Posts by Robert Gonzalez88

I was thinking about this last night while watching old clips of my favorite team's championship run years ago. It’s funny how the moment things finally start clicking, that little voice in the back of your head starts whispering that you can just relax.

In my experience, that's exactly when everything falls apart. There’s this specific kind of danger that comes with a period of stability or a sudden streak of good luck. You stop looking over your shoulder, you stop grinding, and you start believing your own hype. It’s not even about bad luck or "curses"—it's just human nature to get comfortable once you've reached a certain level.

I’ve seen it happen in my own career too. Once I hit a certain milestone, I'd coast for a month and then wonder why my performance dipped. It’s like the harder you work to get to the top, the harder it is to stay there because you lose that edge that got you there in the first place.

Do you guys think it's actually possible to maintain that "underdog" hunger once you've actually become the team everyone expects to win?

gentlewolf70 said:Hallelujah, fellow forum members!
I’m looking for some guidance on picking out a bakery. My main priority is finding cakes that actually taste good without breaking the bank. Has anyone here had any recent experiences they can share?
Regarding favors—not the traditional kind, but more like confetti-style little gifts—what kind of price range am I looking at? I want something unique and creative, but I certainly don't want to be paying $5.00 per piece!
And finally, let's talk catering... what are we talking about when it comes to total costs including food, drinks, equipment, and service? Also, how much does it run if I just need the equipment and the staff?

Hallelujah

Hallelujah Absum for the sweets... I think I might just go with them.

Hey there... I was wondering if anyone could maybe point me in the right direction for finding some musical accompaniment in San Francisco? I'm looking for a duo, a trio, or even just some folks playing tambura or accordion to back me up. Any leads would be amazing. Thanks so much!

I’ve actually been using Dolokain gel for quite a while now ever since my surgery! I usually just apply it in the morning after I go to the bathroom and then again right before I hit the hay at night! If you're looking for something, I’d really suggest picking up some Prokten ointment! Honestly, I was using it together with the Dolokain gel for about a month and a half leading up to my surgery, and during that whole stretch, my hemorrhoids didn't get inflamed or burst even once! Oh, and I was also taking Detralex tablets too! I used to mix them all up in a little container and just apply the mixture twice a day!
Maybe give those suppositories a shot? I tried using them right at the start when I first dealt with the hemorrhoids! But, I don't know, they just seemed to irritate things even more for me, so I stopped using them pretty quickly—plus, my doctor actually told me to quit using them too!

I totally agree that what you're going through is on a whole different level than what I've dealt with! And man, I am seriously, truly sorry for everything you've had to endure lately!

Michael Diaz4 said:Hajde, just go back and read what I actually wrote here. Look, if you're talking about the HAL-RAR method, it's pretty much painless if you catch the hemorrhoids while they're still in the early stages. Even stage three isn't quite as scary because things can be reversed. But once you hit stage four, surgery is basically a given, and you're looking at the old-school surgical way. Anus reconstruction is definitely not some minor, breezy thing, let me tell you. If everything is caught in those initial phases, there’s practically no recovery needed. And as for driving—look, I knew someone who had a surgery just as intense as mine. This guy drove his car in from out of state, and right after the operation, he just sat down in the driver's seat. The staff at the hospital were practically crossing themselves when they saw him doing that! Meanwhile, I wasn't even allowed to sit down for six whole weeks after my stage four surgery. You can't just brush it off and say it was easy for you and your friend and then act like... well, you know.

Wait, hold on a second... First off, I didn't come here to get into a petty argument with you, or to downplay the pain this causes, or to try and bravely sugarcoat the whole ordeal because, honestly, I was terrified myself and it hurt like crazy. But I really do believe people shouldn't live in constant fear! I don't quite get why you're trying to scare people who are already stressed out just by dealing with the illness itself. I mean, two days of intense pain and a few weeks of recovery is nothing compared to the daily agony of inflamed hemorrhoids and fissures, where you're staring at a toilet bowl full of blood every single day. And secondly, I can see you had the old-school surgery! I'm specifically talking about the HAL-RAR method, which is obviously way easier!
Reading through all the posts on this forum, I just didn't know what to expect anymore! Everyone has their own story and their own experience, I guess. So, yeah...

Michael Diaz4 said:Saying it doesn't hurt when things are inflamed just isn't really true. When everything is flared up, you can't even get close enough to take a look, let alone get a proper exam. And honestly, just because someone is all set after two weeks doesn't mean that's how it works for everyone. That might be true for the super mild cases, I guess...

