Posts by Richard Martin5

I’ve got a question too (trying not to start a whole new thread here): so, I’m on my Dell laptop and it only has one jack on the side. When I plug in my mic, the audio goes straight through the microphone... Basically, I tried recording something and it works fine, but the real headache is how to record while still being able to hear music through the laptop speakers instead of hearing it inside the mic itself. Like, I want to play some music or karaoke from YouTube and record my voice, but actually hear the music through the speakers while I do it.

It’s honestly so frustrating. I feel like I’ve tried everything under the sun and nothing works... if anyone can help me out, I would be seriously grateful! 🙏

(I'm running Windows 10, if that helps at all)

Thanks everyone for the kind words, trust me, it means the world to me.

Unfortunately, during the surgery, they found a few nodules on her liver and stomach, so there's been some metastasis. But man, my mom is a total warrior. She told all the nurses and doctors straight up: don't even bother coming into her room if you're planning on being grumpy. She’s like, "only smiles allowed in here." 😍 She's on an IV right now, getting some pain meds. My brother and I are visiting her every single day, just telling her how much everyone is rooting for her and how millions of people are sending those good vibes her way. And honestly? The people who overdo the drama and act like she's already gone—I'd love to just choke them. I can't stand that kind of energy... maybe it's because I'm just not built that way. No matter how much of a shock this is, I've completely wiped out all the prognoses, statistics, and percentages. My mom isn't some statistic or a number on a page. You just fight, and that's that. No extra philosophy needed.

@Rachel Wood27/">@@Rachel Wood27, I am so relieved to hear your dad has put on some weight, that is such a great sign. 🙂 I truly believe in the power of positive thinking. Once someone gives up and just starts dwelling on the end, that's when the battle is really lost... Give your dad my best and tell him it made my day to hear he has the mindset of a winner. That's phenomenal. 🙂

Angela Wright said:I read your first post and it honestly just hit me right in the gut. It brought back that whole feeling of helplessness, despair, and pure frustration when you're facing such a damn hopeless diagnosis, especially with your mom being as saintly as she is 😢...
...but I want to tell you now: she has a chance. She really does, and she needs to take it and fight. If that’s the Almighty's will, He'll reward her faith and her strength... you just have to take it one day at a time. From what you wrote, it sounds like your mom's mindset is already there. That’s huge.

Tell me, did your mom ever enjoy BBQ or smoked meats?
I remember reading an article once about how in the Midwest, a lot of people deal with thyroid issues specifically because of those kinds of eating habits. Apparently, it’s terrible for the thyroid. Same goes for gallstones—they can mess with the thyroid and even trigger cancer.

I know, we're all fighting and trying to stay positive 🙂 Look, my mom actually had surgery this morning; my brother said they called him and everything seems okay so far, it went well. That was a big relief for us.
And yesterday? Mom went out for a hair appointment, got her nails done, put on makeup—she was a totally different person! Smiling, joking around that she had to look "pretty for the procedure." 😁
If you saw her, you’d think she was in the hospital for a cracked Rib, not cancer. But that's just who she is—tough as nails. If she wasn't like that, she never would have raised me and my brother or survived all the crap life threw at her...

Angela, my mom wasn't much of a BBQ or meat lover herself. Every now and then she'd grab a sausage or some bacon, but mostly she lived on fruit, veggies, soups, stews, teas, dairy... she’d even crush bread in milk. Nothing extra unhealthy. Honestly, I think stress played a massive role for her. She always felt like she had to keep quiet, endure everything, and never complain. She didn't even have the luxury of complaining; all the hard stuff just seemed to break on her, but she just took it stoically. I don't think it helps to ask "why" now. You just have to accept where things are and fight. 🙂

Thanks everyone for all the support. Honestly, we’re holding up pretty well considering everything, and Mom is staying so positive. We're all right there by her side. 🙂The surgery is tomorrow. If everything goes according to plan, then we'll figure out the next steps...

To be honest, if I weren't a believer and Mom wasn't such a woman of faith, I don't know how we'd be handling this whole situation. But seeing her stay so incredibly calm despite the prognosis? It's something else. She’s cheerful, cracking jokes, eating and drinking what she can—well, as much as that tumor allows since her appetite isn't great—and whenever we're with her, we just try to keep things light and drown out the negativity. I can see how much it means to her; it really keeps her going. 🙂
Please keep her in your thoughts tomorrow. We need all the good vibes we can get! 🙂

Fiz, hang in there—you and your father-in-law too. No matter how tough or hopeless it feels, just stay positive and don't give up. I'll be praying for you both. 🙂

I never thought I’d see the day where I’d actually have to post something on this thread, but life just has a way of hitting you out of nowhere without asking permission... Anyway, we found out today that my mom has pancreatic cancer. 😢

