Pet Peeves: For when your neck pain is a pain in the neck

[TattleTeeny]

The vagueness in doctors' handouts of medical-procedure instructions! I'm not talking about super-"official" literature, but more like what a doctor or nurse at an individual practice might give someone as they leave an appointment, usually some old photocopied generic printout typed up in Word. In this case, the instrux for my BF's colonoscopy today. Instead of specific language, it says things like, for example, "it's OK to have water for the rest of the evening." "Evening" is not precise; just say "you can have water until [#] hours before your procedure." I have run into this in other scenarios too.

Also, his appointment is for 3 pm today (Monday). I don't know for sure, but I think this handout's info may be based on an early morning appointment. I don't think he's had any food since Saturday night because the instructions say no food after 10 am on the day before procedure -- another example of where they should just express the exact number of hours before the procedure. (Of course, I couldn't get him to call the dr's office to clarify -- because why take 5 minutes to end the ambiguity?! -- but that's a whole other peeve, haha!) 

Edited September 25, 2023 by TattleTeeny

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

The vagueness in doctors' handouts of medical-procedure instructions! I'm not talking about super-"official" literature, but more like what a doctor or nurse at an individual practice might give someone as they leave an appointment, usually some old photocopied generic printout typed up in Word. In this case, the instrux for my BF's colonoscopy today. Instead of specific language, it says things like, for example, "it's OK to have water for the rest of the evening." "Evening" is not precise; just say "you can have water until [#] hours before your procedure." I have run into this in other scenarios too.

Also, his appointment is for 3 pm today (Monday). I don't know for sure, but I think this handout's info may be based on an early morning appointment. I don't think he's had any food since Saturday night because the instructions say no food after 10 am on the day before procedure -- another example of where they should just express the exact number of hours before the procedure. (Of course, I couldn't get him to call the dr's office to clarify -- because why take 5 minutes to end the ambiguity?! -- but that's a whole other peeve, haha!) 

Yeah, the doctor's staff gave you their instructions for a morning procedure and not an afternoon one.  And, colonoscopy prep is so varied you cannot easily Google to get the afternoon instructions.  I swear every single practice has their own version of prep.  

[TattleTeeny]

Right! That said, I cannot say whether they verbally told him anything that differed from the printout -- I suppose they may have, but that was a month ago.

[Ohiopirate02]

5 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

Right! That said, I cannot say whether they verbally told him anything that differed from the printout -- I suppose they may have, but that was a month ago.

In my experience as a pharmacy tech, they have different printouts listing the instructions for morning and afternoon appointments.  There's too much information for them to verbally tell a patient and hope said patient remembers.  They gave your boyfriend the wrong printout by mistake.  I have seen some offices where they use one, but take the time to write out and circle all the pertinent information.  With instructions like this, you write them clearly and specifically and list every single detail assuming the dumbest person you have ever met can understand them.  Because there is nothing worse for the facility and the patient to have them do all that prep and show up for the procedure to find out the patient messed up by eating past whatever time or drinking the wrong flavor of Gatorade with red dye and therefore the procedure cannot happen.  

[TattleTeeny]

He just chose to not eat anything since Saturday night. Since then, he's been...fun.

Regardless of whether they gave him the wrong one, though, they still should just use precise language. No "evening," no "day before" (unless they mean the entire day), etc. They'd need only 1 handout if they simply rephrased to an "hours before procedure" format.

Haha, I waited until he went to sleep to eat! I didn't want to taunt him.

Edited September 25, 2023 by TattleTeeny

[Mindthinkr]

10 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

Haha, I waited until he went to sleep to eat! I didn't want to taunt him.

You are a good girlfriend 💛

[TattleTeeny]

Ahahhahhaaaa, thanks! I made a sandwich and didn't even toast the bread so as not to let him smell anything good! 

Has anyone had this? When he's done, is he going to want to immediately go eat or go back to bed?

[Ohiopirate02]

2 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

Has anyone had this? When he's done, is he going to want to immediately go eat or go back to bed?

Do you remember when you were younger and stayed out all night up until your state's legal last call and you drunkenly stumbled into Waffle House or Denny's and how you were so hungry you could eat a horse?  Because that is what he will be after the procedure.  

[TattleTeeny]

Noted, TY! I believe that I have more than adequately identified with that feeling (though it is not a scenario that is limited to my youth).

[Ohiopirate02]

25 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

Noted, TY! I believe that I have more than adequately identified with that feeling (though it is not a scenario that is limited to my youth).

