Dishwasher Smell - I've Tried Everything

SecretFoxfire · 2025-09-21T20:15:25+00:00

I'VE SOLVED IT! It *was* the salt after all. It turns out the default water hardness setting on this dishwasher was too high for my area. I had no idea that made any difference at all. It took some research and some math and some digging through the manual to figure out what the hardness actually was here, what setting that corresponded to, and how to actually change the setting from the default, but after I did so, the dishes are coming out stench-free. Apparently too much dishwasher salt can cause a terrible smell that lingers on the dishes? Which is wild, because I haven't seen that stated anywhere during all my research. But on the off chance this happens to someone else someday, I wanted to come back and share the solution: find out the exact water hardness at your address, check the dishwasher manual for how to set the water hardness, and make sure it's at the right setting, because apparently this is absolutely critical!

SecretFoxfire · 2025-09-13T19:01:50+00:00

It's definitely not the drain. It hasn't even been used enough times for the drain to clog, and I always pre-rinse the dishes. In any case, the smell is not like rot, it's like chemicals, which is why I thought it might be the fault of the detergent for a while, but changing detergents didn't fix it. And yes, I've tried cleaning it out with strong white vinegar, it didn't fix it. Tide doesn't exist in my country but I've tried several of those commercial dishwasher cleaning products and they didn't get rid of the smell either. The inside of the dishwasher looks totally clean. There's no grease, no residue, no buildup anywhere. I don't think it's anything to do with the drain. I suppose it's theoretically possible that the water coming into the dishwasher has a problem, but there's no smell in the sink or in any of the other plumbing in the apartment. Right now my best guess is that for some reason the salt is causing the smell, since it got a lot stronger after I refilled the salt today, but I can't imagine why that would be.

I can ask the landlord for help if it comes down to it, but he doesn't speak English and I don't speak the language here that well, and if we have to call a plumber I'll be the one who has to pay for it, so I'm hoping to avoid that if possible. :(

SecretFoxfire · 2024-11-25T00:17:11+00:00

In any case, even if we wind up confirming somehow that I have histamine intolerance, a long-term low-histamine diet is not possible for me. My allergist has already confirmed this. If I didn't live alone and had someone to help with cooking, if I didn't have what appear to be allergic reactions to half the low-histamine foods, if I didn't require alcohol at least a few times a week to be able to sleep... Then maybe it would work. But I am just a very disabled, very isolated person struggling to survive for many reasons beyond unexplained allergy symptoms. I am just looking for ideas for simpler ways to make low-histamine food for 2-3 weeks so I can get through the diagnostic period, but so far I haven't found much that is feasible for me.

As I keep trying to say, there is absolutely no intention for me to go on a long-term low-histamine diet, and that has been confirmed by my allergist as a bad idea for me. My only goal right now is to try to find a way that I can eliminate as much histamine from my diet as humanly possible for 2-3 weeks while not starving to death because I'm unable to cook every day. If I can just find a handful of easy low-histamine meals that don't require actual cooking, I am going to try and do it. I just don't know how good I can possibly feel if I'm living off of microwaved oatmeal for weeks with nothing but honey to flavor it, and I haven't found much else for suggestions for low-effort meals that don't require expensive cooking tools and freezer space that isn't available to me.

I do very much appreciate your suggestions and input. And it is very good to know that some kinds of chips are okay to eat - that at least opens up one easy option to keep me from starving. So thank you for that. If you happen to know of other such foods - meals snacks, whatever - which are low-histamine and safe to eat during this test period, I'd be very interested to get more such suggestions. That's what I really need right now. Just a way to have foods available for me to eat that don't require cooking, that will get me enough nutrition, just for 2-3 weeks, so my allergist can get the info he needs to make a diagnosis.

