Posts by velvetmoose9

Jerry Murphy4 said:What’s the best way to dose up on Plibex if I'm trying to kick those brutal PMS symptoms to the curb?
Is just one pill a day enough, or should I be looking at taking it more frequently?
Also—and this is a big one—how many months can you actually stay on this stuff safely?
If anyone here has some real-world experience or knows the ropes, could you walk me through how to actually use Plibex to manage really heavy PMS?
Thanks a bunch!

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure about its effectiveness against PMS—even if you nail the dosage, which would be 2 tablets, 3 times a day, according to the label.🤔

You could always give it a shot for a few months. For instance, maybe start taking it about 5 days before you expect your PMS to kick in and keep going for roughly 2 weeks, then take a 2-week break.
After running through 4 or 5 cycles like that, you'll have a pretty good idea if it’s actually doing anything for you.

Amanda White said:Femur infection following an open fracture

Honestly, your best bet is to schedule a consultation at the Infectious Disease Clinic over in Washington, D.C., and just make sure you bring all your medical records along with you—they're going to need everything.
Depending on how things look, they might set you up with treatment through a Day Hospital if that makes sense for your situation, or maybe here.

hollowcanyon56 said:I'm wondering if anyone else struggles with motion sickness while driving, or if my situation is something more specific and unusual...

I used to be perfectly fine with cars; my family and friends used to drive me everywhere. But ever since I moved away from my hometown for college, I haven't spent much time in a vehicle, and I think I've just lost my "sea legs" for driving, which led to this nausea.
I also suspect it might be linked to when my vision started changing. I've recently been diagnosed with a mild prescription and astigmatism, which probably doesn't help at all.
The nausea itself is pretty standard—winding roads, sudden acceleration, or heavy braking always trigger it, especially when you feel that physical force shifting you around.

However, what makes my case unique is that as soon as the nausea kicks in, my facial muscles start twitching uncontrollably. If the drive lasts about an hour, the tension becomes so intense that I end up making a grimace and can barely even speak. I look completely ridiculous; my lips tighten and pout out. Even after we stop driving, it takes about 20 minutes for everything to settle back to normal...🤦

Taking Dramamine helps somewhat, but rarely provides full relief. And if I happen to be intoxicated—God forbid—then Dramamine doesn't work at all.

I haven't been able to find any mention of this specific syndrome anywhere online.🤷

It would probably be a smart move to go see a specialist at the Federal Reserve.
Once you get a thorough exam and run some tests, things should be a lot clearer.

By the way, maybe take some photos before and after a drive? Showing a seasoned clinician that facial transformation might actually give them a huge clue.

Amanda White said:I'm looking for an infectious disease specialist in Washington, D.C.

It’ll be a lot easier to point you in the right direction if you can let us know what specific symptoms or issues we're actually dealing with.

Chloe Garcia10 said:So, last week—starting Wednesday night—I got hit with what felt like a nasty stomach bug or some kind of intestinal virus. You know the drill: fever, feeling totally wiped out, nausea, vomiting, the whole nine yards. Now, I’m still dealing with this weird little stinging sensation in my abdomen, just above the belly button on the right side, almost like a prickling in my gut. I decided to go get some blood work done today to see what's up:
My CBC looks fine, ESR is 12 (range 4-24), CRP is 4.8 (0-5), lipase is 26 ( So, basically, my AST, ALT, and urine amylase are all running high?
Is it possible for these numbers to be elevated after dealing with a stomach virus...?

Best,

It’s definitely possible.

But honestly, it makes total sense to get an abdominal ultrasound scheduled, and then maybe run through some follow-up labs in a few days just to be safe.

Go ahead and do your own homework on this subject.

It’s a relatively rare condition here in the States, though numbers have definitely climbed since the 90s.
Usually, it's handled pretty effectively with antibiotics, provided you catch the diagnosis early enough.

Most people don't exactly go around opening up about how they "dealt" with syphilis.
Not even on a forum like this.

