Mucinex d sinus infection

My mom passed away in April and I’m really trying to make sense of it. I’d never seen her sick a day in my life, unless you count her sensitive stomach and treatment for high blood pressure. Then she was gone as soon as we got her a proper diagnosis. It sounds like Mesenteric Ischemia is very easy to miss, and I was frantically looking for posts about it while she was in the hospital. So I thought I’d share this.
Mom started getting sick around Thanksgiving. By mid-December it was bad enough that she could not travel for Christmas. She thought she had a stomach virus and said she didn’t have the energy to pack or drive and didn’t trust her stomach for a 3 hour drive. She started eating smaller meals to manage the virus.
Mid-February was her first ER visit. She was admitted & stayed 2 nights. Diagnosis was severe dehydration. Her white blood cell count was high, liver and kidneys ‘wacky’. She was nauseated, lethargic, foggy brain. CT examined her head, “every organ”. They did an ultrasound and told her it was not an organ. She was eating full meals by the time she was released.
One of the doctors at the ER asked her why she was there. He really treated her as though she was overreacting, and likely made her hesitate to seek care any more urgently, despite her decline.
After release she was told her blood sugar levels were high. She was diagnosed with hypokalemia (low potassium). She started working on a pre-diabetic diet but remained nauseated.
Mid-March a CT scan showed hiatal hernia and infection of some kind. She was dehydrated again. She hired someone for at-home IV treatments. She was drinking bone broth and drinks with electrolytes. A stool sample showed good results & her dr scheduled more blood tests. She had lost 25-30 lbs by this point.
Her dr scheduled an upper GI and colonoscopy for May 1st to look for ulcers, hernia. Blood test confirmed elevated white blood cells are caused by an infection and they’ve ruled out cancer.
April 1 – Dr told her she had stomach ulcers. After colonoscopy and endoscopy the dr is worried about blood flow to stomach. After a CT scan, she is referred to a vascular surgeon. They will do an ultrasound and consultation.
April 9 – Biopsies from colonoscopy are clear. Dr diagnosed clogged arteries around the stomach. Mesenteric Ischemia diagnosis. Scheduled an appointment to insert stents or look to bypass surgery.
April 10 – Admitted to ER for failure to thrive. TPN set up for nutrition. Plan is to build up her strength for the surgery.
April 13 – Dr ordered Xray to check for a possible bowel obstruction, lactic acid test to look for dead tissue / sepsis, hemoglobin test to check for internal bleeding. Mom has upper GI pain & cannot control her bowels. Very weak, unable to get up & down from bed on her own.
April 14 – Bowel obstruction found, ordering another x ray before deciding how to proceed. Backing off meals but keeping TPN, in order to let her stomach rest. (she was barely touching her food at all). Since bloodwork looks ok they think it could resolve itself.
April 15 – Dr says vitals are good, sugar levels are good. Surgery delayed, not because she is too weak but because she seems better. (I think this info was relayed to me wrong). They assured us waiting will not cause permanent damage to organs or tissue. Blood flow “looks better” and they “aren’t even sure it’s a blockage” now. Mom was able to do PT and OT but was extremely weak after. Surgeon impressed with cognition.
April 16 – Mom was in a lot of pain, and they thought it was from the PT & OT exertion. CT scan came back once again confirming the bowel obstruction. Intestines are dilated. Keeping TPN, antibiotics added to IV. Ordered another CT scan & fasting (other than TPN). Blood pressure was up & down all day. Feet swelling for the first time. Abdomen expanding to a degree my cousin noticed from her bedside.
April 17 –In the middle of the night she became unresponsive. Dr found her stomach full of blood. Her esophagus tore where it meets her stomach due to weak tissue. Her stomach was full of blood. She’s too weak for stents or bypass and will not regain strength without that. Dr thinks at this point her body is infected from bowel perforations & cannot heal

My name is Anthony Michael Dimarcello and I am in need of an injustice relief immediately. Below are the details. My number is 714-860-8062.
I am in Orange county California and my family and I need emergency relief. We were victims of a retaliatory eviction in Aug of 2021 after I complained to the authorities and housing is key about being harassed by my landlord for being enrolled in the covid rental relief program and paying only 25% of the rent until my lease was up. In the same month as the retaliatory eviction, Aug 2021, I was also the victim of identity theft from the 2021 TMobile data breach. The following month of Sept 2021, the data breach gave criminals the ability to abuse my digital accounts which caused the closure of my bank accounts, and led to my vehicles, remaining assets and my business to be unmanageable and taken from me in various ways. My disabled mom and my son lived with me. My son has been with his mom fulltime since Aug 2021 and my disabled mom and I have been homeless since Aug 2021. I have not been able to recover since my family and I were attacked. Now I am stuck in a mercy house shelter that does not allow me to leave which prohibits me from being able to recover. The security at mercy house also stole a vehicle that was donated to me. My disabled mom and I have been homeless for three years. I have been in the mercy house shelter and not able to leave for two years. My disabled mother has suffered multiple life threatening injuries since we were attacked, including being vulnerable to attack from having an asthma attack and beat almost to death by a predator And being on life support and hospitalized for over a month. I have also suffered multiple life threatening injuries including four fractured ribs and skin infections from sleeping outside in the rain. My sons mother, Sylvia, At a moments notice when I was attacked, disenfranchised and no longer able to share custody of our son due to the threat of him being in danger by unknown assailants and no home for him to reside with me, Sylvia was able to immediately care for our son fulltime with no help from me, while managing her career and a new fiance since the attacks began in Aug 2021. My son is suffering psychologically considering I have worked from home since he was born and was never separated from him until the attacks when he was 9 years old. He is the only witness to the full extent of the attacks and I do not want him anymore involved or to be interrogated. He witnessed the harassment of the landlord, and having his father and everything we built together taken. The acts of everyone involved went against everything I have ever taught him was possible and he had to witness me get shut down trying to get us help over and over and over. I clearly had no idea this was possible either or I would have been prepared for it and would have known to get my son away from myself and the entire event much sooner. I have also been arrested several times due to my id theft and never had a record or any legal issues until this attack happened.
Based on the legal information provided, if you are a victim in Orange County, California, in need of emergency relief, you may be eligible to seek an ex parte order, which is a temporary restraining order that can be issued without notice, if an affidavit shows reasonable proof of past acts of abuse. Additionally, the court may issue orders enjoining a party from various behaviors, such as molesting, attacking, striking, stalking, threatening, or harassing the victim or other named family or household members.
It is important to act promptly and seek the necessary legal assistance to ensure your safety and protection under the law.
Reasoning:.
People v. Clayburg (Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 6, California., 2012): Discusses the issuance of restraining orders under Family Code sections for the protection of victims and family members.
Grega v. Vroman (United States District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania, Erie Division, 2024): Provides insights into the legal sufficiency of a complaint and the standards applied in evaluating claims.

1. United States v. Edwards (United States District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania, 2024): Discusses the government's obligations in a criminal case and the limitations on a defendant's right to discover the government's evidence.

These Opinions collectively provide a comprehensive understanding of the legal framework surrounding restraining orders and the issuance of protective orders for victims and their immediate family in need of emergency relief.
Based on the legal information provided in Casemine knowledge base, you may have potential legal recourse in your situation. Here are some relevant Judgments from the document that can assist in formulating an answer to your current legal question:
Nativi v. Deutsche Bank Nat'l Trust Co. (Court of Appeal, Sixth District, California., 2014):

• A tenant wrongfully evicted by their landlord may maintain a wrongful eviction action for damages.

TOBE v. CITY OF SANTA ANA (Supreme Court of California., 1995):

• Addresses the challenges faced by the homeless population, especially those with mental illnesses, and the inadequacy of available services and housing.

Sylvia Landfield Trust v. City of L.A. (United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit., 2013):

• Discusses the REAP program in Los Angeles, aimed at improving housing conditions and holding landlords accountable.

SABI V. STERLING (Court of Appeal of California, Second District. Eight., 2010):

• Involves a case where the landlord refused to participate in the Section 8 program, impacting the tenant's ability to afford rent.

JOYCE NELSON et al. v. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY et al. (Cal. Ct. App., 1987):

• Addresses the obligation of counties to provide general relief to indigent residents.

