Posts by Edward Murphy4

I don't get it—seriously. Any kind of pressure just triggers the exact opposite reaction in me. The second I catch someone trying to push my buttons? That’s when my mind is officially made up.😍

I could sign off on that. Honestly, during the day, I’m just a walking zombie—sort of spaced out and totally out of it🤣—but once night hits, my brain just clicks into gear. And man, am I creative. It's actually kind of scary.🤣 It’s like I’m tapping into some weird power source or something.
It's always been this way. Being "normal" was never really my thing.

casualridge8 said:@Jeffrey Fisher5, I think you might have missed the mark on this topic. There are actually a few different threads floating around here specifically about ungrateful kids, so maybe give those a look?

What I’m really trying to get at is how people handle that heavy, natural sense of guilt that kicks in when they move away from their parents. And isn't that feeling so much more intense if your parents were actually good to you? It’s a different beast entirely compared to when the relationship was toxic...

How do you all deal with that weight?

Personally, I don't think it's "natural" at all—like, there's no rule saying you *have* to feel that way. And I'm right along with the folks who say parents often project that guilt onto their kids. When I moved out at 18, I didn't feel guilty one bit.🤷 My parents were totally cool with me striking out on my own; if they hadn't been, they would've been the weird ones.😁
Not trying to offend anyone here, but I'd feel like a total loser if I’d just stayed stuck at home with my parents. Weird, I know—but that's just me.🤣

My mom does this thing where she basically morphs to fit whoever she's talking to.
Like, if she’s grabbing coffee with a friend from New York City, she’ll suddenly pick up that specific accent. And honestly? She nails it—it doesn't sound forced at all.🤣 I can't tell if she's doing it on purpose or if it's just some weird subconscious thing.🤷

As if...😁

It’s because he wasn't some old-school, patriarchal hillbilly—which is why I don't even bother dating guys like that anymore. That whole mindset just feels totally foreign and honestly pretty gross to me.

He just didn't push back against the "old ways" when it mattered.🤣

I’d love to believe people like that don't actually exist—or at least, that I've never met any.🙄

Probably happened once during puberty, though.🤣

They always said he loved me more than my siblings, and looking back, I could always tell.😛

I get mine every single month.😁
But calling it "bleeding" feels like a stretch—it’s way too light. It lasts maybe two or three days tops, and honestly, a liner is all I really need.🤷

I’m just trying to picture my therapist telling me I’m all wound up because of "suppressed sexual energy."🤣
The only way I could possibly wrap my head around that...🥳

Lawrence White5 said:@ Edward Murphy4 - thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂 ...I’m just curious about one thing: once she realized she was pregnant, did she stop taking the pills immediately, or did she keep going for a little while longer after the fact?

She kept taking them until she actually found out. Basically, she didn't notice her period was MIA until she finally hit up her OB-GYN.

Lawrence White5 said:@ barsana - Look, the core of the issue is that it doesn’t necessarily mean the outcome was harmful or safe; it just means she went through an abortion without any way of knowing if the baby was healthy or not. That isn't really the kind of lived experience I was hoping to connect with here. I was honestly thinking someone might chime in if they had specific insight regarding the baby's status 😉
@ Victoria - Yeah, you know what, I'm calling it quits 😁

If it helps at all—my brother's wife ended up pregnant like that. Looks like everything's fine with the kid.😁
Been over a year now.

ruggeddrifter14 said:I think this whole thing is a massive joke... and just a cash grab at this point...your genes and how a disease might develop aren't gonna change just because you eat better or switch up your lifestyle...if you're destined to get some serious illness, you'll get it regardless.My husband and I had a hard time conceiving, so we did that whole DNA testing thing—and it turned out we're both carriers for Type 1 diabetes. Since we're both homozygotes, there was a huge chance—basically a guarantee—that our kid would have it. Well, the kid is perfectly healthy so far... meanwhile, my kid and I carry a highly specific gene for celiac disease; I've got it, she doesn't... yet. Plus, if you're a hypochondriac, all this info will just drive you insane over stuff that might never even happen. And God forbid you actually *need* a DNA test—you can just get it through insurance for free, like we did. If you've got money to burn and want to stress over nonsense, go for it... otherwise, it's a total waste of time.

