Posts by David Scott57

It might just be the tension—I definitely felt it the day before yesterday... Once these patterns start repeating, I know I’m hitting a breaking point, and this time was no exception.

What kind of painkillers can I take while on Lexapro?
My head is absolutely killing me today—it's just pounding. I guess maybe Advil is okay? I don't have the packaging handy since I tossed the instructions...

Hi everyone,

So, my mom just had some bloodwork done, and now she’s being sent for a liver ultrasound because of the results. She’s already spiraling with worry—and honestly, since her doctor is just sitting there staying silent instead of actually explaining things—I figured I’d come here and ask you all.

Here’s what we're looking at:

LDH-260
GGT-40
Alkaline phosphatase-54

What could this potentially mean?

Thanks for any help.

Hey,
I was hoping someone could clear this up for me.
What does a 1:1.15 mortgage ratio actually imply?

Hi there,

I recently found myself in a pretty confusing spot. Basically, my tuition was supposed to be around $5,500—I'm planning to study in the Netherlands—so I figured I’d just take out a $20,000 loan. It’s a three-year program.
But then, out of nowhere, they jacked up the tuition to a ridiculous $9,000. Now I’m looking at needing a much larger loan just to cover the tuition, visa fees, and all that other nonsense. I might be able to snag a $4,000 scholarship, but even then, the math just isn't adding up—it's still way too much cash. I'm not too worried about paying it back, since finding a job over there is usually pretty easy.
My dad could potentially co-sign, but honestly, I haven't even had the heart to tell him about needing somewhere in the ballpark of $30,000 to $40,000. Just looking at those numbers scares me.
What do interest rates look like for a loan that big? Does anything change when the amount jumps that high?
Is this even a smart move to make...?

Typical. Especially since my hospital stay back in November—those bathrooms were absolutely revolting. You’ve got kids, seniors, men, women, everyone just mixed together. And only three stalls available... anyway, it's been happening way more often since then, especially considering I have diabetes.

I don't know—it just showed up out of nowhere. After my period, there was this brown discharge, then I had my regular period again right on schedule (on the pill), and now, a few days later, there’s blood mixed with mucus. It wasn't a massive amount, but still, it happened. Just a little bit every day. Maybe it's because of the Candida I deal with constantly. I don't know—I feel like I'm going to lose my mind.

I'm heading to the gynecologist tomorrow—because of this constant bleeding... I'm honestly terrified.

It gets much easier, honestly—it was pretty complicated for me at first too, but I guess you get used to it before you know it.
btw, I'm female

Hi there.

Following an arthroscopy on my right knee, I've been diagnosed with chronic synovitis.
The doctors suspect—though they aren't certain—that it might be rheumatoid arthritis. Honestly, I'm still reeling from that... I'm only 19.
I need to see a rheumatologist, but I can't right now since I'm currently out of the US.

This knee issue has been a nightmare for nearly five years. I had two pretty bad injuries to it, and ever since then, it’s just been swelling constantly—it always had to stay straight, it was constantly full of fluid and everything.

It’s been about six weeks since the surgery, and the swelling is already back. It isn't massive, but you can definitely see it. The pain is returning too—everything feels just like it did before, though maybe a little less intense.
I've been trying to stick to my physical therapy exercises, but I'm starting to lose steam.
I'm losing motivation because it feels like I'm just sliding backward. I feel like an old woman.
My other joints are fine, but I ended up leaning entirely on my left leg just to cope with the pain in the right one.

Is it possible that synovitis could just be a reaction to those two major falls—meaning the injury itself is the cause, rather than some underlying autoimmune issue?

I just want to move normally again, but at this rate, I'm starting to fear that won't happen.

Has anyone else dealt with anything like this?

Thanks.

Ashley Cooper52 said:Sarah Clark ... did you get the pump through Medicare or do you have to buy it yourself?
Sorry ... I honestly have no clue
how much it costs
is it a lot visible outside the body?

can you write down everything possible regarding the pump—I'm interested in every single detail

how old are you????

I didn't get mine through Medicare. I bought it myself, and if I recall correctly, it was around $12-$13...$0.00I don't remember exactly.
Inside the body, there's just a tiny cannula. People don't even realize it's a pump; everyone just asks if I'm carrying a cell phone or an MP3 player😁
It consists of an insulin reservoir and sets. Those are covered by Medicare.
I used to have issues because of the tubing being visible—it connects the insulin reservoir in the pump to the set taped to my abdomen. Anyway, people nag me about it since they aren't familiar with how this works, but whatever... it's fine.
I'm not sure what the current procedure is for getting a pump. I spent three days in Chicago—a few of us went—and we learned about the different options and how to actually operate it.

You have a specific basal rate—essentially, the pump delivers rapid-acting insulin automatically over 24 hours. For every meal, you have to calculate the carbs, which is pretty straightforward, and then you give a bolus based on that.
For me, for example, one unit of insulin covers 10 grams of carbs.
Then, if your blood sugar spikes, you give what's called a correction bolus.

When you eat certain foods—say, pizza, which is heavy and high in carbs—you use a dual bolus. You calculate the carbs, give a certain amount of insulin that acts immediately, and then, say, a few more units over a set period of hours. You determine that yourself.

You can adjust the basal rate. By monitoring your sugar, you see if it's running high or constantly dropping, and then you increase or decrease the basal rate accordingly.
In contact sports, you take the pump off and there's a little cap you put over the site—the part taped to your abdomen. You do that before showering or swimming too.

If there's anything else you want to know, just ask. 🙂
I'm 19.

I’ve been using an insulin pump for nearly five years now. My blood sugar levels don't swing wildly anymore—and honestly, I don't feel nearly as restricted with what I eat. It means I can actually afford to treat myself to something special once in a while—something that would usually be off-limits. You just eat when you're hungry instead of sticking to some rigid, arbitrary schedule. And thank God, there's hardly any finger pricking; you just swap out the set every three days and you're done.
The newer models are even better since they have built-in continuous glucose monitoring. Since things like meat, cheese, or fish have basically zero carbs, you can eat plenty of them without worrying about your levels spiking.
It really comes down to this... the pump completely changed my lifestyle. My glucose management is incomparably better than it used to be.

Could someone please provide an explanation? In English, if you don't mind

Oh boy, it feels like that’s happening to me too... but what even is endometriosis exactly?

It’s a mess—this thing I deal with... I end up bingeing whenever I start feeling empty or just completely numb—and I try to fill that void with food. Just unhealthy, mindless overeating, I guess.

Good grief... enough already. If people want to get the HPV vaccine, they’ll do it—if they don’t, they won't. It’s really that simple. I guess we can go ahead and print the latest scientific proofs in the papers now, since apparently, if we didn't, three-quarters of the planet would be considered neurodivergent by default.

What an absolute panic over nothing... honestly, people act like it's the end of the world—as if we wouldn't have all kicked the bucket by now anyway.

If we're talking about the HPV vaccine... I mean, some people just don't have the money for that kind of thing

😁Ha...

I tend to keep everything bottled up inside—so nobody ever really knows what's going on with me—but then I'll just lie around and cry, or maybe spend a few hours out in nature... or I'll call a friend and we'll talk for two or three hours straight. I guess.