Why do we give flagyl for ulcerative colitis

Hi, I've recently been diagnosed with collagenous colitis after a month of urgent diarrhea 5-10x/day associated with incredibly painful stomach cramps, along with night sweats, blood in the stool a couple times, plus weight loss since I couldn't eat any food for about 2 weeks without pain. My calprotectin was 1500 so pretty inflamed I guess, as that's off the charts, right? During the colonoscopy they found two long (8-10"?) linear ulcers which my GI doctor said are hallmarks of ischemia, but I have no clue what could have precipitated such an event. I'm not an athlete or distance runner or over 70 or had surgery or other trauma which seem to be the causes of this, just a regular otherwise healthy fortysomething. I'm worried about what might have caused the ischemia. I did find with great interest a couple case studies in the literature that associated linear ulcers and collagenous colitis with lansoprazole, which is exactly the medication I'd been on the past few months for acid reflux. I shared this with my doctor but he didn't seem convinced that it was the medication vs an ischemic event (but he did want me off lansoprazole).
Has anyone ever had these ulcers and learned what caused them? And has anyone had luck treating collagenous colitis? It seems very uncommon as is and even less so with the ulcers. I'm on Cipro/Flagyl with Pepto 3x/day right now and doing ok, with only one bad crampy poop in the morning the past few days, plus some nausea on and off during the day, that I mostly attribute to the antibiotics. Worried though about why this happened in the first place and seeing many folks struggling with forms of microscopic colitis for years.

After my first breakup and the endless pain it caused, I thought I could handle anything. A few years back, I even received a diagnosis for ulcerative colitis and managed to cope with the diagnosis and the ongoing suffering. After five years, I opened my heart to another woman.
Two years later, it happened. She met a guy online. I didn't think much of it because men and women can be friends (though it's tough, but possible). He even had a girlfriend, so I wasn't overly worried. After meeting him a few times, she went on a university trip to Switzerland and came back a changed person. She wanted to spend the night at her mom’s, which was fine by me. She said she'd text me when she got there—it’s a 30-minute trip. Five hours later, she suddenly returned home. I was terrified, thinking she had died or something else horrible had happened. When she got home, she said she'd been out drinking with a friend, and we went to sleep because I was too exhausted to discuss anything. The next day, I demanded to see her phone because I didn't believe her (after she didn’t even notify me about her plans), but she refused. Long story short, she had been with Julian, the guy from the cinema. They had gone to watch the northern lights and had some drinks. I pressed her, unable to understand how she could keep this from me. Since she struggles with emotional stress, she confessed that she had kissed my best friend a few months back. After further arguing, she admitted it happened twice more, once at our place.
I told her straight away that we could get through this, and we discussed why it happened. She hadn't felt emotionally secure with me, and I see that now. Yes, it wasn't my fault she strayed, but I hadn't treated her as well as she treated me for the longest time. I wasn't terrible, but I hadn't made her my top priority, and she felt it. She had told me several times how important it was, but she never conveyed just how serious the situation was. We decided to try again, and she agreed to stop seeing Julian for some time (she didn't want to stop texting him because she finds it incredibly hard to make friends and didn’t want to lose that—she said she'd stop if she felt something romantic could happen).
Why didn't I treat her better? I can't tell you. Maybe my illnesses stressed me out! Maybe it was university, which has never stressed me so much, that kept me from paying enough attention to my girlfriend. I just didn't realize how serious it was.
A few days ago, my girlfriend decided to take a break from me to clear her thoughts and find out if she can still love me.
And then, as if things couldn't get worse: in two days, she was supposed to start a month-long break, and just now, she wrote to me that Julian's girlfriend had broken up with him, just as I had predicted.
My disease has flared up again due to stress, and it's the most important university semester of my life, but I can't go on because I JUST CAN'T ANYMORE.
Perfectly timed with our break starting, Julian's girlfriend broke up with him. I don't know what to do with myself. I love my girlfriend, even after everything, and I don't want to lose her. But after everything, especially this last part, I feel like I know where this is going. I just can't deal with it. I can't watch TV shows, I can't eat, and most of the time, I can't even cry. The only thing keeping me going is the hope that nothing happens with Julian this month and she comes back to me, so I can show her that she is my number one priority (alongside my own well-being). And I've never meant anything so seriously.
I don't know what to do with myself. I want to tell her to cut off contact with Julian, but she won't; I want to tell her to stay with me, but she won’t. And when I express my fear that she might develop feelings for Julian during the break, she tells me she can't imagine that happening.
I don't know what to do anymore. Thank you for reading this far. Writing is the only thing I can do right now.
I feel like I barely exist these days, especially now. I’ve thought about hurting myself, but I won’t. I know I won't end my life, and I won't harm myself. I can't imagine how terrible the next months will be, but I have to survive somehow, even though I feel I may never be happy again.
So... I don't know what I'm expecting from this... Advice? I Quess. I can't imagine anyone can help. I still have to try everything.
**TL;DR;** : My girlfriend cheated and wasnt happy in the relationship and i need help, advice.. anything.

Relationship length: 2,5 Years Gender: Male (me), Female
After my first breakup and the endless pain it caused, I thought I could handle anything. A few years back, I even received a diagnosis for ulcerative colitis and managed to cope with the diagnosis and the ongoing suffering. After five years, I opened my heart to another woman.
Two years later, it happened. She met a guy online. I didn't think much of it because men and women can be friends (though it's tough, but possible). He even had a girlfriend, so I wasn't overly worried. After meeting him a few times, she went on a university trip to Switzerland and came back a changed person. She wanted to spend the night at her mom’s, which was fine by me. She said she'd text me when she got there—it’s a 30-minute trip. Five hours later, she suddenly returned home. I was terrified, thinking she had died or something else horrible had happened. When she got home, she said she'd been out drinking with a friend, and we went to sleep because I was too exhausted to discuss anything. The next day, I demanded to see her phone because I didn't believe her (after she didn’t even notify me about her plans), but she refused. Long story short, she had been with Julian, the guy from the cinema. They had gone to watch the northern lights and had some drinks. I pressed her, unable to understand how she could keep this from me. Since she struggles with emotional stress, she confessed that she had kissed my best friend a few months back. After further arguing, she admitted it happened twice more, once at our place.
I told her straight away that we could get through this, and we discussed why it happened. She hadn't felt emotionally secure with me, and I see that now. Yes, it wasn't my fault she strayed, but I hadn't treated her as well as she treated me for the longest time. I wasn't terrible, but I hadn't made her my top priority, and she felt it. She had told me several times how important it was, but she never conveyed just how serious the situation was. We decided to try again, and she agreed to stop seeing Julian for some time (she didn't want to stop texting him because she finds it incredibly hard to make friends and didn’t want to lose that—she said she'd stop if she felt something romantic could happen).
Why didn't I treat her better? I can't tell you. Maybe my illnesses stressed me out! Maybe it was university, which has never stressed me so much, that kept me from paying enough attention to my girlfriend. I just didn't realize how serious it was.
A few days ago, my girlfriend decided to take a break from me to clear her thoughts and find out if she can still love me.
And then, as if things couldn't get worse: in two days, she was supposed to start a month-long break, and just now, she wrote to me that Julian's girlfriend had broken up with him, just as I had predicted.
My disease has flared up again due to stress, and it's the most important university semester of my life, but I can't go on because I JUST CAN'T ANYMORE.
Perfectly timed with our break starting, Julian's girlfriend broke up with him. I don't know what to do with myself. I love my girlfriend, even after everything, and I don't want to lose her. But after everything, especially this last part, I feel like I know where this is going. I just can't deal with it. I can't watch TV shows, I can't eat, and most of the time, I can't even cry. The only thing keeping me going is the hope that nothing happens with Julian this month and she comes back to me, so I can show her that she is my number one priority (alongside my own well-being). And I've never meant anything so seriously.
I don't know what to do with myself. I want to tell her to cut off contact with Julian, but she won't; I want to tell her to stay with me, but she won’t. And when I express my fear that she might develop feelings for Julian during the break, she tells me she can't imagine that happening.
I don't know what to do anymore. Thank you for reading this far. Writing is the only thing I can do right now.
I feel like I barely exist these days, especially now. I’ve thought about hurting myself, but I won’t. I know I won't end my life, and I won't harm myself. I can't imagine how terrible the next months will be, but I have to survive somehow, even though I feel I may never be happy again.
So... I don't know what I'm expecting from this... Advice? I Quess. I can't imagine anyone can help. I still have to try everything.
**TL;DR;** : My girlfriend cheated, i want to fix it, but everything gets worse and worse

Heres my theory on the Stormveil corpse.
Its fully-grown Deathroot.
We get Deathroot as an item in-game but its also all over the world, especially where you find Tibia Mariners or in catacombs. All the mounds covered in eyes are Deathroot as well, some even mimic the inventory icon art, but larger.
Now these mounds are combining corpses with roots and rise to the surface to start raising the corpses as skeletons, and almost always form Godwyn's eyes and sometimes even his hair and face(crabs and pustules). You can see the start of this process in most catacombs, with bodies being combined and lifted in the boss rooms by roots.
If you look at the corpse under Stormveil it is surrounded by open graves, skeletons, and bone piles while looking like it was once hidden by a tarp. It didnt do this on its own, it was fed enough to spawn its own Ulcerated Tree Spirit (ulcerated from the bodies fed to it) and become fully-grown and hidden.
Who fed it and why? Godefroy and to create Grafting.
Godefroy is a part of The Golden Lineage (He is in the Golden Lineage evergaol and holds the Godfrey icon, the game is screaming this at us.) so what on earth could he have done to be locked up and erased from history?
Invent Grafting.
I think Godefroy is similar to Godrick in more way than one, i believe he was weak and sickly just like Godrick and he is supposed to be Godrick's dad and Godwyn's son.
This is what i think happened.
Godefroy was Godwyn's sickly son with little to no power, very similar to Godrick. He was given a castle far away from Leyndell where he could go, as a weak sickly demigod was likely a embarrassment to The Golden Lineage, Godefroy was likely mocked openly by most, again just like Godrick, for his weakness.
Then, suddenly, Godwyn the Golden was horrifically half-murdered on the Night of Black Knives, leaving Godefroy fatherless, weak, sickly, and a public laughing stock. Godwyn was then just thrown in the roots and became a Taboo subject, showing Godefroy that even the strongest and most beloved of demigods are disposable.
After some time, Godefroy would eventually visit Godwyn, seeing a distorted, twisted corpse (that likely much more resembled Godwyn back then) that still showed signs of life. It grew, it spread, and, probably most creepy of all to Godefroy, it stared. Seeing his dad in this state, after everything else, likely cemented his idea to rebel.
How could they let something like this happen to Godwyn the fucking Golden?
Godefroy would then take back a piece of Godwyn, maybe just to give him a grave or shrine in Stormveil he could visit easier. Unknown to him pieces of Godwyn spread Deathroot now.
This piece would keep growing though, eventually foricing Godefroy to hide it with a tarp and sparking his curiosity. Eventually the piece would start to resemble more of a body, growing a face, nose, and eyes, and Marika's Tits did this thing just keep staring. I think if u were constantly getting stared at by ur dads zombified corpse, youd likely remove the eyes.
He would then begin to experiment on the piece of Deathroot, feeding it bodies and watching how it would fuse them to continue its own growth. This gave Godefroy an idea. He would likely start small, maybe with a finger or simply a patch of skin, but eventually he would try to stick a piece of this dead flesh to himself, and saw it worked.
Grafting was born.
In secret, after Godefroy felt he had control, he would teach Godrick about grafting, but told him not to do it yet. Shortly after teaching Godrick, Godefroy's grafting became noticable and began turning heads.
Maybe someone asked a naive Godrick who told them, maybe someone scouted stormveil, but someone caught wind that Graftng was born of an ancient taboo, something the Golden Order now considered the root of all evil, Grafting was born of Godwyn, Prince of Death.
The second this was discovered Godefroy was locked away in a evergaol and erased from history, and Godrick, who was also considered guilty (maybe sins of the father, maybe he talked about grafting) was marked and fled Leyndel in disguise with Mimic Veil. The Leyndel Knight that caught Godefroy was sainted and likely given a gag order or maybe straight up killed, and was venerated in their own Hero Grave.
Godrick would then just hide in Stormveil and fully dive into Grafting, maybe even intentionally mimicing the way his father was Grafted to mock The Golden Order. I think his "BEAR WITNESS" line is more of a taunt to the Golden Order than asking for recognition. He did just tell his forefathers to watch him graft a dragon head.
The rest is in-game.
Theres still some questions, like whether Godrick or Godefroy participated in The Shattering, maybe both, but i think this explains extremely well whats going on with Stormveil.
Also just throwin this in, the Thorns in Stormveil is Deathroot without dead bodies to cover it with flesh, look at heads tendrils and theres spikes coming out of what look like octopus suckers. The thorns are basically the 'skeleton' of this deathroot and dead bodies are its flesh. They are likely made by deathroot taking over the vines seen growing all over stormveil, since it cant reach Erdtree Roots from its remote location.
The thorns are boring holes (mottling) in the castle trying to get at all the corpses Godrick stores for Grafting, and the thorns are removed from Stormveil regularly. You can see the lower part of the castle where the commoners stay is infested with thorns, but the higher parts where the Knights and Godrick stay, and the corpses are stored, are absolutely thorn-free. You can also find several gashes on the ground that look stitched or stapled up. The exiles are most likely the ones assigned to clear the thorns, so they all get infected by them. Everywhere there is mottling in the walls, there was once thorns that were burned or chopped away.
You can however find a single thorn branch in Godrick's boss room along the top of the eastern wall, somewhere unreachable, proving the thorns do reach this high in the castle, they just get removed.