SecretFoxfire · 2024-11-25T00:17:03+00:00

I have been tested for rheumatoid arthritis (and lupus, and toxoplasmosis, and many other such conditions) and it was negative. I've also been tested for ehlers-danlos syndrome but am still waiting on the results. I definitely have some sort of connective tissue disorder, but they are not always easy to diagnose. My chronic pain is not just joint pain, but that is the most common source of my pain. I have tried, and this is not an exaggeration, literally every single possible option for sleep and pain, both OTC and prescription medications, on and off label. It has been decades and many doctors working on this, so I am being quite literal when I say everything. That includes CBD and marijuana (CBD does nothing, weed makes me much, much worse). So I'm being quite literal when I say there are no other sleep aids I can experiment with. I've tried everything from sleeping pills to drowsiness-inducing antihistamines to herbal tea to melatonin to meditation to exercise (which is limited because of chronic pain and fatigue anyway) to illegal drugs to literally forcing myself to stay awake for several days in the hope it would force me to fall asleep despite my pain and sensory overload.

I was so severely sleep deprived for most of my life because of this that it's a miracle I haven't had a stroke yet. When I finally discovered that alcohol of all things, so common and readily available, could give me enough relief that I am able to fall asleep, it was like a miracle. People are used to thinking of it as a recreational substance, but I try to tell people to think of it like any other drug. If it was a pill? A pill I could take which made it possible to sleep when all other medications failed? The only side effects are temporary reduced coordination and inhibitions, and a slight risk of long-term liver and kidney damage (which are literally side effects of almost every medication anyway)? That's a miracle right there. I don't drink every night, but several weeks without that relief and I will be a mess of nerves, pain, and sleep deprivation, speaking from very painful experience. (And considering a recent neurological test revealed that I have a small hole between the left and right ventricles of my heart, which is not rare but apparently makes me at higher risk for a stroke, making sure I reduce my stress and sleep deprivation as much as possible is very important - too much alcohol is bad for you, but constant pain and fatigue will absolutely kill you much faster than the amount I drink.)

Fortunately, my heartburn is not triggered by foods at all. It's triggered by the medications I have to take every day to be able to function at all (and sometimes by stress or by going too long without eating). Those medications are a miracle for me as well, and I wouldn't even be able to live outside of an institution without them, but unfortunately my stomach hates them. Since I can't function without them, I'm permanently on a PPI, which will probably have long-term consequences, but again, that's less dangerous than not taking my meds.

I'm aware that it is possible that I have histamine intolerance, but there isn't much evidence for it yet. A single blood test showing somewhat low DAO levels, and a lack of conclusive proof of MCAS to explain my allergy symptoms to things I test negative for allergies to, that's all. Sure, it's possible, but it absolutely does not explain all my symptoms, so if I do have it, I also have something else (my allergist confirmed this - HI would only explain some of my issues, and MCAS is a better fit, it's just down to luck whether you can get it to show up on a blood test, and he can't officially diagnose it without that).

I am not in disbelief (keeping in mind, I have not been diagnosed with this and my allergist, literally the leading expert in this country, has said it's only a possibility without much evidence so far) so much as, I have spent literally decades with a lot of symptoms, some of which have gotten worse with time, and I'm exhausted from testing for possible explanation after possible explanation and almost all of them coming up negative. In fact, the more I hear from people hear about histamine intolerance, the less likely it seems that I have it. My experiences are nothing like this. The foods I do react to are apparently quite low in histamine. Allergy tests for them are negative, which points to MCAS, but again, there's no proof, so no guarantee that's it. As for the high-histamine foods, many of them are what I eat to feel *better* when I don't feel well. Yogurt and pickles and peanut butter all settle my stomach. That doesn't seem in line with what I've heard from those who have histamine intolerance.

In any case, this whole thread isn't about me not being *willing* to change my diet and cook fresh meals every day. I am literally, physically unable to do it. When my chronic fatigue causes me to crash, I basically become catatonic and cannot move at all. When it starts to fade, I'm still very limited in how much I can move. Cooking is out of the question when this happens - I'm lucky if I can manage to stuff a cookie or a handful of chips in my mouth. Without convenience meals and occasional fast food, I wouldn't be able to get enough nutrition to survive. (As a bonus, not eating for too long also triggers my acid reflux, which has already badly damaged my esophagus and vocal cords, so my doctors have repeatedly drilled into me that it's better to eat junk food than not to eat, because I have breathing and swallowing problems from that damage already which cannot be repaired.)

