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5 votes
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Mask off: Crisis and struggle in the pandemic
6 votes -
Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
6 votes -
Covid-19 and the limits of American moral reasoning: The “war on coronavirus” is lost. It's time for new pandemic metaphors - and a radically new culture of care
8 votes -
America's looming primary-care crisis
6 votes -
Hydroxychloroquine: "Extra-scientific factors overrode clear-cut medical evidence"
4 votes -
There are so many coronavirus myths that even Snopes can’t keep up
10 votes -
I'm stuck in an endless loop
For several years now (4-5-ish, but hard to pin down when it started), I have been stuck in a cycle of enervation/depression. I don't really like to use the word 'depression' to describe this,...
For several years now (4-5-ish, but hard to pin down when it started), I have been stuck in a cycle of enervation/depression. I don't really like to use the word 'depression' to describe this, because in my youth (I'm in my early 50s now), I suffered from serious bouts of extreme depression, and by comparison, this is a walk in the park ... so I've gotten into the habit of colloquially referring to is as "ennui".
The duration varies (a lot), but the cycle is most often roughly 7-14 days long, where 60-70% of the time, my energy, motivation, my ability to focus on and accomplish tasks ... all goes into the toilet, and I spend most of my day reading news, surfing the 'Net, playing video games, watching re-runs, walking about town with my dog, or even just sleeping. The other 30-40% of my time, I feel good -- clear-headed, focused, motivated and energized -- and I spend most of this time catching up on all the stuff I neglected during the ennui phase, and making Grand Plans for the future.
It is hard to tell, objectively, whether I am getting better, worse, or just treading water ... in part, because the cycle varies enough that it's hard to see any clear trends over anything less than 6-8 month time frame ... but more so because my ability to objectively assess my status is so colored by the cycle itself ... when I am in one of my ennui phases, it feels like I am getting worse or, at best, maintaining. When I am in the manic-ish phase, I feel like I will never feel unmotivated again, and I must often remind myself that it is temporary, and in another day or 3, I will be back in a funk. As objectively as I can be, however, I think I am actually treading water or, possibly, getting gradually worse at a very glacial pace.
I know the "up" phase of my cycle sounds a lot like the manic- part of a manic-depressive bipolar thing. Maybe it is; as I said, it is hard to be objective. That said, though, I am really, really confident that, prior to the beginning of this, ~5-ish years ago ... that "manic" phase was my normal state of mind. I used to be a very focused, productive individual.
So ... I've tried many different things to address this. Assorted doctor visits have mostly concluded that either they don't know what the problem is, and/or, I'm exaggerating/imagining it (no doctor has explicitly said this -- it is my interpretation of "we can't find anything wrong with you"). I've tried increased exercise, more time outdoors, more sleep, less sleep, meditation, a wide variety of changes in diet, vitamins/minerals/supplements, etc. I've lost over 40 lbs. I'm currently trying (for a 2nd time) large daily doses of turmeric, and contemplating trying (also for a 2nd time) a round of tDCS self-treatment.
For context, I am right now on an upswing, coming out of my latest "ennui" phase and feeling optimistic and productive.
I should also add that I have another issue ... one that I believe is unrelated, but sounds similar when I describe it. This dates back to about 15-16 years ago, and is another thing I have seen many doctors for, and tried various things to remedy. In a nutshell, about 15 years ago, I got dumber. Prior to that, my ability to learn and remember, my executive functions, my ability to deduce, my ability to focus and prioritize and plan ... were all much better.
Over the course of 12-18 months, I lost a lot of my mental functions. For anyone who has read it, it felt a lot like the tail-end of the book "Flowers For Algernon". The simplest quantifiable example I can give of this is the notion of ... how many things are on your mental shopping list (stuff you need to get at the grocery store) before you realize you better write it down? For me, prior to this loss, my magic "I'm gonna forget stuff if I don't write it down" number was around 12-13 items, that I could fairly confidently remember. Afterwards, that number dropped to around 3.
At that time, my doctor found a (benign) lump in my throat (a goiter), and ultimately, they removed half of my thyroid. After they removed it, over the course of 6-12 months, my mental faculties improved again, but I feel to this day, that they never returned to anything close to what they were before. My mental "shopping list" number today is around 5.
Multiple tests since then have repeatedly confirmed that my half-of-a-thyroid is fully getting the job done, and I do not need any kind of supplemental hormone treatment -- with the possible exception of testosterone (ps: I'm a guy), which I tried for a little while -- and dammit, it helped, too -- but then I freaked out and quit once I started reading about side-effects.
I am writing this explicitly looking for suggestions and advice. Keep in mind, though, that (I'm guessing here), 80-90% of my responses will be "already tried it, didn't help".
In advance, danke y gracias.
16 votes -
Urgent care from the Army Corps of Engineers: While the rest of the US federal government flails, the military's builders are getting it done
5 votes -
Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of July 20
This thread is posted weekly, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the...
This thread is posted weekly, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the situation is like where you live!
