wearypilot50 said:Hey everyone... I’m kind of freaking out here. My little brother (he's 10) just brought home a raccoon today. He had no clue what it was—honestly thought it was some kind of weird squirrel. I immediately told him to get away from it because I was terrified it might have rabies. The thing looked pretty exhausted, honestly, and wasn't aggressive at all... actually quite tame. We both jumped straight in the shower and threw our clothes in the wash immediately. But now I'm scrolling through stuff online and reading that when wild animals act "tame," it's often a huge red flag for rabies. It also says rabies spreads through saliva, like a bite... he wasn't bitten, he just touched it with his hands. Is there any actual chance of catching something just from skin contact? I'm spiraling a bit. Any advice would be huge.
Look, if it was small enough that he mistook it for a squirrel and it looks worn out, it’s probably just a lost baby rather than a rabid animal. You aren't really going to catch anything just by touching it without an actual wound or bite. What did you guys end up doing with the raccoon?
urbancanyon7 said:I was posting on this thread about two years ago when my dermatitis was spreading everywhere, leaving me with these nasty, bloody sores. I cut out pork and booze, which helped a tiny bit, but there was absolutely no sign it was ever going away.
I tried every single cream, ointment, and oil under the sun. I drank all sorts of tonics... spent a small fortune, too... nothing worked until about two months ago when I picked up some Aveeno balm. My hands cleared up in less than ten days.
Now I can wash my hands normally without any open wounds—they feel totally healthy. I'm even washing dishes without gloves after many, many years.
I still have this dry patch on my knee, though, so who knows if that’ll clear up. But overall? I'm thrilled!
Don't get ahead of yourself just yet... honestly, keep using the gloves, even if it feels like everything is fine right now. I know that feeling all too well—that sense of "what the hell was wrong with me?" where you think you're finally back to being a normal person again... but watch out. For me, that first tube of Aveeno worked like magic, too, but then everything came crashing back a few months later. And the second tube—exact same ingredients, exact same brand—didn't do a damn thing. When you've got sensitive skin, you just have to be careful and protect it. There's no other way.
David Cook87 said:I could really use some advice here. My buddy deals with allergic asthma—pollen, certain foods, the whole deal... He lives abroad right now, but since he’s planning on moving to the States soon, I wanted to see if anyone has recommendations for a solid doctor or a specialized hospital in New York City who knows their stuff when it comes to this kind of thing.
So, once you log onto the forum, just head up to the top left, hit 'Options' first, then slide over to Your Dashboard and click on 'Your profile,' then statistics... and there it is, just select 'find all posts by granitegull51.'
Or, you know, just find some thread where you were posting recently and click on your own username... it'll pretty much immediately give you the option to 'find more posts by granitegull51.'
aha, okay, so it isn't holding onto those search results. if you just hop over to your profile, you've got your whole list of posts right there—is that not really cutting it for you?
So, looking back over the last five or six years—which isn't exactly a short stretch, mind you—I've been stuck in this cycle, partly because my job basically forces me to pull these all-nighters just to keep up. On the plus side, hey, at least I actually have work to do, even if I end up waking up wide awake like a rooster at 4 AM. The downside? I’m pretty sure this lifestyle is absolutely wrecking my health...
Have you ever actually tried to reset your internal clock to something that makes sense? Like, maybe hitting the sack at midnight and sleeping until 8 AM? I mean, cutting out caffeine at least six hours before bed, getting some heavy physical exercise in so you’re actually wiped out, and staying far away from any kind of screen for an hour or two before you want to pass out (the screen thing is way harder than people make it sound, but honestly, it's probably the most important part)
I’ve got issues, sure, but I’ve basically just learned how to stop letting it get under my skin 🙂. Between working graveyard shifts and all the other random stuff life throws at me, my sleep schedule is... what even is a "schedule" anymore? I actually have to wear earplugs when I try to nap during the day, and right now I’m sitting on a stash of melatonin from the local CVS that’s supposed to help stabilize things—but honestly, I’m not holding my breath for any kind of long-term miracle.
It’s not like I wouldn't fix it if I could—it just isn't happening. And I am definitely not touching the heavy-duty prescription stuff; doesn't seem like a great move to me. So, I’ve just accepted it and deal with the fallout (plus, you know, if some burglars were looking to hit a house, they'd have no clue when someone is actually out cold. 🤣) My friends are used to it by now, and my family has pretty much stopped sighing about it too. We respect each other's sleep, they respect mine, and we're good 😁. I guess just not all of us are destined to knock out for eight hours straight and wake up feeling like a morning person.
David Cook5 said:... I'm still a kid (16, turning 17 soon) and I have zero clue how to get to a doctor in San Diego without my parents catching on (if my mom finds out, the whole damn city will know I've got an external hemorrhoid). Plus, I don't really get how you even book appointments for exams, especially since my folks usually handle all that stuff for me.
As much as it kills me to ask this, health comes first, right?
PS I've got my insurance card in my pocket...
David Cook5 said:Regarding a proctologist, can I go see one without my parents coming along if it's just for an exam?
Look, you actually got some solid answers here, though I'd just add a little something to what was quoted above.
So, you have your own primary care doctor (or family doctor, basically the same thing) through Medicare.
