Posts by shadowfox75

Greetings. I had my phimosis surgery at the Mayo Clinic about a year ago, and I want to offer my sincere praise for both surgeons who performed the procedure. You receive local anesthesia in several spots; there is a slight amount of discomfort, but nothing intense. They wait for the numbness to fully kick in before they begin, and the process takes roughly 35 minutes. They use dissolvable stitches that fall out on their own. The first seven days can be quite uncomfortable because the glans becomes extremely sensitive. Regarding aftercare, you will need to clean the wound several times a day using an Acid Boricum solution, which your surgeon will prescribe. Initially, you will have follow-up appointments with your primary doctor, who, as in my case, may prescribe a specific antibiotic for preventative care.
To offer a bit of perspective and encouragement: I had my surgery on December 12, 2005, and by December 28, 2005, I was already in Budapest celebrating New Year's Eve with my college friends. I had a fantastic time, despite having a small, wounded warrior in my trousers. There is really no need to worry; this is a minor matter.
By the way, you will see how incredible sex feels about three months after the operation once you are finally able to get back into action.
It is a completely different sensation. Good luck.😈

Sean Harris49 said:Honestly, life is beautiful, yet people waste it all on depression and pessimism.🙄 Ultimately, you create the reality you live in.
And shadowfox75, start by changing your avatar because you look incredibly lifeless and frankly unpleasant right now. 😉😛 Take some time for self-reflection and find something that actually brings you joy, then pursue it. Losing a job or being single isn't the end of the world—you've already listed plenty of setbacks. Things can be different as early as tomorrow.

That comment about the avatar was brilliant... honestly, that's the first time I've genuinely laughed in a long time. 😬

Robert Stewart28 said:I've started cooking for myself—it's entirely new territory for me, and I'm enjoying the process of experimenting. Between that, running, and exercising, I'm doing anything I can to stay active rather than just sitting around contemplating the meaning of life.

There is no need to roll your eyes at this.

My apologies for the eye-rolling; regardless, what you're doing is a commendable move. 😛

Robert Stewart28 said:Routine is soul-crushing. I always dreamed of a quiet life—coming home from work or school, relaxing after lunch, reading a bit, listening to the radio, or just taking a stroll through town. I eventually achieved exactly that, only to realize how incredibly dull and even depressing it can be. I’ve had enough. 🙂

So, what specific steps do you intend to take to change this? 🙄

jigsaw said:I don't believe. I don't trust anyone. Not authorities, not degrees, not intellectuals, nor the masses. I can listen to anything and everyone, analyze what is said, and accept whatever strikes me as rational and logical. But I don't primarily trust myself, and that is where the weight of the situation lies. If a person blindly trusted themselves and never questioned their own decisions... well, not a decision like going to the restroom because your bladder is full, but say, the decision to finish a certain degree... then there wouldn't be a problem. They would be a robot. A satisfied robot who sets a goal, achieves it, sets a new one, and continues until they eventually meet Lady Death. Period. But I ask why... and I ask it too often, which makes living difficult.

Yes, we are built this way—as seekers. But even for seekers, there are limits. What if Columbo had tried to walk over every single inch of newly discovered territory? He surely would have died or lost his mind trying. And I am doing that... metaphorically, of course. 🙂

THANK GOD... finally, this knot is starting to unravel...
It is only now, reading your valued comments, that I realize I have been a "robot." My life up to this point has been a completely tedious routine. Waking up, drinking coffee, college. Coffee again, always the same boring topics like who is dating whom, sitting on the bus or in a car, and then back home.
A total coma... waking up at 5:00 AM to start work by 6:00... soul-crushing labor that I have zero interest in, working until 6:00 PM, coming home, showering, and being dead tired in bed by 9:00 PM... and then the cycle repeats the next day. Then, in June, my father fell ill, and I began to realize how my entire life had been part of that cursed circle, only for him to pass away in September of this year, utterly broken by a cruel illness. Still, it consoles me that he was surrounded by people who loved him and continue to love him.
COMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.... I feel like a ball bearing that has been spinning for too long and has run out of strength, trapped in a loop with no apparent exit...
Perhaps I am overly paranoid and urgently need psychological help, but who knows... 🙄

quietorca89 said:hehe, you're actually pretty cute.....🤣

Now, now... be careful what you wish for, young man. 😉

I really need to start a new thread because the masses seem completely indifferent to this one; it’s just us few left here.
I have plenty of depressing topics and enough material to shut this whole psychological forum down, I just haven't decided where to begin.

