Posts by Angela Wright

Look, I started this venting thread in the psychology section a while ago.
Come on, show some empathy for the people who just received their diagnosis and are literally at day one of this fight.
Your depressing stories aren't doing anything to lift them up—not to mention those who are already facing terminal diagnoses.

Kate Collins67 said:Look, I knew about shifts. What I didn't know was how they actually *function*—but then again, most of you don't know that either. I had no idea I'd be stuck doing eight shifts a month. And I certainly didn't expect to be running a general practice after 3 PM instead of handling emergency cases like my job description actually claims.

Besides, what did I really know back when I was eighteen? Not much, that's for sure...

I get it. But as adults, as responsible professionals, we all have to be prepared to make those massive, difficult life pivots if we realize we're heading down a path that's doing more harm than good—to ourselves and everyone else involved.
At the end of the day, it's a matter of personal choice, conscience, and taking ownership of your own life.
That’s exactly why we take our students everywhere from day one. We pull back the curtain on the reality of the job immediately. We make sure they're out there talking to patients every single day, visiting schools, and teaching kids about prevention and the kind of personal responsibility you have to take for your own health.

Kate Collins67 said:If the system doesn't fail me—and if it actually follows its usual, predictable patterns—this is how I see it playing out.
The hospice will finally open because the European Union is basically forcing our hand. They’ll move patients in, pay a specific group of nurses to work there, and then comes the truly creative part: some doctor will be "assigned" to cover it. Whether they're a GP or working at a major Medical Center, they'll get paid to oversee the hospice without actually being officially stationed there—except in extreme cases, obviously.

By doing it this way, you effectively camouflage several issues all at once: terminal elderly patients have a place to pass away, families are relieved because their loved ones are tucked away somewhere, and doctors stay happy because they don't have to deal with unsolvable problems in their clinics. It's a perfect little loop.
In reality? Patients will likely die with minimal care, far from the sight of their families, under what amounts to quasi-neglect.

So, there’s my optimistic take on the situation. But look, the important thing is just getting the wheels turning; eventually, things will settle into their natural, messy state.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm assuming too.
That's probably why they picked Split; there aren't any active patient associations there to cause trouble.
We'll just have to wait and see which way the wind blows before we decide our next move.

Kate Collins67 said:The "crunch time" always seems to hit right when the workload becomes physically impossible—you know, when there's more on your plate than one single human being can handle without inevitably screwing something up.

Why don't we just pass a law mandating that every patient gets a full 20 to 30 minutes of undivided attention from the moment they walk through the door? Then we’ll see how "great" the communication becomes. Let's do the math: 30 minutes per person means 16 patients in an 8-hour shift. Sounds like a dream job, right? I just haven't figured out what to tell the other 30 or 40 people piling up outside the door—should I tell them to come back tomorrow, next year, or maybe in ten years once someone finally clears a spot at this glacial pace?
I am giving you the cold, hard, objective reasons why these messy situations happen. Don't get mad at me and act like this is some scenario I’m actually rooting for.

Let’s look at the numbers. Take a guaranteed half-hour lunch break—that leaves us with 15 patients. Factor in a 30-minute morning rounds and a 30-minute afternoon rounds—now we're down to 13. Add in at least one new emergency admission per day that requires about half an hour of immediate care... suddenly, we're looking at 12 patients. Honestly, twelve is a massive number under these conditions.

I’m well aware of all that. But who exactly designed these working conditions for you?
So don't sit there acting like you just landed from Mars, telling me how this reform is going to fix everything, especially once the bureaucratic nightmare of the European Union takes over. 🙏
And don't go thinking that things are any easier for me or anyone else in the private sector.

Kate Collins67 said:Sure, you need to draw a line, but let’s be real—after being awake for 24 hours straight, I’m basically floating through space and those lines start to get pretty blurry.

I'm under the gun 24 hours a day, and I'm expected to be available, polite, and perfectly composed every single second. So, what now?
Please, spare me the lecture about how you should have known being a doctor meant working shifts when you picked your major. It’s literally in the job description, for crying out loud. Why did you choose it? Was it because you love the work, or were you just trying to see how much punishment your body could take?
Look, if you can't hack it, stop torturing yourself and everyone else. Go find something else to do.