Besides, the way this thread was set up is just totally incoherent and doesn't really make any sense, so we're going to go ahead and close it out.

nimbledrifter7 said:Hey everyone.
My dad was in a pretty nasty car wreck about three days ago. It’s wild because he didn't even walk away with a scratch, even though his car is basically a crumpled heap of metal now—totaled on all sides. He’s dealing with that classic whiplash and everything hurts from the seatbelt, but honestly, that's not what's really eating at me.
Right after he got cleared at the ER that night, he seemed totally fine, just his usual self. But fast forward three days and he’s a different person... he's struggling to talk, stumbling over his words, almost like he forgot how to put a sentence together. He seems really depressed too. I get that the whole thing is stressful, but I’m genuinely freaking out here. He already has referrals for a psychiatrist and a neurosurgeon, but should we be pushing for anything else?
Then yesterday, he suddenly lost vision in one eye, so we had to rush him back to the emergency room. Turns out there wasn't any physical damage to the eye itself... his sight came back, but today things still look a bit blurry in that eye. On top of that, he's developed these yellowish-green dark circles under his eyes.
Please, if anyone has any advice, I'd really appreciate it...
Thanks

An emergency CT scan of the cranium.
They need to rule out (or confirm) a specific intracranial hemorrhage.

Carol Garcia said:I wasn't really sure where to post this, but this thread felt like the right spot.

So, basically, my dad (he’s 65) is having a rough time when he eats. It feels like food just gets stuck in his throat—we call it "food bolus" or something similar.

It’s like a massive dumpling gets lodged in his throat, or actually even lower than that. He’ll swallow a bite, and then it just stops halfway down to the stomach. He can feel this lump sitting right there in his esophagus. It hurts like hell until it finally "drops" into his stomach, which sometimes takes ten minutes or more. There’s nothing he can do to speed it up.

It used to happen maybe once a month, but now it’s happening almost every single day. It happens with pretty much anything, but if he’s eating bread, you can bet it’s going to happen.

Does anyone actually know what this could be? Of course, my dad is being stubborn about seeing a doctor, and honestly, even if he did, he’d probably be lucky to get an appointment by next Christmas (I haven't heard of a primary care doc in our area booking that far out, but his is one of those types who doesn't have an opening unless you're literally dying, let alone any specialist tests).

I stumbled upon an article suggesting this might all be psychosomatic, so I was thinking maybe he doesn't need to go through all the testing if that's actually the case.

You really have to start with a physical exam first to confirm—or rather, rule out—an organic cause for what he's experiencing.

If it turns out to be psychogenic in nature, then no big deal—it'll be uncomfortable, sure, but it isn't dangerous.

I’ve managed to screw this up three times now.
It started getting pretty weird when I began feeling these intense cramps in my gut 🙂

Instead of actually reading the instructions, I decided to go ahead and swap out my probiotic 😬

driftingsurfer8 said:Since my job involves constant interaction with all sorts of people, I’ve made it a point to get my flu shot every year for quite a while now. And honestly? It worked—I didn't catch a single thing.

The headache started when I switched primary care doctors. My old GP retired, and this new doctor is refusing to give me the shot just because I’m not elderly or dealing with any chronic health issues. So, I tried heading over to the CDC, but they turned me away there, too.

It feels like it's actually more "cost-effective" for the system if people just stay home on sick leave rather than getting vaccinated—especially since I was willing to pay for the shot out of my own pocket anyway.

Has anyone else dealt with this kind of nonsense lately?

Hmm.
Maybe the folks over at the CDC are just freaking out about the start of the season, worried the rush will be so massive they'll end up running out of stock.

Oh, please, there isn't going to be a massive rush. 🤦

They always end up overstocking and wasting a huge amount of vaccine anyway. ☕

Then again, I can't say for sure if everyone working there shares that same mindset. 😉

James Booth9 said:Look, I’d really appreciate some help here because I honestly don't have a clue what I'm looking at...
I just went in for an abdominal ultrasound.
The results say:
LIVER is homogeneous, with thin walls
Pancreas and spleen look normal (if I'm reading this right, haha)
Both kidneys show preserved cortex with no signs of hydronephrosis
Prostate is sharply demarcated (26mm)
EDIT: I had these tests done because I've been dealing with some hormone issues lately

Everything listed there looks perfectly normal to me.👍

A colleague over here mentioned that the main priority should be tackling Pompe disease, which honestly makes a ton of sense since there are actually treatments available for it.

