Posts by Kenneth Sanders97

Hey everyone, I’m a bit of a hypochondriac—at least I’m self-aware about it—and I’ve got a gallbladder surgery coming up. Other than that, I feel fine, all my labs look good, but I am slightly tripping over my sodium levels being right at the bottom edge, at 137.

My only other thing was cholesterol hitting 5.1 (normal is under 5), and that "bad" LDL was 3.2 (normal is under 3), but everything else seems totally fine. No diabetes, kidneys look great on ultrasound, etc. I’m a 37-year-old woman and I am overweight, but these were just part of my standard pre-op screenings.

Just trying to make sure I don't spiral into a panic if there's really nothing to worry about (which, most of the time, there isn't).

Thanks.

Reference range 137-146

lonebadger6 said:Just a heads-up, posting links to profiles or photos is strictly against the rules here, so if you spot someone breaking that, feel free to report them... though I should clarify that having a Facebook page is a different story entirely. Sharing status updates about the show is fine, as long as there isn't a link attached to it.

Since nobody really laid out the ground rules clearly, could someone just add that to the post where you lock the thread? I'm just trying to avoid getting flagged again. I don't want to end up with another strike just because I was trying to tell the girls what they can and can't post. It feels a bit much to get hit with a moderator warning for something like that, I guess.

Okay, so here's my question: why is it fine to
copy-paste Facebook statuses over on the X Factor thread, but apparently not allowed on the Queen of Shopping one?
Look, I respect being polite and all, but do you actually agree with that, or is it just totally irrelevant right now? I guess I'm looking for an answer that isn't just some "my dad is stronger than your dad" kind of logic. I'd just really like a better explanation for why it's okay in one spot—like with Reality TV (take X Factor, for example)—but strictly forbidden in another.

So, I think I’m gonna have to write an appeal to the mods about this.

Basically, Queen of Shopping is just straight-up Reality TV.

It’s like Big Brother, but with clothes, I guess.
The whole point isn't even really about fashion; it’s more about the contestants' personalities. They spend the whole time spilling details about their lives—stuff like their relationships with husbands or boyfriends, their money situations, you name it—and the drama between them is what actually drives the show.
Even FOX knows that. Their official site doesn't bother with stuff like "check out tomorrow's outfit," they just post things like "get ready for a juicy episode next." It’s definitely not MasterChef or some cooking competition.
It's pretty trash, honestly.

Anyway, the thread is locked now, and a few of us—me included—got flagged because we were sharing or looking for links to the contestants' Facebook profiles.

But anything that's publicly available on the internet or Facebook shouldn't get anyone in trouble for just viewing, posting, or sharing it.
I mean, it's not like it's a crime or something you can report.

Especially since one of the contestants actually posts about her ranking in the show herself, and they even show up on the show's official Facebook page to comment. So, I really don't get why we're supposed to act blind and ignorant and why we aren't allowed to talk about it?

For example, on the X Factor stuff, they quote contestants' Facebook posts all the time without any bans or warnings, and that's also under the Reality TV category, so I don't see why there's a double standard?

Karen Cook51 said:That sounds like a pretty intense reaction, maybe even an allergic one to the bite itself.🤷
Either you're just super sensitive or some nasty spider got you.😁

Have you tried putting any bite relief on it? Like Benadryl cream or something?

Super sensitive😁 , though I doubt it, honestly. I get bitten by mosquitoes like a thousand times and it’s nothing—they just come and go. But with this thing, it's always the same drama every single summer...

See, I haven't even tried rubbing anything on it yet...

So, every single summer, I start getting bitten by those tiny little gnats that swarm around lights—they somehow find their way into my room, so I guess it’s because I’m waking up right in the middle of it. I've been trying to deal with it, but for two months now, I've had this blister about an inch wide. It starts out as just a red spot, then the color kind of fades toward the center until it's just a red ring left, and the skin inside the circle feels all rough and scratchy...

Anyone have any idea what this could be? 🤷

Brenda Harris81 said:It could be right after ovulation, or maybe it's a sign of inflammation or endometriosis.

thanks for all the input, everyone. it was after ovulation, I guess. just being my usual paranoid hypochondriac self, wanted to make sure nothing was actually wrong.😁

"Googled" it, and I’m coming up totally blank on what "c.Douglases" even refers to. I mean, sure, you can find some vague explanations out there, but does anyone actually know what it means? Or more importantly, what's the deal with this "some kind of free fluid" thing inside them? Any idea what the consequences are?

It’s honestly the worst feeling—kind of like when you go to your doctor in Chicago, they tell you everything looks perfect to your face, but then you get home, sit down to read the actual lab results, and realize there's a whole list of weird stuff they didn't mention...

bluecyclist5 said:I guess you didn't really catch my point... most people on this forum post without running to a doctor first because a lot of this stuff is just temporary and doesn't actually need medical intervention. That’s why I was asking if anyone else deals with similar issues... in a similar spot too. 😬 You can see not everyone answered like you did—some people actually made sense. But yeah, thanks anyway.