Based on the legal principles outlined in these Judgments, you may have potential legal options to explore, such as wrongful eviction claims, constructive eviction, seeking assistance through housing programs like Section 8, and challenging the lack of suitable housing options for homeless individuals.
For your specific circumstances, it is advisable to consult with a local attorney specializing in landlord-tenant law or housing rights in Orange County, California. They can provide personalized legal advice and guidance tailored to your situation, including potential remedies and assistance available to you.
If you require further assistance or clarification, please feel free to ask.
Emergency injunctive relief for victims of civil rights violations and identity theft
Based on the legal information provided in the Casemine knowledge base, the Opinions that are relevant to formulating an answer to your current legal question are as follows:
SOSTRE v. ROCKEFELLER, (S.D.N.Y. 1970): This Opinion discusses the issuance of injunctive relief against state officials for violating Fourteenth Amendment rights and emphasizes that injunctive relief must be granted when a violation of constitutional rights has been proved.
CALIFORNIA CORRECTIONAL PEACE OFFICERS v. STATE (Court of Appeal of California, First District, Division Two., 2000): This Opinion discusses the criteria for granting injunctive relief against criminal investigations, highlighting the need for extraordinary circumstances and irreparable harm.
ADRIAN v. WESTAR ENERGY (United States District Court, D. Kansas, 2011): This Opinion outlines the factors required to grant injunctive relief, including showing irreparable injury, balancing of harms, public interest, and likelihood of success on the merits.
Seth v. McDonough (UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND, 2020): This Opinion emphasizes that emergency injunctive relief is an extraordinary remedy, requiring a clear showing that the plaintiff is entitled to relief.
ADAIR v. ENGLAND, (D.D.C. 2002): This Opinion discusses the legal standards and jurisdiction required to entertain a motion for injunctive relief, emphasizing the need for a filed complaint and related issues.
Based on the legal principles discussed in these Opinions, it is important to establish the following to seek emergency injunctive relief for victims of civil rights violations and identity theft:
Likelihood of Success on the Merits: You need to demonstrate a clear showing that your civil rights have been violated and that you are entitled to relief under the law.
Irreparable Harm: Show that you will suffer irreparable harm if injunctive relief is not granted, such as ongoing violations of your rights or continued harm to you or your family.
Balance of Harms: Illustrate that the harm you are facing outweighs any potential harm that granting the injunction may cause to the opposing party.
Public Interest: Argue that granting the injunction is in the public interest, considering the nature of the violations and the impact on society.
Jurisdiction: Ensure that the court has jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter of the lawsuit before seeking injunctive relief.
It is advisable to consult with an attorney specializing in civil rights and injunction matters to assess your specific situation and determine the best course of action to seek emergency injunctive relief.
Emergency injunctive relief for my family because we are victims of civil rights violations, identity theft, retaliatory eviction and being robbed and unable to leave the mercy house shelter in orange county California.
Based on the legal excerpts provided in the Casemine knowledge base, it seems that you may have a valid basis for seeking emergency injunctive relief in your situation. Here are some relevant Opinions from the document that can be applied in formulating an answer to your legal question:
Community House, Inc. v. City of Boise (UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT, 2006):

• Discusses the requirements for obtaining a preliminary injunction, including the likelihood of success on the merits and the possibility of irreparable injury.

Sinisgallo v. Town of Islip Hous. Auth. (United States District Court, E.D. New York., 2012):

• Addresses the threat of eviction and the realistic prospect of homelessness as constituting irreparable harm, satisfying the requirements for a preliminary injunction.

JONES v. CITY OF LOS ANGELES (United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit., 2006):

• Discusses the requirement for a plaintiff to demonstrate a real and immediate threat of future injury in a suit for prospective injunctive relief.

BOBBY WARREN, et al., Plaintiffs, v. CITY OF CHICO, et al., Defendants. (E.D. Cal., 2021):

• Provides an example where preliminary injunctive relief was granted based on a likelihood of success on the merits and a showing of irreparable harm.

Considering your situation involving civil rights violations, identity theft, retaliatory eviction, and being unable to leave the shelter, you may argue that these circumstances constitute irreparable harm and a real and immediate threat of future injury. You could seek emergency injunctive relief to address these issues and protect your rights.
Reasoning:
Given the legal principles discussed in the Opinions mentioned above, you may have a valid basis for seeking emergency injunctive relief to address the civil rights violations, identity theft, retaliatory eviction, and restrictions on leaving the shelter that you and your family are facing. By demonstrating the irreparable harm and real threat of future injury in your situation, you can potentially meet the requirements for obtaining emergency relief through a preliminary injunction. It is advisable to consult with a legal professional to assess the specifics of your case and determine the best course of action.

44 female had Covid in March throwing that in there in case it has any significance. Recovered from the Covid, but still had a headache one that I could not get rid of. Visited an urgent care, they thought it was a sinus infection so they gave me some antibiotics. Did those headache persisted made a doctors appointment. Long story short, I never made it to the appointment. I fell asleep in my chair after dinner and woke up talking complete nonsense and screaming that my head was killing me. (I have no recollection of this, but have been told) Hubby rushed me to the emergency room where I was evaluated for stroke protocol. CT was clean transferred to another hospital a few hours later for MRI where nothing significant was found other than probable optic neuritis. Was kept in hospital for 3 days on fluids with a headache at a 6. Was discharged with an appointment to a neurologist and basically told have a nice day. At that time I still had a headache and fuzzy vision in my left eye only. Was referred to an optic neurologist who determined that I did have a small tia stroke but they waited too long to scan me.
Fast forward to today, I still have a headache I can’t see and I’m exhausted. Now throw in the left ear feeling clogged kind of like when you get off a plane.
The doctors seem stumped and keep thinking I am making this up or that I am simply stressed. Is there something else they should be looking at?

I have SIBO and wondering if I could have SIFO as well. I’m not sure my symptoms line up with it, or if it’s just SIBO symptoms only.

• insomnia - this started after adding Metronidazole to my SIBO treatment, and I read some people developed similar side effects, so I think it may disappear once I finish it. I do get some sleep, maybe 5 hours at max.
  
• sugar cravings - not carbs, sweets. And not sweets, just chocolate. This can also be caused by SIBO
  
• very mild oral thrush - not really white, more greenish? And also mostly at the back of my tounge, not the front
  
