u/Less-Part3465

English Dept chair here. Next week, I have a meeting with our incoming English majors before classes start. It's a new event this year--the orientation office asked all of us to meet with our new students. I've already checked everybody's schedule and made sure it looked good for the fall, and most of them are registered in our one-credit intro to the major class, so they'll be getting all kinds of details soon.

So I want to keep it light, maybe fun. Those of you who are or were English majors, what would you have wanted to learn about or do or hear in a meeting with the department chair and the other new English majors before your first semester? (Or maybe what did your department do that you loved?)

Years ago, a therapist told me to stop worrying about having stupid/silly fights with my husband, because it happens to everyone and isn't a big deal. But I'm so frustrated with myself. We have a stupid fight and (a) I often can't stop myself from yelling, which I don't want to do, and (b) afterwards, I feel sad and bad for much longer than I think I should. I feel like I waste too much of my life on this. Anyone have strategies that have helped them avoid or at least bounce back from silly fights?

Hi gang, I finished formal treatment for endometrial cancer in early May (hysterectomy, chemo, radiation) and a few weeks later started having hip pain. At first I thought I had just overdone it trying to get more active, but then the pain got to be debilitating, so I checked with my oncology team. They started with an x-ray to make sure I didn't have a fracture--that showed no fracture, a bit of mild osteoarthritis, but nothing that should cause this level of pain. Nurse told me to push ibuprofen and tylenol round the clock, and doing that has allowed me mostly to function again, which is kind of a big deal, because I got a lot of "work from home" allowance during treatment, but I really need to be working on site more now, and being unable to sit has made it hard for me to make my commute.

Next up is a PET scan to check for mets, but they couldn't get me in until July, so I have to manage this pain for a while.

I've been on maintenance Keytruda, which I know can cause joint pain, but my chemo doc was skeptical of that, saying that it's usually the small joints that are affected. I've also heard of radiation causing fibrosis, but my radiology doc was skeptical of that. If it's not one of those two, or a reoccurence of the cancer, I can't imagine what it could be.

Anyone had hip pain that was attributed to Keytruda?

Anyone experienced fibrosis from pelvic radiation?

Anyone have suggestions on managing the pain for a few weeks, assuming it might be one of these things?

Finished active treatment last week for stage 3 endometrial cancer. The outlook is good. I'm continuing immunotherapy, despite a hiccup this week (had some tachycardia, so we have to check that out before proceeding). And of course close monitoring.

Through 9 months of treatment (surgery, chemo, then radiation), I've worked my job (luckily I'm able to work remotely by special approval), tried to stay active, felt grateful for all the ways I'm privileged with good health insurance and etc., and kept a pretty positive attitude.

Last week, doctors and rad techs kept asking how I would celebrate the end of treatment, and it almost made me snap at them. I suddenly don't feel like celebrating, and I'm having trouble forcing myself to work.

It just happens to be the busiest time of year at my work right now; I'm the chair of a university department and it's finals week, so I've got all the last-minute problems coming at me all day every day right now. I've always taken work seriously, especially the parts that impact other people, but right now I just kind of don't care, and I kind of resent the fact that I'm supposed to care, which is completely irrational.

Update, 5/8: I appreciate the kind words and good advice. I'm still SO sick of working and really can't even answer emails today--I keep wanting to tell people to stop whining and leave me alone. I'm deciding to leave some things that should be done today for Monday, and to plan to work on the weekend as I can, hoping my mood and attitude will improve.