10 votes -
A vaccine reality check: So much hope is riding on a breakthrough, but a vaccine is only the beginning of the end
16 votes -
Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
7 votes -
We asked coronavirus experts about their summer plans — and if it's safe to fly, rent an Airbnb, swim in a pool, or dine outside. Their responses varied greatly
5 votes -
Why has the Republican response to the pandemic in the USA been so mind-bogglingly disastrous?
11 votes -
Teachers are ready to quit rather than put their lives at risk: "Most parents have no idea how bad this is going to be"
40 votes -
SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell immunity in cases of COVID-19 and SARS, and uninfected controls
12 votes -
"Knowing it could kill you isn’t a deterrent": The deadly trade in diet pills
6 votes -
"Before I become your doctor, you have been intubated for weeks" - one doctor's experience during the pandemic
9 votes -
Oxford vaccine triggers immune response
7 votes -
Voices from the pandemic: "No mask, no entry. Is that clear enough? That seems pretty clear, right?"
13 votes -
Children from age 10-19 spread the coronavirus just as much as adults: A study of nearly 65,000 people in South Korea suggests that school reopenings will trigger more outbreaks
21 votes -
If we want any US vaccine to actually work, we have to prepare for it now
12 votes -
Anti-mask protesters' new weapon: Wearing masks that offer no COVID-19 protection
19 votes -
Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of July 13
This thread is posted weekly, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the...
This thread is posted weekly, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the situation is like where you live!
10 votes -
As a teacher, what can I do to protect myself and my students should schools reopen in the fall?
I'm a teacher in the US, and the question of whether schools reopen is very much still up in the air (and location dependent). However, I heard some internal talk from my district that looks like...
I'm a teacher in the US, and the question of whether schools reopen is very much still up in the air (and location dependent). However, I heard some internal talk from my district that looks like they are, at present, leaning towards a partial reopening that will likely have me back in the building, in-person, with a room of students in the fall.
Assuming this is the case, I want to prepare now. I'm operating on the following assumptions:
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Provisions from the school and district will (allegedly) meet a certain minimum, but there is an effective maximum beyond those measures that I can independently pursue.
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Until the virus's spread is contained, the likelihood of someone who is infected with COVID-19 being in my room is non-negligible.
As such, I'm looking to maximize the safety of myself and others in my room as much as possible. I'm looking for guidance in the following areas:
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What are the best, legitimate masks I can get for myself? N95s are out of stock everywhere, or, if they're in stock, they're from sketchy sources that are almost certainly selling fakes.
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What are the best masks I can get for students? They are supposed to be bringing their own, and I assume our school will have something in place for kids without them, but if for whatever reason a child makes it to my class without a mask (or breaks theirs or something like that), I'd like to have extras on hand for them.
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Is there any other PPE I should look into? Gloves, facemasks, robes, etc. I don't mind wearing whatever will keep me and others safe, even if it looks ridiculous. On the other hand, I don't want to go overboard either.
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Where can I get bulk hand sanitizer and/or cleaning wipes? These also seem to be widely out of stock. Also, are there types/brands that are more effective than one another?
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Is there anything else I should stock up on now? I'm worried about a run on already low supplies once schools announce reopening plans.
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What best practices should I employ while in the classroom setting? I want to protect myself and the kids in my room as much as possible. Anything that I can control to reduce risk (e.g. procedures, ventilation, etc.) I want to implement.
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What level of risk am I potentially putting myself in? I need some straight talk here. Be as transparent as possible with me about the reality of what I'm potentially facing.
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Is there anything else I need to know or do in advance of the school year starting? I've got time to prepare. I want to make sure I do whatever I can now. Even if it turns out in hindsight that I overprepared, I'll be happier knowing I did everything I could rather than being in a position where I wish I had done more.
Also I should note that I am willing to pay for quality. I don't want to put my life in the hands of the cheapest options out there. As much as I resent the idea that I would have to pay for any of this myself, I'm not about to gamble on this.
30 votes -
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Let’s avoid talk of ‘chemical imbalance’: it’s people in distress
10 votes -
US hospitals are suddenly short of young doctors — because of Donald Trump’s visa ban
9 votes -
A second coronavirus death surge is coming
11 votes -
What happened to those mental health threads?
I think those could be real useful especially now. Sometimes I want to share related stuff but they would not warrant a full thread . It’s possible that they never existed and I’m delusional. In...
I think those could be real useful especially now. Sometimes I want to share related stuff but they would not warrant a full thread .
It’s possible that they never existed and I’m delusional. In which case, I think they should be a thing.
9 votes -
Hi, How Are You? - Mental Health Support & Discussion Thread (July 2020)
Bringing this back for those who need it. Vent, share your experiences, ask for advice, talk about how you are doing. Lets make this a compassionate space for all who may need one.
