title
stringlengths 6
300
| content
stringlengths 96
24.5k
| post_score
int64 250
64.3k
| top_comment
stringlengths 12
8.05k
| comment_score
int64 1
4.45k
| subreddit
stringclasses 1
value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Doctors of Reddit - People are dying from a disease we can't identify. Do you recognise it?
|
Hi Doctors, I write you this from Myanmar (Also known as Burma)
We are trying to identify a disease outbreak and we need help from infectious disease specialists. At the top of northern Myanmar, in Naga Land, an unidentified disease has killed 40 people since the 14th of June.
Naga Land is one of the poorest areas in the world. People have little or no health care support. The roads are bad, the education levels are low, and right now is the middle of one of the heaviest Monsoons seasons in the world.
(You may find these images upsetting) Here are pictures of the condition- http://imgur.com/a/ftHrQ Here is a video showing children suffering from the condition - https://www.facebook.com/htikehtike.htike/posts/1372815029400163
WHAT WE NEED: Health care professionals and Infectious disease specialists, can you identify what this may be?
Some of the symptoms include:
1. Vomiting blood
2. Coughing blood
3. Scabs developing across body
4. After some days of suffering the patient dies.
So far the conditions have been diagnosed as the Measles. However, symptoms of the measles don't include coughing blood - but the victims here are.
Here is an article in the National newspaper released on Friday. More have died since it was published. http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/21791-disease-outbreak-kills-children-in-naga.html
All your help is massively appreciated. Thank you so much Reddit!!
EDIT: Thanks Reddit for all your help. It seems to be confirmed as Measles now.
Now we are trying to fundraise. We have a STEEMIT profile here https://steemit.com/donate/@collectreflect/can-steem-help-save-these-children-in-nagaland-myanmar And tomorrow we will set up a "Just Giving" Page. If anyone is interested in helping the relief effort then we will be accepting donations tomorrow!
| 390 |
More information would be useful. What is the first symptom (fever, rash, upper respiratory symptoms etc)?, what is the incubation period (how long after exposure to an infected person does someone else get the disease)?, what is the order in which symptoms appear?, what is the location of the rash when it first appears, and where does it spread to?, what do people die of?
Looking at the images, it does appear to be a rash over face and trunk, associated with conjunctival redness, nasal discharge. It could be measles. Were these people vaccinated against measles? If not, measles could be highly likely. Vomiting or coughing blood happens if people with measles develop pneumonia (that is the usual cause of death in measles) or gastrointestinal involvement. It could also be other viral exanthems (adenoviral etc).
| 48 |
AskDocs
|
Lipo-Lasers? Quack medicine or viable solution?
|
Hope this is the right place for this post. Really looking for advice from other health professionals and feel like this would be the best way to get a real answer. I own a small health & fitness clinic in California.. Our clients are generally dealing with severe weight / body image issues. We’ve had quite a few of them inquire about ‘lipo-laser treatments’ but the limited information I’ve been able to find on the devices has been unimpressive to say the least. The [high price tags](http://www.usalipolasers.com) on the units are a bit daunting as well, but figure if they keep asking, it's possible that the demand may make it a worthwhile investment. Really just curious if any of you have any experience with the tech and what your thoughts are. Thanks!
| 265 |
I' coming from /r/all...I'm an engineer working in research on laser material processing with ultra short pulsed lasers.
The info on that website, false information and misuse of technical terms may literally have given me cancer.
In any case, I highly doubt there's an approved process to remove fat with lasers. This would require heating the cells above their damage threshold or flat out ablating (vaporizing) tissue, which doesn't seem like such a good idea. I suppose the body is able to remove dead tissue, however. Furthermore, I'm not sure about the absorption coefficient of human tissue (depends on wavelength and composition), however using a combination that absorbs in a long range would essentially mean not only cooking subcutaneous fat but also whatever tissue that lies further inside the body. In conclusion all of this seems way too risky and I would assume all of these devices are bullshit (perhaps real lasers, but way below the damage threshold of human tissue; basically an expensive cash grab and fancy lights to keep patients entertained*)
*which still may be economically viable, if people are willing to pay for it
> The temperature increases if the wavelength is between 900 and 1400 nanometers. Afterwards, the wavelength decreases between 635 and 670 nanometers to drain fat.