Kate Collins67 said:Look, Milinović’s hands are tied here—there's just no way around it. He can't exactly go in there and crack down on the doctors at the Medical Center because, let's be honest, if he tried to hold them accountable, those administrators would just move heaven and earth to protect their own jobs. It's all about job security for the higher-ups. And as we get closer to integrating more deeply with the European Union, this whole issue is going to become completely irrelevant. The suppression of actual accountability is going to trigger a massive brain drain, just like we've seen happening in so many other countries. So, when everyone walks out the door, who's left to take care of you? You're the ones who made this choice.🙂

Here’s the deal—I managed to get my hands on a link to this news via a phone tip right after the meeting wrapped up. It sounds like they’ve already reached an agreement on the funding cuts, though I haven't quite figured out which level of government they dropped the hammer on—was it the federal level, the state, or just local city officials? Honestly, it’s all a bit murky. Either way, nothing has been officially posted online yet, so consider this the inside track before the formal announcement hits the wires.

Look, you’re living in a country where Medicare basically treats doctors like indentured servants. They micromanage every single move, and if a physician actually decides to prescribe medication based on their own medical expertise and conscience rather than some top-down directive from the bureaucrats, they get slapped with pay cuts. And don't even get me started on the administration—most of these people running the show haven't spent a single day working actual clinical practice. It's a joke. But hey, sure, keep telling yourself everything is fine.🙂
And here’s my take on the European Union...😁No comment.😁

The link leads to a tip I got over the phone right after the meeting. From what I gathered, they’ve agreed to move forward—unless the government, the county, or the local city council decides to throw a wrench in the works. Honestly, I haven't quite figured out which level of bureaucracy they decided to slash the funding at yet. It doesn't look like anything has been officially released to the public.

I’m honestly dying to know what the deal is here. Dr. Braš has launched this whole "stay with me" campaign, but let’s be real—they’ve been dragging their feet on building this hospice for decades. Sure, putting up a building is the easy part, but who on earth is actually going to staff it? If I recall correctly, Braš is planning to send the initial crew over to Canada for training.

Kate Collins67 said:I’m not making any claims, I’m just stating exactly what I see happening.
Look, you can have the exact same doctor—one day they’re perfectly kind, totally normal, and patients absolutely love them—and then the next day, they just wake up on the wrong side of the bed, snap at a couple of patients, and suddenly—boom—their reputation is ruined. But let's be real here, look in the mirror for a second: have you ever, even once, acted unprofessionally while you were on the clock?

That was written way too broadly. Sure, anyone can have a momentary lapse in judgment, but when that momentary lapse starts crashing headlong into professional ethics... sorry, there are no excuses. There has to be a line, and you need to get your head straight regarding where it sits. Of course, people are unpredictable, and everyone’s going to interpret things through their own warped lens, but my example about the hallway? That was crystal clear.

Kate Collins67 said:Personally, I’m actually looking forward to the reform. Change is usually a good thing because it shakes up those untouchable positions for a bit—making the system more flexible before someone else comes along to cement their power again.

Honestly? If I had been some clairvoyant version of Milan and knew what was coming my way, I wouldn't be in this profession. But hey, like I said, I am where I am—you can't exactly crawl out of your own skin, can you?

You can talk all you want, but even a complete loser finds themselves useful when they're the only ones who can save someone's neck (philosophy versus reality, huh...)?

I'm not "clinging" to arguments; I'm just stating the facts, whether they're easy to swallow or not. I see things for what they are. And how would you know that other doctors don't do these things? I can tell you from firsthand experience: it happens way more often than people care to admit.

So you're actually claiming that most people are like that?! Well, isn't that just wonderful!😍

In that case, I’m actually looking forward to Milinović's reform with genuine excitement. Honestly, I can only hope it crushes you even harder than you already feel oppressed.👍

I can't stand incompetent doctors. I dealt with exactly that kind of garbage when my mom was battling glioblastoma. We didn't stick around with that hack; we jumped ship to a specialist who might not have had his flashy credentials, but she actually gave a damn. She did everything humanly possible for my mother—more than that first jerk ever would have—simply because she actually cared about her patient. That was easily the smartest move we ever made. Given the diagnosis, survival was pegged at three years and four months, and I owe that entire outcome to an oncology team that was actually prepared to handle palliative care. Because of her, my mom passed away peacefully without any physical suffering. If we had stayed with that first doctor, he would have just let her die like a dog within six months.
That’s exactly the difference between some arrogant "expert" who thinks they're God's gift to medicine and a doctor who actually gives a damn about doing their job.😳

Kate Collins67 said:Alright, here’s a bit of good news for everyone—maybe we can finally put our weapons down for a second and just breathe.

