Posts by Megan Lopez4

Honestly, once you get in there and see the results, if there’s anything else flagged, just go ahead and ask for swabs—they tell us we’re entitled to one free screening per year, though personally, I’ve never actually been tested for it and they always just brush me off saying everything looks fine, but now I’m starting to have my doubts... It feels so stupid that we’ve had to wait this long for clarity, so please, just stand up for yourselves. If you have to play a little dumb and claim you're having some kind of discharge, or maybe pretend you aren't seeing the same guy anymore because your ex was a cheater, just do it. Anything to get checked at a clinic like Virogen or somewhere else if the social services department is being difficult. Just get yourself tested so you can finally sleep easy at night. Best,

I’m just going to duplicate this right here so I don't lose it before I can hit delete,
Warmest wishes to everyone out there,
and please, do me a little favor and chime in so I can hear from you all again!
Kisses

Well, here I am again.
Just needing to vent for a bit. I went to see my public health clinic gynecologist, and honestly, she was wonderful. She really helped calm me down and told me that since this doctor isn't some psychic, they can't just prescribe heavy-duty medications without more testing. Still, I can’t help but feel uneasy. I have PCOS, and I’ve been put on Diane 35. It feels like here in the States, getting a full hormonal blood panel to find the exact right pill is so expensive, so doctors often just guess or say, "This one is specifically for PCOS." Anyway, my primary care doctor suggested waiting until the end of summer to follow up, but I have a bad feeling that after all these shocks, I won't be getting much relief. To make matters worse, things are spiraling—I've had black stools and my thyroid seems slightly enlarged, though it's subtle. My doctor keeps telling me I need to relax because the stress is making everything worse, and it feels like my body is just reacting to the chaos. But I don't trust it. And the worst part? They didn't even run immediate tests to be sure. Instead, they just handed me Betadine wipes and Albothyl, and now it feels like I've triggered something. I didn't even have itching before, but now... oh boy, my heart is just racing. Honestly, sex is totally off the table right now—ugh, what a nightmare. We haven't been intimate in a month, and who knows when it'll be again. Believe me, I'm not exaggerating.
I just have one question for you girls: how can this suddenly pop up out of nowhere? I haven't had any symptoms or reactions for years, and then after eight years, this happens? We aren't unfaithful; we are completely devoted to each other, truly.
I'm also a little spooked by the fact that I've seen previous Pap smears where there were inflammations and squamous cells but no actual CIN. Then again, it's confusing because a friend of mine had CIN 3 but tested negative for both HPV and Chlamydia. How is that even possible? And unlike me, you could say she had a much heavier history to deal with. So, what is my situation now? Please, help me out with your thoughts. I've never actually had swabs done, and the doctor said a Pap smear like mine doesn't require further testing because it's "nothing." I'm sitting here thinking, *yeah, right.* Plus, the information from the private clinic's Pap report is so brief—it's like looking at a tiny fraction of what you get at the local community health center. The private ones seem to provide maybe three or four items, whereas the public ones have eighty! What do you guys think? I'm so confused. I actually heard a story about an acquaintance who was sent for surgery at a private clinic—she was basically finished—and they hadn't even performed swabs, just the Pap smears. It felt like a total sales pitch. But she wasn't having it and went to a doctor her partner had been seeing; he was cautious and insisted on doing the swabs to ensure she was totally clear, and now she's healthy and fine! She called me immediately once she knew. Even a doctor I know at a private clinic in a nice suburb mentioned that she should have repeated the Pap before scaring me and acting like it was a crisis. She should have explained that while it shows some minor changes, it's nothing to panic about and doesn't necessarily need treatment right away. She told me, "If I were in your shoes, I'd get the swabs done just for peace of mind." But instead, they just tell you it's fine. Why didn't she suggest checking for everything else if we're supposed to be screening thoroughly? It feels like: "Shock the patient, take their money, and let them deal with the consequences." As you can probably tell from my previous posts, I've already figured out their game.
I'm still scared, but at least I know if this doctor won't help, I'll find another private one. We'll just see how things develop.
Seriously, my doctor asked me: "What would you say if you actually had CIN 3 or 4?" Like, should I just curl up in a ball and wait for the reaction to hit?
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Has anyone had a crazy experience like this? Or anyone who had Chlamydia—how did they find out, and how long do you think it takes for it to show up?
Everything is so unclear to me. How can something stay dormant for eight years? Some doctors told me I would definitely feel symptoms if I had something active—that it would be like having a sore throat, and you'd know. Do you guys agree?
Let me know what you think. I hate being a nuisance, but I'm spinning. Sending love to everyone.