"There is a test available that shows whether an individual has intestinal permeability. It works by measuring levels of two indigestible sugars, mannitol and lactulose, in the urine. Most physicians do not use this test and research shows that it is not very reliable. As we mentioned earlier, there is no evidence that intestinal permeability causes any disease; be wary of anyone who claims that it does. Some unscrupulous individuals are even selling these tests to consumers online. Using this test to diagnose leaky gut syndrome would be like ordering a test to look for blood in the stool of someone with IBD and using a positive test result to ‘prove’ that the bloody stools caused some other mysterious disease that in turn caused the IBD. We already know that bloody stools are a symptom of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, just as we know that intestinal permeability is a symptom of some diseases such as Crohn’s disease and celiac disease.
Proponents of leaky gut syndrome might also misuse tests that look for bacterial, fungal, or viral infections, or tests that measure immune function, to ‘diagnose’ the disorder, when there is no evidence that the results are in any way related to this baseless ‘syndrome’."
"Whatever you hear in the media, the fact remains that there is no quality research to support the existence of ‘leaky gut syndrome’. The situation becomes especially dangerous when you consider that the symptoms associated with this disorder are present in a number of other illnesses, so a quick diagnosis of leaky gut is more likely to leave patients untreated for what really ails them.
Many people are eager to believe that leaky gut syndrome is a valid illness because it seems like an answer to many of their health problems. When you really think about it, one diagnosis that explains arthritis, IBD, skin problems, fatigue, and more seems fictional. Even more unrealistic is that all of these symptoms will go away if the patient just takes a few supplements and avoids certain nutritious foods.
It is important to use critical thinking when faced with a potential diagnosis that isn’t backed by scientific evidence. You have to wonder why there are no reliable studies that show evidence of leaky gut syndrome (especially since it supposedly affects so many individuals), why people are so quick to diagnose an unstudied disorder, and why the only way to ‘treat’ this disease is by taking expensive supplements or modifying your diet to remove multiple food groups.
Many practitioners who diagnose patients with leaky gut syndrome claim that a lack of adequate studies does not mean it doesn’t exist. While this could be possible, diagnosing and treating a disease that we don’t have evidence for can be dangerous, which is why the medical community uses such rigorous testing to scientifically support any new diagnoses, medications, or treatment plans before recommending them to patients."
https://badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/leaky-gut-syndrome/

Apologies if this seems a bit messy, this is my first time writing out a FromSoft lore theory and I copied and pasted this from a google doc that I had this all written in. I wasn't sure if I was going to post the theory on here, or make a YouTube video. In the end, I decided to post it here since this would be the first, and probably only video that I would have made.
As a point of note, throughout this theory you will hear me refer to the DLC area as both the Land of Shadow and the Realm of Shadow. To clarify, what I mean by this is that we know that the DLC area once existed alongside the Lands Between, until something happened that separated it from the mainland. A character in the trailer calls the DLC area the ‘Realm of Shadow’. Simply put, I believe the Land of Shadow became the Realm of Shadow once it was veiled and obscured by Marika.
The Haligtree in Elden Ring, is an optional area within the game, created by the Empyrean Miquella. Miquella seemed pretty keen on the successful growth of this tree, going as far as watering it with his own blood when it was a sapling and even placing his own body inside it, only for Mohg to steal him away. However, something that is never explained is exactly why Miquella decided to grow the Haligtree in the first place. I mean, Miquella’s main goal has been to cure Malenia of her Rot. He even abandon’s Fundamentalism, something he was deeply involved with along with his father, all because it could do nothing to cure Malenia of her rot. I believe I have figured out why Miquella grew the tree and it all starts on ‘The Night of the Black Knives’.
The Night of the Black Knives
The night of the black knives is a major event in the history of Elden Ring, where the black knife assassin’s stole a piece of the rune of death, and used it to slay the demigod Godwyn the Golden. Making him ‘the first of the demigods to die’. However, Godwyn did not die a ‘true death’. He was slain in soul alone, while his body remained intact. Due to Godwyn’s condition, deathroot started to spread and any who came in contact with it was cursed to live in death. This is because, at the same time Godwyn was slain with the rune of death, Ranni (Godwyn's half sister) was also slain. However, Ranni’s body was slain, but her soul remained intact, later being housed in the four-armed puppet that we meet her in in the game.
Miquella was clearly affected by what happened to Godwyn. We know that Miquella helped in the creation of the Golden Epitaph sword as it was he that spoke the prayer ‘O brother, Lord brother, please die a true death’. We can also see a statue in Loretta’s arena of the twin empyreans being embraced by a third, older figure. This individual is believed to be Godwyn, which would make sense given Miquella’s involvement in aiding those of the Golden Order that hunt those that live in death.
Ranni tells us that she orchestrated the whole thing, in order to free herself from the control of the two fingers. She says the following:
“I was once an Empyrean.
Of the demigods, only I, Miquella, and Malenia could claim that title.”
“I stole the Rune of Death,
slew mine own Empyrean flesh,
casting it away.
I would not be controlled by that thing.”
These lines of dialogue tells us that Empyreans are, somehow, controlled by the two fingers and the only way to free oneself from their control is to rid yourself of your ‘Empyrean Flesh’.
Ranni also calls it a ‘fearsome rite’, I think we can infer from this that everything that happened during the night of the Black Knives had to happen the way it did in order for fulfil some kind of ritual that allowed Ranni to cast away her empyrean flesh.
Divesting of Flesh
So Ranni learned of this ‘fearsome rite’ to rid herself of her Empyrean flesh and it was necessary for her to do so in order to chase her own goals, that of the dark path. The Two Fingers obviously would not have allowed her to do this and thus, Ranni went ahead with this ‘fearsome rite’.
Miquella, as we learned from the interview with Miyazaki after the trailer dropped, has ‘divested himself of his flesh’ in order to travel to the realm of shadow. We know that the Land of Shadow is the first place the Goddess Marika stepped. I think it’s a safe assumption to make that Miquella is trying to learn what Marika did here in the Land of Shadow. We know that Miquella is a scholar at heart. He devoted so much of his time to research and study many things. Gowry calls his golden needle a “work of a true artisan”, Miquella also created two incantations, Discus and triple rings of light, Miquella founded the Unalloyed Gold ideology and even managed to find a way to stave off the presence of outer gods. It could also be argued that Miquella created the pulley weapons which, if true, further adds to the point of him being scholarly.
I believe that, through Miquella’s research of trying to cure Melania’s scarlet rot, learned of the Land of Shadow, learned that that is where Marika became a Goddess and that she ultimately hid something deep within the Realm of Shadow. We know that Marika was hiding the Rune of Death in Faram Azula, so it stands to reason that the Realm of Shadow is hiding yet another one of Marika’s secrets.
However, I don’t think that Miquella’s Two Fingers would have allowed him to travel to the Land of Shadow. As for why, it’s unclear, perhaps that reason could be the very secret Marika is trying to keep secret.
Melina is ‘burned and bodiless’ and is still seemingly able to retrieve Torrent from Miquella, phase in and out from the Lands Between and also take us to the Roundtable Hold, which I believe lies in the Land of Shadow. That would explain the existence of two Roundtable Holds (the one with the Two Fingers and the Fortified Manor in Leyndell). Considering all this, I believe the Realm of Shadow is a place that only spirits can access freely. This would makes sense since when a spirit, or soul, passes into the afterlife, they are said to have ‘passed through the veil’. We know that veils are used to hide things in Elden Ring. The Mimic’s veil transforms us into something else and the Black Knife Assassins use veils to become invisible. I believe that the Realm of Shadow is also being obscured by a large veil.
I think that, because the Two Fingers wouldn’t allow for Miquella to travel there, Miquella sought the need to divest himself of his flesh as well, similarly to Ranni, but didn’t want to perform the same rite as Ranni as Miquella was very clearly upset about what happened to Godwyn. Afterall, we can see a prayer that he spoke on the Golden Epitaph, which reads ‘O brother, Lord brother, please die a true death’. This would lead Miquella to seek out another way to ‘divest himself of his flesh’ and, being the genius scholar that he is, I think he found it.
Planting the Haligtree
I believe that Miquella discovered another rite. I believe that this rite involves the planting of a Haligtree seed, watering it with the blood of the one who wishes to divest themselves of their flesh and then, finally, placing their body inside it once it has grown large enough. I don’t think that the cocoon would develop around anyone else if they placed themselves in the Haligtree, only Miquella. As it was with his blood that the Haligtree ‘was raised on’ and so it would need his blood to fully mature. That would explain why the Haligtree started to die when Mohg ripped his cocoon from the Haligtree.
While it’s unclear where exactly Miquella got the Haligtree seed from, I do think that we can make some good estimations based on some clues given to us in the game.
The first clue is that Erdtree Avatars have emerged to defend the Haligtree, along with Ulcerated Tree Spirits. We know that Erdtree Avatars emerge to protect the offspring of the Erdtree, the minor Erdtrees, as we fight them at most, if not every, Minor Erdtree that we visit.. This suggests that the Haligtree is a form of offspring to the Erdtree, however it’s likely a different kind of offspring to the Minor Erdtrees. The reason I think this is because the Haligtree was planted before the shattering. The symbol of the Haligtree appears when using the Golden Epitaph’s weapon skill, which implies that Miquella helped craft weapons that would aid the Golden Order in the hunt of those that live in death. The only way this could be possible is if the Haligtree was planted before the Golden Epitaph weapon was created. At this time, it was considered impossible for the Erdtree to produce seeds or offspring, as it was thought that the Erdtree was eternal.
The second clue we get regarding the origin of the Haligtree is a voice line from Gowry:
“The work of a true artisan…a meticulous, bold craftsman who grasps the essence of life.”
From this, we learn that Miquella is not only a ‘true artisan’ but also was able to ‘grasp the essence of life’, and I think this is important. I think that, because Miquella ‘grasped the essence of life’ he was able to procure the Haligtree seed from the Erdtree, even when everyone else thought it impossible.
The Plan
I think Miquella wanted to go into the Realm of Shadow to mainly learn how Marika became a Goddess. Afterall it did once exist alongside the Lands Between before ‘something’ separated it. I think it’s pretty clear that Marika obscured the Realm of Shadow, and if Marika obscured it, then it must contain something that Marika wants to keep a secret. I believe Miquella came to the same conclusion and decided to travel there. However, due to how it exists, only spirits can ‘pass through the veil’ that obscures it from the Lands Between. So, Miquella sought to ‘divest himself of his flesh’ so that he could exist in soul alone to travel through the veil and investigate the Realm of Shadow.
The reason I think Mesmer is sealed within the Realm of Shadow, but is still fiercely loyal to Marika is because he was either chosen, or volunteered himself to protect whatever secret Marika is trying to keep hidden. Just like how Maliketh was protecting the Rune of Death, I believe Marika had Mesmer protect Marika’s secret. Afterall, nobody who would be following the grace of gold would be lead to the Realm of Shadow to begin with, so all who enter would be fair game for Mesmer to ‘impale’ or ‘embrace Mesmer’s flame’
Additional Thoughts/Theories
Perhaps the reason Miquella needs his ‘promised lord’ is so that he could fuse with them. Afterall, we don’t know exactly how Marika and Radagon became one individual. Perhaps Radagon was a native to the Land of Shadow and, once it had become veiled, he and Marika were able to fuse and form a ‘two souls-one body’ situation. Thus, Miquella might need to do the same, where an individual with an intact body might be offered to Miquella to house his soul. This individual, I believe, is his ‘promised lord’ that he is waiting for in the Realm of Shadow. Perhaps Miquella’s original plan was to wait for the eclipse, in which the residents of Castle Sol would be able to send Miquella his ‘comrade’, making Miquella the living soul to the comrade’s soulless body. This would explain why the residents of Castle Sol lament at how Miquella’s ‘comrade remains soulless’. Perhaps this line was never referencing Godwyn. Afterall, we do know that Miquella wanted Godwyn to ‘die a true death’ and, the line ‘your comrade remains soulless’ almost implies a resurrection of some sort. This sounds almost too hypercritical if Miquella wants Godwyn to ‘die a true death’ but also wants to revive him.
It also never sat quite right with me how, Miquella was taken from the Haligtree and Malenia is doing… nothing about it. I know she was wounded in her fight with Radahn, but I don’t think that her waking up for her boss fight is the first time she awoke since being carried back to the Haligtree by Finlay. It would make sense, however, if the reason Malenia isn’t looking for Miquella is because she knows that the body that was taken is no longer important. Yes Miquella will fulfil his promise and return, but he won’t return to his previous body.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe that the reason Miquella planted the Haligtree was specifically to divest himself of his flesh in order to escape the control of his Two Fingers. Then, travel to the Realm of Shadow in order to learn what Marika did to become a God, where he would then await his promised lord that would be delivered to him during the eclipse. Then, together, they would follow Marika’s footsteps and ascend to Godhood where they could then bring an end to Malenia’s rot (and potentially give Godwyn a true death?).