If my info is right, the very first official hospice in Split is actually about to open its doors.

Can you drop the link to that news story?

Edward Vaughn10 said:I honestly doubt they’ll ever find a cure for this monster. At the end of the day, your own cells just go rogue and start multiplying with a 'glitch.' Anyone can get hit by it, though it feels like there are way too many cases here in the States—if I recall correctly, Mickey mentioned that too.

The sad truth is, we’re leading the pack when it comes to preventable tumors. We could slash those numbers by 25% if people actually quit smoking, showed up for routine screenings, and took prevention seriously. Plus, you’ve got a massive population dealing with terrible diets and zero exercise. Throw in environmental pollution and junk food, and you have a recipe for disaster. It all hits the immune system, which eventually fails at its one job: spotting and killing off rogue malignant cells. Every single one of us carries malignant cells in our bodies at any given moment; it’s the immune system that keeps them in check.
Then there’s the healthcare system, which is fundamentally broken—especially regarding rare tumors. Patients often can't access the best possible treatments simply because it isn't "cost-effective" for the insurance companies.
Ultimately, a huge chunk of the responsibility lies with us.

p.s. Check out David Servan Schreiber's book "against cancer." It'll make everything much clearer. Stop listening to Mickey and his anecdotes.

Sandra Martin36 said:I stumbled upon this thread four months ago when I was desperately hunting for answers about cancer—a disease that was a complete mystery to me until then. Back then, my father was diagnosed with stomach cancer that had already spread to his liver. We were absolutely blindsided by the news. It was especially brutal because surgery wasn't even an option, and the doctors couldn't give us any real sense of how much time he actually had left. What followed was just a relentless cycle: fear, uncertainty, rage, despair, frantic learning, and pure grief...
Scrolling through this thread, I kept finding posts from people going through the exact same hell we were. Some posts felt like they were ripped straight from my own head. During that time, reading them meant everything to us because we truly felt like we were alone in the entire world. We were living through a nightmare. I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who has shared their story here.

My dad passed away two weeks ago.
And honestly, I haven't been able to write this or even say it out loud until now. Now, after that grueling battle, watching him slowly fade away and face death itself, I feel completely lost.
I can't wrap my head around why he had to suffer so much, or why he wasn't given a fighting chance—no surgery, no chemo, just the endless cycle of good and bad days. I don't know how much more time needs to pass before I can think of him as the man he was before all this started. All I see is the horror of those moments when a new symptom appeared, seeing him in pain, or lying awake at night wondering what was crossing his mind while he sat there alone. I remember looking into his eyes and seeing such intense fear, mixed with this desperate hope... hoping I’d tell him things would get better or that it would all pass. But we knew it wouldn't, and I felt powerless to help him. Now that he's gone, I can't understand why a man who was always so good had to endure all of this. And that haunting image of him looking like a stranger, struggling for every last breath, won't leave my mind. Dealing with these thoughts alone is terrifying.

Honey, cancer has been part of the human experience since the beginning, and it isn't going anywhere. It doesn't pick sides based on merit. It’s just a biological reality woven into our very makeup. This is simply how our bodies are built. Don't beat yourself up asking "why" when there isn't a single answer in existence that will satisfy you or take away the weight of what happened.
The only thing I can offer is what I’ve done to cope.
I try to help others who find themselves in this same position. If I can lessen even a tiny bit of someone else's suffering through advice, action, or just being there to listen, then I feel fulfilled. It gives a sense of purpose to everything my mom, my family, and I have been through.

Jacob Fox6 said:Finally, someone is actually speaking some sense here... We keep talking about fixing the healthcare system when we totally ignore the fact that our government is basically teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, which means we could be facing real shortages soon... if we don't fix the national economy first, any attempt at healthcare reform is just going to result in absolutely nothing, or honestly, making everything even worse...

Look, I have to disagree. There are countless systemic failures that could be fixed right now regardless of the budget. To me, this sounds like a convenient excuse for inertia—a way for people in power to justify doing absolutely nothing while they coast along.

Did you know that when someone receives a drug donation from abroad under a "compassionate use" program, they still get hit with sales tax and customs duties? We're talking about medications that aren't even registered in the US, usually life-saving treatments for rare diseases with astronomical price tags. Does that sound remotely sane to you?