Just a little bit of my life story
The things I’ve had to go through lately
And I'm writing this out here
Warm wishes,
I’ve been following this page for quite a while now, and honestly, you guys are amazing—most of the answers we need always seem to turn up right here. But today... today has just been one massive shock after another, followed by a lot of hysterical crying. I am begging YOU, if there is any way at all, please tell me what I should do. No matter how hard I try to get a handle on these health issues, nothing seems to work. It started when I decided to see a private gynecologist. I hadn't been to my regular doctor at the local clinic in ages because I felt like she didn't take me seriously at all; the exams were just awful. Now, I actually have the money to go somewhere else immediately for an ultrasound and everything else I need. I went to a clinic over in the suburbs where the atmosphere was wonderful, but the follow-up on my Pap smear results was a complete disaster. I don't understand—if someone comes to you with a serious issue, like having totally irregular periods that skip months every single year, how can you just shrug it off? I'm 30 years old, and in all this time, no one has ever even sent me to an endocrinologist to check my thyroid or my adrenal glands. They just told me it's "fine" because of modern lifestyle stress and that I'm not the only one. Well, frankly, I don't care if I'm not the only one! To me, this is huge, scary, and overwhelming, even if the doctors deal with much bigger cases every day.
I’m so incredibly disappointed. It’s not even about the money—I'm willing to pay for my health—but it feels like people get treated so poorly when they aren't being professional. I can't even wrap my head around how someone could nickel-and-diming me for a few extra bucks instead of just running the full battery of tests from the start. Why play games? If more testing is needed, just do it! And why does the cost for checking for bacteria, aerobes, and HPV have to be around $500? What is making it so expensive? I apologize, I know nothing about the medical side of things, but my primary doctor never did any of this. It wasn't until my recent ultrasound that I realized I've been carrying these problems for years. I've been struggling with excessive hair growth on my legs for so long, and since I'm blonde, people don't think it looks bad, but for me, it's painful and constant. My bikini area is basically non-existent because the hair on my legs is so thick. I even tried getting help at the big city hospital, using a connection to get in. And let me tell you, I have never been examined so crudely in my entire life—and I thought the doctors back in my small hometown were bad! After that exam, I sat there and cried for two hours straight. I'm still in shock. I walked away with a list of medications for both me and my partner (Erythromycin 4*2/8 for both of us simultaneously, then Medazol 3*400mg for 10 days, plus Geostin, Medazol, and Albothyl vaginal treatments every other night, and Canesten cream locally for both of us, with a follow-up in 2-3 weeks).
I couldn't even get a word in with the specialist because my sister told me to get dressed, and by the time I came back, a different woman was already waiting on the exam table. I was stunned. I didn't get a single explanation; I was just told that we both need treatment and that I have a massive infection. He didn't even wait for me to tell him that three weeks ago, I had taken two boxes of Ciprex 500 in a single week (twice a day) because my neck glands were swollen and I was dealing with those ingrown hairs on my legs. My GP was horrified and just told me to see a gynecologist first and then we'd see, but I've been fighting this hair issue for years! Then, at the clinic in the suburbs, I got the Geostin, and a few days later, the Pap smear results came back bad—they mentioned squamous cells of uncertain significance, quoting "sample poorly fixed or poorly preserved." I feel like they should have just said, "Hey, let's redo this to be safe," instead of immediately prescribing Yasmin and ordering Chlamydia and HPV tests. And of course, they charge me bit by bit, over and over again. It feels like a scam. I would have much rather paid one lump sum to just get everything done at once.
I really thought going private meant experiencing professionalism, but clearly, I was wrong. Now I'm just spiraling with anxiety. What hurts most is that my partner and I have been together for nine years. We are decent people; we aren't out partying or being promiscuous. We know our history. When I read the side effects of these medications, I just want to cry because I don't know what I did wrong or why these doctors treat me like... well, like I'm trash. Is it because I'm not married yet? I've never had these kinds of issues before—never used vaginal suppositories or anything like that—and now it's all hitting me at once. We were slowly building our lives together, thinking maybe we’d have a family one day. My heart is huge; I don't necessarily need to give birth to love a child, and my boyfriend feels the same way. But now, I'm terrified I won't even live to see that stage. I hate taking handfuls of pills because I feel like my immune system is weak—I get sick easily—but people just call me "fragile." Looking at this prescription list makes me physically ill. I feel dirty. It breaks my heart to think about it, especially when I think about how careful I was with sex while everyone else was out living recklessly, fearing STIs, and then this happens... it feels too late to even reflect on it. I am so disappointed, and I feel so sorry for myself, but also for all the people who are truly terminally ill and have to face the kind of shocks I faced today. And another thing—when I entered the exam room at the city hospital, the nurses hadn't even emptied the basin filled with blood and cotton from the women examined before me. The scene was revolting. I just stood there like a deer in headlights, waiting for them to clean it, and then the nurse tells me to sit down! I almost threw up right there. Even though I had a connection and felt like I was in a trap, my boyfriend kept teasing me not to go to such a "torture chamber," but after seeing me like this, he feels just as terrible for sending me there. "Horrible" doesn't even cover it. Are our public hospitals so broke that they can't even maintain basic hygiene? If the equipment is from the Middle Ages, they should start a fundraiser! Let's raise money to buy chairs that actually look like the ones in private clinics so we can all feel like humans together. I’ve realized now that the hair isn't just a skin issue; it’s clearly something deeper with my hormones or glands. I'm looking for a way to figure this out and find a doctor who actually cares enough to walk through this journey with me, rather than just scribbling a prescription and brushing me off. If I take all these meds and start passing blood in my urine because of the side effects, who am I supposed to call? Everyone seems too busy to listen to some "foolish" 30-year-old woman who isn't married yet and is suddenly dealing with all this. I even tried talking to the substitute doctor covering for my regular physician, but since I haven't seen my actual doctor in five years and she's currently on vacation, the sub won't even authorize my meds because the primary doctor didn't mark them as "urgent." Unbelievable. And here I am, dutifully paying my taxes and health insurance to a state that doesn't seem to care about anything. If I put that money into private insurance, I'd probably get better service and less harassment, but I guess I just haven't been lucky enough to have anyone on my side. Please forgive me for these long, heavy ramblings. Thank you for being here. Does anyone have any smart advice on what I should do next? Where do I even go from here?
THANK YOU SO MUCH, REALLY!

