The science of medicine has come a long way in the area of how we manage pain.

In the mid to late 1800s, there was a product called Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup. It was sold to parents as a way to alleviate the constant crying of their babies, particularly when a baby is going through the painful teething process.

And it definitely calmed down those infants – possibly because the main ingredient was morphine.

Another medication, popular for treating coughing and diarrhea, was opium.

And when Coca-Cola was first launched, it had two main ingredients: caffeine and cocaine. I guess it’s no wonder that one of their ad slogans was “a Coke and a smile”!

Of course, now we know better. Doctors and scientists have realized that not everything that helps with pain is necessarily something that’s good for you. But even modern day pain medication, stuff that’s supposed to be safe to use, can cause big problems for some people.

One of those people is my guest today, Frank. His experience with pain meds took him down a very dark path, and he didn’t see any way out. Until one day, when he got a surprise at work.

You can contact Frank by email: [email protected]

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) helpline: 800-662-4357

National Drug Helpline: 844-289-0879

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/182

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.

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Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners.

The question for this episode:

When you're playing the icebreaker game "Tell a fun or odd fact about yourself" - what do you say?

Links for this episode:

Meredith episode about curse words:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/78996692/ep-149-or-what-makes-a-curse-word-a-curse-word-swearing-science

Popping out your eyeball (don’t do this):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Yrppn-UXY

Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:

https://MeredithForReal.com

To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.

Sponsor deals:

To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I remember one of my first Airbnb experiences.

I was traveling just here in Florida, and I had to stay one night on the other side of the state – in Delray Beach. I picked out a room, and reserved it, and waited for the host to approve it. Back then, I didn’t have much history so there weren’t many other hosts who could confirm that I was a good guest. But it got approved.

And when I got there, I found out the host was an older woman – and I was her very first guest. And she was so nice! She actually cooked me a full meal, and I helped her out with some computer issues she was having, and we hit it off nicely.

But still, I couldn’t help thinking – that night, I was sleeping in one room, and she was sleeping in the room right down the hallway from mine, and it just seemed like it was kind of a dangerous thing for her to do, since she didn't know me.

And apparently her friends had some concerns too. The next morning, while we were eating breakfast, she said one of her friends called her first thing that morning and asked, “So he didn’t murder you or anything?”

That was years ago, but now, it’s just a common thing – you rent a room in someone’s house, you get a place to sleep, they make some money, and everyone’s happy. At least that’s how it usually works.

My guest today, Evi, was traveling as a young single woman, and ended up staying with a family in exchange for doing a little bit of work for them.

And after staying there one night, she made a horrifying discovery.

HelpX: https://www.helpx.net/

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/181

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

Try What Was That Like PLUS free:

iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app

Sponsor deals:

To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners.

The question for this episode:

What's a rule that you make everyone follow in your house?

Links for this episode:

Plume of bacteria (AKA “toilet plume”):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet_plume

Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:

https://MeredithForReal.com

To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.

Sponsor deals:

To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re married, you know that there will inevitably be some disagreements between you and your spouse.

Could be about the most common things, like finances. Or sometimes you might have a big fight about something really minor, like choosing a restaurant.

Usually, these things get resolved. Reasonable adults can figure out a solution or a compromise, and life goes on.

For Ramon, that’s not how it worked out. He and his wife Lulu had gotten to the point where their marriage could not be saved, and a divorce was coming up. But then Lulu decided to take things to a whole new level, and hire someone to murder Ramon. That’s when things got a little crazy.

This is a Flashback episode. Ramon told this story 5 years ago here on the podcast, so after our conversation you’ll hear a chat the he and I had just recently about what he’s doing today, and the latest news about Lulu.

Ramon’s book:

https://www.amazon.com/I-Walked-My-Own-Grave/dp/0578217651/ref=sr_1_1

Ramon interview on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afxOgtRFJWw

Ramon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealramonsosa

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/180

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

Try What Was That Like PLUS free:

iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app

Sponsor deals:

To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a different type of episode today.