People are the ones who drive change.

ruggedscout91 said:What exactly do you think the role of a primary care physician entails? Is it merely a gatekeeper to specialists, or something more substantive?
The referral clearly stated what was required: a specialist should provide their expert opinion following the examination. It didn't ask for a sales pitch. Why does a doctor feel the need to perform a full presentation for the patient and their relatives, using simplified language just to make them feel comfortable? He doesn't have the time to stand there and lecture them. Isn't that the job of the primary care physician who wrote the referral in the first place?
That aside, there are doctors out there who genuinely want to go the extra mile—if they can actually find the time.
A general practitioner is still a doctor. Period. Their job is to understand medical procedures and interpret exactly what a specialist has written in their report. They aren't expected to diagnose rare diseases or perform high-level specialized testing themselves. But they absolutely must be able to present those test results and specialist findings clearly. Is that really too much to ask?
I was standing by in the pulmonology department when a specialist tried to comfort a patient who had completely misinterpreted the term "cardiac shadow." The man took it as some kind of pathological diagnosis rather than a standard medical observation. It was a lost cause; he was convinced the doctor was just lying to his face. While they wasted time on that misunderstanding, the specialist could have been reviewing five other scans from different patients. What a waste of resources.
Now someone will inevitably try to tell me that this matters more than those five scans. As if. It only matters to people sitting there staring at a TV screen or a computer monitor.

Furthermore, looking at all the posts above, there is only one set of actual suggestions:
Establishing better communication between doctors and patients. Is that even possible anymore?

Apparently, certain posts managed to ruffle some feathers.
Once again, the blame is being shifted onto those who actually provide healthcare rather than the people responsible for organizing it. We see it constantly. Instead of addressing systemic failures, the focus shifts to their communication style. Is that really where the problem lies?
If this is what passes for our healthcare system, then we’ll be boasting the best medical services in the world in no time. Is that really how this works?
All those heavy-handed threats and insults hurled at people who could have easily just sat back, read a book, and enjoyed the perks of their profession? It’s always the same. They continue to aim their vitriol in the wrong direction. Why is that?
If it weren't for Ms. Rusidovic barely managing to snag a few spots on local news, I wouldn't have the slightest clue what that patient association even does. Credit where credit is due, I suppose. But honestly, regarding that organization, I could have passed away without ever knowing they existed—if it hadn't been for one specific doctor who acted fast despite the "conditions" at the Medical Center during my surgery.
I still can't figure out who's actually in charge of issuing referrals for breast ultrasounds these days. Is anyone else just as lost as I am?
Once again, I am paying out of pocket for a private ultrasound of the fetal pelvis and other tests. Great.
While private gynecologists seem to be taking over almost every clinic in cities both large and small,
getting an appointment through public healthcare feels like you have to be on your deathbed just to get seen.
Does the patient association even bother monitoring pregnancy and women's health forums to see what people are actually worried about? Why do the same unresolved issues keep resurfacing constantly?

And here we are, where everyone concludes that poor communication is the root of all evil. Perhaps it is. I won't rule it out.

Oh, believe me, they’re watching. They are absolutely watching.
Everything is interconnected. We’re all cogs in the same machine, part of one massive system, which means we have to act in unison. If we want to actually get anything done, we need to pull in the same direction and truly have each other's backs.
The real problem arises when someone refuses to pull their weight, spends all their time whining, and manages to sabotage the very people who are actually putting in the work.

Which patient association are you talking about?
As far as we’re concerned, we maintain a significant media presence—though honestly, we end up in the news way too often just because of the Secretary, even though we had to fight tooth and nail just to secure a few basic contacts and a seat at the table. Our website also pulls in massive traffic. Bottom line? If anyone reaches out to us asking for help, they get it. Period.

Rose, please accept my deepest condolences😢. I truly hope that, from here on out, you finally find some peace and much happier days ahead.

Kate Collins67 said:You aren't going to achieve a single thing with that attitude; I went through all the psych testing myself and look where I am...

It is simply impossible to explain the nuances of what a poet is trying to convey to someone who isn't actually deep inside the system. Look, nobody is asking you to agree with my perspective—I’m just reporting exactly what I see and how things are actually being handled on the ground.

Let me give you a real-world example from my own practice: A patient was referred from a local community hospital to the Mayo Clinic hematology clinic because they needed urgent intervention due to a platelet count of 3 and obvious subcutaneous bleeding. This patient wasn't responding to the standard therapy available at the general hospital.
And according to you people, I’m some kind of monster just because I sent this individual to the Mayo Clinic—only to have them sent right back with some idiotic excuse? It’s either because the doctor who saw them was too overwhelmed to care, or they are one of those pseudo-moralists who loves to lecture everyone about the Hippocratic Oath while doing nothing...
Two days later, that same patient was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic and the procedure was successfully completed.

