mandy

I had my IUD installed while still on medicaid, but only a week or two before it was cut off (where i live they give you 2months post-pardum.) I get poked often by the little strings that the dr. left long for reasons I'm still not sure of. I know there's probably a pretty wide range of potential office visit costs, but can anyone tell me if it's too much to hope that it wouldn't be any more than a standard office visit without any kind of labs done?

So, wrong or not, I have been through my boyfriend's texts 3times in the last few months. The first time I found texts between him and this woman he says he just rode the bus with in highschool, they reffered to eachother as "sexy" and spoke briefly about how if he got the chance to take a vaca trip back home he'd take the long way back to where we live now to see her. Not to mention a statement along the lines of "yay, she went to do laundry. i'm free for about an hour" reffering to me, obviously leaving to the laundry mat. I tried to brush it off, he said he wouldn't do it again.

A while later I looked again. Found a topless pic of this same woman, and a few trivial texts. He'd had the pic in his phone for about a month, and when I asked him about it his first response was to appologize and claim she'd sent it unsolicited, and that he'd cut off communication with her after that because he knew "letting her talk to him like that" wasn't right. He did try to stick to his guns that they were no longer talking, but the texts were from a week or so before i found them, three weeks after the pic was dated. Once again, he said he wouldn't talk to her anymore.

This morning, after several days of feeling like something's been up, I picked up his phone again. They had texted within the last few days, flirting again. There were apparently pictures she'd sent him that he'd asked for, though I didn't see them and don't know what they were of. One text from him to her called her "ms. sexy playboy bunny" so i'm willing to bet it wasn't innocent like he tries to make it seem. He said "that was the first time we talked since the last time" and "she was having a bad day and i was trying to make her feel better" and then "i never said we wouldn't talk at all, just not 'like that.'"

I know that it might not have been right for me to look through his phone, but honestly, with this evidence is it any small wonder that I don't trust him? He likes to remind me that he has way more dating experience than I do, which is true, but sometimes I feel like he thinks he can get away with things because of that. I didn't date through highschool, and have only had a few horribly failed relationships since, but somehow I don't think I'm so inexperienced that I don't understand what's right or wrong in a relationship.

Ours isn't by any means a fairy-tale story. We were friends with benefits when I wound up pregnant. I told him only because he had a right to know, and I was very clear that his involvement was up to him. He chose to start the relationship and on more than one occasion I have reminded him that "mom and dad" does NOT have to mean "husband and wife/girlfriend and boyfriend." I do care about him, and I at least think I love him (it's a matter of "what is love without trust?") I did try once to leave him, to which he responded by taking the night off work to take me out to dinner and try to fix things.

This situation is so screwy. The only reason I don't put an end to it myself is because I DID have feelings for him before I got pregnant, all beit I was trying to put those feelings to rest as soon as I figured out they were there, and I'm pregnant and know only too well how hormones can make a girl not think quite straight (in other words, i'm reffusing to make that decision until i find my sanity.)

Sorry for all of the detail, but I guess my question is just; Should I be concerned, taking into account that this chick he's been texting is "an old friend" as well as lives in NY (we live in KS)? Don't I have a right to be extremely upset that he's said he stopped talking to her twice, only to find that he obviously hasn't? Just about every time I try to prove to myself he's being truthful with me I wind up finding the hard proof that he lied, and regardless of how innocent the lies may seem I am NOT dumb enough to think that they end there.

Yeah... I'm pretty sure I might be better off going into motherhood as a single mom rather than waiting until the relationship desintegrates entirely. But any advice?

My dog is micro-chipped, but i neglected to register it (she came to me with it as a puppy) and the paperwork for it is long gone. I don't even know the company or anything, and the petstore (yes, i know, and i have paid for that decision many times over in vet bills that may have been unnecesary had she been a better bred dog) i purchased her from went out of busines a year or two ago, so I can't exactly ask them now.

How can I possibly get the chip registered (just in case she ever is lost without her colar)? Would it be easier to have a new one implanted? Or would that confuse the scanner?

I got my dog (to this day i think of her a the love of my life) in the middle of January when I was 17. I am now within two weeks of my 21rst birthday, which makes her my 3 1/2 year companion. This past November, though, due to some not-so-great situations (admitedly some stupid stuff i did) I found myself nolonger a welcome inhabitant of my parents' house in Florida and, without any other place to go, moved up to Kansas to live with a friend of mine who said he'd help me get on my feet. The catch? I couldn't immdiately get my dog (Boo) up here with me. It really turned out for the better, because January of this year into April were entirely bad (one of our roommates commited suicide, and this pushed my friend to want to live alone for "a while" leaving me effectively homeless, and about the end of February I took a pregnancy test and found out that my guy was officialy a douche-bag and had pretty much put me out on the street pregnant, though neither of us knew and by then i'd found a place to stay that i could afford. he bucked up, though, and the first week of april i wound up moving back in with him mostly so i could lessen my no-day-of-ever load of work. now we're together as a couple and doing just fine all things considered) and she's been through enough unstable living situations with me. So, for the last 8months she's been with my parents, spending more time outside than I'd like her to have to (sleeps in a crate in the house, though, so i guess i shouldn't complain too much.)

Well, I'm finally getting to go down for a two week vacation, and with the combined efforts of my boyfriend and family, she'll be coming back up with me. The only things that worry me are 1) My boyfriend's dog. She's a GREAT lab, and good with dogs that are smaller than her (Boo is a papillon, so def smaller) so I'm not worried about them getting along, just how Boo's gonna take it that I left her and got another dog. Probably not gonna be a big deal at all, but still a concern of mine. 2) My boyfriend himself. He and Boo have met, and he does NOT like her yappy-ness. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body, she's just loud and excitable, but I'm worried that his heavier-than-my-own hand of discipline might make her very insecure. I have the patience of a saint for my dog, but I don't expect anyone else to. Are there any ways of training the bark out of her, or at least teaching when enough is enough? Somehow I got her to the point where I can put my finger to my lips and she'll stop for me, but I doubt my boyfriend will have that skill and I can't always be around.

3) I'm pregnant. I don't want anyone to try to tell me that dogs won't know the difference. The day after John brought Lexi (my boyfriend and his dog, respectively) home I came in the house, sat down on the couch and, while petting her, she very forcefully nudged my belly. She's for reasons unseen more gentle with me, and never jumps at me. I'll give it that this dog is creepy-smart (have you ever had a dog tell the "pull my finger" joke to you, fart and all? she's done it) but it's an instinct thing that lets them know. Boo has been my baby since the day I brought her home, she sleeps with me and has been known to get between me and John while we were charing the bed, no matter how close we were (she'd literally lay on top of us while we were spooning, that way if we shifted apart even for a second she'd fall between us) and I'm worried about how she'll act with her mommy having a real baby. It's my biggest concern, that I left her for a long time and now she's not going to be the center of my world even once she's near me again. She gets jealous, and the only two times she has EVER snarled and gotten mad were when another dog was messing with me while I was asleep. For a dog that's nearing 4years old, I think that says something. I know that I couldn't sit down and explain it to her ("Boo, I didn't plan this, but you're fixin' to have a baby brother!" i don't think that would work...) but I wonder if showering her with treats and affection might make it easier? I'm probably worried over nothing, but hearing that might make me feel better...

Thank you in advance for your input.

It sounds nuts, losing the baby the same way it was created, but the other night i had one of THOSE orgasms that had me convulsing for at least a minute and a half and then aftershocks when it was over, and there was this "alien goo" as i like to reffer to it that resembled egg whites coming out of me. No blood or anything, so by all means I figure everything's fine, but I wonder if the contractions of an orgasm could be strong enough to push a barely-there baby out? Would it even be possible to miscarry and not bleed even two days later?

I dunno, I have all these first-time expectant mother paranoias rolling around in my mind....

It was brought to my attention yesterday morning (by a cheap dollar store test, no less) that I'm not just a little late on my period (it had been really irregular the last few months, i figured that was all it was) and that my 21st birthday coming up in july will not include a night of hitting the bars and coming home drunk. I'd taken a test at the doctor's office about two weeks ago that was negative, but I guess it had just been too early.