For me those days are in the rearview mirror (can't eat a big meal after 9pm anymore).  I would make sure you know of somewhere close to the facility with a drive thru for you to stop.  I was my mom's driver when she last got hers, and she was hilarious.  She housed her sandwich in less than 5 minutes.  After her meal, she proceeded to take a long nap as the drugs wore off.

[partofme]

3 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

The vagueness in doctors' handouts of medical-procedure instructions! I'm not talking about super-"official" literature, but more like what a doctor or nurse at an individual practice might give someone as they leave an appointment, usually some old photocopied generic printout typed up in Word. In this case, the instrux for my BF's colonoscopy today. Instead of specific language, it says things like, for example, "it's OK to have water for the rest of the evening." "Evening" is not precise; just say "you can have water until [#] hours before your procedure." I have run into this in other scenarios too.

Also, his appointment is for 3 pm today (Monday). I don't know for sure, but I think this handout's info may be based on an early morning appointment. I don't think he's had any food since Saturday night because the instructions say no food after 10 am on the day before procedure -- another example of where they should just express the exact number of hours before the procedure. (Of course, I couldn't get him to call the dr's office to clarify -- because why take 5 minutes to end the ambiguity?! -- but that's a whole other peeve, haha!) 

This may only apply to women who are still menstruating, so maybe it doesn't apply to your boyfriend, but I think my colonoscopy was around 2PM and I hadn't drank any water that morning and they made me try to pee and I couldn't.  They gave me a drip while I was there to make me pee, I may have sat on the toilet for over a half hour and nothing.  

[TattleTeeny]

Don't girls just always have extra fun in all kinds of situations in life?

[theredhead77]

9 minutes ago, partofme said:

This may only apply to women who are still menstruating, so maybe it doesn't apply to your boyfriend, but I think my colonoscopy was around 2PM and I hadn't drank any water that morning and they made me try to pee and I couldn't.  They gave me a drip while I was there to make me pee, I may have sat on the toilet for over a half hour and nothing.  

Was this for a pregnancy test?

[Ohiopirate02]

9 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

Don't girls just always have extra fun in all kinds of situations in life?

I've heard that there is a new prescription drug for colonoscopy prep that is easier to digest than the standard gallon of GoLytely plus stool softener, and guess which sex gets this prescribed and which one gets the GoLytely?  

[TattleTeeny]

I can imagine. The BF had pills. The only liquid he needed was water. 

[JTMacc99]

Already off to a good start, welcome to Pet Peeves: Health and Wellness Edition!

A safe place to air your grievances.

[partofme]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

Was this for a pregnancy test?

Yeah I think it was to make sure I wasn't pregnant, but they ended up going ahead with the colonoscopy without it.

[Ohiopirate02]

15 minutes ago, partofme said:

Yeah I think it was to make sure I wasn't pregnant, but they ended up going ahead with the colonoscopy without it.

Did they still sedate you with propofol?  That would have been why they wanted the test.

[partofme]

 

38 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Did they still sedate you with propofol?  That would have been why they wanted the test.

I don't know which one it was but they definitely knocked me out for the procedure.

[SoMuchTV]

7 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Do you remember when you were younger and stayed out all night up until your state's legal last call and you drunkenly stumbled into Waffle House or Denny's and how you were so hungry you could eat a horse?  Because that is what he will be after the procedure.  

I’m just gonna say, this may be a ymmv situation. I think I just wanted to go home and nap. Maybe because of the timing of the prep and barely sleeping the prior night. I think the discharge instructions said something about not going overboard about eating. I would have totally ignored that if I was hungry enough, but I don’t remember that being the case. So maybe bring snacks and be prepared to stop for food, but it’s not a given. 

[stewedsquash]

Since I was one who questioned the health peeves being in regular peeve thread I am glad this thread was made, since I have random health related peeves.

I hate Walgreens in my little tiny town. They are the only option. They decided a year ago to limit pharmacy hours to 9:30am to 6:00pm Monday through Friday. 

 

[Cloud9Shopper]

I hate things about health that are necessary but suck, as I’m sure most people feel that way.
 

Flossing. Yes it’s an essential part of dental health. But I wish they made floss picks for larger hands, as I do not use string floss well. I cannot reach all my back teeth to floss the right way. I guess I will just anticipate the day where I can get a Waterpik to use on my back teeth and can floss in the front. 