😳

quietorca89 said:Just an ordinary girl letting you know you aren't alone tonight.🙂

And I am just an ordinary man who wishes I could hold you close tonight and stay by your side until the morning sun hits our faces. (God, I'm being ridiculous.)😛

quietorca89 said:not yet... 😢

but you are the central figure here, and this story belongs to you... 😘

To me, you seem too perfect to be real. I truly hope you aren't just a dream.
By the way, thank you for all the help you've provided through your advice. 🙂

quietorca89 said:I find myself reading your posts often. It feels like we are walking the exact same path... I truly understand you. You aren't burdening anyone with your pain; nobody is judging you here. In fact, what you really need right now is tenderness and compassion.🙂

I hope you can see the light at the end of this tunnel, because mine is only just beginning.😕

Tom Hanks said:I am starting this thread because I want to understand the actual role and authority of a primary care physician.
Most of them simply refer patients to specialists without attempting to address the issue themselves, even though they know their own patients much better than a specialist ever could.
For instance, if I see my doctor complaining about kidney pain, he just hands me a referral for a urologist or a nephrologist. By the time I actually see the specialist and finish all the testing, I could practically die and be reborn.
It seems easier to just bypass the GP entirely and go straight to a specialist or head to the main intake desk at a major hospital like Mayo Clinic; they would likely route you exactly where they intend to send everyone once their new facility is completed.
I am aware there are doctors who refuse to provide referrals even when it is clear that the current treatment and tests aren't working, essentially penny-pinching on every single step.
In my view, a primary care doctor should run basic tests and prescribe initial medication, and if those fail to show results, they should then provide the referral to a specialist.
This approach would certainly reduce wait times for specialists, as many doctors currently hand out referrals far too indiscriminately.
Older generations often remark that primary care doctors used to possess much deeper knowledge and resolved many more medical issues than they do today. The impression is that modern doctors either lack the desire or the ability to do so.
I have no intention of insulting or belittling anyone, especially physicians, whom I respect deeply given how difficult the path to becoming a doctor is. It is simply that certain aspects of the system remain unclear to me.

Remember what a famous 94-year-old doctor from San Diego once said:
Quoting him: "Today's doctors are excellent theorists, but they are no practitioners at all." I believe that summarizes everything perfectly.

Bradley Cooper said:You aren't alone. It feels like this specific psychological state has become a mainstream phenomenon in modern society. Sadly...
As someone who has spent most of my life overthinking everything—forgive the expression—to the point where I can rationalize just about anything, I understand.
Everything.
If I start by relativizing existence itself (which I often do), then what importance do people, emotions, the world, noble goals, various theories, or the very foundations upon which people build their dreams and lives actually hold?
It seems obvious that humans need a purpose. However, I might set a goal one day only to dismantle it the next, because I am capable of dissecting any concept with surgical precision. My value system fluctuates daily. Ethics, morality, you name it...
Education? To be honest, I finished my schooling for the sake of others. Not because anyone forced me, but because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, and education serves as a nicely packaged, socially acceptable way to mask one's own insecurities. My respect goes to those who always knew their path and followed it without hesitation. I did it "for others" because finishing college and having a degree is considered the "right" thing to do. It supposedly provides "security" later in life. But "later"? That's where the relativism kicks in... we treat time as if it's guaranteed. We assume time is a constant. It’s standard to ask a child in preschool, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Growing up is treated as a certainty. But why? Is a child safe from being struck by a car? Or dying from an infection? Or perhaps being caught in the crossfire of a stray bullet from a passing incident?
No one ever tells us, "Listen, nothing in life is certain. Just enjoy what you have right now. This exact moment. This sunset. This breeze carrying the scent of wildflowers. The feeling of sand between your toes. The warmth of the hand you're holding. The depth in the eyes of the person walking beside you." No one says that. Instead, everyone is looking ahead like horses harnessed to a plow, racing toward graduation, finding a partner, getting married, having kids, buying a house in the suburbs, or eventually dealing with a midlife crisis by buying a new Porsche, or chasing fame like a pro athlete. These are all just dreams. We spend too much of our lives dreaming instead of living with our eyes wide open.
When I look at a human being as a creature dependent on a few senses... what are we? What is truly real? What actually matters?
Is that sunset, that breeze, or that scent merely a neurological response to external stimuli? Is the excitement I feel holding someone's hand just a biological instinct to ensure the survival of the species? It leads one to wonder if we aren't just puppets being moved by unseen forces... things we cannot fully grasp, yet we find ways to "explain" them away just so we can live with a clear conscience through another day, and another, and another...
And the society around us... it's a massive machine that has outpaced us, and we barely notice. We are just small, replaceable gears in the works. It is exhausting, and I feel my will fading.
I lie in bed, turn off the lights, put on some music softly, and drift into another restless night.

So... you aren't alone.

Man, this really gave me something to think about...

Following last night's heavy topic, today feels even more bleak...
I struggle to find any real purpose in my life. My childhood was wonderful; I wasn't wealthy like most kids back then, but I found happiness in the little things and was surrounded by incredibly kind people. The elders in my life were amazing, especially my mother, and my late father—who was rarely home due to his career—was my entire world.
High school was great, but then everything just fell apart. It was the turn of the millennium, specifically that infamous year 2000.
I couldn't land a steady job through 2001, so I enrolled in college. It’s almost 2007 now, and I've been an undergrad for two years without the motivation to even open a textbook to finish. (And please, don't tell me a degree is a golden ticket to success.)
Ever since I turned eighteen, I've been working manual labor from dawn until dusk just to avoid asking my parents for money; I can't stand the thought of being a burden.
The construction firm I work for keeps me on for eight months and then cuts me loose, only to call me back for another four because they need the help again.
I'm 26 years old. My romantic life has been non-existent for several years; I have zero interest. I even pushed away three people from my social circle last night for reasons I can't quite explain. Everything feels pessimistic, and... I really shouldn't keep writing this, or I'll spiral.
Criticize me, lecture me, or say whatever you need to say. Just say something.👎