Well, I actually went in for a rectoscopy twice while my hemorrhoids were totally flared up, and both times, right before the procedure in the morning, they bled on me! But I guess we're all different individuals! And what you're saying about the surgery using the Kate Allen35 method just isn't quite right either! A colleague of mine was actually driving himself from Washington, D.C. to Miami the very morning after his surgery, and he was already back at work by day five! Personally, I had to deal with injections for a day and a half, but after that, the pain just vanished! I don't know what you consider a "mild case," but I had stage 3 hemorrhoids! So, yeah... everyone reacts differently, the level of pain is different, and the condition itself varies too!

So, basically, I went in for my checkup right around mid-December. I had all my tests done down in Miami and then faxed everything over to Merkur Hospital, and they gave me an appointment for January 31st! On the actual day, you just show up at the hospital, they give you the prep for the surgery, the nurses walk you through how and when to take all the stuff they hand you, and then you just head home! You end up having the surgery the next day, stay overnight at the hospital, and then you’re out of there the following morning! Honestly, I think the hardest part of the whole ordeal was probably the pre-op preparation. And man, the pain after the surgery was definitely more intense than I expected! But since you're in the hospital, they give you injections every five hours—or really, whenever you ask for them! If you guys need any more details, just let me know!

Karen Garcia6 said:these hemorrhoids are seriously starting to get on my nerves. I’ve been trying to use Fact ointment and Procten cream, but honestly, nothing is working. Every time I go to the bathroom, I notice blood and this constant itching. What am I supposed to do now? Should I see a regular doctor? Or maybe a proctologist?

Ugh, girl, I have been through that exact same nightmare! I totally feel you. Those ointments are really just a temporary fix, you know? Like, they might take the edge off the symptoms for a bit, but they aren't actually going to make the hemorrhoids disappear. Hygiene was huge for me—I swear I was jumping in the shower twice a day just to make sure I stayed clean after every single trip to the bathroom! And the bleeding... oh man, it felt like a faucet was turned on in there. Honestly, just go see a surgeon for a rectoscopy! It really isn't as scary as it sounds, I promise. I think I might actually be the biggest hypochondriac out there, so if I'm telling you it's not a big deal, then it truly isn't! I mean, yeah, it's super awkward because, well, it's *that* part of your body, but... you can just push through the embarrassment for like ten seconds while the exam is happening, right? You'll survive!

Alexander Thompson5 said:So, I've been dealing with internal hemorrhoids for a few years now. Up until recently, the main issues were just some occasional bleeding and a bit of a burning sensation whenever I had to go. But over the last six months, my diet has been pretty terrible and I’ve been dealing with really hard stools, plus I tend to sit on the toilet for like thirty minutes or more at a time. Yesterday, after using the bathroom, I felt this pain near my anus, but I didn't really think much of it. Today, though, it hurt again so I actually took a look—and yeah, Fact. I can see from the side that a hemorrhoid has popped out and it's hurting. I tried to push it back in, but it just won't budge. The pain isn't intense, per se, but it's super uncomfortable, and honestly, I'm kind of freaking out about what's going to happen when I really have to go. I haven't seen a doctor yet; a nurse looked at me and told me it doesn't seem like it's fully prolapsed since it's right at the edge, and she said it's not a huge deal because it happens to her all the time???
So, right now I'm just applying some Fact and trying not to move too much, just like she suggested.
BUT—I've been reading stuff online saying that if an internal one pops out, I might need surgery?
I was wondering if there's any chance I can heal it (or at least get it to go back inside) if I fix my diet or start using some medication? (I haven't really used anything before because it wasn't that bad, aside from the bleeding, which usually doesn't even hurt).
I'm asking anyone with more experience for some advice please.

Honestly, the only real, smart advice anyone on a forum like this can give you is to just go get checked out by a professional! An exam is way more awkward because of the position and everything, rather than being painful! Even when your hemorrhoids are inflamed, it shouldn't be that bad. And hey, recovering from surgery isn't a massive ordeal either! I was feeling totally fine after a week, and you can usually get back to work after two weeks!

Well, I figured it was finally my turn to chime in on this thread! Honestly, I’ve been dealing with such a massive headache lately—dealing with hemorrhoids, prolapse, bleeding, and all those other miserable things that just come along with it. So, about two days ago, I finally went in for surgery at Merkur Hospital under Dr. Ivanovic! And man, I seriously can't say enough good things about him and the entire hospital staff; they were just wonderful. I won't lie, the pain on that first day was absolutely brutal, but since I was getting injections, I’m actually feeling pretty okay now that I'm two days post-op! I actually ended up traveling straight from Washington, D.C. to Miami the very next day after the surgery (which, honestly, I wouldn't recommend to anyone, but there I was!). I haven't had my first bowel movement yet, so I don't really have any insight on that part of the recovery! But hey, if anyone needs any kind of info or has questions, just ask! Best wishes