So, I actually have this close friend of mine who’s a dentist over on Gundulic Street—she’s basically a total artist when it comes to her work! Honestly, she does these fillings where the tooth looks completely natural; you don't end up with that weird, flat, sunken look inside your mouth, but rather a tooth with all those lovely little ridges and textures just like the real thing. It’s gorgeous.
As for what happens if the decay hits the nerve, well, then it really hurts, and you usually have to have the tooth pulled before it completely deteriorates, though sometimes it can be treated. It’s such a shame to go through with a root canal before it's absolutely necessary because you don't want the tooth to darken, so you really have to try and save it whenever possible, much like how Gin plays fair in a game!

So, one of my close girlfriends is absolutely obsessed with that Dr. spot over in the Cherry Hill district—she swears the guy there is super sharp, really easygoing, and won't break the bank either. Honestly, I was being a bit skeptical at first because he’s located a little further out from where I live, but I think I totally missed the mark on this one, and he might actually be the fair play move I need right now.
Anyway, what do you all think? I'd love to get a little debate going here if you're up for it! Thanks a bunch in advance, everyone.

Look, I know some of them are decent enough, but honestly, I’ve just always had a built-in radar for spotting the clueless ones from a mile away.
And seriously, you were being pretty difficult today. Harni is out here recommending Ćurić, and now I’m feeling super skeptical about the whole lot of them. I actually reached out to the Eljugi Clinic just to ask if they could even get a reliable DNA result from a sample that was improperly fixed and poorly preserved—because, let’s be real, to a layman like me, that sounds incredibly sketchy. I won't go on forever, but can you guys give me an idea of how often people book with them? Like, what’s the frequency for someone with a "neat" paternal sample versus someone with a messy one? Let's sit down and analyze who's actually being honest here. I really think they should just handle everything in one single appointment instead of splitting one exam into two separate visits just to pad the bill. What do you ladies think?