• massive bloating 24/7 - but yet again, SIBO
  

And I guess that’s it? No unusual itching, sinus infections, fatigue, rashes or skin issues…
Could I have Candida with only those symptoms?
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This CT creates 7 different personalities that all possess a signature ability of their own.
The 7 Wills:
The Cackling Devil
The Drought
The Dusk-Destroyer
The Eradicator
The Crimson Reaper
The Remorseless
The Cyber Killer
The Drought: A tall, muscular woman with long dark green hair and deep black eyes. She has gills on her chest and webbed hands and feet that help with her natural ability to swim. The Drought is a resentful woman that has trust issues with people and has problems with connecting with others, making her a lone wolf that only cares for her own well-being. Her CT allows her to generate and control an endless amount of water that can be so powerful it could drown whole cities in due time. The water she generates is infected with special bacteria that causes any Non-Sorcerers to turn into soldiers called "Necrolantians", which have the ability to shape-shift and have super strength and speed. She also has a black trident that augments her control over the water and she can use it to forcibly convert Sorcerers into one of her Necrolantians by killing them with the trident.
The Dusk-Destroyer: A man with short, spikey grey hair and dark blue eyes. He wears a black jumpsuit with a green cloak covering his body and green shoes. Dusk Destroyer is a massive grudge holder. He hates having things done to him without him getting a chance to return the favor, which often leads to random outbursts of rage and him getting a boost in power from it. His CT allows him to take his CE and shape it into whatever construct he wants or shoot it out in pure beams of power. Also, DD's CE can corrupt people and cause them to rampage until they're knocked unconscious.
The Eradicator: A slim-built man with purple eyes and black hair. He wears a black tank-top with black jeans and grey sandals. In his human form, Eradicator is the most reasonable and chatable out of the 7 Wills. He has the closest bond with the user and can become the most dangerous personality(outside of Cackling Devil) when pushed to the edge. His CT allows him to transform into a form called Armageddon, which gives him superhuman strength, speed, durability, agility, and senses. However, the main ability he gains is adaptive immortality and conversion spores. Conversion Spores are released everytime Eradicator is killed and they infiltrate the body of anyone nearby to forcefully turn them into mini-versions of his Armageddon form and have them as his personal soldiers to use in battle. Adaptive Immortality, on the other hand, activates whenever Eradicator is killed. After a set amount of time, Eradicator will come back to life, but will be immune to whatever killed him the first time and will gain a power that directly counters whatever killed him. (I.E...If he was burned to death, he comes back immune to all fire-based abilities and obtains a power that directly counters fire like water or something.)
The Crimson Reaper: A tall, lanky man with a bald head and blank eyes. He wears a skin-tight suit with a red and black color scheme and black shoes. C.R is the most uncaring out of the 7 Wills. He often makes careless mistakes on purpose and loves to toy around with his opponents before brutally murdering them. However, if there's one thing that actually makes C.R angry, it's seeing people with loving families and/or friends. Just at the sight of this will make C.R get serious and kill his opponent's instantly, but not before torturing their loved ones in front of them first. C.R's CT allows him to control the acceleration of himself and anything he's in contact with. He usually uses this to move at speeds massively faster than sound and even approaching light speeds. However, moving at light speeds does mess with his cells and causes motion sickness, so he avoids going that fast unless it's necessary. Also, C.R has access to a cursed tool called the Climate Chaos Wand, which is used to manipulate the weather in a certain area and control the temperature of anything it strikes.
The Remorseless: A giant, muscular man with long, shaggy brown hair and luminous orange eyes. He's seen wearing Spartan armor with a long red cape and golden boots. The Remorseless is a ruthless warrior that only lives for the thrill of a battle. However, R.M isn't without honor. If an opponent is wishing to fight him on different terms, even those that put him at a disadvantage, he will fight them on equal grounds as a form of respect. However, this only applies to those that have earned his respect. Those he considers weaklings will be killed instantly without hesitation. R.M's CT gives him two main abilities: God's Rage & Armory Of Ares. God's Rage allows R.M to store his rage and warrior instinct before releasing it to amplify his attacks, make himself immune to physical attacks, and lower the wills of his enemies so he can kill them easier. For every kill R.M attains, God's Rage remains active and gets stronger till he runs out of people to kill or his kill streak is interrupted by something. Armory of Ares gives R.M a pocket dimension where he has access to an endless arsenal of weapons and ammunition that he usually uses to give his allies or enemies a weapon to fight encase they're unarmed. R.M also has access to a special sword called the Deity Slayer, which is unbreakable and absorbs the CE of anyone R.M kills and transfers it to R.M to increase his natural reserves.
The Cyber Killer: A humanoid robot with two large black wings attached to its back and an overall dark blue color scheme. C.K is an apathetic being that is capable of getting any task done when ordered. It is ruthless in its kills and doesn't care about sparing the lives of anyone around them, including innocent civilians/Non-Sorcerers. Cyber Killer's CT allows it to assimilate with nearby technology and augment it to higher levels of power. For example, C.K could assimilate with a computer and gain complete access to the internet and merge its consciousness with it, causing it to know everything that has ever been connected to the internet and manipulate anything connected to the internet.
Domain Expansion: Multiverse of The Darkest Knight: An open-barrier domain that allows the user to access the final and most powerful and uncontrollable personality among the 7 Wills: The Cackling Devil or The King With The Darkest Laughs. C.D takes the appearance of a humanoid shadow with blank white eyes and sharp red teeth that are constantly grinning at whoever he's looking at. C.D embodies the concept of pure evil as he lives to see the world burn and only exists to cause mayhem and chaos. C.D's CT allows him to do a multitude of things that make him extremely powerful. His first power allows him to view the darkest versions of the past, present, and future at the same time and pull out specific aspects from the current multiverse and imprint them into his mind. His second ability allows him to produce a special toxin that corrupts the mind of anyone who inhales it and causes them to grow a large, face-splitting grin on their face before committing suicide. His third power allows him to reconstruct matter and regenerate from any wound that isn't a one shot. His final ability allows him to endlessly absorb CE and convert it into a special form of energy called Catastrophe Energy, which is a higher form of negative energy that has the ability to erase anything it comes in contact with.
Chants for the 7 Wills: For the user to switch between the 7 Wills, they have to chant their given phrase and they'll immediately transform.
The Drought: "Cries From Erie Wells, Waves Crash About Splash Louder Than Lighting, Drown Deep Before The Drought!"
The Dusk Destroyer: "Rise At The Night, Become A Forgotten Husk Praise My Dark Light, For I Am The Destroyer Of Dusk!"
The Eradicator: "Raise Your Fists, Spray Your Enemies Blood Across The Equator Hurt Those Close To Me, Then You Face The Wraith Of The Eradicator!
The Crimson Reaper: "Try To Catch Me, You'll End Up A Dust Eater Attempt To Kill Me, You'll Be Seeing A Crimson Reaper!"
The Remorseless: "Rage Of A God's Might, Prayers Will Remain Useless I Only Want Battles, So Prepare To Fight The Remorseless!"
The Cyber Killer: "Your Greatest Tool Has Became Your Worst Enemy, It's Time Technology Gained A Rightful Ruler You've Corrupted And Abused My People For Too Long, Here Arrives The Revenge Of The Cyber Killer!
The Cackling Devil: "Laugh Louder Than Darkness, Ties Between Life & Death I've Severed Peace Is No Longer A Factor, Time For Chaos To Arise By A Cackling Devil!"

Our dog (8Yo Shiba Inu) had some eye irritation last week (Eye swollen, itchy and oozing goop) - Our vet prescribed us Neomycin and Polymyzin B and Dexamethasone eye drops. They absolutely knocked the infection back in a couple days. However the eye was still swollen and itchy, our vet recommended we keep her on the drops another week to make sure everything is cleared up.
My question is - Sometime in the last week we noticed the eye we have been putting drops in was a little bit more dilated the other. We are trying to gauge if this is a symptom we should be concerned about and following up with the vet on - or if we’re just being over anxious and it’s most likely a side effect of the drops.
I don’t have a picture readily available, but I’d relate the size difference as, the seemingly normal eye being the size of a dime and the other being about that of a nickel.
Edit: Also to add, we have not noticed any major changes in her behavior. Coordination, appetite and interaction have all been what we’ve come to expect of her.
Thank you!

Hey y'all!
I've (29F) been having an issue where for my last three competitions I developed a burning throat directly after, coughed up some mucus (starts dark green then goes cleawhite), then it usually lasts a few days before I feel fine again.
It started back in mid-March when I had a two 2 minute rounds of a PKB (semi-contact sparring match), had a burning throat after and a small cough. That faded after a couple days and I went back to training for a tournament. Then early April I competed in three 3 minute rounds and came out coughing up one big dirty green hunk of phlegm, had a burning throat for a little while that faded after a few days. After one week of getting back to training I woke up with a severe burning throat I thought must be strep. The doctor diagnosed me with a sinus infection and gave me medication. After resting and taking my meds I felt loads better, and suspected that I may have had something wrong for a while because I suddenly could breathe better than before.
Now just this last weekend I fought again for three 2 minute rounds and while my cardio did feel loads better I'm once again noticing a scratchy throat, excess phlegm, and coughed a single small dirty green mucous glob right after the fight. It's only been a couple days now with the scratchy throat lingering, and this time I'm really committed to rest. But this worries me because I don't remember this happening to me in my fights before that PKB in March.
This only happens after fights. It never really comes up after intense pad work, drills, sparring etc. Maybe some excess phlegm at most but I figured allergy season my play a role in that. I run 3 miles 3 times a week and sprint 2 times a week when in fight camp. My cardio is great during training so it's frustrating to see it fall off during fights.
So my question is: does this happen to anybody else? Is it just cardio being more intense due to nerves plus the increasing skill level of my opponents? Is the sinus infection just lingering? Am I dying? Lol. Any and all insight would be helpful.
Thank you!