Even if that's true, wouldn't it be better to know? At least, that's my take.😁 I'd want to know.
Besides, say you find out you carry a gene for a specific cancer—then you can keep a targeted eye on that organ..🤷
My boyfriend did his testing ages ago, overseas. I'm thinking about doing it too. Either way, I don't see how it could be bad. Unless you're a major hypochondriac or someone who'd rather stay in the dark. In that case, yeah, maybe skip it.🤣

Austin Murphy5 said:I have a soft spot for those internet psycho-tests that aren't actually psychological tests at all—specifically the personality ones. 🙂 Don't get me wrong, I don't give them much scientific credibility, but they are just plain fun. Most of these quizzes rely on a specific cluster of traits, and usually, that includes the distinction between being a Thinker or a Feeler—you know, the logic-driven type versus the emotion-driven type...
The thing is—and this is one reason why I think most of these tests are poorly designed—the way they force you to choose between being a Thinker or a Feeler when answering a question just doesn't hold water.
Take me, for instance—I honestly never know how I’d answer. I am incredibly emotional. My feelings impact my life deeply, and I’d even say they take a toll on my health. I’m not overly introverted, nor am I an extreme extrovert; I wouldn't say I'm a stoic who accepts everything without a word, but I'm certainly not someone who creates drama out of nothing. But I am definitely emotional.
At the same time—I rarely make major life decisions based purely on emotion, no matter how intense those feelings might be. In the last year alone, I made two very significant decisions that went directly against my gut feelings because I rationally assessed that they were better for me. So, by that logic, that was a total Thinker move.
Yet, the fact that it hurt so much—and that I went through such intense emotional stress during the process—would technically classify me as a Feeler, wouldn't it?

My question is this: if we decide, just for the sake of the game, 😉 to follow this Thinker/Feeler divide, is a Thinker/Feeler defined by whether their *actions* are rooted in logic or emotion, or are they defined by how much things *affect* them personally? To put it another way—are you a Feeler if you simply feel more intensely than a Thinker, or are you a Feeler if you act more in accordance with your feelings than a Thinker, who acts according to reason?

Since I make about 99% of my decisions based on vibes alone, I guess as a "purebred feeler"😁 I can't even tell the two apart.
I mean, I can't exactly make a purely rational choice and then just sit there silently suffering through the consequences—because, hello, I'm a feeler.🤣
But hey, I'm an extreme case.

steelangler88 I can't even begin to process this—it's like someone took a bunch of nonsense and just called it a day. Seriously?
Yeah? And where exactly did you get an idea like that from?
So, they finally cut me off on the estrogen—now I'm stuck on progesterone... and honestly? I'll probably be riding this wave until the day I kick the bucket.🙄

And honestly? Every single one of them is solid—you seriously won't believe it.

I’ve tried every single alternative method out there—teas, weird supplements, all that crap. Nothing works.🙄
So, that’s how I ended up looking into Vitamin K. Since it's fat-soluble—and let's be real, my stomach absolutely hates fats—it felt like a total no-brainer that I might be running low.
Honestly, I didn't think anything could actually save me. Still can't quite wrap my head around it.🤣
So, from what I can gather, healthy people don't actually lack that vitamin—so I guess I don't know if I should be celebrating or what!😬

Looks like I finally cracked the code on my issue. For the last three months, I’ve been taking Vitamin K for five days leading up to my period, and everything is back to normal.
I didn't want to say a word until I was 100% sure this was actually working. But yeah—it is.

Honestly, the parents are what really worry me about this whole situation.😁
Regarding that awkwardness you're feeling—don't let it get to you. Just don't give a damn. Act like they aren't even there.🤷If they have even an ounce of intelligence, they'll get the hint. If they don't (which, let's be real🤣), well, again—why do you even care?😍

And where's the dad in all this? I mean, seriously, what kind of father lets his 18-year-old daughter act like this??

