Posts by John Mitchell

Melissa Ramirez53 said:Taking out the tampon isn't even that painful (I guess it's different for everyone, some people are just more sensitive than others).

Honestly, I think you just got lucky. Maybe they pulled yours out earlier than most people?
For me, they waited until day three and excuse my French, but it hurt like absolute hell. Everything felt totally "baked in" inside. Then my amazing doctor gave me something through my IV—you know, where you start seeing butterflies and everything feels super cute and fine—and he sprayed the tampons with some saline and pulled them right out without any issues.

Oh, and yeah—I’m not exactly a wimp. I’ve had a baby. And I handled that like a total pro. 😁

I did it. A long time ago, like 12 years back. Just a little bump on my nose—not even a deviated septum. 😁 Back then, the cost was maybe a couple thousand bucks, I think around $2667. Totally happy with it. Recovery was super fast. Honestly, zero regrets.
Oh, and—the actual surgery? I barely felt any pain. I remember the nurse asking if I wanted anything for the pain, and I just told her I was good because it really wasn't that bad.

The thing that actually sucked was getting the tampons pulled out of my nose, probably around day 3. But hey, you live and learn.

I looked pretty rough for a week or two with those black eyes, but after that, everything went smooth.

Susan Martin24 said:Justin Fox, I think your suggestion is actually pretty provocative.

Look, I’ve pulled out plenty of abdominal drains, T-tubes from bile ducts, and cleaned some seriously nasty surgical wounds—including war injuries where you can see the actual bone... and speaking from experience here: you NEVER skimp on pain management for patients undergoing procedures that are objectively brutal, like major burns (which sometimes get dressed while they're still under general anesthesia or heavy sedation)..

I mean, thanks for the effort and the massive post, but what I’m talking about really HURTS.
I know from my own experience (had a broken nose once after a car wreck, so I had to deal with those post-op nasal packs myself) and I also know from talking to people who went through the exact same surgery.

And yeah—if you’re getting this done at a private clinic, they give you a shot of Dormicum or something similar beforehand to knock you out, so pulling the packing is no big deal.
You should get the same treatment in a hospital, but honestly? Unless you have some damn connection or you're a total VIP,
they basically don't give a single crap about you...

Justin Fox said:Then why didn't you just report that jerk to the hospital director or the Department of Health right away? Why no lawsuit? Why didn't you find his car and scratch the paint up? Honestly, once your brother was feeling better, why couldn't he and a few buddies just wait for him and tell him, "Look, this isn't gonna hurt at all"? I'm not saying go full vigilante, but if they just cornered him in the dark and gave him a serious talk about why he skipped the anesthesia, he'd learn. Seriously, where's the justice?

Justin Fox, if you actually mean what you wrote, just remember we live in a country with laws and nobody gets to play judge, jury, and executioner on their own.

But honestly, since you're clearly just being a troll, I hope you—or someone close to you—ends up in the exact same spot one day. Then let's see how much you love those same words. ☕

Scott Allen10 said:...Take Tramadol or even better, Dolantran—it's a killer narcotic analgesic that works wonders if you administer it parenterally right.

🙏 thank god, seriously, because I legit thought I was losing my mind
like, when my doctor gave me some Ambien before pulling my tampons—I actually thought I was hallucinating

my brother had just taken two Tramadols the day before
I had piles of meds at the hospital, I never carry them around, it never even crosses my mind—but in this case, I knew things were gonna go south, excuse me my friend
so I told him, "darling, when the doctor tells you tomorrow morning during rounds that he's doing the tampons—just pop these two Tramadols immediately"
it might make him a little drowsy—yeah, but I guarantee he won't have to deal with two nurses pinning him down because he's so sedated
I mean, wouldn't it be easier for doctors to work when the patient is chill?
but he's such a straight arrow (even if he is my brother 😁 ) and asked the doctor for his opinion, which is totally fine and honestly what you should do
only the doctor just deadass told him it wouldn't hurt even a tiny bit

hello? like, is that some new medical technique now?
it’s not like a quick shot where a two-year-old won't feel a thing and it's over in three seconds
we aren't talking about kids here, people, and we aren't talking about three or thirty seconds
this was something shoved up a nose, sitting right on the wound for five whole days!