Hi everyone! So, I (34F) too, am now a member of the club I guess. After having read all the stories around the internet and on multiple forums, it just seems to have put me under so much stress and feel like I will never have my 'normal' life back.
I am now 9 months pregnant and recently diagnosed with DVT with full weight adjusted dose of LMWH twice a day. I am not sure about PEs (I did have an episode where I thought my heart would stop one night with the heartbeat going through the roof that night but it went away in the morning, which I still keep thinking might have been a PE) After this very unpleasant experience, I saw a cardiologist thinking there would be a problem related to my heart, but yet again they just told me tachycardia was pretty common in pregnancy and didnt seem to be bothered or find any pathology. Had no idea what DVT was at that time. My DVT symptoms appeared a month after that, I simply woke up feeling as if I had been shot in my left calf. Had to go to ER twice as the first doctor sent me home with some paracetamol after sinply eye-scanning my leg and saying there had been no redness or swelling (which I could clearly see). Good thing I didnt let it go and found another ER a couole of days later who finally did the Doppler and found the DVT. The doctors I saw afterwards were not really concerned about PE. I was asked if I had any shortness of breath recently, which I told them I did, but for some reason they didnt seem to be bothered as I had also gotten off an extended strict bed rest of 8 weeks and they claimed the treatment would still be the same.. my d-fimer is through the roof even on anticoagulants and its double the already elevated norm during pregnancy. I have basically convinced myself I have cancer. I m not aure why Im giving all the background, it s probably just because I want to nag about everything and find someone to blame or looking for support. My mom and husband simply start yelling now whenever I start crying so I constantly feel like noone understands me.
I've also had hypochondria for quite a while and it's really not helping. I m worried about labour and my life after pregnancy - after having read all the stories around the internet it just feels like it s going to be a constant anxiety roller coaster with so many things I used to do when 'normal' I'll have to say goodbye to.
A couple of questions for those who have had DVT during pregnancy, or in general, if you may: - my doctors told me 12 hours were enough to get off the meds before labour, although all over the internet it says 24 hours for full dose. They also told me 'not to get the c section' as if I could choose this and not to take epidural as this can leave me paralyzed. Has anyone experienced anything similar when it comes to full dose? (5000 units/ 0.6 ml twice a day)
-Is there eally a chance to get off anticoagulants after 3 months of treatment? After having read all the posts, it simply seems many people 'have been lied to' when it comes to treatment. I know I need to have the blood tests done for genetic disorders. My mom has been struggling with her varicose veins all her life and has ulcers and my dad died of stroke although being an alcoholic for years might have contributed to his hylertension. So I guess, something genetic is coming my way.
-is there anyone you know who actually did not reclot after the initial episode? I feel like this would give me some hope.

• do you travel? How do you handle air travel? We re an international couple and would have to travel a lot in the future. Does the anxiety ever go away? Im afraid of getting VTE during these flights. Afraid to be alone or away from any place that would have a proper hospital.
  
• and do you drink coffee? My doc pretty much told me I could do anything I wanted, so that didnt really seem reassuring..
  
• are those compression socks forever? I cant believe id have to wear them all the time at this age..
  

Sorry for the very long post - I have resumed my therapy, but hearing from real people might put my mind at ease. Thank you for at least reading, even if you can't answer.

It’s almost like a personal hell. No docs to help or even try to touch my pain, just keep being told I’m (fine) yet keep getting worse. Now I have had random stomach ulcers ulcerative colitis etc, and they still don’t know what is going on. I have had every test in the book and I am in extreme pain now to the point I can’t even fucking work nd have to start a call center job. If it wasn’t for my wife and kid I would have pulled trigger or found a way out some how. I don’t know if this is allowed on here just desperate and don’t want to give up but it seems the world is unrelenting and giving me no choice. I’m only 22 so people just look at me like I’m lazy I have quit three jobs this year because when I work the back pain just gets way to intense, to the point I have been doing anything to kill the nagging stomach pain kratom, pills, what have you. But when it wears off it comes back with vengance, to be told by my doctor it’s (muscles) I have always been aware of my body and I know it’s not musculoskeletal, why would back pain just appear suddenly at 20 after drinking alcohol in a binge one night? Makes no sense I know it’s deeper I can feel it under my ribs. Floating stools since that day to but they just ignore it. It’s almost like my worst nightmare is coming true, before that day when I drank and devolved this illness I could never imagine my life being this hard, I know damn well teenage me couldn’t handle life like this and would be horrified at how it’s going. I’ve had every test under the sun, but still barely any help. Don’t know what to do anymore I’m so numb I feel very traumatized and trapped by this, I’m trying each day but idk if I can hold out for my family anymore I feel I’m ruining my wife’s life because I did this to myself accidentally. To make things worse I live in Appalachia with a pull yourself up by your boot straps attitude and the doctors are horrible to me. I would never wish this on even the most horrible person on earth and I just want the pain to stop. Sorry for depressing post just wanted to let this out.

I'm part of a sub that helps people out when they are in need. Someone posted about helping moms in need for mother's day, and I just so happen to have been in need.
I suffered with complications from my Ulcerative Colitis for a little over 3 months. I was bedridden and screaming every few minutes by the end. It was all so traumatic for my son. He is only 5 and autistic. He couldn't understand what was going on and why mommy was so sick and couldn't play with him. I drained my account because I could only stomach carnations, and my insurance didn't pay for most of the meds we tried.
So I commented and asked for help getting my son his favorite diapers (he likes the Olaf ones, and I only had Mickey and he hates the texture of the Mickey ones) and some of his safe food snacks. I couldn't afford either at the time. I got no reply or messages, so I figured I wasn't getting anything and moved on.
My son doesn't sleep well, he didn't fall asleep until 8am and had his first OT intake appointment at 1. It was horrible having to wake him up, but I knew a new intake appointment would be a month or longer to wait for.
Well, what do I see on our porch when I go to wake him up? 2 big packages that I know I didn't order. I take a look at it's literally every single item on my wishlist! I won't lie, I cried a little when I saw the Olaf diapers and goldfish.
My son was so upset over being woken up. But goldfish first thing was exactly what he need! He was so excited and called the package "present" multiple times. And as a special treat after being a good boy for his appointment, I even had some Oreos to give him! He was thrilled.
I have no idea who ended up sending those items, but you saved the day. We had just ran out of almost everything yesterday, and I was counting change to see what I could afford. Now that I have snacks and diapers, I just have to grab his real food and have just enough. I seriously cannot thank you enough for sending my boy some items to help his mama get through.

Hi, this is probably my last post here. I posted here a couples times during the last week because I am at a complete lost.
Here is my story. When I was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis it was only at the very end of the colon and only 10cm long. I went on budesonide (for 3months) and then mesalamine. It worked well for around 2 years, I had no symptoms (apart from cramps and bloating from time to time but my doctor said it could be IBS symptoms) and could eat whatever I want.. Lately I had alot of stress and went into a bad flare, did a sigmoidoscopy and the doctor said it was definitely worst and progressing. He wants to put me on budesonide (for 3months) and mercaptopurine (forever). I started budesonide but I am really scared of mercaptopurine and I really want to stay on mesalamine…
I tried to make another appointment with the doctor but he was fully booked so I asked the secretary to ask him what were the risks of just staying on mesalamine after the budesonide course to see if it will work again. She called me back and said that the doctor said that budesonide and mercaptopurine was his recommendation and that I can do whatever I want but staying on mesalamine is going against his recommendation. He said that if I was not happy with his recommendation I could go get a second opinion. But where I live it takes 2years to see a specialist so that is really not an option. I talked to him during my last appointment about going on entyvio because its safer but in Canada he says we cant unless we try alot of other options before. I insisted but he says he really cant. I didn’t think of asking him for other options then mercaptopurine or entyvio.
Now I can’t see him again. Can’t see another doctor either. Deadly scared of starting mercaptopurine but also scared of what can happen if I try mesalamine again and it fails.. will I get much worse and have to have more aggresive treatment… my plan would be to just give mesalamine another chance (since it worked well for 2years, its already going better with budesonide and I was under alot of stress when I had a flare) and if it gets worse, or not better in a couple months, restart budesonide and get on mercaptopurine. But since he said it was against his medical advice (and I can’t talk to him to know exactly why and the risks) im scared.
I don’t know if some of you were in similar situation and has some advice.

Hey gals!
I wanted to share my success story with you. There are so many posts in saphic subreddits out there with gals losing hope around finding a partner. In the kink space, it's harder. But it's possible! It takes a bit of extroversion and effort, but IMO well worth it.
I'm a Domme. I've been kink my entire adult life. I'm also a trans girl. I didn't transition until mid-adulthood due to not knowing anything about gender dysphoria. But that's not really the story. I just want to give hope to trans girls out there as much hope as cis girls. My fiancee/submissive/pet/little is a cis girl.
I went through the hardest breakup of my life with my former partner. We had been together 8 years and she left me for another woman 6 months before our wedding. I was destroyed. I moved home to where I live now and decided I was going to change everything about myself to not feel that kind of pain again. I wanted to switch. I wanted to bottom. I wanted to just date and not fall in love again.
Fast forward about a year after my toxic breakup and I'm now living in my new city. I decided to go to a FemDom munch to give this whole sub thing a shot. Like in most cities, there are not sapphic kink groups where I live but there are PLENTY of kink groups with bisexual women. I wasn't sure I wanted an LTR but I WAS sure that any relationship I wanted to be in had to have some kink and possibly a kink dynamic.
I dressed in a super cute dress, wore a big pink collar, and ventured out into the world. The munch was held at a gay bar and I was one of the first ones there. As the folks began to fill in, there were 1 or 2 sapphic couples there out of about 20-30 people. That gave me hope that I might meet someone to connect with.
Eventually, this bombshell of a woman walks in. She dressed very straight and very vanilla - but as a sapphic friend once said - "Why do you assume everyone is straight? You'll never shoot your shot if you do!" I mean....we were in a gay bar after all! She was looking for a seat and all of the chairs at our table was taken. I stood up, grabbed her a chair and offered it to her. She replied with, "Thank you! Where are you sitting?" and had me put the chair next to me.
At this point, I had no idea what her deal was. Straight girl? Domme? Sub? Vanilla? Wrong internet meet up?
I complimented her beautiful Kate Spade purse and we sat and talked about fashion for the next 30 minutes. Eventually, she offered to buy me a drink. I politely declined thinking it was a friendly offer. Plus I had a stomach ulcer at the time so I wasn't going to make that worse by drinking alcohol.
When she came back to the table, we sat and talked for another hour before I had to go to a friends party at another bar in the same neighborhood. We traded fetlife accounts and I left thinking, "Damn, that girl was awesome! Too bad she's probably straight."
When I got home that night, I added her on FetLife and saw her sexuality listed....a Bisexual submissive! Before I was able to shoot her a message, she shot me one telling me how much fun she had talking to me and how she hopes to see me at more events.
I shot my shot ladies. I asked her out to dinner.
Fast forward a week and we're at a lovely little Mexican resataraunt by the beach. Now that I knew she was a submissive, my Domme side awakened. I skipped the cutsie dress and collar and instead wore a gorgeous, form fitting body-con dress with stilleto black PVC heels. I channeled my black cat lesbian. I curled my hair and did my makeup. I'm still not sure this is a date, and neither is she - but I'm hoping it is!
We talked for 3 hours and sipped on margaritas. We talked about everything. Work. Kink. Politics. You name it! As I walked her to her car in my stilletos struggled with the gravel parking lot but she was impressed I was able to handle it gracefully. She moved in closer to me by her car and we both asked as the same time for a goodnight kiss. I guess this WAS a date! That kiss...floored me.
Our second date was very different. We met up at a Spanish tapas place, again by the beach, and talked kink all night. Despite her looking like a preppy straight girl (I'm more of a big tiddy gothy queer girl), her kinks aligned with mine in every way. We negotiated our first play date. The chemistry was undeniable.
I won't go into the NSFW stuff but only to say that after 23 years in kink, I've never connected with someone is such a profound way.
It's now a few weeks past our 2 year anniversary. We're getting married. We have 3 playrooms in our house. Kink is part of our day to day language but the love and support is beyond great. We're getting officially married in October.
It can happen! Despite being queer. Despite being kinky. Despite gender stuff.
Your partner is out there.
Short version of how I found my person:

1. I skipped the Apps like HER and Tinder because they all suck.
2. I got on FetLife and found a local munch with my interests (Dominant women).
3. I went to a munch and met a girl.
4. We got to know each other and fell in love.

I know how hard it is to date as a queer woman, but the majority of successful kink relationships I've met have all met in real life.

We are trying to decide about starting a family. With Fibro and Crohn's, I worry about passing these on. My husband also has Ulcerative Colitis. It worries me so much, that I wonder if having a child is selfish with our genetics. I am having a lot of internal struggle over this. I'm not the type that has always dreamed about being a mom, but I have a lot of love to give and love kids. However I wouldn't wish Fibro on my enemy.
I guess I'd like to hear from anyone else who has debated this aspect to having a child. Or anyone whose children also have fibro. Would my child resent me for knowingly passing on these health problems?
Edit: I got more responses than I expected, so thank you. I appreciate the responses that were from the people I was speaking to. As expected, there was a lot of "I would never want to pass this hell on to anyone else. How could you even consider it?" and "I would never be able to care for a child". Everyone has different illness severity and ability levels and you don't know what mine are. 🤷‍♀️ I also appreciate how much it brought up discussion about foster care, which I do consider. Ultimately, I realize my original post is about my struggle to accept that it feels like my health has dictated my choice to have biological children. It feels like the choice was taken from me and I'm grieving that. It's hard when your hormones are screaming at you to have kids and everyone around you is having kids, asking you about kids. I hope everyone can at least respect that. We all grieve for things we have lost due to our illness.

If you are in the position to support my work, I have a patreon, venmo, and a paypal set up. Just three dollars a month makes a huge difference! No pressure though, I will keep posting these pieces publicly no matter what - paywalls suck.
You can signup to receive a monthly email with links to my posts or subscribe to Keep Track’s Substack (RSS link).

Kansas

Despite voters overwhelmingly rejecting a constitutional amendment that would have allowed abortion restrictions in the state, Kansas Republicans passed several anti-abortion bills into law late last month, overriding the governor’s veto.
The first bill, HB 2436, makes it a crime to “coerce” someone into having an abortion. Democrats attempted to widen the scope of the bill to include all kinds of reproductive coercion, like pressuring someone to become or stay pregnant and prohibiting their access to birth control, and enshrine a right to “reproductive autonomy.” Republicans voted down the amendment.
The second bill, HB 2749, requires medical facilities and providers to (1) ask patients their reason for having an abortion and (2) report the data, including personal information about the patient, to the legislature every other year. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) agreed with the objections of Democrats and reproductive rights advocates, saying when she vetoed the bill that there is “no valid reason to force a woman to disclose to the legislature why she is seeking an abortion.”

• Democrats offered numerous amendments to HB 2749, including one to require men to report to the legislature their reasons for having a vasectomy and another requiring men to report why they are seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction. Republicans rejected all of them.

Finally, the Republican legislature overrode Kelly’s line-item veto allocating $2 million to the Pregnancy Compassion Awareness Program, created last year with a different veto override. The program is run by an anti-abortion group called the Kansas Pregnancy Care Network, which refers pregnant people to crisis pregnancy centers designed to use misleading information to discourage them from obtaining an abortion.

Louisiana

Louisiana’s legislature is doubling down on its anti-abortion laws, passing bills to increase criminalization and refusing to add exemptions to its abortion ban.
Earlier this month, the Louisiana House took up a bill passed by the Senate that would make it a crime, punishable by jail time, to possess abortion-inducing medication. SB 276, sponsored by 23 Republicans and one Democrat, was initially written to create a punishment for coercing someone into an abortion without their knowledge or consent (e.g. spiking a drink). However, House legislators recently added an amendment to the bill that classifies mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV substances alongside some opioids and benzodiazepines. A pregnant person possessing the drugs for their own use could not be charged, but others who intend to distribute them to pregnant people seeking an abortion or store them for their own potential future use would face up to ten years in prison.

“Neither is a drug of abuse or dependence, and that is what the controlled drug schedule is for,” said [emergency room Dr. Jennifer] Avegno of the abortion drugs. “It makes no scientific or medical sense to put these drugs in the same category as Xanax or Valium.”
Mifepristone is a drug that blocks a hormone called progesterone, which is necessary for a pregnancy to continue. Misoprostol causes uterine contractions, causing the body to expel the pregnancy tissue. Mifepristone is also used to treat Cushing’s disease, a hormonal disorder. Misoprostol is also used to induce labor, manage a miscarriage and in the treatment of ulcers. Neither are addictive. “People do not go around taking them and getting dependent and having bad outcomes because of it,” said Avegno. “It’s like saying your blood pressure medicine or insulin is a drug of abuse.”

A week later, Republicans on the House Criminal Justice Committee voted 7-4 to reject a bill to add rape and incest exceptions to the state’s total abortion ban. House Bill 164, written by Democratic Rep. Delisha Boyd, would have allowed girls younger than 17 to have abortions if they became pregnant as the result of sexual assault.

“That baby [in the womb] is innocent … We have to hang on to that,” said committee member Rep. Dodie Horton, R-Haughton, who voted against the bill. Rep. Lauren Ventrella, R-Greenwell Spring, also voted against the legislation, saying the proposed law would be difficult to enforce. Teenagers who had consensual sex might feign rape or incest in order to get access to abortion services, she suggested…
Dr. Neelima Sukhavasi, a Baton Rouge doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, also implored the lawmakers to approve Boyd’s proposal. She and her colleagues have delivered babies for pregnant teenagers, including mothers as young as 13, since Louisiana’s abortion ban went into effect two years ago. These young pregnant people can experience health complications that affect them for the rest of their lives, Sukhavasi said, and sometimes don’t have the mental capacity to handle the births. “One of these teenagers delivered a baby while clutching a teddy bear,” she told the committee.

The Committee also killed three other bills: HB 56, to allow abortions in cases of spontaneous miscarriage or nonviable pregnancy; HB 63, to clarify that the removal of an ectopic pregnancy is not an abortion under state law; HB 293, to add protection for physicians who do not intend to induce abortion by prescribing certain medications.

Texas

Meanwhile, in Texas—a state that pioneered the war on women and reproductive rights—a man initiated legal action to sue people who helped his former partner obtain an out-of-state abortion.
The man, Collin Davis, filed a petition in a state district court seeking permission to launch legal depositions to collect evidence for a potential lawsuit under a Texas law that contains civil liability for anyone who “aids and abets” an abortion. According to his lawyer, Jonathan Mitchell (who crafted the anti-abortion law), Davis is seeking to sue “co-conspirators and accomplices…involved in the murder of [his] unborn child.”

“Fathers of aborted fetuses can sue for wrongful death in states with abortion bans, even if the abortion occurs out-of-state,” he wrote. “They can sue anyone who paid for the abortion, anyone who aided or abetted the travel, and anyone involved in the manufacture or distribution of abortion drugs.”
Molly Duane, a senior staff attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, described Mitchell’s statement and general approach as misleading “fearmongering.”
“People need to understand that it is not a crime to leave Texas or any other state in the country for an abortion,” said Duane, who is working with lawyers from the firm Arnold & Porter to represent the woman and others targeted in the Davis case. “I don’t want people to be intimidated, but they should be outraged and alarmed.” Duane described the woman’s relationship with Davis as “toxic and harmful.”

Mitchell also represents a different man who pursued a similar claim last year: Marcus Silva engaged Mitchell to sue the friends of his estranged wife for allegedly helping her obtain abortion pills. Evidence later revealed that Silva knew about the plans beforehand and did not intervene, likely intending to use the threat of legal action as a way of forcing his partner to halt divorce proceedings.

Monday’s counterclaim illustrates, in painstaking detail, exactly how Silva—aided by Mitchell—allegedly deployed this tactic. It was only after Brittni’s abortion was complete that Silva revealed he knew about the plan and, according to the lawsuit, threatened to turn her in if she didn’t submit to his continued abuse. He even showed the police photographs of messages discussing the possibility of an abortion. “Once I finally got home with the girls he had been drinking and he told me that he knew,” Brittni texted one friend. “He’s using it against me.” In another message, she wrote, “Now he’s saying if I don’t give him my ‘mind body and soul’ until the end of the divorce, which he’s going to drag out, he’s going to make sure I go to jail for doing it.” […]
The counterclaim points out another flaw in his argument: Silva himself “is responsible for the alleged injury for which he seeks to recover.” He “knew that Brittni planned to terminate her alleged pregnancy and acquiesced in accepting Brittni’s actions,” so “it would be unconscionable to permit him to benefit by changing his position now.” His claims, in short, are barred “by unclean hands,” because he effectively entrapped his estranged wife—covertly discovering her plan to terminate the pregnancy, then allowing her to go through with it for the express purpose of blackmailing her into staying with him.

Indiana

A three-judge panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals last month unanimously recognized a religious freedom challenge to the state’s complete ban on abortion.
The case, brought by Hoosier Jews for Choice and four anonymous women of various faiths, alleges that the ban interferes with “their sincere religious beliefs that require and direct them to obtain abortions” criminalized since the law took effect in 2023. According to Jewish law, a fetus does not have personhood until birth, and abortion is required if the pregnancy endangers the life or health of the mother.

Brief of Hoosier Jews for Choice (and other plaintiffs): As indicated by the declarations of numerous rabbis, Judaism teaches that a fetus becomes a living person only at birth, and prior to that is considered part of the woman’s body, without independent rights. Abortion should occur and is mandated to end a pregnancy that may cause serious consequences to a woman’s mental or physical heath. Judaism also recognizes that physical health risks are not limited to those likely to cause substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. Judaism stresses the necessity of protecting the physical and mental health of the woman—a life—over the potential for life present in a zygote, embryo, or fetus. Therefore, restrictions that prevent a woman from obtaining an abortion where compelled by Jewish law, which mandates that the woman act to protect her physical or mental health, impose a substantial burden on that person’s religious exercise.

Under Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), “a governmental entity may not substantially burden a personʹs exercise of religion,” defined to include “any exercise of religion, whether or not compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief.” This means that arguments about whether plaintiffs are strictly observant are irrelevant; the law protects sincerely held religious views regardless of whether that view is idiosyncratic or unorthodox. However, even a law that imposes a substantial burden on the exercise of religion can be enforced if it is “the least restrictive means of furthering [a] compelling governmental interest” (the strict scrutiny test).
The state argued that abortion does not carry “religious significance” and, even if it did, the abortion ban satisfies strict scrutiny because it is “sufficiently narrowly tailored” to “further the State’s interest” in “protecting human lives in the womb.” Throughout Indiana’s brief, the state attempts to use science to back up fetal personhood, extending developmental physiology to make unfounded claims that protected life unquestionably begins at conception:

In lower courts, the State’s compelling interest is not up for debate. In Cheaney v. State, the Indiana Supreme Court held that the State’s interest in protecting unborn children is “valid and compelling” from “the moment of conception.” …A basic understanding of biology supports these holdings. “That human fetuses are human beings is a scientific fact, not a theological claim.” Regardless whether an individual person believes this, “the scientific consensus” is that “[d]evelopment begins at fertilization,” after which the newly created “unicellular zygote divides many times and becomes progressively transformed into a multicellular human being through cell division, migration, growth, and differentiation.” …. Science thus tells us that “[t]he act of performing an induced abortion during any stage of pregnancy, from fertilization up to birth, ends the life of an innocent human being.” The State’s interest in protecting unborn fetal life at any stage from intentional destruction accordingly is nothing less than “compelling.”

A panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals—made up of a Republican appointee and two Democratic appointees—unanimously ruled against the state, upholding a lower court’s injunction against the abortion ban as it applies to the plaintiffs. In the process, the court laid out a path for religious freedom challenges to abortion bans in other states and at the federal level.

The trial court found that absent a preliminary injunction, Plaintiffs would be irreparably harmed by the loss of their religious freedoms guaranteed by RFRA. A loss of First Amendment freedoms, which include the right to free exercise of religion, “for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury.”... Without a preliminary injunction, Plaintiffs will suffer the loss of their right to exercise their sincere religious beliefs by obtaining an abortion when directed by their religion and prohibited by the Abortion Law. They also have shown their sexual and reproductive lives will continue to be restricted absent the injunction and as a result of the Abortion Law.

• Briefs can be found under case number 22A-PL-2938 on Indiana’s Appellate docket

It has been a very long time since I posted here. Mostly because in the last years I’ve learned after 7 years of struggle that my UC is in fact Crohn’s disease.
In the past seven years I’ve failed all the treatments one by one until I started Stelara 3 years ago but at that point it was too late. There was pseudopolyps and scars in my colon and many specialists in my small city told me that I was the most severe UC case they had.
The thing is that I was so used to live with UC that it wasn’t bothering me at all even if I was bleeding and having diarrhea 10 times a day… I had accepted that it was how I was going to live the rest of my life.
One year ago I had a colonoscopy and they found 2 stenosis in my colon… in fact my doctor didn’t even finish the colonoscopy because my stenosis where blocking him. That’s where I started to understand that I needed surgery..
Even know I was feeling feeling relatively good. My doctor warned me that my colon was a ticking bomb… he referred me to one of the best GI in Canada Dre Carole Richard. At my first appointment with Dre Richard I made it very clear that having a colostomy bag at 25 was out of the question for me and that I was all in so she decided to do a Jpouch in one surgery.
The problem was that she was not very sure that I had Ulcerative colitis (we clarified the diagnosis with a biopsy during the surgery). So why do I have a Jpouch even if I have Crohn’s disease? Because for the last 7-8 years I only had inflammation in the region of my colon.
I knew the risk of having a Jpouch with Crohn’s but I went forward because I was confident that everything would go well.
The surgery was 8 hours long and I asked an Epidural before (thank god) for post surgery pain.
Everyone hear was telling the bad stories about how horrible this surgery was and about a many complications can commence with it… he was reading all the horror stories that you can read here so I was scared of the pain and scared of all the possible complications.
When I woke up I felt great. Not good.. great because of all the drugs. The worst day was day 2 where I had a little more pain because they where getting me off the IV drugs and day 4 I was sleeping home.
2 weeks later I was running 2K everyday. 1 month later so was running 30 mins a day.
The surgery was on October 31st and now I everything is normal, I run, I bike, I work, I eat everything I want and I go to bathroom about: 3-4 times a day.
I wanted to share the Final Chapiter (I hope) of my journey with UC/Crohns because it ended very well and we don’t hear the good story here because « No news = Good news »
I will answer the questions in comments
Like Aragorn said « There is always hope! »

