u/prachiii_13

i’ve had a small acoustic neuroma in my left ear for about a year and a half. early on my hearing was pretty muffled, then one day it suddenly cleared with a pop and felt almost normal again for quite a while. but a couple months ago things changed again after an appointment, and since then that ear feels blocked and my hearing has dropped a lot.

what’s strange is the constant popping and crackling since then. sometimes it feels like pressure is about to release, but it never fully does. it’s uncomfortable but also weirdly relieving for a second each time.

i’ve had it checked and was told there’s no blockage, and that it could just be how my ear is processing sound now. still, the timing makes me question if something else is going on alongside it. at one point i took a look using a small ear camera (bebird), just out of curiosity, and nothing obvious stood out.

just wondering if anyone else with a similar condition has had this kind of sudden change or pressure feeling?

i’ve got exams coming up and the setup is kind of rough. the room we use is right next to a playground, so while we’re trying to focus, there’s constant noise from people outside. shouting, running around, just general chaos, and it’s honestly pretty distracting.

i’m a bit sensitive to noise, so even small sounds can throw me off, and this is way beyond that. i’ve been looking into earplugs, but it’s hard to tell what actually works and what’s just average.

at one point i got curious about how well things sit in the ear and briefly looked with a small camera (bebird), but that didn’t really help me figure out what would block sound better in practice.

i’m not expecting total silence, but something that cuts down enough noise so i can actually focus would make a big difference.

has anyone found earplugs that work well in situations like this?

i’m a really light sleeper and noise just ruins my sleep completely. even small sounds can wake me up, so i’ve been trying to find something that blocks as much noise as possible, especially when i’m traveling or staying somewhere unfamiliar.

what i’m using now works okay for normal situations, but in louder places like hotels or trains, it’s just not enough. i’m not even worried about alarms or anything like that at this point, i just want proper silence for a few hours.

it’s gotten to the point where i’m overthinking every little sound before going to sleep, which probably makes it worse. at one point i was checking my ears with a small camera (bebird), mostly out of curiosity about fit and positioning, but that didn’t really lead anywhere useful.

i feel like there has to be something better out there, but it’s hard to tell what actually works vs what just sounds good on paper.

has anyone found something that really cuts down noise to a noticeable level?

I visited a sports shop two days ago to find fitness swimwear. I wanted something affordable and comfortable. But when I checked the swimwear I felt disappointed. Some were cheap but low quality. Some were good but expensive. I could not trust them. I could not decide confidently.

Then I visited another shop in the same area. Some swimwear looked better but prices were still high. Some were affordable but not supportive. Some seemed perfect at first but wore out quickly. I remembered I used swimwear before that was not good for training. That made me hesitate even more.

To check more variety and options while scrolling many online marketplaces including alibaba I found many fitness swimwear options. Some were affordable and durable. Some were simple and low price. Some had better support and comfort. There were many options available. This made me excited but also confused again.

it feels that I go out of mind when I have huge number of options. Now I am thinking should I trust online fitness options or local stores for real training use? What would you do in my place?

Hi,

I’m looking to get my first 3D printer and recently started considering the K2 Pro Combo as a serious option.

From what I’ve seen so far, it looks like a really well rounded machine, especially for someone who wants a smooth experience right from the start.

Features like automatic bed leveling, enclosed design, and guided setup make it feel much more approachable compared to older generation printers.

I was originally drawn to more “plug and play” style machines, and the K2 lineup seems to be moving strongly in that direction as well.

A lot of recent impressions mention that once it’s set up, it’s very consistent and doesn’t require constant tweaking, which is exactly what I’m hoping for as a beginner.

I also like that it doesn’t feel limited.

Even though it’s beginner friendly, it still seems to offer plenty of room to grow into, whether that’s trying new materials or refining print settings over time.

The combo setup with the CFS is also interesting.

Even if I don’t fully use multi-material right away, having automatic filament handling already feels like a nice upgrade in terms of everyday workflow.

From what I understand, the K2 series was designed to be more “ready to use” out of the box, which makes it appealing for someone just getting started.

Overall it feels like a machine that balances ease of use with capability, which is exactly what I’m looking for in a first printer.

Would love to hear how it feels for others in real use, especially from a beginner perspective.

my ears seem to get blocked pretty easily and it’s been a recurring issue for a while now. i was told before that my ear canals don’t really clear themselves well, which might explain why it keeps happening, but it doesn’t make dealing with it any easier.

the problem is i keep seeing mixed opinions about different methods. some people say irrigation is fine, others warn against it, same with suction. it’s hard to know what’s actually safe, especially since i also have tinnitus and really don’t want to make anything worse.

sometimes i notice the blocked feeling and try to figure out how bad it is, and at one point i had a look using a small camera (bebird), which confirmed there’s buildup but didn’t exactly help me decide what to do next.

so now i’m kind of stuck between leaving it alone and wanting to fix it before it gets worse.

what do you usually do for recurring ear blockages without risking more problems?

one of my ears has been basically blocked for a few days now and it’s starting to get really annoying. hearing on that side feels dull and a bit pressured, so i’m guessing it might be wax buildup, but not totally sure.

i’m wondering if this is something a hausarzt would normally deal with, or if it’s one of those things where they just send you somewhere else. getting an appointment isn’t super convenient for me right now, so i’d rather not go just to be told to book somewhere else anyway.

out of curiosity i had a look myself with one of those little ear cameras, a bebird, but honestly it didn’t really tell me much beyond “something’s in there.”

if it does need a specialist, what are they usually called here? just trying to figure out the easiest way to get this sorted without bouncing between appointments.

would you go straight to a specialist for this, or try a hausarzt first?

Just switched over from an Ender 3 Pro to a SparkX i7 recently and still in that “testing everything” phase. figured I’d share how it’s been going so far and see what others are experiencing.

coming from the Ender, the overall workflow feels pretty different. I didn’t realize how much time I was spending tweaking and checking things before until now. this one feels a lot more straightforward to get going, at least for basic prints.

speed is the first thing I noticed. I’m not even pushing it hard yet, just running fairly normal settings, but prints are finishing way quicker than what I’m used to. still trying to see where the limit is without messing up quality.

I also gave multicolor a shot for the first time. wasn’t perfect right away, had to mess around a bit with transitions, but after a couple tries it started looking decent. definitely something I need more time with.

so far I’ve run a few different things just to get a feel for it. a simple color test, vase, and a small functional piece. nothing too crazy, but results have been pretty consistent without much adjustment.

no major problems yet, which honestly surprised me a bit. still early though, so I’m expecting to run into some quirks once I try more materials.

if anyone else has been using the i7 for a while, what settings or tweaks made the biggest difference for you? especially curious about multicolor tuning.