Look, Father John made a solid point. Just scrape the cash together, grab an adult to go with you, and head to a private clinic. Your mom won't find out if you just see a specialist on your own.
Besides, I won't even mention how much faster you'll actually get seen there compared to waiting around at a public hospital.
I can’t give you any advice beyond this: go see a doctor.
Look, your mom is going to find out sooner or later, especially if this keeps happening. What happens if you have an episode right in front of her? You never know when it's going to hit.
Are you seriously willing to risk your health—maybe make things even worse—just because you don't want her to know? If you were my kid, I’d want to be in the loop. Trust me, it'll hurt your mom ten times more if she finds out later that this has been going on and you kept it all from her out of fear instead of actually doing something about it.
I don't know, Olivia King23, those symptoms you're describing? They don't sit right with me at all.
The fact that it lasts for several minutes and you aren't even conscious of it... that’s not something to mess around with.
Take me, for example. I once had this flashing vision in my right eye and believe me, I was absolutely terrified. It only lasted about 10 or 15 seconds and never happened again, but if something like what you're going through hit me just a couple of times, I'd be heading straight to the doctor immediately.
Olivia King23, have you noticed any patterns when this happens? Like, is there a specific trigger—maybe exhaustion, certain lighting, or something else?
edit: Honestly, just ask someone to drive you. And since the doctor is actually friends with your parents, I'm pretty sure they'll be understanding and try to work with you. How old are you anyway?
Also, regarding the ER—sure, you could head there, but I'm betting the staff will just call your parents immediately, so it's probably not worth the hassle.
Look, just go see your primary care doctor and politely ask them to keep things under wraps until you figure out what’s actually going on. I don't know how old you are, but if you're 16 or 17, you aren't exactly a little kid anymore.
And I'm not trying to freak you out, but you shouldn't take these symptoms lightly. It could be anything, so the smartest move is to get checked out by a specialist—in this case, a neurologist.
Olivia King23 said:Look, I'm talking to people on this forum because I don't want to deal with a doctor directly. I don't want to tell my mom, for personal reasons. Basically, I just don't want her to know. I know it sounds stupid, but it matters to me.
What, you think this is just going to fix itself? And honestly, even if someone on a forum gives you a perfect diagnosis, how does that actually help you? You still have to see a doctor to get any actual medication.
Besides, your mom doesn't need to know you saw a doctor. HIPAA laws exist for a reason—doctors can't go blabbing your business to anyone, including your parents, unless you're a minor.
I’m just saying, you can never really be sure when you're riding on Amtrak. 🙂
I agree that there are plenty of solid mods out there, but you have to admit it's pretty rare to see someone start a thread just to give a shout-out to a mod. Usually, we just get hit with a barrage of insults directed at ourselves.
Personally, I tip my hat to the guys over at Politics; they need to keep all that chaos under control over there.
It could be fungi, or it might just be some bacteria. Either way, if you don't get checked out, things are going to go south.
When you say there's an unpleasant odor, what does it actually smell like? I was looking online, and they say fungal infections usually have this sour, sweet scent, whereas for something like Gardnerella, it’s supposed to smell fishy.
Even though my doctor told me everything looked perfectly fine, I ended up testing positive for beta-hemolytic strep anyway. Gin kept insisting nothing was wrong, basically telling me I was fine, while I was over here absolutely doubled over from pain in my right ovary.
So, I spent months going back to his office every single month, constantly telling him my ovary was killing me. After burning through about $650 worth of creams and various vaginal treatments he’d just shove at me, he finally deigned to actually run a swab. And lo and behold—turns out I wasn't crazy and making up symptoms after all.
Now, when I start planning for a pregnancy, he better be ready to run every single swab and test I demand right off the bat. Because if he tries that circus routine in his office again, we're going to have a serious problem.
Tell them you want swabs done. It could be a yeast infection, but then again, it might be some kind of bacteria, so don't back down—insist on those tests.
Having heavy discharge, burning, itching, and all that? That’s just not normal.
I’ve been scrubbing everything down with antiseptic spray—everything from the toilet to the kitchen floors. I walked back into my old place, looked at my hip, and there I was, just spraying disinfectant everywhere and cleaning the damn toilets. 🤣
Look, I wasn't exactly thrilled at the thought of those two goats picking it up too. I mean, who would even bother bathing them or putting any ointment on them anyway? They're total wild animals, especially that little yellow devil.
Anyway, I read somewhere that you can actually use that antifungal stuff you get from the vet to wipe down the floors and pretty much everything else. 🤷
And seriously, why shouldn't Microsporia come back? 😕
edit: Grace Lewis6, those instructions you sent me about how often to use Ketoconazole weren't exactly crystal clear. So, I just went ahead and bathed Micana with it for two days straight, and then for about a week, I just treated the specific spot where his hair was falling out with the Ketoconazole. I even washed myself from head to toe with it on the first day 😬, just to be safe.
I think there’s already a thread about Microsporia over on the Pet forum.
Bottom line: you and the cat have to treat it at the exact same time. It’s pointless if you get cleared but the cat stays infected—it’ll just bounce right back to you. If you’ve seen a doctor, they probably already gave you a prescription.
Everyone online claims Zonitol is the gold standard for cats, but you can only get that through a vet. For my cat, I went with a combo of Ketoconazole shampoo and Plymicol 2 cream. I gave him a full wash with the Ketoconazole two days in a row, then after that, I just washed the specific spots with it and applied the Plymicol 2. I’d use the Ketoconazole in the morning and the cream at night.
You absolutely have to disinfect the entire house. Toss all the clothes, bedding, whatever, straight into the laundry. Maybe I was being paranoid scrubbing every inch of the place, but I have two other cats besides this one, and I was terrified they'd catch it too. Honestly, I was just as scared I'd catch it myself since my cat sleeps in bed with me every single night.
Donna Wright43 said:melloworca6 - come on, try to remember which tablets you were actually taking...
From what I've gathered from reading up online and talking to my doctor, the bacteria itself isn't pathogenic; it just causes discomfort or the issues mentioned above. There used to be a specific medication for this, but it was pulled from the market back in 2009 and there hasn't been a decent replacement since...
😢
The ones I took were called Paraprotex. It's a plant-based supplement meant to fight off fungi, viruses, and bacteria. Just Google it and see what comes up. I also took Calivitine, though I'm not sure if any other brands still make them.
It helped me out when I had strep (alongside the appropriate antibiotics I was on at the time), so give it a shot. Maybe it'll work for you precisely because the bacteria isn't strictly pathogenic.
Aha. So, is there any way to actually run an antibiogram to figure out which specific antibiotic will actually do the job?
It feels weird to me that they can't isolate it in a swab if you can see it right there under a microscope. Some kind of strange little beast.
There are natural supplements out there with antibacterial properties—I used to take some herbal tablets or capsules, though I can't recall the exact name right now, specifically for bacteria, fungi, and that kind of crap—so maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to give those a shot.
Just ask your doctor if she actually understands math; if she doesn't, you can always be happy to walk her through whatever part she’s struggling with.
She’s supposed to give you the exact treatment prescribed by your specialist—it’s right there on your discharge papers or your outpatient records.