As a woman: pelvic exams and Paps. I am low risk so I only need a Pap every 3-5 years but I would love to opt out of them forever. I cry so much every time and am terrified of them but I feel like there is almost this bullying factor and shaming of how irresponsible you are as a female if you don’t have pelvics and Paps so I have tried twice to suck it up because everyone says you just have to do it and deal with it. And truthfully I don’t want to ever again, but I know if I ever say I refuse to have them, doctors and anyone else I tell will push me into getting them anyway and tell me how stupid I am, so I won’t really have a choice. It’s just…kind of depressing to think about. Yet I don’t see the same kind of shaming and sneering if a man doesn’t get a prostate exam. 

Long waits at doctors. My ophthalmologist is great and he’s worth the wait (and he has a killer sense of humor) but the days when he’s an hour behind are the worst. Last time I went I was coming off a particularly stressful time at work, so it was even more agitating to sit in a waiting room of people complaining about the wait after I was dealing with angry people at work. And I also need to look for a new primary care doctor because the doctor I was going to canceled my appointments multiple times and then be booked out for months. Liked her, but not that much! 

[Bastet]

50 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Flossing. Yes it’s an essential part of dental health.

I don't floss unless there is something stuck between my teeth.  I cannot explain it, as it doesn't cause my any sort of distress, I have just always found it to be something I refuse to do as a matter of routine.  I've never had a cavity or any gum issues, and the degree of cleaning my teeth need every six months is typical, so my hygienist and dentists have all said no problem to my aversion.

52 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I cry so much every time and am terrified of them

Oh, jeez, what a horrible thing to go through, especially in a setting like an exam room!  Do you know why (not asking you to share the cause if you do, especially if it's a post-trauma response, just wondering if it's a known cause so there's a chance you could try a few situation-specific techniques to, in time, have at least a lesser response)?

[Cloud9Shopper]

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

Oh, jeez, what a horrible thing to go through, especially in a setting like an exam room!  Do you know why (not asking you to share the cause if you do, especially if it's a post-trauma response, just wondering if it's a known cause so there's a chance you could try a few situation-specific techniques to, in time, have at least a lesser response)?

I’d really rather not go into why it makes me so upset, although it’s not a trauma response. Part of it is that I hate I am told that I just have to do it (by doctors, by my family, by general messaging in society) and feel the pressure to go when I would rather not go through a painful procedure for a “screening” of a condition that I am not high risk for. And the first one I finally had at 31, my mom was smiling and laughing at me when I tried to share my distress with her. 

Truthfully I would rather face the small risk of cervical cancer and just accept my fate if I do get diagnosed rather than deal with everyone trying to tell me I just need to go and I should try X and Y and it’s not a big deal because every woman in existence has to have this done. 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Cloud9Shopper

[Bastet]

10 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I’d really rather not go into why it makes me so upset, although it’s not a trauma response.

Yes, I said I wasn't asking you to describe the cause, just wondering if you had identified it yourself.  At any rate, because there are so many women for whom it is a trauma response, there is at long last some movement for trauma-informed medical care in general, and especially ob/gyn care.  So some doctors specify they have studied and provide such care.  If you do decide to have another pelvic exam done in the future, you may want to look for such gynecologists in your area.  It doesn't matter to them why you respond as you do (you can tell them or not), simply that you do, and they respond accordingly.  One doctor described how simple things like inviting patients to tell her if they need a break, or even if they want to come in for multiple non-exam visits beforehand to see if they're comfortable with her, made a noticeable difference.

[annzeepark914]

If a pelvic exam is painful, ask them to use a smaller instrument (they have smaller ones).

[EtheltoTillie]

Okay, here's a disadvantage (albeit minor) of cataract surgery:

For all the decades I wore contact lenses,  I could cut onions without crying.  The lenses really shielded my eyes.  Now I'm tearing up like crazy.  I was reminded of this just now when cutting up one onion.  It varies from onion to onion and day to day. 

Any of those suggestions for how to compensate for this welcome.  My mother used to run cold water while cutting.  I don't think it really worked, but I'm going to try it next time. 

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Okay, here's a disadvantage (albeit minor) of cataract surgery:

For all the decades I wore contact lenses,  I could cut onions without crying.  The lenses really shielded my eyes.  Now I'm tearing up like crazy.  I was reminded of this just now when cutting up one onion.  It varies from onion to onion and day to day. 

Any of those suggestions for how to compensate for this welcome.  My mother used to run cold water while cutting.  I don't think it really worked, but I'm going to try it next time. 

Swim goggles?  Buy sweeter onions (like Vidalia)?

I've never heard of the run cold water thing.  How does that work - just have cold water running nearby while you're cutting?  Please report back!