Linda Ward312 said:I had surgery about 4 months ago—HAL-RAR plus a sphincterotomy. I was dealing with second-degree hemorrhoids and a nasty fissure at the time. Everything was going smoothly until three days ago when, following a bout of stomach flu and some pretty bad diarrhea, an external hemorrhoid popped out with a lump about the size of a hazelnut. It’s been stinging and burning 24/7 since then. No bleeding, though. I've been applying Fact cream and Hemoex. I'm guessing it's basically just a thrombosed hemorrhoid. Will it just clear up on its own? What should I do?

Honestly, your best bet is to get back in to see your surgeon for an exam as soon as possible.

Nicole Newman15 said:So, here's the deal. A girl from Canada is looking to come down to the Mayo Clinic in Chicago to see a neurologist for some testing. Since she’s paying out of pocket as a foreign citizen, does anyone know what the ballpark cost would be for an exam and tests at the Mayo Clinic, and who is the absolute best neurologist there?

In my experience, Canadian & Canadian folks (and basically anyone else without local insurance, including those coming over with European Union coverage) end up paying for their exams—to the hospital, not me—around $100. Up until recently, it was closer to $27, but now Medicare has actually approved that amount.

It's probably the same story when it comes to seeing a neurologist.

It really just depends on which specific branch of neurology she's looking for.

Jeffrey Lee10 said:Look, I hope the mods don't mind me popping in here, but I couldn't find a specific thread on weight issues in the list, and honestly, I’m not even sure why I ended up wandering into the women's health section myself—I guess it's just because my wife is the one dealing with this.
My wife is 55, and she's really struggling with her weight; no matter what we try, nothing seems to stick.
We were reading some stuff on WebMD, but it feels like everyone there just pushes that same old honey and cinnamon trick like it's some magic cure-all for dropping pounds. So, I’ve been playing barista for her, making her two cups a day—one in the morning and one at night—for over twenty days now, but we aren't seeing even a hint of movement on the scale.
If anything, the numbers are actually creeping up instead of going down.
Does anyone out there have some actual, sensible advice on where we might be missing the mark so we aren't just wasting our time?

Thanks

Once you've gone through the proper clinical and lab work—specifically looking closely at thyroid hormones and reproductive hormones—you absolutely have to address and fix any irregularities that show up (assuming there actually are any).

But when it comes down to managing body mass, the gold standard is pretty straightforward:

1. Some basic elementary school math—if someone wants to shed weight, they have to consume less energy than they burn. Basically, you need a caloric deficit (you can find all sorts of charts online showing calorie counts for food versus how many calories different activities burn).
2. Picking the right foods.
3. Exercise (ideally under the guidance of someone who actually knows what they're doing)—the human body is an incredibly sophisticated system built for movement; our limbs are significantly larger than our torso for a very good reason—so we can actually perform work (and thereby burn off those calories).
4. Persistence (and a bit of stubbornness—basically a mental battle of "Who's going to win: this donut, or ME?!" 🙂 )
5. Grit.
6. Pure determination.

You should expect to see real results in about six weeks, so there's really no point in getting discouraged too early.😉

That should be enough to get started.

jadebadger54 said:Hi there!
I deal with allergic bronchial Asthma—it was a struggle during my younger years, and now it flares up occasionally, mostly during ragweed season and when that autumn fog rolls in. My nose runs, and my chest feels tight, making breathing feel heavy (not quite full-blown choking, just labored breathing).

In the past, using two doses of a Ventolin inhaler helped quite a bit, but lately, it feels like it’s barely doing anything. The folks at the pharmacy suggested I talk to a doctor about getting a prescription for corticosteroids, but I don't feel like I really need them since my symptoms aren't life-threatening—I'm not sure why they're being so insistent.

Does anyone know of an over-the-counter alternative similar to Ventolin that I could try? I recall hearing that clenbuterol was used before albuterol became the standard ingredient in things like Ventolin.
I would truly appreciate any advice or shared experiences. Thanks so much.

If you're looking for quick, on-the-spot relief for asthma, there isn't really anything on the market here that can compete with Ventolin.

