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Depression, yes, I know, getting treatment but also I am confused by my experience. I have always had the capacity for excitement and optimism in most things. Not that I didn't have bad spells, or get upset, or cry, but they were usually tempered with an unrelentingly happy disposition. Even when I would be upset/angry about the state of the world or go full "there is something wrong on the internet!" mode, I reset to baseline level of excitement. Then I had the worst year of my life, and now I feel that is just gone, or at best, as shadow of me. [more inside]
posted by [insert clever name here] at 12:22 AM - 5 answers

Have you been recently, post-lockdown? What has been your experience? We've read about Boris and David weeks. We're looking for how non-hipster and non-Boris people would be treated and what would be appropriate wear.
posted by jojo and the benjamins at 11:24 AM - 1 answers

I use a medication that is prescription in the US but OTC in Sweden and at much lower cost. A lovely friend is willing to send it to me. FDA guidance makes clear that importation for personal use is not an enforcement priority. What is the best way to declare this on the customs form? [more inside]
posted by HotToddy at 9:59 AM - 3 answers

I fear this is a dumb question but I'm asking anyway. [more inside]
posted by nayantara at 7:37 AM - 4 answers

We're going to spend several weeks in Europe in August, though we're still figuring out the exact locations. We're wondering how Covid and the war in Ukraine might affect our travel plans. [more inside]
posted by johnasdf at 6:31 AM - 12 answers

I'm childfree by choice. I also am not able to have children even if I wanted to. But this potential overturn of Roe v. Wade is wigging me out. Help me figure out my options. [more inside]
posted by nayantara at 9:32 AM - 25 answers

I'm dealing with pretty severe anxiety, managed these days by Lexapro. Mornings are still a bit tough. I have what I'm pretty sure are big rushes of cortisol, (my doctor agrees). One thing that helps is eating a small amount of dark chocolate. It lifts my mood and smooths out my morning anxiety. But all the anxiety has done a number on my stomach lining and I have gastritis. Dark chocolate and gastritis are not a great combination. Is there any way I can minimise the gastritis-triggering effects of dark chocolate? [more inside]
posted by Zumbador at 9:50 PM - 13 answers

I'm a young adult with chronic conditions but am not CDC approved for a 4th shot. How can I get one? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 10:25 AM - 15 answers

Last week I got a basal cell carcinoma taken off my face (for the second time). This one was between my nose and one eye and contemplating my scar-to-be is not fun. Am getting the stitches out later this week, and I have questions. [more inside]
posted by Bella Donna at 7:29 AM - 17 answers

I am really busy these days with work, grad school, and ongoing volunteer projects, plus a child and a spouse. I am getting through it all by constantly multitasking and by being super efficient. The problem is that I cannot relax during the downtime minutes. [more inside]
posted by xo at 6:58 AM - 7 answers

How Can I Cope with Old Age? [more inside]
posted by SPrintF at 7:03 PM - 14 answers

I'm looking for good online sources of support (Facebook groups, message boards, subreddits, etc.) for partners of people who have moderate to severe ADHD. Have you found any such spaces that are useful to you? Secondarily interested in books or articles on the same topic.
posted by southern_sky at 12:53 PM - 4 answers

Hi all, my wife has a very strong prescription (around +10 SPH in both eyes) and it's been a struggle to find online sites that cater to that level of correction. The big vendors we've tried (Zenni, EyeBuyDirect) only have a couple of frames they say are suitable for lenses of that strength - and most of those are for kids - and many sites simply don't cater to her (Goggles4U, Clearly.ca). [more inside]
posted by clicking the 'Post Comment' button at 10:12 AM - 4 answers

I’ve recently been to a variety of different health care providers for a specific physical complaint. As part of the intake at each visit, each of them has asked a version of the question “In the past two weeks have you felt depression/hopelessness/despair?” Why is this asked, and how is this information used? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:25 AM - 14 answers

I just finished my patch testing and I have a lot of questions. Under the fold. I don't expect you to know everything - but if you have any help I'd greatly appreciate it! [more inside]
posted by bbqturtle at 9:18 AM - 9 answers

There's no pain, only sudden jerking movements. [more inside]
posted by watercarrier at 3:40 AM - 7 answers

My friend is struggling with mental health but she lives far from services. I suggested paying for one of these for her and she said they can't prescribe medication in Chile if she needs it. So just setting it up in the US for her won't work. She needs some local equivalent. IS there one? I'm happy to pay for it but I don't speak enough Spanish to figure it out.
posted by rileyray3000 at 7:44 PM - 6 answers

I remember reading a Reddit thread or blog where a man described, I think with pictures, how he was doing his own workout- in his bedroom- that he designed himself using basic items made to be like an axe… for example… that was based on manual labor. Things like chopping wood. I don’t think it was just chopping wood though. It wasn’t a body building website or formal article, it was a regular guy. It was so funny and I would love to read it again. Any chance anyone remembers it? I might have even come across it on here!
posted by pairofshades at 10:46 AM - 7 answers

How did toothpaste get so complicated? Oof. Prices at my local grocery store are through the roof, so I'm shopping online, but searches keep turning up the opposite of what I want. I want toothpaste WITH fluoride but without SLS. What should I be looking for?
posted by 2oh1 at 8:47 PM - 19 answers

I took my nine year old to the orthodontist today for a first checkup. The orthodontist suggested an appliance called the myobrace to help align her teeth before braces. I really can't tell if this is legit or not. [more inside]
posted by heavenknows at 7:16 AM - 4 answers