Betty Hayes10 said:You realize you shouldn't be taking antibiotics at the exact same time as this stuff, right?
Where are you getting that from?
The standard advice is to take probiotics during and after a round of antibiotics. Personally, I always take them while I'm on antibiotics; otherwise, my stomach and gut get wrecked and it takes me about three weeks to recover. If I take probiotics alongside the antibiotics, I either have zero issues or they only last a couple of days.
I have no idea what you guys are even arguing about here.
Yeah, garlic stinks. It probably just depends on how much someone sweats, since they say it comes through your pores. If you sweat more, it’s only logical that the garlic smell is going to be stronger. I've heard that if you take it in powder capsules, you don't really notice it coming through your skin as much. 😁
Betty Hayes10 said:Look, I see you're a mod, so I won't push my luck too hard. But honestly, he needs to answer. How else is anyone supposed to give him anything more useful than those cliché "boost your immune system" tips everyone throws around? He doesn't *have* to reply, obviously, but I figure I’m allowed to insist—at least until someone bans me for asking the same thing twice. It’s weird how this question keeps getting ignored. It’s straightforward and harmless, and based on everything he's shared, his situation is pretty specific. Unless there’s some major underlying illness that only he and his doctor know about, then this whole thread and the question itself become pointless. You get what I mean?
We don't just hand out freebies like that over on HealthLine. 😁 Look, you can insist all you want, but nobody here owes anyone an explanation. 🤷
What does that even have to do with anything? Even in the most backwater, middle-of-nowhere towns—and trust me, I come from one—you still have access to two or three general practitioners. Plus, you can actually switch doctors if you want. It’s not like we’re living in Russia where your physician shows up at your house four times a year on a train.
So you’ve got maybe two or three options left. One is a total hack, and the other two are absolutely slammed because everyone is fleeing the bad one. What are you supposed to do then?
Look, here’s the situation in my city. I don't live in some tiny rural backwater; we're one of the top four largest cities in the US, so we should have plenty of options. We have about ten gynecologists around here. Out of those, maybe two or three are actually praised as specialists—though even they’ve gotten all high and mighty lately, being picky about referrals and acting like they're doing you a favor. As for the rest? You just pick whoever is standing there. Of those ten, only two or three are even accepting new patients. Everyone else is so overbooked that you couldn't squeeze an appointment in if you tried. Personally, I'm not exactly thrilled with my own doctor. My experiences haven't been the best; I’ve actually had to play games and lie just to get basic testing that should be standard procedure. And it's not just me. I see it happening to my friends all the time—doctors who just breeze past important stuff without a second thought. They'll skimp on swabs or refuse to even use a light, even when you tell them you have cats at home and aren't sure if you've cleared toxoplasmosis. It's ridiculous.
Who am I supposed to switch to? The other options around here aren't any better than him, and honestly, what are we looking at? Maybe two or three doctors total. That's it.
That’s exactly my point. It’s one thing to talk big on the internet, but it’s a completely different story in the real world. Leaving your doctor isn't always as simple as people make it sound online. Sometimes you're just picking the lesser of two evils, and other times, you don't have any choice at all.
Yeah, and? Is the solution just to stop reporting them? By the way, there’s this site now, Healthgrades, where anyone can leave a review for their doctor. It’s not exactly massive, but it’s a start.
It’s not a silver bullet, but sometimes filing enough reports is the only way to actually get shit done.
By the way, they scrub any criticism on that site if people start threatening them with libel lawsuits. They’re doing the same thing here on the forum. 😉
bluegardener4, listen to what Body told you. He's telling you to run some basic tests before you start popping antibiotics. If this keeps happening, demand more thorough testing—maybe even see an allergist. Getting sick every single month isn't normal.
All those tips people gave you about boosting your immune system aren't bad, but first, rule out anything else being at play besides just having a weak immune system.
Betty Hayes10 said:Here we go again. Why won't you just answer the question they asked you?
They don't have to answer questions if they don't want to.
😕 Yeah, it’s wild to me that 1) there's no explanation for all those antibiotics, 2) someone stays with that kind of doctor for years, and 3) nobody has reported them yet, because what they're doing (if it's true there are no tests) isn't even legal.
I'm not exactly celebrating here. This kind of medical malpractice affects everyone eventually.
Sure, that works in a utopia. In the real world, not everyone lives in New York City with dozens of specialists on speed dial so they can hand-pick doctors based on "vibes." Most people stick with whoever they have, whether it's out of fear, laziness, or who knows what. And in reality, some doctors get reported, but they still keep practicing because they have massive institutional backing and you can't touch them. In the real world, you can try to ask for tests or explanations, but you'll likely just get brushed off—or at worst, insulted and kicked out of the office. It happens.
I'm not saying his doctor is specifically like that, but this stuff happens everywhere, from local clinics to major hospitals. Welcome to the real world.
Betty Hayes10 said:It doesn't show HIV; it shows inflammation, which can be triggered by basically anything. Why are you dodging the man's simple question again?
I find it hard to believe anyone would be prescribed 5 to 7 rounds of antibiotics a year. Aside from helping bacteria build up resistance—assuming you actually have constant bacterial infections—they also wreck your organs if you're taking them frequently. And most people are already on two or three a year.
What part of this is unbelievable? That there are doctors out there handing out useless antibiotics without running a single test?
Consider yourself lucky you didn't run into one of those lazy, indifferent doctors. Unfortunately, they exist.