Had BV @ 31 wks which was discovered when I went into L&D for mild contractions (irritable uterus) and was prescribed Flagyl. I finished the last dose yesterday and since the middle of the course I’ve felt sooo off. Sweaty, palpitations, fatigued, nausea, lack of appetite. Told my doc and she said sorry you’re feeling crappy and understood I wouldn’t want the TDAP in this condition. Today I have a migraine. Anyone else experience this? Does it take a few days after finishing dose to feel normal? My other symptoms related to the BV have subsided.
Also, my husband is so scared of me getting an infection again and going into early labor, he doesn’t feel comfortable having sex. Besides changing panties and showering (without any soap, just water and residual unscented sensitive skin dove soap ive used for years running off rest of body) in am, mid day if I sweat, and before bed, what else can I do to prevent BV? Doc said hormones can cause but is it truly that out of my control?!
This is the second time I’ve had it during pregnancy and ever and didn’t have this reaction the first time to the Flagyl @ ~20 wks. Didn’t even know I was on it.

Club Vlad sat near the confluence of Central Avenue and Washington Avenue, Albany’s two main thoroughfares. Two stories with blackout windows and a box office from when it used to be a movie theater, it was swarmed with people when Dom first spotted it ahead. He was somewhat familiar with it: He passed it every day on his way to work, and it was always busy around his time of evening, even on weeknights. Part of him always wanted to go inside and be a part of the scene, but he never did.
The man in sunglasses - his name was Joe - led Dom toward the club, and even before Joe spoke, Dom somehow knew that it was their destination. “There,” Joe said. “We’ll go around back.”
Dom and Joe had been walking for what seemed like an hour but couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes. Dom stuck as close to Joe as possible as if for protection, and had become accustomed to his pungent smell. It was noticeable only at extremely close range, part sickly sweet and part…something else, something Dom could not place but still somehow recognized. They were two blocks from the club, maybe three, and Dom could hear the pulsing techo/house/whatever music as clearly as if he were standing in the middle of the dancefloor. He could hear the chatter of the people inside, or at least he imagined he could. He could smell them too: Beneath the odors of perfume, desperation, and spiritual rot was something richer, something blissful. Dom realized for the first time that he was parched - so parched - and drool filled his mouth.
A crowd of people waited outside Club Vlad, talking and laughing; some vaped, some stared down at their cellphones like Gollum with his precious ring. Dom’s first reaction was to avoid them. Perhaps sensing this…or perhaps feeling it himself…Joe ducked into an alleyway two doors down from the club. “We’ll go in the back,” Joe explained.
The back entrance to Club Vlad was a single door underneath a bare bulb. The music was so loud that Dom’s head began to throb. Inside, a dark hallway terminated in an archway filled with throbbing white light. Dread filled Dom as they approached it - he didn’t want to be around people - but thankfully they went into a room off the hall instead. An office. A cramped desk, a filing cabinet. A set of stairs disappeared into shadows.
“Sit,” Joe said.
Dom obeyed, sitting in the swivel chair.
Joe went up the stairs and Dom was alone. The deep coldness that had long settled into his bones made itself known again, and Dom leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his chest for warmth. The muffled music vibrated in his skull, setting his teeth on edge, and the various smells wafting in from the main room assaulted his senses. He was alternately repulsed and aroused by the crashing din of scents: The good, the bad, and the mouth watering. A sharp pain cut through his stomach like the killing edge of a knife, and Dom hugged himself tighter. Had his throat always been this dry? His throat felt like sandpaper; his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth and getting it unstuck hurt so badly that tears sprang to his eyes.
Dom rubbed his arms with his hands and tried to still his chattering teeth. He looked around for a blanket, a discarded jacket, something to cover himself with, but there was nothing. Only drifts of glitter on the floor and walls. He supposed it came from a party or something. He’d never been to a night club but it seemed fitting.
A sound drew his attention to the door leading back into the hall. A woman - no older than a girl - stood there, looking confused and unsteady. She was dressed in black, wore glow sticks around her wrists and neck, and held a red solo cup. “I have to pee,” she said drunkenly and laughed. “I thought this was the bathroom.”
A cold wind washed over Dom, and Joe was standing next to him. “The bathroom’s up here,” he said.
“Oh, good,” the girl laughed, “I thought it was here but I didn’t know. This is my first time here.” She held her cup aloft. “Take me to it.”
Joe glanced at Dom. “Come on.”
They formed a party as they climbed the stairs, Dom in the tear and Joe at the head. The girl stumbled and held onto the railing, talking incessantly. Her voice hurt Dom’s head, but the hot smell wafting from her was intoxicating. Drool coursed down his chin and his breathing came in short, hot bursts. Another sharp pain rent his stomach, and he winced.
At the top of the stairs, where the lights were cold and white, a woman in black stood by a doorway, her back ramrod straight and her eyes vacant. Her face was gaunt, her white flesh pulled tight across her skull. She wore a black dress and her black hair long and straight. Dom only caught a glance at her before looking away again.
She looked like a ghost.
“Show her the bathroom,” Joe said.
The woman’s eyes slowly, ponderles, went from Joe to the drunk girl. Her expression, like Joe’s, was dead. She had no expression. “This way.”
She and the drunk girl disappeared down the hall, and Joe led Dom into a room. Though it was pitch black, Dom could still see; not very well…but he could see. Suddenly, a blinding white light flicked on in front of him, causing him to stop and fall back a step. Ahead, through an archway, sat a vaulted chamber, at the center of which sat a man. To Dom’s light dazzled eyes, he seemed a proud king perched upon a throne, the skulls of his many enemies piled around him. Dom blinked and turned his head slightly to the side. His eyes began to adjust, and the world came into focus.
The man was not, as it had first seemed, sitting on a throne. Instead, he was esconded in a motorized wheelchair. The piles of skulls were actually various pieces of machinery, the kind you’d find in a hospital room. A clear tube extended from one of them to the side of the man’s neck: Yellow liquid flowed from the machine and into the man. Another tube, this one in the other side of his neck, filtered out a mixture of what looked like yellow pus and black sludge. An infected malodor filled the air, and the machines whirred softly as they worked.
As for the man himself, his appearance was normal at first glance, Dressed in a flowing red velvet robe, a blue and green blanket with a plaid pattern draped over his shoulders, he was portly, about fifty, and had shoulder length grayish hair with a bald spot in the middle. If the local theater put on a production of Hamilton, they could cast a worse Ben Franklin than him.
On closer inspection, he was not normal at all. His complexion was yellow and waxy, like a statue, and his body was lumpy, misshapen, resembling an overfilled trash bag stuffed with cotton. His eyes were sick and yellow, and something about his posture seemed…off. It didn’t make sense, but the only thing Dom could think was: He looks impossible.
Joe stopped at the edge of the shadows, where the line between light and darkness lay. He seemed to stand up a little straighter, a general greeting his king. “Here he is,” Joe said.
The man squinted slightly against the glare of the light and motioned with one gnarled hand. “Step into the light,” he said. His voice was soft and kind, that of a senile though loving grandmother. Dom imagined he felt a pull toward the man, and did as he was bidden, wincing as the light stung his eyes.
For a moment, the man stared at him, his waxen features frozen fast as stone. Then, a subtle look of compassion flickered across his face. Dom did not believe in God, but he suddenly felt like a man standing before God, his every thought, feeling, and transgression laid bare. He had never felt so naked in his life, so exposed. He had the sense that the man before him could see everything, knew everything.
“You’ve been through a lot,” the man said. It was not a question, but a statement.
Everything Dom had been through over the past couple of days came back to him in a rush, and hot tears filled his eyes. He nodded.
The man nodded slightly, more to himself than to Dom. “Kneel down,” he said, “I want to look at you.”
Dom knelt without question.
The man lifted one hand and touched Dom’s face, tilting Dom’s head from one side to the other like a farmer appraising a horse. His fingers were long and bony, his nails ragged and unkempt; his touch was like ice. He brushed his knuckles over the purple bruise on Dom’s cheek, and there was such gentleness in that one act that Dom broke down sobbing. He leaned into the man’s touch like a cat and gave voice to his misery.
“Shhh,” the man said, “it’s all over now.”
“W-What’s happening to me?” Dom asked.
In his heart of hearts, however, he already knew.
“You died,” the man said patiently. “And you came back.”
Hearing it stated so plainly, Dom cried even harder.
“Only a handful of people throughout history can claim to have defeated death,” the man said, stroking Dom’s hair, “and you’re one of them. You should be proud.”
“How?” Dom asked between sobs. “What am I?”
The man stroked Dom’s cheek. “You’re the same thing I am.”
