HelpQA Tags Search FAQ
Start a New Post Chat Login & Registration

68 replies, Replies 1 to 10

My sister-in-law passed away early this morning.

Sending many condolences, thoughts, and prayers your family's way. To lose a sister... Your wife may need something solid, stable, and familiar. Somewhere to breathe and cry. And as little added stress as possible.

Let her know you're here if she ever needs a therapeutic talk. Some of my most helpful family memories are long reflective talks on top of the stairs or outside on a summer night. Peace and company do wonders. Maybe a good laugh too, when/if appropriate.

- written
Post closed, thank you for your help

DocteurRalph wrote:
I went to two schools, one was k-6 and the second was 7-12.. the 7th and 8th graders were upstairs away from the older kids at the second school and ate lunch at a separate time and everything. They did a good job of keeping 18 year old boys away from 12 year old girls. But yeah it was a junior and senior high school and the junior high school was the upstairs part for 7th and 8th grade. I always considered that there were 4 years of high school. Freshman, sophomore, junior, senior... your husband's wrong but you already knew that. ha ha ha

He does have a valid point though. In the nearest real city to where I grew up they had "middle schools" that were 7th 8th and 9th, and the two high schools only had sophomores, juniors, and seniors... so it was kind of like that in my city too.

Yeah, in my town, elementary school was k-4. Intermediate school was 5-6, middle school 7-8, there was a freshman campus for 9th grade, and then a big campus for 10-12th graders. Grades and buildings are organized differently in different towns -- but when it comes down to it, freshman is always the first of four years of something.

I mean, hey, does he think freshmen in college aren't college students?

- written
What do I do to survive the three weeks until my gastro appointment (optional: what's wrong with me)

Thanks so much, I'll do that. Iron supplements can irritate ulcers and stomach acid so I'm not looking forward to its effect on acid reflux, but maybe I can pick up some Slow-Fe this afternoon. Definitely intend on ordering an esophagram (despite reports of its disgusting taste๐Ÿ˜ท) so I can get that done if needed after the ENT visit.

Can't wait for 2018 to not be painful!

- written
What do I do to survive the three weeks until my gastro appointment (optional: what's wrong with me)

Hey, thanks for asking!

Pro: He said he didn't think there was anything too bad going on.

Cons: He suggested and scheduled an upper GI endoscopy but my mom and sister encouraged me to cancel it because it was expensive. He also suggested a barium swallow but we still haven't done that. I did get a blood test and my hemoglobin is 11.3 with a ferritin level of 4.1 (acceptable range is 4.6-204.0) so I'm a little nervous about that. Especially since I'm still dealing with some dysphagia.

But! I am going back to the ENT on the 21st, hopefully for a laryngoscopy. Which would hopefully prove to the "it's just anxiety" crowd that it's not just anxiety.

Still pretty dizzy though. Hope ferritin levels don't usually deplete super fast.

- written
Ah-choo!

Speak for yourself! ๐Ÿ˜ท

In all seriousness, my sister and her boyfriend have recommended Zyrtec and Claritin to me before. Not sure about home remedies, though. Google's suggesting apple cider vinegar (??? for heartburn sure, but allergies?), neti pot treatment, and eucalyptus oil. I might actually recommend eucalyptus lozenges.

In fact, I might give them a shot as well. Never really dealt with seasonal allergies until this year and let's just say it's not a welcome change!

- written
Hello everyone!

Welcome back! And speaking of avatars, yours is gorgeous.

I swear, "it's good to be back" posts are so joyful they could cure my anxiety. <3

- written
My teenage kid has a ton of money and no actual job.

Computer repair-wise? In all fairness... you'd be surprised. I dropped my laptop back in September and the hard drive got practically obliterated. My local computer repair shop couldn't recover the data with their stuff, so they sent it in to Gillware, who gave me a recovery quote of $900 for 90% of the data back. I was like, "nope" and sent it to 300DDR. $300-$450 there.

