Posts by Daniel Sullivan36

Hi there. This all started about five months ago—specifically, back at the end of August last year. Basically, I had unprotected sex. Within a week, maybe a little longer, I started experiencing symptoms I’ve never dealt with before. It was the first time. I had this intense pain in my anus, right at the opening. Going to the bathroom became a massive struggle because the pain was just excruciating. There was irritation, itching, and everything started feeling quite moist, which isn't normal for me, and it caused the skin around the area to get pretty red. At first, it was just the pain, but then about three days later, I noticed some bleeding on the toilet paper. The first time it was just a little bit, but the second and third times were much heavier. Almost the entire wipe would be covered in blood after I went. The blood looked very bright and fresh. It didn't happen often, though; it literally only happened three times and never again, even though those last two instances were more significant. I have to say, this is the first time I've ever seen blood there. Honestly, it terrified me. I didn't know what to do, but part of me kept thinking maybe it wasn't as serious as it felt and that if I just waited, 🤦 might pass. Between the fear and the sheer embarrassment, I still haven't found the courage to go for a proper, formal medical exam. Instead, I just endure it and hope it goes away. Because of my job and where I live, getting to a doctor is a hassle; I often have to travel to a different area to see someone or find a private specialist. Plus, my work address and my permanent residence are in two completely different cities far apart, so seeing my primary care physician is also a logistical nightmare. I tried to check myself, and I realized the area right at the entrance of the anus feels thickened and is quite painful to the touch. That intense pain lasted for about four weeks, then it subsided, and the whole ordeal spanned about two months. After that, the main pain stopped, but I still feel something. It doesn't hurt when I'm actually using the bathroom anymore, but I still feel this... burning sensation? A mild pain that's still present, just not as sharp as before. Especially if I try to touch the area; I can still feel that thickening right at the entrance, and it hurts to touch, even though the pain isn't there during bowel movements. There's no blood anymore—that stopped during those first few symptoms—but now I'm worried about the mucus and the lingering discomfort. Literally every single day when I go, there's this white mucus. It's not a lot, and it's only at the beginning, but it's there. In the water, the mucus looks totally white, but outside of the water, it looks somewhat translucent and yellowish. I already went to get tested for HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. Those results came back negative. I'm planning to get tested for syphilis and chlamydia as soon as I can. As for HPV, they told me they don't really do testing for men anymore. My question is, could all these symptoms be caused by an STI I picked up, or could it just be hemorrhoids? Since everything showed up so quickly after the unprotected sex, I'm leaning toward it being an infection. Also, can anyone point me in the right direction regarding where to go and which kind of specialist to see? I'd strongly prefer a private clinic; money isn't an issue, and I just want to get this over with as fast as possible because the lingering pain and this daily mucus are really starting to freak me out. 🕺

Here’s the situation. I went to see my doctor because of some breathing issues, mostly centered on my right nostril. Most of the time it feels blocked, and even when I can catch a breath, the airflow through that side is incredibly thin. Looking inside, I can actually see something that makes me think I know what the issue is. It looks exactly like this. Basically, more than half my nose—the right side and even a bit of the left—is obstructed by this slimy buildup (which I assume is what’s blocking the air), and it's been like this for years. After doing a little digging online and looking at photos, it seems like it might be a deviated septum. My doctor sent me for imaging, and once she saw the scans, she reached the same conclusion: a deviation. The bridge of my nose is a bit bumpy too; there's a visible hump that offsets things by a few percent. In the meantime, she sent me for blood work (first to the ENT, then he sent me for the labs), and it turns out I actually have allergies. I mean, maybe I do, since that's what the results showed, but I honestly don't think the allergies are the root cause here, not if the deviation is the real culprit. Suddenly, that deviation isn't even being mentioned in context anymore. I don't sneeze, I don't cough, and this doesn't just flare up in the spring during peak pollen season; it’s a constant, low-level breathing struggle all year round. I also had an appointment with the ENT specialist. His notes mention thickened nasal mucosa and a bunch of other stuff. He prescribed some pills and sprays—for instance, that Avamys and some saline rinse for cleaning—and I seriously spent more than $167 on it. I used them for two months, but it was a total waste of money. Nothing reduced that slimy feeling in my nose, and my breathing hasn't improved at all. Honestly, I'm just done wasting money on whatever they prescribe because it's useless. So, I've given up on it for now. I'm either waiting weeks for a follow-up or months because of how they bounce you from one specialist to another. I was really hoping for surgery—either functional or cosmetic—but obviously, that's impossible while I'm still on my supplemental insurance where everything is covered. Looks like I'll eventually have to pay out of pocket at a private clinic. Anyway, I'm writing this all out to see if anyone who actually understands this stuff could tell me: is it truly possible that this is just allergies and requires long-term treatment to reduce that buildup? Or is it definitely a deviation? (I can send over a photo of my nose).

So, I’ve made up my mind. In about two days, I’m heading to see my doctor, and I’m pretty sure they’re going to refer me to an ENT specialist. It got me thinking, though—does anyone know for sure if the specialists at the Rijeka Medical Center handle aesthetic procedures too? I mean, if someone wants to fix the look of their nose along with the breathing issues, can that be covered by Medicare? Look, I’m not doubting the person who told me they do both, but I just want to be absolutely certain before I commit to driving all those miles out there...

cosmicbadger83 said:It’s been five months since my rhinoplasty... here is the before and after 🙂

I am absolutely loving this look! Who was your surgeon?