Normally, we’d be hearing from someone who survived an animal attack, or was in a plane crash, or won lots of money on a TV game show. At the moment we have more than 170 episodes like that.

But sometimes I end up with stories that are not quite long enough for a full episode. But they’re just too good not to use.

So today, you’re about to hear three stories. The first one and the last one are just the storyteller talking. The story in between is a conversation I had with the guest, and he talks about what happened.

And of course to end the episode we’ll have our Listener Story.

So I hope you enjoy this 3-story episode.

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/179

Graphics for this episode were created by Bob Bretz. Full transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

Try What Was That Like PLUS free:

iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app

Sponsor deals:

To listen to THE 82% series, follow THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts!

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners.

The question for this episode:

You're handed a box containing every item you've ever lost. What do you look for first?

Links for this episode:

The Hoarder Within Us: The Psychology of Our Stuff:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/podcast-episodes/episode/79631536/ep-215-or-the-hoarder-within-us-the-psychology-of-our-stuff

Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:

https://MeredithForReal.com

To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.

Sponsor deals:

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this podcast we’ve covered well over 170 crazy true stories, and several of those have been about animal attacks.

I’ve had guests on who have been attacked by a rattlesnake, large dogs, an alligator, a monkey, a grizzly bear, an elephant, yellow jackets, and a shark.

But we’ve never talked to a victim of a tiger attack – until today.

Ironically, John was working in Russia as part of a conservation effort to protect tigers and other wild cats when this happened.

And the only thing he had to protect himself from the lunging tiger was a road flare.

Information about Panthera:

https://panthera.org/who-we-are

Where does Panthera work?

https://panthera.org/where-we-work

Panthera latest news:

https://panthera.org/newsroom

Donate to Panthera:

https://panthera.org/support/protect-wild-cats

If you’d like to contact Dr John Goodrich, you can send email to: [email protected] or through the Panthera website:

https://panthera.org/contact

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/178

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

Try What Was That Like PLUS free:

iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app

Sponsor deals:

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners.

The question for this episode:

What are you currently binging?

Links for this episode:

The Alone series on Hulu:

https://www.history.com/shows/alone

Woniya’s WWTL episode:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/75

Shogun:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2788316/

The Bear on Hulu:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14452776/

Breaking Bad:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/

El Camino:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Camino:_A_Breaking_Bad_Movie

Better Call Saul:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3032476/

Queen of the South:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1064899/

Murder Mile podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-mile-uk-true-crime/id1278924392

From:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9813792/

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472954/

The Implication:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgUvwcU6P7I

Meredith’s Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/mfrcuriousinsiders 

Meredith’s podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert:

https://MeredithForReal.com

To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.

Sponsor deals:

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Go to Seed.com/WHAT and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our story today has to do with making decisions.

As a child, most of the time, life is pretty easy because you don’t have to make any decisions. Everything in your life is decided for you – what clothes you wear each day, where you sleep, what you eat, everything.

But as an adult, all of that changes. You take on responsibilities, and you have to make decisions. What to do for work, who you want to spend the rest of your life with (if anyone), which house to buy – it seems like we spend much of our life trying to make the right choices. And sometimes, that can be really difficult.

My guest today is Laura. She and her husband, Dan, were parents to their little boy, Louie. Then, they found out they were pregnant again – this time, with twins.

And Laura was soon faced with making a decision that she never would have imagined having to make.

Content warning: this episode includes discussion of pregnancy and loss. Listener discretion is advised.

Resources:

Laura has a friend who creates the Good Grief Podcast – hosted by Kristen Carrier and Sarah Holveck

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-grief-podcast/id1707022810

Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss Support Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/427172118636668/

Vanishing Twin Syndrome Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1520655841487780/

Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here:

https://WhatWasThatLike.com/177

Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.

Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)

Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.

Try What Was That Like PLUS free:

iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free”

Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app

Sponsor deals:

Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month.

Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase!

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code WHATWAS at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/whatwas and get on your way to being your best self.

Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices