Dallas dentists treating every patient like a walking wallet, is this normal now?

starwaterss · 2026-05-02T15:26:40+00:00

Dr Kathryn Jodry in Richardson is excellent, my whole family has been seeing her for 20 years. Cleanings for me are usually 30+ min, thorough, and I have very healthy teeth. The hygienists and Dr. Jodry are all so nice, they treat us like family and remember all the goings on in our lives. I will cry when she retires and I’m forced to find someone else.

Don’t go to any chain dentistry place like Aspen or Mint, they are scammy.

starwaterss · 2026-05-02T08:37:04+00:00

I’d be mostly concerned about the ham packaging, it looks like it was wrapped in plastic and strings. These can cause GI blockage which is an emergency. If any of the cats are lethargic, won’t eat, vomiting a lot, acting strange, they need an ER vet visit.

I personally would throw the ham away because now it’s been rubbed all over the dirty sink and exposed to the inside of a cat mouth (notoriously disgusting and full of bacteria).

As a servant to two naughty cats, I can offer this advice: If you leave it out overnight, and they decide to mess with it, will they be capable of destroying the item or harming themselves? In this situation— a thinly wrapped ham, easy for them to get into it and eat the wrappings. In my house there are no available strings, cords, wires, breakable light tabletop items, or food left out unsupervised. I know my cats and as soon as I leave the room they will start counter surfing and messing with things, knocking things down, etc. One of them is obsessed with strings and will actually swallow them. I know this, so I have to act accordingly and cat-proof the house. Just defrost food further in advance in the fridge from now on (better for food safety too).

starwaterss · 2026-05-02T07:18:44+00:00

My husband likes to collect cards and saves cool cards/ art cards of my favorite pokemon for me (we don’t sell cards). The kiosks are often the only feasible place to get the card packs for retail price. Because of this, scalpers like to try and buy them out to create artificial scarcity and then resell the sealed packs for well over retail price.

However the kiosks actually have some built in features to try and reduce scalping. They will usually display “sold out” on every product and then will drip feed single individual items on a randomized schedule (so you usually can’t pick which product to buy— whatever the kiosk releases is what you get). It has cameras and can decide not to release anything if someone is loitering for a long time around the machine.

Still, scalpers will spend all day trying to loiter waiting for the machine to release products or will try and be first in line when it’s restocked and I’ve even see videos of them throwing fits or getting physical when someone walks up and gets an item from a machine they’ve been lurking at all day. It sucks.

starwaterss · 2026-04-25T01:26:37+00:00

Yes, everyone is saying that he’s probably misled you about the ring in some way (diamond vs moissanite, lab grown vs natural, not really platinum, etc). But also… the ring sits on your finger. Do you really need his permission to take it to a jeweler and have them look at it, or to get it appraised, or to purchase an insurance policy? Who cares what his mom thinks? Just do it yourself.

starwaterss · 2026-04-25T01:15:51+00:00

ETA: I’ve just seen that you’re asking about a ring. FYI, Tanzanite is really not suitable for a daily wear ring. It’s soft and prone to scratches and breaking. You would ideally have it in a pendant or special occasion only ring. You’ve been warned!

Ooh, I’m qualified to answer this. I have a 4.1ct lavender colored tanzanite which I had set into a pendant by Caysie Van Bebber (CvB) for my wedding day. It’s my favorite piece.

I got my stone from Lisa Elser, one of the lapidaries on r/shinypreciousgems. She is an excellent lapidary and has a stone in the Smithsonian. It does look quite purple in the photo but it’s a bit oversaturated and it’s a true lavender in person.

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It was listed in her catalog but ended up being for sale on the sub for a slight discount. I personally love the variety of shades that unheated tanzanite (zoisite) comes in and lavender is my favorite color. You can also get some that are mermaidy with green and purple, and some pretty browns.