I made one other post on here in regards to my husband but would like insight on some things so little by little will probably post different scenarios to get outsiders insight on situations.
Okay, sorry if this is all over the place but I want some insight from others not involved in the situation whatsoever. Feel free to ask for any clarity etc.
I (29F) and my husband (36M) have 2 kids. To protect their privacy I would prefer not to share details but I will share vague info. They are elementary aged. I put off my own schooling to focus on getting our kids established and we do virtual homeschooling. My husband has never been able to hold down a job due to a few health things (anxiety that he uses medication for, and a few years in he got diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and EOE but he doesn't stay on top of his own care). We live with my mom. He has lived with me under my moms roof for what would have been 12 years later this year.
Here is where I am asking for insight.
My mom witnessed him becoming more and more emotionally and verbally abusive. She sent him to his grandmas March 1st. My brother and I drove him down and we slept there and drove home the next day. He has been down there since. So 2 months. It was originally supposed to be around 2 weeks but then they asked about him staying another week. He was supposed to call my mom and they were supposed to talk about him coming back home. The one phone call they had he was making an excuse for why he yelled at me on the phone since he'd even been down there and then all he cared to talk about was his doctor(nurse practitioner) not sending his medicine, his insurance issues and all about his medicines. He is addicted to prescription drugs as well. If more info is needed I can elaborate but trying to keep this as short as possible but with enough details. He has also told us to go file divorce papers(I have never indicated separation, this was simply my mom wanting him to appreciate us and treat us better which it seems he is a narcissist and incapable of loving anyone but himself), custody, coparenting etc. So in his mind his is flipping it into US needing to work on our marriage instead of HIM working on how he treats me and our children.
He has barely talked to our kids. In the beginning I kept complaining about his lack of talking to them, then he would only try to call late at night. As I mentioned, they are school aged. I'm talking like 9:00pm or later he wanted to talk to them. Like I said, he didn't work and was aware of them having early mornings so this irked me. I told him he needed to stop putting us all off until the end of the day and it was completely rude and disrespectful to our kids time. He said he's busy and calls when he can.... I told him that's unacceptable and he needs to carve out a little time earlier in the day for them. I told him not to call after 8:00pm, which is still late quite frankly but better than 9 or 10. He has talked to them less than 10 times(don't know the exact amount so being generous with an estimation) I can look at my call log if necessary and try to weed out when he actually talked with THEM. Anywho, there was one Thursday night when he was supposed to call and I gave him a time and said no video chatting(he always tries to force me to be involved and I was busy and didn't want a camera being shoved in my face). He asked why not. I explained it wasn't a good night. He asked if he could video chat them Friday instead because he had things he wanted to show them. I made sure I was clear on what he meant and asked if he meant NOT talk to them "tonight" in order to videochat "tomorrow"? (this happened in the past hence the "") He said yes. He had not talked to them in 2 weeks at that point. So I was mad that he didn't ask if he could talk to them tonight but videochat them tomorrow as well....but then he said he was busy anyway so that would work better.....okay. Friday comes. He CALLS them. He was SO distracted on the phone and BARELY talked to them. He mentioned his brother had reached out about hanging out so I am thinking he was texting him while on the phone with them, but I don't know. I told our older child he was supposed to videochat so they mentioned it to him and he took a few minutes to send the link(iphone to android videochat) our child texted because it was taking so long. He finally sent the link and they were videochatting. He wasn't trying to show them anything. I mentioned he was supposed to show them stuff. He mentioned a coloring book and they had to ASK to see it. Then they ASKED about grannys dog so he showed them the dog. I gave them a time limit but gave wiggle room for the sake of our kids. I realized the chatting was going nowhere because he just wasn't interested in talking to them. Our older child mentions needing to go, then he says something like the child hadn't said they needed to go, in order to make it look like he "cared" like, "oh mommy said a time but I don't remember what it was so we probably need to go" they were over 10 minutes past, and I knew it but again I gave wiggle room for the kids. I chewed him out in a text and he admitted I was right and he was distracted and gave 348724985 excuses for what happened that day as to why he was distracted but I didn't want to hear any of it.
My kids very rarely bring him up. I ask them here and there how they are feeling about things and they are both sad but one of our kids even said that daddy was mean sometimes. That crushed me. I didn't know they felt that way. I didn't realize how bad things had gotten. I know what I went through and dealt with, but I was so blind to how he was doing them. I feel awful. And it came from the kid I would least expect it to come from cuz he seemed to give them more attention. I don't think the kids have asked to call him a single time. If they did I would absolutely not stop them, I'm not keeping them from talking to him. I am however setting boundaries on his side of things because he has no respect for our kids and their time. While he was on the phone with them he even brought up having issues with his doctor(NP) and meds. He talked to them for maybe around 30 minutes, most of which was the kids trying to talk and him saying.....uh......what? and telling one kid he was proud of them, they asked what for, he said......uh.....you're getting so big.
Side note; he mentioned I always have to say "something" (I am calling him out on his crap and not allowing him to use excuses anymore) and if I can't be peaceful we can't coparent. He informed me via TEXT April 17th that he now LIVED there. Has been so uninvolved already but ESPECIALLY now). I told him he has NO right to tell me how to COPARENT when he can't even PARENT to begin with and told him to ask HIMSELF a few questions and if he couldn't answer them he needs to reevaluate how good of a parent he is before trying to come at me for how I am PARENTING. I DO IT ALL. Anyways, like I said, we virtual homeschool and he was "involved" enough to know basics. So one of the questions was what grade both kids are in. He responded with his answers. He was wrong on both. Couldn't tell me what clothing size one was and was wrong on shoe size for both as well. He did get one of the kids teacher and speech therapist right but the teacher is a repeat from our older student and the speech therapist has been with us since the beginning so I knew he should know at least THAT one. I'm wondering if he googled what size one may be in because he mentioned a size not common to all stores but I do give him credit for answering what he did correctly. Its the ones that are incorrect though that are of issue. And I didn't correct him. He wasn't supposed to send me answers. I said to ask himself. He was just to cocky thinking he was really getting himself a "gotcha" moment. It makes me sad. I did tell my kids not to answer any questions if they videochatted(which I admit I didn't like doing, but with all circumstances I don't want him using them to answer questions making it seem like he knows more than he truly does) I told my older child what grade he thought they were in and they pointed out, "I was in ---grade when he left....." But we kinda laughed about how stupid/silly/dorkish it was and I am NOT trying to make him look bad. I shield our kids from a lot because I don't want their opinions of anyone swayed any way due to something someone else says. Same goes for their dad. Regardless of how I feel about him and the way he's done I don't want them holding things against him and distancing themselves due to things that don't need to divulged to them to begin with.
I'm sorry this was a lot, and it's probably all over the place and a mess.. I just need insight or opinions from someone that isn't involved or related to either of us so opinions won't be swayed. If any more info is needed in regards to myself or my husband feel free to ask.
I will also be moving forward with my schooling possibly this year or next depending. I wanted both of our kids established and while I'm not sure I'm quite ready because my younger student still requires more help and needs improvement with reading for me to be fully comfortable I may be able to start online courses in the meantime if able to do so before doing in person things eventually. My husband was no help with the kids and when he sat in or did attempt he had ZERO patience and was awful. So I limited what I would ask him to help with and did all the "heavy lifting" myself. We are all doing much better mentally and our younger child is unlearning some behaviors and is a completely different kid. They are coming out of their shell and while they've always been loving now they are even more sweet and loving and involved with others. I have seen so much improvement. And their dad has not mentioned talking to them SINCE that friday which was May 3rd, so it has been 10 days at this point.
Thank you to anyone that has read this trainwreck. If you think I handled things wrong and have advice on how to better handle things as well please feel free to advise away. While I am hoping I won't get ripped to shreds, I appreciate blunt honesty and can handle constructive criticism. :)

Okay, sorry if this is all over the place but I want some insight from others not involved in the situation whatsoever. Feel free to ask for any clarity etc.
I (29F) and my husband (36M) have 2 kids. To protect their privacy I would prefer not to share details but I will share vague info. They are elementary aged. I put off my own schooling to focus on getting our kids established and we do virtual homeschooling. My husband has never been able to hold down a job due to a few health things (anxiety that he uses medication for, and a few years in he got diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and EOE but he doesn't stay on top of his own care). We live with my mom. He has lived with me under my moms roof for what would have been 12 years later this year.
Here is where I am asking for insight.
My mom witnessed him becoming more and more emotionally and verbally abusive. She sent him to his grandmas March 1st. My brother and I drove him down and we slept there and drove home the next day. He has been down there since. So 2 months. It was originally supposed to be around 2 weeks but then they asked about him staying another week. He was supposed to call my mom and they were supposed to talk about him coming back home. The one phone call they had he was making an excuse for why he yelled at me on the phone since he'd even been down there and then all he cared to talk about was his doctor(nurse practitioner) not sending his medicine, his insurance issues and all about his medicines. He is addicted to prescription drugs as well. If more info is needed I can elaborate but trying to keep this as short as possible but with enough details. He has also told us to go file divorce papers(I have never indicated separation, this was simply my mom wanting him to appreciate us and treat us better which it seems he is a narcissist and incapable of loving anyone but himself), custody, coparenting etc. So in his mind his is flipping it into US needing to work on our marriage instead of HIM working on how he treats me and our children.
He has barely talked to our kids. In the beginning I kept complaining about his lack of talking to them, then he would only try to call late at night. As I mentioned, they are school aged. I'm talking like 9:00pm or later he wanted to talk to them. Like I said, he didn't work and was aware of them having early mornings so this irked me. I told him he needed to stop putting us all off until the end of the day and it was completely rude and disrespectful to our kids time. He said he's busy and calls when he can.... I told him that's unacceptable and he needs to carve out a little time earlier in the day for them. I told him not to call after 8:00pm, which is still late quite frankly but better than 9 or 10. He has talked to them less than 10 times(don't know the exact amount so being generous with an estimation) I can look at my call log if necessary and try to weed out when he actually talked with THEM. Anywho, there was one Thursday night when he was supposed to call and I gave him a time and said no video chatting(he always tries to force me to be involved and I was busy and didn't want a camera being shoved in my face). He asked why not. I explained it wasn't a good night. He asked if he could video chat them Friday instead because he had things he wanted to show them. I made sure I was clear on what he meant and asked if he meant NOT talk to them "tonight" in order to videochat "tomorrow"? (this happened in the past hence the "") He said yes. He had not talked to them in 2 weeks at that point. So I was mad that he didn't ask if he could talk to them tonight but videochat them tomorrow as well....but then he said he was busy anyway so that would work better.....okay. Friday comes. He CALLS them. He was SO distracted on the phone and BARELY talked to them. He mentioned his brother had reached out about hanging out so I am thinking he was texting him while on the phone with them, but I don't know. I told our older child he was supposed to videochat so they mentioned it to him and he took a few minutes to send the link(iphone to android videochat) our child texted because it was taking so long. He finally sent the link and they were videochatting. He wasn't trying to show them anything. I mentioned he was supposed to show them stuff. He mentioned a coloring book and they had to ASK to see it. Then they ASKED about grannys dog so he showed them the dog. I gave them a time limit but gave wiggle room for the sake of our kids. I realized the chatting was going nowhere because he just wasn't interested in talking to them. Our older child mentions needing to go, then he says something like the child hadn't said they needed to go, in order to make it look like he "cared" like, "oh mommy said a time but I don't remember what it was so we probably need to go" they were over 10 minutes past, and I knew it but again I gave wiggle room for the kids. I chewed him out in a text and he admitted I was right and he was distracted and gave 348724985 excuses for what happened that day as to why he was distracted but I didn't want to hear any of it.
My kids very rarely bring him up. I ask them here and there how they are feeling about things and they are both sad but one of our kids even said that daddy was mean sometimes. That crushed me. I didn't know they felt that way. I didn't realize how bad things had gotten. I know what I went through and dealt with, but I was so blind to how he was doing them. I feel awful. And it came from the kid I would least expect it to come from cuz he seemed to give them more attention. I don't think the kids have asked to call him a single time. If they did I would absolutely not stop them, I'm not keeping them from talking to him. I am however setting boundaries on his side of things because he has no respect for our kids and their time. While he was on the phone with them he even brought up having issues with his doctor(NP) and meds. He talked to them for maybe around 30 minutes, most of which was the kids trying to talk and him saying.....uh......what? and telling one kid he was proud of them, they asked what for, he said......uh.....you're getting so big.
Side note; he mentioned I always have to say "something" (I am calling him out on his crap and not allowing him to use excuses anymore) and if I can't be peaceful we can't coparent. He informed me via TEXT April 17th that he now LIVED there. Has been so uninvolved already but ESPECIALLY now). I told him he has NO right to tell me how to COPARENT when he can't even PARENT to begin with and told him to ask HIMSELF a few questions and if he couldn't answer them he needs to reevaluate how good of a parent he is before trying to come at me for how I am PARENTING. I DO IT ALL. Anyways, like I said, we virtual homeschool and he was "involved" enough to know basics. So one of the questions was what grade both kids are in. He responded with his answers. He was wrong on both. Couldn't tell me what clothing size one was and was wrong on shoe size for both as well. He did get one of the kids teacher and speech therapist right but the teacher is a repeat from our older student and the speech therapist has been with us since the beginning so I knew he should know at least THAT one. I'm wondering if he googled what size one may be in because he mentioned a size not common to all stores but I do give him credit for answering what he did correctly. Its the ones that are incorrect though that are of issue. And I didn't correct him. He wasn't supposed to send me answers. I said to ask himself. He was just to cocky thinking he was really getting himself a "gotcha" moment. It makes me sad. I did tell my kids not to answer any questions if they videochatted(which I admit I didn't like doing, but with all circumstances I don't want him using them to answer questions making it seem like he knows more than he truly does) I told my older child what grade he thought they were in and they pointed out, "I was in ---grade when he left....." But we kinda laughed about how stupid/silly/dorkish it was and I am NOT trying to make him look bad. I shield our kids from a lot because I don't want their opinions of anyone swayed any way due to something someone else says. Same goes for their dad. Regardless of how I feel about him and the way he's done I don't want them holding things against him and distancing themselves due to things that don't need to divulged to them to begin with.
I'm sorry this was a lot, and it's probably all over the place and a mess.. I just need insight or opinions from someone that isn't involved or related to either of us so opinions won't be swayed. If any more info is needed in regards to myself or my husband feel free to ask.
I will also be moving forward with my schooling possibly this year or next depending. I wanted both of our kids established and while I'm not sure I'm quite ready because my younger student still requires more help and needs improvement with reading for me to be fully comfortable I may be able to start online courses in the meantime if able to do so before doing in person things eventually. My husband was no help with the kids and when he sat in or did attempt he had ZERO patience and was awful. So I limited what I would ask him to help with and did all the "heavy lifting" myself. We are all doing much better mentally and our younger child is unlearning some behaviors and is a completely different kid. They are coming out of their shell and while they've always been loving now they are even more sweet and loving and involved with others. I have seen so much improvement. And their dad has not mentioned talking to them SINCE that friday which was May 3rd, so it has been 10 days at this point.
Thank you to anyone that has read this trainwreck. If you think I handled things wrong and have advice on how to better handle things as well please feel free to advise away. While I am hoping I won't get ripped to shreds, I appreciate blunt honesty and can handle constructive criticism. :)

