Posts by crimsonfox26

According to the student handbook, the final grade doesn't necessarily have to be a direct calculation of the arithmetic mean.

Joseph Green12 said:I’m feeling pretty depressed because I can see my body just isn't functioning right; I'm missing out on so much of life because I'm constantly too exhausted to do anything. The anxiety kicks in because I'm becoming paranoid about my health—convinced there's some serious underlying issue, fearing for my future, and struggling to see any light at the end of the tunnel since this has been dragging on for months, maybe even a year. I honestly don't know if I'm just becoming a hypochondriac, since I haven't received a formal diagnosis yet, so I find myself obsessively scanning my symptoms in the hope that one might finally provide some clarity.

I've been trying to power through this for months now, but you can't just white-knuckle your way out of this with willpower alone. At some point, I either have to fix my brain or fix my body.

Worrying isn't going to change the outcome. If something is meant to happen, it'll happen regardless of whether we spend our days pacing the floor in a panic.
Overthinking is just fuel for anxiety, and it eventually ends up consuming you. I'm not suggesting it's easy to just shut it off—we aren't robots with an off switch—but it's worth keeping that perspective in mind.
From my point of view, you're already doing more than most by actually getting tests done and actively trying to pin down a cause. Usually, when people are in a deep depression, they don't even have the energy to bother with that.

I haven't kept track of every specific test you've run, but I see the other folks here have offered plenty of suggestions on what might be going on. If none of those lead anywhere, then perhaps focusing on your mental headspace might be the next logical step. 😁

Joseph Green12 said:Hey everyone,

This might sound a bit dramatic, but honestly, it’s pretty close to my reality right now. I’m looking for some advice on what my next move should be.

For months now, it feels like my body is just shutting down. It’s been getting progressively worse. I have zero energy, I feel like I'm losing my cognitive edge—it's like I can't focus on anything at all.

I sleep for ten hours, wake up feeling exhausted, manage to do one tiny thing for work, and then I’m back in bed. I spend most of my day like that. Luckily, since the pandemic, I’ve been working from home; if I were commuting to an office, I probably would’ve been fired by now. This isn't just that "man, I had a long day at the office" kind of fatigue—this is a total systemic shutdown. Even blinking feels like a chore.

Back when I was actually functioning normally, I used to hit the gym regularly. Now, I force myself through ten minutes of a workout and the rest of the time I’m just a dead weight. My cardio is also pretty terrible (I never really recovered from COVID 😁).

I’ve started getting paresthesia—pins and needles in my legs. When I tested a few months ago, my B12 and folate (7) levels were sitting right on the bottom edge of the normal range. There might be a connection there. I haven't been supplementing them yet because my primary care physician insists they aren't technically "below" the threshold. 🕺
Also, my Vitamin D was nowhere near the minimum requirement, so I’ve been supplementing until my blood work finally showed it was back in the normal zone.

A few months back, I went through the whole works: brain MRI, CT scan, abdominal ultrasound, and a full thyroid panel—nothing particularly unusual turned up.
Ferritin is high, TIBC is low, MCH and MCHC are low, and MPV is elevated.
An endocrinologist diagnosed mild insulin resistance—again, nothing major.
I was dealing with an H. pylori infection right around the time these symptoms started surfacing. I had a gastroscopy done, and while later tests showed the infection was gone, my stomach issues persist daily—constant mucnina. Gluten antibodies came back negative.

On top of everything, I’ve developed this brutal tinnitus—it's 24/7. I've never dealt with anything like this before.

My doctor is convinced this is just depression and wants to put me on antidepressants. He doesn't want to run any more tests. Look, I get it—the brain is an organ too, and maybe he's right, but I’d really like to dig deeper into my physical health before committing to that path. To be fair, I definitely have elements of depression and anxiety, but I tell myself that those are secondary symptoms resulting from the fact that my body is effectively "dying" and I see every single day how much I'm failing to function.

Does anyone have any ideas on what else I could check? Any Dr. House-style suggestions? I'm willing to go fully private for this; I honestly don't care about the cost anymore because I can't live like this. I'd give anything to just feel normal again.
I'm 29 years old, but I feel like I'm 92.

I'd appreciate any insight. I was thinking about looking into the MTHFR mutation and re-testing my B vitamins to see if anything has shifted over the last few months. Beyond that, I'm stumped.
Maybe an immunologist?

What kind of symptoms are we talking about?
If you ask me, instead of throwing money at endless testing, you should invest in psychotherapy (CBT).

I don't know, personally, I wouldn't jump straight to antidepressants. Try pushing yourself to stay active—take walks, get some exercise. And make sure you're replacing those vitamin deficiencies.
Pay attention to your diet, too; eat things that actually give you fuel.