It all started with these pains in her back, right under her right shoulder blade—just this dull, constant ache that wouldn't quit. She kept complaining about her spine hurting, then trouble breathing, then she lost her appetite and just started wasting away. My brother and I both thought it was weird, especially since the doctors told her, "You're fine, ma'am, it's just psychosomatic. Go get some spinal therapy, and here’s a cocktail of meds for your anxiety..." Honestly, just total garbage doctors say when they have no clue what's actually wrong. So she took those pills for a week or two, went to her massage appointments, but her appetite just wouldn't come back. That’s when the alarm bells went off for us. We Googled her symptoms, and my search came up with liver cancer, while mine pointed straight to pancreatic. Since everything is centered in the abdomen, we rushed her to a private clinic for an ultrasound and, of course—they found something near the pancreas. That was last Friday. Everything has been moving at light speed since then: getting her hospitalized (we had to pull some strings because our local hospitals won't take you unless you're basically on your deathbed), the CT scan, and then this horrible news... She’s going in for surgery this Thursday. They’re going to try to remove the whole tumor since it hasn't metastasized to other organs yet, but the prognosis isn't great... What hurts the most is that she had a checkup back in March and everything looked perfect. The report said her pancreas looked normal and...

Now I'm sitting here wondering: how am I supposed to cope with one parent having cancer, and the absolute worst, deadliest kind? The kind where the chances of survival are practically zero? My dad passed away five years ago from lung cancer; he was gone within three weeks of being admitted. He smoked his whole life, so we understood why it happened. But Mom? She wasn't in any risk group for pancreatic cancer. She was never sick, never even stepped foot in a hospital in her 60 years. She doesn't smoke, hasn't touched coffee in 15 years, no alcohol, no diabetes, no obesity, no family history of cancer... NOTHING. So how am I, at 25, supposed to find the strength to fight, for us to fight? I'm not usually the emotional type—I've always been solid as a rock—but this is just too much... 😢

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but whatever, I'll just put it here...

Okay, so the absolute simplest, healthiest, and most delicious banana ice cream:

Ingredients: 2 RIPE bananas.
That’s basically it. 😁

Slice those 2 bananas into rounds, spread them out on a plate, and toss them in the freezer overnight (or just for a few hours). Throw them in the blender and whiz them until you get this thick, creamy "ice cream." If the blender struggles a bit—mine isn't exactly high-powered—just splash in a little milk.
And you're done!

Optional stuff: Toss a spoonful or two of cocoa powder in there for chocolate flavor, or maybe a scoop of peanut butter (haven't tried it yet, but it has to be amazing). If you want it sweeter, you could add some honey or a few drops of stevia extract, though if the bananas are ripe enough, you won't even need any of that.

Quick & easy soft banana cookies:

Ingredients: 1 banana, 1 cup of oats.

Mix these two together (mash it up really well), shape them into cookies with your hands, and lay them on parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes. You can add chocolate chips (at least 70% cocoa), cinnamon, honey, or raisins if you want... personally, I find them too sweet already. The banana is plenty on its own if it's ripe, just like with the ice cream. 🙂

Can I book with Richard Martin5?

Sure thing, just reach out to Nice. 🙂

Chloe Gray5 said:There are plenty of other low-dose options out there, but honestly, "low dose" is pretty subjective—what works for one person might totally tank someone else. If your doctor recommended Lyndinette, I'd say go for it, especially since they have both the 20 and 30 versions. The 20s are the lower dose, but you might deal with some breakthrough bleeding if they aren't strong enough to stabilize your cycle, so you can always bump up to the 30s later. Personally, I tried Yaz, which is low-dose, but it just wasn't enough for me—so I switched to Lyndinette 30 and they've been awesome. Plus, there's the price factor—Lyndinette is one of those that's covered by insurance, costing maybe $11, whereas Yaz is almost 😳. So, if I were you, I’d start with Lyndinette 20 and just adjust if needed.

Also, yeah, your mood will definitely take a hit at first while your hormones try to find a new baseline—eventually, things should level out and feel normal again. I don't really buy into the weight gain thing, and as for libido... well, that's different for everyone😁.

Thanks 🙂

Yeah, my doctor told me if they're too weak, she'll just switch me to a higher dose 😉
.
Anyway, I did a little Googling and found this (a PPT presentation on low-hormone pills):

NOVYNETTE or LINDYNETTE 20
Contraception + good libido (more inert DSG) – NOVYNETTE
Contraception + weaker libido (more active GSD) – LINDYNETTE 20

According to this, Novynette is better for sex drive. I even saw on some European forums that a lot of girls actually felt their libido increase once they started these... And look, life isn't exactly sunshine and rainbows for me right now, so having zero sexual desire would honestly just break me 😢
.
I think I'm going to try Novynette first, then pivot if they don't work out... Does anyone actually know how much these cost?

Has anyone ever tried Novynette or Lyndinette pills?
I was seeing my doctor, and she suggested these two because my hormone levels are low. I need them to help regulate my heavy periods—polymenorrhea, I think it's called—but also for protection... I'm leaning more toward Novynette since I've read better reviews online, but honestly, I wanted to see what you ladies think.
Any impact on weight or mood? Does it kill your libido? 😳

And let’s not forget those classic "20 against 1" showdowns. You know the ones—where the lead guy (some insanely handsome heartthrob) just tears through twenty martial arts masters one by one. Of course, while he’s busy pummeling two or three of them, everyone else just stands there dancing around him, totally frozen, waiting patiently for their turn to get beat up. 🙄