u/HalleFreakinLujah

I'm on day 11 and other than a blood pressure med interaction last week which has been solved, I'm noticing fatigue, general achiness, and some depression. I am on an SSRI already, long-term, and I super sensitive to medications, weather changes, you name it. Just have one of those bodies. Has anyone else noticed themselves feeling more down than usual?

Or achy?

EDITED to add: it seems I should be taking a glp-1 separately from an SSRI. Otherwise absorption of the antidepressant is hindered due to delayed gastric emptying from the glp-1. The aches and blues are feeling like SSRI withdrawal, so that's the light bulb moment for me. I will move foundayo to the afternoon and see what happens.

We older folks are sometimes dealing with hair loss just by virtue of aging. My (66f) hair has thinned quite a bit with "female pattern baldness" in the last few years, on the sides and front of scalp just over my face. I'm finishing my first week of a new Glp-1 oral medication. But I'm concerned about hair loss since I didn't realize it was a potential thing with these drugs until recently. Wondering what your hair experiences are with glp1 meds.

Been reading enough on here and elsewhere to see that food quality and preseason understaffing is affecting people's visits more than they would like. I'm flying in next Tuesday, renting a car. Staying at the YVL for two nights. Sounds like it's better to bring most of my own food? I think the lodge now has mini fridges...

Having never been, I (66F) spontaneously decided to go to Yosemite next week, the only "big national park" I haven't seen. It's an expensive birthday present with 1 night in Yosemite Valley Lodge on Tuesday night. I'm getting over an acute case of back pain, so not going to do long hikes, but can do shorter walks and bike rides. I plan to fly into Fresno from WA state, stay in Oakhurst the night before (Monday night) and then get up Tues. at 6am to drive into the park.

But I have a week free before I have to return home. What else could I do in the area without driving many hours a day (pain flare ups)? I see Tioga Pass is closed, making it harder to get to Mammoth Lakes and Sequoia, none of which I've seen. Or I could fly into San Jose and hit Monterey/Carmel area, which I have seen, and then head across to Yosemite with a stop in the middle somewhere to break up the drive. Or is there enough to do in the Oakhurst/Mariposa/ Fresno areas without going to the Pacific?

For the last couple nights I smell strong wood smoke, does anybody know where it's coming from? It's making me keep my windows closed on these warm nights which sucks.

I retired in September '24 after burning out during the pandemic and caregiving a demented parent. That parent (the last one) died 2 years ago and then I spent a year dealing with the physical aspects of the estate. Otherwise, all I've done since retiring is deal with delayed physical therapy issues and chronic pain... But besides that, I was not adjusting well to not working. Could not find a good volunteer fit, nor social outlets that worked for my rather esoteric temperament. There are three categories of retiring people: those who already have a full life outside of work, those whose identities were never tied up in their jobs, and those whose primary identity was through their vocations. None is better than the other, but the last one, the category I'm in, makes it very hard to adjust if you're going to stop working. I HAD to stop because I had nothing left to give from burnout. I'm just coming into feeling like myself again, finally, but I don't expect my lost, directionless feeling in retirement to resolve very easily. I do however like the freedom.

So today, my old employer asked if I'd be interested in filling in for the summer in my old job. I am sorely tempted. I don't need the money, but I do need a sense of purpose. And to be around people again, which has proven difficult because of my introversion and the social climate where I live. The work hours would be extremely flexible, with plenty of remote. I asked if it could be part-time, and they would like a bit more than 50%. I got along great with everyone, so there's no bad stuff to go back to. What do you think? Or should I continue feeling lost and directionless until I stumble on something in retirement?

I recently retired and don't see much on Meetup that appeals, since my interests are things like discussion groups, psychology, ideas, etc. Foot/leg injuries prevent me (for now) from walking far or doing much physical stuff. Looking for ideas ...What groups are my fellow Shoreliners into socially?

Also haven't found a good volunteer fit yet, for various reasons. If you volunteer, what do you do? I'm looking for something that lets me talk to people, perhaps from a front-desk or educational/helpful aspect. (Tool Library may be a good idea, though looking for a place where the main faces/staff stays the same. Hard to explain here.)