8 am pacific time

Hello all, these are some questions i have that maybe im hoping i’m able get some honest feedback from you all. I’m 19 and a current full time student as an Avionics Tech. It’s a 1 year program and i’m currently 10 months in. Before i get bashed. No i did not wanna do avionics nor do i want pursue a career in that field. i simply was forced into taking the course. With that being said, i am currently standing on a job offer of 22.50 an hour with a 3500$ sign on bonus. i have 1 more interview, to go to in late june. I fully intend on getting my a&p. i just do not wish to take the college route as it is 1 hour and 15 minutes from my residence and the money i’m pouring into it. My plan is to OJT, my a&p for 30 months, than rather take the 18 month course. Some have agreed with this, while others haven’t. i come here looking for honest feedback, and more importantly guidance into this line of work. my questions are: what would you guys do in my shoes ? is OJT’ing my a&p a good idea? what should i most be concerned with at this point? what should a good starting pay be at my level, i have element 1,3 and 8 FCC licenses. ( i live in South Eastern U.S) and finally how has the career impacted your lives ?

I do lot's of research on products, before i buy them. But, a baseline dry person face will be different from someone on tret or say stronger acne medicines.
Some one's i want to try. I want dewy, hydrating, and minimal clinging to dry patches! also i don't care for a matte finish or natural! I know i can put a dewy primer below but sometime theres no time so i put on my spf and then my tint/foundation.

1. Saie Serum Foundation-
2. Nars Light Reflecting Foundation
3. Nars Sheer Glow
4. Koh Gen Do Moisture Foundation
5. No.1 de Chanel Revitalizing Foundation
6. Rare Beauty Tint
7. Haus Foundation
8. revolution super serum foundation
9. Mac Studio Fix
10. Shiseido Skin Radiant

Let me know if you tried any of these and how it works on ur skin.

Hi,
FYI, I do have an ENT appointment scheduled but of course I'm freaking out about this situation.
About a month ago, my husband and myself and our two kids were sick. My husband and I had it the worse and it was pretty strong cold symptoms: terrible coughing, ear aches from sore throats and coughing, congestion, wet and dry coughs worse at night. My symptoms were bad but went away after a week and half but I continued to have a cough for quite some times. My husband ended up going to the doctor and he was negative for strep, flu and COVID (however, he had symptoms for two weeks including a sore throat that wouldn't go away). They put him on an antibiotic, a cough syrup, and some other drug that I can't remember and deemed it some kind of bacterial infection.
Right when he started his meds, I noticed my right tonsil was significantly more swollen than the other, but I had zero symptoms other than a slight sore throat in the morning and a cough, both of which went away two days after I noticed the tonsil. I contacted my doctor and she said it was definitely some kind of throat infection but to contact her if it didn't go away in a week, which it didn't. It didn't get worse. She referred me to an ENT but I can't get in until a few weeks from now.
I'm 32 F, never smoked, but I have been drinking quite heavily (I know, bad choice). Other than that, generally in good health. I've read that drinking can cause tonsil cancer, so I am terrified I caused this and regret my choice to drink and should have been taking better care of myself. I know that so please don't talk down on me for it.
Wondering if anyone else has had something similar or has had one swollen tonsil and it hasn't been cancer? Or if it was, what other symptoms did you have? I literally have no pain at all. Anything would be helpful. I know Reddit can't diagnose and I have to wait for the ENT, but still.
First photo is today, second is a week and half ago.
Thanks!

I (26f) am in charge of the bar of a hotel that also has a fine dining restaurant right next door. Both places have terraces that look similar but are entirely separate etablissments with different staff and computer systems etc.
Today a man walks in while I am doing the last round and asks me: Sorry do you have the keys? Me: The keys?? (In the middle of bringing drinks to my terrace) Guest: For the terrace (referring to the restaurant terrace) it's locked. We are a group of 19 and your co-worker said we could sit there for drinks.
At this point I am super confused because the restaurant including their terrace has been closed for almost 2h now and I know all the restaurant staff has either left or is having a closing drink in the back office. They also know I am alone at night and would never just send me a group of 19. But who knows maybe it was someone from the reception or another random co-worker, it's a big hotel after all. So I let him know I will double check with my coworkers but it is very unlikely that they can stay because I simply do not have the capacity. Half my bar was already set up for breakfast since we are completely booked out for the weekend and the other half was already taken by other guests. I double check with the staff that is still there, obviously no one told them they could reopen the restaurant for them because that would be absolutely ludicrous. So I decide to send the group away politely since there is simply no space for them.
Couldn't even finish my sentence before the Guest started talking over me getting louder and louder, suddenly becoming somewhat aggressive and angry. Usually I would say I can deal with these situations relatively well but I don't know what happened today, maybe it was exhaustion from being 8h into a shift on an unforgivingly hot and busy day, but I completely flew into a panic. Had a massive adrenaline rush while he kept berating me until his wife finally pulled him away from me. I was violently shaking and almost threw up into my bar sink. But I had mojitos to make for my terrace and so I toughened up and continued but the nausea stayed and I was fighting back tears which was very visible to the other guests.
It's my first time being in charge of a bar like this, having the last word on things and while I love it it's also a lot on days like today. I look very youg which definitely doesn't help me being taken seriously by drunk older people...
I guess I am looking for people who can relate to rough days like that, maybe offer their experiences or advice how to deal with these kind of situations. I am super embarrassed about how I handled the situation, but on the other hand I really wouldn't know what to do differently.

