Maybe the medicine has to be very strong to cure the disease.

We just have to hold on for dear life.

And please start eating. We are going to need all the strength we can muster to get through this.

We are in a war against evil, and we need to hang in there.
The Ukrainians are doing it, so can we.
And we are not up against their particular hell at all.

People have your back here, BMPM.

daily caloric intake and can't get above 85. My mind and body are aware of this shit and it is due to constant, unrelenting stress. I need a Xanax the size of a football. I told everyone, including my doctors, that this would happen. I know myself very well at this point in my life.

We need to stay strong and prepared.

I knew this was going to happen and tried to batten down the hatches
and make safeguards. And trying to get as healthy as possible before it gets
even worse.

Has your doc run some blood work to see if there are underlying problems?
I am trying to get all diagnostic work done while I still have insurance.
Trump wants to take it all away.

The battle between good and evil is the iconic human condition.
It is an eternal battle I think.
We were spoiled, we had a break after WWII.
The men came home from war and just wanted peace in the valley.
So we had peace and prosperity for a while and got spoiled.
We thought it was the natural order of things.

But we are back to the battle again. Good vs Evil.

Back to a world gone crazy and evil like WWII.

Pace yourself and realize that you are not alone in the battle.
We are stronger together.

He thought that maybe I had diabetes but I don't. On Fri he told me I should drink alcohol to calm down like most people do. I thought he was kidding but he wasn't.

Fucking hell some provider looks at an EIGHTY THREE POUND ADULT and tells them to DRINK BOOZE? I’m sorry, that really REALLY pisses me off.

You need a thoughtful workup from a COMPETENT provider. There are things that could be contributing to this issue for you that are relatively easy to address or at least improve your quality of life like your thyroid or GI mobility. There are things that they should be screening for like cancer that require a timely response. You should have been referred to specialists or really ANY OTHER PROVIDER if he can’t come up with anything beyond telling you to start drinking. How ugly, patronizing, unprofessional and dismissive.

That kind of specialist helped me when I was underweight. I would love to be much lighter now, but I don't think that will happen any more. I have Grave's Disease, a thyroid issue. You may have thyroid problems, too. Please get help.

You would be better off on an antidepressant which would help with the anxiety and may help you gain weight.
Also he should probably re do your blood work at 6 months again.

I think you know that. Get a new doctor?

Things WILL have to get worse for us to get over this. For enough people to get it. For those of us with empathy, it is torture watching the suffering of innocent people. But understand that most of us will survive. We have to do everything we can to survive. Envision the day that all this turns around and we begin rebuilding. Maybe we'll have learned enough to make an even better world.

The world is full of so much genius and love. That will not be overcome. Malignant narcissists do destroy themselves in the end.

I was 225 lbs at dx, now 160, a loss of 65 lbs. I eat 2,500 to 3,500+ calories a day, to no avail. It’s a rare cancer with serious and extraordinally expensive treatments.In the past it was considered terminal, but with advancing treatments it’s gaining a rep as manageable with even a number of lucky patients evolving into a state of functional cure.

Unfortunately I need the treatments to live. Given my disappearing body, there’s just less of me around to do the living.

And getting back to BMPM: that’s a lot of weight to loose. If you’re not now, you should self-advocate for your cure — or at least for meds that treat diseases and patience QoL. Best of luck to you getting the care you need.

I wish peace, happiness, and health for everyone. I really do.

in the past 10 days. I get Botox for daily migraines and the doctor told me that even though I am underweight I should eat a reduced fat/sugar diet since my cholesterol is high. Three days later my primary care doctor told me the opposite, to eat fat and sugar to gain weight since my grandmom was 104 years old when she died even though she was thin and had high cholesterol I really do not have to worry about that issue.

Huh?!? Who should I listen to?

You need another (year, it sucks) specialist like an endocrinologist or to get into a health care system where the doctors can access the same records and can talk to each other.

Stress can mess your system up big time, as does getting older and immune system issues.

I can't tell you what might be best for you, but unless you're 4 ft 10 plus or minus an inch or so, 82 to 85 lbs. is concerningly light for an adult.
Your doctors need to talk, and be looking at the same lab results so they can come up with a good plan.

I am back up to 95 pounds, goal of 103. I woke up one day and realized who I was letting kill me. They continue to stress me, I calm by yard labor then vaping cannabis flowers. However, my only health issues are hyperthyroidism (unmedicated by choice) and getting old (75).

