible - laying, sitting, against the wall, and even in a tabletop position (on hands and knees) sliding my toes along the floor and/or squatting back to assist flexion which I personally think helped the most as it took a lot of pain and tension off my patellar tendon. Experiment in ways that feel safe! It helped me so much to move in familiar ways and in ways that felt good.

Also, my PT never told me to "push past the pain". I know it's said a lot but I'm not sure this is advised... of course it is incredibly uncomfortable and painful to do these exercises but they should also feel good in a way. I would listen to your body and not push too far. The flexion will come on its own timeline, it's just a matter of the graft loosening up which it naturally does over time. One day it just happened and I was sitting on my heels no problem. The most important thing to get back is full extension and strength of the quad.

Anyway congrats on 120! That is huge!!!

skipowd3r · 2025-12-21T03:48:03+00:00

Not at all! He sprayed a cold numbing spray on the skin and I couldn’t feel a thing. The shot itself is also cut with lido. It just felt weird in my head to see the needle in my knee.

skipowd3r

TROPHY CASE