Hi all, I recently picked up a Project 62 diffuser from target, along with a couple different oils. I only started diffusing oils about a week ago. I filled up the diffuser as per instructed and put about 3 drops of my first oil and was AMAZED by how it made my room smell and put me in such a good headspace. After the first few times using however, I’m barely getting any smell if at all. Even going up to around 10 drops or more, I’m barely getting any smell.
Are these diffusers known to just be cheap and not last long? Or am I doing something wrong. Any help appreciated !

I work in hotels, have been for several years. I’m 20 now, and I do well and am a valued employee. I recently took a job within the company at a different location and I love it a lot. The housekeepers are mostly Columbian and only spanish speaking. I took about 5 or 6 years of spanish in high school, it’s rusty but it’s enough to be able to communicate with them well. One housekeeper in particular was super friendly with me, we’ll call him Rob. Rob speaks BARELY any english, and so we only talk in spanish which makes it difficult for me to process different tones and intentions of words. He is about 30 or 40 I’d guess. After a few days I stared realizing that Rob is 100% flirting with me, despite knowing I am in a committed and long term relationship with my partner whom I live with.
I began to pass him off and pay him less attention, which worked for awhile. We were still friendly and greeted each other and talked within the realms of our jobs, and I could tell he liked me still but it wasn’t an issue.
He began calling me pet names like Princesse, bonita, etc. Eventually, I noticed that when he’d come by the desk for things, his phone would be… tilted strangely. Almost like his camera was discreetly pointed at me. I brushed that off because that seemed CRAZY to me, I couldn’t believe that’s what was happening. Then one day, he ASKS if he can take a photo of me. I of course say no and as I say this I can tell he’s taking one anyways.
I’ve been much more short with him since this. His behaviors have made me feel extremely gross. I hate being called the things he calls me when I have an amazing man whom I love so dearly at home and I hate the thought of this guy having photos of me for god knows what reason. I haven’t even spoken to my partner about this because I feel so weird and upset about it.
Now here’s the thing. Rob is, unfortunately, also a very valued employee and he works very hard. We never have to worry about requests and services getting done when he works and he’s quick and communicative, even with the language barrier. This makes me feel guilty. I don’t want to be the one who comes in here and gets their trusted housekeeper who’s worked for them for years fired or written up. I also feel like it’s my fault for letting it get to this point. I should’ve said something earlier, before it got to this. I hate myself for waiting. At my first ever job I was groped and cornered often by a coworker and by the time I got the courage to say anything it hadn’t happened in awhile and my manager dismissed it since I waited so long to come forward.
I just wish there was a way to resolve this without stirring things up and making it a big deal with my managers. I just want to be left alone and respected.

Don't know how long this post will end up being, I'm not great at writing these Ill just try to split it up to who I am and what I'm looking for I guess!
Who am I:
-Without giving too much away I'm 26 years old and I work 3rd shift, I enjoy video games, cars, taking care of my cats, going to concerts, and adding to my collection of sneakers and cologne( I should probably stop I'm really running out of room for stuff!)
-I'm introverted but extroverted at the same time, its kind of weird, I'm a homebody for the most part and when I'm not working i prefer to stay inside for the most part but I also do love to go out to concerts and other things and have a good time, I just need time to let my social battery recharge for sure!
-Physically I'm 6 foot tall, brown hair hazel eyes and glasses, dad bod if that's your thing. I'm down to share selfies and all that good stuff and Id hope you would be too if we start talking.
-Big Hockey and baseball fan, New York Mets and New York Rangers.
-I love music, I listen to most genres but my favorites are metal, pop punk, and rap. But I do listen to other genres as well!
-I don't really Drink that much, it triggers my migraines sadly. Also I don't smoke or do any drugs, I'm cool if you smoke or drink though.
WHAT IM LOOKING FOR:
-I'm not EXACTLY sure what I'm looking for right now, I don't really have expectations right now for anything But preferably I'm looking for To talk to someone who's single and open to the idea of a relationship or just forming a friendship and having flirty conversations, Obviously it depends on the vibe and if we click of course but this is more so what I'm looking for.
-Otherwise I'm looking for someone that is AT LEAST decent at holding a conversation, someone who can be goofy is always a plus and someone who brings good and uplifting energy is always cool!
-I don't really care where you're from, I have a really fucked up work schedule so chances are if you're in another time zone things may work out better than me talking to someone from my own country actually.
I think that's pretty much it for now, if you're interested at all hit me up with a pm or chat with some info about yourself, your preferred chat method and what you're looking for!