Plus, I imagine taking out my hostilities on the next person to tell me how lucky I am to be thin.

You might get occasional outliers who manage to pull their heads out of the shit, and a very small number of those will manage to keep their heads out of the shit, but the rest are lost forever, and they don't even want to be found.

Fuck every last one of them.

They love the cruelty, evil, hardship.

Tech Bro's buy/rig the election and their little errand boy gives them return on investment (infestment, actually)

And pardons Trump (of federal crimes).

Puzzle pieces fit perfectly. Clock is not only ticking; it's falling off a cliff.

The top five , most narcissistic, sadistic, Psychopaths in the world, each having the ability as leaders to single handedly launch enough nuclear weapons to destroy the entire world, 100 times over....

The leaders of the U.S.....Russia.....NKorea......... China....... Israel.........

the tech bros terrify the shit out of me. When a single deviant like Musk can decide when to turn on and off the communications of a country or a military based on his FEELINGS after a night of drug-addled, feverish doom-scrolling, we have given rich fuckers FAR too much concentrated, singular power. I fear pitchforks will be required if this is allowed to continue. Truly dark times may lie ahead on the current timeline.

Remember the Movie WAR GAMES, and the WOPPER computer that was working on its own? Probably the harbinger of AI......

Just for fun, you should re-read Steinbeck's award winning book......THE GRAPES OF WRATH.......
I read it in 1963 and just re-read it recently......My thoughts in 1963 8th grade were "whatever... past history"
Now they are quite different, seeing what is before us in the future.....and the high potential for a major depression...

I also think Trump is losing it.
They'll find a reason to push him out be it health or some blunder he'll make & Vance & the Project 2025 commandos will be in charge. Those people are more devious & clever than Trump. Vance is Peter Theil's bitch. They won't be going anywhere. Granted I don't think Trump's base will go for Vance.
But by that time we will be lucky if we get to vote & you can be damn sure that the vote will be tampered with or just be a show. Probably Martial Law will be declared..They're just itching to turn the Armed Forces on us.
Either way it's depressing & ugly.

DON'T TELL TRUMP.

If you're down to 83 pounds, that sounds serious. It's probably worth trying to get away for a while.

That way you might still be around to celebrate when the day comes.

In fact I stopped watching the news and reading DU posts for 6 months. My mind subconsciously is fully aware of the hell we are in and I still dropped weight.

and quadrupled my caloric intake so I gained 2 pounds back. I know I'm super stressed out since my health insur will increase from $194 a month to $1,200 a month (33% of my income).

I hope they can work that out and that their solution will help you.

Blaming the German people for their own destruction.

You will see a blue tsunami the likes of which has never been seen before.

By the midterms, I expect a big chunk of Trumps cabinet will have resigned, and those that remain will be impeached by the new Dem congress, along with their boss.

The tide will change. WE MUST WIN to stop the insanity and destruction

DEATH or SURVIVAL. The midterms will tell us the story of our future. If it looks like death, we need a plan almost as big as when Pearl Harbor was attacked. (i really feel THAT is our only option)

we're all stressed but we should manage to EAT.....honestly, it is time for you to take a break from the news and DU and take care of yourself

#16 and #17.

Find a way to persevere. Eat more protein.

When the oxygen masks drop on a plane, you first hook yourself up. That way you are in good condition to offer assistance to others. Please take care of your own body and soul, because you are worth it and because you are needed.

I hear you, and I despair with you. Losing so many of my teenage heart throbs this year and last hasn't helped, either. I am down to 86 pounds... three more than you... and I eat, I just don't eat well, I guess. But eating "well" costs more money that we have, and I tend to give the most to hubby who is fighting heart attacks and dementia.

A lot of mine is worry and despair not only about the country... but also about my little family. It's just me, hubs, and my grandson. What gets me is waking up in the middle of the night with night terrors... and seeing my hands beating at trump. My subconscious does what my conscious only dreams of....

One of these days, soon, tho we'll be dancing in the streets. He did a major faux pas that everyone with a dementia male parent, uncle, grandfather, etc., can see clear as the nose on your face. My only issue is getting his admin out and killing the "normal" continuity of government.

I'm never happy and I scream at the radio.

If we didn't vent, we would die.

I am right there with you. Every day is a new horror - there is no end to his depravity, and he gets away with all of it! I keep hearing 'just wait until the midterms', but we can't wait until the midterms. Think of the damage he will do in the meantime. Our country and our democracy is being destroyed on a daily basis.