[EtheltoTillie]

I have some safety goggles I will try.  I think the running water thing is supposed to somehow neutralize the gases rising from the onions.  You have to stand near the water. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Goggles of some kind is the best solution, obviously, as it's a barrier to the eye, as were my contact lenses.  I read a couple of mythbuster type articles, and they debunk all the other solutions, except freezing or chilling the onions, which seems to help a bit. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

7 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Okay, here's a disadvantage (albeit minor) of cataract surgery:

For all the decades I wore contact lenses,  I could cut onions without crying.  The lenses really shielded my eyes.  Now I'm tearing up like crazy.  I was reminded of this just now when cutting up one onion.  It varies from onion to onion and day to day. 

Any of those suggestions for how to compensate for this welcome.  My mother used to run cold water while cutting.  I don't think it really worked, but I'm going to try it next time. 

I always run the onion under cold water before I start slicing and dicing and it prevents me from crying. And I have to wear scleral lenses!

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I always run the onion under cold water before I start slicing and dicing and it prevents me from crying. And I have to wear scleral lenses!

I'm going to try that one too.  That was one of the ideas in the mythbuster articles.  Another one was actually cutting the onions under running water, which was rated to be impractical at best. 

[Mondrianyone]

We have goggles, so I've never tried this, but I've read that if you light a candle in the vicinity of your cutting board, it will burn off the sulfur compounds that are released when you slice into an onion and cause the tearing.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/28/2023 at 10:36 PM, Cloud9Shopper said:

And truthfully I don’t want to ever again, but I know if I ever say I refuse to have them, doctors and anyone else I tell will push me into getting them anyway and tell me how stupid I am, so I won’t really have a choice.

Okay, doctors I can see.  They have all sorts of reasons to push tests/exams on people.  Although I don't generally agree with their broad-brush approach, they have to deal with people, and as we all know, people are the worst.  Oh, and doctors are people, too.

So I completely understand why doctors follow party lines.  But the option there is to say, "No."  The doctor might refuse to see you again as a patient, as happened to me with my fibroids and my preference for a non-surgical option, but if that's the case, good information, and good riddance.  He proved himself to be someone I didn't want as a healthcare partner.

(However back in the day, there was no ability to say "no" if you wanted birth control pills.  I still resent how many "annual exams" I had to have just to get a prescription for birth control pills, despite being perfectly healthy and having no adverse effects whatsoever.  It felt like being a hostage.  I'm fine with missing out on everything young people have access to today that I didn't, except birth control for women without pelvic exams.  That's a huge leap forward.)

But who are the "anyone else"s who are pushing you into a procedure on your own body that you've decided you don't want to have after doing a risk/benefit analysis.  If it's your mother, the one who smiled and laughed at you when you shared your distress after a previous exam, surely you're not allowing her to have any influence over you, on this decision, at least.

Anybody else?

[Cloud9Shopper]

Even when I was already well over 18, my mom was freaking out that I hadn’t had a pelvic and Pap, and I just generally feel there is a lot of pressure in society to get them done. Part of why I tried to suck it up twice was because of the messaging I saw on social media that every woman needs the test and exam and neglecting to go means you’re not taking care of your health. And you just need to get through it no matter what. So I figured I would try to be an adult and get my mom off my back and it seemed like…yeah…everyone else was happy to do it and OK with it so I should be too. 

I guess writing this out makes me feel ridiculous now. I wonder if we badger and shame men the same way if they don’t want a colonoscopy or a prostate check. 

[stewedsquash]

Yes men get badgered and no you don’t sound ridiculous. 
 

 

[isalicat]

Unfortunately cervical cancer is a non-symptomatic potential killer, so a pelvic exam and pap smear are really necessary on a fairly regular basis. Peeve: those speculum *are* uncomfortable and many doctors don't really appreciate how humiliating the whole process can be. Nonetheless, if you ask for a smaller size instrument (make sure they warm it up in advance too) and find a (woman) doctor who is specifically empathetic to patients who really, really hate the whole thing, it will be worth it. We have mammograms and pelvic exams/pap smears not because they are fun, but because they can quite literally save your life (my mammogram saved mine - finding cancer before I would have known and before it could spread outside the breast).

[annzeepark914]

On 10/1/2023 at 8:25 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

Okay, here's a disadvantage (albeit minor) of cataract surgery:

For all the decades I wore contact lenses,  I could cut onions without crying.  The lenses really shielded my eyes.  Now I'm tearing up like crazy.  I was reminded of this just now when cutting up one onion.  It varies from onion to onion and day to day. 