If you can't see why these systemic failures happen, then there is absolutely nothing I can do to help you understand.

🙄

Oh, I will achieve something, especially now, just out of pure spite for you and everyone else who refuses to budge.😳
Actually, we are very close to making communication studies a mandatory colloquium alongside subjects like ethics—and you won't get far in medical school without passing it.

How could I not be involved in the system? I am a patient; I am part of that system. The thing is, I'm looking at the situation from a different angle, but I've also taken it upon myself to study things from a professional perspective. That's usually what doctors do once they become patients themselves.
And you know what? I realize you guys are totally checked out, that you're miserable, and that the burden of that falls squarely on the patient's shoulders.
But that doesn't justify a lack of humanity—the inability to explain to a person what the problem is, who failed them, and what needs to happen next. And no, I don't think you're an animal for how you handled that hematology patient. What strikes me is your utter incompetence in communicating with the person. Why didn't you report that incompetent colleague? There is Medicare to oversee those kinds of failures.

Let me give you an example of a total communication breakdown experienced by the parents of a child with a malignant illness. They told me about it in the nursery. For three months, these parents couldn't get a straight answer regarding their child's diagnosis. They couldn't catch the doctor, couldn't talk to her, and couldn't schedule consultations during her working hours or whenever she felt like it. One day, they were practically pleading in the hospital hallway when she came by, and she snapped at them: "Why are you cornering me in the hallway? I don't have time to deal with this with you; I'm busy treating children who actually *can* be cured!"
In your eyes, is that a normal reaction from a pediatric oncologist? Is that how you're supposed to tell parents, after three months of zero communication, that their child is dying and there's no hope?
By Sharia law, that deserves stoning.😳
A dysfunctional system is no excuse for such disgusting behavior. Sorry, but if you don't have the temperament for this, lady, go grow tomatoes in the backyard and work on your nerves. Everyone knows how grueling a doctor's life is and how much it demands of you.

Importing drugs that haven't been approved by the FDA isn't allowed here.
It’s technically possible to smuggle them in, but if you get caught, you're looking at serious trouble.
The only legal way to get an unregistered medication from abroad is if you have a valid prescription from a doctor. In that case, it falls under compassionate use import—you'll have to cover the sales tax and customs duties, and you might be waiting up to three months for it to clear.

I am making a formal pledge right here and now: I will do absolutely everything in my power to ensure that psychological evaluations are integrated into the medical school admissions process. Furthermore, I will fight to make Communication Studies a mandatory core subject—one where passing is an absolute prerequisite for obtaining a medical license.
May God help me, and may He watch over all future medical students.😳

Edward Vaughn10 said:They told my mom the exact same thing—that the worst is coming soon. Maybe they just don't want patients dying on their watch, so they shuffle them off somewhere else...

Medicine basically breaks down into three lanes: preventive care, which focuses on stopping illness before it starts; curative medicine, which actually treats diseases within hospital settings; and palliative care, which provides dignity and support to those facing terminal illnesses. Palliative care is specifically delivered through facilities known as hospices. The US is actually one of the few developed nations where this isn't consistently accessible everywhere, and frankly, it’s a massive stain on the conscience of our society. We all share the responsibility for this huge humanitarian oversight.

Hospitals aren't meant to be the primary site for palliative care. The staff there isn't specifically trained for end-of-life comfort, and it’s fundamentally wrong to keep someone in a hospital bed when curative treatment is no longer an option—especially when that bed could be used for a patient who actually stands a chance at recovery but can't get in due to chronic overcrowding.

An initiative called "stay by me" has been launched. Its goal is to raise funds through various campaigns to build and equip the first dedicated hospice facility here, while also funding the specialized training for the teams that will work there.
Because we belong to the segment of the population that has looked this tragedy in the face and understands exactly why this matters, we have to be the ones leading the charge and motivating others to help fulfill this vital mission.

I’ve included a link regarding this campaign. What truly saddens me is seeing that only one person on this forum has commented, and even then, the comment wasn't even relevant to what I wrote.

