u/BehindTheS3ea

I started working at my GP clinic two years ago. I just recently graduated from my vet tech program and passed the VTNE. The raise I got for getting licensed was only 99c, not even a whole dollar. I’m now getting paid $4 below the average for a vet tech in my area and I’ve been there for two years. Management also started talking about having LVTs at the clinic start doing non anesthesia dentals which I do not feel comfortable doing. I’ve also wanted to branch out and see what else I can experience besides GP. This has all led me to seeking employment elsewhere and I’ve since been offered a job at a biomedical laboratory working with primates. I have a friend who works there and loves it. It pays MUCH better with amazing benefits and I’d feel like I’d be doing myself a disservice to turn the offer down.

I just feel so bad about leaving. I know they were excited to have another LVT but I just can’t accept that pay and even if I asked for a raise it’s not going to be nearly as much as this new job offers. They’ve treated me well otherwise, even sent me two weeks worth of groceries after I had major surgery. I’d really miss a lot of people and I’m worried about what would happen if I don’t like this new job. I could probably go back if I ended up not liking it. I’ve been gone for a whole month and just recently came back because I had a big surgery and I’d feel bad putting in my two weeks almost immediately after that. But I feel like if they really wanted to keep me they’d pay me better. I’m not sure if I should be honest with them about why I’m leaving too. I want to leave on good terms. I’m excited for the boost in pay and new opportunities but it just seems so bittersweet.

I got braces this year in February so I’ve had them for just over 6 months. I had a slight overbite, lots of crowding, and rotated lower canines. No extractions were needed. I was told my treatment would take 24-28 months. I’ve been very compliant and have followed all instructions. I’ve never broken a bracket or missed an appointment. My teeth have seemed to shift pretty quickly. Each appointment the ortho would say things are looking great. At my last visit yesterday the ortho said they are going to start “detailing”. I didn’t really think much of it at the time but now I’m wondering if this means I’m going to be done with treatment soon?

So this is something I recently have been thinking about more. I didn’t realize this wasn’t normal until recently.

When I was about 4-5 years old I used to have really bad anxiety around nighttime (still do) and night terrors. I usually had the same reoccurring nightmare. But when this would happen, I would usually go to my parent’s room to sleep with them. This is where it gets weird.

My room was across the house from my parent’s room. I remember getting the courage to make the trip there and walking across the house in the darkness. As I approached their room, I felt myself detaching from my body more and more. I’d eventually get to their room and when I got there, it was like I would completely detach. I would stand in the corner of the room and feel myself start to “float”. Eventually it was like I was floating above my body and I could see myself in third person standing in the room in the dark and I was surrounded by a cloud of purple and dark blue. I would float around for a little bit until one of my patients awoke and called me into the bed. At that point I would go back into my body and could move again.

This happened pretty often. It was pretty much involuntary. It is some of my most vivid memories from childhood. I did have a pretty chaotic childhood with lots of trauma so idk if that has anything to do with it. I don’t remember my early childhood in too much detail but for whatever reason these memories are so clear.

Just thought it was interesting and I’d like to know if anyone else experienced anything similar.

The city I live in has a large Charles river lab that is looking for LVT’s. I have a friend that works there and she loves it. She says the working environment is very good and the benefits are great. My best friend’s aunt has worked there as an LVT for a long time too and she also loves it.

I’m struggling with feeling fulfilled in GP and seeing owners who aren’t able to access care or just don’t care enough about their animals to provide them that care. It would be a nice change to work with animals who are able to get all the care they need anytime. I’m also SUPER interested in the possibility to perform surgery eventually which is only something an LVT in a lab can do. I find surgery super cool and would absolutely love to perform surgeries someday.

My only point of contention really is just the moral gray area. I know Charles river is a more ethical lab but I went into vet med to benefit animals, not people. It just feels kind of weird for the animals full point of their life to benefit humanity. It feels unfair to them a bit. But also I know they usually have a good quality of life in the lab and have all their needs tended to. It would be nice to have a role in their care and do what I can to make life better for those animals. It’s just a strange thing to think about but I also haven’t considered it much. I want to reach out here and ask what others think. So to the techs out there working in a lab setting, what do you think? Is it a rewarding and fulfilling career path?

My boyfriend is mad at me because I did something impulsive. I’m always doing something wrong and making him upset these days it feels like. We were going to go to a store he wanted to visit but he said he just wanted to go home instead and spent the way home telling me how mad he was at me and kind of berating me about it. He said he wanted to be alone and left but I saw his location and he still did the things we planned to do together and I was excited to do it together but he took his best friend instead. I’m anxious and I feel they just spent the whole time together talking about how shitty I am.