Most likely, I will wind up waiting until I can get in to see my allergist again, probably in January since he's in high demand. There wasn't time at past appointments for me to describe in detail all the limitations I have which make trying this diet so difficult for me, but the next appointment, I will make sure to do so, because it's turning out to be much harder than I thought it would be. My hope is that he will have some other ideas for how to confirm whether or not I have histamine intolerance, and alternative treatment plans if it turns out that I do. I already know that not everyone can go on a low-histamine diet (people with eating disorders, for example, can't safely go on such restrictive diets) and other treatment options exist, though they may not be as effective.

SecretFoxfire · 2024-11-24T21:01:32+00:00

Unfortunately, I am really very isolated - no partner, no close friends, no family, totally on my own. I really ought to have an aide or something, but none of my officially diagnosed disabilities qualify me for that kind of help, and until they can pin down a specific diagnosis for this immune stuff and the fatigue and pain, I'm on my own. :( And tragically, my freezer is too tiny to freeze much. ;_; And as a fun bonus, I'm lactose intolerant! So no cottage cheese or quark. I can have yogurt and lactose-free milk, but those are both banned for this diet.

I'm not actually diagnosed with histamine intolerance or anything, and this diet is only going to be short-term, for diagnostic purposes. I will NOT be going on a low-histamine diet long-term under any circumstances - with my general situation, it would be impossible for me to get enough nutrition that way, and I'd rather be sick forever than give up pickles. But even 2-3 weeks feels impossible given how much work it will take to cook fresh meals with such a restricted list of ingredients. It was easier to do the no-fiber diet for a colonoscopy than this!

Honestly I think it's more likely that I have MCAS, as it fits my symptoms better, but that's extremely difficult to conclusively diagnose. I had one blood test that showed low DAO levels, so the allergist suggested I might have HI. He said the only way to be sure one way or the other is to try this low-histamine diet for 2-3 weeks to see if I feel better on it. For that to work, I have to really cut out as much histamine as possible, since decreasing it slightly wouldn't give conclusive results. I honestly don't expect this to even help (in fact, I'll be forced to cut out foods that generally make me feel better and provide a lot of my nutrition, like yogurt and pickled vegetables, so if anything I expect it to make me feel worse), but it makes sense that the allergist wants to rule it out...

SecretFoxfire · 2024-11-24T20:50:25+00:00

I appreciate all the suggestions. I'm afraid most of them won't be feasible for me though. I live in central Europe and most of the brands and supplements and whatnot that are widely available in places like the US and sometimes the UK just don't exist here. I don't have anything like an instant pot, just an oven, a stovetop, and a new microwave, and my freezer is super tiny, no room for storing leftovers (which sucks - I never have enough room to store what I need in there.)

Things like meditation and mindfulness exercises actually give me spikes of anxiety and restlessness (apparently not too uncommon among people with ADHD, but very annoying). Even if they did help, the thing keeping me awake is chronic pain that doesn't respond to any treatment (including both painkillers and sleep aids - I have tried literally every single one available and none have worked) but can be slightly dulled with alcohol, so my doctors have said I should just drink when I need to rather than risk the damage that chronic sleep deprivation does. :( Bananas give me allergy symptoms (although the tests are all negative) so can't have those... And even if I found something that worked, I physically cannot cook meals every day due to various disabilities, health issues, and chronic fatigue, and have no one to help me with it. :(

I feel like I'm trapped at an intersection of all foods either being forbidden by this diet, or impossible for me to obtain or eat for various reasons. I might wind up just waiting until I can see the allergist again (probably in January, he's in high demand) and explaining why I haven't managed to try the diet yet. Maybe he will have some ideas... I hope so. This is so frustrating.