Several people have approached me that they might have endometriosis. Lifelong warrior so thought I would share my tips and tricks I put together for my friends and family to share with you :) Hope this helps someone!
ENDOMETRIOSIS SURGERY FACTS

• EXCISION SURGERY! I cannot stress this one enough. If you have an ablation, it will grow back and likely quick (but consult with your doctors on your case 100%). Excision is when they cut it out vs. it gets burned off. You will have a better success rate and slow rate of growth if they excise. Not all cases can be depending on location so again, please talk with your doctor about your situation. This is not the same for everyone.
• If your doctor cannot do excision surgery. Skip and move on to the next! Trust me, well worth the time to research and find the right doctor. You will thank me later for this one too haha.
• Finding a doctor is stuff. Also tough to find resources. If you cannot find an Endometriosis specialist in your area who does excision, you may need to look out of state, but one tip is exploring gynecological oncologists. Some will take benign cases, but not all so do your research. But it’s a good avenue for help in your area or you want insurance coverage.
• Nanny’s Nook is a good resource for online information regarding endometriosis: https://nancysnookendo.com/
• Dr Seckin’s book called The Doctor Will See You Now is also worth the read (https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Will-See-You-Endometriosis/dp/1681621126)
• Definitely look into Egg Freezing before doing any permanent surgeries. The ovaries are more intact when there is a uterus in place, so I recommend immediately following any excisions with Egg Freezing if you can and if it’s part of your plans. I found my AMH levels low (1.2) but still retrieved 25 eggs, so never be discouraged if this is your future planning path.
• My Symptoms: I experience bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting as the main culprits. I have irregular periods in regards to the number of days and if it comes or not (even with an IUD). Pelvic pain is probably the worst of all since it accompanies these symptoms and is present a majority of the time. Others may have different symptoms, and there’s many others I didn’t list but wanted to paint the picture of some I’ve experienced.

ENDOMETRIOSIS LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY (WHAT TO EXPECT)
PRE-SURGERY

• List of questions to ask your doctor
• Insurance Information and ID
• Necessary forms or paperwork the doctor requires
• Make sure any medical records are sent that would be relevant

POST-OP PREP

• Eat smaller meals and simple foods days beforehand. If bowel prep is necessary, they also recommend taking a laxative in the days leading up to help prep.
• Pack a bag! Not every surgery is an overnight stay but even if you have a day-of surgery, back an overnight bag. Here’s the essentials:
  • Phone/Headphones/iPad/Kindle/Books
  • Device Chargers
  • Medications that you currently take
  • Glasses (do not wear contacts day of)
  • An extra pair of underwear
  • Sanitary Pads or Always Discreet
  • Comfy pants with light elastic band around the waist
  • Non wired bra
  • Slip on shoes (this is clutch! Recommend slides -https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BL7LJKZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
  • Layers - Sweatshirt, Long Sleeved Shirt etc. - Hospitals are cold!
  • Toothbrush and tooth paste
  • Hairbrush
  • Face wipes, wash cloth, small towel and bar of soap.

SPACE PREP

1. Make sure your bed or couch is prepped. I stayed on the first level for the first 2ish days before feeling well enough to stay upstairs.
2. I used a pregnancy pillow on the bed to help me stay on my back while sleeping and help you feel cozy.
3. Stock the house with foods that will be light for your stomach. Think soups and casseroles! Saltine crackers, broths, rices etc..
4. If you have a raised bed, get a step stool to assist. It’s best to sit on the side of the bed and slowly lay your upper body down while bringing your knees up and over to your back. You will need to use arm strength the first couple of days to get you up and over since you can’t use the abdomen.
5. Water and Beverages stocked at all times. I have a reusable water bottle and avoid carbonated beverages for the time being. They fill you with gas for the procedure so it may make those symptoms worse.
6. Netflix, Kindle, Puzzles, Craft Projects…visits with friends. Whatever makes the time pass, set it up ahead of time so it’s handy.
7. Items to Keep on Hand: Baby Wipes, heating pads, pads/diapers, candles, essential oils, things that smell good haha

BOWEL PREP
This is dependent on the type of surgery you are having, but its good to have Gatorade, Magnesium Citrate (liquid), laxatives and enemas on hand just in case you need these.
ON SURGERY DAY
It’s important to follow the instructions on what to stop taking and/or eating/drinking prior to the surgery. Wear comfy clothes (wide elastic waistband) and slides with cozy socks. Double check your to go bag and breath.
AT THE HOSPITAL

1. Do your check-ins and keep your people with you as long as you want.
2. Make sure to read all the consent forms and ask any questions upfront. Make any advance directives clear.
3. Just try to remain calm as there’s a lot of down time while they do intake. It is about 2 hours of prep before they bring you in for the surgery itself.
4. They will ask you the same questions over and over again, that’s normal and trust me, you want to confirm it’s all being done properly.
5. If you need something for anxiety, they will be sure to give you something if you ask :)
6. You will be wearing a gown, socks, funky underwear and a cool hair net haha wear the gown backward so you keep warm and keep the butt covered.
7. Vitals will happen and the anesthesiologist will come and speak with you to make sure they prep the right meds beforehand. Bring up any concerns here with them!
8. You may be wheeled or walked into surgery. I’ve only ever walked in and laid on the table myself.
9. They will then put the IV in your arm and sometimes will put on a mask, they will then ask you to count backwards and before you know it, you will be awake again!

RECOVERY

• You will wake-up and feel groggy. Totally normal and you will be in a different room. They will likely say a lot really quick about your surgery. Before leaving ask for them to walk through it or see if you can speak with the doctor again when clear headed. RECOMMENDED!
• Your throat will be sore, that’s normal from the tube.
• Just relax and sleep it off if you want, the goal is to be relaxed and pee once before leaving.
• Before you go, eat and drink and pass smoke urine. They’ll provide you with the meds and you’ll be good to go.
• Make sure someone brings you home after :)
• Make sure you have a bag for vomit in the car.
• Bring a small pillow that can be strapped between the car belt and you for maximum comfort on the trip home.
• Pain Med Management: This one is important. I messed up night one and didn’t take it soon enough and was in too much pain so make sure you stick to the schedule the doctors give you to ensure you are comfortable.
• Keep Walking: It seems unnatural to have a surgery then walk, but the sooner you get up and keep moving around the house, the better. Just avoid heavy lifting and immense bending like movements. Stairs are also ok but also consult with your doctor!
• Gas Build Up: I did feel pain in my shoulders from the gas. Just keep moving! It will help get that out of the system but this pain is normal.
• Relax and let people take care of you! Don’t be too quick to recover.
• Keep an eye out for fever, increased vaginal bleeding, or feeling terrible.
• Keep all post op appointments and follow all post op instructions!

ENDOMETRIOSIS MAINTENANCE
Here’s the tips and tricks I found helpful for maintaining my pain and symptoms (GI and back pain related):

1. Pelvic Floor Therapy: This is important for keeping the muscles in your pelvis healthy and strong to maintain your structure and also help manage pain. Consult with your doctor on whether this is right for you.
2. Physical Therapy: I do PT for my back and pelvic floor since it’s all related. We focus on Myofascial Release Therapy to help break up the adhesions and give me more mobility. This helps with temporary pain relief (reduction in number), but that is always welcome :)
3. Acupuncture: I swear by Acupuncture. I don’t know what it does or why, but it works. It’s not a cure by any means, but it's great for relaxation, fertility, digestion, endometriosis, sleep, etc.. I can go on, but it’s not covered by insurance plans all the time so you will need to check and see what you’re able to take on.
4. Diet/Exercise:
   1. Eating high protein, lower fat/carbs (not none just low) helps your body, but overall learn your trigger foods! This will go a long way.
   2. Ginger, turmeric and fennel all help with bloating. I like to drink them in tea form when I’m feeling particularly hard stomached as it’s a good natural way to decrease the bloat. Peppermint also works for some, for me it irritates my GERD.
   3. Chamomile for relaxation
   4. Walking and movement are important. I cannot do anything high impact due to my sacroiliitis diagnosis, so I stick with light yoga and walking.
5. Alcohol/Other Substances: Don’t do it. Don’t touch it. You’ll thank me later on this point.
6. Sleep: Insomnia is a very real thing. I think I went 2 or 3 days at its worst one time and I cannot say enough how important trying to keep the same sleep schedule will benefit you. Waking and sleeping around the same time each day will still feel exhausting but at least you know your body is getting the most sleep it can get.
7. Medications/Supplements:
   1. Ibprofuern: This does NOT work for me. I have GERD and ulcers so I cannot take NSAIDs, but with that in mind, NSAIDs are supposedly the best pain medication over the counter to help you manage it.
   2. Pain Killers: These are AS NEEDED. I try to refrain and leave these for the TRULY bad days which I try to spread out. Not even worth it sometimes, because I don’t like how I feel and sometimes vomit after taking them. But they do help the pain!
   3. IUD/Orilissa: An IUD will NOT do anything. If you are diagnosed, ask your doctor about Orilissa or similar medicines instead of birth control methods. This will not stop the growth, just suppress it. There are side effects and it is only a short term solution.
   4. Linzess: This worked well for me for constipation symptoms when they got severe. Definitely recommend bringing this to your doctor if you’re truly suffering and they have not yet mentioned. I also resorted after trying magnesium citrate
   5. CBD Lotions/Salves: For my pelvis, I use Healing Rose CBD Salve in Orange and Lavender (https://www.thehealingroseco.com/product/orange-lavender-with-chamomile-herbal-salve-300mg-cbd/). For my back, I use a medical grade CBD lotion with menthol (https://cbdclinic.co/clinical-strength-series/). I also use a CBD massage oil from Healing Rose of the same scent when doing myofascial release at home. I also use Somedays Cramp Cream (https://somedays.com/products/period-cramp-cream?variant=42062153842853).
8. Heating Pads and Ice Pack: I have several varieties of heating pads. A cordless travel heating pad (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FPTJL4G?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details), a plug-in heating pad (lhttps://www.hsn.com/products/pure-enrichment-purerelief-xxl-heating-pad-with-9-cord/22188460) and stick on patches (https://www.thermacare.com/ - I use the back patches but reverse them to the front for better coverage). For hot flashes and night sweats (also if you need to relax while anxious) place an ice pack over your chest to help cool or calm down.
9. Self-Care: No joke, massages, facials, epsom salt baths, sound baths, reiki….anything that you find relaxing. Do it. Try it! They also make CBD bath bombs Ive been wanting to check out.
10. TENs Machine: I really want one, don’t have one, but people swear by them (the heating pad linked to MyObi has a TENs version - https://myobistore.com/en-us/collections/my-obi-belts/products/apollo-2-0).
11. Pregnancy Pillow: This one sounds so lame, but I bought a pregnancy pillow for my first endometriosis surgery since I’m a side sleeper to help keep me on my back during recovery. It changed by life! It helps my anxiety and makes me comfortable while sleeping. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YYVRXLM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)..
12. Heated Blankets/Cozy Blankets: Make yourself feel better with a cozy blanket. Do it, I dare you!
13. Endo To-Go Bag: Includes heating pads (travel, plug-in and patches), medications, balms/salves, essential oils and pads/protection items, change of clothes, wet wipes.
14. Sex Life: I’m single, I don’t have a partner to worry about communicating this issue with at this point, but go slow and communicate given eventually this will have to be a conversation. What I have learned is that if you do have sex and feel pain. Immediately stop! If you associate sex with pain mentally in that moment, it may cause fear in doing so down the line so it’s best to stop the moment you feel any pain occur.
15. Work Life: I work a demanding job so it was not working with the appointments and care I needed to manage pain. Always get FMLA from your doctor for intermittent leave based on your company's policies. This protects you from flare-ups and appointments. Short Term Disability is based on your situation with work so talk with them about any leave of absence for surgery and recovery and ensure the medical providers fill out the paperwork appropriately.
16. Friends/Family: This one is the worst. I have to cancel and make plans all the time based on how I feel. I like to line up a bunch of plans for three months out and do my best to make them happen at the beginning of the month when I know I’m most likely to feel good. I just say I’ll make things up to them when I get better and those who have stuck around have been truly amazing friends, but don’t be upset that some might be over the day in and out of what you’re going through. It’s hard for you and sometimes others and it’s just a part of the relationships we’re meant to experience in life. Most people (unless they have endometriosis) don’t understand it so it can feel isolating, but there’s others out there who know what you’re going through and are willing to chat. Just gotta find them and reach out on social media, online etc..
17. Journaling Symptoms: Guilty of not being the best at this always, but it's good to track your symptoms to see how they work and operate. It helps not only you plan for it, but also your doctors in how best to handle your care. Take photos of things that make sense to show your doctors! Discharge, bowels etc..can sometimes help diagnose or judge with the images.
18. Next to Bed Kit: Make sure your nightstand is stocked with the essentials for your bad days. Makes it easier to access the items you need when you just can’t get up and get it.
19. Squatty Potty: Another thing that is majorly life changing on constipation days! Get one or you can make your own :) Take a stack of books and stack them at equal heights on each side and put your feet up. The trick is making sure you’re in a squat with your knees high to your ears.
20. Clothing: Dressing for this is key but you still want to look cute! Joggers with a stretchy waist are my go to pants, but wide leg trousers with a stretchy waist help with ease of removal but also comfort and brings some style to the look.
21. Pads: I wear Always Discreet vs. pads. I find when you need to wear them full time for incontinence it just makes it more comfortable. They have different cuts and styles so definitely check them out!

