u/tiddybirdybitch

I am prefacing this by asking people to please be kind about my ask and understand that I’m doing the best I can to reduce risk of Covid. I would LOVE to only date other CC people, but as a neurodivergent fat nonbinary queer polyamorous CC person in the Midwest, my options are extremely limited. I have only met 2 other CC polyamorous people in my area in 5 years of living here. I’m more than willing to be realistic about potential risk, but I ask you please do not speak down at me because I am choosing to take more risk than you.

I just recently started dating a couple who live together. I live about an hour away so we can’t see each other frequently, but at least every 1-2 weeks. Neither of them mask, though one has agoraphobia and does not go out very often but does have another local partner who visits frequently. The other is not currently working, and has no other partners she is seeing on a regular basis. Though they don’t mask, I do feel some comfort knowing they are comparatively not going out and having nearly as much exposure as the average person.

I also have found someone through local kink community I very much adore and could see myself in a relationship with. He is more local to me, and he is engaged to his partner he lives with (with his parent), and will be moving into a home with his partner and a few friends this fall. He does not mask, and he does work in customer service, though he is open to masking (he actually work a kn95 at our first hangout without my asking 🥹) so I know he is open to at least some additional risk mitigation.

All this said, I am looking for suggestions and thoughts people have on general requests I can make of potential partners when it comes to testing/masking, and what I can do to protect myself the best I can under the circumstances. I do not have a plus life or metrix, and the local potential partner does not have extra spending money for RATs, but the couple is more well-off and may be willing to purchase RATs to use before I come up to visit. If I become partners with any of them, I know I will ask them to mask at any major super spreader event like a concert or plane ride, and if they are unmasked at anything like that I will not see them for 10 days after the event. I know people have had different experiences with asking partners to mask, and I’m certainly nowhere near that at this point, but any suggestions on “more reasonable” masking requests I could make, I am eager to hear.

I had previously had rare periods, and then went through a couple phases of very regular periods when I was eating very well and consistently taking spironolactone. Despite eating a well balanced diet and being on spiro currently, I think because of some additional weight gain last year it prevented the spiro to get me back to regular periods. I hadn’t had a period from May 2025 up until August 2026. I previously would go on walks or intermittently use a row machine, but in July I reincorporated more intense workouts (row machine followed by resistance band strength training) and have been consistently doing it a few times a week. That’s the only change I can think of since then; curious if anyone else who rarely got their period started getting more consistent periods after reincorporating exercise.

Hi y’all! I’ve been polyamorous for many years but am possibly embarking on my first triad dynamic (joining an established polyam couple with triad experience). Any books or other literature out there people can recommend me going into this dynamic?

Hi y’all, I need a space to vent about something and don’t want to go off in the comments on Facebook and cause public drama 🫠

I saw someone post in MTU asking if anyone had chords for a song she was asked to sing at a funeral. Comments pointed out the chords aren’t available because the song is AI generated. Someone commented about an app that will identify the chords, which she ultimately used to identify the chords. Another person commented offering to take a stab at the chords and said she was able to get them, but the lyrics were another story. The OP commented saying they had gotten the chords through the AI app, but that they had personally transcribed the lyrics themselves already.

Did we not go to school for a minimum of four years to study music? Are we not professional musicians? Is it really that hard to transcribe chords to a basic AI song that’s spitting out the most simple diatonic chords? In the time it took her to post about this in MTU and then go to that chords AI app, she could have gotten all the chords written out by ear. I know we have varying levels of musicianship training depending on our school and degree program, but MY GOD the reliance on AI for basic music tasks we are TRAINED to do is actually wild to me. I just did my first recertification, and I understand that we forget some of the things we are taught, but as music therapists we play and use our ears every day while working, and it’s concerning to me that music therapists are willing to hand over these aspects of their job to AI. When I read that she went through the arduous task of writing out the lyrics but couldn’t be bothered to do the chords I was just astonished. Part of the power of music we are tapping into as music therapists is the innate humanness of music, and we are supposed to know music intimately in order to use it clinically.

