Their rescue names were Kelvin and Jasper, and we all kind of like the name Jasper but would need suggestions to go with it. Kelvin is a big no. LOL

They are 7 month old brothers, sweet as can be. They came from a hoarding situation, so they are a bit shy, but they are coming around quickly. We thought about Calvin & Hobbes, but they don't really have the right personality. I considered Darcy & Bingley, but don't love Bingley for either of them either. DD18 likes Sherlock & Watson. I could maybe be swayed, but I'd like more options. Anyone in the mood to throw out cat names?

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I hate to say it feels better to know I’m not alone, because I don’t want anyone else to be struggling with this.

Yes, I’m sure I’d feel even worse than I do now if my numbers were lower, which is sad, because I constantly feel extremely weak and fatigued. From what I’ve read, you’re in transfusion territory. Yes, I did, and also asked for her to run ferritin as well. I just wanted the wise ladies here to chime in, because I know, sadly, that lots of us have experience with this. We discussed it, but I have a family history of stroke and I’m at risk for blood clots, so it’s a no. I’m going back for an in-office ultrasound to see the current fibroid situation with an appt with her directly after, and then we’ll decide from there what to do. I can supplement to get my numbers up, but my goal at this point is to stop the monthly loss.

I would think the same about her being an OBGYN except that I was there specifically about heavy bleeding and fibroids. I’m 51, so I’m not there for baby joy. LOL I am hypothyroid. She only does TSH though (keep meaning to visit a straight endocrinologist). It was 1.89 in February, down from 2.36 in August. I don’t see where my primary care doc has ever taken my ferritin, although I did look back to when my saturation was 11, then up to 12 six months later, then up to 32 a year later. I think that was my Floradix discovery year. LOL Back down to 15 now though, and I feel physically weak and exhausted, which is weird, because I’m notoriously freakishly strong.

I’ll look into it. Thank you. But I know for sure about the heavy periods/fibroids.

Yes to Hemoglobin and Hematocrit, which were 30.6 and 38.5, both normal. No ferritin apparently.

I went to see a new OB/GYN because I have heavy periods and a history of fibroids. I finally want to do something about it (actually wanted to do something about it in early 2020, lol, but here we are…), specifically because I feel so weak and fatigued all the time, and I know it’s caused anemia in the past, and I’ve been taking iron supplements. So she ran an iron panel, and when the results came back, she messaged me that my “numbers actually look pretty good!” These are the numbers, a screenshot from the health portal… What the heck? TIBC is ok, I guess, but did she miss the red? Or am I missing something?

((((((KungFuPanda))))))

Lynda.com changed to Linked In Learning. I get it free through my library, so it’s worth checking before paying for anything. The classes are well done.

If she can’t do Care Credit, explore other vet offices because there are some that absolutely will do payment plans in house. Otherwise, maybe contact WeRateDogs. They do funding for big expenses on their facebook/twitter.

Living Well on the Spectrum

I’m coming from Arizona, so cold and overcast is my dream weather. We’re not getting in the water, so no worries. I just like staring into the vast expanse of the Pacific. It makes me feel small and insignificant in the very best way.

I will start playing with this idea today, I think. I did find our naturalist volunteer program, and I'll contact them to see if teens can participate. Thank you!

This is very interesting! Thank you! I had strongly considered signing him up for bio derivatives (zoology, botany, more field/nature study paired with journaling, classes offered through the local botanic garden and zoo, etc.) and letting him do those alongside bio to provide relief for all the modern day chemistry of the cell stuff that seems to dominate intro biology classes.

Yes, he’s motivated in the areas that interest him. He pretty much self teaches history, another area of personal interest. He could guide his own study, but I’m not sure that’s how he’d get the most out of it. He responds best to formal teaching/lectures in science, and I like the idea of him having a teacher to go to with thoughts and questions. I am a humanities person, so wouldn’t be that person. Well, I can do thoughts. LOL

I’m glad you brought Dana’s class up, actually, because I have a particular question about it. Chem went better than I thought, given that it was asynchronous and part of DS’s enjoyment of Jetta’s physics was the live aspect once a week. When I last looked at the preview of the Fundafunda bio, it showed class as a bird’s eye view looking down at her (not remembering exactly) own paper/whiteboard notes. I didn’t love that, imagining it as the main view for the whole class. Is it ever in a video format where the camera is on her while she covers the material? I realize this sounds so very nit picky, but I found it kind of impersonal. Even though her voice and cadence were lovely, I just couldn’t imagine a year of just looking over a virtual shoulder onto a note board.

I’ve looked at lots of biology threads, but I’m interested in knowing if anyone’s bio loving kid has taken a (non-AP) course with an instructor that they absolutely love. This kid has done Jetta’s physics (loved Jetta and physics), Connie’s chemistry (loved Connie and the class/format, is meh on chemistry itself), and is now ready for bio. But I feel worried about picking just the right class because he loves bio. I want a teacher who really brings it to life with their own love of the subject. He has read so many non-fiction books about nature, plants, and animals, and I could really see him going into biophysics, bioengineering, biophilic design, or something along similar lines. I want non-AP because I don’t want anything too challenging this year; he is doing part-time enrollment with the local high school’s engineering classes starting this year, and I don’t want him to be overwhelmed. (He has anxiety and adhd to contend with already.) He can take AP bio next year if he wishes. I have also considered creating my own syllabus for him, but I feel I would need to find downright amazing video resources of biologists kind of speaking as teachers in order to make the material come alive after two years of excellent instruction from Jetta and Connie. Hard shoes to fill. Thoughts?

The Science of Stuck?

Oh, that is so helpful, Lori! Thank you.

Beautiful, Treasure Island Beach in particular! Thank you.

Thank you! It looks great!

Basically, I want to be less than an hour from Disneyland. I plan to spend most of my visit at the beach. I’m interested in good, casual restaurants, low-ish crowds, clean sand, and gorgeous ocean views.