All my wat. Pretty sure there's no non linear crystal for second harmonic generation under a human's skin.
| 40 |
AskDocs
|
Is it ok to delay taking baby for jabs? We are NOT anti-vax. I am just scared to take baby outside, esp to hospital/ clinic, but I'm worried I have messed things up by delaying her jabs.
|
Our baby is 6 months old, female, healthy, no medications, no allergies known, exclusively breastfed/ starting to eat solids, pretty chubby I think maybe 11kg?, seems avg 66cm?.
Is it ok to delay jabs until COVID-19 situation gets a bit more under control? Or better to just go?
Thank you in advance.
| 663 |
No you should not delay immunizations. Almost all peds offices have specific protocols that limit any exposures so kids can stay on schedule.
Either way the risk to kids of COVID is very very low. Speak with the peds office on how to make this happen. Delaying shots is almost always a bad idea.
Edit: And it's not just me saying this. [The AAP recommends](https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/guidance-on-providing-pediatric-ambulatory-services-via-telehealth-during-covid-19/) continuing immunizations and (especially infant) well child care during COVID.
| 702 |
AskDocs
|
Seems like my partners brain is slowly dying (25m)
|
25y/o male, 5ft9, 70kg
Since a couple of weeks my partner has been completely intolerant to stimuli (24/7). He can’t tolerate the slightest bit of light (not even his phone or laptop), he can’t tolerate any physical activity such as standing up or walking around, when eating his situation deteriorates as well. And what I mean with situation is the fact that he has a constant headache (stabbing, like knives in the back of the head), is nauseous, vomits, has distorted balance, confusion and this all is at it’s worsed when standing up (it could very rarely be tolerable while lying down but the second he stands up it is intolerable). He also had anisocoria at two seperate moments. He can’t function anymore because of all the combined symptoms. We visited multiple doctors with no diagnosis. He does not take any medication anymore (besides his nitroglycerine dermal patches 5mg/day), he forcebly stopped the rest of his medication because it also profoundly worsened his condition.
Sincerest gratitude to any help
EDIT;
Hey, he visited multiple internal medicine doctors (gastro-enterology and hepatology), 3 neurologists (who all did not suspect meningitis, thats why we didn’t go to the ER, also I have a little medical background and if I would have suspected it to be meningitis I also wouldn’t have doubted and rushes him to the ER), a lot of general practitioners. They performerd US of the liver, CT of the liver, MRCP of the liver, multiple blood analyses (in blood analyses a couple weeks ago he had ALT and AST were 5x the reference value but since then came back to normal, low ceruloplasmine, low carnitine but supplements were given), EEG (no abnormalities), MRI brains (no abnormalities). On de CT they saw narrow bileducts, but not significant. Still waiting on results of MRCP liver. One neurologist prescribes blood and urinalysis for wilsons disease and porphyria but due to his condition we haven’t been able to go to the lab yet to get them done.
| 711 |
When he saw these doctors what tests were performed and what were the results?
| 402 |
AskDocs
|
Is my mom having a stroke? I’m scared.
|
I did call 911 for an ambulance and she is going to the ER. I can’t be with her because of the virus and I’m worried.
Anyway, I woke up at 8 AM and my mom was stumbling back to bed. At 8:30 while feeding the cats my mom gets back up. I’m annoying her with question and she’s struggling to get her house coat on and mumbling.
I asked her if she overworked herself yesterday and then I asked if she was having a stroke and she cried. I should also note that she was gagging. She didn’t eat her oatmeal this morning.
I called the ambulance and family members and while waiting I ask if she wants water or coffee or a diet soda. She can only respond in numbers. She sits in her chair covering her eyes because the light hurts her.
She’s 64 years old, adult type 1 diabetic, a smoker, overweight (not obese, she lost 80 lbs). I will say that she does smoke a lot.
Is this a stroke? A heart attack? A massive migraine?
UPDATE 1:
A nurse called me around 11 AM and informed that her blood sugar is fine, her vitals are fine, and her kidneys are fine. They also called me to ask about her medical history to prepare her for a MRI scan. It’s almost 3 PM and I haven’t heard anything.