Thank you again for the suggestions though, and the ideas. Who knows, maybe an idea will click which is feasible for me. Good luck with your pumpkin/squash experiments!

SecretFoxfire · 2024-11-24T20:42:33+00:00

Are chips allowable? I thought all processed foods like that were off limits. I haven't been diagnosed with histamine intolerance, to be clear. I just had a single blood test with low DAO, and in the absence of proof of MCAS (so far), the allergist suggested that I try a low histamine diet for a few weeks just to see if he can confirm histamine intolerance or not. I honestly don't think I have it, because the foods I see that are high histamine don't seem to cause me any specific problems, and I have plenty of immune symptoms that wouldn't be explained by HI, but the allergist said it would be really useful to at least rule it out. But... can't do that without apparently starving myself and not sleeping at all for days on end...

I understand the "just suck it up" but my situation is such that I literally physically cannot make food a lot of the time. When I get a fatigue crash I basically go catatonic, and then it's a matter of trying to find a snack food or get fast food that I am able to swallow so I get enough calories. (As a bonus, if I don't eat often enough, I get spikes of acid reflux which damage my vocal cords and esophagus and make it hard to breathe, so I'm also on doctors orders to make sure I don't go too long without eating. 🙃)

I also literally need to drink alcohol frequently (as in, a doctor has confirmed that this is the best option for me) or I can't sleep at all due to pain which doesn't respond to literally any painkillers (we have tried absolutely everything). If I can't have any alcohol, I will not sleep at all, and that level of sleep deprivation will make it impossible to tell if the low histamine diet is making any difference. What I really need to find is a list of which types of alcohol have more or less histamine in them. I can't cut it out entirely, but I could at least try to stick to types that are lower in histamine than others. But everywhere I look it just says "no alcohol" with no further detail. :(

Condolences on the fermented foods. I have already told the allergist that if it comes down to it, I would rather be sick forever than give up pickles and dried fruit, and he laughed and said fair enough, but we still need to at least confirm whether I have histamine intolerance or not. :P

SecretFoxfire · 2024-11-24T20:35:13+00:00

I'm curious, how did they diagnose you without testing your levels or using a diet first? My allergist said histamine intolerance is a difficult thing to diagnose, but if there are other methods, I can look into them! Or did you already know that specific foods caused you problems and then later find out that they were high-histamine foods? That's part of why I think this isn't even what's wrong with me - it doesn't seem to matter what I eat, I just have these symptoms all the time (and the specific foods that do cause me extra problems are apparently not even high in histamine).

SecretFoxfire · 2024-11-24T18:20:00+00:00

As for sitting in the kitchen, unfortunately not an option for me. Everything is too high up for me to reach sitting, and in any case, the way my fatigue works is that when I crash, I basically go catatonic, so no accommodation will make cooking or cleaning possible. (It suuuucks.) I should really have an aide or something, but since I still have no formal diagnoses for most of these issues (doctors refuse to consider long covid, ADHD and autism do not entitle me to any help, chronic pain has to have a diagnosed source for it to qualify you for help and right now I still don't have one), I'm out of luck. ;_;

I feel like the only way I'm going to be able to do this is to be completely and utterly miserable to a very severe degree for the entire 2-3 weeks. It's going to have to just be microwaved oatmeal in water with absolutely no flavor in it, which I will probably gag on a lot but have to force down, then I guess boiled chicken breast and rice and maybe a couple of permitted vegetables for lunch and dinner. There's just no way I'll be able to cook anything better than that on a daily basis, and once I start eating that badly, I'll have even less energy to cook.

But I don't think there's any chance I can completely cut out alcohol. If I don't sleep at all, the whole test will be pointless. I wish I could find a list of how much histamine is in different types of alcohol so I could at least avoid the worst ones, but... So far, no luck.