Never really got around to doing this, so here we go.
​
Demographics Gender: male Race/Ethnicity: east asian Residence: midwest Income Bracket: middle Type of School: large competitive public, approximately 20 people go to T20s every year. 2-6 go to HYPSMs every year, my year it was 4. Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): none Intended Major(s): Electrical Engineering + Computer Science, Philosophy Academics GPA (UW/W): 3.97/4.76 Rank (or percentile): School district is unranked # of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: Took all requirements for IB diploma but didn't take ToK (so no diploma), max # of APs allowed (~8)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Maths HL
IB Physics HL
IB Biology HL
IB Language Arts HL
IB Computer Science HL
IB Chemistry HL
IB World History SL
IB Spanish SL
(took more HLs than required since I wasn't graduating with IB diploma) Standardized Testing List the highest scores earned and all scores that were reported. SAT I: 1550 (760RW, 790M)
SAT Math II: 800 AP: Chem (4), Calc BC (5), APUSH (5), Macro (5), Micro (4), CSA (5), CSP (3 lol) Other (ex. IELTS, TOEFL, etc.): N/A Extracurriculars/Activities Research Intern, lab at HYPSM. Basically cold-emailed a nobel laureate as a moonshot and it worked out. Presented at international conference, published in high-impact-factor (IF 15+) journal as first-author. By far my highest time commitment - at its peak in the summer of my junior year, I was working 80+ hrs/week. Research Intern, local university. Cold-emailed local lab for my first formal research experience in sophomore year. 3rd author on paper, presented at leading federal agency. Not super technically impressive though, didn't win any awards. Independent Researcher. Developed software for aircraft, sold to leading aircraft manufacturer (think Honeywell, Ball Aerospace, Embraer etc) for high six figures. Utility patent granted, presented at conference at MIT. President of a few clubs in high school (think NHS, DECA, FBLA, debate, etc)
Basic volunteering at senior center Awards/Honors List all awards and honors submitted on your application. Regeneron ISEF Grand Award Regeneron STS Scholar (updated schools since it came out after application deadlines)
MIT Think Scholar Finalist Yale Science & Engineering Award
Best of Category + Best of Fair at State Science Fair, 2 years in a row
Letters of Recommendation LOR 1 - IB Biology teacher. He was my original mentor for my science fair project, and writes good recommendations for anyone who does well at science fair state/nationwide. Knew him since freshman year and was top ~3 students every year he taught me. Probably 5/10 LOR 2 - IB Language Arts teacher. This was a wildcard, as this teacher was new and I definitely messed around in class a lot. However, she (luckily) mistook this as charisma, and I also performed well in the class in general. Got to read this letter of rec after admissions were over, would rate it 5/10 as well. LOR 3 - Principal Investigator of lab, T5 school (from EC #1). Said I was better than any undergraduate student he'd ever advised, and on par with most PhD students in his lab. Overall was a really nice rec letter, especially from someone so high up at that school. They let me read it before applications, would give it 8/10. LOR 4 - counselor - Probably quite generic. The only thing my counselor knew about me was that I really wanted to get into good schools, and I had barely spoken to her outside of this context. Probably 3/10. Interviews MIT - spent 4.5 hours, was really amazing. Turns out that I had actually cited this guy in one of my papers, and thus we naturally spent most of the time talking about research interests. Thought it went very well, and I still sometimes talk to this guy - 8/10. Harvard - most bland interview ever. Basically just went over my resume and why I liked Harvard (name-dropped some faculty in my area of interest). She was a partner at McKinsey, and kept trying to convince me to consider consulting as a career. Lasted only 45 minutes - 2/10. Stanford - went really well. Guy was 70 years old. Was about 3 hours long, talked about everything from research interests (his work was orthogonally related to my work) to 19th century German philosophers to James Bond soundtracks. Was a great experience - 7/10. Penn - interviewer went to my HS, but besides this it was just sort of going over my resume and a casual chat. Lasted 1 hour, nothing notable - 3/10
Cornell - interviewer ghosted me after I gave certain dates, and then next emailed me congratulating me on my acceptance like 2 months later. Weird. 0/10
Yale - She was class of 1951 (!!) and was very sweet, but I didn't really give any indication of exceptionalism and the call was very mediocre. Good conversation, but probably nothing notable she would have written in her report - 2/10
Princeton - interviewer was an MD at a private equity firm. We clearly shared very few values, but he ended the call saying that I would be a good fit (probably generic feel-good commentary tbh). 2/10 Essays (Briefly reflect on the quality of your writing, time spent, and topic of main personal statement.) I was very underconfident on my application going into application season, so I tried to make essays my main focus. I estimate that I spent upwards of 1000 hours on essays total, and started working on them in March of my junior year. However, looking back at those essays nearly 3 years later, I still believe they were as true to who I am now as I was when I wrote them. Common app essay was an amalgamation of research interests, personal philosophies, etc. Didn't fit any particular prompt, but looking back I'm still somewhat proud of it. I tried to make it very polarizing, since I thought that I had to be memorable (maybe a mistake in hindsight). Friends who were more successful in admissions than I was who read it said it was great. I probably overthought the "mini" essays for Stanford, Yale, Columbia, and Princeton, and looking back they felt sort of tryhard, but I think my larger 250-word essays were well thought out. After reading through my admissions file, it seems like AOs thought my common app was very polarizing, so I guess I accomplished my desired effect. Decisions (indicate ED/EA/REA/SCEA/RD) Acceptances:
University of Michigan (EA)
Caltech (EA)
Cornell (RD)
Penn (RD)
Harvard (RD) Waitlists: Washington University in St. Louis (RD)
Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science (RD)
Rejections:
Stanford (RD)
MIT (EA)
Johns Hopkins (RD)
UCLA (RD) UC Berkeley (RD, EECS) Northwestern (RD) Columbia (RD)
Yale (RD)
Princeton (RD)
Duke (RD) Additional Information:
Feel free to DM me for advice. It definitely seems a lot easier to go through the process after having gone through already.

As the title says I've been trying to find a camp or a course that lasts about two weeks (because my parents won't allow more) in my targeted country, but I've had limited success.
To be completely fair I did find some that are roughly of that time, but they all cost 550€ (605$) which is something my family cannot really afford now because I'm supposed to start taking driving classes (which are really expensive, up to 800€) and take the official exam of my targeted language (I think this one is around 200€) by the end of the year. It's ridiculous to me that 500€ are just the lessons, because when I was going on Erasmus last year for the same thing we paid 300€, so I expected this to be around 350-450 not this ;-; I looked everywhere and everything I find is overpriced (some courses even charge 1200€ for two weeks) so I'm really struggling with the budget.
Now I'll have to decide whether I'll prepare for this exam in my homecountry with my teachers or just birth some place out of my ass. It's not that my teacher cannot prepare me well, I think that she absolutely can, but I remember how confident I felt during and after Erasmus last year and how much it actually helped me so I wanted to have that once more since whether or not I pass this language exam literally decides my future. Of course I can retake it, but that'll cost more and I don't wanna burden my parents that much (in terms of both stress and money, as I'll be the first one to study abroad in my family due to life circumstances).
I'm sorry if this is chaotic I'm trying to organise everything so that it's readable because I've researched a lot in a lot of time and don't seem to find an answer. The advice I came here for is whether to continue searching and take the only reasonable opportunity for language learning I have (so called language exchange, which is free but isn't standardised; something I'd need but it's better than nothing) or prepare in my homecountry and play pikado with my exam scores.
If anyone has been in a similar situation and can't offer this kind of advice even sharing your experience may help, just about anything really.
I've talked with my friends about this (we have similar goals in terms of future) and they're in the same shit hole as I am, so that's why I may sound so hopeless.
Again, anything you say will be appreciated Ɛ>

Hi there,
I'm a 27-year-old guy from just outside Orlando, Florida and I am seeking a real connection with a dominant woman who knows what she wants, and how to get it. Feel free to reach out if this stands out to you, I'd love to talk. I live alone and have been described by close friends as silly and compassionate, inclusion is one of the most important things in my life. I'm seeking a female-led relationship, the type of dynamic I am looking for is a life partner who is firmly in control, to what extent we can determine what works best for us. I would be more than happy to be your life partner who defers to you on the bigger decisions though I would love for you to have me in mind when making them. I recognize you are a real person so a constant dynamic isn't always realistic.
About me:
Basic stuff: I work a full-time job but also have a side hustle writing, I promise this is not nearly as exciting as it sounds but it is an increasingly lucrative thing that I'm looking to make my full-time focus sooner than later, still figuring out when sooner is though. I'm 5'7, about 140 lbs, here's a recent picture of me for reference. And as I recognize this is important to some people, I do not drive, my eyesight is very poor and as a result, I cannot legally drive, this, however, does not stop me from living an entirely independent life, most people don't actually know/can't tell until I tell them that I cannot drive.
Personal Interests: I love hanging out with friends and doing who knows what, I will admit that I am a bit of a homebody but my greatest joys in life are typically with other people, doing pretty much whatever. I am sober as in I do not drink or smoke but totally cool if you do as long as it is responsibly. I love going to thrift stores, eating great food, and really just exploring. I'm pretty nerdy in that I would say my single favorite thing to do is learn be that via YouTube videos, Reading or just getting out and trying something new, Psychology however is what interests me most and I could spend hours and hours talking about the weird ways people act and why. I also really enjoy movies and would love to know your favorite, I love anything funny or scary, and the Shrek series has a special place in my heart. Also love staying active, recently got back into going to the gym and an avid NBA followefan.
Fun Stuff
I am relatively inexperienced but I am someone who learns quickly and has done a thorough amount of research, enough that I feel that I can confidently serve a woman, the biggest part of all of this to me is the sense of belonging, the feeling of being owned by someone who wants the best for me and thus inspires me to want to be the best possible version of myself for them. I do not take this role lightly and it would be a privilege to be yours.
The Person I'm looking for:
I'm looking for a dominant woman either In Orlando or located somewhere in North America with the intention of this becoming an in person thing, I'm very open to relocating for the right situation and while I do like Orlando there isn't anything keeping me here. My ideal partner would be someone emotionally intelligent and capable of communicating in a healthy, consistent way, nothing excites me more than knowing exactly where I stand with you, for better or worse. (So I can improve to better serve.) Body type is unimportant to me as all women are beautiful in their own unique ways, as long as you take care of yourself you are my type. Age and your experience level are mostly unimportant to me as long as you're 20+ and know what it is you're looking for. Just to reiterate the connection is what is most important to me, knowing that someone has my best interest at heart and I have theirs, knowing that while I am still very much a person with real feelings but I want to be yours, completely.
Thank you for taking the time to check this out, I look forward to speaking to you soon.

idrk how to format this but here we go!
male, white/albanian, east coast, rising senior
intended major: biology (premed track) intended minor: music performance
hook: first-generation student
SAT: 1490 (760 Reading + 730 Math / planning on retaking one last time in August)
gpa: 4.81 W (most likely almost a 5 after this school year)/ school does not do UW rank: school does not do rank but top 10%
coursework:
9th grade: 4 honors, 3 regular 10th grade: 1 AP, 4 honors, 2 regular 11th grade: 4 AP’s, 2 honors, 1 regular 12th grade: 4 AP’s, 1 honors, 2 regular
total: 9 AP, 11 honors, 8 regular (majority gym and health required classes)
awards: all shore symphonic band excellence medal all shore jazz band excellence medal principals honor roll and honor roll top chemistry and biology performers science league
ec’s: (ensembles outside of school band are audition based) school’s symphonic band *brass captain school’s jazz band *vice president schools pit orchestra school’s marching band *brass captain all shore symphonic all shore jazz eastern wind symphony youth band science league schools student lead chamber ensemble pre-med society national honors society
work & volunteering:
work 2 days a week at dad’s restaurant give private trombone lessons to middle school children volunteer at local hospital
schools (idk where I’m gonna ea or ed to yet):
rutgers rider university monmouth university seton hall tcnj stevens institute princeton upenn university of rochester tufts boston college boston university nyu carnegie mellon

I'm stable atm with no acute kidney or liver damage, but this whole experience has been seriously traumatic. a very complex and circumstantial, post surgical procedure, situation, so please do not make any assumptions against anyone/me but: the doctors fucked up. they didn't double check anything and i guess ignored all my sx that I reiterated clearly, markedly as NEW and/or suddenly worsening.
i thought i was being EXTREMELY thorough researching, informed, and advocating for myself, throughout this entire past month but i didn't push hard enough when it mattered the MOST for my TRUE needs. because i was in so much pain and distressed and putting some "awkwardness" bs before my own needs: a more experienced dr and more thorough help. and more pre procedure questions! but i took the second shot because i didn't know and truly thought it would bring me full relief again since the drs also thought it made the most sense and was a good idea. I didn't know general anesthesia has a lasting effect.
side effects of NSAIDS can MIMIC a flare, and i just got an IV, then injection of the STRONGEST one. I felt like i was fucking dying, then realized that actually was an acute possibility after the second shot a week later (yesterday). was trying to "calm down" what seemed like a worse flare before the weekend to hopefully keep me out of ER - IRONIC
I'm home and lying in bed now recouperating and trying to soothe all my ulcery pains, and completely wiped out. so idk how active in responding I'll be for now, but i HAD to make this post. i do not want anyone else to have to ever suffer unnecessarily from this horrific reaction thinking they're having a really serious flare.
please read both articles to be informed. i wish i had seen this before. if anyone finds out anymore, esp about the platelet dysfunction, i'm def gonna be looking for more info when i'm feeling less effed up
https://www.hopkinslupus.org/lupus-treatment/lupus-medications/nsaids/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/ketorolac-oral-route-injection-route/side-effects/drg-20066882?p=1
my symptoms after 2nd shot: (either significanly worsened/repeated/ NEW-but not unusual for lupus or for me- pains / NEW bleeding)
marked *: very acutely flared intensely in preceding hours/evening after 2nd shot & emergency ones better now. resolved at different rates.
achy, muscle aches, flu like sx - bad petechiae spreading (had very tiny few in multiple spots pre-procedure, i told them that my platelets had been normal, so did not mention to rheum before) *livedo reticularus-like 'rash' - very purply, mottled, marbled on legs, but more intense than recent times and spread to arms, chest w/ accompanying sunburn like face flushing *also sudden 2 days prior auditory hallucinations (first initially concerning sx for me, but thought it could be new neuro flare) severe worsening of supposed internal hemmorhoids, with some bleeding - to the point i couldn't sit, stand, walk, lie down without bad rectal pain random/easy bruising hoarseness, thirst, fatigue, *momentary vision weirdness, *momentary headache blue fingernails/toenails *very cold. very cold feet. suddenly hot face to chest *some loss of feeling in feet and slightly hands *cloudy urine, trouble finishing urinating *random stabbing muscle & joint pains *ABD, pelvic, stomach, RUQ, LUQ sharp stabbing pains *mouth ulcer in side of throat - bleeding - wisdom tooth issue suddenly hurting, bleeding *sudden worse joint knee pain with acute tenderness/swelling (never had joint effusion before) chest wall, rib pains, RT side minor chest pains, some costochondritis flare temp above >99 <100 (i usually run 96-97) pain at injection site *mild-mod nausea there's honestly more, but i'll update later. but hopefully you get the point
**i took activated charcoal & zeolite clay immediately when my partner started reading more of the rare side effects and i instantly made the connection
I was up all night trying to avoid going to the ER & ended up going to do my standing order labs this morning instead, and then finally got thru to a really great on call dr who i talked to for quite awhile. my labs looked okay but i will update when i get my dsdna, c3 c4 labs back. (my inflammatory markers are always normal low, only low wbc & monocytes high as abnormal is my typical)
very acute, worrisome symptoms from lastnght are resolved, but I'm unsure the exact immune interactions or lasting effect it could have since my entire situation could be also flare inducing as well. so lots of overlap. the IM dr i spoke with said these things without any prompt which i already had come to that possible conclusion on my own. and to f/u with rheum obviously about those specifics.
feeling the most tender, vulnerable, & also like i physically got put through a meat grinder even moreso now. but honestly am glad (now that i know my major organs are ok) that it was actually diagnostic to figure out some of my chronic symptoms are actually GI related, blood related, ?, etc. i thought some were endometriosis, etc.
just wish i hadn't been taking nsaids before but i thought i was helping my situation and have been in tons of unmanaged pain. trying to alernate things. really wasn't being pretty sparing with them actually. think I'll be sticking with other stuff and the steroids (i was trying to avoid >_<) now.. never taking nsaids again. i know the GI stuff will heal soon esp now that I def won't be taking any ibuprofen or Rx naproxen. good thing i'm already doing a gut healing protocol and already started doing all the barrier repair stuff. which is probably why my first round of abd pains mostly resolved a couple days ago!
more lessons learned. might need to edit this later? too exhausted to reread. had to write this in two sittings. glad my we're living next door to my mom currently, finally hit a point of actually seriously needing like home nurse level help. this journey has been really working on getting over asking for help. def took a long time for my mom to realize how serious this has been for me. but she made dinner i'm gonna finally eat now that i'm not worried bout my kidneys. she's also type I diabetic and been thru a lot. and grown a lot too since we've been here. love her

