Posts by Olivia Garcia60

I've been eyeing Roki Sasaki on the waiver wire all week, but I'm still not sure if I should burn a priority on him. He looks insane, but fantasy baseball is always so unpredictable with these high-upside guys. Do you guys think he's worth the risk for a playoff push?

Steven Lopez20 said:I'm not entirely sure if our taxes are actually the highest, but I do know that a specific car model costs us about 94 $0.00 while in Norway it goes for 200 $0.00. Maybe that's saying something?!

In Norway or Denmark, car prices are high because of heavy excise taxes, which are indirect taxes. What we deal with here in America are some of the heaviest direct taxes in the world, slapped right onto every single taxpayer.

The whole idea is that indirect taxes are better because they're "invisible," making them easier for people to stomach. Plus, they're more flexible since they're tied to consumption, and they're way easier to collect without all the massive administrative headache.

Payroll taxes are sky-high because a tiny fraction of workers is basically footing the bill for everyone else. On top of that, you’ve got massive tax evasion happening with freelancers, small business owners, and people faking retirement to pocket huge profits without giving a single cent back to the Treasury.

The sheer laziness of the people in charge is wild. It’s like they’re intentionally ignoring the literal rivers of cash flowing right past them. To put it bluntly, there are insane amounts of cash moving from one pocket to another under the table, and the government doesn't even bother to track it, let alone tax it. Any high school kid could point out at least ten spots where massive amounts of untaxed money change hands: farmers markets (where industrial-scale stuff gets traded), shady contractors, private doctors, landlords, mechanics, restaurant owners, handymen, loan sharks, truckers, construction crews, boat rentals, caterers, barbers, salons, butchers, bakeries, and more...

I agree that the only way out is to hike indirect taxes to curb spending and boost savings, while simultaneously cutting direct taxes to make our goods and services cheaper for foreign exporters. That would help tank imports and give exports a much-needed kickstart.

The catch is that indirect taxes are already through the roof, so there's hardly any room left to move.

Brian Barrett70 said:I've got a massive problem. I've been dealing with hemorrhoids for 14 years now. I haven't seen a doctor yet because honestly, the whole thing is just embarrassing. The issue is that for the last 10 days, I've been bleeding every single time I go to the bathroom. It used to happen maybe once a month, but now it's every time. Is there any way to fix this without seeing a doctor? I know... I know I should go, but I'm just really uncomfortable with the idea. I'm 34. Thanks.

Don't let embarrassment stop you. Go see your doctor first thing tomorrow. Constant bleeding can be a sign of something much more serious happening in your lower digestive tract.

Matthew Stewart2 said:To clarify, the itching I am inquiring about is concentrated around the left elbow, extending upward toward the shoulder and down the forearm. Due to relentless scratching, the skin has become intensely crimson and possesses an elephantine texture to the touch. My mother observes that when she manages to resist the urge to scratch, the sensation seems to subside—though, quite logically, the act of scratching likely just exacerbates the underlying inflammatory process. Separately, she is experiencing a distinct type of itching in the groin area which she maintains is entirely unrelated to the irritation on her arm. Furthermore, she suffers from seborrheic dermatitis in her ears, which is also quite itchy. One ear has actually swollen to such an extent that her hearing in that ear is noticeably impaired. A few years back, she dealt with shingles on her scalp, and she recently noted two spots near the groin that looked suspiciously like herpes lesions as well.
My mother is sixty years old—navigating menopause, naturally—yet she remains exceptionally vital and energetic. Regarding allergy testing, she did undergo some screening, but the clinic she visited simply lacked a comprehensive panel of allergens. She has already consulted sixteen different doctors, and we are still no closer to a definitive answer.
She is currently preparing to eliminate both coffee and tea from her diet, a task that will be quite difficult given that she tends to have low blood pressure!
Olivia Garcia60, my thanks for your previous post!

Regarding Hodgkin, which some people brought up...

Does your mother get sudden fevers often?
Does she sweat at night? Get thirsty at night? Is her arm swollen?

If the answer is YES, then it could be Hodgkin lymphoma and you need to go for further testing immediately. If the answer to all those questions is NO, then it isn't lymphoma and you don't need to worry.

Like you said, the redness in the groin has nothing to do with the elbow. That groin itch is most likely just skin irritation from clothing. The seborrheic dermatitis isn't a major factor either; that's pretty common.

The itching and rashes on the elbows are extremely common because the skin there is so sensitive. This happens a lot during high summer temperatures (that part of your story fits perfectly), and these itches can last for months, causing swelling, redness, and skin damage—especially from heavy scratching. I think that's exactly what your mother is dealing with. Since this isn't a generalized itch over her whole body, the diseases I just mentioned can be ruled out.

Matthew Stewart2 said:I am taking this question to Reddit because I am at my wits' end trying to figure out how to help my mother. Ever since last August, she has been suffering from an intense itching sensation on her hands—and several other parts of her body—which initially manifested as a mild rash, only to escalate into swollen, bumpy, red patches of skin after she tries to scratch it. Now, after several months of this cycle, the skin looks as though it has been scalded. Cortisone treatments offer nothing more than fleeting, superficial relief, and the moment she stops using them, the symptoms return in full force.
She has consulted a litany of specialists, ranging from general practitioners to holistic practitioners, undergoing exhaustive full-body examinations and various tests, yet none of these medical professionals have provided a diagnosis or a solution. I even asked her if the stress of our current situation might be the culprit, but that simply isn't the case. It seems to us that there is some sort of underlying immunological dysfunction at play, yet standard, generalized treatments fail to make any meaningful impact.
Does anyone here have any lived experience, specific advice, or guidance they could share? Please, we are truly lost. It is agonizing for me to watch her suffer like this, and I can only imagine the sheer torment she is enduring herself!
Please help!

Hey there. First things first: itching is a SYMPTOM, not a disease itself. It usually points to a primary skin condition or some other systemic issue that has nothing to do with the skin directly.

Back to your situation. You didn't mention how old your mother is or if she's taking any medications. Is the itching spreading? Those details are huge here.

Psychosomatic itching is extremely rare. In this case, there's definitely an underlying medical issue. Based on your description, if I'm reading this right, the itching is appearing in multiple places. If that's the case, we're likely looking at generalized pruritus, which can be caused by tons of different conditions. Some common culprits include uremia, obstructive biliary disease, polycythemia, hyperparathyroidism, diabetes, and so on.