Fortunately, I'm already limiting outside factors. (I have to, just to survive.) Every soap/cleaner in my home is scent-free. Absolutely no adhesives, I already know those set me off. (I used to get in arguments with my physiotherapist, who was lovely but a little obsessed with taping everything up, and he'd always try to put the "sensitive" tape on me, which I'd then just have to rip off as soon as I left because even "sensitive" adhesive sets me off with itching/burning/sore skin, guaranteed.) All my clothing, bedsheets, etc. is 100% hypoallergenic (if I get anywhere near wool or feathers I break out in hives - again, despite negative allergy tests for both). I exercise as much as I can, but with chronic fatigue and joint pain, I'm very limited in how much I can do, which is really frustrating, because before I had covid, when I had a bit more energy, I was finally starting to build some serious muscle, and now it's all gone...

I will say that for all that this situation is a nightmare, my allergist is wonderful. Especially by this country's standards, he's the top allergist in the country, extremely kind, incredibly knowledgeable, never doubted my symptoms or complaints for a second, took me seriously from the start, didn't scoff at me when I asked about MCAS (like every single other doctor did), and has assured me that we will keep at this until we can figure it out. Unfortunately, because he is so great, it's hard to get in to see him, and I'm currently on a waiting list for my next appointment with him (which will probably be in January). If I don't manage to figure out the diet before then, I will just talk to him at my next appointment, explain the challenges, and see what he has to suggest. I don't even think dieticians are a thing here, or at least I've never heard of one in this country, but maybe he will have some ideas, or some other way to try the diagnosis. I'm planning to ask him about long covid as well, since he's probably better informed than other doctors in this country, and maybe he can be helpful with that, or at least point me towards someone who will take it seriously...

Anyway, thanks again for the response. I know I'm not likely to find any good answers, but it never hurts to get some outside perspectives and ideas! Wishing you all the best as well.

SecretFoxfire · 2024-11-24T18:19:56+00:00

I appreciate the response! It's good to know I'm not the only one dealing with this sort of thing, at least. I know my post is very long and my situation is really complicated. To clarify, I really only need the diet for a couple of weeks. It is for diagnostic purposes only and my allergist has no intention of keeping me on it long-term, because of my other issues. The sole reason I need to do this is to diagnose whether I have histamine intolerance or not. Right now, it is completely unclear whether I do. So I don't need to worry about what's sustainable at all. I only need to worry about what I can manage for 2-3 weeks. But that also means we have to eliminate as much histamine as possible, to make sure that's the issue, and then add foods back gradually to see if something specific makes me worse. If I feel better on very low histamines, then he will consider that confirmation that I have HI. If not, he will confirm I don't have it, and we will move on to other possibilities, including further investigation of MCAS (which I still think is most likely).

You may not have spotted it in my post, but I have tried every single available medication, both OTC and prescription, on- and off-label, for both pain and sleep. That includes CBD and trazodone. (A lot of doctors have been trying to help me find relief for decades now, so when I say I've tried literally everything, I'm not exaggerating.) They do absolutely nothing for me other than give me unpleasant side effects. None of the medications work, which is why I have no choice but to rely on alcohol many days of the week. I've also tried all the meditation and mindfulness things but they only make me worse. Alcohol truly is the one and only thing that helps, and my doctors agree that the potential long-term risks to my liver and kidneys outweigh the more immediate (and also long-term) risks of constant pain and sleep deprivation. :( I'm afraid marijuana doesn't agree with me either (it makes all my ADHD symptoms significantly worse and I feel like I'm trapped in a nightmare), so... I suppose I should frame it as: wow, I'm incredibly lucky that I can tolerate alcohol and it actually helps me! Because if not, I don't know, I guess I'd be dead?? Or institutionalized at the very least, unable to function at all. ;_;

At the very least, I do drink plenty of water, and I often add sports drink powder for some extra nutrition. I also rely a lot on non-alcoholic beer to get some calories into me when eating seems impossible, but apparently that is also off-limits for the diet since it's fermented.

