Just wanted to take a minute to say I hope your day picks up from here. I'm sorry that vaccine conversation was so hard (I'm in the mental health field and spent a fair amount of my training in an autism center, so I know exactly the conversations you're talking about - and the vaccine issue is one that gets me…

Aww, I can't imagine - I'm so sorry to hear that. That's great that you'll be able to make your yard cat-safe for the future.

Wearing someone else's collar? What?

Just wanted to chime in to say thank you for the work you do. I'm glad you won the book!

I'm so sorry for your loss. Sending you my thoughts today.

Yes, exactly! I feel like I can't recommend the prosthodontist to just anyone because they're so insanely expensive - the one time I recommended him, I gave his name with a giant disclaimer.

I know what you mean - I wish mine helped more, too. I gives me a little bit of temporary relief (I'd probably call it "comfort" more than relief, really - it feels sort of soothing). Really, I think it just helps me to feel like I'm doing something - which is worthwhile in and of itself sometimes, you know? I use…

Thank you for the good wishes. It is stressful and scary. It's the only medication I've been able to tolerate over the last 16 years, so I'm definitely terrified. My doctor actually likes me to have some on hand at all times in case of an emergency ever since my car accident, since some pharmacies don't stock it…

Thank you so much. I so appreciate your offer to share your knowledge and experience. On top of my allergy I tend to be really sensitive to most meds, so I can't even imagine taking 10mg of percocet - I have to go to sleep when I take my 5/500 because even though it kills the pain, it still makes me feel really…

Thank you so much for the suggestion. I don't think I'm at that point right now, but I will definitely keep it in mind. I've done trigger point injections before (one time they were helpful; other times they haven't been) and I have a small stimulation device (just a small TENS unit, not an implant) that helps a…

It's so true. And the more you know and understand, the worse it is. It's hard to find that balance, but you have to do it because you do need to advocate for yourself.

I think I'd been really lucky all along - my first spinal surgery was at age 17 and when I kept vomiting from different meds, they switched me with no problems so I learned quickly what I could tolerate and what I couldn't.

All I can say to you is: Thank You. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I absolutely get that it can take a decade, but I am so grateful to you and your colleagues for putting in this work and have faith that it will be worth the wait. I look forward to meds that are just what you described.

Yes, this. A thousand times, this. The existing options really aren't sufficient. I actually have allergic reaction to most opiates, and the one I've been able to tolerate was one of the ones that's now off the market because it had 500mg of acetaminophen in it, so I'm out of options for managing my chronic pain at…

I'm glad you're healed, and I so appreciate the empathy and perspective you bring to your work. Thank you for the work you do... and please keep working hard on those other meds! As someone who's had chronic pain for the last decade but can't tolerate most opiates, we need 'em. (Sigh... for some reason the only…

I would also take all of your courses.

Yeah, you just hit my current sore spot. Two master's degrees and a doctorate here - and I'm about to buy a car for the first time and have never felt like a bigger idiot. How did I make it this far without knowing anything about this????? UGH.

Ugh - I'm sorry to hear that your friends are a city away. If the news isn't good, ask your doctor's office for resources for support - they'll have them. And please do report back here - from the looks of it there are lots of us cheering for you, so even though we're not there in person, you're not alone. …

I agree with everyone saying to call first thing tomorrow to ask when they expect the results, and to make sure they'll call you when they have the results back - but make sure they'll call you when they have the results *regardless* of what the results are. If they can give you a pretty specific idea of when you can…

I second the recommendation to look for schools - graduate psychology programs where they train doctoral students in psychology - they often run clinics with sliding scales. They won't show up on your insurance provider's list, so you have to contact the schools directly, but they can be a solid, less-expensive…