Anyways, my nipples have been hurting like crazy for maybe the last week, and I mean to the point of I can't go without either a bra or close fitting shirt. They're ALLWAYS hard and, if I wear white (which thank god I don't have to at either job) they can be seen despite my fairly thick stiff-cupped bra. Is there anything I can do about that? Please tell me this isn't going to go on for the whole 9 months...

I haven't hit morning sickness yet (going off my last period, 5weeks 2days today) but if and when I do, do peppermints really help as much as I've heard?

I am a 20yr old girl/woman/whatever-I-feel-like-being-at-the-moment, and I have admittedly screwed up a lot of things financially with credit cards (they're the devil's work, and oso inviting) and, to add to the joys of debt, have screwed up my hireability with a screwy job history as well as an addiction to the alternative look (specifically pink and blue/purple hair and facial piercings that come and go) that I just can't seem to kick. I currently have my hair pink, and have considered a wig, but can't come up with the cash (a friend funded the dye job, and, like an idiot, I jumped at the chance) and can't get employers to look at me twice after they've seen my application (that was before the pink hair this time around). I was at my wit's end when a conversation about Cafe Risque turned on a light bulb that iluminated the way to both easy cash and keeping my hair the way it is. This brings us to the questions...

What are the pros and cons of working in a topless establishment such as the restaraunt side of Cafe Risque? Obviously one drawback would be creepy truckers oggling my goodies, but regardless of my situation, I do beleive the money involved in the oggling would be worth it.

What is the application process, if anyone has an idea? That's an easy one to figure out for myself once I decide on weather or not I'm game (walk in and ask someone, duh. after checking the place out, of course) and the place I have in mind is a bit of a drive for me, so I'd just like my curiousity satisfied the cheap way.

AND

Are there any specific, not quite obvious (or easily overlooked) questions to ask before accepting a job, if offered one? I wouldn't want to start work only to find they expect things that I was unaware of and unwilling to do.

I know that working in a place like that would lead to my reputation taking a big hit, but if it weren't for people judging me on it the job wouldn't bother me one bit (no, i'm not a tramp or anything, i just know that i could leave the job within the walls where it belongs). Please don't post any answers that aren't at least a little productive in helping me make the decision.

i recently (as in earlier this cycle) started up on loestrin. i started on the first day of my clycle, and bleed for nine days straight, though the last 2-3 days were very light. i happened to miss two consecutive days in the second week of the cycle, and had a few small spots during those days. Now, almost a week after religiously taking the pill at the same time daily, I'm spoting again and thinking, oh god, did i really screw myself up this time and is this implantation bleeding?

so i guess i have two questions. can missing a day or two early in the cycle bump you into fertility earlier than you would have been fertile without any BC? and, can spotting due to missed pills occur nearly a week after missing said pills?

a full list would be appreciated, because the man in question has done it for me before, but can't seem to do it anymore.

What could cause liver pain? I'm waiting on bloodwork to come back as we speak, but I'm looking for ideas of what could be making my liver hurt.

For the record, I have an appt on tuesday, so for the love of god, don't tell me to go to the doctor. I'm just looking for ideas of what this could be.

Since yesterday morning, I've had this cramp-ish pain in the side of my waist, just below where my ribcage ends. To the best of my knowledge, I haven't been injured recently, though I did wear my corset on thursday, which has never hurt me before. It's a constant pain, that flairs up every once in a while with increaced intensity.

Any ideas what it could be?

4 days ago I was tested for pregnancy which came back neg, but this was a day before my period was due. Well AF still hasn't come to visit, and my period should already be over. Is it possible that an hcg blood test could come back neg if taken before a period is missed when there is indeed a pregnancy?

If it makes a difference, it was the test that takes only an hour, and I beleive the prescription I was given for the test said "serum hcg." I don't know how accurate it could be, considering when I had a quantitative test done a while back it took 4 days to get the results. Something tells me it wasn't the same test.