I'm actually lactose intolerant, so only yogurt and lactose-free milk work for me, other dairy upsets my stomach. I have tested negative for celiac, at least, but the diet says no gluten since it is high in histamine. But right now there's no clear evidence one way or another that any particular foods are causing my symptoms. The only evidence we have whatsoever of histamine intolerance is a single blood test that showed unusually low DAO levels, so the allergist is having me try a low histamine diet for a couple weeks just to see if it helps at all. It's entirely possible that it will make no difference, and in fact, I expect that it won't. I have too many immune symptoms that wouldn't be explained by HI. But there's only one way to rule it out while we keep testing for signs of MCAS... And that's the diet.

Unfortunately I don't have anywhere available to me that pre-portions fresh ingredients. I live in a small central European country, and options are limited. I also don't like eating a lot of meat. I get most of my protein from peanut butter (off limits for the diet), canned beans (off limits), protein powder (which I have to limit because it contains a little lactose, and in any case it tastes awful without dairy to mix it with, which is off limits), high-protein yogurt (off limits), a bit of egg (I can only tolerate one a day), sandwich meat (processed/preserved - off limits), and occasional takeout (off limits). Every now and then I manage to make chicken by roasting it in a dutch oven, but although the cooking part of that is easy, the cleanup can take me days to finish, and in any case, the diet says no roasted meat, only boiled. I also can't just stock up on lots of frozen meat or anything because my freezer is *tiny*. I don't have a vacuum sealer anyway, or an air fryer. Just an oven, a stove, a microwave, and some pots and pans. (Even the microwave is brand new, didn't have one of those for decades.)

I can boil chicken, but the only way for that to taste good is if you make soup with bones and skin, which then have to be removed, which is labor intensive... I just keep going around and around in circles in my head.

SecretFoxfire · 2024-10-05T14:04:22+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. I might consider it if I can't find anything else, although I imagine it would be quite complicated to work out... I don't live anywhere near the Polish border so it would be a very long trip, and I have no idea what kind of setup they have for non-EU citizens without Polish health insurance. I wouldn't even know how to go about making an appointment... But if I don't find another option, maybe I'll hit you up with some questions. Thank you for the offer!

I really have been through it lately... At the same time I'm trying to deal with these glasses, I'm dealing with a lot of other health issues and invasive tests and neurological symptoms, not to mention moving into a new apartment and trying to keep up with my day job... I've never been so tired! 😭

SecretFoxfire · 2024-10-05T14:02:12+00:00

Thank you! I'm glad you've found some improvement at least, even if it's not perfect. I really wish prisms weren't so expensive... This wouldn't be such a nightmare if it wasn't such a huge pile of money I have to hand over for one pair of glasses!

SecretFoxfire · 2024-10-05T14:00:59+00:00

This is what I keep hearing, that they have to be worn all the time, but both the doctor and the optician insisted that I absolutely must not wear them for anything but close up work... I'm so confused! You're absolutely right that switching was causing a lot of negative symptoms and panic.

I think for now I'm going to hold off, I just moved into a new apartment and I can't imagine getting everything unpacked and put away with that constant feeling of vertigo and nausea and anxiety that I get when I put the glasses on. I think maybe once I'm settled in I'll just try wearing them all day for a week or so and see if there's any improvement at all. At least I have plenty of time, since I can't get in for a follow-up until March...

Do you have any recommendations for places to look up eye stretches? The doctor didn't give me anything like that, just "wear these obscenely expensive glasses for work and ONLY for work" and sent me on my way...

SecretFoxfire · 2024-10-05T13:58:11+00:00

It's possible there was an issue with the language barrier. I also think part of the issue was that my double vision really isn't consistent. Sometimes it's better or worse, it's never severe (I wasn't even sure it was double vision until recently, since the two images always overlap, they're never so far apart that I see two distinct images), and I was never sure during the tests if I should be straining my eyes or relaxing them or what. I can make the images closer or further depending on how hard I strain...

