Anonymous-Humanish

I don't understand how so many fascinating topics can be taught by people who take the joy out of learning. It's awesome to be an expert in a field. But if you aren't a good story teller or you don't have passion for what you're talking about, please stick with publications.

That's all. Thanks.

The Cost is Too Much

Rent. Groceries. Transportation. Health care. Therapies. Subscriptions.

I've been getting rid of things I don't need. Buying smarter / in bulk for meal prep and essentials.

Anything I haven't used in the last 6 months, gone.

My nervous system is shot from being on edge the majority of my life. I've witnessed things and experienced things I wouldn't wish on anyone.

And when I sought help as a child, I was retraumatized by the system.

There is no meaningful help which is accessible.

None.

Diagnosis by prescription.

Revolving doors.

The havoc that prescriptions and ignorance can cause the mind and body.

The cost of existence is our life. We pay that debt with

Long story short, I didn't experience safety at home or school growing up. When I sought help, my situation was made worse. I've had many times where I thought I might make a safe landing, only to find I was wrong.

My nervous system does not trust people.

Due to circumstances, I couldn't have a pet for a number of years. I finally got a cat about two years ago. It took a couple of months to build trust, but once we bonded, it was strong. I was his safe person and his presence was a landing place for my nervous system, to relax, to love and be loved.

He got out toward the end of December and there's been no evidence that he's been around home.

I don't think the worst. He was a barn cat

I am grieving the loss of someone, the only person really, whom I felt safe with and loved by.

It was 2004. I had decided to transfer from the North campus to the South campus and was preparing to temporarily move in with my grandparents in early December.

My grandmother had primary pulmonary hypertension. She was in experimental treatments with Johns Hopkins, receiving medicine directly to her heart through a catheter.

While the treatments had seemed to help initially, she was in the later stage of PPH with rapidly declining health. She had just been put on hospice and received a hospital bed.

I think the reality of it hit her hard, because she passed away within two weeks.

One

My RS has been on TRT without issue for 10+ years. Added a microdose of anastrozole (.1mg EOD) in the beginning of the year. The goal was to help shift how the fat is stored. Noticed some hair shedding around April. Added retatrutide, started at .5mg every 3.5 days and wound up at 1.25mg every 5 days.

Despite not being on a large dose of reta or experiencing rapid weight loss, hair shedding became more noticeable with hair shaft diameter about a third of what it was (late July/ early August). Began weening off anastrozole in August and stopped the anastrozole in September. Lowered the reta down to .75mg every 5 days in November.

Weight is stable. Due to the hair shedding, RS wants to ween

There are so many posts where folks are comparing themselves to their peers or to 'social norms' or family expectations.

The longer I live and get to know myself, the more I want to accommodate how I operate within the world. No one lives my life, thinks my thoughts, or feels my feelings. So why would I care what they think?

Hopefully, as a person gets older, they get to know themself. They get to know what moves them. What they're willing to accept and not accept.

Not everyone fits into the mould they're told to fit into.

Maybe you don't fit a 9-5 job because your brain is geared toward less rigid environments. Maybe you don't fit the expectations placed on a man or a woman, or of so

What would have been helpful to know when you first started out, that would have saved you time / money / frustration with your setup?

I have had this crush on someone on and off for probably a year. Sometimes, I feel really connected. But I know it is because he holds space and treats me like I matter. I also know that falling for your therapist is pretty common.

However, my history involves many years of misdiagnosis and institutionalization as an adolescent. My feelings, thoughts, and behaviors have been dissected by professionals and immediate family members for 3/4 of my life.

So when I think about bringing it up in session as something to acknowledge and learn from, I don't want to. Love is something I feel so rarely and tenderly, I don't want it to be just one more thing that is picked apart.

I started on sermorelin troches a little over a year ago, and have moved on to the world of injectables and intranasal sprays.

I've tried multiple stacks and have had mostly good results.

My question to you is: have you found that you've become more intuitive with dosing and frequency over time?

I utilize guidelines, but I am very somatically aware and make adjustments. I track daily and notice all the different effects and possible variables (including food, activities, stressors at work, etc.)

Also - do you have any go-to stacks? Maintenance stack?

For those who have been researching peptides for a year a more, what have you learned from your experience so far?