My breasts are NOT tender, which is strange two days before my period is due. I have had other symptoms atypical of a normal cycle, though;

Cramping with no bleeding (when i cramp, I start within hours. it's been days)

Back ache (never had that before)

Irratic appetite (i'll be ravenously hungry, and then can't eat my food)

Excessive saliva (mouth is constantly watering)

I'm peeing a LOT more often than usual (although that could be due to a recent UTI)

I can't keep my thoughts straight

Heartburn, moderate though often

And, this may be TMI, but a symptom nonetheless, a lot more than usual lotionlike disscharge without a weird smell

Oh, and my cervix is higher than I've ever felt it. I mean, I CAN'T reach it, so I'm not sure if it's soft or hard, open or closed.

Do i sound pregnant to you?

Oh, and those of you about to say "go get a test" I took one yesterday, it was neg but most likely too soon to tell either way. I have a short cycle (23 days) so I mostlikely will not test pos until almost a week late. Going to the doctor for bloodwork tomorrow just to see (yay insurance!) but I was wondering what others may think of my symptoms, considering that my roomates are primarily guys and don't know about the opposite sex's mechanisms and the girls that come to the house are either younger and have never even had a scare or are just clueless.

I have nearly a week before AF is due at her regular time, but I tell you what, PMS has gone crazy on me this month.

Massive mood swings.

Cramping early, haven't started.

Fatigue

Excessive saliva as well as a weird (though not metalic) taste in my mouth.

That last one I know is not a run of the mill PMS symptom, and I've never experienced mood swings so bad that I actually break into tears at the smallest thing.

Pregnancy is possible, as all we used was spermicide films around ovulation (i didn't realise they were so ineffective at the time)

Someone please tell me that it's most likely just stress wigging me out..

I almost deffinantly have to wait till next friday, due to money issues, but hitting the doctor sooner so I'll stop flipping out is an option if I could know sooner. I know blood tests are more accurate earlier, but I'd like to pass the pee test before getting stuck with any needles without intent to put jewelry in the hole.

I have more discharge than usual, ovulated last week and know it, so that can't be it. No smell, no chunks, just slightly milky, clear, watery discharge. I got a little nautious today at random, and have been experiencing heartburn, which isn't normal for me. My breasts DON'T hurt, which is really weird for the week before my cycle.

The big thing, though, is abnormally huge mood swings and irritability. Crying spells and whatnot, which is strange, even while I'm PMSing normally.

Had sex the night before, of, and after ovulation, I know this from the co0nsistancy of discharge. That in itself was weird, it was stretchy and gooey on night, completely dried up the following morning. No tapering off at all. Anyways, one night there was condom breakage, and the other two night we used spermicide films, though I found out later neither of the two used fully disolved. He never got there the night of ovulation, and pulled out the other two times, if that makes a huge difference.

I know it's too soon for a test, but my god this is killing me. I've had scares before, but never quite so symptomatic. I'm only 19, he's only 20, and neither of us are ready for the possobility. Adoption is an option for me, abortion not so much, keeping the child... I honestly don't know.

Oh, and after proof reading this before posting, i should add, I realise just how scatterbrained I am. That, too, I know can be a symptom.

LMP started Nov 10, Ovulated between the 19th and 22nd, 23 day cycle so not due for almost another week. Just freaking out here and looking for weather or not the signs add up to anything other than baby on board or stress.

For the record, pregnancy didn't enter my mind until I started with the mega mood swings.

I"m super emotional these last few days, worse than normal. I"m starting to think it's not just PMS. Could this be a really early sign of pregnancy or is it more likely just... I don't know. What could it be?

I know the gyst of what it takes to become a piercer. There are classes you must take (such as blood borne pathogens and whatnot) and there is an apprenticship required to learn.

The thing is, how does one approach a piercer one would like to apprentice under? I know a girl at a shop that I would like to learn from, and we are on prefessionally friendly terms. I just have no clue how to ask her about it without comming off as an ignorant little git.

Any suggestions on how to get into the bussiness?

PS, I'm SO NOT interested in tattooing. Love getting ink, but I deffinantly wouldn't be able to apply it.