Luckily, I’ve still got a few years before I need to swap out my lens. If I’d actually listened to the docs at the Mayo Clinic back in the day, I probably would've ended up with opacities on the back of the capsule by now. When I asked them straight up, "Hey, what if that happens?" the doctor just kind of brushed it off like it was nothing, saying, "Don't sweat it, we'll just fix it with a YAG laser." (btw, the procedure is $167/cool). Not really sure how permanent that fix is or if you need to go back for more. From what I dug up two years ago, those kinds of complications aren't super rare with IOLs—you also get issues with eye pressure, or much less often, problems with the macula or vitreous.
Man, looking back, I was facing some peripheral juvenile cataracts and they were talking about surgery, but even with my other eye being totally fine, I’m just so incredibly grateful to Dr. Šarić. He put in the work and pulled off this laser procedure that the clinic I went to first actually claimed was impossible. Managed to drop my prescription, saved my vision, and hopefully bought myself at least another decade before I have to deal with cataract surgery again.
Seriously though, don't rush into anything. Get a bunch of second opinions from different places. And don't just write off the big public hospitals either—places like Johns Hopkins are basically the gold standard in the field for a reason.
Look, you might not even need to see a doctor, but if we aren't talking about a kid or someone with special needs, whoever bit you really ought to go see a psychiatrist or something. You probably just have some bruised tissue or a little hematoma going on, which your body will eventually just clear out on its own.
I've been using Lysol for years, the green kind. It says it has alcohol in it. Probably the same deal with these other products, which explains why it stings so much. It’d be way easier if there was just a spray for keyboards and mice. Check your DMs. I think even Target carries that stuff, and they usually have it cheaper than the local CVS.
Or just go old school and do some "internal disinfection" with some high-proof bourbon. 😁
So I’ve got this little bump on my right hand between my ring and middle finger, plus a much bigger one on my wrist—about half an inch wide. I spent nine months waiting for an appointment with an orthopedist (seriously, the orthopedic department in Fresno is hands down the slowest in the country), just for him to tell me they’re just unknown cysts. He said there’s no point messing with them because they usually just grow back, especially since they're sitting right under some major blood vessels and nerves, making surgery a bad call. Apparently, they just happen when joint fluid leaks through a membrane. He even mentioned that sometimes people try to fix them by hitting them with something like a meat tenderizer until the membrane pops and the fluid either gets absorbed or moves back into the joint. It can be annoying physically, like a weird pressure or even moderate pain sometimes. My bumps actually shrank a bit over time, especially last year after I did a ton of cycling—I guess all that vibration on the handlebars helps? Maybe you're dealing with the same thing, but you should probably hit up a GP first. They can feel it, get a rough idea of what it is, and then send you for a hand ultrasound to confirm everything before referring you to an orthopedist to figure out a game plan. Most places will offer aspirations, but everyone says they do them three times and the damn things just pop right back up in the same spot.
If you’re actually serious about starting your own small business, I’d highly recommend grabbing the GAO’s guide on entrepreneurship. It covers a ton of the basics. Sadly, though, it doesn't touch on the stuff I was asking you guys about.
Just to recap what I know so far:
First off, you gotta pay for the setup—business licenses, opening a bank account, getting a stamp made, and printing your company sign.
- You’ve got quarterly dues for the County Recorder (I messed up earlier when I mentioned the US Chamber of Commerce, but it’s basically the same thing—just useless parasites). - An annual fee for the County Recorder based on a percentage of your yearly revenue. - Income tax prepayments. - Monthly health and social security taxes (plus all those other employment levies and disability fees, I guess) via a flat rate if you aren't working for someone else. - Annual corporate taxes. - If you get into specific industries or certain areas, you'll have to deal with local tourism board fees—more parasites. - And if you set up shop in a historic district, there's a heritage rent (in my city, they just use that money to plant flowers in the park). - Monthly bank fees, online banking, and stuff like that.
- Plus, you'll probably need a phone, electricity, water, maybe even office rent, an accountant...
I've got the right background for computer repair, though I’d probably lean more toward transit sales, coding, and maybe a little bit of systems integration—at least on paper. I'll shoot you a DM about that outsourcing stuff once I catch a break, but honestly, things are a little slammed on my end right now.
Thinking about starting my own little IT shop. Mostly coding and computer repair stuff.
Most of it makes sense, except for this:
The work that doesn't require General Motors would be done at home. The catch is the house and everything on the property is in my dad's name. I don't own anything, not even a share of it. Do I actually have to rent space from him? Isn't there some other way? It feels pretty stupid to bother a retiree and drag both of us down to the IRS just to deal with all his tax filings.
Also, the landline and the internet are under his name. Say I don't need the phone, but I can't work without web access. I guess I’d have to get a new number and a new account, but business accounts are basically just more expensive versions of what people already have. Who decides that I *must* use a business account, and why can't I just use the one in my dad's name? Who gets to decide that or force my hand? Does that apply to the electric bill too? Even though I don't have my own connection for that room or anything in my name?
My little setup would basically be competing with my current employer. The company I work for is slowly dying, so I'm trying to get my own thing ready before they fold. Do I need to justify myself to them or ask for permission to start my own business?
And what's the deal with paying mandatory contributions for Social Security and Medicare if I'm working full-time at my current job where they already cover everything for me? Do I still have to pay those $600 or do I just pay the difference between what my employer pays and what my business income requires at the end of the year?
What about the estimated income tax for a new business in its first year? Do I actually pay it or not? How does that math even work? At the end of the year, does the business income just get added to my salary from my job and then calculated... or what? I'm struggling to wrap my head around it since everyone talks about a small business as if it's just an extension of a regular person.