Any of those suggestions for how to compensate for this welcome.  My mother used to run cold water while cutting.  I don't think it really worked, but I'm going to try it next time. 

I read recently that if you wipe the knife with olive oil, that the oil will prevent tearing. Haven't tried it yet (keep forgetting).

3 minutes ago, isalicat said:

We have mammograms and pelvic exams/pap smears not because they are fun, but because they can quite literally save your life (my mammogram saved mine - finding cancer before I would have known and before it could spread outside the breast).

I had my mammogram a week ago.  Don't you love it when the tech says, "Don't breathe"? As if I were still breathing at that point. This is when I always think that if men had to place their precious body part in between the vise, there would've been a pain-free exam decades ago. Why can't we all just have MRI's?

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/2/2023 at 2:09 PM, Cloud9Shopper said:

Part of why I tried to suck it up twice was because of the messaging I saw on social media that every woman needs the test and exam and neglecting to go means you’re not taking care of your health.

What business is it of anybody else's how you take care of your health?  Especially people on social media, which is not exactly known as a fount of well-considered opinions based on deep research and serious thought, and is definitely not tailored to individuals. 

And even your friends.  When my friends remind me to get whatever screening they've just gotten, I just say, "Okay."  I don't need their approval of MY decisions on MY healthcare, and I've learned that advice of this sort is a one-way street.  It's entirely permissible, and some think laudable, to tell people "Get your X screening," but nobody wants to hear from the person suggesting a judicious and personal analysis, including one's risk of having whatever it is the screening is for, the inherent risks in even getting certain screenings, never mind the false positives (which are bad enough) and false negatives (which have their own set of issues that nobody ever thinks about--if they get a favorable test result that's the end of the story, but is it, really?  Even statistically?).  Then there's the possibility of overdiagnosis. 

I get it, because people don't like statistics and appear to understand them even less than they like them.  But as with so many "guidelines," the people who come up with them have a goal, and that goal might not actually coincide with one's personal goals for their own health, and definitely doesn't (and can't) take into consideration anything any of us have going on individually (like you).  (See the recent discussion on one of the forums here about getting a covid and flu vaccine at the same time.  It led me to not double up my covid shot with a flu shot, and I bet I don't bother to get a flu shot (not unusual--I've gotten a flu shot only 2 or 3 times in my life).  And I'm sure the authorities will see my not doubling up as an utter failure in public health.)

Not that you asked for my advice, but I have experience as a deviator from the party line when it comes to healthcare.  As I said, when people say, "Don't forget to get your colonoscopy" or whatever, I just say okay. 

In your case, there's zero reason anyone needs to know your pap smear schedule.  If someone tell you theirs, fine.  There's no requirement that you respond with yours (or lack thereof). 

If you're willing to accept the risks of not getting a particular screening for whatever reason, that's your choice.  Nobody can make you do it, not even a doctor.  Just say no, and sit in silence with your decision.

12 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Why can't we all just have MRI's?

I guess I'm lucky--mammograms have never been painful to me at all.

As for having everyone get MRIs instead, are the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen considered reliable sources? 

https://www.komen.org/breast-cancer/screening/mri/

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/screening-tests-and-early-detection/breast-mri-scans.html

[EtheltoTillie]

My health pet peeve:  nonsensical lingo ever since the Feds created all those crazy diagnosis codes (I should cross post with grammar, but it really isn't grammar).

From a real medical chart, instead of bilateral mastectomies, the form lists

Z90.11 (acquired absence of right breast and nipple)

Z90.12 (acquired absence of left breast and nipple)

Why doesn't it say surgical removal instead of acquired absence?  Who thinks like this?

Edited October 4, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I guess I'm lucky--mammograms have never been painful to me at all.

Same here.  I feel pressure, sure, but no pain.

[annzeepark914]

I don't know where I heard this, but taking two Advil an hour before the actual mammogram is supposed to help with the pain. I've been doing it ever since learning this and all I can say is that I think it helps a bit (I'll take a bit!!)

[nokat]

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

Same here.  I feel pressure, sure, but no pain.

You are lucky. I have had a history of cysts that would hurt like hell during a mammogram. Thankfully after menopause that has stopped but it still hurts a bit.

