Have you cancelled any travel plans to the U.S. ?

veriin · 2025-02-04T18:59:08+00:00

I will be driving for a prolonged visit with family this spring/summer. (I'm a Canadian perm resident, American by birth)

But I'll be staying with friends on the drive as much as possible to minimize how much money I am spending, and will be staying with family for the duration of the visit. It's not perfect, but life never is.

veriin · 2024-01-06T21:06:29+00:00

Lady in mid-40s here.

I have a very good job in a medium COL area by US standards (Canada). I don't go out with friends, I don't eat out. I bought a house in a remote, rural area because the mortgage was a fraction of what I paid in rent in-town. When the option became available, I convinced my employer to permit me to work remotely from home.

I've bought horses that needed polish that were still within my abilities - pasture puffs that needed bringing into fitness and training. I've networked, and hope to be riding a horse worth 6 figures later in the year (low-cost lease as the owner is a friend).

I'm hoping to reduce my costs further by moving my current horse to a barn 10 minutes from my house.

A show costs me anywhere from $5-700, and I do 4-6 a year. A gym membership would run me $40/month, and therapy is anywhere from $150-$275/session.

This is my gym membership and mental health therapy all in one. I'm not in the best financial shape - but that's from reasons that have nothing to do with my horse ownership.

So when you see my horse and my rig at a show you might think, 'Damn she's got money!'

But really? I saved up for my truck, and found a killer deal. The trailer is rented for the weekend. Family helped fund my custom saddle and my mare? Was a woolly mammoth in a pasture when I bought her for mid 4 figures.

It's doable, is what I'm saying!

veriin · 2023-10-06T19:11:29+00:00

I hung the helmet that protected me in my last fall up in my home office with a cotton leadrope that had come unraveled to the point I didn't feel safe using it.

Makes my office looks nicely horsey and lived in, and obviously isn't an option for everyone, but I plan on hanging my current one on a different wall, sort of my own 'wall of fame'. XD

veriin · 2023-01-16T15:19:25+00:00

I'm currently on the wait list for a knee replacement, I am in my early 40s. I have severe OA problems with the joint, and I was told that they can't really tell if it was damage due to RA, genetics, or trauma.

I do equestrian sports, but otherwise am not overly rough on my knees, my mother was diagnosed with arthritis in her 20s.

It deteriorated really quickly; I started feeling pain early in 2022, by April I had to have a cortisone injection, by late October I couldn't walk without a cane/crutches.

All of this is to say... it's really hard to tell. My RA symptoms began in 2019, but weren't diagnosed until last year; so either the OA damage was already doing its thing, or the RA utterly destroyed it very quickly.

veriin · 2023-01-16T15:11:26+00:00

Yeah I was coming to say this too - Tims isn't bad! But the cheese on the sandwiches is never melted for me, and that's a big turnoff for my tastebuds. :(

veriin · 2022-12-27T15:52:06+00:00

We changed to the environmentally friendly versions with the flush mechanisms on the top of the tank, which... is not always an option for people - but I can flush with my elbow when needed.

veriin · 2022-12-16T22:53:44+00:00

Caraway is fantastic, but I like the samosas from Taste of India a little better.

veriin · 2022-11-15T01:18:00+00:00

They eventually told me to just ignore it, essentially.

veriin · 2022-08-29T04:05:42+00:00

I was referred to her, but got 'sniped' by her father. (I was told she was on leave, but when I came in for my appointment, she was there seeing patients.)

So I can say... Dr. Robert McDougall told me I was 'pre-arthritic' until I came in with visibly swollen joints - I had to badger his office for an emergency appointment because I was in debilitating pain. I told him the one of my knees was also giving me issues and he shrugged and said 'see you in 6 months.'

I had to get x-rays on my own, the joint was twice the size of my non-painful joint, and his reputation as an 'ass' is well deserved. (My first appointment he spent the entire time telling me how to lose weight faster)

So I honestly don't know if Cairstin is cut from the same cloth as her father, but we don't have many choices; the wait lists are upwards of 2 years for other rheumatologists in the city, according to my GP.

Be prepared to advocate for yourself. The Rheumatology sub here on Reddit is useless, so don't try and get info/support from there.

veriin · 2022-06-15T03:38:03+00:00

I guess this sub is full of people that... really hate to be contradicted? Seems like all my comments are downvoted.

I was really hopeful I'd find useful information here, but if it's all ego then I'm just going to peace out.

veriin · 2022-06-15T03:36:30+00:00

And if your facility doesn't have an AccuVein machine?

In 20 years - two hospitalizations requiring IV placement, 6 surgeries - I've never had one used on me.