Also want to add that I don’t personally have an issue that she is performing an AI generated song at a funeral; I would feel weird about it but also move forward with it because of the context. I don’t believe it’s appropriate for me to tell a family what music is and isn’t okay for them to grieve with. If it were me and there was a wider timeframe before the funeral (OP seemed to have been asked to do the gig the day before) I may tried a roundabout way to ask/encourage about other meaningful music, but I want to be clear I’m not complaining about her choice to honor a family’s wishes regarding AI song choice.

Last week when I confirmed my upcoming upper endoscopy, I asked if the person could reach out to the team and request that they wear respirator masks as opposed to surgical masks during my procedure because I obviously can’t wear one with a tube shoved down my throat. When a nurse called me to go over my pre-procedure information, she said that she spoke with the charge nurse about it, who said they would not be granting my request because there’s no indication for it. She apologized that the charge nurse said no, mentioned the higher cost of respirator masks, then she said “well we have done this procedure with cancer patients and it’s been okay.” 🙃 I asked what they mean by there being no indication for it, respirator masks will better protect me from airborne viruses. She said the only indication that would really require respirator masks is if I was in isolation. If I was in isolation I wouldn’t be coming in for an EGD? Also yall can’t spare $6 for some respirator masks for my $7.5k procedure????? I only have two weeks left of my deductible year and will not be able to afford it otherwise, so I am unable to schedule elsewhere. My procedure is at the earliest time slot at least, but I’m really frustrated. Right after that call I met a new physical therapist and she immediately offered to wear a mask upon seeing mine, and that at least gave me a little nugget of hope for healthcare.

I recently saw a post where someone was referring to negative side effects of CPAP and one was lightheadedness. Are people experiencing lightheadedness just upon waking, or is it an all day thing? I’ve been experiencing it through the day recently and am having a hard time finding research on it and would love any resources folks suggest. I want to figure out if it could be CPAP related before I talk to my doc and discuss what could be causing it.

I went and adjusted my pressure and slowly adjusted my APAP window until I closed in on a number and switched to CPAP mode. I’d still like to continue adjustments, but I have a standard pulmonology check in appt a week from today and I’m worried I’ll get in trouble or that there will be an insurance issue because of it. I’ve stayed 100% compliant regarding usage, and am doing much better on CPAP over APAP. Even if I temporarily change it before the appt, I’m guessing they’ll see the changes I made to the pressure. Any suggestions going into my appointment?

Hi y'all! I have had tics all my life but they were mild and socially acceptable enough that no one ever thought to question it. When I learned I was autistic in 2020 and began unmasking my autistic traits, I started allowing myself to stim more freely. What I didn't realize would happen is that it would uncover suppressed tics as well.

After researching and looking through this subreddit, I have what seem to be pretty normal triggers, but the primary one had been my work billing; it's very mundane work that is plugging in numbers, checking boxes, and writing out what occurred in client sessions. I tic very frequently while doing so, and have much less control over them as opposed to my regular daily life. Now I have a new major trigger: editing in Logic Pro. It almost feels like a similar type of mundane brain work to billing. I started a podcast in April and was shocked when I realized how much more present my tics were while editing, and compared to my very mild tics in my daily life, it feels nonstop. There's almost like a cooldown period for my tics after as well, and depending on how long and intensely I was editing (this includes editing the actual audio as well as editing the transcript and social media) I will continue to have more frequent tics for the next 2-24 hours.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had experiences like this and has any words of wisdom. I don't expect there to be any solution, but solidarity and validation would feel nice. It's been very unexpected and overwhelming and was NOT on my radar when making the decision to make a podcast. If I could afford an editor I would get one, but I'm learning to navigate this and I'm okay with that.

