@Auspice Also a symptom of pleurisy.
@Ganymede said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
Where's the pain?
Might be a cracked rib.
I dunno how I might have cracked a rib tbh.
It's left side of my chest. Doesn't happen every time I fully inhale but still often enough that I know I'm not getting enough air since I breathe shallow to avoid the pain.
@TNP - that's what my initial search came up with after a comment made on NOLA. And it is basically 'see a doctor' except I'm two days from unemployed.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
@Auspice Google "free clinic" in your city.
@TNP said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@Auspice Google "free clinic" in your city.
I'll check again but in the past I've come up empty on this sadly.
And in my experience, from when I went to one in SC, they base eligibility on your previous month's Financials....which I have a final paycheck coming next week and everything looks 'ok' at a glance until you factor in how it's just enough to cover my bills until maybe the second week of February. 
I do have insurance for the moment but it's that 'we'll pay for a percentage until you hit deductible' kind so doc visits still run about $140.
I'm just crossing fingers that one of the job leads I have out there pans out fast. I talked to a recruiter yesterday about one that'd pay better than this one and that'd be cool.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
And hey! Just opened my email and there's a request for a phone interview waiting.
Sweeeeet.
@Auspice Hopefully you'll find one that you can manage. Good luck on the interview.
@TNP said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@Auspice Hopefully you'll find one that you can manage. Good luck on the interview.
Thanks 
You can crack a rib by coughing too hard. Or hurt some of the tender tissue holding your ribs in place. Not much you can do for either situation except bear it, but you could get some steroids to relieve the coughing and swelling in your airways.
It is indeed easier to break a rib than you might think, and you may not always immediately realize it when you have.
I did once while hauling a too-heavy suitcase out of my trunk too quickly. I thought I just pulled some muscles. I was very wrong. The doctor didn't believe it, either, until he felt it pop under his hand and the x-rays confirmed it.
I know y'all are just being caring and supportive but I think I'm reaching a point of 'all the above freak me out' so I appreciate it but I need to spend some more time just telling myself it's just a weird response to cedar pollen.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
Got a question for people in the gay community.
What are the rules of engagement for disclosing if someone has HIV?
I know how I'd handle in with straight folk or other folk (really, it's not that difficult), but I'm in the know enough to know that in the gay community PreP is in play, but there are also bug parties, etc. My uncle was exposed due to lack of disclosure, and so the "let people do their thing" puts me in a bad headspace.
So, say I have a friend who is HIV positive. Say another gay friend meets HIV positive friend and they flirt. I know sometimes the time frame between meeting and fucking can be very small.
So, if this situation arrives, at what point is it okay to disclose that person A is HIV positive if I worry that person B might be exposed through lack of disclosure? Where do you set the meter in being a good friend? What if they havent met yet but you know it's a possibility? Do you just say "Hey, DUDE is cool, but promise me no matter what you dont go there with them" or do you quietly say "Psst, I know you said they're cute but steer clear. Medical reasons".
Note: This situation isn't currently happening, but I could see it happening. So I want to be prepared.
Delete the Hog Pit. It'll be fun.
I really don't understand He-Man
@Auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
I know y'all are just being caring and supportive but I think I'm reaching a point of 'all the above freak me out' so I appreciate it but I need to spend some more time just telling myself it's just a weird response to cedar pollen.
Legitimately my first thought was costochondritis or some other inflammation of the muscles. You probably pulled something from coughing or sneezing. It is very unlikely to be something serious, but it's good to go to the doctor for your peace of mind.
@Rinel said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@Auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
I know y'all are just being caring and supportive but I think I'm reaching a point of 'all the above freak me out' so I appreciate it but I need to spend some more time just telling myself it's just a weird response to cedar pollen.
Legitimately my first thought was costochondritis or some other inflammation of the muscles. You probably pulled something from coughing or sneezing. It is very unlikely to be something serious, but it's good to go to the doctor for your peace of mind.
I've been paying more mind to it today for symptom reasons and...
the hitch-pain starts under my lower ribs on my left side, then travels up until I feel it in my shoulders and throat. I have no idea what that indicates, but I guess since I have a (brief) contract extension at work I can consider doctor.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
@Auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
I have no idea what that indicates, but I guess since I have a (brief) contract extension at work I can consider doctor.
IANAD, but... tons of referred pain happens in that area because of how heavily it's innervated. When I get my panic attacks, I get pure heart attack symptoms, because (as far as anyone can tell) my esophagus and/or diaphragm go into spasm, which irritates the nerves in the area and give me the good old crushing sensation radiating outwards.
Go to the doctor, but, speaking as a well-practiced hypochondriac, try not to freak out about it.
Am a nurse consultant type - I've been sitting on my hands here. See a doctor - from your description it could be anything. The only way anyone would know is to do a proper exam. If you have anxiety around this, speculating probably is not helpful
@Rinel said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@Auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
I have no idea what that indicates, but I guess since I have a (brief) contract extension at work I can consider doctor.
IANAD, but... tons of referred pain happens in that area because of how heavily it's innervated. When I get my panic attacks, I get pure heart attack symptoms, because (as far as anyone can tell) my esophagus and/or diaphragm go into spasm, which irritates the nerves in the area and give me the good old crushing sensation radiating outwards.
Go to the doctor, but, speaking as a well-practiced hypochondriac, try not to freak out about it.
Well that's part of why I HAVEN'T been freaking out. I get the same, from stress. Have had two ER visits for it over the years.
But this feels different so I dunno.... Like THOSE are a sharp pain right above where my heart is that makes it hard to even remember to breathe and they go away if I relax.
This is much lower, in my lower ribs, and isn't a persistent pain. It only happens when (and not always) I take a deep breath. So I'm like.... maybe it's just allergies and it'll clear up once cedar season is over. Or maybe it's just a new stress manifestation.
I'm just..... I can't really afford to go to the doctor and get some sort of 'it's just leftover from your cold' or worse, a: 'this is because you're fat' diagnosis.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
It sounds more and more like a muscle strain or ligament damage from coughing. It could be a cracked rib. But in all cases, there is little to be done but deal with it.
“It is better to live doing the things that you like. It is foolish to live within this dream of a world seeing unpleasantness and doing only things that you do not like.” -- Yamamoto Tsunetomo.
@Ganymede And a dozen other things known to medics. 80% of chest exams are done with listening and looking, and not by pain symptoms. So. Yes, could be those, or something else. I could list a dozen other things but the thing is - without a physical exam, I can't tell. And I'm trained to be able to diagnose.
I will....consider doctor if it doesn't improve over the weekend with all the rain (since that'll clear up allergens)
ETA: I just really can't afford a doctor. 
$140 for the visit plus however much any tests might be?
With lots of coughing, you can pull something. The rib/suitcase incident comes to mind since, well. Moving. Hauling lots of things. While that may sound like the most serious thing... it really isn't. It's just 'take it easy and rest and don't lift heavy things for a while', which, all things considered? Not so scary as it initially sounds.
Am a nurse consultant type - I've been sitting on my hands here. See a doctor - from your description it could be anything. The only way anyone would know is to do a proper exam. If you have anxiety around this, speculating probably is not helpful