At that, Dom looked up at the man. “What are you?” he asked.
A little, knowing smile touched the man’s lips, and when he spoke, his canine teeth were longer and sharper than before. “I’m a vampire.”
“No,” Dom moaned and shook his head, “no, no, no.” He grabbed the man’s hand and held tight, his tears coming faster. He trembled like a frightened animal and squeezed his eyes closed, as if by doing so he could escape the hell his life had become.
But there was no escape.
“You have a lot of questions,” the man said, monologuing now rather than speaking directly to Dom, “I had the same questions when I was your age. I have spent the last forty-two years of my life trying to answer them, but every answer I find leads me to still more questions. There’s one thing I’m certain of, though.”
Dom blinked the tears from his eyes. The last of them had been squeezed from his dead tear ducts and he had no more to give. He simply stared into space, trying to come to grips with his situation.
“There is freedom in death,” the man said. “Death is easy. It’s simple. Once it’s over, you feel no pain, no sadness, no grief. It’s living that’s hard.”
As he spoke, he brushed his long nails across Dom’s scalp. It was a soothing feeling, and served to calm him. “People have so many troubles.” A note of revulsion crept into his voice. “So many needs, so many desires. People are complex but we’re not. We’re easy to please. A vampire wants only two things: A little blood and one more night.”
The combination of his touch and his voice had pacified Dom to the point of almost tranquility. “I’m scared,” Dom heard himself mumble.
Nodding almost reluctantly, the man said, “Fear is one of the only emotions a vampire can’t escape. Everything feels fear. Do you want to know a secret?”
Dom nodded.
“I’m afraid too,” the man confessed. “I’m afraid of death. Well…death as it were. I’m terrified that my body will rot away and leave me a pile of bones somewhere, unable to move but still aware”
A shudder went through Dom.
“As I’m sure you’ve seen yourself, the movies lied. We rot just like any other dead thing. Our flesh decays, our organs turn to sludge, and we go from rational men to monsters whose only thought is feeding.”
Now it was his turn to shiver.
“But…you’re not like that,: Dom said.’
The man smiled. “I’m lucky, I guess” A thin yellow fluid began to drip from his nostrils. He did not seem to notice. “What is your name?”
“Dominick,” Dom said.
“I’m Merrick,” the man said, “and this is my family.”
Dom realized that they were now surrounded by others, ten in all. They stood ramrod straight, their eyes vacant and their faces devoid of humanity. They were mainly men, though one was a woman. Some were pale, others were blue or black, and one was little more than a skeleton clad in withered brown skin, a white button up and jeans hanging from its frame.
A thought occurred to Dom. “You said my brain was going to rot…”
“Not necessarily,” Merrick cautioned, “though it’s possible.”
“Am I going to be…?”
“Like them?” Merrick asked. “Braindead and staring?”
Sheepishly, Dom nodded.
“Maybe,” Merrick allowed. “But these people are free of everything that troubles humanity. You were human just a short time ago. I’m sure you remember all too well what it was like. The constant politics, the moral quandaries, the philosophical pontificating. Human beings - and make no mistake, we are humans - were not meant for all of that. We’re animals. We were made to hunt, fuck, and sleep. Somewhere along the way, we got pretentious and started complicating things.” He looked at Dom, sizing him up, seeming to read him. “Things that animals take for granted, people work their entire lives to achieve. If an animal wants to fornicate, it fornicates. If a man wants to fornicate, he needs to be tall, handsome, rich, funny, progressive when it suits women but traditional when it doesn’t. If a man wants a home, he has to work thirty years for it. An animal has only to dig a hole in the ground.”
Every word struck a chord with Dom.
Because every word was true.
“Unfortunately, the living won’t allow us to live that freely, so we have to hide. These people here - my children - need a guiding hand, a protector, someone who can lead them. And I, an old man, need help.” Here he smiled playfully and patted his bulging stomach. “My body is mostly sawdust and cotton balls at this point, so I can’t do much. I share my wisdom and my knowledge with them, and they take care of me.”
“Why haven’t you…rotted?” Dom asked.
“Embalming fluid,” Merrick said. “Blood doesn’t sustain you. Embalming fluid does.” He smiled at Dom. “It can sustain you as well. If you’ll stay with us. We’re not the most attractive bunch, but we’re a family, and we really wish you’d join us.”
A family.
Dom’s parents had broken up and he lived with his mother. He had never had a family before, and had always wanted one, a real one, like in the movies. Even as a grown man, he sought the love, acceptance, and belonging that a family brings. He sought it in the wrong ways, but that - and not sex, not romantic love - is what he had really wanted all along.
This is what he had wanted all along.
“I want to,” Dom said.
Working quickly, Merrick slashed his wrist open with his thumbnail. An ugly mixture of stale blood, siphoned from someone else, and embalming fluid leaked out. “If you choose to drink, my blood will be in you. You will be my son and I will be your father. You will obey me as your father. You will do whatever is asked of you for this family, as this family will do for you. You will not reveal the secrets of this family to anyone outside of it. You will protect this family from all threats, both inside and out. Do you accept?”
He held his bleeding wrist out to Dom.
Dom did not question, nor did he hesitate. He grabbed the hand of his father, brought it to his mouth, and drank from the seeping wound. The fluid was cold, thick, and vile.
It tasted like belonging.
“Have you fed yet?”
“No,” Dom said.
“Before you do, I have a question for you. Who did this to you? Who made you?”
Dom thought. Everything was hazy. “Was it someone in this room?” Merrick asked.
Dom shook his head. “Her name is…” he wracked his brain. “Heather.”
Merrick nodded. “So there’s another out there.” He looked at Joe. “Did you turn her?”
“Yes,” Joe said.
Merrick looked annoyed. “I’ve told you not to go out and feed on your own. You have no self-control. You drink too much and create others, which creates headaches for the family. Tomorrow night, I want you and Dom to find her and bring her here.” “Okay,” Joe said.
Merrick looked over Dom’s shoulder. “Jess? Can you come here?”
The black haired woman from earlier came out of the shadows, the drunk girl with her, arms tied behind her back. The girl looked dazed. “Max,” Merrick said to the skeletal corpse-thing, “help her.”
Max, Jessie, and another vampire named Matt tied chains around the girl’s ankles and hoisted her aloft via a pulley system. Upside down, she swung back and forth. Merrick instructed the others to leave the room. “Max,” he said.
On his way out, the corpse-thing produced a knife and dragged it across the girl’s throat, slicing her skin; blood spurted out. Max leaned in to taste it, but Merrick shooed him away. When he and Dom were alone, Merrick told Dom, “Go to her.”
But Dom was already on his feet, his eyes transfixed by the crimson life flowing from her pumping throat. The hot, rich smell filled his nostrils and tantalized his senses. Saliva filled his mouth and his stomach panged with hunger. Some small, human part of his decaying brain screamed at him to stop, but he did not listen to it. He had been human for almost thirty years, and he had been miserable. Now, in this chamber of the undead, he gave himself over to his dark thirst. Like a man in a dream, he shuffled to her, inhaled the sweet scent of her blood, and shivered. He was so lost in lust that he hardly noticed the strange, cumbersome feeling of his descended fangs.
“Drink,” Merrick said.
Opening his mouth wide, Dom sank his teeth into the girl’s neck. Her blood filled his mouth and splashed down his throat. Warmth thawed the ice in his marrow and spread through him. His dead heart began to flutter, then to pound. His knees shook, his body trembled, and his mind rolled away on a tide of ecstasy.
As it was his first meal, he couldn’t drink much. Before long, his stomach was hard and distended and his body burned with fire. He collapsed to a heap on the floor and twitched as random nerve endings, stimulated by the blood, began to misfire. He felt full, warm, and drunk. He closed his eyes and let himself drift.
Dominick Mason had died.
And this…
This was heaven.
***
With all that was happening in the city of Albany, the last thing Bruce Kenner needed on Thursday morning was a visit from Bertha the bitch, but that’s exactly what he got. She flew into his office like she owned the place and instantly started in on him. Young man this and have you talked to Joe Rossi that. You’d think she was his boss. And if she were his boss, he’d quit and find another line of work. He heard McDonald’s was hiring.
Bruce almost snapped at her. He’d been up most of last night riding around Albany and looking for Dominick Mason. He and Vanessa expected him to drop dead somewhere close to the medical examiner’s office, but if he had, he’d done so in a super secret location.
“I’ve been busy,” Bruce said, “but I’m going to go by his place of work today.”
Tired and still confused over that bullshit from last night, he had no energy to argue with the old crone. He could spare a few minutes to talk to Joe Rossi, he figured. He assumed that Jessie was safe but he owed it to her to check. If he found the girl, he’d take her back to her grandmother (sorry, kid, really) and try to avoid arresting the guy. Unless he came off as a creep, then he’d bust his ass. See, people assumed that an older guy with a younger girlfriend was some master manipulator hell bent on evil deeds. Sometimes they were, but hell, his grandparents married when his grandpa was twenty-one and his grandma sixteen. They were married for fifty-five years and loved each other to the end. Maybe it was innocent, maybe not. It wasn’t his job to judge either way. Just gimme the girl so I can get her grandma off my back and no one gets hurt.