Nathan Peterson11 said:I can't stand talking on my mobile phone if there's anyone standing near me... even if I'm just calling to book an appointment at a salon.
I honestly feel like it's a total invasion of privacy.

I'm exactly the same way.
When it comes to handling anything actually important, it gets even worse; I usually have to lock myself in my room just to get any sense of focus. If I know I have to deal with something over the phone, I start getting all worked up, whereas if I'm just sitting outside my boss's office waiting for them to call me in for a big meeting, I'm surprisingly chill.

It isn't exactly a phobia or anything, I just don't care for that style of communication. I end up tripping over my words or accidentally cutting people off.
Normally, I'm a pretty chatty extrovert who loves face-to-face interaction and handles social situations just fine, 😁

But phone calls 🙂

If we aren't looking at a physical ailment and this is more of a mental hurdle, I’d suggest heading straight to a psychiatrist. It’s really no different than seeing a dentist when you have a toothache. 😁

To me, this feels like the onset of anxiety. My best advice would be to try not to obsess over every little bodily sensation, avoid burning yourself out by fighting insomnia or other side effects, and definitely keep some anti-anxiety meds on hand to take as needed.

Try to pinpoint whatever is triggering the stress and look at the situation through a bit of a rational lens.

Good luck!

Back in my younger days, I used to catch every single virus that flew through the air, but somehow I’ve managed to toughen up to the point where I rarely deal with a common cold. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I ran a fever.

It wasn't like I underwent some massive lifestyle overhaul; I just started making smarter choices about what I put on my plate. Even those nights when I don't get much sleep don't seem to knock me sideways anymore. The biggest shock was realizing my immune system didn't even flinch after that brutal bout of insomnia I went through for a while.

Try to stay active and keep an eye on your intake of Vitamin C.
Load up on plenty of raw and cooked vegetables, especially leafy greens.

I'm not sure how your digestion is holding up, but they say a strong immune system actually starts in the gut.

wanderingbadger44 said:Even if you hadn't explicitly stated it, we could have guessed from the sheer volume of theory you've spilled out here.

Instead of just talking, why don't you take all that theorizing and apply it to a real-world scenario using the principles of the School of Life? 🙂 Give me a practical example.

Imagine a student walks into a writing period during a scheduled exam without a pencil. He starts begging everyone for one, nudging the classmate sitting next to him who is trying to focus, turning around to ask the kids behind him, pulling at the sleeves of the students in front of him to get their attention, digging frantically through his backpack and pencil case... while three or four other kids are calling out to him to just take a pencil, he stands up to walk toward one of them, while someone else tosses a pencil from across the room and shouts for him to grab it... As the teacher, how do you handle this:
a) You let him scramble to find a pencil, disrupting the entire class for as long as it takes.
b) You kick him out of the classroom.
c) You give him a lecture on irresponsibility, lack of teamwork, and being inconsiderate to his classmates who are actually trying to take the test; you critique his negligence, log a disciplinary note in HuffPost, and remind him that he didn't have a pencil last period either and that you already had this exact conversation.
d) You send him out of the room specifically to go find a pencil.
e) You go call the school counselor (oops! trick answer—you can't leave the room because the test is in progress).
f) You sit down at the computer, look up his parents' contact info in the school database, and call them right then and there.
g) You take his test paper away, write a new one yourself, and hand it over to the principal.
h) You tell him he can take the test once he finally finds a pencil and you take his paper away, but you don't give him a failing grade (wow, what a masterclass in educational discipline!).
i) You hand him one of your own pencils since you always keep extras ready for exactly these kinds of situations, ensuring neither he nor the rest of the class loses any precious testing time (oops! trick answer—you already mentioned that doing this is educationally wrong).
j) None of the above. Tell me what you would do. ________________________

Option C, though B would be the dream scenario.
Two consecutive penalties should teach them a lesson. Of course, if you choose B, the principal will probably come after you.

Personally, I don't pass out any tests until I see that everyone has settled down and all distractions—including the frantic search for supplies—are finished. Once the whispering stops and things quiet down, then the tests come out.
Let them decide for themselves whether those two or three minutes of chaos are worth it.

If I’m being totally honest, you’re chronically lacking muscle mass, and frankly, those legs just look a bit too spindly for my taste. Personally, I don't think the knees are even your biggest issue here.

The real hurdle seems to be that you aren't really hitting the gym, but if you actually committed to some foundational movements—think squats, lunges, or deadlifts—I honestly think you’d be shocked at how much progress you could make. You’d feel stronger, and that boost in confidence usually follows when you start seeing physical changes.