He is screaming for the 25th Amendment or impeachment, but nothing happens. He is wrapped in a cocoon of complicity.

but it is still hanging over me all the time. I'm getting older and I really don't know if I'll live to see the end of Trump and all the damage he has caused.

At least you know you are not alone. So many good people share your anxiety.

I don’t think that Trump has any feelings for anyone or anything except himself and Ivanka.

Trump is fundamentally indifferent to the existence or well-being of the nation (or its people) unless he can see some benefit to himself.

In some ways, this is worse than hating, because with hate there is an emotional context. With indifference - there is a lack of acknowledgement, you/nation does not exist in any meaningful sense to Trump.

My opinion.

It really sucks. It's hard but I try to tune out. I mainly watch FAFO themed clips, brutal takedowns or debates, which are easier to swallow and keep me a little updated on what's going on.

Heath first, then build strength enough to resist. It's really dangerous to be empathetic and listen to all the news you can get now.

Turn off the TV news. Stay off of DU if you have to. Expect the worst and take joy where you can find it (friends, daily walks, whatever works). If hobbies aren't enough, find a new vice!!

I'm down to watching Rachel every other week and can't take any normal news. I never ever allow the voice of TSF to cross my ears.

We're even watching a lot of Cricket (from New Zealand; go Black Caps!) to remind ourselves that there's a world outside of the failure that is the US.

I'm trying to get strong enough to survive the party that we'll have when he croaks. In the meantime I do what I can without going nuts.

Hope this helps, even if only a little

I even recorded Spinal Tap 2 yesterday to cheer myself up. Then I learned about Rob Reiner and I don't think I'll be able to watch it without crying.

All I can suggest is to take comfort in that you care ... it sounds so simplistic, but the price of love is pain. It's always going to hurt -- personal loss or watching the loss of others.

Be glad that you're not a psychopath that takes pleasure in other's pain. Maybe watch Spinal Tap 2 twice ... once to cry and then again to smile. Be glad that we were lucky enough to live in the same universe as Rob Reiner.

Thanks! And sorry, it's from Biden ... a while ago...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/02/02/joe-biden-refers-donald-trump-as-sick-us-election/

I hate what these people are doing to this country..At 70 plus years old? I don't have a lot of time left to see the recovery which will take a while..Republicans, wealthy tech titans and these so called right wing Christians are the most hateful and terrible people I have seen in my years.I am a christian man and yet none of the behavior I see from the so called right christian nationals is anything like what I was taught in church!! .I can remember at 12 years old my dad said to me...Never vote republican!!..I must say I did not always listen to all the good things my dad tried to tell me as I grew into a man, but I learned over this time that he was as right as right could be..He had seen a lot as a man of color and was trying to pour into me the facts of life! He was not a formally educated man but was one of the smartest people I have ever known!! He went through and explained to me why? They hate unions, they hate social security they hate civil rights, they dislike people of color! Their answer to everything is tax cuts!! All the reasons he told me then are so true today!! This all started with the election of Ronnie Reagan! This is where we are!! If I get to see my dad again! I will tell him just how right he was!!

He is going down, and soon, Carville himself said so. You can check his channel. But, first you need to take a break from this. None of us can take much more of this without taking breaks. Pamper yourself a bit, treat yourself, or watch your favorite movie. Take care.

Spinal Tap 2! I doubt I'll watch it now since I will be crying instead of laughing.

preferably the hour before going to bed. Be content, you have done all you can about it for the day. Read a book for 1/2 an hour. Enjoy some tea midday. Can't wreck yourself along with the country. It won't help.

Each have 35 plus seasons .. I'm finding the need to focus on other things for the first time since
the not so supreme court installed shrub . I now limit the news to a few hours a day not counting
Stephanie Miller . Stephanie starts my day with laughs and fellowship .

The best way to stick it to trump is to remain Healthy so we can piss on his grave and rub it in the magat noses for the rest of their lives how they were SUCKERS and Rubes .

My doctor thinks I'm not telling him the truth but it IS true! I told him I'll disappear by Christmas. He hates tRump, too.

The next 3 years will be bad..no doubt.