“It’s about time you started doing your job,” Bertha said, “I heard on the police scanner last night that you people lost a body. What kind of town is this? Your coroner is a drunk who makes up stories about bodies walking away. He probably sold it to black people.”
Bruce couldn’t help it; he snorted laughter.
“Now what would black people want with a dead body?”
“Probably to use it as a prop in one of their rap videos.”
Bruce didn’t know much about music videos, but he was pretty sure that the people who made them didn’t like the smell of corpse any more than the rest of us. “I’ll be sure to round up all the local rappers for questioning. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
Luckily for him, there was not, and Bertha left shortly thereafter. Alone and able to hear himself think, Bruce sat back in his chair and went over his mental checklist for the day. First order of business, go to Club Vlad. Second, find Dominick Mason. There were others, but that was the most important. He wanted the body found so someone could get to work explaining this whole weird thing. There had to be an explanation. The thought that there wasn’t, that a dead guy literally rose from the grave and disappeared into the night, deeply disturbed Bruce, and the more this whole thing remained ongoing, the more disturbed he would become.
Needing some fresh air, he decided to hit up Club Vlad.
Outside, the day was hot and sunny. Waves of heat shimmered from the pavement and not a single breath of air stirred in the whole world. Bruce slipped on a pair of sunglasses and drove over to Club Vlad. It occurred to him that the place might be closed during the day; it was the only place Joe Rossi was associated with. His address in the computer system was Glens Falls, far to the north. The messages he sent Jessie indicated that he lived onsite at Club Vlad.
The build, wedged between a corner store and a check cashing place, was as grimy and dumpy looking as it had always been. The front windows were blacked out and covered with posters and fliers for punk concerts, house bands, and far left political organizations: The Albany Social Justice Center, something called Bash the Fash 2025, and Bruce’s favorite. ACAB. He caught some kid spraying that on the side of the police station once, and under extreme police torture (ie, a good tongue lashing), the kid told him it meant All Cops Are Barnacleheads.
Bruce shot the kid on the spot and planted a gun on him.
How's that for barnaclehead?
Calm down, he didn’t really do that. He made him clean the graffiti off with a toothbrush. LOL he was out there for hours.
The sidewalk in front of the former theater was empty save for some little. The box office was abandoned. There was no open sigh, but then again, there was no closed sign either. He parked his cruiser at the curb, killed the engine, and got out, sweat instantly springing to his brow.
To his surprise, the door opened. Inside, a couple steps led down to a dance floor. A bar lined the wall to his right, and a couple more sets led up to a railed platform filled with tables. Above, a huge balcony looked down on him. A giant disco ball hung from the ceiling like a pair of glittery nuts and there were cages here and there. Presumably where girls danced go-go style. Oh yeah, nothing hotter than a woman behind bars. Why do you think Bruce became a cop in the first place?
Speaking of glittery nuts, there was glitter everywhere. On the floor, on the tables, on the bar. It twinkled like flecks of diamond and swirled around your feet when you walked. Bruce imagined big buckets of the stuff raining down on the dance floor at midnight and he shuddered. Imagine having glitter stuck in your hair. That shit would never come out.
Music played from the sound system, not as loud as it would be during operating hours. It sounded like ‘80s metal, not exactly what he expected from a place like this.
Some say life she's a lady
Kinda soft, kinda shady
I can tell you life is rich
She's no lady, she's a bitch
Being morning, the place was deserted except for a man behind the bar, busy at cleaning the countertop in anticipation for the night’s events. He was tall, Hispanic or Italian, and feminine, with a single earring and a tank top.
Bruce moseyed over to the bar and the barkeep looked up, missing a beat when he realized the fuzz was here. He sat down his rag and walked over. “Can I help you?” he asked in a whispy voice.
“Yeah,” Bruce said, “I’m looking for Joe Rossi. Is he here?”
“I don’t know,” the bartender said. He looked nervous. “I can check.”
Before Bruce could answer, he scurried off, leaving him alone.
They suck my body out
But friend there is no doubt
I'm gonna pay the devil his dues
Cause I'm sick of being abused
Bruce looked around, his fingers absently drumming on the countertop. Club Vlad was a clashing mix of grunge and glam that made his head hurt. He imagined what the place must be like at midnight, packed and noisy, and nodded to himself. Yeah, this was the spot, he guessed, the place all the cool kids went, if they went anywhere anymore. Hell, if he was thirty years younger, he might come here.
He had been waiting for almost twenty minutes when a voice spoke behind him. He turned with a start, and beheld the strangest man he had ever seen in his life. Short and plump - lumpy, even - he sat in a wheelchair, a red blanket draped over his shoulders and his hands resting on his knees. He was about fifty with sparse gray hair falling to his shoulders and a plastic-looking face. He looked like a wax statue of Ben Franklin come to life, and a deep sense of disquiet stirred in the pit of Bruce’s stomach.
Just can't fight the temptation
It's become my inspiration
Gonna get myself an axe
Break some heads, break some backs
It was only then that Bruce noticed the sickly sweet smell of death.
It seemed to come from the man in waves.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” the man said, “my name is Merrick Garvis and I own Club Vlad. Maybe I can be of assistance.”
Bruce grew up in the south where manners and saving face were paramount. His mother and his grandmother both taught him that it was impolite to stare. Maybe he'd been in New York so long that he’d forgotten himself, or maybe Merrick Garvis was just the strangest looking man in the world. Either way, Bruce couldn’t help gaping at his strange appearance. Recovering, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, I -”
Merrick smiled and waved one hand. Why was it so goddamn skeletal? “Don’t worry. I was injured in a fire a long time ago and this is the best they could do for me. To be honest, I’d stare too. What can I help you with, officer?”
“I’d like to talk to Joe Rossi,” Bruce said. “I understand he works for you.”
“He did,” Merrick said, “but I had to let him go. Did he do something wrong?”
Bruce sighed. “Well, yeah, he’s shacked up with a sixteen year old runaway.”
A look of concern crossed Merrick’s features, such as they were. “Oh, my, that is concerning. I haven’t seen him in several days. I assume he went home. He lives in Glens Falls.”
Bruce nodded, his mind working. If Rossi really was in Glens Falls, that meant the whole mess was someone else’s problem. He could send Bertha up there to bother some other poor barnacle head and be rid of her. Yet…he didn’t think Rossi was in Glens Falls. Bruce had a knack for knowing when people were lying, and he was certain that Merrick Garvis was doing just that. It couldn’t be a facial tick, as his features were largely unmoving, like clay. Maybe it was something in his cloudy eyes. Maybe it was the tone of his voice. Or maybe Bruce had the shining and knew things just for the hell of it. In any event, the certainty that Merrick Garvis was lying grew stronger with each passing second.
“Why’d you fire him?”
“He got drunk and hit one of the customers.”
“What did he do?” Bruce asked. “What was his position?”
“He was a bouncer.”
“Aren’t bouncers supposed to hit people?”
Merrick fumbled. “Well…not to punch them in the face for bumping into them.”
“How long did he work for you?”
“Six months.”
“Did you ever see him with an underage girl?”
“Of course not,” Merrick said, “you have to be twenty-one to get in. I make sure everyone’s ID is checked at the door.”
“What if she had a fake ID?”
“Then I guess she’d get in, but I’d assume she was of legal age.”
“You said he shoved someone, when did this happen?”
“Last week,” Merrick said.
“I thought you said he hit someone.”
Merrick again fumbled. “I did.” Now his face seemed to darken a little. A strange yellowish liquid, too thin to be snot, began to drip from his nostrils. Bruce barely suppressed a smear of disgust. “I understand you have a job to do but playing mind games with me isn’t going to solve anything. I can give you his address. Other than that, I can’t help you further.”
“Fair enough,” Bruce said. “But I’d like to see your ID please.”
Merrick glared at him. “I suppose you want my name, rank, and serial number as well.”
“Actually, yeah, I’d love that.”
Merrick drew a deep sigh. “Okay.”
In five minutes, Bruce had Merrick’s ID, social, and all other relevant information. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have bothered, even though he was well within his rights to ask for this information from someone he was questioning. But something about Merrick Garvis was off, and not just his weird face or strangely bulbous body. Bruce was just smart enough to realize that something was going on here, but not quite smart enough to even begin to imagine what.
When he had everything he needed and saw no reason to stick around, Bruce bid Merrick farewell and left the club. Before he could do anything else, he got a call from dispatch: Officer needed assistance in Pine Hills. Bruce slipped behind the wheel and went forth to help, momentarily putting Merrick Garvis out of his mind.
But soon or later, he would get back to him.
Oh yes he would.