There's big money to be made in computer repair. It just depends on how generous your son is, how clumsy his friends are... aaaaand how many of them abruptly turn around while their headphones are still connected to their laptop which is sitting on a precarious surface. โ˜ ๏ธ I figure tutoring makes decent money too. Not as much, but...

Anyways, if it's legit, sounds like he really does have a job. Just self-employed. Why not ask him about his work? Recovery tools, fees, work station, etc. Show interest instead of suspicion and he'd probably show you and ease your mind a little.

Not sure about the taxes, though. Someone else may have to field that for us. But now you've got me wondering if a little kid would get taxed if their bake sale or lemonade stand got too powerful.

- written
What do I do to survive the three weeks until my gastro appointment (optional: what's wrong with me)

Sherlock wrote:
A cautionary tale.

We had a lovely person on the old Help.com. She had some real medical problems. The medical doctors in her area were idiots. One of them spread a false report about her, so she wasn't taken seriously by the other doctors. I advised her to go to the Mayo Clinic.

She died. And her death was directly attributable to the incompetent doctors she had seen.

The moral of this story is to not be satisfied with unsatisfactory results. Just as there are incompetent auto mechanics, and electricians and plumbers, there are also incompetent doctors. Around 200,000 Americans die each year because of doctors' incompetence. Let that sink in for a minute or two.

When you sense that your doctor is a boob, RUN--don't walk--away. *****Boobs will kill you. As the old saying goes, "Lawyers hang their mistakes, while doctors simply send theirs to the cemetery."

I do not think the urgent care centers are equipped to really help you. What you need is a gastroenterology specialist. May is almost here!

Don't sweat life, kid. Nobody is going to eat you! I sense you need to learn to relax, to quit overthinking things and getting worked up about them. There is probably a physical basis--a jittery digestive system can make you anxious.

And remember this, kid: worrying about crap doesn't do anything to fix tomorrow--it just takes away today's peace.

You hang in there!

That cautionary tale is exactly why I'm frustrated with just being diagnosed with anxiety. My brain should not get weird/foggy/pressured when I eat anything. My vision should not feel... limited. My chest should not feel like this. But when I complain about my symptoms, my mom and sister dismiss it as anxiety or health anxiety. I want lab tests -- blood, urine -- but Mom tells me they need something to look for.

I'll try to hang in there, but it's not looking good.

- written
How would you go about getting your heart throughly checked?

Question, the hurting with the deep breaths... do you feel it in your throat and/or your chest? Does it kinda feel like: if your airway was a vertical river, there's a stone (the pain) interrupting the flow?
I dunno, it legit hurts to do deep breaths these days and people keep telling me it's anxiety too. (Which sucks because what do they suggest for anxiety/panic attacks? Breathing exercises. Psh.)

I feel like physical activity/exercise is a catch 22. It's supposed to relieve stress and boost hormones that lower anxiety, buuuut it'll make you anxious from being breathless or being hyper-aware of your heart, whether it be the pulse or the pinch.

Hey, it's possible it is anxiety. But I'm super sensitive to misdiagnosing stuff as mental when it could be physical. Be descriptive and thorough so the doctor gets a good feel for what's going on. I also heard that it helps to tell them how it affects/impedes your lifestyle.

- written
How would you go about getting your heart throughly checked?

It's worth going to an internet/nurse practitioner/primary care doctor, imo. But I've got health anxiety so I may be biased. They can check you out and hear you out and see if it's worth referring you to a specialist.

You've got a good diet going for you, so that's great! But the symptom sounds... well, painful. I vote for a check-up.

I mean, possible outcomes:
1) They tell you it's an anxiety symptom
2) You get a professional's stamp of approval on your health
3) They catch something early!

- written

To use this site you must be 13 years or older and occasionally submit your email address. Your email address is only shared with your explicit permission.

Home Page - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Feedback