Several people have approached me that they might have endometriosis. Lifelong warrior so thought I would share my tips and tricks I put together for my friends and family to share with you :) Hope this helps someone!
ENDOMETRIOSIS SURGERY FACTS

• EXCISION SURGERY! I cannot stress this one enough. If you have an ablation, it will grow back and likely quick (but consult with your doctors on your case 100%). Excision is when they cut it out vs. it gets burned off. You will have a better success rate and slow rate of growth if they excise. Not all cases can be depending on location so again, please talk with your doctor about your situation. This is not the same for everyone.
• If your doctor cannot do excision surgery. Skip and move on to the next! Trust me, well worth the time to research and find the right doctor. You will thank me later for this one too haha.
• Finding a doctor is stuff. Also tough to find resources. If you cannot find an Endometriosis specialist in your area who does excision, you may need to look out of state, but one tip is exploring gynecological oncologists. Some will take benign cases, but not all so do your research. But it’s a good avenue for help in your area or you want insurance coverage.
• Nanny’s Nook is a good resource for online information regarding endometriosis: https://nancysnookendo.com/
• Dr Seckin’s book called The Doctor Will See You Now is also worth the read (https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Will-See-You-Endometriosis/dp/1681621126)
• Definitely look into Egg Freezing before doing any permanent surgeries. The ovaries are more intact when there is a uterus in place, so I recommend immediately following any excisions with Egg Freezing if you can and if it’s part of your plans. I found my AMH levels low (1.2) but still retrieved 25 eggs, so never be discouraged if this is your future planning path.
• My Symptoms: I experience bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting as the main culprits. I have irregular periods in regards to the number of days and if it comes or not (even with an IUD). Pelvic pain is probably the worst of all since it accompanies these symptoms and is present a majority of the time. Others may have different symptoms, and there’s many others I didn’t list but wanted to paint the picture of some I’ve experienced.

ENDOMETRIOSIS LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY (WHAT TO EXPECT)
PRE-SURGERY

• List of questions to ask your doctor
• Insurance Information and ID
• Necessary forms or paperwork the doctor requires
• Make sure any medical records are sent that would be relevant

POST-OP PREP

• Eat smaller meals and simple foods days beforehand. If bowel prep is necessary, they also recommend taking a laxative in the days leading up to help prep.
• Pack a bag! Not every surgery is an overnight stay but even if you have a day-of surgery, back an overnight bag. Here’s the essentials:
  • Phone/Headphones/iPad/Kindle/Books
  • Device Chargers
  • Medications that you currently take
  • Glasses (do not wear contacts day of)
  • An extra pair of underwear
  • Sanitary Pads or Always Discreet
  • Comfy pants with light elastic band around the waist
  • Non wired bra
  • Slip on shoes (this is clutch! Recommend slides -https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BL7LJKZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
  • Layers - Sweatshirt, Long Sleeved Shirt etc. - Hospitals are cold!
  • Toothbrush and tooth paste
  • Hairbrush
  • Face wipes, wash cloth, small towel and bar of soap.

SPACE PREP

1. Make sure your bed or couch is prepped. I stayed on the first level for the first 2ish days before feeling well enough to stay upstairs.
2. I used a pregnancy pillow on the bed to help me stay on my back while sleeping and help you feel cozy.
3. Stock the house with foods that will be light for your stomach. Think soups and casseroles! Saltine crackers, broths, rices etc..
4. If you have a raised bed, get a step stool to assist. It’s best to sit on the side of the bed and slowly lay your upper body down while bringing your knees up and over to your back. You will need to use arm strength the first couple of days to get you up and over since you can’t use the abdomen.
5. Water and Beverages stocked at all times. I have a reusable water bottle and avoid carbonated beverages for the time being. They fill you with gas for the procedure so it may make those symptoms worse.
6. Netflix, Kindle, Puzzles, Craft Projects…visits with friends. Whatever makes the time pass, set it up ahead of time so it’s handy.
7. Items to Keep on Hand: Baby Wipes, heating pads, pads/diapers, candles, essential oils, things that smell good haha

BOWEL PREP
This is dependent on the type of surgery you are having, but its good to have Gatorade, Magnesium Citrate (liquid), laxatives and enemas on hand just in case you need these.
ON SURGERY DAY
It’s important to follow the instructions on what to stop taking and/or eating/drinking prior to the surgery. Wear comfy clothes (wide elastic waistband) and slides with cozy socks. Double check your to go bag and breath.
AT THE HOSPITAL

1. Do your check-ins and keep your people with you as long as you want.
2. Make sure to read all the consent forms and ask any questions upfront. Make any advance directives clear.
3. Just try to remain calm as there’s a lot of down time while they do intake. It is about 2 hours of prep before they bring you in for the surgery itself.
4. They will ask you the same questions over and over again, that’s normal and trust me, you want to confirm it’s all being done properly.
5. If you need something for anxiety, they will be sure to give you something if you ask :)
6. You will be wearing a gown, socks, funky underwear and a cool hair net haha wear the gown backward so you keep warm and keep the butt covered.
7. Vitals will happen and the anesthesiologist will come and speak with you to make sure they prep the right meds beforehand. Bring up any concerns here with them!
8. You may be wheeled or walked into surgery. I’ve only ever walked in and laid on the table myself.
9. They will then put the IV in your arm and sometimes will put on a mask, they will then ask you to count backwards and before you know it, you will be awake again!

RECOVERY

• You will wake-up and feel groggy. Totally normal and you will be in a different room. They will likely say a lot really quick about your surgery. Before leaving ask for them to walk through it or see if you can speak with the doctor again when clear headed. RECOMMENDED!
• Your throat will be sore, that’s normal from the tube.
• Just relax and sleep it off if you want, the goal is to be relaxed and pee once before leaving.
• Before you go, eat and drink and pass smoke urine. They’ll provide you with the meds and you’ll be good to go.
• Make sure someone brings you home after :)
• Make sure you have a bag for vomit in the car.
• Bring a small pillow that can be strapped between the car belt and you for maximum comfort on the trip home.
• Pain Med Management: This one is important. I messed up night one and didn’t take it soon enough and was in too much pain so make sure you stick to the schedule the doctors give you to ensure you are comfortable.
• Keep Walking: It seems unnatural to have a surgery then walk, but the sooner you get up and keep moving around the house, the better. Just avoid heavy lifting and immense bending like movements. Stairs are also ok but also consult with your doctor!
• Gas Build Up: I did feel pain in my shoulders from the gas. Just keep moving! It will help get that out of the system but this pain is normal.
• Relax and let people take care of you! Don’t be too quick to recover.
• Keep an eye out for fever, increased vaginal bleeding, or feeling terrible.
• Keep all post op appointments and follow all post op instructions!

ENDOMETRIOSIS MAINTENANCE
Here’s the tips and tricks I found helpful for maintaining my pain and symptoms (GI and back pain related):

1. Pelvic Floor Therapy: This is important for keeping the muscles in your pelvis healthy and strong to maintain your structure and also help manage pain. Consult with your doctor on whether this is right for you.
2. Physical Therapy: I do PT for my back and pelvic floor since it’s all related. We focus on Myofascial Release Therapy to help break up the adhesions and give me more mobility. This helps with temporary pain relief (reduction in number), but that is always welcome :)
3. Acupuncture: I swear by Acupuncture. I don’t know what it does or why, but it works. It’s not a cure by any means, but it's great for relaxation, fertility, digestion, endometriosis, sleep, etc.. I can go on, but it’s not covered by insurance plans all the time so you will need to check and see what you’re able to take on.
4. Diet/Exercise:
   1. Eating high protein, lower fat/carbs (not none just low) helps your body, but overall learn your trigger foods! This will go a long way.
   2. Ginger, turmeric and fennel all help with bloating. I like to drink them in tea form when I’m feeling particularly hard stomached as it’s a good natural way to decrease the bloat. Peppermint also works for some, for me it irritates my GERD.
   3. Chamomile for relaxation
   4. Walking and movement are important. I cannot do anything high impact due to my sacroiliitis diagnosis, so I stick with light yoga and walking.
5. Alcohol/Other Substances: Don’t do it. Don’t touch it. You’ll thank me later on this point.
6. Sleep: Insomnia is a very real thing. I think I went 2 or 3 days at its worst one time and I cannot say enough how important trying to keep the same sleep schedule will benefit you. Waking and sleeping around the same time each day will still feel exhausting but at least you know your body is getting the most sleep it can get.
7. Medications/Supplements:
   1. Ibprofuern: This does NOT work for me. I have GERD and ulcers so I cannot take NSAIDs, but with that in mind, NSAIDs are supposedly the best pain medication over the counter to help you manage it.
   2. Pain Killers: These are AS NEEDED. I try to refrain and leave these for the TRULY bad days which I try to spread out. Not even worth it sometimes, because I don’t like how I feel and sometimes vomit after taking them. But they do help the pain!
   3. IUD/Orilissa: An IUD will NOT do anything. If you are diagnosed, ask your doctor about Orilissa or similar medicines instead of birth control methods. This will not stop the growth, just suppress it. There are side effects and it is only a short term solution.
   4. Linzess: This worked well for me for constipation symptoms when they got severe. Definitely recommend bringing this to your doctor if you’re truly suffering and they have not yet mentioned. I also resorted after trying magnesium citrate
   5. CBD Lotions/Salves: For my pelvis, I use Healing Rose CBD Salve in Orange and Lavender (https://www.thehealingroseco.com/product/orange-lavender-with-chamomile-herbal-salve-300mg-cbd/). For my back, I use a medical grade CBD lotion with menthol (https://cbdclinic.co/clinical-strength-series/). I also use a CBD massage oil from Healing Rose of the same scent when doing myofascial release at home. I also use Somedays Cramp Cream (https://somedays.com/products/period-cramp-cream?variant=42062153842853).
8. Heating Pads and Ice Pack: I have several varieties of heating pads. A cordless travel heating pad (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FPTJL4G?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details), a plug-in heating pad (lhttps://www.hsn.com/products/pure-enrichment-purerelief-xxl-heating-pad-with-9-cord/22188460) and stick on patches (https://www.thermacare.com/ - I use the back patches but reverse them to the front for better coverage). For hot flashes and night sweats (also if you need to relax while anxious) place an ice pack over your chest to help cool or calm down.
9. Self-Care: No joke, massages, facials, epsom salt baths, sound baths, reiki….anything that you find relaxing. Do it. Try it! They also make CBD bath bombs Ive been wanting to check out.
10. TENs Machine: I really want one, don’t have one, but people swear by them (the heating pad linked to MyObi has a TENs version - https://myobistore.com/en-us/collections/my-obi-belts/products/apollo-2-0).
11. Pregnancy Pillow: This one sounds so lame, but I bought a pregnancy pillow for my first endometriosis surgery since I’m a side sleeper to help keep me on my back during recovery. It changed by life! It helps my anxiety and makes me comfortable while sleeping. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YYVRXLM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)..
12. Heated Blankets/Cozy Blankets: Make yourself feel better with a cozy blanket. Do it, I dare you!
13. Endo To-Go Bag: Includes heating pads (travel, plug-in and patches), medications, balms/salves, essential oils and pads/protection items, change of clothes, wet wipes.
14. Sex Life: I’m single, I don’t have a partner to worry about communicating this issue with at this point, but go slow and communicate given eventually this will have to be a conversation. What I have learned is that if you do have sex and feel pain. Immediately stop! If you associate sex with pain mentally in that moment, it may cause fear in doing so down the line so it’s best to stop the moment you feel any pain occur.
15. Work Life: I work a demanding job so it was not working with the appointments and care I needed to manage pain. Always get FMLA from your doctor for intermittent leave based on your company's policies. This protects you from flare-ups and appointments. Short Term Disability is based on your situation with work so talk with them about any leave of absence for surgery and recovery and ensure the medical providers fill out the paperwork appropriately.
16. Friends/Family: This one is the worst. I have to cancel and make plans all the time based on how I feel. I like to line up a bunch of plans for three months out and do my best to make them happen at the beginning of the month when I know I’m most likely to feel good. I just say I’ll make things up to them when I get better and those who have stuck around have been truly amazing friends, but don’t be upset that some might be over the day in and out of what you’re going through. It’s hard for you and sometimes others and it’s just a part of the relationships we’re meant to experience in life. Most people (unless they have endometriosis) don’t understand it so it can feel isolating, but there’s others out there who know what you’re going through and are willing to chat. Just gotta find them and reach out on social media, online etc..
17. Journaling Symptoms: Guilty of not being the best at this always, but it's good to track your symptoms to see how they work and operate. It helps not only you plan for it, but also your doctors in how best to handle your care. Take photos of things that make sense to show your doctors! Discharge, bowels etc..can sometimes help diagnose or judge with the images.
18. Next to Bed Kit: Make sure your nightstand is stocked with the essentials for your bad days. Makes it easier to access the items you need when you just can’t get up and get it.
19. Squatty Potty: Another thing that is majorly life changing on constipation days! Get one or you can make your own :) Take a stack of books and stack them at equal heights on each side and put your feet up. The trick is making sure you’re in a squat with your knees high to your ears.
20. Clothing: Dressing for this is key but you still want to look cute! Joggers with a stretchy waist are my go to pants, but wide leg trousers with a stretchy waist help with ease of removal but also comfort and brings some style to the look.
21. Pads: I wear Always Discreet vs. pads. I find when you need to wear them full time for incontinence it just makes it more comfortable. They have different cuts and styles so definitely check them out!