It’s tragic how there is often no sense of collective responsibility here. When we endure something horrific, we don't feel the need to ensure no one else has to suffer through it later. Usually, once a catastrophe hits, everyone asks why nothing was done beforehand. But once the problem stops being "our" problem, people just move on. You often hear the sentiment: "Nobody stepped up to make things easier for me, so why should I care about anyone else now?"
Unfortunately, with that kind of inertia, nobody is ever going to live well in this country.

Everyone bears responsibility, regardless of the specific pain or suffering you are currently navigating!

p.s. Edward Vaughn10, don't take this personally—this post isn't aimed at you, it's directed at the entire community.

Hormonal imbalances don't just happen in a vacuum; they can be triggered by a wide range of conditions, some totally harmless and others potentially life-threatening. We're talking about issues stemming from the testes, the pituitary gland, or pretty much any other endocrine organ in the body.
Similarly, nipple discharge can be a red flag for breast cancer—and let’s be clear, men aren't immune to that either.
Whether you're a man or a woman, any kind of discharge from the breast, regardless of whether it's a tiny amount or a significant flow, is a sign that something is off. It simply isn't normal.
That is why you shouldn't play guessing games with your health. You need to get in front of a doctor who can actually run the diagnostics, figure out what's really going on, and decide if there needs to be an intervention or not.

Melissa Reyes76 said:So, I'm 15, and one of my nipples is acting up—it’s a bit swollen, and there’s this little lump behind it. I actually had something similar on my right side before, but it just went away—now it’s happened on the left, and it’s been sticking around for a while. To make matters worse, I realized today that if I press on it a little too hard, some clear fluid actually leaks out.😲Honestly, I’m pretty freaked out. When it was happening on the right side, I didn't think to squeeze it, so I have no idea if that would have happened back then—though, given how similar everything feels, it probably would have. I read somewhere that swelling under the nipple can be a thing during puberty, but I haven't heard anything about the discharge part.
If anyone knows anything about this, please let me know—should I be worried!?

You definitely need to see a doctor. Discharge isn't something you should ignore; it could be a sign of a hormonal imbalance or something similar.
Go get checked out ASAP!

Susan Hayes25 said:Dear Angela Wright,

I just went back and read your very first post because I’ve been looking for something almost identical... then I scrolled through some of the more recent ones... honestly, I didn't have the strength to keep quoting everything in between.
Basically, I completely agree with the idea that we need support systems for families dealing with a loved one's illness, and looking at your posts, it seems like that kind of thing already exists here in America. Do you happen to know if there's anything similar available in Boston? I've never heard of anything like it, and right now, I'm in a position where I desperately need help. My mom just had surgery and we're currently going through therapies; I'm by her side constantly doing everything I can, trying to stay positive, and she's doing (relatively) well—though lately, I don't even know what "doing well" is supposed to mean anymore. It feels like I'm sinking, just drowning deeper and deeper. Even on better days, like today, I feel like things are steadily getting worse. I'm not working right now; I'm on medical leave, and I have absolutely no clue how I'm ever going to go back to work or if I'll even be able to. I'm just lost on what's going to happen to me. If you know of any organization or counseling service that handles this sort of thing here, please let me know.
Thanks so much! Best regards.

Unfortunately, I don't have any info.😢
Try Googling it; I'm sure there's some association out there that deals with this.

amberbear94 said:I had a urine culture done before starting any antibiotics... mostly because I noticed I was hitting the bathroom way too often and felt like something was off. My primary care physician gave me a referral for the culture after I brought it up. Is there any chance I could be pregnant and getting false negatives on home tests? I don't have any other symptoms besides my period being late.

Look, anything is possible, though being pregnant while dealing with a bladder infection is definitely not the best hand to be dealt.
Just go see an OB-GYN to clear up the pregnancy question and get that infection sorted out.

It’s pretty obvious you didn't collect a clean sample for that urine culture. There is no way it came back completely clear if two standard urinalysis tests already flagged something. If you ran this test shortly after taking a dose of antibiotics, then a negative result isn't surprising at all.

Go get another urine culture done, but make sure you do it before starting any more treatment.
I’d suggest looking into Cystex. Definitely run it by your doctor first, though.
It sounds like you're dealing with a bladder infection, and since the reproductive system is right there, it's likely spread. Getting some gynecological swabs would probably give you more answers. Go see your OB-GYN for that, and grab a Pap smear while you're at it—it's definitely time. Plus, your OB-GYN can write you a referral for the culture. In my experience, an OB-GYN is much better at handling bladder issues than my regular primary care doctor.

You can take Advil to dull the pain, but that's just a band-aid; it won't actually fix the problem.