I only said that because I've been there myself, asking questions online only to find out at the end it was something else entirely...

I actually dealt with something similar once, and none of the suggestions here were even close to what it turned out to be.

So, I figured it's probably smartest if you just go get checked out while you can.

bluecyclist5 said:Hey. I mean, that happened like a month ago, so I wouldn't really go back for it now...assuming this is just a normal thing that passes.

But how are we supposed to know for sure? Even an OB-GYN wouldn't give a diagnosis to someone they can't even see face-to-face, let alone 🙂

GO-SEE-A-DOCTOR 🙂

Morgan Torres said:I don't wear tights or leggings at all... they just scratch and itch my skin terribly. Plus, I feel freezing regardless of what I wear. During the winter, I always make sure to wear a bodysuit to keep my kidneys and back warm and supported.

Same here, honestly—maybe even worse...

I just can't stand having tights on, especially under pants. First, they squeeze my legs too tight, and then there's the extra layer of pants on top. Just thinking about it gives me the chills... and not the good kind.

When the real deep freeze hits, I used to buy super baggy pants just so I could layer thin pajamas underneath, otherwise I'd just freeze through...

Man, winter is coming back, which means my struggles with this are coming back too... 🙂

Hey everyone!

So, I was wondering if anyone knows the name of this movie I'm trying to track down!

I remember seeing it on PBS—probably like a hundred times back in the day. It’s old, black and white, definitely one of those classics.

The plot goes like this: her dad goes off to war and leaves her at some fancy boarding school. Then they tell her he's been killed in action, and since there's nobody left to pay the tuition, she basically goes from being an elite student to a servant, moved into some tiny, miserable little room.

The final scene is where the dad (who actually survives, though he's wounded) finally reunites with her by a pine tree. It’s Christmas, and they get their happy ending together.

I absolutely loved this when I was a kid, and I'm feeling a bit nostalgic, so if anyone can help me out... thanks! 🙂

Sorry if I'm being a total pain 😁 , but I’m struggling with this DIY thing. I figured I'd just ask you guys what you actually use—like, which wax or strips are worth it?

Is it something like Elmo, Veet, or whatever else is out there?

So, where can I actually track down that famous trimmer everyone's talking about?

Thanks a ton for all the tips, seriously. 😘

I’m honestly at my wit's end here. 🙂

So, look, I officially gave up on regular hair removal a long time ago.
I’ve tried everything—depilatory creams, obviously using a razor... even slathering on Neosporin afterward to try and fix things...

My skin just refuses to cooperate. It gets so inflamed, especially during the summer when I’m shaving more often (it’s not that I’m lazy in the winter, it’s just that I can hide the consequences under layers of clothes 😢 ). I get these tiny little bumps, redness everywhere, and last year—plus again this year—I ended up with this painful cyst underneath the skin. I went through this whole ordeal of searching for answers last year because I was worried it might be something serious... but it isn't. It just hurts, and it always flares up whenever I have to shave more frequently, which usually means summer.

If anyone else deals with this, or if you know of some amazing hair removal method that won't wreck my skin, please let me know. 😢

P.S. (I posted this in the health section instead of fashion because I genuinely just want to find a way to shave without my skin swelling up. I'm starting to think it might actually be unhealthy, and honestly, I've already made peace with the fact that my armpits look like they've been through a war zone.)

Metamizole was my absolute lifesaver after getting my wisdom tooth pulled. Seriously, it was the only thing that worked. I tried basically every other painkiller out there, but they'd only touch the pain for maybe two hours tops. With this stuff, I managed to get through about 6 or 7 hours...

I deal with migraines and bad cramps from time to time, but nothing compares to that kind of pain... 🙂

Metamizole rules 🙏 👋 🙂

Alright, listen up everyone...

So, for my 20th birthday, I got this book on cancer and clinical oncology (not gonna go there) from some people I used to work for—the guy was an oncologist. I'm 23 now.

Basically, ever since then, if anything hurts, I just assume it's cancer.
No matter what kind of weird thing shows up on my body, even if there are like a thousand other possibilities, nope, my brain goes straight to cancer.
The book was actually a medical textbook for students, so it's packed with all these gruesome photos and intense descriptions and stuff... Before that lovely gift arrived, I’d say I was functioning pretty normally.
It's exhausting, honestly. It wears me down. I'm constantly living in this headspace, stuck with this irrational fear that I'm going to die a long, painful death and lose parts of myself along the way (depending on which "cancer" is on my mind that month). 👎

I know you guys are probably gonna be like, "ugh, you're being dramatic, get a life," but if anyone here has actually dealt with something similar, I think you'll get how draining this is. 😢 I don't really know what I'm looking for here, maybe if someone has a similar story to share or something...

Thanks

I picked up an eye mask from Accessorize and it’s actually pretty great, even if it was around $20-but I'm not exactly feeling any regret about 🙂