It’s honestly just terrifying how you can go in thinking you’re being totally proactive and careful, only to have them turn around and hit you with all these diagnoses, casting doubt on everything you thought you knew. And don't even get me started on the places where you actually pay for service—it's just absolutely revolting.
Ugh, guys, I don't even know how to put this into words. I haven't been reckless at all in my life, and I've been with the same partner for about ten years now—we aren't out there living a wild lifestyle or anything—but yet, here I am, facing all this crap. Now I'm frantically trying to find reliable doctors just so they don't stitch some random nonsense into me. Honestly, I've reached this point where I've decided that in my next life, I'm going to live it up and hook up with everyone I want, and I'll be very selective about it too! Because seriously, what was the point of me being so cautious if I end up dealing with the exact same headaches as the girls who lived life to the fullest? Good for them, I guess, but if I end up with something because of this mess, I am going to lose my mind, grrrrrr. Anyway, that's enough about my drama. Has anyone ever heard of Dr. Tomić? I mean, are there any of you from the East Side around? Because I had to drive all the way out toward the suburbs to see him.
I'm really not feeling great about this situation. Not one bit.

Honestly, I feel like I’m running into some seriously bizarre people lately—it’s just unsettling, you know? You reach a point where you don't even know what to say anymore. It’s wild because they’re out here complaining about how much we’re contributing from our paychecks, yet if they actually pooled all that money together, they could afford every single specialist and diagnostic test they wanted without having to think twice about the cost... it’s honestly just awful.
As for what I heard regarding Dr. Miller, I’ve been hearing those rumors too, but I can't really say for sure since I’m not exactly in the loop at the social services office. We’ve been waiting way too long for these test results to come back, and it makes me shudder just thinking about what actual treatment would look like. It’s like, every few months you’re stuck in this cycle of, "Oh, let us try to get you treated real quick," and then nothing happens. Brrr—just gives me the chills.

Hey everyone, like I was saying before. When you decide to move over to private healthcare, you’re basically paying a premium because you expect much better treatment—and honestly, that’s what you should be getting. I certainly don't expect some half-baked lab sample sent off for testing, or just a handful of vague, useless snippets of information. It's even worse if you actually have some abnormal cells and they fail to flag them during the first round, which would mean they can't even start the necessary follow-up processing right away. It’s such a massive shame, especially when you're shelling out a fortune for it. You end up dropping $133 or maybe $300 every single month, or hell, maybe an extra $1,500 just on various tests, and by the time you finally figure out what’s actually going on, you haven't even started actual treatment yet. I can't even imagine trying to manage a serious illness while dealing with that kind of runaround. Honestly, I feel for anyone who managed to find decent, affordable community clinics; it seems like we've had zero luck, whether we're dealing with public services or the private sector. But looking at the whole situation, it feels like the only option is to just take these overpriced providers, throw your money at them, and hope for the best, though even then, it ends up being incredibly expensive

So, has anyone here actually dealt with the Tomać situation over in Grižanska?
Honestly, my experience was such an absolute train wreck that I just completely checked out from that whole branch of wellness, but now I’m back and paying the price for it. From everything I’ve been reading and digging into lately, it feels like there’s this endless cycle of hoops to jump through—like, you do the first test $267 plus the checkup, then follow up with more tests, then another round of paperwork, and it just keeps going... it's constant. I genuinely don't even know how you all manage to feel confident that everything has been done correctly; I'm totally lost on how to be sure.
This is such a hot topic right now, ladies, seriously! I actually stumbled upon this absolutely wonderful comment online and ended up shooting her a DM—I can't remember her name for the life of me, but girl, she is a total legend.
We really need to stick together and share what we find because, let's face it, there are way more of us than them, and we shouldn't let them rip us off or treat us like we're just some bottom-of-the-barrel welfare recipients.
Byeeee!

Hey everyone!
So, I just got back from my appointment at the Mayo Clinic, and honestly? I am beyond disappointed. I really went in thinking that when you opt for a private specialist instead of the local community clinic, things would actually feel more professional and organized. I expected clear answers and a streamlined process, but it was just such a letdown, so I figured I’d hop on here to vent a little bit and see if I'm alone in this experience. Can you guys help me out? I’d love to hear about your own experiences with specialists. When you go in for an exam, do you actually walk away with all your results and info right then and there? Or did you run into the same headache I did—where they basically tell you, "Oh, your paperwork isn't quite ready yet, so we need to run some swabs first Thanks so much, talk soon!