The teacher had a rule that if your phone rang in class, you had to answer on speaker phone. This call changed that rule. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5OPpL3AOnU/?igsh=d2s5Z2dnc2t3Y2Rl

I got out of nursing in the last flu epidemic. I was required to get 4 flu shots at work (some for regular flu, some for the new strain), the last one was a “bad batch” and now I can’t get another flu shot because I’m at high risk. At the time we (hospital staff) were told that bird and swine flu epidemics are common and occur at least every 10 years. They’re often noteworthy for killing the young and the pregnant, though at the time most of the patients we had hospitalized were male and either over 45, HIV positive, or both. Flu reaches pandemic proportions much less often than epidemic. I know there has been speculation in the past that it was about every 100 years, but since then I’ve read theories that when it got bad it was only because of extenuating factors. I don’t recall the details but in 1918 it wasn’t just WWI, there were also concerns with nutrition, sanitation, and polio. My point is that there’s no need to panic. Keep supplies on hand, but I wouldn’t stress about that unless & until we get information like we did at the beginning of Covid-19 that hundreds or thousands are dying from the flu. Until then, wear a mask out of courtesy if you’re sick. Consider it all the time if you’re immunocompromised. We’re having supply chain issues anyway so keep some emergency food, toilet paper, and medicines on hand. But otherwise don’t worry so much. Flu epidemics are predictable and generally nothing like Covid-19.

I just googled what blocks microwaves. The first thing that came up is a thin layer of aluminum foil. I’m just picturing people walking around in literal foil hats to keep the microwaves out of their head. 😆

I'm so sorry. I'm over here struggling with a new diagnosis for one of my kids this week and I feel this one deeply.

The 60 Minutes episode is on YouTube. At least one person has needed multiple surgeries on the ears, and multiple others have imaging showing traumatic brain injuries. All were either working in the top 15% of anti-Russian intelligence or were in the family of someone who was (spouse, minor child). Also the US government has similar weapons. I don't think in this case there is any evidence this is mass psychogenic illness, even if there is plenty of evidence for that in other cases.

Per person because when DH & I rent a place alone, we choose to stay in the same room.

Restaurants or grocery store delis will often cater on Mondays. Or at least let you get takeout for 30.

You’re not off-base. But I’d assume the best (she’s very busy and wasn’t thinking about how it sounded) unless she did something similar again. I’d probably respond with, “It sounds like you’re too busy this time. Maybe next visit will work better.”

A more reputable source, but more difficult to understand: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1201655

Yes. https://www.hoacny.com/patient-resources/blood-disorders/what-pernicious-anemia/other-names-pernicious-anemia/how

When you see the rheumatologist, don’t say you heard pernicious anemia from the internet. Tell them your friend Katy, who’s a nurse, told you to have them rule that out because it took my friend with similar symptoms 15 years to get that diagnosis and finally feel better.

Pernicious anemia has symptoms like that, it’s something to do with B12. It looks normal on a blood test so it’s hard to diagnose.

Also, I don’t think that’s socially the behavior of a 17 year old. I think most kids painfully learn those lessons between 11-14. That’s why middle school is so horrible for many of them.

This is going to sound harsh. I don’t want it to be. My 5 year old is on the spectrum too. When the former friend never wanted intense daily communication, they likely have no idea how to handle it. They don’t know if she’s got autism or if she’s some sort of narcissist, or if it’s something much worse and they’re dealing with someone who is literally dangerous. They just know they fear her and her weird behavior. Even if she says she’s autistic, unfortunately some sociopaths claim to be on the spectrum to mask sociopathy. All the friends know is she is violating a lot of social boundaries and screaming to look at all of the red flags. So no, they have zero obligation to make her feel better. Their responsibility is to keep themselves safe, and she is NOT acting safe. Most people will give people the benefit of the doubt when it’s possible. So if she relaxes and stops acting in ways that literally scare them, they’ll probably resume a cautious friendship. I wonder if there’s someone else at her school on the spectrum that she could be friends with.

The smartypants brand multivitamin gummy is pretty good. Just make sure to brush teeth afterwards. I once heard a dentist discuss he owed his upgraded practice, house, and car all to gummy vitamins.

Ghosting can be polite. It’s a way of creating distance without any big confrontations. Then if you run into each other again later you can resume a friendly (but not as intense) relationship easier than you could if you told the person they violated a bunch of unspoken social rules and freaked you out. You might even eventually become genuinely friends, but that would likely take years to build trust. I’d tell the therapist what’s going on too. The way to solve this is for DD to act less desperate, and that’s difficult to learn for even the neurotypical.

It’s also possible that regulators are being more strict now that it’s transmitted in mammals and to at least one human.

I think many people, but especially young people, have a lot of false assumptions about the world. Insurance rates and profits are highly regulated; it’s rare for insurance companies to make any money from the insurance itself at all. Instead they make money from having their reserves in the market. Ideas like this, that things or people or regulations are stupid or bad is generally a sign of an uneducated mind. In reality most things are extremely complex and nuanced. If there were a *few* examples of this, I’d correct it if I knew why something is the way it is. And if not, I’d probably point out that most people are not stupid, and that there is probably a very good reason why things are the way they are, and ask them to look into it. ETA: sorry, interrupted by a child. If it continued I’d say my uneducated minds comment and ask them about if they a handle on their own responsibilities yet. Life is hard. It’s easy to make assumptions about others but difficult to have a handle on all one’s own responsibilities.

Anything that causes inflammation, including a UTI, the flu, covid, anything could cause these sorts of symptoms in a temporary way. Also, medical conditions like heart failure could cause symptoms like that that go away when being treated properly.

Another with shorter sleeves: https://www.ebay.com/itm/273339993491?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ohRX0n9BQsG&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=qSv9kJTJQAK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Ah, ebay to the rescue: https://www.ebay.com/itm/266275871514?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=C0Ge42mxRLy&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=qSv9kJTJQAK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Technically a slip, but part of it is nylon: https://www.aprilcornell.com/product/Camille-Slip-SLA5514R-Black/nightwear

That sounds much more difficult to get a prescription for!

It could be either. There’s no reason to speculate. He needs someone who can explain this to go to the neurologist appointment too.

What a wonderful story! Do you think the recipe sounds like this? https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/70660/chocolate-covered-easter-eggs/