Only wall will be midterms

Impeachment with conviction could happen ASAP if we had a Republican party with one half of a spine..John Thune? where are you as the leader of this party..I know you see what we all see!! Chuck Shumer? you should be shouting from the roof tops for the Majority leadership to do the right thing!! I hear crickets from the minority senate leader. Put pressure on the majority party!!! God knows you have lots of proof! What are you waiting for? The minority party is leaving it for the democratic governors, the AOC's, the Jasmine Crocketts, Mark Kelly, to take the heat and the lead...Shumer where are you??.. Strongly worded letters from your office are not gonna do the trick!! Your weakness is not showing well should you decide to run for reelection. You are not showing leadership in any form. Say something! Do something! Anything!! Stop this madness!!

He's got his Blotaated Billionaire Bill passed and has thrown the economy into chos with his tariffs. Weak kneed waffling on Ukraine will continue to encourage Europe they're on their own, at least in the short term, and I'm not convinced that's the worst part of his idiocy.

He's done the damage he came to do. His dementia is becoming more obvious, even via the limited glimpses we get of him these days. While his team of thieves and half wits will want to pursue their own agendas, their ability to do so will be limited by his inability to give them his full support.

Also, Putin is looking a bi shakier these days, some of his hand picked major officials and Kremlin insiders are being deprived of loot, liberty and sometimes life. So this heap of tratorous snakes can't rely on much support or even happy gudiance in destroying this country from that quarter.

Short term, it will be bad and I think it has to be for next year's elections to stymie his gang by switching Congress, which will act to undp some of their worst. After that, if he remains in office instead of leaving to spend more time with his money and his golf clubs, the outrage level will decrease.

You're part of the DU family. And WE DO AND WE WILL go on like this for far longer than just three more years.

Whenever things just get to be too much for me, this is where I seek refuge. As I think Skittles once said, "someone's always here." Three simple words that, I tell you truly, have gotten me through some rough times.

Yep, DU IS always here. Count on it.

And count on us.

we are all fighting him together & there are a lot of younger folks helping us. I read on Substack a lot, along with my bluesky account, and of course DU. We are going to outlast him, he is rotten to the core.

I love your thoughtful posts and hearing about your class experiences. But take some time off! And start cooking and eating!!

I posted about it earlier as well.

I know it's not much - but we have each other. Somehow coming to DU helps. That and going to the streets to protest.

I have an anxiety disorder. I take medication to help. Initially I was flipping out over everything. I started to listen to my body so now when it tells me its enough I stop reading posts on DU. I love MSNBC but rarely watch because it freaks me out. I stay aware just enough to keep up with what's happening. I never watch trump talking it upsets me too much.

Instead I participate in pop up protests in my town. I signed up with an organization that supplies food to families who need help. I am a member of indivisible. I signed up as a ICE verifier when they came to my town. I am always looking for ways to help in the community. This provides me with avenues to be of benefit instead of listening, watching, and reading the negative. It really has helped me.

It is not healthy to eat, sleep, and live all the negativity that is happening right now. We don't know what the future will be and I refuse to live believing that nothing can be done and that it is hopeless.

I hope i can share some tough love here. I maybe paraphrasing what you said-he is doing this too me(meaning trump) but he isn't. You are doing it to yourself. We are all in control of how we feel, how we respond, and how we absorb information. You are allowing him to control you. I know it's not easy to let go of anxiety and stress but you must find away to do healthy things for yourself. It is imperative that you do this. I have read the posts here there are so many people sending you love and encouragement. That's what gets us through.

Hang in and thank you for sharing as it has allowed people here at DU to reach and support you. Hoping you are able to find your path forward to better health.

It's a waste of time to let someone like Trump have this much control over you. Go volunteer where you can see some good. Learn to meditate, hike. Something. Trump won't last forever.

Trump et/all is providing many people with a vital learning experience of what good the federal government has it done in the past. When you elect people who love America and want to create a good government, we will get that again. Hold onto your sanity things will get better.

Last edited Tue Dec 16, 2025, 03:50 AM - Edit history (1)

If it helps at all, you all and you specifically BigmanPigman have helped me with your posts. My ex mil is also retired schoolteacher.

I wandered into this community in grad school looking for a lefty board and because I would never be able to stand apolitical sites like FB. I liked the mission statement of this board as I am well to the left, but I recognize that the US is a two party country and that much pragmatism even I grasp.

And though most here are old and white whereas I am middle aged and nonwhite, it has been a really good fit. At least a third of the board seem to fit my ex mil’s personality and we were really close when I was in the US. I have also always been curious about people different from me anywhere-white or black or other (I am Indian).

This board and other things irl have made me less feral and helped me return to my housecat rather than feral cat relationship with human society ;-/ (tend to use humor as a defense mechanism).