Inhaled corticosteroids are pretty much the gold standard; they work great, and because the systemic absorption is so minimal, the side effects are basically negligible—provided you're using them the right way.
Based on what you described, it sounds like you're dealing with "stable" asthma (seasonal triggers, known allergens), so it actually makes total sense to use an inhaled corticosteroid for a couple of months each year.👍

rapidfox19 said:Hey everyone!! So, after dealing with hearing loss getting worse for about two years and this recent ringing in my ears starting up, I finally got my diagnosis yesterday—H90, conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Basically, it’s otosclerosis.
They're recommending surgery on my left ear—a stapedotomy. I actually went in to see Dr. Srećka Branica for an exam, and he mentioned he performs those kinds of procedures.
I was wondering if anyone here knows much about him? Or if anyone could recommend a top-tier surgeon specifically for a stapedotomy?
Honestly, I don't know anything about the whole process, and it's all still hitting me pretty hard—the fact that I'm losing my hearing and need surgery is kind of a shock, but it is what it is. I'm just trying to figure out who actually does these operations and who the absolute best is!
Thanks!

You should definitely head over to the Mayo Clinic ENT Clinic to get a second opinion.

Richard Bishop78 said:Hey guys, quick question about mixing these two meds.
I've had this nasty sore throat since yesterday, so my doctor put me on Azithromycin... just one pill a day for three days. I took the first dose today.
The thing is, I couldn't catch a wink of sleep last night, and with this throat pain, I'm worried tonight's gonna be just as rough. Is it okay if I take some Xanax?

For the throat pain itself, you should be fine taking an over-the-counter painkiller—something like Tylenol or maybe Advil—as long as you don't have any specific reasons to avoid them.

Now, a little bit of Xanax (between 2-5mg) might help you drift off, but honestly, if the physical pain is what's actually keeping you awake, you're better off just tackling the pain with an analgesic first. Save the Xanax for when you're dealing with actual anxiety or something else keeping you up. 😉

Ashley Booth12 said:Hey everyone. So, my back just completely seized up on me, and I ended up heading to the doctor to get some kind of pain injection or pills—basically anything to make this throbbing stop. I’ve been dealing with these nagging morning back pains for about a year now, but I always figured I could just power through it. I tried swapping out my pillow, getting a new mattress, the whole nine yards... but nothing worked. This time, though, it’s different. It’s like my body just locked up. The entire right side of my lower back, my hip, and my whole right leg is aching and stiffening up; it’s a constant, burning sensation that’s honestly driving me a little crazy. My doctor ordered some blood work, and I just got the results back:
http://postimg.org/image/iba8ek0c3/
So, I finally got my hands on those antibiotics, and now I’m just playing the waiting game until my follow-up appointment in ten days.
So, if anyone’s actually got the patience to dig through these results, they'll see it clearly points to some kind of inflammation going on in the body, but...
So, my doctor wasn't exactly willing to give me a definitive "yes" on whether this is an inflammatory issue, mostly because she kept pivoting back to whether I’ve been dealing with some kind of back pain lately. She even asked if I was coming down with a cold, which, honestly, I am not. Then she started digging into whether there's something else going on entirely. I've been struggling with this hair loss since the spring, and at first, I just brushed it off as that typical seasonal shedding everyone talks about. But this isn't just a few stray hairs—it’s been happening non-stop since the spring, and it's getting pretty intense; I'm talking actual clumps falling out. When I first went in to get it checked out, the medical advice was basically just "take some vitamins" and "try these specialized shampoos," but let's be real, nothing has actually worked. It’s just been one long, frustrating cycle.
So, about two months ago, I had this whole mess with a granuloma on one of my molars. It was basically an old infection from some root canals I had done maybe six or seven years back that had been sitting there, totally sealed off, until it started spreading behind the tooth. The smell was just absolutely revolting, and eventually, a fistula popped up on my palate, so they had to go ahead and pull the tooth. I’ve been wondering, though—could something like that still be causing systemic inflammation in my body? Honestly, my overall health right now is just a total disaster. Between the constant pain I'm dealing with in my back and legs, I can barely even get out of bed in the morning. On top of that, I'm feeling this overwhelming exhaustion and just a general sense of weakness throughout my entire body. I'm 30, and I just feel completely wiped out.

Ashley Booth12 said:So, I finally got my hands on some Doxycycline—taking one every twelve hours now.
The pain in my back and leg just won't quit. Honestly, even the meds aren't touching it, and they actually prescribed me some Naproxen today. I ended up heading over to the ER because I was feeling genuinely terrible—just constant dizziness, a killer headache, and this total sense of physical exhaustion, though I didn't have a fever or anything.
I just got seen by a nurse at the ER and they sent me straight home. She basically told me to just stick with the antibiotics and that if I’m feeling dizzy, getting headaches, or just feeling totally wiped out, it's all perfectly normal side effects. 🤔
So, just a heads-up for anyone looking out for me—I’ve actually got a penicillin allergy, and it hits me pretty hard with a nasty rash.
Aside from getting my blood work done, I haven't really gone out and had any other tests run yet.

