Was that day maybe during your ovulation, or were you on your period or expecting it soon?
Even though our two openings are physically separate, urine can still get contaminated no matter how careful we are. Personally, whenever I have to give a sample, I head down to the pharmacy to grab those sterile containers. In the morning, I make sure to shower thoroughly first and then catch that mid-stream flow. Ever since I started doing it that way, I've never had an issue where my urinalysis comes back bad but the culture is fine.
Look, the results aren't terrible, but it might not be a bad idea to get a urine culture done too, just so you can have some peace of mind.
One time, I got lab results back showing elevated white blood cells and some bacteria or whatever, but when I actually went in for a urine culture, everything came back sterile.
Those aren't just headaches, they're full-blown migraines. 🙂 And yeah, they don't just vanish on their own. I know from watching my mom—if she doesn't down some Voltaren when one hits, she’ll be throwing up all day or night.
It’s the same deal with prescriptions—you can't just pick up your meds early to build a little cushion because doctors are under strict orders from Medicare that they aren't allowed to dispense anything more than a week before your current supply runs out. 🙄
I remember showing up two weeks early once, and the nurse couldn't even print the script; the doctor had to jump through hoops to force the system to issue it. I bet they have a monthly quota for those "emergency" overrides, otherwise, they probably get slapped with massive fines. To make matters worse, half those old folks lose their pills constantly, and the staff acts like they actually care about how that works out for them.
Take me, for instance. Sometimes in the morning when I'm still half-asleep, I'll be reaching for my meds and a pill will just slip right out of my hand and roll onto the floor where I can't find it. If that happens a few times over three months, you're stuck. You can't grab an early refill; you just have to wait until that one-week window opens up. And don't even get me started on what happens if there's a shortage or some kind of supply chain crisis. We're all screwed because you can't keep a backup stash—they track every single pill you take.
The whole thing makes sense if we're talking about things like Xanax or antibiotics, but it’s honestly ridiculous that they're counting my thyroid pills. What am I supposed to do, go around handing out thyroid hormones like candy? 🤣
Look, just go see your doctor and tell them they prescribed the wrong medication. Don't let yourself get sidelined like that—seriously, this isn't some casual supplement, it's a prescription you need to stay on track with.
And honestly? If they can't figure out how to use a computer or run basic software, that’s their own damn problem.
Lisa Nelson70 said:So here’s my experience from today: you guys picked up the prescription on March 8th.
I didn't.
Yes you did, don't lie.
I think I know if and when I picked up my meds. I didn't pick this one up, but I was picking up some stuff my OBGYN prescribed last week, so maybe they messed up the link at the pharmacy.
Yeah, whatever, just go talk to your doctor then.
Doctor: Well, you picked it up, if that's what they're telling us.
I didn't pick it up, but I was getting some other things from my gynecologist last week, so maybe there's a mix-up at the pharmacy. How am I supposed to prove I didn't pick it up?
Yeah, I can't give you the medication if the system says you already took it.
This is garbage. It's my blood pressure medication. Then boom—either I end up in the ER, the hospital, or psych, because I know for a fact I didn't pick up my pills.
I'm genuinely curious how they plan to handle these situations. You aren't an isolated case; this is going to happen a million more times. I just want to know if patients are always going to be the ones taking the fall.
There’s some girl over on the women's health board writing about how her OBGYN "lost" her chart and now doesn't even know what meds to prescribe her.
If they don't have a backup program, a database, or anything, we might as well all just collectively shoot ourselves.
Screw them all. From now on, I'm demanding a printed copy of every single lab result. If their systems crash or they lose files, fine, but at least I'll have my own paper archive at home. I am not going to be stuck arguing with people and trying to prove I'm not lying.
And when you try telling a hypochondriac that their constant worrying is actually going to cause them physical harm, they look at you like you’ve just landed from outer space.
Look, I don't really care if someone is making up illnesses out of thin air; I just don't want to be burdened by their drama. I have enough of my own shit to deal with without having to play therapist because someone thinks they popped a capillary or lost an eyelash. All my friends know I'm sick, and right from the start, they were all either telling me straight to my face or whispering behind my back that I was just being dramatic or overreacting. Then, those exact same people call me up the second they think something is wrong, looking for sympathy, wanting me to interpret a lab result, or begging for comfort because they think nobody gets them quite like I do. I'm not interested. Fuck off.
I honestly think it’s totally normal for people like us—those of us juggling multiple diagnoses, especially the kind that trigger a domino effect of other issues—to spot a potential symptom in every little thing we notice.