Has anyone’s plans to have kids changed due to COVID? I have never felt I HAVE to have kids, though I saw myself becoming a parent given the right partner/financial situation. Now when I think about having kids I get very overwhelmed with thoughts of how I would keep my children safe from COVID. I can’t imagine how difficult it is protecting children when they are too young to mask, and when there are so few people out there available for childcare who are covid conscious. Anyone else in a similar boat? Or any parents who have experiences they’d be willing to share?

My violinist friend wants to start a duo (violin/piano) gigging for weddings (ceremony only). She has played weddings with her string quartet, but I’m wondering if anyone has any recommended books that can be used for violin/piano that has contemporary pop songs (we have found many traditional arrangements through the library) that are commonly requested.

I haven’t been in the wedding game in a while, so if anyone can also just generally tell me the most commonly requested songs these days I’d appreciate it. I don’t know if people are still asking for “Perfect,” “A Thousand Years,” and “Marry You,” or if we’ve finally moved past them 🤣

Hi all! Although I’ve maintained being CC since 2020, I just recently found out that mono is a ***risk factor for long COVID. Previously I didn’t have anything documented that actually put me high risk, but now that I had mono in the fall I want to take my “in case of COVID” prep up a level and take some more precautions. I want to talk to my doctor about:

-getting vaccinated twice per year instead of once
-possibility of having metformin prescribed to help prevent LC, and if it’s something I can get prescribed in advance so I already have it if I do get Covid
-protocol for if I do test positive for Covid; how I can get paxlovid as FAST as possible
-any other suggestions for medical intervention to prevent LC are appreciated (I’m aware of the need to REST and not elevate my heart rate, etc)

Any suggestions for how to discuss this with my doctor, or links to studies to present to her are much appreciated. She knows I’m CC and is supportive of that, I just want to make sure I am prepared. Also if anyone else who gets vaccinated twice per year can let me know how that has worked out with your insurance (like if they covered the second vaccine), I’d appreciate it! Also would love if you shared your vaccine schedule, aka suggestions on timing to get vaccines at ideal times before summer and winter surges.

***Editing to clarify and add context. I had seen an article about “lauracollectivewellness” and it stated that blood work suggested Covid reactivated latent EBV, which is a common root of Long COVID. I went through some various articles but this one seemed to do the best of summarizing the associations, though if you’re interested I’d suggest looking at more (having a hard time finding them on my phone). My personal concern is that I had an active case of EBV this past fall, and I’m concerned about latent reactivation (which could happen to 95% of the population since that’s how many people have it) but in my case in particular I have come to learn more about the damage of EBV and I’m concerned about my body having to fight off COVID-19 while still recovering after EBV in the fall. I think it was my initial active infection and not a recurrence because it’s rare to have significant symptoms in reactivation (though I have no idea who I would’ve gotten it from since I swapped spit with only one person in the possible timeframe, and he’d have had to have an asymptomatic reactivation).

Hi all! I am a music therapist hosting a new podcast where I interview people about their impactful experiences with music, and the ways in which music plays a part of their life. It’s all about tapping into the special inherent magic in music. When possible, I like to include music within the episode, or have bonus music episodes. So far I’ve had an indie artist who shared about her first album drop and we went behind the scenes on her title track, interviewed a composer and we also did a 1 hr composition challenge (yet to be published), interviewed an old friend who is venturing into indie music and did a song collab, and an interview with a music industry professional.

I am looking for people with meaningful stories about music, whether you are a seasoned musician, amateur musician, or a huge music listener. If you’d like to share your story, you can fill out the guest interest survey here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3\_c6uY2zuAabyBmDLPXjN07jz2eLmHAL3PQoEx5Mei0Bvzg/viewform

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or dm me your questions!

I am an MT-BC looking for a change in setting. I am looking to transition from disability waiver services into behavioral health (adult or pediatric). There is a local hospital system I’m looking at locally that is seeking inpatient behavioral health clinicians. Some listings specify licensure (LPC, LMHC, LMFT, etc.), but others only specify a bachelors degree.