Since you have a leaner build, you don't need to worry about cutting calories; you just need to be more strategic about what's on your plate, specifically by upping your protein intake to actually fuel muscle growth.

At the end of the day, working out is the solution, and unfortunately, there isn't really a shortcut around it.

We can't exactly argue with genetics, which dictates certain limits—like how we can't suddenly transform into a 5'10" supermodel if we're standing at 5'3" with shorter limbs—but we can definitely maximize everything within our own biological reach.

Just get to training.😁

What’s missing from those local bacon and sausage recipes?

Look, he isn't going to polish off huge quantities of it, but adding some bacon will definitely bump up the calorie count and fat content—which is exactly what someone needs if their goal is to pack on weight.

And as for fruit juices? Maybe stick to the fresh-squeezed variety. You really want to avoid the store-bought stuff you find at places like Walmart; most of it is just sugar water loaded with preservatives and other junk.

My advice is to stick to three main meals a day, making sure they’re actually nutrient-dense and balanced. For snacks in between, grab a banana, some nuts (they're calorie-dense, which helps), a slice of cheese, maybe a little bacon, or toss together some toast. If you want something lighter, oatmeal with fruit or nuts works wonders.

Man, I wish I had your problems.😬

Honestly, the math is pretty straightforward. You lose weight when you're in a calorie deficit and gain it when you're in a surplus. You could technically eat nothing but bread and chocolate and still be in a surplus, but as mentioned before, you're going to feel pretty terrible while the weight comes on.

Michael Bennett3 said:Looking for a private pulmonologist in Miami. Any recommendations?

I'd suggest Dr. Irena Peric over at the Spalato clinic.

I've also heard through the grapevine that Dr. Gudelj is quite good, though I haven't personally sat in his office yet.

I'm looking for some solid recommendations for an ENT and a pulmonologist in Spalato, specifically for private consultations.

Feel free to just shoot me a DM if you have someone in mind.

wanderingbadger44 said:It’s nothing new to see such condescending and ugly commentary directed at teachers, but it still hits a nerve whenever I come across something like this.

It’s as if anyone who graduates with a degree in linguistics, fine arts, or the social sciences is just a failure who couldn't hack it in anything else. It's hard to wrap my head around the idea that someone might actually prefer the nuances of music over coding, or find languages more captivating than chemistry.

But setting that aside, there's another angle I want to touch upon.

Since we are discussing student welfare, has anyone considered how a kid might end up enrolled in a three-year culinary program simply because they were pressured into it, even if they have zero passion for it? Then, once they hit adulthood and finally gain some clarity, they try to pivot into a fourth year to become a hospitality technician because they previously took geography and languages. And maybe they pass their SATs and head off to college...

In the end, that three-year culinary stint remains their highest level of achievement.
Well, since religious studies are staying on the curriculum, I suppose they could always study theology. 🕺

Quite a few of my former students working as servers or retail clerks followed that exact path.

I’d venture to guess they aren't particularly thrilled about working in their field, especially right after high school.
Among those kids, there are some genuinely bright individuals; it's just that they didn't bother much with middle school, so they missed out on getting into the better districts. But once they wake up and realize what they're capable of, they usually turn into something impressive. 😁

Plus, with all the private colleges popping up everywhere these days, there's an option for everyone. It isn't like the old days when getting into a university was an uphill battle.

Switching from one elective to another is perfectly doable and happens all the time; it’s standard procedure because we have to prioritize what the students actually need, and frankly, it's their right. There aren't any bureaucratic hurdles stopping anyone who wants to make a change for whatever reason.

What frupy was getting at is that it would be a huge help if those requests (or formal petitions 🙂) were turned in as early as possible, just so we can actually get the master schedule sorted out and distribute it.

But hey, obviously, students have until August 15th to make their move.

And sometimes waiting until the last minute backfires. 🙂 I remember a time when I waited too long and ended up with a total mess of a schedule—barely any classes left to pick from. Nobody stepped in to look out for me. So, please don't go implying that the faculty is intentionally ignoring student interests.

Keith Gonzalez said:It really depends on what your doctor thinks is necessary, but if I were you, I’d definitely get my iron levels, UIBC, TIBC, and ferritin checked. You absolutely can't skip the ferritin test.

I'm seeing a dermatologist because my hair has been thinning out more than usual lately.

Thanks for the input!

Does a standard iron panel actually look at my ferritin levels too, or am I going to have to specifically ask my doctor to order that part of the test?

Has anyone here actually dealt with FedEx delivering directly to a home address before?

I’m sending a package off to a company that’s handling all the shipping costs, but I’m a bit stuck on what the actual protocol is for packing things up properly.

