Posts by vividcanyon37

That pain under your ribs could actually be gallbladder issues. Also, if you're having trouble swallowing, that might be related to your thyroid. You really need to keep an eye on your digestion—I've learned the hard way that when my gut is acting up, my skin is the first thing to show it via breakouts.
Were you dealing with any of this before you went vegetarian?

Things are finally looking up. The pain hasn't totally vanished, but I’m able to straighten my arm out a lot more every single day.
I was just watching the news and saw this story about a new mother who had to stay hooked up to an IV drip for four days straight—just like me. As she was describing what she went through, I felt like I was looking in a mirror. The woman ended up with deep vein thrombosis, which she managed to clear up with medication, but now she has to deal with constant checkups because there's always that lingering risk of it coming back. 😲😲😕

She's actually considering filing a lawsuit. 🤷

I think they’ve all just cut ties. A few months back, I was looking for help over in Miami-Dade County, but none of the private practices there will touch anything covered by Medicare—it's just a headache. I ended up on a waiting list at the Mayo Clinic back in May 2016, so I eventually just bit the bullet and went to a private specialist out of my own pocket. Now, I’ve been paying off the bill for the exam for an entire year—thank God for installment plans, honestly.

Thanks for the reply! I actually swung by my primary care doctor today. I’ve been on the antibiotics, and honestly, things only started looking up yesterday—day six—and even then, it’s minimal. The pain is down maybe 30%, and I can finally straighten my arm out a bit, but the vein is still swollen and tender as hell. She gave me some heparin cream to rub on it (dammit, I had to pay out of pocket for it myself) and told me to stick with the aspirin. What’s really bugging me, though, is this dull ache starting to creep into the forearm muscle underneath—it feels like inflammation is brewing there, too. My doctor says she doesn't see anything unusual; thinks it might just be from keeping my arm in one awkward position for too long. Now I'm just waiting to see how this plays out. All this drama because of one damn brownie...😵

The pain started about two weeks ago—pretty mild at first—but for the last 9 days, it’s been intense and just won't let up. The redness showed up 8 days ago and hasn't budged either. There's this red line following the vein from where the puncture site was, which has already healed over, stretching about ten centimeters across the muscle. I don't have a fever or anything, but honestly, any movement from my elbow down is painful as hell.

So, two weeks ago, they pulled out an IV line I’d had in my arm for four days during a hospital stay (had gallbladder surgery). Since then, this vein in my arm—right above the crook of the elbow near the bicep—has been killing me. At first, it just hurt when I straightened my arm or if someone touched it. My doctor basically brushed it off, saying it was fine as long as I didn't have a fever or redness. Well, things changed. A red patch appeared right over the vein, and the pain ramped up so much that I can’t even straighten my elbow anymore. I have to keep it bent at a specific angle just to get some relief. If I try to stretch it out, the pain is unbearable, there's visible swelling, and the vein itself feels hard and thick to the touch. No fever, though. I went back to my GP, and she prescribed Klavocin and Aspirin, plus told me to use boric acid compresses held in place with an elastic bandage. I’ve been on the antibiotics for five days now, and honestly? Nothing. It still hurts, and the bandage actually makes it worse, so I stopped wrapping it tight. I'm feeling pretty stuck and I know I'll have to head back to the doctor soon. Has anyone else dealt with something like this? How did you get past it?

Last time I was in, my proctologist actually suggested using some Quest Diagnostics gel.

Roger Cruz said:April 2015 🙂

That’s incredibly fast—I ordered an MRI back in Los Angeles about a month ago and they’ve already got me scheduled for March 2016!!!

Taylor Thompson8 said:Hey! Does anyone have experience sending packages abroad? I was wondering if someone could give me a quick rundown on how the procedure works—do I use the same location as I would for domestic shipping here in the States? And roughly how much does postage cost? Thanks!

You can run the numbers on the USPS website—just weigh your package and wait for the estimate.
A long time ago, I sent a small parcel over to Germany, and I remember having to open it right there at the counter in front of the clerk—basically, you show up with it already unboxed so they can inspect the contents to make sure you aren't smuggling a bomb 😁—and then you just pack it back up. Other than that little hassle, it was pretty straightforward.

So, I’ve been staring at Wells Fargo's stock and thinking—it might actually make sense for my current mess. Right now, I'm sitting in an overdraft of $5000 over at Bank of America. The interest rate on that overdraft is a brutal 13.49%, whereas Wells Fargo is offering a loan to clear the debt at just 9.45%. If I pull the trigger, I could also wipe out my revolving credit card debt and that annoying little balance hanging over me—the one that costs me $20 every single month just for the service package. Honestly, I’d be better off if I didn't have to pay $4.00 just to keep my checking account and online banking active. Plus, they’re throwing in a 2.5% interest rate on positive balances. What do you guys think? Is this a smart move or am I dreaming?

silentowl9 said:Not to quote the whole thing...

If the income stayed the same, the deficit would stay the same too. If a bonus or some holiday pay gets logged as regular salary, it bumps up the average income. Then, after a few months once those extra payments stop hitting the average, the deficit drops back down...

They used to have a cap of $1,300 on how much they'd cover for an overdraft, but apparently that's gone now. For example, if your pay dropped from $20,000 down to $5,000, they'd shave off $1,300—so first it hits $18,700, then $17,400... now it happens gradually, but it could be more than $1,300 at a time.

Clients without a steady paycheck don't even get the overdraft protection. They used to have a minimum limit there too...

That bit about them getting rid of the deficit limits entirely should probably be double-checked. I think it might just be a misunderstanding, but it would be huge if it's true. Maybe check back with whoever gave you that info?

So, I was just on the phone with a customer service rep from JP Morgan Chase today. I've been using my overdraft, and looking at my statement, it looks like they're slashing my limit by an amount larger than my actual monthly paycheck (about $500)! The guy explained how they calculate the overdraft limit—they take my last three paychecks, average them out, and then multiply that average by two (since I’m on their Balance package). But here's the kicker: back in November, I got some backdated child benefit payments, and because of some weird internal logic, they counted that as regular income. That bumped up my "average" salary, which inflated my overdraft limit. I'm such an idiot—I didn't bother checking the fine print when I switched packages, so I thought I had a standard three-month cushion. I was absolutely floored when I realized my entire next paycheck is basically gone just to cover this hole, and I'll still be short. Now I'm stuck playing musical chairs with my money—moving funds around and pulling from my credit card just to stay afloat. And get this: did you guys know the interest rate on overdrafts at JP Morgan Chase is 13.49%? I honestly thought it was way lower. My credit card is at 12.99%, but then they hit you with a 3% transaction fee. I really need to ditch these cards. When you're backed into a corner, you start grasping at straws, but seriously, what is the point of working just to hand it all over to the bank? I'm looking at my statement right now—$12 in interest, $20 for account maintenance fees, and it just keeps piling up month after month. If I do the math, I'm basically handing the bank half a paycheck every year...🤷