Eric Gray2 said:5. is honestly perfect for me—it’s great for just listening, but it also serves as this solid backdrop when I’m deep in thought or doing some serious intellectual heavy lifting.
9. is just as good when I need to focus or put in some mental effort; it isn't grating or distracting like those energy drinks 😁

6. is usually wonderful, but if I'm being honest, it just doesn't quite hit the mark for me when I'm trying to study.

Honestly, number 2 is way worse than number 9.🤣

David Scott7 said:1. track - absolutely grating. I couldn't even make it past the two-minute mark before I had to shut it off.

2. track - It’s fine, I guess. But it’s too playful for me to actually focus on studying.

3. track - Good for falling asleep, maybe. Not for studying.

4. track - I love this one, really. But honestly? It's a terrible choice for getting work done because it just drags my mind back to old memories of when I used to play... 😬

5. track - Only lasted two minutes. After that, the boredom and the sheer irritation were just too much.

6. track - This works for studying. And look, I’m a huge fan of Bach in general. 😍

7, 8, and 9. tracks - Didn't even get through the first two minutes of the first one. Had to kill the music. Just incredibly annoying and dull.

10. track - Strictly for sleeping. 😁

So yeah, those are the ones that actually work for me when I'm hitting the books.😁

I gave the first 4-5 minutes of every track a listen.
Tracks 3 and 10 are definitely the winners.
On number 8, there’s a solid stretch starting at 4:35 that carries through to about the 9-minute mark—after that, though, it just goes downhill into this super annoying section.😁
Number 4 is incredible, but honestly, if God wills it, I might actually marry her🤣, so it’s probably not the best vibe for studying.

Numbers 2 and 9? Total earworms in the worst way.
Actually, all the irritating tracks have something in common. And honestly, I find them grating in general, not just when I'm trying to focus on work.

My Ferritin is sitting at 12—the "normal" range is 10-120. Should I be freaking out yet?🙄

steelangler88, this liver enzyme thing is my absolute favorite.🤣 I mean, if I’m popping this many pills, shouldn't they be going up instead of down?!
Mine are looking fine, for what it's worth.
Honestly, I don't even know anymore... I'm just over it all.☕

Does anyone know if I messed up by getting my hormone levels checked on the last day of my period? Like, the third and final day. I basically can't leave the house while I'm on it—sometimes I can barely make it from my bed to the bathroom.🙂
So, yeah, I have no clue if that skewed the results...

steelangler88 said:Look, I don't know much about androgens or prolactin. But based on what you're saying—and my own experience—I'd expect bleeding to be lighter and less frequent, not this mess. Something just isn't adding up.
Honestly, I'm starting to think this might not even be a gynecological issue—maybe it's just manifesting this way? 🤷

I don't know if there's a link, but my liver enzymes are always low, so I'm trying to connect the dots there. Plus, I'm heading in to get my thyroid checked. I'll find the culprit one way or another—whatever it is, I'm over this.🙂

I'm convinced it’s not that. Before all this started, my periods were actually pretty light and totally matched these results. So, I don't think my hormones actually changed—I think the problem is coming from somewhere else entirely...🤷

Sophia Wells72 said:A lot was left out here given the situation, including the thyroid (T3 and T4). You should also check androstenedione, both total and free testosterone, prolactin, SHBG, DHEAS, cortisol... plus progesterone on day 21, etc. Did they check if everything is okay with the pituitary gland? 🤷 It might actually be a good idea to see an endocrinologist. If you stick with your OBGYN, make sure you insist on every possible test—or just find one who actually knows what they're doing.

My thyroid is fine. Out of that whole list, the only ones I haven't had checked are SHBG and cortisol. Though, I did have my cortisol checked recently and it was normal. Does it matter if you test it specifically during your period?

My estrogen and progesterone levels are pretty low too—plus my FSH is nearly double my LH, even though my androgens are through the roof.🤷 Oh, and prolactin is up as well.

Daisy, thanks for the heads-up. No one’s actually suggested that to me yet, so I guess I'll just take matters into my own hands if I have to.