They said that she was responding to them in numbers and then she was cussing (we use cussing as a way to cope) and that she was restless.
UPDATE 2:
Thank you all so much for your care and concern!
My sister called the hospital and my mom was admitted overnight and possibly a while. She did have high blood sugar (I don’t know why they didn’t tell me that this morning). But they don’t believe that’s the cause of her mumbling and talking in numbers among other things. They did not do a MRI, maybe they’ll do it tomorrow. She is still talking oddly but she is stable and resting.
UPDATE 3: 05/03/2020
I called at 9 AM
They informed me that her blood sugar was high this morning at 600. They removed her insulin pump and doing what they need to do about that.
Her right side is not responding to stimuli. She is not verbal, but aware. She squeezed a nurses hand with her left hand. Still waiting for a MRI.
They’re going to do a lumbar tap because they think it’s meningitis.
Her heart rate good and her oxygen is good.
UPDATE 4: 05/03/2020 12 PM
She had a MRI and she did not have a stroke. They have not ruled out meningitis yet. She’s being moved to CCU.
She’s not responding and they believe she’s having partial seizures. Her oxygen and blood pressure are still fine. Her blood sugar is going down from 670 this morning. Her right side is still not moving but her left side is functional.
UPDATE 5: 05/04/2020 4:30 PM
She’s being sent for a lumbar tap now. But I have some good news! She sat up in her bed, moved her right hand a little, and can speak, but she is very confused. She’s not 100% there.
She is not out of the woods yet. I really shouldn’t get hopeful that I could possibly speak to her tomorrow.
UPDATE 6: 05/06/2020
I didn’t update yesterday because she was the same. But today I talked to her!!!!
She is very confused and upset, but I can’t blame her. She told me she has hepatitis. I didn’t believe her. So I called the nurse to ask for the real diagnoses and she does NOT have hepatitis.
But my mom has not been diagnosed yet.
UODATE 7: 05/07/2020
She is aware but not that aware. Like somewhat in a dream-like state. I asked if she was in pain and she said her arms hurt from being strapped down. My sister said that our mom told her she’s in a crib like thing. So I’m not 100% sure what’s going on.
I called her and she asked me what I wanted to eat. I told I ate broccoli and she struggled with the word broccoli. She also talked about a red and black cat sleeping in her bed last night. But she knows she’s at the hospital.
I’m trying not make things complicated in her mind. I don’t want her even more confused. I just want to ask simple questions.
UPDATE 8: 05/09/2020
She’s hallucinating less. She still thinks she drove herself to the hospital, then snuck out of the hospital, and got a new cat named Red.
They diagnosed her with encephalopathy and she had diabetic keto acidosis (which I already knew). But I don’t know what caused both. She’s very good at checking her blood sugar and giving herself insulin. But maybe the encephalopathy caused it?
UPDATE 9: 05/14/2020
They finally confirmed it was bacterial meningitis. That took awhile. Don’t ask me how she got it because I have no idea. Sorry.
She’s in rehab to make her more stable on her feet. We got her a walker and shower chair. I don’t know how much longer before she comes home. But she’s very strong and stubborn and wants to be home already.
| 713 |
Hope you get answers soon, thinking of you. You did the right thing, and she’ll be in good hands. (I’m not a doctor)
| 239 |
AskDocs
|
Girlfriend [19F] having some troubles after a big surgery
|
5'4, 100lbs, no drinking/smoking, no medication.
Hi all. Posting this on her behalf with her permission.
About 5 weeks ago, my girlfriend had a surgery to remove a cancerous mass on her leg, pretty large. The good news is that she is now cancer free.
However, all of a sudden she is experiencing very severe back pain and has started to throw up. I'm worried that something may be wrong, but I don't know what since I wouldn't think a surgery on a leg would cause back pain. Very hard getting to the doctor with all of this going on. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
| 454 |
Call the surgeon now, please. Could be unrelated but must be concerned for infection and DVT/PE. Both could cause symptoms and problems could escalate quickly.
| 674 |
AskDocs
|
My grandfather [100M] has developed painful red and scab like growth on his ear and face since late Feb. Stuck at home due to lockdown. Extremely painful with yellowish discharge under the white scabs. What could it be and how to help reduce with the pain?
|
Some photos:
https://imgur.com/a/RKkLYj5
Just to clarify these growths were there for maybe several years, but it recently started to get worse and started to be extremely painful and to discharge pus like substance from under the scabs that were forming.
