Posts by George Newman11

restlessbadger2 said:Honestly, it's hard to say for sure. Usually, the protocol involves vaginal metronidazole suppositories along with oral metronidazole for about 7 or 14 days—I can't recall the exact duration off the top of my head. Regardless, it really ought to be treated properly either way.

Thanks for the response. 🙂

restlessbadger2 said:It could potentially be bacterial vaginosis, which is often triggered by Gardnerella vaginalis. If you're looking for more detailed information on that, you can find a breakdown right here: http://www.stetoskop.info/index.php/...ickness.htm?b9

I heard from a colleague—who likely heard it from someone else, or perhaps she’s just hiding her own experience 😁—that this sometimes clears up on its own. Is that actually possible, given that the standard treatment involves pills?

I get where she’s coming from, but I don't. For example, why is my discharge yellowish throughout my entire cycle? Now that I’m approaching ovulation, the discharge looks exactly how it should—except for that yellow tint. It’s been like this since the beginning. I even asked my OB-GYN about it. My Pap smear comes back normal every single time, so her response is basically that not all women are built the same. Does that actually mean anything? Is my discharge just naturally like this? 🤷

As far as I can tell, I've never had any real issues. There were times when I couldn't properly clean that "special area" for two or three days; during those stretches, the discharge would turn darker and the smell would shift to something unpleasant, accompanied by a slight sting and mild itching. But once I got back to my regular hygiene routine, everything was back to normal by the next day. 🤷
The scent during ovulation is actually quite pleasant 🤣, almost unique. When it gets thicker, the smell isn't necessarily bad, but it loses that pleasant quality. And when there’s no discharge, there’s no smell at all.
So, what’s the verdict? Am I dealing with some low-grade infection that’s somehow persisted for over ten years? That doesn't seem logical. Or is this just my body's baseline? 🤷

I'm reviving this thread because I don't see the point in starting a new one. 🙂

I just noticed my urine has an incredibly strange odor. It’s hard to put into words, but it smells chemical. Some sites suggest ammonia, though I have no idea what ammonia actually smells like, so I can't be certain.

To be clear, there's no pain. No signs of an infection—at least none yet.

Someone mentioned asparagus earlier. About three hours ago, I had two bowls of asparagus soup—it was just the instant kind from a can. Could that be affecting the "scent"?

copperraven53 said:Maybe do a quick Google search, there's also this thread about it.

But hey, I'm just guessing, maybe you've got something else going on. 🤷 Either way, definitely go see a gynecologist.

Sometimes my discharge looks greenish, but it’s mostly yellowish. It only gets almost transparent during ovulation. Otherwise, the "mucus" is a textbook example of how consistency should change throughout a cycle—you can clearly see the phases, from when there's plenty to the day it's practically gone. Usually, it stays yellowish; at least that's how it looks on my underwear, and it darkens slightly once it dries. Every single period has been regular, and my doctor says everything is fine—every time. She tells us we're all different and that what I'm experiencing might be normal since it's been my baseline since I was thirteen...

The scents shift too. Often it’s an undefined but pleasant smell, yet quite frequently it can get unpleasant... again, the same answer from the doctor.

Of course, hygiene is on point. I have soap, but I rarely use it—just washing with warm water.

So, now... 🙂

Nicholas White52 said:Look, there's a huge difference between being a gentleman and being a pushover who retreats the moment someone snaps at him.

I've dealt with my fair share of issues when someone tries to push me around 🙂. It’s not like I have major anger problems, but if someone ticks me off, I'll be thinking to myself, "Oh, you little... son of a..." 🙂, but then I realized that reacting isn't the point. You just have to be persistent—firmly, politely persistent about what you need.

Like, if some clerk at the DMV starts giving me attitude because she doesn't feel like doing her job, I'm not going to back down. I'll just stay there, being perfectly pleasant and refusing to leave until she realizes she's not getting rid of me that easily.🙂.

👍

Because apparently, if a young guy in our "wonderful" little town tosses an ice cream wrapper in the trash, he’s a loser—but if he litters on the street, suddenly he's some kind of big shot.

router, I get why you're annoyed.
Speaking of dog mess—have any of you ever been stuck in a major downtown area or a concrete-heavy neighborhood without a patch of grass in sight? How often do you find a pile right in the middle of the sidewalk or tucked against a building first thing in the morning? Why does this happen? Because certain "gentlemen" can't be bothered to walk a few hundred yards to a nearby park, let alone pick up after their pets.
It’s a disaster when someone steps in it, leaving "footprints" smeared all down the street. Truly lovely. 🙄
The city recently installed those blue stations with the little waste bags, but within an hour, the bags were just strewn across the lawn. Within fifteen days, the bins were gone. I sincerely hope they were removed by the same people who installed them, rather than some thief stripping them for scrap metal. 😁

Sorry, getting a bit off-topic here...