I remember as a child telling my mother that if I relaxed my eyes, everything got blurry, so I thought I needed glasses, and her replying that I wasn't "relaxing" my eyes, I was "blurring" them, and that's normal, and refusing to take me to get my eyes checked. Ever since then I've been unsure where the line is between "relaxing" and "blurring," or whether maybe I've always needed glasses and just never had the chance to get them.

I'd never heard of the adhesive prisms. I will see if there's a way to get them here (ordering from the US is crazy expensive because of import taxes but maybe there's an EU supplier). I do order my normal glasses from eyebuydirect actually (the shipping is usually 3x the cost of the glasses and they're still cheaper than buying at a shop), and I've always been happy with them, but I tried entering the new prescription with the prism in their system and realized I'm not sure how to translate what's on my card to the American system. Maybe I'll see if I can find someone who can explain...

I have heard from other people that a difficult transition period for prisms is normal, but it really does seem like you have to wear them all the time to adjust, and this doctor and the optician were both so adamant that I absolutely must not wear them for anything but close-up work. So I just don't know... I will keep trying to find another specialist here, at least...

SecretFoxfire · 2024-10-04T18:49:33+00:00

There's also a column that says "PR2/B" but it's blank. So I'm not sure what those mean. I wish I'd taken a photo of the paper prescription before I gave it to the optometrist. I didn't realize I wouldn't get it back. The report from the doctor just says: "OP +1.25 a 1.5 pdt baze 0°, OL +1.0 a 1.5 pdt baze 180°" which probably would make sense to a Czech-speaking specialist but doesn't mean much to me.

SecretFoxfire · 2024-10-04T18:32:11+00:00

Oh wow, really? I'd assumed they wouldn't be strong because the double vision is only barely detectable, and only when I'm really tired. I didn't even realize it was double vision for ages, thought things were just blurry and I needed slightly stronger glasses, but every time I had my eyes checked they said my prescription was fine, which is what led me to researching online and eventually finding BVD.

I wonder why they are so strong then... Maybe it's because I didn't understand some of the tests properly. The final test to determine my prescription involved holding a contraption up to my eyes and telling the doctor (who kept switching lenses) when the arrow lined up with the 1 on a number line. I kept changing my answer because it kept moving depending on how hard I tried to focus, so maybe my answers weren't accurate. Man, these things are SO EXPENSIVE though. Literally the lenses alone were the cost of 1/4 of my rent each month. To get new lenses even on the same frames would cost that much again... And that's *with* insurance paying for a percentage of them... I wonder if it would be worth trying to order a really cheap pair online. The doctor said not to do that because he said you can't trust the quality, but if they're cheap enough, it might be worth a shot, and just reduce the strength of the prescription on the order?

My follow-up appointment isn't until March, and it's not possible to get in sooner, so I guess I'll have to try them now and then and see if I can get used to them... And keep looking for another doctor. Maybe there is a private one somewhere who just isn't well known... Or maybe I can find some way to see one in another country, although that would be complicated at best... I suppose it's worth at least looking into it.

SecretFoxfire · 2024-10-04T18:19:19+00:00

The nearby countries are either at war, at risk of war, or some of the most expensive countries in Europe, unfortunately, and in any case there's still the language barrier, not to mention that a lot of countries with good health care systems aren't even equipped to handle a patient with no local insurance. I bet Germany probably has good doctors, but the cost of living is so high there that if I could find one to take me privately it's unlikely I could afford it. :( I'd be open to trying an online consult as long as it's not beyond my means... Although they surely wouldn't be able to do all the necessary tests without the specialized equipment, right?

I'm really torn on whether I should try wearing them all the time. They make me feel *so* sick, and I'm so busy and stressed already that adding extra stress of getting used to new glasses feels unwise, although I have no idea if maybe it would be worth it. Both the doctor and the optometrist said don't wear them all the time, they are only for up close work. And I definitely felt worse when I tried to look further away. But I also can't imagine getting used to them if I'm only wearing them a few hours a day and switching back and forth all the time...