When I look at all the job options, I am a bit overwhelmed. I am under the assumption my certification does not cover what they’re needing regarding the positions requesting licensure, but I might consider myself overqualified for one of the more general roles on the floor given the job descriptions. There are several positions in which they are looking for behavioral health clinicians, but different hours, different locations, and slightly different prerequisites. I’m open to any of the locations within city limits, and any of the jobs listed for first or second shift. Should I just apply to all of the ones that I meet the qualifications for and are open to location/shift wise, or should I reach out to the behavioral health team directly through phone or their website to see what they think? I’ve only ever applied to individual clinics or independent contractor positions, and am very confused by the application process in the hospital system. Any advice is appreciated!

I am a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) looking for a change in setting. I want to transition from disability services into behavioral health (adult or pediatric). There is a hospital I’m looking at locally that is seeking inpatient behavioral health clinicians. Some listings specify licensure (LPC, LMHC, LMFT, etc.), but others only specify a bachelors degree. I’m somewhere in the middle with my bachelors and board certification.

When I look at all the job options, I am a bit overwhelmed. I am not sure if my MT-BC covers what they’re needing regarding the positions requesting licensure, but I might consider myself overqualified for one of the more general roles. There are several positions with similar job descriptions, but different hours, different locations, and the slightly different prerequisites. I’m open to any of the locations within city limits, and any of the shifts. Should I just apply to all of the ones that I meet the qualifications for an are open to location/shift wise, or should I reach out to the behavioral health team directly through phone or their website to see what they think? I’ve only ever applied to individual clinics or contract jobs, and am very confused by the application process in the hospital system. Any advice is appreciated!

Just finished season 8 and UGH what an incredible series end. I rewatched for the revival, but have gotten mixed answers from my friends … should I watch season 9 before the revival? Is it worth it?

Edit: the comments indicate a clear NO to watching season 9. Thanks for saving me some time and brain cells, Reddit!

Sorry for the clickbait title but it’s true, I get nauseous and feel motion sick whenever I play City Run. I’ve never had the issue with the same type of game before. I can only play a few times before I have to stop, so I’m probably going to have to find someone who’s willing to grind for the music disc reward for me or someone to trade with since I’m a completionist, but for now I try and play a few times when I can in hopes I get lucky.

Does anyone else have this issue????

Hi y’all, I’m not on this side of Reddit usually so bear with me here. I feel very stumped about a situation I’m in and could use some thoughts since all my best friends are long out of the dating game.

So I (Nonbinary F 28) work as a creative arts therapist and rent a room regularly in my local library media center to meet with clients, and rent the same room for my own project as well. There’s this guy, we’ll call him “Liam” (M 28-29) who works there. He is often working when I am there and lets me into the room and we make small talk.

Fast forward to February of this year. I’m scrolling on Feeld and match with someone. Sometimes when I match with someone, there’s a glitch that auto swipes left on the next person after a match. WELL TO MY SURPRISE I match with someone, see Liam pop up on my screen, and then he disappears. All I was able to see was his first pic, his age, and name. And as a non premium user, I immediately lost my chance to connect. I didn’t get to look through his profile and see if we were a good fit, and I wouldn’t get to find out if he swiped right or he declined since I didn’t even get to swipe on him.

Now it’s been three months, and I feel awkward around him bc now that I saw him an a dating app, my thinking he is cute has accidentally turned into a full blown crush. It’s obviously difficult to tell if he could have any feelings back since he is of course kind and professional and good at his job, so I’m sure he greets other patrons by name and remembers bits of old conversations.

So now I feel stuck. Maybe he never liked me back and none of this was really an issue, but I hate wondering if he actually did like me and now he assumes I don’t like him back. What complicates it even more is that I’m nonbinary and polyamorous, and I don’t know if he is trans/polyamorous inclusive in his dating.

I think at this point my only real option is to delete and remake my Feeld and hope that maybe he is still on there. I can’t just talk to him about it because it would be completely inappropriate to risk making him uncomfortable at work, and most of the time I see him I’m working. I think I’m just gonna have to take the L on this, but maybe the good people of Reddit will have some helpful advice.