I’ve got the shipment tucked into a padded mailer I picked up at the post office. I was wondering if there’s anything else I should have done while I was standing there—like getting a specific label or some other formality?

The company is footing the bill for the delivery, so my part is really just waiting for the driver to show up and handing the thing over.

Signed for urbantinker8 and Jacob Lopez2.

Look, I get it—everything feels significantly more high-stakes than it did when we were kids about twenty years ago. But let’s be real: bullying and even the occasional knife threat in middle school weren't exactly non-existent back then either, so there was always some level of 😵

Back in my day, we would just walk home from school for about 1.9 miles minutes, cutting through the main roads, wandering through the next town over, or hiking through the woods and hills... and, surprisingly, everyone turned out fine.
So, why should we be stressing out in advance about some hypothetical bully who might eventually show up?

If kids are running wild unsupervised for those 45 minutes after the bell rings, that’s a much bigger issue worth addressing.
From what I’ve gathered on this thread, it seems like the situation at that one particular school was actually an isolated 🤔

Anyone out there?

My grandmother (she's 86) had a nasty fall a few days ago and ended up fracturing her pubic bone—specifically a fracture of the superior and inferior pubic rami on the left side.

The current plan is strictly bed rest.
Her doctor mentioned that with enough downtime, it should basically knit itself back together in about 15 to 20 days.

I’m trying to figure out if "rest" means she absolutely cannot move, or if it's okay for her to sit up occasionally and maybe use a walker to make a slow trek to the bathroom? Honestly, I have my doubts about the latter since she's dealing with some pretty intense pain right now.

If anyone here has dealt with something similar or has any insight, I’d really appreciate the help.

Susan James said:Well, it’s not always about overt bullying. Sure, that happens, but there are so many subtle, everyday comments that can really sting and mess with how kids relate to one another.

I've seen it happen—and heard it from various kids—in so many different ways.
I'm not just talking about what's happening in my own backyard or with my own kids.
I'm talking about kids who feel left out by their peer group simply because they choose to do things differently or don't follow the crowd.
In my experience, this stems from both sides of the aisle: it's the result of how parents act, and also how teachers and religious education instructors behave at school.
Sometimes teachers just wash their hands of it, saying "it doesn't concern us," or you might find yourself wondering if you should enroll your child in religion class just because you see they're unhappy—even when the religious instructors end up encouraging kids to pray for those who aren't part of the faith.
Even with the best intentions, that can actually deepen the divide and make kids feel insecure just because they're different.
That's a real dynamic that plays out in schools. You can try to drill the opposite message home at home all you want, but if your kid walks into school and experiences the complete opposite, they're going to start questioning everything. They'll wonder if they're the ones being unreasonable, or if the people at home and their close friends are actually the ones in the wrong.

If they aren't talking about it on the walk home while you're driving them, you'd assume they aren't talking about it at all.
😕

Oh, they talk. They talk all the time. From blessings over school lunches to Easter and First Communions, they talk about it. But you know when they talk about it most? When grades are being finalized. 🥳
When an 'A' feels worth more just because it's in a religion class 🤣. It sounds silly, but you'd be surprised how common it is.

They count up their straight A's, and suddenly the kid taking the religion course has twelve more A's on their report card than the kid who isn't, making the overall GPA look much better regardless of their other subjects.
And especially when someone thinks their grade in religion carries the same weight as their grade in math or English.

And how that religion grade can boost a GPA.
And yeah, it does boost it, and it does so in a way that feels pretty unfair.

You see it all the time at the border—that 3.4 or 3.5 GPA range where you have a bunch of Cs and Bs mixed with an A, mostly from subjects that aren't exactly life-changing.

Personally, I find this is a great way to show that grades shouldn't be everything. In my view, religious studies shouldn't even be graded, but we live in a reality where those numbers matter immensely for getting into a good high school. It’s why kids end up comparing themselves to one another on this specific subject, whether they are best friends, classmates, or total rivals.

Politics has nothing to do with religious education 😂
but then why do we have agreements between the State and the Vatican? What is that if not politics?
While politics shouldn't influence someone's personal faith, it absolutely plays a role in how religious education is implemented.
It affects everything from how these classes are scheduled within the standard school day to how the instructors are hired.

You know, it never actually crossed my mind that religion shouldn't be graded... I have to admit, that's a pretty solid point.

As for this whole business of stacking up A's 🤦
I remember once I was chatting with some elementary schoolers after finishing a long session with my morning class; they were just heading in for their lessons. One little girl proudly boasted to me that she had forty A's on her record. 😳
I complimented her on her hard work and how diligent she was, but I couldn't resist giving her a tiny bit of life advice about how every grade has its place, and a real student needs to experience the full spectrum from F to A. 😁 😈