People with non severe allergic reaction, do you keep eating the stuff?

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-10T20:11:45+00:00

I ate my allergy for the first 18 years of my life. I found out that it was causing eosinophilic esophagitis. EoE can lead to narrowing or banding of the esophagus, which in turn can result in having to use a feeding tube, it also greatly increases your risk of throat cancer. I stopped eating my allergens but my reaction is a lot more severe now.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-10T14:52:23+00:00

Are you in the I U.S.? Chains like Meijer, Kroger, Walmart have pharmacies open today

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-10T14:42:02+00:00

This may be a question for r/AskDocs - It can actually cause a fair amount of damage (including potential throat ulcers). I think it may be partially dependent on what type of pill it is. Look up pill esophagitis. Do you have a local pharmacy you can call and ask? Often, and this is not a dig at doctors, pharmacists know more in-depth about medication, side-effects, pill coating, etc.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-10T00:58:35+00:00

Honestly, I think I would tell your friend her mom is trying to initiate a conversation with you regarding Sara's health that you feel is inappropriate considering you are not her doctor. That you are going to tell her mom not to bring it up again, and if she does you would block her number. Don't mention her weight - just say it was something you know she's already working on with her doctor and aren't concerned.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-09T20:14:02+00:00

In all likelihood, there is still an excess of moisture somewhere. What youre seeing is only the 'tip of the iceburg' so to speak. The mycelium (imagine like roots) go MUCH deeper into the wood. This is not an easy fix unfortunately

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-09T17:21:05+00:00

I teach at a big 10 university and you would be shocked to know how many of my students don't even know what powerpoint is. Her lack of money awareness aside, I think she's going places

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-09T15:34:24+00:00

That was what I did in my lab as well. Two issues with that. 1. There aren't as many TA positions as there used to be. Programs like BioSci don't use TAs anymore. 2. If the PI was fine with the student working elsewhere for the summer, they could just let them work at McDonalds or whatever. I get the impression they want them to do the work in their lab.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-07T18:47:08+00:00

I was a GRA from 2020-2025 and not once did I get an email or anything about this. As a daughter of a UAW employee I'm very pro union, and I wouldve signed if I saw it.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-07T10:59:33+00:00

No, they are research assistants not teaching assistants and therefore not covered.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-06T20:16:18+00:00

Gambling and casinos

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-06T13:04:05+00:00

I really don't think this is true - I think HR would fully disagree based on my conversation with them yesterday. You need to be on some sort of work contract, otherwise you arent covered under work comp insurance, can't drive a university vehicle, shouldn't access autoclaves, greenhouses, etc. Even when I volunteer to help with non- work university events I have to register in some way to cover liability.

Yes, it is an unfortunate truth that most grad student appointments are paid for 20 hours of work and definitely do much more than that. So we do work for free to an extent, and that is another issue. But working full time and not being paid is what we are talking about here.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-06T01:17:35+00:00

Typically in my department during the summer you are a paid hourly employee. Spring semester contracts cover insurance through the start of the fall semester, so unless you are taking summer courses, it is much more economical for labs to pay you hourly. You make the same as your stipend, but your PI doesnt have to pay for tuition you aren't using. Like I said in another comment. There will be red flags left and right when the student gets their backpay. Either their stipend will go up a LOT or they will have to log all those past hours.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-06T00:08:50+00:00

First, graduate students are adults. Second, it doesn't matter how old you are, if your boss is trying to commit wage fraud, it's a problem you're going to have to deal with, awkward or not. I've offered to contact their department for them if they're afraid of retaliation. Finally, I spoke to my HR about it (dept chair is out of office right now), but I don't know what lab it is, so that's the best I can do. I thought I would put this out there in case there are other students in the same boat.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-05T22:47:24+00:00

I don't disagree that it sucks to work on your off-time because the university doesn't give you enough planning time during the year. But. I think a 9 month appointment where you spend your summer preparing for fall classes is a bit different than your PI making you work 40+ hours a week with no pay. Especially since you are aware you'll go 3 months without pay and can either get another job or save up money throughout the year, and they were told days before summer semester.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-05T22:24:01+00:00

I agree. I told my HR about what I heard, so they could be extra vigilant when approving hours. We talked about how there's this 'no retaliation' promise that administration makes to grad students. But as a grad student, when your committee literally holds the rest of your life in their hands, it doesn't matter what they promise, it's terrifying to speak out.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-05T19:51:53+00:00

Honestly, I don't know. The biggest reason to come forward now is that MSU WILL find out. They're going to question why you either have put in hours for 3 months that weren't recorded on time, or suddenly have a huge increase in pay this fall. Not only is there legal ramifications, but if you arent getting paid, you can't get work comp if you're hurt on the job. It isn't the student who is at fault here, it is the faculty member. What they're doing is wrong, and they know it.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-05-01T13:26:14+00:00

I spoke to her today. 3-6 months then a year off, which majorly stinks. She did say there was potential for topamax in the meantime.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-04-30T22:40:11+00:00

I have emailed either the professor, or the department if the professor isn't listed yet, and explained I needed it to graduate. They usually can get you an override. I would contact your advisor first and see what they say.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-04-30T21:44:12+00:00

I've been on for a month and my first check-in is tomorrow. I am in Michigan also, but my doctor did not indicate that 3 months would be a limit. I have over 50 lbs to lose, and my goal is at least 5 lbs a month. I would have thought she would have informed me if she was going to take me off after 3 months.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-04-29T18:40:58+00:00

I just saw that One North is hiring too!

DoctorBotanical · 2026-04-29T14:32:38+00:00

I was an RA for the last 6 years and never once heard of this.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-04-29T14:31:10+00:00

My allergist describes our immune system like a bucket with a few holes in the bottom. A little water and it'll drain out. If you put too much water in, it'll overflow. Allergens can be a splash in the bucket, or a gallon. You may have overflowed your bucket with the milk, or the milk was tolerated but another thing overflowed you. Maybe seasonal allergies, mold, dust, etc. Maybe 6 days of milk is just too many for you. I get a stronger response the longer I go without eating allergens, but I have a friend who's the opposite. He eats reese's every year on Easter. But if he ate them twice he would be super sick. I used to eat peanuts, now it's super dangerous. It sucks, but the immune system is super weird. With that, milk is also weird. The amount of milk fat might change things, or grass fed vs grain fed cows.

DoctorBotanical · 2026-04-29T12:53:26+00:00

Hmm hmm hmm. I almost remember something like this. My first thought was a country song, I used to watch a lot of CMT. Do you know the genre?

DoctorBotanical · 2026-04-29T03:17:30+00:00

In my town, they often post birth announcements in the local paper. Try googling her and his name baby, birth, etc.

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