u/aryasdanvers

so basically as the summary says i think there’s a high possibility that i have hs.

since around age 12 i have had occasional boils in my left armpit, groin and inner thighs as well as occasionally on other parts of my body. my mum was sick and passed away when i was a teenager and it wasn’t an issue i felt i could talk to my dad about so it wasn’t low key just brushed aside by me and ignored.

as i’ve gotten older they have been slowly getting more frequent and i have some scars now on my inner thighs especially. i am now 26.

they do however look nowhere near as bad as any pictures or videos i see online. i also have PMOS and insulin resistance which i understand can also be another related factor.

i’m overweight and am trying really hard to get that under control because i know that can make things worse too. i’ve lost 6kg so far.

i’m in the uk and my gp does not care at all usually if i have a persistent boil i get dismissed as “it’s an ingrown hair or a cyst here’s some antibiotics” because my gp has never heard of hs and has googled it infront of me and decided my boils are not as bad as the pictures so therefore that’s not my problem.

as i understand it hs progresses in stages and i likely would place myself in stage one. my worry is without intervention it’s going to continue to progress and eventually will become as bad as some of the images and then finally maybe my gp will listen.

i don’t want to get to that point if i can avoid it though so what can i do for myself in the meantime to help.any suggestions would be appreciated

So my previous job gave us company branded laptop backpacks and I don’t feel like I can start a new job with a backpack with my old company logo on… so i’m in the market for a new backpack.

Requirements:

• Must Be able to fit up to a 15.6” laptop in a padded pocket (individual section is preferred but I can be flexible on this.

• Water bottle holder must be able to hold a 32oz Owala bottle with ease.

• Preference for 2 water bottle holders as there is some walking during my commute so being able to carry an umbrella also would be ideal.

• Lots of pockets and organisation space but still a decent sized main body of the bag.

• Ability to fit under airline and rail seats easily.

• Must be comfortable for a woman to wear for a long period of time (iykyk).

• Easily available in the UK

• Budget under £150

Bags I like so far are the Osprey Axis 24L and the Sherpina Getaway. The thing I’m struggling with most is finding bags with bottle pockets that a 32oz owala will fit in… I really like the tomtoc bags but reviews I’ve seen say the bottle pockets are quite small.

What are your thoughts on the 2 bags I’ve suggested? Any other recommendations?

Universal Credit have asked my friend who claims Universal Credit and receives the LWRCA component if we are in a relationship, which we are not.

I think this will have been triggered as we have just moved from one property together to another property also together. My friend however was reported to the DWP in 2018 maliciously so understandably they are worrying this is what has happened again. The DWP found no evidence the report previously was substantiated and their claim was unaffected but the period of investigation was a stressful time for them.

For some context on the living situation:

Back in 2020 when things were going on with covid etc, I relocated. My friend was living with their dad at the time and my friend and their dad allowed me to stay with them at the time rent free.

The relationship between my friend and their dad broke down in approximately 2022 and by this time I had found stable employment so alongside my friends benefits we moved out of their dads place and into a 2 bedroom flat as joint tenants.

I’m now at the point where I am looking into my future and saving for a house etc, and I have secured a rent to buy property. Leaving my friend alone in the flat we were renting together would mean they couldn’t afford things, plus due to their disabilities they struggle with living alone. Whilst their relationship with their dad is on the mend living together again would likely put strain on their relationship again. It is a three bedroom house so we have separate bedrooms.

To say thank you to my friend for them and their dad allowing me to stay with them during a difficult time in 2020 i’ve allowed my friend to move into my property and they are on my tenancy agreement as a permitted occupier of the property. It was my friend reporting this change to UC that triggered the journal message asking if we are in a relationship. This obviously means they will lose their housing element but that isn’t a problem as for all intents and purposes this is my rent to buy property of which application and finances etc were assessed solely on my income.

My housemate sends me a set amount every time they get their UC payment which I use as their contribution to the household bills.

As we are friends we do socialise together sometimes but we do also have friendships independent to each other also. Family and friends would not say we are in a relationship if asked by a third party. We have also spoken to other people or seen other people during the time we have lived together.

One thing I have however seen is one thing they consider is groceries and meals. Due to my friend’s health conditions they find budgeting for meals and cooking difficult so I buy the groceries and cook meals which we both eat. Similarly I do the laundry for the both of us for the same reasons. However, in this arrangement I think this would be seen more as me acting as a carer for my friend rather than that we are a couple.

Should my friend be right to be worried? Will this cause another stressful investigation - if it does what type of evidence would we likely need to provide? Should we be claiming as a couple even when we aren’t romantically involved?

We would like to give notice on our current rental property. We signed our tenancy on the 4th of the month so it is my understanding that we serve notice on the 3rd for the tenancy to end 2 months after also on the third - is this correct?

Also to avoid paying rent on 2 properties at once I would like to request ending the tenancy in line with our original tenancy terms, I understand the landlord doesn’t have to agree to this but we have been good tenants and I’m hoping they will take this into consideration.

I have drafted the below - does this seem okay?

Dear (Landlord Name)

Please accept this email as formal notice to terminate our tenancy at:

(Property Address)

In accordance with the statutory periodic tenancy requirements, we are providing two months’ notice and intend to vacate the property on 3 August 2026.

However, we would also like to respectfully request consideration for an earlier tenancy end date of 3 July 2026, in line with the one-month notice period stated within our original tenancy agreement, as we expect to have fully vacated the property by that date.

Having been reliable and long-standing tenants over the past three and a half years, we hope this request may be considered favourably and in good faith.

Please confirm receipt of this notice to quit and advise whether the request to shorten the notice period can be accommodated.

We have thoroughly enjoyed living at the property and would like to express our gratitude for the opportunity to have been your tenants during this time.

Kind regards,
(Our names)