21 votes -
Open letter urging challenge trials for COVID-19
3 votes -
US Coronavirus data has already disappeared after Donald Trump administration shifted control from CDC
6 votes -
Florida nursing homes see infections surge as workers spread virus
4 votes -
Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
4 votes -
Warnings of possible cover-up in progress as Trump orders hospitals to stop sending coronavirus data to CDC
21 votes -
Population decline due to expected global crash in children being born
18 votes -
Headaches top symptom for coronavirus, but only one third have any sign of illness
6 votes -
Sydney's Crossroads Hotel COVID-19 cluster genomically linked to Melbourne outbreak
4 votes -
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crash have caused 5.4 million Americans to lose health insurance, the largest drop ever recorded
11 votes -
Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
6 votes -
Anyone else diagnosed with depression? I need others to talk to
Hello, So I've been officially diagnosed with depression a few years ago. I am on medication for it and I've done therapy in the past. I am a more functional person than I was, let's say, one year...
Hello,
So I've been officially diagnosed with depression a few years ago. I am on medication for it and I've done therapy in the past. I am a more functional person than I was, let's say, one year ago as I've adjusted my medication.
However there is something that is SEVERELY affecting my quality of life and that is the generalized lack of interest or extreme difficulty in doing almost anything. Yes I've talked with my doctor about this. It's "normal" and we are working on it.
I don't know many people and COVID-19 took a hit on my already limited social life. So I guess I want to share my experience and hear from others who experience(ed) the same difficulties. When you are trapped in not wanting to do anything, what the hell do you do?
Recently I've started reading a physical book again. I think it is a good thing for me to have something to do that does not involve a screen. Plus it makes me sleepy if I am a bit tired which, for me personally, is great. Aside from this next experiment, the activities I do the most are playing one or two video games, study for my degree and work part-time.
Another thing I've started doing is doing the bare minimum in terms of physical exercise. I am working on doing pull-ups (I went from doing 0 to 1,5 =) ) and doing some squats. School and work rob me of a lot of energy so I tend not to exercise. But now I'm trying to at least do something.
I will try to keep up with this post but I have a tendency to procrastinate on them if I get a lot of replies. Thanks for bearing with me =).
32 votes -
A plasma shot could prevent coronavirus. But feds and makers won’t act, scientists say
15 votes -
What are your thoughts on the possibility of public schools re-opening?
My feelings are a bit mixed as there are painful consequences on both sides of the equation. However, I ultimately feel that schools in their current set up cannot work in the current environment...
My feelings are a bit mixed as there are painful consequences on both sides of the equation. However, I ultimately feel that schools in their current set up cannot work in the current environment and shouldn't be re-opened. The likelihood of the virus spreading and killing grandparents, parents, and teachers is guaranteed. But I feel like the US has to address the negative consequences of kids staying at home. What that would look like, I'm not 100% sure. I don't even think you can apply a set of guidelines that would fit every situation out there.
Some things that I think would work in some areas:
- Open air schools
- Cafeteria food delivery to students on free, or reduced lunch.
- School-provided internet hot spots (I think this is being provided for already in some places)
- Traveling teachers- teachers providing some sort of in-person check ups on students, especially those that are at-risk.
- Schools move towards being open in the Spring, Summer, and partial Fall, with Winter break replacing Summer break.
- Schools partially re-open, with 1/5th the students coming in on one day a week.
Would really be interested in hearing the thoughts and ideas of others on this topic. Especially the people who work in the education field.
22 votes -
You can make millions selling masks to the government in three easy steps
10 votes -
"All the hospitals are full": In Houston, overwhelmed ICUs leave COVID-19 patients waiting in emergency rooms
18 votes -
Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of July 6
This thread is posted weekly, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the...
This thread is posted weekly, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the situation is like where you live!
13 votes -
I’m an epidemiologist and a dad. Here’s why I think schools should reopen
9 votes -
Pathologist found blood clots in 'almost every organ' during autopsies on Covid-19 patients
8 votes -
Why do some/most nasal decongestants create feedback loops of congestion and (more importantly for me) how can one get over the withdrawal effects created by it's excessive use, and in what timeframe?
For context: my mother said that my father has used these decongestants regularly for as long as she has known him. He passed this habit onto me when I was young, originally with Afrin, then...
For context: my mother said that my father has used these decongestants regularly for as long as she has known him. He passed this habit onto me when I was young, originally with Afrin, then Narix. Given there is a recommendation to not use these decongestants for extensive periods of time and apparently a rebound effect and syndrome called rhinitis medicamentosa comes from ditching it's use after said long periods, my mother decided using it like this is unhealthy and thus cut my use of it for the day, and given this stuff is cited in Wikipedia and a fair number of news/medical articles, it seems legitimate, and thus I agreed.
After that, my skin is more prone to goosebumps and being overly sensitive, my eyes are watering more, my throat feels more scratchy (although I already woke up with that, before my mother made this decision) my nose is running way more than it used to.
Can I blame withdrawal on this?
What happened to me?
How long does this last?And is this site really where I should turn to to try to find out?8 votes -
Sweden has become the world’s cautionary tale
24 votes