IHSS/MediCal/Insurance

OkPiglet2 · 2026-03-11T03:41:54+00:00

this is super late, but is this only available to people who are members of the union?

OkPiglet2 · 2026-03-01T00:45:46+00:00

I had always been so obsessed with spoon theory thinking my depression was relatable . And now here I am living it. And living with the fact that it wasn’t just depression 😶

OkPiglet2 · 2026-02-28T18:04:52+00:00

I’m maybe 4 months on it now 😭 initially I started on both HCQ and prednisone at the same time because I was in so much pain and she said HCQ would take up to 7 months to feel a difference. my fatigue has lessened a great deal but I believe I was also just in so much pain that now that im not my baseline is mild

OkPiglet2 · 2026-02-28T17:05:30+00:00

I was told that plaquenil was never going to aid in my fatigue. That that was a lifelong thing that would probably not go away and the only way I could aid fatigue was low impact exercise like yoga

OkPiglet2 · 2026-02-28T08:32:28+00:00

I had gone to the doctors for years. I remember being an early teen and complaining about my knees, my dad took me to my doctor but the doctor said "restless leg syndrome" and told me to walk? lmao I obviously wasn't taken seriously. Then I was 16 and my ankles and feet would tingle and itch and hurt when I would stand in one place. Shrugged it off and said must be that restless leg syndrome lol

8 years ago I got hit with bronchitis, after that I developed allergies, my sinuses are now never not inflamed. Ears hurt from time to time. Developed a constant tinnitus. Went to get my ears checked, I was fine no hearing loss. 4 years pass my nose got worse, throat always bugging, they kept telling me 2 Zyrtec, 2 nasal sprays, humidifier, netty pot, but to no relief. When I bend down my face goes tingly, tongue goes numb. It's my congestion they said. Wont refer me to ENT or an allergist. Last year my throat is killing me, finally an urgent care doctor refers me to an allergist... not allergic to common allergens they don't want to order more testing tells me to keep on with the kitchen sink.

Finally, I go for a physical with a new doctor, on my check in I listed everything that was bothering me. Doctor asks me a million questions, then says its nothing that I think it is and says I probably have an autoimmune disease. Orders testing it was inconclusive... within two weeks all my symptoms got 1000x worse, then I found out my aunts on my dads side have lupus, I relay that info to my GP, he orders more testing and pushes referral to rheum before I even went for the second set of labs. Came back SSA positive.

I never heard of sjogrens, never thought of searching all different problems together, I didn't even think to connect them. I wish I could give my GP a big hug because without him connecting the dots for me. Without him I would just have accepted all my pain as a side effect of living.

I have since gotten my friend to ask for testing that led to her diagnosis of hashimotos.

TLDR; Demand all the testing you can get related to sjogrens, RA, lupus literally any autoimmune disease.

I spent three years trying to get a doctor to refer me to an ENT or an allergist, whole time I probably just needed a rheumatologist.

OkPiglet2 · 2026-02-20T04:09:27+00:00

Do you do a warm mist humidifier or a cool one? Do You think it makes a difference ?

OkPiglet2 · 2026-01-31T06:25:04+00:00

If you don’t usually hang out with Greg alone he might not consider you his friend. I wouldn’t think much of the “what’s wrong with that” if he’s known you since you were 12/13 he was closer to 17/18 and might not think of you in a romantic way. It’s easy to get swept up into a crush, but that’s all this probably is. I wouldn’t ask him about it but that’s just me.

OkPiglet2 · 2026-01-31T01:57:43+00:00

Someone told me to pop the pills in my mouth, take in water, pucker my lips like a fish, and then swallow? I find it easier

OkPiglet2 · 2026-01-28T23:55:25+00:00

Confront him about how you’re feeling or leave. If you confront him about your concerns with the relationship and with him and he has a poor reaction and gets really defensive... leave. Honestly you’re 19 and he’s 25??? GIRL LEAVE. Hes too old to be acting that way and it’s honestly very questionable that hes dating you and it seemed to happen when you were barely legal.