Back to the point:
Watermelon is for summer, when I don't mind being covered in juice 😁, mostly because I'm constantly at the beach anyway 😁. But in the winter? No thanks. Back then, I'll slice everything up, though I stick to orange juice since slicing oranges into wedges is such a chore.

So... it seems we aren't exactly saints ourselves 😁 ...

There’s definitely some frustration simmering under the surface here. You probably want to elevate yourself above the "common crowd," so you impose these rigid rules on yourself—only to resent anyone who doesn't follow them. It breeds frustration, obviously, but I suspect the root cause is the initial irritation that drove you to become "overly polite" in the first place.

It’s highly likely you lack sufficient self-confidence. If you actually had it, as someone who values decorum, you’d just ask people on the street to move or give them a quick lesson in etiquette. Instead, you swallow the resentment. That tells me you aren't secure in yourself or your own perspective.

If that's the case, don't sweat it; it can be fixed. This behavior suggests you subconsciously refuse to accept any sense of being "lesser," so you rebel by placing yourself on a pedestal above everyone else. You’re forcing yourself toward an impossible standard of perfection, which triggers these subconscious frustrations that are difficult to recognize. As a certain famous writer once noted, it's pure elitism.

P.S. I'm no psychologist, but I'm saying this because I went through something similar before I finally learned how to loosen up.

By the way, what do your friends think about all this?

Thanks for the response 🙂

I'm 24, so I don't have much 😁.
Yes, I'm still living with my parents, though I’d move out in a heartbeat if I could. Between classes, it isn't an option right now. I'm hoping to make that happen within the next couple of years 😉.

Regarding psychotherapy—it's a bit complicated for me because:
1. I have no idea how or where to find help
2. I don't know how to vet a therapist (not looking for a psychiatrist, just someone to talk to if I decide to start 😁), and I certainly don't want some amateur poking around in my head
3. I'd honestly rather handle this on my own with friends if there's any chance that's possible.

As for the insecurity and being closed off, things have actually improved slightly over the last two or three years. That happened once I started separating my own "growth" from my parents' theories on how life should be lived. But they still get under my skin quite a bit, which is why my social life and studies are suffering.
And because of the bullying, I struggle to form deep connections with people, so that suffers too. Most people likely see me as cold and distant.

EDIT: Is it possible that non-physical bullying in elementary or middle school plays a role here, or does this behavior all start at home?

mistymason1 said:That isn't the case at all. 😉

The OP is asking if an adult can actually change their personality.

In psychology and psychiatry, personality is essentially what people usually call "character."

Character tends to be pretty constant—not really something you just swap out.

But behavior? That can change.

So, I guess it depends on what exactly you're looking to change.

Hmm, I’d like to change my self-perception, in a way. I can't quite put my finger on it—that feeling where you constantly diminish yourself in social settings. You walk around thinking everyone else is superior, convinced that whatever you achieve will never be enough, let alone great. I'm essentially sabotaging myself from the jump, which isn't helping.
On one hand, I'm always pushing to improve, which seems healthy... but lately, it just leads to frustration. I watch others put in the work and nail their goals, while no matter how hard I try, I feel stuck being mediocre. And meanwhile, I end up more stressed than those high achievers 🙂.
I suppose it stems from how my parents treated me; nothing I did was ever truly "good enough." For instance, if I got a B on a test, they’d ask, "How many kids got an A?" or "Couldn't you have pushed for an A?" Even if I did get an A in something like Art, they'd say, "That's nice, but an A in Math would have been more useful." They gave a passing compliment, sure, but it was never sufficient. That’s how I developed this view of myself 😢.

So, is this a personality trait or just behavior? And is change actually possible?

Yeah, I’m looking at things through that same lens... but some people on here argue that the shifts we’re discussing aren't actually structural changes. They claim it's just fine-tuning behavior while the foundation remains exactly the same.

If that's the case, all I can do is mourn. It would mean the things I'm desperate to change—the things I want so badly—are fundamentally out of reach. 😢

I’d change half of my life if I could, and honestly, I already have... Don't tell me someone can't make a name for themselves just because their parents screwed them over during those first few years... It's not like they're destined to be screwed over for the rest of their lives, right? 😢 😢 😢

I refuse to stay stuck in certain situations 😢 so don't try to patronize me.

I'm glad you see it as a fundamental shift in personality. They really have become a different person—someone better. Sure, there’s a lingering insecurity, but they're improved nonetheless. If they can somehow root out that self-doubt 😢, they might actually have a shot at being truly brilliant 😁

Look, he’s done the work on himself. But nearly a decade has passed—it’s only natural that people change. He had his share of other questionable habits, including lying, but he moved past those too (even some petty theft back when he was just a kid) 😁

I know someone who used to lie constantly—all the time, for no reason at all. Eventually, he hit a wall, decided he was done with it, and actually managed to turn things around. Now, he’s honest, whether it’s convenient or not😁.
He says he doesn't even have to think about whether to tell the truth anymore; it’s just his default mode. He still finds habitual liars absolutely revolting.

Is this a fundamental shift in personality, or just a change in behavior?