Sophia Martinez65 said:It’s honestly not about cutting corners... seriously, before you start coming at people with all that attitude, maybe do a little homework or at least show some interest. Plus, if you actually took that angry outburst to a hospital director or a Secretary of Health or whoever you're talking about, you would’ve just looked foolish, nothing more.
Apaurin and Dormicum are anxiolytics/sedatives (not painkillers), so even if they gave your brother 30 mg of Apaurin, he’d still be hurting—he’d just be calm and sleepy, but the pain wouldn't budge...
Dormicum causes amnesia, so he’d be out of it, groggy, totally wiped, and still in pain. Again, it's a sedative, not an analgesic.
As for that third thing you mentioned, asking the doctor for some pill to take. Those "painkillers" you're talking about can mess with blood clotting, so he’d just bleed like crazy after the tampons are pulled out, and he’d still be in pain, no different.
So, we're left with local or general anesthesia. Local isn't an option because there's nowhere to apply it (the mucosa is covered by the tampons, and that part hurts). General is off the table too, because it carries its own risks and you don't put someone under for no reason.

See? It’s not about saving money... I really hope this reaches you.

Dear Doctor, and I’m also addressing the specialist here
I’m sorry I didn't have enough time to brush up on my anesthesiology training
but since I’ve been through a super similar surgery myself
meaning, having those same nasal tampons removed
luckily, I was able to do it at a private clinic
and the surgeon there, while pulling the tampons out
"treated" me to an ampule of Dormicum when he saw how much I was freaking out
Look, I'm not a drama queen or someone who can't handle a "little bit of pain"
For God's sake, I'm a woman—we literally give birth, remember? 😁
Anyway—after that injection, the tampons were out in like 5 minutes
and I had zero issues
Yeah, I was a little drowsy, but I was back home within 15 minutes
Regarding the Apaurin and stuff, I was just listing things roughly, who knows, maybe you think Dormicum is holy water and you only save it for end-of-life stuff I won't even mention

Anyway—to sum it up:
Yes—you can make a patient more comfortable, and if you're worried about them being groggy, just explain the side effects first
Believe me—90 percent of people who’ve had nasal tampons pulled will choose being groggy over the alternative
About the letter—no, I didn't send one, I was just acting out of emotion
I snap easily, but I back down even faster
which still doesn't mean I think it's okay or professional to ignore a way to ease a patient's pain, as long as it doesn't seriously risk their health.

I was gonna title this thread "f*** you all for being sadistic," but then I thought maybe that wouldn't be fair to the doctors who actually give a damn about their patients

but honestly, f*** that doctor and his whole family. It’s been five days since my brother’s nose surgery, and today he had those nasal tampons pulled out

And look, my brother isn't some wimp. He straight up asked the docs—like, "Hey, can I take some painkillers first? How much is this gonna hurt? A little, medium, or crazy?" And the doctor just gave him this deadpan, totally indifferent answer that it would only hurt "a tiny bit"

That "tiny bit" turned into my brother needing two nurses to physically hold him down. Seriously, they could have solved everything with just one single dose of Valium or something

But no. In some twisted version of a military drill where people just lose limbs without a second thought, this doctor rushed in to yank those tampons out. They were stuck right against the bone because it's a fresh surgical wound, and it never even crossed his mind to make it easier on the patient—or himself

Not to mention, it's clearly just about saving a measly $6.75 which is basically what a single dose costs, maybe 40 bucks
and when they told me that was the issue, I swear I would've bought it myself and brought it in

Now I'm gonna vent and write some letters:
-to the Secretary of Health
-to the Director of that hospital
-to the Head of that department
-and to the Patient Rights Association

I really want to know how far they'll go under the guise of "budget cuts"
Like, what's next? Are we expecting surgeries without anesthesia soon? For god's sake, you could save a few hundred bucks that way too

I am just so bitter and pissed off

Especially since I went through a similar surgery a few years back and I know exactly how brutal pulling those tampons is. I was just one of the "lucky" ones who actually got an injection

God, these heartless jerks😠

Megan Reed said:What kind of deadline are we even talking about, good grief?

I think she's assuming it's getting close to the 10th week
In the US, the 10th week is usually the cutoff for getting an abortion at most hospitals

Anthony Harris14 said:Maybe skinny people stay that way because they know their genes are working against them, so they actually watch what they eat.