You can show up to "your" doctor by yourself, no parents required, and that office is legally bound to keep your info private under medical privacy laws. Once you hit 16, you don't need anyone to tag along to see specialists—it’s really just up to you if you want someone there or not. And trust me, nobody is going to be in the exam room with you during the actual checkup. (By the way, gynecologists only deal with women.)
Your primary doctor will tell you exactly how to schedule the follow-up exam, because depending on the clinic, they might book it directly through their network, or you might have to send an email, a fax, or give them a call.
Don't let embarrassment get the better of you. If you read through this thread, you'll see people deal with this stuff all the time. It's definitely not worth ignoring, and there's plenty of advice here on how to help prevent it from happening again.
Nancy Lee26 said:My mom dyed her hair last night and things went south fast... Like, she felt this stinging, painful burning the second the dye even touched her scalp. We washed it out after just a few minutes, but then the headaches started hitting her hard. She was up until morning with this intense pain, her scalp turned bright red, and now there are these horrible blisters oozing fluid everywhere. Her whole head is swelling up and feels super tight... it’s itching and burning like crazy. Please help, I feel like every minute counts here. What can we put on it right now before we rush her to the ER? 😢 😢 😢 😢
That sounds like an acute allergic reaction. Honestly, there isn't much you can do at home besides heading straight to the Emergency Room. If you have some antihistamines on hand, she could take one, and maybe try some cold compresses, but you absolutely have to get her to a doctor immediately... these reactions can spiral and get way worse really quickly.
Look, this thread belongs in the "living together" section. If you're looking for a reason to call it quits, honestly... any reason works.
The whole thing about how people's sleep needs and desires shift as they get older through different stages of life—that's just common sense, right? It's totally irrelevant here, just like how this isn't some kind of medical issue.
If anyone actually had the decency to show some empathy, I’d tell the OP to try walking a mile in someone else's shoes for once. Like, if she needs seven hours of sleep to function, but she's living with someone who insists five is plenty because they can survive on four... and then she tries to claim they're "sick" and need medical help? Imagine how that feels... and what you'd even do about it.
fadedranger2 said:Honestly, life’s got zero demands on you right now... no boss breathing down your neck, no endless to-do lists, nothing. You can actually just let yourself off the hook for once... just lean into it...
fadedranger2 said:Man, he’s going through it right now... just straight up drowning in stress...
Man, these two are just on totally different wavelengths. Like, seriously... what kind of stress are you even talking about?
Totally agree—but honestly, if his labs actually come back clean, he should get some credit too. Like, just because he’s crashing all the time doesn't mean he's being lazy or that he's bored out of his mind sitting there while people talk... 😁 maybe it's something deeper, like an issue with his red blood cells or oxygen levels 😉
Jokes aside though... how's he doing with getting outside or staying active? Is he getting any exercise at all?
Either he says he’s heading to bed, but really he’s just lurking online all night... maybe he’s just bored out of his mind... or maybe his iron levels are totally trashed... or... 🤷
fadedranger2 said:thanks for the reply😉 But even he’s saying it’s not normal, that he’s sleeping way too much. And honestly, I’m getting worried about how he’s gonna manage once he actually has to start working...
man, it’s just a phase right now, like you said—he doesn't have any responsibilities weighing him down, so there's zero adrenaline kicking in. Once life actually gets busy, he'll adjust. It's pretty obvious he used to sleep way less before (so if his body really starts craving more rest then, he can just take a nap in the afternoon or hit the sack earlier at night.)
If he's otherwise healthy, there's really no reason to freak out. You think he might be depressed or something?
He’s not sick or anything. Just let him sleep... "normal" needs are such a moving target anyway, they vary so much from one person to the next, and even within a single lifetime, they just... shift over time.
But honestly, even after you grab some fruit juice, a milkshake, a protein shake, or even a Red Bull—they all mess with your mouth's pH levels or leave behind residue. You really should at least rinse your teeth with water afterward.
I mean, if someone is actually worried enough about their teeth to wear braces and obsess over cavities, why on earth would they ignore the rest of their body? A diet like that is just... it's not doing anyone any favors.
And I don't get this "too busy" excuse either. School, college, work... whatever. If you actually specified what the real issue is, it'd be way easier to give a helpful answer.
copperdriver17 said:Fair point, I guess curiosity just got the better of me 🙂
But man, sometimes it gets so exhausting, you know? Spending all this energy and time hunting down food and obsessing over meal plans until I just totally burn out 😢 then the symptoms come crawling back, and I swear to God I'm done with it forever, I promise, I'm serious, I'll never even think about it again, and then 🙂 I start all over from scratch, things get better and better until I get a little too cocky and slack off, and then boom, I'm right back where I started, just going in circles two or three times a year...
Sound familiar?
Please. 🤣
At least you actually know how to help yourself, even if it’s a massive pain (I totally feel you). Me? I still have no clue what triggers half my flare-ups. Isn't it just great when even the doctors look at you like, "Uh, wow, what actually caused that?" 😲 Just out here playing amateur toxicologist on the side ☕
p.s. Check out those tips on gluten-free eating, that Gastronomy, Food & Health PDF