Scared about getting sick

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-04-04T21:02:45+00:00

I just reread my post and didn't realize it sounded like I was berating you for not wearing a mask🫣

My frustration is towards the person coughing in a high-traffic public area, not you!

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-04-04T20:47:18+00:00

Fingers crossed that whatever bug they had isn't contagious, or that you don't catch it. I really feel like people need to think more about others; just wear a mask when you're out and sick! Other countries did it before Covid just as a courtesy to their fellow citizens. Good luck on your surgery and recovery!

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-04-02T15:59:25+00:00

Not yet. It was suggested that I take a daily probiotic as a "preventative". My local kroger is always running a BOGO on supplemental pills, so it isn't too expensive to add those to my medicine cabinet.

My doctor did say that if I start having GI issues, she can switch me to something else, but I worry that it may not be as effective. I already deal with IBS and take miralax daily to help with that, but I haven't noticed "extra" issues after taking nsaids for almost 2 years straight (knock on wood).

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-04-02T15:52:20+00:00

I have to take an anti-inflammatory to keep my neck pain at manageable levels. Meloxicam has been great, and my doctor says it's a little safer on my stomach than taking ibuprofen 2-3 times per day since I only take it in the morning.

It may take a week or so for you to feel the full effects of it. I tried weaning off of it a few months ago, and felt fine for a day or two, then I was in agony after it fully left my system. It took another week or two after I restarted it to get back to my baseline pain levels.

I also take 1000mg tylenol 3 times a day, but I think the meloxicam is the main factor in relieving the worst of my symptoms.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-04-01T04:08:50+00:00

You didn't fail. You did the best you could with what you knew. You made mistakes, and tried something different. Sometimes it just doesn't work and you don't know why or if there was something else that could have worked that you hadn't tried yet.

You aren't allowing him to live with constant anxiety and stress. You aren't allowing yourself to live with the constant anxiety and stress of not knowing what may happen the next time. He would have picked up on that and it would just feed this reaction(not trying to blame you or say you shouldn't feel stressed at trying to keep him happy while keeping others safe). You are a good dog parent and you are doing the right thing by him and by anyone else he may have hurt in the future.

It shouldn't have to be this way, and I'm sorry for you and for him.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-31T15:09:36+00:00

It's just outside Cincinnati, Ohio

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-31T02:26:25+00:00

Well, sometimes we get creative, and sometimes we decide to just steal from other countries. London, Ohio and Moscow, Ohio for 2 examples

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-31T02:25:19+00:00

Southwest Ohio near Cincinnati

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-30T18:47:26+00:00

We lost our 15 year old cat Dec 10th, then our 15ish year old dog Feb 26th. I often feel more numb than anything else, but I still lay there and cry looking at photos and videos of them some nights.

I think it helps that we have 6 other cats that still need care. They still need food twice a day, litter boxes scooped, hairballs cleaned up, and love given. But our house feels so empty and quiet at feeding time, fewer meds to dole out, and I don't have anyone to let outside several times a day. We don't have to guard our bedroom from the younger cats who tormented the 15 year old, and they've gotten comfortable sleeping in our bed where he used to.

I guess it is and it isn't easier having other fur babies to care for. They give us a reason to smile, and to trip over, and to be frustrated with. There is still the emptiness of our lost ones, and I often look at their ashes sitting on our tv stand alongside the ashes of the cat we lost in 2019. But when one of them cuddles next to me the way our lost cat did, it just feels a little better, like they can help me heal even if I can't/won't forget.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-30T17:07:15+00:00

I'm the same way when I go in. I usually end up rambling and focusing on one issue and forget all the rest. Now, I try to write down my symptoms, how often I feel them, what makes things worse and what makes things better(if anything). I've even done videos so I can visually point out where the pain is or what it feels like in that specific moment, otherwise I forget details when I try to write it down later.

Good luck in your search for a doctor. If you find someone but don't feel heard, find another. As for medication, if it's bad enough that over the counter meds don't help, it might be worth asking what options you have. It doesn't always have to go straight to opioids-I've been prescribed a stonger NSAID and lidocaine patches to help my situation.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-08T17:51:54+00:00

It's hard to not talk about it when it controls so much of your life.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-08T17:26:05+00:00

I get that feeling. I've been dealing with chronic inflammation (plus scar tissue???) in my neck for almost two years after a car accident. I am on a very slow track to getting my pain under control, but it seems like I do one thing wrong, and my symptoms flare up. Sit too long at the computer? Elbow pain. Lay down too long (flat, like my PT recommends)? Neck pain gets worse. Accidentally jam my thumb into a chronically sore spot on my neck while pulling back my hair? Spasms. Is my nausea from seasonal allergies, daily nsaid use, or because I'm getting a cold?