Age: 27 Sex: Male Race: White/Caucasian Location: USA PMH: None (prior to these issues), now Hypertension, Hearing loss in left ear Current Medications: Amlodipine 10mg, Losartan 25mg Duration of Complaint: 10 months Symptoms: Many, see description. Family History: Heart disease (paternal grandfather, paternal uncle), dementia (maternal grandmother), migraines (mother).
Hey all,
I am a previously healthy 27 year old male, who has been having a strange collection of symptoms since the end of August 2022. I have seen numerous doctors without much success. Prior to the onset of these symptoms, I considered myself perfectly healthy beyond the occasional seasonal illness and stuff like that.
On 26 August 2022, I had an episode of vertigo. This felt very similar to a previous incident of vertigo that I experienced in September of 2019: all of a sudden, I felt like I was falling to the left. There was nothing preceding either of these events, in both cases I was sitting in a chair, reading / on the computer. For the incident in 2019 I went to the hospital, where the ED doc told me I had benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), and gave me some exercises to help relieve the symptoms. In both cases, I did the exercises and took a nap, and the acute symptoms went away by the next morning. Also in both cases, I felt kind of off/unbalanced for a few weeks afterwards. Not to the point where it impacted my motor skills, but I just felt ever so slightly off balance, especially in the dark. This feeling faded back to normal over the course of a couple of weeks.
This is where things changed between the 2019 incident and the incident from last year. Although the acute "spinning" sensation subsided as normal, a number of other symptoms appeared after the vertigo symptoms began to fade. Over the next few weeks, I began to experience a "fuzzy" feeling, as though my head had been stuffed full of cotton, like a moderate brain fog. I felt off balance, my vision seemed blurry, my eyes were constantly either watery or too dry. I had constant itchiness and dull pain in my left ear. Occasionally, I would have a brief (30-60 second) stabbing pain in one ear that would gradually fade back to normal. I started having headaches, especially the feeling that the top of my head was being squeezed, or a stabbing pain behind the eyes. It was hard for me to focus on objects, especially in the middle distance. My eyes felt tight or streched. I would see halos around lights at night. I felt a constant pressure in my ears (especially the left one), to the point where I would clear my ears by equalizing pressure 5-6 times per day, each time would be accompanied by an audible squeal of releasing pressure from the left ear. Perhaps most distinctly, when I would lay down and close my eyes I would have the feeling of falling: a sudden jerk (usually to the left or backwards), before I would immediately feel normal again. This would repeat randomly until I would fall asleep. I would have a "television static" across my vision all the time, when in low light I would sometimes see objects or patterns vibrating.
I went to an ophthalmologist in the middle of September 2022, who noted my eyes looked fine, with some mild signs of hypertensive retinopathy. They also noted that my blood pressure was quite high: around 150/110 when resting, up to 170/120 when not-relaxed. I went to my PCP and was prescribed lisinopril/HCTZ 20mg/25mg. This seemed to help my blood pressure somewhat, but caused me to have constant waves of nausea and gastroparesis such that I went back in November and asked to be moved to a different medication, at which point they started me on Amlodipine 5mg. This did not control my blood pressure, and in December I was moved to Amlodipine 10mg, and then recently Amlodipine 10mg and Losartan 25mg. I have not been on the most recent medication long enough to see any long term changes in BP.
I saw an ENT at the beginning of the year who noted that my ears looked fine, were not infected, and that sometimes pressure in the ear accompanies one sided hearing loss like I have. He recommended that I see a neurologist.
Over the recent months, my symptoms have settled somewhat. I no longer feel brain fog or motion when laying down. However, the following symptoms are still present:
Lots of eye gunk, eyes feel either dry or watery and tired all the time, I am constantly rubbing them. I see astigmatism beams around bright lights, even during the daytime, halos around lights and globes of color around colored lights at night. I have constant floaters across my vision, both small round clear ones and large darker linear or triangular ones. There is a constant "heat haze" or static effect across my whole vision. I have extremely noticeable diplopia (sometimes minor, sometimes severe where the words are 95% offset from the originals), but mostly with light colored writing on dark backgrounds. There is a constant tinnitus, which is fairly loud, and pressure in one or both ears, requiring me to clear them as mentioned before. I still see the vibration when looking at straight lines or patterns in low light. I have random headaches, usually behind my temple or on top of my head, but these tend to go away quickly.
None of this is debilitating, but it sure is very annoying and has tanked my quality of life. No One I have talked to has had any answers for me, even after a number of tests and blood work.
Here is what I have had done and the results:

• Basic Metabolic Panel and CBC with differential (9 September): All Normal
  
• EKG (9 September): Normal
  
• Eye Exam (19 September): Normal, signs of slight hypertensive retinopathy.
  
• Basic Metabolic Panel (22 November): All normal
  
• Urinalysis (23 December): Normal
  
• EKG (23 December): Normal, "t-waves more upright"
  
• Comprehensive Hearing Test (13 January): Moderate Hearing Loss Left Ear, no significant changes from baseline June 2018
  
• Head CT (temporal bone) without Contrast (1 February): Bilateral thinning of the tegmen tympani, otherwise normal.
  
• Basic Metabolic Panel (6 April): Normal
  
• Plasma Renin Activity (6 April) : Normal
  
• Aldosterone (6 April): Normal
  
• Brain MRI with and without Contrast (14 April): Normal except for trace right mastoid effusion and minimal mucosal disease in left sphenoid sinus
  
• Renal Ultrasound (26 April): Normal, renal arteries < 60% stenosis, everything within normal limits.
  

I'm kind of at the end of my rope here. Since I'm an American this has basically bankrupted me, even with my insurance. I'm moving to a new state in 2 weeks, so I haven't been able to make any appointments for anything else, and I don't know what my insurance will be with me changing jobs. The only other thing I have to go on is the ENT recommendation to see a neurologist, particularly one specializing in migraines.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hey comrades,,
I hope you're all doing as well as possible. I'm reaching out to you today with a mix of humility and urgency.
You see, not too long ago, I used to be actively involved in providing mutual aid to Adivasi villages. It was a cause close to my heart, and I believed in the power of community support. However, life has a way of turning things around, and now I find myself in a situation where I desperately need that very same aid I once offered.
After my father's passing during the chaos of COVID-19 in 2022, my family's financial situation took a nosedive. We had no savings to fall back on, and it's been a constant struggle ever since. Here I am now, studying art history and trying to make it as an artist, but money has become a constant worry.
To put it plainly, I'm barely keeping my head above water. I don't have enough money for food, and it's been two days since I've had a proper meal. The pain in my stomach is a harsh reminder of the irony that now I'm the one seeking aid. It's hard to focus on my studies or anything else when the basic necessities are out of reach. Moreover, my dear mother, who means the world to me, is elderly and ill, and I'm unable to give her the care she deserves. It's a painful reality to confront, and I'm desperate to find a way out of this situation.
So, I'm turning to you, my friends, my comrades, for your solidarity and support. I'm in urgent need of around 2000 rupees to make it through the next month. Every contribution, no matter how small, would bring me a step closer to some much-needed relief.
If you can spare any amount, please reach out to me directly. I'll provide you with the necessary information to extend your support. And if you're unable to contribute financially, I understand completely. Your solidarity, care, and sharing of this message within your networks can make a real difference in finding the help I urgently need.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It's humbling to ask for help, especially after being on the giving end not too long ago. Your solidarity and support in these challenging times would mean the world to me. Together, let's show the power of our community and remind ourselves that even in moments of vulnerability, we can come together to lift each other up.
Solidarity Aranya, from India.
Have a great day.