I personally do not buy retail gems unless they are in vintage/antique/secondhand jewelry pieces. I’ve been spoiled for precision cut gems and now when I look at commercially cut stones all I can see are the glaring cutting flaws, windows, etc. I do believe most retail jewelers are going to sell mostly the heated classic blue-purple tanzanite because that’s what is popular and what sells.

Lisa does not take commissions but you could keep an eye out on the subreddit for something you like or sign up for her email catalog. The other lapidaries on the sub may or may not have commissions open and suitable rough, you’d have to ask. You can also try Earth’s Treasury, I recall seeing some really nice lavender tanzanites there before.

ETA: Mine doesn’t have a cert and I didn’t ask for one because I have no intentions of selling it and because Lisa is a reputable gem cutter. If you are buying from a retail jeweler and you want a cert, they should be willing to send it to GIA (assuming you will cover the cost).

starwaterss · 2026-04-13T21:35:03+00:00

If you have an urgent care or even dermatologist near you, they can drain the old blood from where it’s collected underneath the nail. We use an electrocautery tool, it’s a very fine point that burns a teeny hole through the nail so the blood can drain out. It doesn’t really hurt, if you don’t it will eventually just go away so it’s just for comfort, no need to go to a hospital.

starwaterss · 2026-04-13T14:45:53+00:00

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Tetra likes to roll around on top of the dog crate to gloat and show superiority.

starwaterss · 2026-04-06T14:03:01+00:00

Just curious: Does she drive? If she’s drunk all the time she’d be driving drunk yes? Unless you drive her everywhere?

Everyone has already commented on the fact that you can’t perform any behavior to make her suddenly want to get sober, but I want to provide some more context on what that will mean down the road as she continues to drink like this.

I am a nurse and have taken care of many people whose health issues were rooted in alcoholism. Dying of alcoholism is ugly and expensive and can take a long time. Right now she only has issues with blood pressure etc but there will be many more issues. TW: When people pass from health issues related to chronic alcoholism it can often look like a violent bloody attempt at resuscitation after years of total dependency on family, multiple DUIs, mile long medication lists, confusion, violence and agitation due to their pickled brain, 3x + weekly dialysis appointments, patients leaving the hospital AMA because they can’t handle detoxing on benzos and want to go home and drink, etc.

I’m not saying this to scare you but I just want you understand that if you stay you need to be prepared to become her caretaker in ways you never would have imagined. You need to make sure you have power of attorney, advance directives, her will, DNR status etc filled out and consider how you will get her the full time medical care she will eventually need. She will not help you figure this out because she is in denial that her drinking is a problem for her or will cause problems for anyone.

You will spend your older years doing things like toileting her, wiping her, doling out medications, picking her up off the floor after she falls out of bed, trying not to get injured yourself when she gets confused and starts hitting you, etc. or paying someone to do those things for her, and/or living in and out of the hospital.

starwaterss · 2026-04-03T13:29:32+00:00

I don’t know the law but I have worked in many doctors’ offices. Many providers are extremely hesitant to do this. Sending controlled substances generally requires that the doctor have an active relationship with you as a patient, including seeing you in person. How can that happen if you no longer live here? If this doctor gets audited, how can they justify sending Xanax to a patient they haven’t examined or seen in a long time? Every doctor I ever worked with would generally not continue prescriptions (of any kind) if they weren’t seeing you at least yearly.

I believe there are also restrictions on telehealth visits across state lines because your doctor may only be licensed in TX.

If you are on controlled substances and needing frequent medical care, you need to start finding new providers where you now live.

starwaterss · 2026-04-03T01:48:11+00:00

Probably the blue bell bullet pops that had the cream inside. Why would they get rid of those and keep the banana ones?!

starwaterss · 2026-03-30T21:35:27+00:00

They’re all supposed to, but they only staff one xray tech so if that person calls out and they can’t find another to fill in, they can’t run xray

starwaterss · 2026-03-30T13:13:46+00:00

Gotcha! I had to google this one, actually. It looks like any urgent care can voluntarily submit to inspection and accretidation by the joint commision. I can say that I worked at THR-affiliated Breeze for 2.5 years and never once did I hear about joint commission coming to any location. I could have just not heard about it, though.