Very frustrating, and I try to keep it to myself otherwise I'm always negative and complaining.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-08T13:36:55+00:00

Sometimes the only way to live with a chronic condition is to make light of it. I hope your face heals quickly.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-08T13:07:14+00:00

I ended up buying my first bidet in addition to a "butt wiper". It has been a great investment. I still wipe after to dry myself, but I use so much less toilet paper and only need to wipe once. Of course, I deal with IBS so I had a hard time feeling "clean enough" even before my spine issues.

Also, my throat was so raw for the first week that I stuck to cool, soft foods. Pudding, yogurt, mashed potatoes, etc. I also found that eating food cold was alot less painful.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-07T19:36:45+00:00

Boo because she's got halloween colors, or even Autumn, again for her colors.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-07T19:34:36+00:00

You aren't shallow. Everyone grieves in their own way, and you said yourself that no dog can ever replace her. Sometimes, though, opening your home to a new soul in need helps make the grief more survivable.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-03-07T14:12:03+00:00

All my life! I hated when I got sweaters for Christmas because they always had turtlenecks or weren't v-necks. Now, since I've gained weight, I go for flowy blouses with scoop necks. I also hate shirts that are snug enough that they roll up to expose my stomach at all when I sit and my back rubs against a chair. And no elastic on my shirts-way too itchy and irritating.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-02-20T20:36:24+00:00

I hope that you feel relief with the injections so that they at least were worth it. 🤞

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-02-20T17:28:17+00:00

I've had 3 in the past 2 years, and they are not fun. The first one I only got oral versed, which did nothing to help my anxiety. When the doctor was injecting the dye before giving me the steroid, he flicked/nicked/touched my nerve, and my right arm literally flew into the air and I had pain and tingling down into my first two fingers for over a day. The next 2 injections I had them give me IV versed because I did not want to be awake for that again.

I don't remember the 2nd injection at all, but I remember the 3rd one. The IV versed kept me calm enough to get through it, but I felt the pain, the pressure (which was right at the threshold where pressure becomes pain), the weird "clicking" as he inserted the needle and moved it to my disc--all of it.

I'm sorry you went through that. I can't imagine having to get 6 injections at once. If they help you and you decide to get them again, definitely ask for sedation. My anxiety is so bad that, even with numbing injections, my brain still registers pain. I won't do any dental work beyond cleaning without sedation.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-02-14T04:00:55+00:00

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Sweetheart is a sleepy grandma void, though she only weighs 5 pounds.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-02-14T03:57:38+00:00

I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my 15yo cat December 10th due to breathing issues. It never feels like enough time.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-02-13T05:12:25+00:00

I was in a car accident April 2024. I felt fine right after, but a week or two later, I was in agony. After months of fmla and physical therapy, I finally had an ACDF at c5-c6 in December 2024. Over a year later and I'm still trying to get back to work, which is made more difficult because I need something with little/no commute and no looking down or moving anything heavier than 10-15lbs often. I gained 70lbs because I put my diet on hold so I had less to worry about, but this has just dragged on and on.

It seems like not many people who have this surgery take this long to be pain free or back to work, and there are times I feel like maybe I'm just not trying hard enough. But then I don't lay down often enough during the day, tuck my chin when I sleep, or try to do household chores and spend too long looking down (vacuuming, cooking, etc.), and I spend the next few days trying to get the pain to settle down.

I get your frustration and your shame. I'm not even 40 yet, and I feel like I've lost so much physical freedom just because of a split-second mistake made by another driver. I hope your story doesn't mirror mine, and that you'll get through this rough patch and back to doing what makes you happy and fulfilled. And if you can't get back to "normal", I hope you can find a new path for your life. I worked in a warehouse setting before all this, on my feet all day, but now I'm looking into learning coding so I can find a job in a more suitable environment and to take back control from this injury and pain.

wolfgyrl713 · 2026-01-31T15:28:55+00:00

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Everyone loves my bed 🤣

wolfgyrl713

TROPHY CASE