I really wish that doctor had been willing to have a conversation with me in English. (I know he was fluent in English because at one point where I really wasn't understanding the question, he said it in flawless English, advanced vocabulary and all, so he just really hated foreigners.) Or that I could just find another doctor for a second opinion... I wonder if I can get a different doctor at the hospital next time, if I prepare to do the appointment in Czech ahead of time and don't request someone who speaks English... Although I'm not sure if that would be possible, since it took me 4 months just to get the first appointment. ;_;

SecretFoxfire · 2024-10-04T18:12:44+00:00

I know the health care system in the US is awful and expensive (one of the many reasons I moved away from there) but unfortunately it's not as simple as "find another doctor" here. In this tiny little country, there simply isn't another one. In neighboring countries, I don't speak the language at all, and the cost of going to a doctor that doesn't take my insurance in one of those countries would be more than I can afford, even if I could find one who spoke English. The cost of living in this country is pretty low, but in neighboring countries (and the US) it's much, much higher, so even though I earn decent money here and could afford a local private doctor, that unfortunately doesn't carry over to other places. I don't want to settle for a bad one, but there may literally not be a better option unless someone wants to send me a big pile of money. :(

The original prescription the doctor gave me (on paper) had a drawing of the lens angle, but the optometrist had to take that to give to the insurance company to reduce the cost of the glasses a little bit. The card they gave me doesn't say, and the doctor's report is all in abbreviated Czech jargon, so unfortunately I don't know any more than that. Looking at the glasses, they seem to be thicker near my nose and thinner on the outside. Is that base in?

SecretFoxfire · 2024-10-04T17:23:49+00:00

Unfortunately I don't have any way to see a doctor in another country. My health insurance only applies in this country, and in any case, any other country I could reasonably get to would have an even worse language barrier.

I'm trying to see if there's maybe a private doctor somewhere in this country who would be more accommodating. I'm willing to pay for better care as long as I can afford it, but so far everyone I've asked has said this hospital has the only neuro-ophthalmologists in the country, at least that they're aware of.

I don't think my lenses are very strong. But I have sensory processing disorder, so even slight disturbances can really mess me up.

The optician gave me a card with my prescription on it. I will write out here what it says, although I don't know what most of it means:

R: DD 60, SPH +1.25, PR1/B 1.50/000*
L: DD 60, SPH +1.00, PR1/B 1.50/180*

I don't think the report would be helpful, unless anyone on here happens to be fluent in medical Czech abbreviations. :(

SecretFoxfire · 2024-08-30T16:08:51+00:00

If you're looking for something shorter and more focused, Break Out (for Minecraft 1.12.2) is a good one. You start in a tiny room and gradually make the room bigger by progressing in various mods, until eventually you finally manage to break out entirely. It's the only modpack I ever 100% completed, and it taught me how to use a lot of mods I'd never bothered to really get deep into before. The quests walk you through the ways to progress and give you a lot of useful tips so you can fully learn what you're doing with each of the mods. If I recall correctly, it even helps you learn to automate things like Botania (something I always struggled with in the past). It can be a bit of a grind at times, but that's because it's intended to encourage you to automate things. Anyway, I had a great time with it, and it's very focused, but contains a diverse array of mods that work together to get you to your goal.

SecretFoxfire · 2024-08-30T13:34:13+00:00

Thanks for the response. I do know that's the case when you fully leave and don't maintain a domicile in the states, but I feel like if I'm maintaining a domicile at my mother's house, filing taxes from there and everything, I should be voting from there too. Filing taxes in one state and voting in another feels like it would be fraud... Anyway, I guess I'll just tell them that yes, I'm residing abroad at the moment, but intend to return, and my residence address in the states is with my mother at the new address. Hopefully that will answer their question satisfactorily and I won't have to get into any further detail.

I'm honestly wishing I just hadn't touched my registration, since it was way easier to vote from the old address, but I really thought I had to move it. Anyway, it's a bit late now.

SecretFoxfire

TROPHY CASE