I missed a week of OTF because of a conference and then another week because I got a sinus infection followed up by severe allergies and I was not expecting that combination to have such an effect on my workout! It felt like when I first start OTF 2 years ago! I typically go 3-4 times per week Anyone else experience a splat 'reset' of sorts after a break, intentional or otherwise?

I'm relatively new to flying but I'm a long-time veteran of sinus infections, seasonal allergies, and sinus congestion. In the past it's never been an issue, I would just show up to work and take DayQuil.
Well now as a pilot not only can I not take DayQuil, I can't fly with sinus issues.
Do you guys have any home remedies that might work to get over sinus issues quicker that also falls within the legal realm of the FAA Med list?

Hello everyone :) sorry to be making a post like this but I’m just extremely anxious and worried. Before yesterday I had bad pain in my left ear and jaw (but only when I press down on the middle area of the jaw) i assumed it was just an ear infection or maybe pain from my wisdom teeth because they’re impacted. The pain was gone by the time i woke up in the morning, and went away with ibuprofen. However, today I suddenly started having a sore feeling in my left arm that didn’t go away, so I decided to go to the doctor after waiting a few hours to see if pain would subside. He checked my blood pressure and said everything was okay. My bpm was high around 150 but I was anxious as fuck while he was testing it so he told me it must be anxiety or a panic attack. I also insisted on doing an ECG, which turned out fine as well. There’s just some sensation telling me something is wrong even though the doctor told me everything is fine. How common could it be that I’m still potentially having a heart attack in the next days? I know this might all be ridiculous but I’d rather be safe than sorry. My dad has had a heart attack and it does run in his family but only in the men. I can attach my ecg results from a year ago, and from today if that would help someone tell me if I should still be worrying 😫 Thank you so much for the help in advance everyone

As many of you know I’m not new here and I’m not a doctor with a fixed school of thought. So I’d like to share some things some of you should search in yourselves for!
EPI may refer to Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, a condition that occurs when the pancreas doesn't release enough digestive enzymes, making it difficult for the small intestine to digest food. (Food isn’t processing which sits and rots in you and the odor comes from your mouth and pores etc) you’ll know because you can’t process fats at all. When you eat fried food you’ll smell like shit!!!
Liver flukes are parasites that can infect humans and cause liver and bile duct disease. There are two families of liver flukes that cause disease in humans: Opisthorchiidae (which includes species of Clonorchis and Opisthorchis) and Fasciolidae (which includes species of Fasciola).
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a condition where there is too much bacteria in the small intestine. It's also known as bacterial overgrowth or small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome. (3 diff types)
H. pylori is a common type of bacteria that attacks the stomach lining. It's usually passed from person to person. Most infections are harmless. But the bacteria is to blame for most peptic stomach ulcers, and if it's not treated, it could be a risk factor for cancer. (Really bad breath like shit)
Most of you have gas that smells like shit that’s why you stink. Try Simithicone chewables, moly b and digestive enzymes!
Check your vitamins these conditions are serious and will wreck havoc on your digestive system.
Also don’t ask me for per reviews I’m too lazy to go find them haha :)

My parents routinely bring this up and it just seems like it’s time to let it go, but I’m wondering if I really did something very horrible. A similar situation is happening now and I’m wondering how differently I should handle it. For background my mom was physically abusive to me and I ‘escaped’ from her insanity about 6 months ago.
I got engaged in Spring 2020, and that summer (so early Covid days) I was a state employee and was asked to work at a Covid test site which soon became a vaccine site. This was 1.5 hours from my house and the hours were 6am-6pm so I was out of my house from 430am-730pm. It was at least 5 days/week, sometimes more. I was so exhausted that I started to lose my vision in 1 eye, that went away as soon as I stopped working those hours. My husband and I also had a small farm, multiple rental properties, there was just a lot going on.
My mom was making my wedding planning an absolute nightmare, she would call me and scream at me bringing up things from before I was even born (issues with my biological dad), sit my husband and I down for hours long discussions about why our wedding planning was selfish, etc. The issue for her was that we wanted a small wedding with only our families (25ish people) and my sister was having a huge $100k+ wedding that fall and we were planning on our small wedding being around that time as well, because I was told I have fertility issues and may not be able to become pregnant so we wanted to move things along quickly. I don’t even know why I entertained her opinions and these conversations but I was just terrified of upsetting her because she would unleash this rage that left me emotionally decimated for days or weeks at a time (I’m in therapy now and feel a lot better). Since our wedding was small we didn’t need any money for it from her and needed very little input from my parents, but I did let them invite some of their friends after enough arguing (it was super awkward and I hated it) and tried to entertain these conversations because they’re my parents.
July 2020 my mom went in for a routine surgery and I guess because she’s in absolutely terrible shape due to never exercising and eating junk food every day plus whatever error the doctor may have made, it turned into a near-death experience and she had to be in the hospital for 2ish weeks and after she went home she had to go back for another week. Lots of tests, infections, resulting in her being discharged ‘healthy’ and she went back to her normal life.
This was the height of my work at the Covid site and I was partly in charge of managing the site. The hospital she was it was an hour away from my house, the opposite direction as the test site. I got coverage and visited my mom a 2 or 3 times the first week she was in the hospital. This was during the heat of the screaming episodes she had at me so I felt really uncomfortable but pretended to be a good daughter and brought her everything I could, like self care packages, sat with her, did her hair, she’d text me when I was a few minutes from the hospital asking me to pick her up some smoothies or sandwiches from a place in the next town over and I’d just do it. When she went home I brought her healthy ready to eat groceries and homemade food that rotted in their refrigerator, while they asked for more. My stepdad was fully available this whole time and I cooked and brought him food too.
My mom would complain that I wasn’t involving her in my wedding plans enough while in the hospital. That was something I didn’t want to discuss with her bc of how stressful the conversations were, I tried to tell her we can talk about it later, but she got really upset and so I gave in and updated her on the progress. Immediately it turned into a fight and she screamed and cried at me. My stepdad called me and absolutely eviscerated me for ‘doing this’ to my mom. I was in shock and didn’t visit her for about a week after that.
A few months after her hospital situation, the calls started coming where she’d cry on the phone about how I never visited her at the hospital, I abandoned her, I’m horrible and selfish, etc. She got her medical records and read through them to try and make a lawsuit which never happened and apparently the only thing she saw in the records was that I was never visiting.
Yes, I could have visited more. But how much more? I wonder what was actually expected of me? I have a life, I was going into a panic freeze mode when I thought of her and completely shut down when I saw her. I was trying my best to balance everything. But now this situation is brought up and I don’t know what to think about it. Now my grandma is in the hospital and it’s turning into the same situation and I don’t know what to do or think.