Betty Edwards22 said:For now—yeah.

What do you mean? I didn't quite catch that. 😁

Betty Edwards22 said:Aesthetics—that gray area. You know, that "maybe, maybe not" zone. What do people actually say about the whole li-la thing?

Karen Clark12 said:At the Seattle University Hospital, yeah. 😉

Hmm, okay. As far as the Seattle University Hospital goes, I'm really not that close to it. 😁 It’ll probably take me more than seven hours to get there, but I need to figure out how this actually works. What's the standard procedure here? Do I just go to my primary care doctor, have them write a referral for an ENT, and then they decide where I go? Or am I the one who gets to pick the specialist? 😁

Alex Moore62 said:You really need to get a referral for an ENT and go in for an exam. It’s pretty obvious there's some kind of blockage keeping your nose from breathing properly, so you need a specialist to take a look—and honestly, you'll probably end up needing surgery.

Betty Edwards22 said:Is it a deviated septum, a polyp, or maybe just hypertrophied nasal turbinates? Honestly, it’s hard to tell sometimes.

Alright, thanks for all the responses. The problem is pretty obvious at this point, isn't it? It's clear that surgery is definitely going to be necessary. That leaves me wondering... would it even be possible to combine the corrective procedure with some aesthetic work? And if so, would Medicare cover any of that?

Hi there
So, I’ve got this issue. For the last few years now, I feel like I can only breathe through one nostril—the left one. It’s actually noticeable; if you put your hand under your nose, you can literally feel the air coming out of the left side, while absolutely nothing comes out of the right. Even when I try to block the left side, the right side still barely lets any air pass through. Also, whenever I check inside the right nostril, it feels like there’s something stuck in there... something slimy, almost like a part of my own nasal passage is just blocking the airflow. To be honest, it isn't a massive problem for me—I can live with it—but I've been wondering lately what exactly could be causing this. I'm thinking about finally heading to my doctor to ask if there's a way to fix it. I do have Medicare, so at least that's covered.

Can anyone give me an idea of what the typical cost is for a rhinoplasty? Also, does anyone know which clinics or surgeons in Los Angeles you'd recommend for this kind of procedure?
thanks
Feel free to shoot me a DM if that's easier.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 🙏🙏🙏
That trailer was absolutely flawless. And honestly? The soundtrack might be even better.

It’s just like that first teaser for Part 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv_Ay...eature=related

👍👍👍

It’s been running pretty smoothly over the last few days. I mean, yeah, errors are popping up here and there, but it's rare... and honestly, I'm seeing more 504 timeouts than 503 service unavailable messages lately.

@Jacob Foster11/">@@Jacob Foster11 - honestly, that looks amazing 🙏, you did such a great job setting it up. It’s basically exactly what I was hoping for, but I guess I should ask for the sake of keeping things clear on Reddit. That’s why I mentioned it right at the start of my first post—I wonder if there's any way to do this, though I don't want to make a huge deal out of it. Besides, like you pointed out, you really need to know your way around CSS, and that just feels way too complicated for me. I mean, I'm not exactly a tech person, you know? 😁

@Christian Taylor3/">@@Christian Taylor3 - I am totally with you on that one 👍

@Ono, Mikey - there is absolutely no need for that 😉
Why would I even shrink it down only to have it mess up the layout on all the other sites I visit?
That's why I'm asking if it's even possible... omg

Is there any way this forum could be updated visually? Maybe some different color schemes, something a bit darker, or something along those lines? 😛
I’m not making a formal request here, nor am I starting a petition... I’m just asking out of pure curiosity. 🙂
I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks about this.

For instance, this white background—it’s so bright sometimes I feel like I’m going to go blind. 🤣
And I’d probably change that blue border color too. 😛
Basically, I’d darken everything that's currently white because it’s an absolute eye-strain.
It’s especially bad when I’ve been reading a dark-mode page and then I jump back to the forum; the contrast hits you like a physical blow. 🤦, if you know what I mean...

What would you personally change about Reddit? This isn't about moderation, deleting useless threads, or anything like that—I'm talking strictly about the aesthetics. If you could redesign Reddit, what would you change?

Taylor Campbell4 said:Go to Windows Update, look under optional updates, and select the English Language pack

Look, I’m a total amateur when it comes to all this technical stuff and running commands, 😬 so could you please walk me through this a bit more clearly?
Basically, I went into the Control Panel and looked under Windows Update, but I couldn't find any setting there that would let me change the language.
What exactly is "optional updates"? Besides that, since this is the latest version of Windows, I'm having a hard time navigating everything.
Also, how do I customize that top bar? I want to find some cool clocks or date displays to put on the right side—you know what I mean?

And there's one more thing. I went to a website about Windows 7 to look things up, and I tried to play a video, but it wouldn't work. A message popped up saying I need to create a folder somewhere to save something? 😕

So, I just picked up a brand new laptop, and it's running the latest version of Windows, but everything is set to English. Is there any way I can switch it over to American English settings, and if so, how do I go about doing that?

Susan Boyle’s album is absolutely smashing sales records
In just 24 hours, her debut album moved 134,000 copies. 😉