[roseha]

I thought I could take a mental break at this point from most of my doctor visits but got a call today about starting up with Evenity, an infusion treatment for my osteoporosis.  I had been discussing this for a long time with my endocrinologist but then the rheumatologist I've been seeing all year offered to take over the issue and it's so much easier for me to walk down a few blocks to her floor and get it done.  I've had the reclast infusion so I'm sure this won't hurt either but I just don't feel ready to do this every 4 weeks for the next year.  I'm going to start on Wednesday since if I don't the November appointment will run into Thanksgiving week.

It's just a mental thing really.   I can't complain what with the vasculitis being under control now, but sometimes all this gets mentally tiring I guess.  I have a pulmonary visit this week too but it didn't make sense to reschedule anything.

On the good side nearly all the doctors I've seen in the past year, other than my PCP, are within walking distance, so that actually makes it feel a little less stressful.   I did worry that I'd have to walk to have my mammogram as it was scheduled during the UN General Assembly but by the second week the traffic wasn't an issue anymore.

[Ancaster]

On 9/30/2023 at 8:43 PM, annzeepark914 said:

If a pelvic exam is painful, ask them to use a smaller instrument (they have smaller ones).

Is there a reason smaller (less invasive? less painful?) ones aren't used as a matter of course?  And warmed up?  And "administered" by someone kind and empathetic?

Every time I have a pelvic exam/pap smear all I can think is "A man invented this" and "Why hasn't a more humane, less dehumanizing, less humiliating, way of doing this been found."

Spoiler: may be triggering for victims of sexual abuse or DV.

Mods: Please remove if this is not okay to post.

Spoiler

It also takes me back to the last time I had sex with my ex-husband when he was drunk and forced himself on me, because during a physical I am in the same physical position as I was then ("missionary") and feel the same vulnerability I did (and yes, for "forced" read "raped").  (My ex wasn't a violent man and had never hurt me or threatened me ever, but the alcohol meant he didn't hear/understand/misinterpreted "no" and me trying to push him away, and I wasn't strong enough to stop him.)

I can't be the only woman for whom a standard pelvic exam causes distress for similar reasons.

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by Ancaster

[PRgal]

I don't know if this qualifies as health or general peeve - or even mental health, but as you probably know, I'm super-sick and tired of the anti-diet philosophy because my eating more healthfully than the so-called "general public" and my distaste of anything super-sweet (especially fake sweet) is interpreted as me being "on a diet."  In other words, trying to lose weight.  Comments like "you don't need to lose weight, so why aren't you having any fun?"  Different people have different ideas of what "fun" means.  I didn't grow up this way, so I don't want to eat this way.  I like pumpkin, but not PSLs of any kind.  I used to make myself drink a very modified PSL once a year (one pump of syrup, no whip...and the smallest size possible - a short), just to get into the spirit of things, but was grossed out every time.  I've now decided to just get the pumpkin seasoning.  Much better, thank you very much.  It really angers me and makes me uncomfortable when people say these things.  

[Cloud9Shopper]

Scheduling doctor’s appointments. I need to go to the eye doctor soon, so I filled out the appointment request online and picked a time that worked for me from the calendar. I returned their voice mail to confirm my contact info and insurance and the lady who answered the phone says well we have this time on the day you chose (that was not a convenient time, which is why I didn’t choose it). Why did you let me pick the better time online if it wasn’t available then? 

It’s not an emergency appointment but it is pet peeve worthy. 

[annzeepark914]

My achilles tendonitis is worse 🤬. Just had a consult with my PCP who recommended I see a podiatrist she thinks highly of (as opposed to the 3 orthopedic foot/ankle specialists I've seen these past two years who had no effective treatment...an MRI showed nada!). One did tell me I had a bone spur on each heel. Anyone here been through this misery?

 

[PRgal]

On 10/3/2023 at 9:04 PM, annzeepark914 said:

I read recently that if you wipe the knife with olive oil, that the oil will prevent tearing. Haven't tried it yet (keep forgetting).

I had my mammogram a week ago.  Don't you love it when the tech says, "Don't breathe"? As if I were still breathing at that point. This is when I always think that if men had to place their precious body part in between the vise, there would've been a pain-free exam decades ago. Why can't we all just have MRI's?

I get both because I have dense breasts and am also in a high risk group due to my genetic condition.  And when you have super-tiny boobs, that mammo machine barely grabs on to anything! 

[bmasters9]

One pet peeve of mine when it comes to my health is the headaches I get from time to time, usually sinus or allergy headaches-- those hurt so dang bad, sometimes I cannot eat supper (and that's a bother because many a time, my mother has made some fine dishes, and if I cannot enjoy them because of this kind of headache, it makes me feel very awful).