Posts by George Wilson7

When my period hits, I tend to switch things up depending on the flow. If it’s heavy, I go with Always, but if it’s lighter, I stick to Tampax. That combination just seems to work best for me, I guess. I like the Tampax ones because they’re super thin, whereas the Always pads are a bit thicker, though both are pretty soft. Right now, I’ve been using the Tampax liners for daily wear since they’re incredibly slim, but honestly, the scent is kind of an issue for me.

I’m currently at my place in Chicago near the Mississippi, and I really need to get a sinus X-ray done. Does anyone know where I should go if I want to avoid making an appointment? Or maybe just somewhere where the wait isn't a total nightmare and it's relatively close by? Thanks in advance 🙂

Emily Young29 said:Greetings to my fellow travelers. I truly hope everyone finds a solution soon and gets back to living their best lives.

I’ve been reading through all these different struggles and various ways people try to fix them, but I haven't come across a case quite like mine yet. About ten days ago, out of nowhere, I developed an external hemorrhoid. I don't have any other symptoms—no pain, no issues with bowel movements, no bleeding, no stinging, nothing at all. It’s just annoying because it’s sitting there. I try to push it back in, but after walking a few steps, it pops right back out again. At night, I apply calendula oil compresses, which seems to make it recede by morning, but then within three minutes of waking up, it's back. 😕>

The only time I ever dealt with bowel issues or bleeding was over three years ago. That was brief—just a little stinging and a tiny bit of blood, nothing serious. Since then, there hasn't been a single issue until now. 😢

Has anyone else gone through something similar? Does anyone have advice on how to actually keep it inside?
Thanks, everyone.

I guess I'm in the same boat. I've never had bleeding or anything major, but they seem to show up whenever I'm at a concert or doing some intense workout. I assume it's the jumping or whatever. They stay for a couple of days, sting a bit, and then leave. Then they come back the next time I exert myself. Sorry about the graphic imagery here, but I try to push it back in with my finger, and then, well, it's right back out after a few minutes. :/

This might be a bit of a silly question, but I had some blood work done today—full panel—and provided a urine sample too. About an hour before the appointment, I had a cup of green tea, plain, no sugar or anything added. I suppose I’m wondering if that could significantly mess with any of the results?

Nicholas Myers said:Ma'am,

According to medical literature, it is indeed possible. Roughly 15% of patients presenting with primary pulmonary tuberculosis show normal results on a chest X-ray.

Thanks for the info.
My GP gave me a referral for a cough workup. The pulmonologist mentioned some mild small airway obstruction and my Ventolin test came back positive. I’ve been coughing, and my temperature always hits around 98.6 to 100 degrees during these episodes. It’s sporadic, too; I’ll cough for two weeks, then nothing for two weeks. Back in May, they told me I had viral pneumonia, which supposedly showed up on an X-ray that looks perfectly clear now. The pulmonologist said I don't really need the cough workup, but I think I'll go anyway, even though it's a bit of a hassle since I don't live in the city. Where exactly is that skin test performed?

Is it actually possible to have pulmonary tuberculosis—given how long I've been coughing—while still having a perfectly clean chest X-ray?

White Blood Cell count - 5.6
Red blood cell - 4.52
Hemoglobin - 118 (119 - 157)
Hematocrit - 0.375 (0.356 - 0.47)
MCV - 83.0 (83 - 97.2)
MCHC - 315 (320 - 345)
MCH - 26.1 (27.4 - 33.9)
Platelets - 226
MPV - 9.7 (6.8 - 10.4)

Prothrombin time - ratio 1.01
INR - 1.0

AST - 20 (8-30)
ALT - 13 (10-36)
Alkaline phosphatase - 52 (54-119)
GGT - 7 (9-35)

Getting my pre-op workup done. I'm scheduled for a laparoscopy to deal with endometriosis. I guess I'm mostly wondering about these low hemoglobin levels—is this actually anemia, or am I technically within the normal range? Also, I’ll likely be starting birth control pills after the surgery, so I suppose I should check if my coagulation looks okay.