I'm feeling a bit worried about my future plans for pursuing a Master's degree and potentially a Ph.D.
Right now I need funding for my Master's degree, and one prominent option is the Chevening Scholarship. However, the catch is that this scholarship requires me to return to my home country after completing my degree. Ideally, I would prefer to stay in the same country for both my Master's and Ph.D. studies, unfortunately, because of funding, that's not possible for me at the moment. So, after I spend the necessary time in my country I have two options, either I go back to the UK to get a Ph.D. or try another country. Assuming I opt for another European country to pursue my Ph.D., my concern is whether it's feasible and likely for me to be accepted into a Ph.D. program at a university where they have no prior knowledge of me. I'm unsure if universities abroad would be open to accepting me for a Ph.D. program without having any prior connection or knowledge of who I am.
Have any of you faced a similar situation? Is it possible to secure a Ph.D. opportunity in another country where you are not known? What steps can I take to increase my chances of being accepted into a Ph.D. program under such circumstances?

**Demographics** Gender: Male Race/Ethnicity: White / Asian (Viet) Residence: cannot say because of state-based award (in the U.S, though) Income Bracket: under 60k Type of School: Private Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): none Intended Major(s): Computer Science **Academics** GPA (UW/W): 3.97 / 4.5091 Rank (or percentile): 1 or 2 / 275 \# of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: 9 Honors, 11 APs Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Gov, AP Macro/Micro, Honors French, Honors Research **Standardized Testing** List the highest scores earned and all scores that were reported. SAT I: 1550 (750RW, 800M) AP/IB: APUSH (5), AP Chem (5), AP Lang (5), AP CS Principles (5), AP Physics 1 (4), AP French (4)
**Extracurriculars/Activities** List all extracurricular involvements, including leadership roles, time commitments, major achievements, etc. \#1 Local fitness program coach / assistant / volunteer \#2 Key Club VP \#3 Created a map-based volunteering app \#4 French Club / French Honors Society Officer \#5 Created an auto scheduling tool for Canvas \#6 Senior Representative \#7 Track and Field \#8 Bowling \#9 Piano \#10 School fair booth leader **Awards/Honors** List all awards and honors submitted on your application. \#1 National Merit-Semifinalist \#2 Cum Laude Society \#3 French Honors Society \#4 School scholar award \#5 Random scholarship
**Letters of Recommendation** English Teacher (7/10) - I purposefully behaved well in her class because I knew I wanted to ask her for my rec, but did not end up having a close relationship with her. She was very willing to write the letter and she did ask for me to fill out an information sheet. I only had her for one semester. Comp Sci Teacher (8/10) - I didn't have any other STEM teachers I was close with, so I asked my Comp Sci teacher. We were also not super close, but I did behave and do well in her class. I also worked with her on one of my projects over the summer.
**Interviews** Harvard (3/10) - My first interview. I was extremely nervous and had memorized answers to all the question she asked. I believe I sounded robotic, but my interviewer was pleasant. She was very formal, though. It lasted only 20 minutes.
Stanford (9/10) - My best interview. She was very friendly and it was very conversational. She seemed interested in my projects. She was in a rush to pick up her kids so she had to cut our conversation. MiT (1/10) - My worst interview. The guy was an old fart and quizzed me on trivial computer science knowledge. I had to answer IDK to many of his questions. He questioned literally everything I said. Northwestern (6/10) - I feel we were both pretty awkward. I felt very robotic during this interview, but he was very friendly. The sun was in my eyes the whole time I was talking to him so I couldn't look him in the eye. Princeton (7/10) - Very friendly conversation. I asked her a lot of questions, but she didn't seem to like the area Princeton was in that much. She had children that went to my school. Penn (8/10) - Very pleasant conversation. I asked him a lot of question and he seemed to like me a lot. He was a little pretentious though.
**Essays** Common App (8/10) - I spent a lot of time writing this and got feedback from a lot of people. However, writing isn't my strength and I feel the topic I chose could have been better. Harvard & USC supplements (8/10) - These were my early apps so I spent much more time on these than my regular ones. The rest of the supplements were closer to 5/10s.
**Decisions (indicate ED/EA/REA/SCEA/RD)** **Early** USC - Deferred > Accepted Harvard - Deferred > Waitlisted > Accepted **RD** Yale - Rejected UPenn - Rejected UCSD - Accepted UCLA - Accepted UCI - Accepted UC Berkeley - Rejected Stanford - Rejected Santa Clara University - Accepted Rice - Waitlisted (declined the spot) Princeton - Waitlisted > Accepted Pomona - Rejected Northwestern - Accepted Northeastern - Waitlisted (declined the spot) MiT - Rejected JHU - Rejected Harvey Mudd - Rejected Columbia - Rejected Claremont McKenna - Rejected Chapman - Accepted CalTech - Rejected Brown - Rejected
Committed to Harvard!!! **Additional Information:** I am honestly so grateful for my results. I thought I didn't have a chance at any t10s because all my ECs were at the school or local level. Before the waitlists, for the longest time, I was stuck between Northwestern and USC and even ended up committing to USC. Compared to the other schools, Princeton and Harvard's financial aid was honestly insane. After getting waitlisted I wrote a letter of continued interest for Harvard, but not for Princeton. However, I think what got me into both was winning Presidential Scholar. Let me know if you guys have any questions! Good luck to all future college applicants!