Sam Kim12 said:Urine doesn't come out through the vagina.😬
Of course you can get a urine culture while you're on your period.😉
Look, it doesn't matter that they aren't the same opening.😁
My doctors always told me to avoid giving urine samples during my period. No matter how careful you are, you might end up with some erythrocytes lingering on the skin, and then when you pee, they end up in the sample. Suddenly, your results show blood in your urine.
It’s better to just wait until your period is over. I give urine samples pretty often, and I care about doing it right—I check for blood or protein to make sure my kidneys are functioning properly. Honestly, I’d rather just wait than deal with unnecessary follow-up tests just because of a false positive caused by my period.
Jason James3 said:ESR is 2 (normal is 4-24) CRP is 0.3 (normal is 0.0 to 5.0) WBC count is fine Fibrinogen is fine Hemoglobin is fine Iron is elevated at 36 Rheumatoid factor is 0.10 (normal is 0.0 to 14) Waaler Rose - negative My AST is 400..
I have no clue what a normal AST level even is. Does anyone here know what the range is, or what an elevation like this actually means?
I think the cutoff is around 200 or 250. But I recall seeing someone mention on the forum before that if the other markers aren't messed up, a jump like that might not be a huge deal. Everything else looks normal for you.
Look, I get that you're pissed at the doctor, but please, spare us the "she's an idiot" comments. We don't really do that kind of talk on this forum. 😉
I'm not telling you to go fighting with the Normabel crowd; I was just wondering if things settle down after you take a sedative. I figured mine out myself—that throat tightness I get when my body temperature swings wildly (like stepping out from AC into the summer heat) is actually my thyroid acting up. A sedative would help that. So, I'm asking: does the feeling stop? If it stops, you're looking at panic attacks or anxiety. If it doesn't, it might be worth asking for a referral to a neurologist.
Listen, getting your vitamin and mineral levels checked is expensive, and it won't necessarily get you sent off to see specialists. My immunologist recently had me test for B6 and B12, but otherwise, why would a general practitioner order those tests out of nowhere? Same goes for potassium or sodium; I only got those checked because I felt absolutely terrible. It’s tough to get a referral for those specific tests, but it's not impossible. 🙂 Besides, once you start taking multivitamins, those issues often taper off. For instance, my eyelid and cheek used to twitch constantly, but after two or three weeks on vitamins, everything calmed right down.
Maria Fisher46 said:We ask all our valued members to refrain from insulting anyone, including specific medical professionals you might have had bad experiences with.
The Health subforum isn't the place for that kind of language. Please respect the guidelines. This applies to terms like "idiot," "moron," "jerk," or anything similar directed at others, including named doctors or nurses.
Posts containing this type of content will be removed and sanctioned without further explanation.
You can get vitamin tests done at the hospital here in Indianapolis; I actually just had my B vitamins checked out. As for sodium, potassium, calcium, and all that other stuff, you can just go through your primary care doctor.
Anyway, have you noticed if things settle down once you take something for anxiety? Does the panic attack start after you begin feeling the symptoms, or does it hit you right when the panic kicks in?
So where exactly is this thing located? Is it closer to your ear, maybe just under the jawline?
It could be a swollen lymphatic node, or maybe it's an infected tooth. You don't necessarily have to feel the pain in the tooth itself if the infection is hanging out deep in the root or the jawbone. Either way, go see a doctor.
That’s an antidepressant. I don't really think people just take those on demand specifically to help them sleep. There are plenty of other medications much better suited for that purpose.
I'm moving this thread over to the Psychology section; you'll get much more professional answers over there than you will in this corner of the forum. 🙂
What’s her actual diagnosis? What meds is she on? This explanation is all over the place and honestly pretty confusing. I doubt anyone can actually give a helpful answer like this. 🙂
I tried everything—wiping the sandbox, running CCleaner, you name it—but nothing worked. Nothing changed. Chrome works perfectly fine until I try to run it inside the sandbox; then my CPU usage jumps to 50% immediately, and while I'm just browsing, it spikes all the way to 100%. 🤷 Eventually, I just uninstalled it and switched over to Pale Moon, which seems to be running totally fine in the sandbox for now. Opera is working normally too, so it’s obvious Chrome is the one glitching out, not Sandboxie.
By the way, over the last ten days or so, it felt like Chrome was forcing updates every two or three days. It was getting on my nerves so much I was already thinking about ditching it. Honestly, they did me a favor. Everything used to work fine, but ever since their recent updates, the whole thing is a mess—reinstalling it doesn't even help.
I don't know if this is happening to anyone else, but lately, when I launch Chrome, Adblock doesn't load right away. I have to sit there waiting for god knows how many seconds before I can actually browse without ads popping up everywhere. Even after a clean reinstall, the same thing keeps happening.
Has anyone dealt with something like this before? How did you fix it?
I'm running Chrome 32.0 and Sandboxie 4.12 (32-bit). I noticed today that YouTube is just crawling, so I checked Task Manager and realized Chrome is sitting at a constant 50% CPU usage. I did a little digging—Opera works fine both with and without the sandbox, and Chrome works perfectly fine on its own without the sandbox. But the second I launch it inside the sandbox, everything goes haywire and the CPU spikes straight to 50%. I tested it on the Google homepage without loading any other sites, so it’s definitely an issue with the specific combo of Chrome and Sandbox.
Does anyone know how to fix this so I don't have to switch browsers? 🙂 Uninstalling Chrome didn't do a thing.
Honestly, people, you guys are getting trolled left and right. You’re catching fire way too easily. 😁 Besides, if she thinks she’s somehow a better mother just because of that, then fine, let her believe her little delusions. Just do what you honestly feel is best for you and your kid.
Apparently, anyone living in a tiny studio apartment in downtown Chicago is suddenly a "super mom" by default. 😬