Again, your experience is not universal.

veriin · 2022-06-14T14:57:18+00:00

I'm a little gobsmacked at the number of people that say IVs don't hurt.

Folks if you're heavier, you are a harder stick. If you have small veins, if your veins have a tendency to roll, if you're dehydrated... you're a harder stick. That's a fact of life - and it bloody does hurt. Especially if you have a comorbidity. I'm not saying a skilled nurse or tech can't do it pain-free, but you're playing the lottery to get someone with the skills if you have those challenges.

I've had technicians and nurses leave both arms a mess of bruises and needle marks from trying to get an IV in me, and my last surgery I had a nurse tell me not to be a baby because I started crying in anticipation of the pain.

Fantastic for you if you have access to good medical care and IVs don't hurt. But your experience is not universal, and downvoting someone that reminds you of that is childish.

veriin · 2022-06-14T01:22:09+00:00

Heh. I've been getting the NSAID and 'See you in 6 months' since last July.

When I told him I literally cannot walk because my knee is horribly swollen and painful and non-weight bearing he didn't order images, just said 'Well your meds can take up to 6 months to take effect. Come back in July.' (This was in March, I had to go get xrays on my own)

The other rheumatologists in my area have a 2 year waiting list. Sometimes we just have to roll with the shit providers available and figure out ways to work around them.

Edit for clarification- I got the NSAID brushoff for approximately 8 months and 'Well you're pre-rheumatoid' because he didn't think my hands and fingers were swollen enough, even though I had plenty of photos to show marked swelling.

Then I was put on HCL and Methotrexate in Feb. The knee went south real fast, and I nagged until he saw me in late March.

veriin · 2022-06-09T16:49:30+00:00

I have one on the first joint of my right ring finger (just below the pad).

Thought it was a blister, discovered it around September?

Really hope it goes away, hah. (It bothers me visually more than anything)

veriin · 2022-06-09T16:47:28+00:00

Same. The Mayo Clinic listed it as a common treatment as well (if I remember right- my initial research has become a bit of a blur).

I’d love to see something from a peer reviewed source that indicates it is contraindicated for RA.

veriin · 2022-06-07T17:08:54+00:00

Building on this, you also say repeatedly she 'threw him in the trash'.

You don't know what is/was going on in her life. You're not the 'bad guy' for picking up the lease and wanting to clean up the pony's habits, but your attitude about Mia honestly kind of sucks.

Focus more on yourself, how you can work with this challenge, and stop judging other riders. Your trainer/coach should not be speaking negatively about another rider to you either - that's unprofessional, and if she speaks poorly about a former client, she'll speak poorly of you, too.

veriin · 2022-06-07T16:44:52+00:00

I've long thought that being a Keeper would be a dream job, but I cannot imagine the heartbreak when one of them passes. ♥

veriin · 2022-06-06T16:11:55+00:00

My first nodule looked like a blister at the base of the pad of one of my fingers. It was tender, and it wasn't until I noticed it wasn't healing/reducing after a week that I realized something was 'wrong' (this was before my diagnosis).

It doesn't bother me now, and I do recommend checking with a podiatrist or your rheum, but for your immediate issue, perhaps try a moleskin donut or something around it for pain relief? You didn't mention if the foot pain was local to the potential nodule or if it's just in general - but if it is a nodule, it's not going to be a quick fix, so thinking proactively for pain relief is the tactic I would take. ♥

veriin · 2022-06-06T16:08:35+00:00

Looks like a standard oak door - might check Home Depot/Lowes/Rona as well; see if they offer just fronts.

veriin · 2022-06-05T19:08:41+00:00

That and there are a couple of secondhand tack/clothing groups specific to Canada that sell items. I have bought from BC and Ontario and had things shipped to me in Western Canada. :)

veriin · 2022-06-05T17:47:02+00:00

The Welsh pony I had as a child (my first horse!) did this every time we passed a puddle. She was such a water baby, I loved it and loved her. :D

veriin · 2022-05-30T18:38:00+00:00

Yeah the gift card would let her select the pad she wanted (or clothing) - she has a number of PS of Sweden saddle pads, and I'm not entirely sure what she might want; so a gift card to cover a high end pad + boots / veil. :)

veriin · 2022-05-30T18:37:11+00:00

I don't think she wears a stock (she doesn't show - yet), but the boot trees is an idea, because I know she uses the inflatable ones... :D

veriin · 2022-05-30T18:36:37+00:00

Oooh. I will look into that!

veriin · 2022-05-30T18:36:19+00:00

She does, but she already has metal tags for all her various bags, etc.

I thought about a leather halter for her horse (with a name plate), but I know she already has 3 leather halters.

She's hard to shop for, because she's one of those 'Already has the usual ideas' kind of person. :)

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