Hang in there please. We are all here for you.
You -many of you- help other people, something Trump will never be able to say. Surely that counts for something .

(lol.. I chose my nick as unmemorable enough that lurking freepers or creeps don’t remember me. Ironically, it also means most board members don’t..lol.. ..oh well..I used to be more of a lurker till I got goaded by the Trumpiness of society everywhere..totally understood how Boo Radley felt.. ).

(Capcha: lol..scream scene from Psycho BigmanPigman..with all this talk of AI and bots..simple enough and may help EarlG).

Don't allow this to happen to you. Easier said than done, right? I know it is. But you absolutely must get your shit together and do whatever you need to do to survive.

If your doctor isn't helping you, you must find someone else. Keep looking until you do. The sad reality that we live in today is that we must all advocate for our own care. Sometimes doctors get arrogant and don't know that they can be wrong. Get a second opinion. Get a third one.

Find something besides Trump to occupy your mind and soul. For me, it's animal rescue. But each person has to find what works for them. It's not enough to just try to ignore Trump and his destruction; you have to fill your thoughts with something ELSE to occupy that space in your brain.

Am I an asshole for saying this to you? Maybe... But I sincerely want my fellow Democrats who are hurting and suffering to get better. I have my own selfish motive for that. Because I know that each one of us plays a role and is vital to us ALL surviving this. We must outnumber the assholes and out shout them. We must be louder and stronger and longer! Each one of us plays a role. Even if you are not out there protesting and writing your representatives, you still don't know how each and every interaction you have with someone may make an impression on them and cause ONE MORE PERSON to come over to our side.

So, please - for the sake of all of the rest of us - get your shit together and survive out of spite for the assholes if for nothing else. We need you. We need every single person who understands that Trump is trying to take our very lives from us. We will all survive if we stick together.

End of rant - and I sincerely and genuinely wish you all the very best.

You need to take care of your mental health first. Good Luck.

And eat a big bowl of ice cream every night.

Please be tested for Systemic Lupus. It can cause radical weight loss. Find a competent rheumatologist.

I hated the shitty crap non compassionate doctors would tell me before my diagnosis.

Please don’t start drinking alcohol.

I hope you are able to manage it well. It is many times necessary to find the "right" doctor who will listen and try to understand AND who knows their stuff. Perseverance is a must and it isn't easy when someone is fighting an illness.

The lupus is active but manageable at this point. Just all the other health problems.

Thanks for asking hamsterjill.

Living is the best revenge.

And yes we must.

I didn't bleed for this country to lose it to Fascists.

It helps to know I'm not alone. I hope it helps you to know you're not alone.

The East Wing demolition was him striking out after 8 million of us marched the streets of America to show the world our disgust with him & his administration. He knows he's loathed. I only hope his dementia doesn't allow him to go out thinking he was...I can't even type it.

But remember, while the media is busy reporting on his chaos, most of them aren't reporting the losses he's had. Will he take everything to the Supremes, probably, but the lower courts are frustrated with the Supremes, too. What's going on isn't sustainable. Something will give at the midterms if it doesn't give before. Will it be better? Who knows. That wasn't encouraging, was it?

there won't be anything left of what was the United States

He's not going to accept that he is REALLY mortal before he proves it. And he will keep forgetting about it anyway. The Grim Reaper is a sneaky SOB.

I hear you though, I think you should get a second medical opinion, my Mom got down to about 80 lbs after my Dad died and the Dr. prescribed something to help her gain some weight, it really helped her.

I have been trying to eat healthy without going broke, I have been cooking a lot of beans and buying some big bags of frozen veggies at Costco, since it is just me I am feeding (besides the pets, they have their own food) the veggies last a long time. Canned veg aren't bad either!

Not only will trump take down the USA but the whole world; he is not only one of the worst sociopaths in history, but he also exhibits extreme narcissistic traits. Very dangerous. Think of a suicide-homicide crime on a massive scale.

He will destroy parts of the country and change the world in ways we will never forget. He will not win. He will likely destroy our farmers, particularly in the Bible Belt, because they are die hards who will never accept that they were wrong and they are so wrapped up in the belief in the “End times”. They will let the horrors happen in Jesus name. The majority of Americans and the world will survive. We will all suffer. It will end, do what you can, when you can to keep going and help those who deserve to be helped, because they do deserve it. It probably sounds cold, but save that help for people who deserve it and let those that don’t do without. Except for children , always help them, because they don’t deserve punishment for having stupid parents.