Hello everybody. First of all, I would like to say that I sympathize with everyone who has had the same or worse problems than me. I apologize in advance for having errors in grammar, as English is not my native language, as I am from a European country bathed in the Mediterranean. I come to tell my story so that I can have outsider points of view, although many of my colleagues say to move forward. That's why I would like you to give your honest opinion about what I'm going through.
So my name, let's say John (32 M), and my mother, Karen (57 F), we're not doing very well as far as our mother-son relationship goes. This problem doesn't come from now, because I've been going through this all my life. I'm going to give you some history of our past, so you can better understand where we are. Since I was very little, I was very guarded by my mother. I remember that some school trips I had, I couldn't go because she wasn't going, and she didn't feel safe letting me go with the teachers. Also when I was younger, maybe with 4 or 5 years old, and maybe it was my fault, I didn't want to leave my mother for anything or anyone, and maybe that's why she nowadays tries to have the same care and control that she had when I was a child. There was so much control that even at the age of 18 had to enter the house, usually around midnight. (Here in Europe it is legal to drink from the age of 18)
Even to be able to be with friends and go to birthdays, I had an hour to be at home. I was never able to sleep away from home, except when, until I was 15, I went to my brother's house on vacation. Yes, I have an older brother, as my father was married before being married to my mother. My father was about 33 years older than my mother, and that's why he was very jealous of her, causing him to often lose his mind and hit my mother or throw things at her. When my father passed away, I was around 19 years old, and up until that age I had worked during the summers for 4 years, so that during those years I could get my driving license. But as my father passed away, this ended up being postponed.
That same year, I would have liked to have gone to work with my uncle, to the country where he is, but my mother forced me to go to university, because according to her "you go and go, I'm in charge" . So I went. Despite being upset, I went, and it was there that I felt the taste of freedom for the first time. I could go anywhere and not have to say anything to anyone. But even so, at night I had to call her to say I was going to sleep, even if I wasn't, because if I didn't, my cell phone wouldn't stop ringing with calls and messages from her. In the second year, I ended up leaving university because I was not entitled to a scholarship, as in the first year. I entered on the last day of entry, many classes had already ended. The pressure of being at home, as well as being left without a girlfriend, due to her cheating on me (but that's something I don't like to talk about), and because I left university and my friends abandoned me, I felt very low. But the following year I got my driving license, got an old car, and got my first job. After I had been working for 3 months, everything started to get worse again. My mother, who until then was only a little controlling, as until I got a job she only made me go home for hours, even if I was 50 meters away from home with a friend, began to control even more, at that time I only left home to work and vice versa, and even having time with that colleague she didn't like much. Furthermore, i suffered verbal abuse at work from my boss, and she even threw her car keys at me. But I put up with this job for 2 years, as I had bought a better car and was still paying for it.
It was halfway through my second year of work that I started to get so depressed that I found myself looking at knives and thinking that no one would miss me if I disappeared for good. Furthermore, I started having stomach problems, with ulcers. When the second year contract ended I left the job. I was lucky in that, despite everything, my mother was by my side and she even wanted me to leave my job. So when I left, she helped me find a course, until I could find a job. It was there that I got along with 3 women, all older than me, who helped me get out of the dark zone I was in, and who I could call friends. But even so, wanting to be with them, to go out a little, my mother always made sure I didn't go out with them.
Half a year later I got a job, which I've been working for 6 years. So as I could, and the car was now fully paid for, I started contributing more to the house, with practically half of my salary. She who worked, without making any deductions, left work, because the boss was always postponing this matter, and then she went out to see if there was another job in the meantime that would give her this type of advantage. Despite this, I always gave her that amount of money, so that she could manage the house, until she found a job and then the bills could be split. However, COVID appeared, and for 2 years there was no progress in finding another job, as I also thought it was natural due to everything being closed.
At the beginning of 2022, as I had no debts, and as needed a new kitchen, I decided to talk to my mother and do some work in the kitchen. In total I spent around €5000 of the money I had accumulated. Also in March, I took out a loan to get a better car, something my mother didn't like very much, but she didn't have to say, as it was my money. Since then, her control over my money and my departure and arrival times have gotten worse. Sometimes when left work would go to have something to drink with his colleagues, but i would let her know that i would arrive a little later, because of dinner. But even so, she made a point of yelling at me when i got home about how i spent the money, and that she had to be home at mealtime. So another year passed, with discussions about how I spend my money, less what I gave to her, and that I have to have time for things around the house.
In 2023 I started dating a woman younger than me, who I love with all my heart, but who to this day my mother continues to question. First it was because she didn't work After she found a job, she works with me, she said that I had enough time with her at work, that I didn't need to be with her either during the weekend or during the evening after dinner. Furthermore, she says that my girlfriend takes advantage of my money, which is a lie, because since we started working together, she makes a point of giving me things, more than I have given her, she says it is to make up for how much I did it for her. Just so you know, my girlfriend and I, apart from the first date and dinner after half a year of dating, we never went anywhere alone, my girlfriend always insisted on taking my mother, and when my mother wanted to go somewhere, I invited my girlfriend, something that my mother didn't like very much.
Also some things during this year were purchased with my money, such as the washing machine, but it was agreed that a payment she was going to receive from a course, which would be half the value of the machine, she would give mel, something that never happened. Something that happened some times
Then yesterday something bad happened. As soon as I got home from work, I was questioned about my salary, at the time I hadn't received it from the boss yet, and from then on it led to a serious argument, so serious that many neighbors came to the street because of the shouting she was doing about everything. then started talking bad about my girlfriend, who, while on the street, sent me a message saying, so we could talk more quietly. I answered her and lowered my tone, and went out to meet her.
My mother said if she wouldn't come, and she opened the door and told her, "to be treated badly I'd rather not come." So we both left and went for a walk, so that my girlfriend could calm down. Meanwhile, my mother called and called, but it wasn't until the 3rd call that I answered. She, speaking calmly, wanted to talk to my girlfriend, something she didn't want at the time, but which ended up happening at the end of the night. My girlfriend is hurt by my mother, which I sympathize with, because I feel the same way. I've been telling my mother for 2 years that I'm going to leave home, as the control has also been getting worse and worse.
My question is should I leave the house, or should I try to gain more control?? My mother-in-law says I shouldn't leave the house, but that I should gradually impose myself without arguments. and that in any case I can go and live with them, as my girlfriend and I should start saving for our future, but I think I'd rather not live so close to my mother, so that she doesn't show up unnecessarily, as mine Mom said that if i leave the house she won't want to see me again, but she seems to like trouble, so she can come and do what she likes most!
I must add that my mother receives a small pension from my late father, which together with what I give her, is equivalent to close to the country's minimum wage. In addition, the money she receives from my father, she spends it all on clothes or unnecessary things, and never saves any money, often leaving her bank account with just a few cents. what should I do?? I'm a jerk for feeling this way??

Hi everyone! I need to rant to someone who understands my struggles. This ordeal has ruined my life.
Back in December I came down with C diff after taking antibiotics for an ear infection. I was given more antibiotics to treat it, but it was ineffective. After an antibiotic switch and two more rounds, nothing seemed to be working. I was then told to go to a GI specialist who wanted to do a colonoscopy due to my symptoms sounding like ulcerative colitis. The doctor was unable to find anything. He Said it was most likely IBS and to, “take a walk or listen to some music,” and never spoke to us again. A fucking medical professional told me this. I do have a history of anxiety and depression and I’m taking medicine for it, but im almost certain it has nothing to do with mental health.
I was then referred to a different hospital/doctor who ran blood and stool tests to see if there was signs of inflammation present. Some of my numbers looked off but she said it was nothing of concern. We were doing these visits online, so she wanted us to come in. On Thursday we had an appointment and she said it was IBS. I showed her pictures of my stool and she said it was “normal” even with blood and mucus present. I think she thought I was an idiot. She said things such as “is this picture diarrhea to you, because it’s not,” (it was a picture of my bloody loose shit, to which I replied no) and asked if the mucus coming out of my ass was vaginal discharge. I think I know my ass from my vagina. The doctor also asked why I was prescribed anxiety medication and stated that even though I’m not feeling anxious that it’s still mentally related. She referred us to a gi psychologist in March that has yet to reach out. She alluded that this would solve all of my problems. If that’s so, why wasn’t the first doctor reaching out to one? I had so many questions that she completely avoided and said, “we’re not there yet” countless times. I guess shitting seven times a day after eating isn’t enough for her. she wants me back in September to see if things magically improve.
I’ll be 16 on Tuesday. This has prevented me from completing my sophomore year, and has derailed my life. I’m desperate for anything to work. I’m trying these hypnosis exercises on nerva and have my first acupuncture appointment Monday. Has anyone tried nerva or acupuncture? I’m so defeated.
Ps: thanks for reading all this I know it was a lot.

Just some background, I am 26M and suffer from Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and IBD. On Thursday at 3am I felt incredibly intense pain in my stomach and abdomen with the pain being focused on my right side. Figuring it was another ulcer, I went to the ER and got a CT Scan. Turns out it was appendicitis and they recommended I have an Appendectomy. Important note: My appendix did NOT burst, it was just blocked up so I was told surgery and recovery would be on the “easier” side.
Fast forward I was told surgery would be 2:30pm that same day, then 3:30 then 4:30 then so on and so forth and I didn’t end up getting surgery until 7 this morning.
Now, a Dr comes into my room around midnight, introduces himself but says very little words, comes over and immediately starts pushing down on my stomach with force. I’m telling him it hurts and to stop and he would tell me “calm down, just calm the hell down” before he pushed extrememly hard on the area my appendix is in. I immediately fold up holding back tears from the pain and he says “your nurse said you were upset because I wouldn’t let you eat due to surgery. I have no updates ss to when surgery will happen” and walks out. No exaggeration, no fluffing, that is word for word and action for action how it went down in all of 3-5 mins. I did make a comment to my nurse about the possibility of eating because it had been 13 hours since I last ate but I never expressed animosity towards the Dr.
That was the first red flag. Second one is that after my surgery was done, I went to the bathroom (just to pee) and it burned and hurt so so bad. I called my nurse and asked her to ask the surgeon why it would hurt so bad. She gave me an extremely vague answer and said she’d ask. She comes back and tells me it must have been the catheter they put in my penis. Not ONCE did someone mention a catheter, not once did I give consent to receive one, not once did I sign stating I knew that was part of the surgery and not ONCE did someone tell me about it until I asked. Kind of fucked up right? Makes me worried as to what else they do to patients when they are passed out and don’t have any control.
Thirdly, the surgery was to involve a cm incision UNDER my belly button and instead they botched my entire belly button. It looks 3x bigger than it was, a massive scar inside it and for lack of better words, it literally looks like a butthole. And now I don’t know if ai have the confidence to go shirtless anymore.
Now I may be in the wrong here so feel free to tell me if I am, but between the Dr basically assaulting me, the surgical omitting the details of the catheter, and the “botched” surgery on my belly button, is there anything I can do legally??
I’ve been to this hospital over a dozen times over the last two years and have never had issues but this time worries me if they have these types of issues occurring. He could have burst my appendix, I would’ve said no to the catheter, and now my self esteem is fucked due to my atrocious belly button.
Can someone please tell me what steps to take and how to go about making this right??

Hello! I’m a 29 year old male that has been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosis cholangitis of the liver for about ten years now. In the past fifteen months I’ve been subject to more frequent swelling spells where I retain water and observe particular discomfort and swelling in my legs (predominantly my left thigh, ankle, foot) and abdomen.
I’ve had a number of doctors give me different answers over these last few months without any definitive answer. I’ve had plenty tell me that my stomach looks “impressive” with thickening rugal folds that could be responsible for protein loss and I’ve had a regularly decreasing albumin result on my labs. For a while Mentrier’s disease was a potential suspect but that has since been ruled out. Doctors are now pointing toward portal hypertension, but I also think diet is a contributing factor. I’ve made every effort to stick to a whole food diet, cutting out processed food and greatly limiting my added sugar intake.
I guess my biggest question is how/why do things seemingly change at the drop of a hat with no real sign to point to? For example, I’ve been stuck at about 159-163lbs for the better part of the last few months, but the last two weeks or so have been able to get myself to a more regular weight of 156-159lbs. My diet has been practically the same day in, day out for all of May but since Tuesday afternoon, my legs and abdomen have just been retaining water and I’m currently at 164lbs. Any additional thoughts or is this just my life now until I eventually need a liver transplant? Happy to elaborate on any and all parts of this.