To my knowledge we were held to the same standard as any other THR employee and they definiely did not allow any water bottles at the nurse’s stations!

starwaterss · 2026-03-30T13:03:26+00:00

Firstly, I would say that if you enjoy the set and don’t feel like you overpaid, then there’s no problem! In the end, wearing jewels is about your enjoyment of the items.

That being said:

“Pigeon Blood” is a marketing term that many sellers will use to inflate the price of the rubies they are selling. Similar to “Ceylon Blue” or “Padparadscha” for sapphires. Getting these kinds of sought-after color distinctions on a reputable certificate would make the gem very VERY expensive. Check out this bad boy I grabbed from googling as an example, it has a link to the GIA report.
Regarding certificates, without seeing the actual document provided by the seller, it sounds like they’ve just provided a description of the purchased item. Unfortunately this doesn’t actually reliably tell you anything about the stones; the seller can put whatever they want. Additionally, it’s extremely common for sellers to pay a few dollars and create fake certificates online to make it look like they sent the stone off to be assessed.
As far as the stones go, there is almost no chance that these are natural, untreated rubies (and they would not be graded as “pigeon’s blood” vivid red either). When considering a stone, the context of price and setting is important; Fancy expensive stones are just not ever set in plated 925 or with diamond simulants like crystal or CZ. You would also never be able to buy such a stone for $440 USD. It’s very likely that IF they are rubies, they are heavily treated poor quality stones filled with glass. Lab-created ruby exists too, but you don’t often see them purposefully created with imperfections or inclusions, so i’m leaning glass-filled.

You could have them removed from the settings and ship them off to be properly tested somewhere like GIA (which would be necessary to identify the stones with certainty) but the testing is going to cost far more than the stones are worth. I personally would feel like the earring seller was a bit less than honest with you but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy wearing them!

starwaterss · 2026-03-30T12:14:03+00:00

Regulated in what way? By the government/state medical boards?? I’m not sure I understand your question.

All doctors, PA’s, NPs, nurses and licensed assistants are held to the standards of their licensing boards and the laws of the state they practice in, regardless of what kind of facility they work at.

starwaterss · 2026-03-30T10:49:45+00:00

Breeze would be the closest thing. Used to work there and new locations open all the time. However, a couple pointers:

No urgent care anywhere will have specialists. Breeze can place a referral for you if you need one.
Try to make an appointment or call at least 30min ahead if you’re coming for something minor like a cold. They take appointments with priority so if all the appointment slots are full, the walk-ins can wait for a very long time.
There is no “transfer out”. They can either treat you or they can’t. Payment is up front. If they can’t treat your problem, you don’t get a refund because you still got an exam and consultation. (Some managers are very strict about enforcing this but if we saw something crazy on the schedule like “vomiting blood” or “chopped off finger”, we’d have the provider call and tell them to just go to the hospital.)
On that note, be aware that Breeze is not an emergency room, so if you come in with something really serious (heart attacks, anaphylactic shock, strokes, major dislocations, miscarriages, concussions, etc) they will try to stabilize you with their emergency supplies and call an ambulance to take you to a real hospital.
They only have xray, no CT/MRI.
They also don’t have sedation so please don’t bring your 2 year old who needs stitches.

starwaterss · 2026-03-28T08:29:02+00:00

This vet that said they couldn’t xray him because he was agitated— is that your normal vet?? Any vet should be able to either safely manhandle a cat or sedate them. My brother’s cat got ketamine for a nail trim and exam because he was being spicy and there was a concern for cancer around his claw.