Take me, for example. I get anxious sometimes, but it usually passes after a day or two and I move on. But just recently, I noticed some thickening of the skin on my thumb. Since that's a known symptom of scleroderma—which is a systemic disease—and since my medical chart still lists an "undefined systemic connective tissue disorder" (which is basically doctor-speak for "we aren't quite sure what's actually going on yet"), obviously, noticing stuff like that isn't something I can just ignore.
I don't consider this hypochondria. 🤦I don't know why, but I have zero tolerance for actual hypochondriacs in my life. Honestly, I feel like hitting them when they start whining about nonsense. Just the other day, a friend of mine was complaining about her legs swelling. Whether she's sitting at her desk all day or running errands around town, she's either stationary or constantly on the move. When you tell her it's perfectly normal given her activity level, she starts spiraling, insisting it's some massive heart problem.
redmoose22 said:I went in for penicillin allergy testing. First, they inserted an IV, then set a crash cart right next to me just in case things went south. Next, they rubbed some powder—probably crushed pills—onto my forearm. Then came the oral doses: a quarter of a tablet, presumably Stephen, followed by a half an hour later, and then a full dose. Once they were sure I wasn't reacting, they moved to injections. One after another, lasting until the afternoon. Luckily, nothing happened, and I was cleared to head home by evening. Still, I’m staying far away from Stephen.
Man, I was actually thinking about asking my doctor to send me for immunology tests to see if I'm allergic to aspirin, since I've had bad reactions to Advil and Bayer Aspirin before.
Now that I know what that procedure actually involves—needles, swallowing pills, skin rubs—I think I'll pass. I’d rather just stick to avoiding aspirin and Advil altogether.
analograven5 said:Yeah, Stephen is basically pure penicillin—just straight up, without any other active ingredients—and lately, it’s been causing me all sorts of trouble. Usually, it just wipes out my gut flora, which tends to trigger digestive issues for me, like cramping and diarrhea. But one time, it actually nuked the bacteria I need to digest lactose, which ended up making me allergic to milk and dairy products entirely.😁 Luckily, it took about three months for my system to finally bounce back. Now, I make sure to stay far away from Stephen whenever possible!🙄
That's why whenever you absolutely have to take antibiotics, you need to load up on yogurt and take LGG capsules. Every single time I take antibiotics, my digestion goes to hell and I end up dealing with yeast infections on top of everything else.🙄 I only take them when it's a total emergency because it takes me a full month to recover properly after finishing a course.
I honestly thought I was just being thick and couldn't figure out how to add a Smiley, but it turns out uploading images isn't allowed on this site, so that's why I keep posting links instead.
People expect you to just read the medical chart, but let's be real—nobody actually does that. 🙄 My guy was looking at me like I had two heads when I told him I couldn't take aspirin or Advil. Like, seriously? Who else is allergic to those? I mean, obviously, some of us are.
The first time I took Advil and then some Aspirin, my lip and eyelid swelled up like crazy. Now, I just don't trust those two. It doesn't mean it'll happen every single time, but I'm not about to play Russian roulette with my face.
On the flip side, I use Voltaren gel—which clearly warns anyone sensitive to aspirin to stay far away from it—and I haven't had any reaction at all. 🤷
Your best bet is to just check in with the doctor who wrote the prescription in the first place.
Ugh, they’d love that. They’d just start a whole new thread about money. 😁 If you ask me, I’d just lock the damn thing right now, but then we’ll just get an invasion of tiny little new threads titled "I'm broke again."
Lisa Nelson70 said:Are you kidding me? Ever heard the old line? "We were just fooling around through our clothes," blah, blah... if you can do it through clothes, you can definitely do it in an auto shop! 😁
🙂 Expect the "Am I pregnant?" threads to start blowing up again any second now. 😁
Sophia Wells72 said:I feel you. We’re all just a bunch of depressed souls, I guess 🙂. Everyone’s going to list a few basic symptoms today that could fit under "mildly depressed." But what's weird is that it didn't give me a single diagnosis that I actually have 🤣
It's obvious they aren't looking at hormonal imbalances; they just write everything off as depression. 🤣
Melissa James70 said:Maybe they left out the heavy-duty diagnoses on purpose, just so people don't turn into massive hypochondriacs. I'm guessing if you click "tingling in hands and feet," it won't spit out MS. Same goes for cancer or anything else serious. But then again, what's the point of this "diagnostic" tool if that's the case?
It’s ridiculous. I put in swelling, joint pain, swollen joints, tender joints, and aching joints, and nothing came up. 🤣 It could have at least suggested rheumatoid arthritis, if nothing else.
I have no idea who thought this was a good idea—one symptom can be linked to a hundred different illnesses.