I mean, seriously, if I'm genetically built to be thin, what am I even supposed to worry about!?
I eat pretty much everything, and honestly, quite a lot of it. I don't really go for greasy stuff, but I definitely don't sit there counting calories or anything like that.

crimsonorca12 said:Wait, how did they even find out about the fatty liver? Like, what kind of test was that? If the doctor just took one look at your cholesterol levels and decided you have fatty liver, then I'm thinking... 🙄

I already mentioned in my first post that I was hanging out with the U.S. Navy.

So, here’s what the radiologist wrote in the report:
Liver looks good! Size is normal, edges are smooth, and the tissue shows some mild brightness, but nothing suspicious going on. All clear!

So, that’s how he wrapped it up—honestly, he just stared dead at his monitor and told me right then.

As for my blood work—liver enzymes came back totally normal. Good news!

So my LDL hit 3.6, but the lab says it needs to be under 3. Total bummer.
My HDL is sitting at 1.6, but my lab report says anything up to 1.2 is considered "normal." Anyone else seen weird numbers like this?

Wait, I'm a little confused... you guys are all saying a normal cholesterol level is up to 5?

Oh man, I just went down a Google rabbit hole and holy crap: fatty liver

Thank goodness it says here that if it’s just in the early stages (my doctor said mine is only slightly fatty and my blood work looks totally fine), you can actually get back to 100% in maybe 5 to 8 weeks with the right diet

That means no more booze and watching my meds too

There is zero chance I'm having even a glass of wine after lunch anymore. Plus, I probably need to put on a few pounds since this thing says it hits people who are underweight harder... 😢

nimbleskipper13 said:Man, you see so many skinny people dealing with high cholesterol these days. It’s wild.
Gotta check that blood pressure, you know? Heart and circulation... definitely shouldn't sleep on that. 😎

Man, my blood pressure is always way too low. Been dealing with that anemia since I was a kid, honestly.
Heart's doing fine. They even ran an EKG on me. 🙂

And that whole thing with genetics? Yeah, honestly, could be a factor too.
My late grandma was tiny, like barely 90 pounds, but man, her heart issues were brutal and her cholesterol was through the roof. 😢

Yeah, I still smoke—about 15 a day, maybe more on the weekends—but I’m gonna quit for good. Just haven't made that final call yet. 😢

Betty Bennett10 said:Maybe you're just feeling it from all that 😛 😁

Nah, pretty sure it's just from having like two light beers a week 🙄

Gerald Kern77 said:Doctors are out here claiming high cholesterol might just be from drinking too much coffee and dealing with all this stress. But honestly? Nobody actually knows how to fix it!

Yeah, I heard that too. My stress levels have been through the roof lately—but then again, who isn't totally stressed out these days?

Has anyone actually tried that artichoke therapy thing before?

So I just went in for my annual physical, you know, the whole head-to-toe checkup
and then the doctor doing my liver and kidney ultrasound goes:
"Your liver looks a little fatty..."

Like, wtf does that even mean?

My blood work came back totally fine, except maybe my cholesterol is a tiny bit high
but it's not like I have hepatitis or anything crazy

And honestly, the cholesterol thing makes zero sense to me because I don't have weight issues at all—if anything, I’m kind of skinny. I don't eat greasy food either; I'm all about that healthy Mediterranean vibe. And I barely drink—just the occasional glass of wine with dinner or a beer when I'm out with friends.

Anyway, I hit up CVS today and picked up some artichoke capsules😁 the box says they help support liver, gallbladder, and stomach function

Has anyone else dealt with this "slightly fatty" liver stuff?
I'm feeling pretty confused 😕

mistyhound2 said:Being smiley isn't exactly part of the job description for professionals. 🙄

... but is treating a patient like absolute garbage also part of the job? ☕

eena_ said:I guess that’s just part of his charm😬
Look, you don't have to hang him out to dry, but he could probably take a tiny bit of accountability here😵

Yeah.. man's basically a walking ray of sunshine... honestly deserves a medal... 🙄

mellowridge said:I really should finally go see a gynecologist for a checkup. (Everything feels fine, I just want a full exam to officially confirm everything is okay).

Then what on earth are you gonna spend your money on if everything is already fine? Like—you already *know* it's all good. That's why you're "urgently" needing a doctor. Lord help us... 🙄