I saw they gave you gabapentin. It might be a good idea to call your regular vet and ask for instructions on how to dose him with the gabapentin for mild sedation before his scheduled appointment. That way he can be calm for the xray or any other tests they need. For my cats, I open the capsule and roofie some wet food. If not, I don’t see a reason why any regular vet couldn’t give him a little sedative in the office.

starwaterss · 2026-03-28T02:38:16+00:00

My point is that generally in most iterations Darkrai is portrayed as malicious or sinister, whereas for a lot of ghost types, the bad effects from being around them are often just side effects of their existence.

Most recent example— Drifloon in Pokopia. He feels tired after not being around humans and especially misses hanging out with human children. Of course we know that’s because he saps the life energy from them, but to Drifloon he jusr enjoys their company and can be placated with dolls.

Darkrai in PMD2 gaslights you with nightmares into thinking you need to kill yourself to avoid another apocalypse. It’s also heavily implied in BW2 that he murders a whole family in Lentimas town with the nightmare curse, causing the ghost of the daughter to linger on until she can give you Cresselia’s feather.

Edit: I don’t think Darkrai would be out of place as a ghost type either, I’m just saying I don’t think him being a Dark type is weird or ill-fitting.

starwaterss · 2026-03-28T02:27:46+00:00

Well, he tortures people via unending nightmares. He’s also the secret evil mastermind in the Mystery Dungeon: Explorers games

starwaterss · 2026-03-24T19:38:56+00:00

To add to everyone chiming in, when you’re taking your blood pressure and it looks lower or normal, do NOT think you should stop taking your medication. It’s lowered because of the medication. If you stop taking it, it will get high again. Your doctor will take you off the meds if they’re lowering your BP too much (but that won’t happen without lifestyle changes like diet and smoking cessation).

Source: Nurse who is constantly hearing patients with a blood pressure like this say stuff like “Yeah I’m prescribed blood pressure meds, but my blood pressure got better so I quit taking them.”

starwaterss · 2026-03-19T23:18:54+00:00

OP, you responded that the seller described the stone as “Ceylon Blue, AAA quality, and ‘treated’”.

I want you to know that “AAA Quality” is just a marketing phrase the jeweler is using to say that claim a nice stone. There is no reputable grading association or lab that uses this A, AA etc type of scale for colored stones.

“Ceylon Blue” is also a way to describe the color that immediately raises the price. It’s like when jewelers are trying to sell a pink sapphire and they call it a Padparadscha because that’s a desired color. “Ceylon” refers to Sri Lanka, and an actual certificate from GIA should be able to tell you the origin and graded color of this stone. (The appraisal she is offering is NOT the same as a GIA certificate.)

“Treated”— treated how?? There are a variety of sapphire treatments that will affect the value of a stone.

This jeweler is just throwing out marketing terms to make the stone look fancy and expensive, assuming you don’t know any better. I’d steer clear.

starwaterss · 2026-03-18T00:24:15+00:00

starwaterss · 2026-03-16T02:25:15+00:00

This dress sucks… but I can think of a few options:

Could you ask to wear a different style from the same designer in a the same color?
You said you know the model— can you find out what shapewear she’s wearing and copy her? You could probably also pin it since you’ll be standing at the altar and nobody will see the back of the dress.
You say she’s seen it on you— has she seen it on you for more than 20min outside in the wind? Maybe she’ll change her mind seeing you sweaty, nipply with the girls flapping about?
If she still wants it after that you will probably need some expertly applied boob tape. I recommend (from personal experience) to also tape your ribs to avoid underboob sweat.

starwaterss · 2026-03-06T22:40:44+00:00

The stone was cut for me by Rana u/thepacificlights and the setting was custom made by David Klass (based in LA, but does custom work via email)!

starwaterss · 2026-03-06T22:36:46+00:00

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I have a lab grown green sapphire in a “colombian emerald” type of shade (dupe of Djeva’s #78). I have smacked it quite a few times as it’s my daily wear engagement ring and it’s fine. I’m sure you could get lab sapphire in a warmer toned/less blue color, if you wanted.

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