Can you actually get a "pass" on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dues during the first year if you request it in writing? Is that true?
Got a few more questions, but I wanted to clear these up first. Thanks in advance.
Anyone know what the deal is with Geico savings accounts and these kid benefit payouts? We’ve been dumping every cent our girl has ever received plus an extra 150-$67 a month into this thing for three years now. Her 11-month birthday is coming up, which is when the contract says we can actually touch the cash, and we were planning on pulling the whole lot to fix up her room and stuff. Does anyone know if EBS (Geico) has any weird restrictions right now? I was looking over the paperwork yesterday and all it really says is that everything follows US Federal Law.
I wine is healthy too, you know, as long as you don't overdo it. Just like anything else. But just oil and nothing else? Honestly, that deserves an award.
Look, you shouldn't be bowing down to these calendars/records; you should just toss them in the trash. It's because of stuff like this that innocent people end up getting punished and can't even defend themselves. Personally, I think there should be consequences for every single thing someone actually does.
My brother-in-law is a cop, but it never even crossed my mind to call him to save my license, kill a ticket, or mess with a report if I actually messed up—whether it was speeding, running a sign, whatever. But honestly? If they were pinning something on me unfairly or planting evidence, I’d reach out to him in a heartbeat. In those cases, it's better to wiggle out of it than try to go toe-to-toe with them, since they hold all the cards from the jump and you'll just walk right into their trap. About ten years ago, they claimed our family car blew past a traffic cop at an intersection without him seeing us. A total lie. They sent officers to our house, summoned my old man to court, the whole nine yards. But our car was sitting in the garage that day. Nobody was driving it except the two of us, and honestly, nobody was even driving through that part of town that entire week. They did the whole confrontation thing and whatnot, but we never found out how it ended—not a single notification. We heard through the grapevine that some officer saw a similar car with a similar plate and just scribbled ours down when he got the chance. It's terrifying.
It’s totally normal for one to be bigger than the other, and usually, it's the left side. It just comes down to blood vessels—the left one typically gets fed by a thicker vein, so it gets more blood flow and basically "eats" better.
Also, if you're actually in pain and it isn't some known chronic thing, please just go see a doctor instead of hitting up a forum to ask why you're hurting (when you already know you are). I mean, it's your health, you know?
Check the forums, there's probably an existing multi-page thread on this topic somewhere...
Basically, nail techs live off stuff like this, and if you’re relying on someone else to fix it, your money just disappears. That's the deal with podiatrists.
Man, I went through a total nightmare with this, something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. All because I was being stubborn. About ten years ago back when I was in the Army, I got a nasty ingrown nail. It was constantly inflamed, bleeding whenever I bumped it, just swollen and oozing pus.
Eventually, I just gave up and went to see a surgeon. The guy spent maybe twenty minutes doing a partial nail resection on both sides. He cleaned out the tissue on both sides, cut out the nail, and destroyed the excess nail matrix—you know, the root where the nail actually grows from. Was it painful? Honestly, it didn't hurt any more than having a throbbing, infected big toe already.
Recovery took about a week of not wearing shoes at all, plus 2 or 3 follow-ups and some bandaging during that first week. Then another week in wide shoes, like some loose clogs, and I was good to go.
If this ever happens to my other foot, I'm heading straight to a surgeon. No way am I going to a nail salon, trying home remedies, using crystals, or whatever other "natural techniques" people swear by. None of that works if something is physically growing where it shouldn't. You have to get rid of that "somewhere" entirely. Period.
And one more thing. I used to try to perform "surgery" on myself, you know, digging out the ingrown part with scissors and stuff. God, what kind of masochism is that? I bet it isn't any better with a nail tech either. I watched the actual procedure, and when I saw the chunk of nail the doctor pulled out (like 5 x 15mm on each side), I realized that even if me and four nail techs worked together for the next 50 years, we still wouldn't have gotten it all out.
Just my advice: go to your primary care doctor and get a referral to a 🤣 surgeon.
My better half was prescribed this about three years ago to help prevent those brutal migraines. But honestly, once we actually looked into how it works and saw the list of side effects... we didn't even crack the seal on the bottle. She ended up crushing the migraines with acupuncture instead, so now this stuff is just sitting there waiting to be tossed in the medicine cabinet bin at the local CVS.
Quick checkup this morning at Smith’s clinic up in the Appalachian region (near Des Moines). $100 A little bit of prep, some tears, and eyes stinging like crazy—I skipped the contacts by default—all wrapped up in about 20 minutes.
Swallow, swallow, breathe, breathe... swallow, just a little more, almost there... done. :-)
Hiatal hernia and GERD. Couldn't really wait for an appointment because honestly, I’d probably be diagnosed with esophageal cancer before they actually called me back from internal medicine.
No indication for H. pylori testing, so we didn't bother with that.
As for that pitch-black coffee over in Tucson, can't complain about it one bit.
If you're feeling "bored," go ahead and dive into this diagnostic search. Guaranteed entertainment! Anyway, I'm a young dad now, so I've mostly moved on to other subforums. 🙂
So, I just finished getting my endoscopy today—mostly just sat there with tears in my eyes while they shoved the scope down my throat—and turns out I’ve got GERD and a visible hiatal hernia.
The doctor put me on Reglan + Zipantola for the next 6 weeks.
My GP says I really need to stick to at least three meals a day, make sure my last meal isn't after 7 PM, and definitely stop eating at least 3 hours before hitting the sack. Also told me to sleep with my head propped up and to quit straining when lifting heavy stuff.