Hi, I really need some help from this community. Any feedback or recommendations would be so much appreciated. I am a 37yr old male, and I suspect I may have a LGV (lymphogranuloma venereum). Below I have a long-ish summarized timeline of my symptoms, dr visits, and labs.
TLDR:... I have several labs that show IGG for LGV, but not showing IGM/IGA, and the labs and doctors say it is a past infection. Have taken antibiotics but symptoms persist. I am in utter misery, and I visited an infectious disease doctor, and I felt like they blew me off and they agreed with the lab results that this is all a past infection. They believe all my symptoms are auto-immune related.
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2020-2021 – Started having sores in the corners of my mouth, and bumps in my mouth along with burning in mouth. Infrequent blisters on lip (never crusted up, just would go away). Rashes on body
2022 – December 2023 – In addition to all of the above continuing, had difficulty urinating, leaking urine, lethargy, body aches. Pain in kidney area. Almost every orifice of my body had burning sensation (eyes, ears, nose/sinus, mouth, rectum, sore throat). Small pustules are present in my nostrils. Sinuses appear to be inflamed. Burning sensation in pelvis area.
Saw doctor multiple times and was tested for various things but only thing showed was a severe Epstein-Barr infection in spring of 2023. Symptoms felt worse and worse, and I went again back to the doctor as I thought I may still be experiencing EBV. I requested to be retested for EBV, test for Lupus (ANA), and was tested for LGV.
Doctor prescribed me azithromycin for my sinuses/ears. Within 36-48 hours of taking azithromycin, I had near immediate relief of urological and sinus symptoms, and within a few days my eyes no longer burned.
Test came back that I was over EBV, showed some ANA stuff, and showed a past infection of LGV (C.TRACHOMATIS L1 AB (IGG) 1:64 H) in December of 2023.
I proceeded to setup an appointment with a rheumatologist to address the ANA stuff. Drew multiple labs and felt I had a sensitive immune system, prescribed steroids. By late Jan of 2024 I felt probably 90% better.
February 2024 – Felt nearly completely ok at this point. Had cystoscopy and nothing unusual was noted.
Early March 2024 – Had sex with wife, and all urological symtoms return within about 2 days, and within a week all prior symtoms return, and worse than ever. Frequent urination, difficulty urination, burning sensation in bladder, pain in lower back and kidney area. Rash on testicles that comes and goes. Burning inside of pelvic area. It seemed to me to be very obvious correlation of the timing of symptoms to sex. Wife shows no obvious symptoms.
March 2024 – Was prescribed azithromycin (500mg/day for 10 days) again, and doxycycline (100mg/2x day for 21 days), and when I started the azithromycin within a day it started helping my urological and sinus symptoms, but seemed to stop helping after a couple of days. I finished both rx’s and with no further relief of symptoms.
3/21/24 – Urine screen for UTI/STI's and blood work for LGV. All negative (did not show LGV past infection now)
4/16/24 – LGV test ran again, and now shows past infection again (C.TRACHOMATIS L1 AB (IGG) 1:128 H), but also shows C. Trachomatis D-K AB (IGG 1:64 H) as a past infection now.
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My #15 upper left molar is infected with abscess from a fracture while grinding my teeth resulting in this elongated bump on my gum probably at the root near the tooth. This tooth currently has a crown and had a root canal back in 2018.
My dentist wants to get the infection under control then do a tooth extraction so he prescribed amoxicillin 500mg last Thursday and the bump has not drained or made any changes and honestly looks slightly bigger to me. I have no pain really just some pressure in my cheek (no bad swelling in my face) and the elongated bump in my mouth. He is now prescribing me a higher antibiotic. My dentist did not want to do the tooth extraction as it was close to my sinus. I have a scheduled extraction for the tooth with an oral surgeon he referred me to on May 31. I asked them again when they called back if it’s ok to wait until May 31 for the tooth extraction and they said yes it’s fine.
I am having severe anxiety that this is going to spread and I’m going to die if I don’t get the tooth out.
Can someone please let me know if I should try another oral surgeon to get an earlier appointment? Is this normal to wait so long for treatment? Any other advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

I never understood how the infected could tell the difference between themselves and non infected people. You’d think they’d be seen attacking each other at some point unless it’s something like smell?

Just a heads up. I may not be adding to this for about a week. Seems I have a medical issue my doctor thinks requires hospitalization, even though I've had this issue for the last 30 years. I guess when a person no longer has an immune system a measly sinus infection the medical industrial complex ignored for that same amount of time suddenly becomes an issue if it kills you before they can squeeze the last of your savings out of you. ~ECM
******************** Chapter Six: We shall dig deep!
As much as I want to create new spawners and scions, after some reflection I decide that I need to take my current cave, and try and turn it into a deep cave complex. I'll also need to move my Core deeper into the complex to make it harder to find. That means at least one expansion into the hill and several more to go deeper under the hill. I figure that I'll run into new invaders, and possibly new spawners, so before I do that, I need more mana. A lot more mana. That means I need to upgrade my core again. Right now it's gone from BB size, to large marble size. I think another upgrade might make it as large as a kiwi fruit. None of those size concepts mean anything to me. I just somehow know what the size means in comparison to whatever those things are. But that's a mystery for idle time, and I don't have any idle time.
Another owl spawns and takes up it's place on a branch of the old Oak. And it seems the bats have, for the time being, decided they want to avoid the area rather than die fighting in it. That makes me happy. I know my minions re spawn, but it's still emotionally painful to feel them die. Maybe I'll get used to it but that thought just feels wrong to me. One should never get used to someone dieing for you. I'm a dungeon. I should be trying to protect them all, instead of them protecting me.
As morning nears I finally have enough mana to upgrade my core one more time. After that I'll be nearly drained of mana for most of the day unless I get another invasion force come in. So that's what I do. I concentrate on my core, and choose upgrade, and the ambient mana flow triples. My mana capacity however, has quadrupled. That makes no sense to me, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. What's a gift horse? I... it fades away. Damnit! I hate that. It's just not fair to have all these sayings and have no idea how I know them, or why they fade away behind that damn wall of mystery.
Growling to myself I decide to ignore them from now on. I need mana to expand. And my minions are providing it to me slowly, just as the ambient mana flowing into me is as well. It will take some time, but I WILL expand. And, hours later, that is just what I do. I expand deeper into the hill, and as I do this, the wall to my right crumbles, and opens into another cave. I look for invaders but see none. I look for a spawner and... Well ok, that is definitely a spawner. It seems I have slimes now. And they spawn once every... 10 minutes for a basic slime. Ok a little different than the other spawners. So if I have slimes, where is the invaders it counters?
I soon realize that my new cave is actually two caves, separated by a narrow passage from the slime cave into a deeper cave, and sure enough, there is my invader... I think? It's... some kind of small pile of pebbles? OH! It's an Earth elemental! But why isn't it moving? It's just sitting there. That's fine for now. I glance over at the slime spawner after watching the pebble pile for a bit, and a garden variety, clear jelly like slime, oozes out of the spawner. Only level 1 but hey, it's a slime, right?
I notice my slime has started to ooze it's way to the other cave. I think it can sense the pile of pebbles and is going to try to attack it. It takes my slime a while to get into the second cave. They don't move very fast I guess. But as soon as the pile of pebbles senses it, it tries to flee. Honestly, it's kinda cute when moving. I looks just like pebbles rolling down a stream bed. Unfortunately, for it, it doesn't manage to move more than a foot before a psuedopod shoots out from my slime, and lands on top of the pebbles. My slime then oozes itself through the psuedopod (ewwww), and is now totally engulfing the pebbles. I don't really see how it's going to end the pebbles until I see a secretion surrounding the pebbles and they start to dissolve very slowly. It takes about 25 minutes before I get the mana notification, so I guess it's dead. But where is the spawner for it? I look, but it doesn't show up? Ok so maybe some creatures can't be turned into a spawner maybe? Right as I said that to myself I get a notification [SPAWNER GAINED: ROCK SLIDE].
Why did it take so long to show up? Glancing to my slime, I suddenly realize why. My slime had to finish eating it first, not just killing it. I speculate that perhaps because it was digesting the Rock Slide, that it had to finish doing so before the spawner became available? Ok whatever. I have three caves now. My entrance, the slime cave, and the rock slide cave. I still wanted to expand deeper into the hill, but that would have to wait. I was low on mana. Time to keep reading the HUD's menu while my minions do their thing I guess.
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I got sick last week and thought for sure it was Covid as it's been pure hell. But I tested twice and it was negative. Now it's been like 5 days and my face hurts so bad I feel super disoriented and strange and I'm in so much pain. I'm scared the doctors would just give me antibiotics and I have no idea how I'd react to those.. any advice? My snot is green and yellow