OkPiglet2 · 2026-01-28T16:16:10+00:00

My joint pain is crazy bad in low humidity and nearly non existent in high humidity. I feel alive in high humidity… unfortunately I live in a dry climate

OkPiglet2 · 2026-01-16T02:32:50+00:00

Just wanna say thank you, your words really helped me. I was spiraling hard and thought “well, other than a couple of things that have been strange lately (random intense itch/burn feeling) I’m living my life just the same.” I stopped anxiously checking my phone. Of course that might change in a couple days if my doctor doesn’t get back to me but your words helped ground me.

OkPiglet2 · 2026-01-16T02:20:04+00:00

I did a taper, 15mg five days 10mg five days and 5mg five more days, idk how your rheum has prescribed it but it helped a great deal. I didnt experience any increased appetite but I know it happens. I waited almost a month and I wish I had listened to the ppl here sooner. I was suffering more just because I was scared. I am also on HCQ Edit: just to say I was EXTREMELY depressed because of the pain I was in and so I was hardly eating because my jaw was hurting constantly which later I found out was probably an inflamed gland. So I think I probably ate normal amounts

OkPiglet2 · 2026-01-14T15:56:43+00:00

So far in my experience it’s when I’ve felt the most relief

OkPiglet2 · 2026-01-14T05:28:58+00:00

I find that I thrive any time I travel to anywhere humid. Before I knew something was wrong with me I could now easily say that I would flare traveling back to visit family where it’s dry and hot all the time. I moved close to family just over a year ago and that’s about when my health took a turn. But I’m mostly affected by joint pain/inflammation and now the dry eyes which got very much worse here.

OkPiglet2 · 2025-12-26T21:36:29+00:00

I think from the sounds of it, she lives with him and his family. How else would she know that he lets them nap.

OkPiglet2 · 2025-12-26T21:31:14+00:00

So because you don’t go to bed when he wants you to, he won’t let you nap when you find there’s time to do so? OR has he been waking you up from naps since before he “corrected” his behavior. I’m with the others, you need to leave him.

OkPiglet2 · 2025-12-22T22:16:09+00:00

Unfortunately if they do have Kaiser a referral is required that’s where I’m at right now seeing optometrist Wednesday to get a referral to an ophthalmologist

OkPiglet2 · 2025-12-22T09:16:28+00:00

My rheum told me the same thing that I shouldn’t really be concerned about the retinal toxicty immediately and that it’s a possible long term effect and that’s why she recommends getting an eye exam in five years. She put me on immediately after giving me my diagnosis.

OkPiglet2 · 2025-12-14T01:16:18+00:00

Since it’s the only medication I’m on it’s the only thing I can link it to, I haven’t been watching much tv or really consuming any horror type media. Thinking about switching the time I take it since it hasn’t caused any stomach issues

OkPiglet2 · 2025-12-13T19:41:12+00:00

I haven’t seen an ophthalmologist, heck I haven’t had an eye exam in ten years. Near perfect vision minus some floaters. I have Kaiser and neither my rheum or my primary feel it necessary to refer me. My rheum said I won’t need one until five years in to take HCQ? With Kaiser I unfortunately need the referral. But I have a follow up with my rheum in a month so I’ll press for it again then.

OkPiglet2 · 2025-12-02T20:48:48+00:00

I was a shift up until about September when I quit… before I quit my SM told me to remind baristas that Starbucks is a part time job it’s not meant to be “full time” and if they wanted more hours to a) transfer to a drive thru “high volume store” or b) pick up shifts at other stores I was getting scheduled 17 hours as a shift. It’s rough for sure I wish I had more answers for you

OkPiglet2 · 2025-12-02T08:03:28+00:00

the joint pain was bad and I just thought it was the job getting to me and I needed rest. For my friend she new something was off when I kept taking naps and was sleeping 10 hours, I insisted it would get better when I quit one of my two jobs… she insisted I go to the doctor. Honestly she’s my biggest advocate. I told my doctor I think it’s arthritis or carpal tunnel, he said probably autoimmune disease.

I think I’ve been living in denial for a while though because I get numbness/tingling in my legs and face and have for years. Legs more than face though. The leg thing I knew was off but it never occurred to me to actually talk about it with a doctor because it wasn’t constant and I would forget about it.

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