I’m scheduled for a total hysterectomy in a few weeks and I’m so excited to finally get these organs removed. My dysphoria around them has always been fairly bad but it’s been worsening as the date approaches. Maybe it’s because I’m aware of them more and thinking about it more. Just knowing that they are in me is just so ick. It feels so wrong that they are there, it’s just so disgusting to me. Pregnancy is absolutely terrifying and knowing my body could hypothetically do that makes me want to throw up. Knowing that these organs only exist for that purpose and that they are in me is so dysphoria inducing. I can’t wait to get this parasite removed.

I’m having my hysterectomy in a month and my consult with the surgeon didn’t include any examining down there and not even an ultrasound. The examining will all be done while I’m under. However, my surgeon did make it clear she’s going to have to do an internal exam a few weeks post op to make sure everything is okay. I’ve been really stressed about this specifically because having an internal exam done while awake sounds really scary to me. I think I could do it with some sedation though. Even just oral sedation would probably be enough. Has anyone ever asked their surgeon for something like this before and was it an issue? I don’t want them to think I’m drug seeking or anything, I just think I’m gonna be so stressed during the post op exam without it.

I have a friend that I met through college and it has come to my attention from other people telling me that she has feelings for me. I’m pretty oblivious in general so I didn’t realize she was flirting with me until other people told me.

In social settings she’s always laughing at my jokes and primarily interacts with me. She’s very sweet and shows her love for her friends but it seems like she gives me special treatment. Like she would show up to class randomly with gifts for me and playfully makes fun of me which I know people tend to do when they’re flirting. She also fishes to get compliments from me a lot.

I am in a committed relationship with my boyfriend though and I do not feel the same way about her. She knows I have a boyfriend so I figured she was just being nice but other people really seem to think she’s flirting. Side note, I am bisexual and she knows this because she knows I have dated women before.

She asks me to hang out a lot and I’m not really sure how to respond because I’m not really comfortable with that. I don’t want her to think I’m leading her on. I usually just try to turn it into a group event with our other friends. I do enjoy our friendship but it has just made me a little uncomfortable to be flirted with. I just don’t want her to waste her time chasing someone who is unavailable because she is very nice and there are other available people out there that I’m sure would like to meet her!

I graduated from my veterinary nursing program today with my associates! I got summa cum laude and valedictorian too! Now it’s time to lock in on studying for the VTNE and then I’m an LVT!

If I had known I would not have bought tickets :/

Over the past couple years my weight has been slowly creeping up. I’m a 21 year old 5’5” male and I’ve usually been around 140lbs but a busy school schedule, bad diet, and health issues have caused my weight to get up to 165lbs. That is the heaviest I have ever been and seeing that number a month ago made me realize I have to change something.

I have gone to the gym since I was 17, but I’ve never been consistent about it until now. But I have always really loved going to the gym and found that it helps me a lot. So a month ago I decided I was going to make the necessary lifestyle changes to lose weight and build more muscle. Diabetes runs in my family like crazy and while I get my levels checked regularly and have never been even pre diabetic, the idea of developing the disease scares the shit out of me. On top of that, I want to spend my 20’s feeling confident and good about myself. I want to build healthy habits now so I can maintain them throughout my life.

So I started by reducing my calories to about 1500-1700 per day. I did have some “cheat” days where I ate at maintenance instead but I never went over. I also started going to the gym consistently at least 3 times a week. I did have some hormonal issues that were a factor in the weight gain so I got those corrected with the help of my doctor, but it was ultimately my own habits that led to the weight gain. I’ve started choosing healthier foods such as fish, chicken, quinoa, Greek yogurt, fruits, and veggies. These are all foods that I absolutely love so this wasn’t really a difficult change for me. I’ve always been really picky about drinks and have pretty much only drank water my entire life and I don’t drink coffee so I think that also helped. I had to learn to tell myself “no” when I wanted to keep eating but knew that I had already met my calorie goal for the day. This was a hard thing for me but it’s getting easier.

I have lost 5lbs in the first month by making these changes! I am feeling so much better everyday too! My energy level is much higher and my stomach issues are almost completely gone. I used to get stomach aches almost daily and I’ve found I am not dealing with that anymore. I am so pleased by my progress so far! My next goal is to do more strength training and start working on building muscle.