I’m right there with Nicholas Myers on this one.
Honestly, those symptoms you're dealing with could totally be coming from that inflammation around your teeth—it sounds like there might be an untreated infection lurking in there, based on what you described.

I haven't had a chance to look over those lab results yet.
So, I was looking over some recent lab results, specifically that C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and it got me thinking about how much these little markers can actually tell us when things aren't quite right. It’s one of those things where you see the number jump, and suddenly you're spiraling a bit, wondering if there's some underlying inflammation running rampant through your system. It's kind of like seeing a check engine light flicker on your dashboard while you're cruising down the I-95; it doesn't necessarily mean the whole engine is blown, but it definitely tells you to pull over and take a closer look at what's going on under the hood.
Maybe grab an X-ray of the lumbar spine—though if things look sketchy, you might want to push for a CT or even an MRI just to be safe.
So, I went ahead and got an X-ray of the area where that inflammation was acting up, just to see what we were actually dealing with.

It’s actually totally doable, and honestly, it's exactly what my buddy Nicholas Myers was hinting at when he brought up discitis. We’re talking about a situation that really demands some serious teamwork between different specialists—you'd probably need an oral surgeon, a radiologist, a neurologist, a neurosurgeon, and even an infectious disease specialist all sitting down at the same table to figure it out.

Nah, I think it’s totally possible—actually, it’s probably more likely—that we're looking at two completely separate entities here.

If you're dealing with an untreated infection around your teeth, Clindamycin is usually the go-to antibiotic that doctors reach for first.
It looks like there’s been a sudden, independent flare-up with those lower back issues I’ve been dealing with lately.

Honestly, looking at everything you’ve described, I wouldn't suggest jumping straight to an NSAID (like Voltaren, Naproxen, Advil, ibuprofen, Ketorolac, or Lupocet) right out of the gate. My thinking is that those meds might actually mask a fever, and you really want to see if your temperature spikes so you can confirm if there's an inflammatory process going on—which, let's be real, usually points toward a bacterial infection.

There are definitely other possibilities that could explain what you're feeling, but they aren't quite as common as the usual suspects.

Noah Kern73 said:Man, Ciprofloxacin 500 mg absolutely wrecked my ankle. Just two hours after that first pill, I felt this sharp, stabbing pain in my Achilles tendon that just wouldn't quit. After the second dose, I spent a whole sleepless night dealing with intense pressure in the joint and a dull ache by morning. I popped my next pill, headed into work, and honestly, I was just spending the entire shift wondering when the hell my foot would stop throbbing so hard. That night, I took another dose, but after maybe an hour or two of sleep, the pain jolted me wide awake, and it was just like that until dawn. The next morning, I had my coffee and took my pill, but the ankle was swollen and aching, so I started suspecting it might be a side effect. I checked the fine print in the pamphlet, and sure enough, it says this can happen at a rate of 1 in 10,000 and you should stop treatment immediately. So, I called my doctor for advice, and they actually told me to just keep taking the antibiotic, provided I kept my leg elevated and rested. Well, I took the pill that evening, totally exhausted from being up all night, and fell into a deep sleep—but I woke up even faster because of the pain. It felt like someone was crushing my ankle with a hydraulic press; everything felt like it was snapping. The swelling around the joint looked terrifyingly bad. Since it was the weekend, I couldn't get a hold of my doctor, and I didn't really feel like sitting in an ER waiting room, so I just stopped taking the meds entirely. I just suffered through Saturday and Sunday. I tried every massage technique in the book, even used a massager on the swelling, which helped ease the pain enough that by Monday, I could move around all day. It twinged occasionally, but nothing crazy—except the swelling stayed pretty much constant. Sadly, I didn't finish the course; I have three pills left that I just didn't have the guts to take, and part of me thinks they might have calmed the inflammation if I’d stuck it out. If anyone else runs into this side effect, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

It isn't actually that rare in practice (assuming you're looking at a large enough sample size, obviously), especially if there was already some underlying tendon injury present—which happens more often with pro athletes, weekend warriors, or people on long-term stuff like corticosteroids.