Grandpa is a 100yo male with hypertension and prostate issues. He has suffered some micro strokes causing some mobility issues, but is active and very lucid.
He has tried to self medicate with antifungal topical cream which appeared to help initially but stopped working after couple of weeks.
He cannot leave home due to covid lockdown and his age. I am a very long way away just trying to see if I can help at all, even if just to manage the symptoms.
Update 1: Very much appreciate all the responses. Thank you. It is really hard to see him nearing losing the will to live because how painful it is. I too worry that cancer is likely due to his age. We are exploring telemedicine options but he is not in US/Europe so it is trickier. Definitely not expecting him to beat cancer or something dramatic, really just want to see if there are ways to manage the symptoms and pain.
| 272 |
Possibly skin cancer. The top of the ear is pretty common for it since it gets a lot of sun and not a lot of sun screen. Keep it moisturized with Vaseline or an antibiotic ointment to prevent the drying scab so it doesn’t hurt so much. He should see a dermatologist if possible for a biopsy
| 309 |
AskDocs
|
Question about Vaginal Opening
|
Hi, (20F) so I have something that seems to be almost blocking my vaginal opening a bit. I’ve tried googling it and it just have stuff about hymens but I don’t think it could be that. The best I can describe it is it looks like a piece of tongue like flesh sticking out? I’m very curious to know or at least have a idea of what it is. I have an image of it below in the link but proceed w/ caution. Thanks.
Edit: Also I am not sexually active and have not given birth and that thing doesn’t hurt I feel nothing when I touch it.
| 291 |
OBGYN here
This is not a prolapse, and even if you had a connective tissue disease, it would be incredibly unlikely to get one prior to a vaginal birth at your age, (though I don't know your history on that). None the less, its much to small to be one.
This may very well he a hymenal remnant, but the tissue type is distinct from the rest of the hymenal ring (see the colour differentiation) and there is a chance it is not this. It is difficult to say without actually examining you.
It may be a vaginal skin tag, which usually occur on the skin of the vulva, and entrance to the vagina, but less so the actual vagina. You can get vaginal bands, which are the same tissue type, and may bulge, so this is a potential diagnosis.
There is also the possibility this is a urethral diverticulum, which is different from a prolapse, and is essentially a pouch that forms from the tube urine travels down from your bladder. As this anatomically rides just above the vaginal opening, it is quite possible that it could be this.
If you have no symptoms of recurrent urinary tract infections, or leakage of urine then it wouldn't need any intervention. But if you are then that is an option.
The other possibility is, this is just you, and it's completely normal.
Go see your GP/Gynaecologist just to be certain.
| 514 |
AskDocs
|
[MALE,50YR OLD] had a 2nd heart attack post surgery and now unconscious and have him on a pacemaker and ventilator and said they will give him 4 hours and then stop all to see if his heart can work on its own,if not then will let him go. told odds are 10%,is life support not a option for this stuff?
|
​
In shot my father has had a heart attack then sent to hospital and they did surgery on a hardened artery and said he will be fine and will be able to go home in 3 days. today i get a call from the other side of the world telling me he has had another heart attack in the hospital and now have a pacemaker on him and oxygen,and saying they can only wait 4 hours untill they announce him dead as any time after this if he does not gain conspicuousness he will be brain dead. they are not answering my calls now as said i am calling too much and many patients they will get back to me as soon as they have a result. why is getting him on life support not a option like many people in coma? they said he has a 10% chance of getting through this which really breaks me up, i feel as a 25yr i still wanted more time with him and to show him future grand kids :( . long shot but any info would be lovely
EDIT" Thanks for the support , i have just got the call from my mother who was with him at the hospital and they said they took him off the equipment to give him that 10% chance and see but no luck and has unfortunately passed away. feels weird at my age of 25 but i am sure at any age it hurts the same . just having a little cry and self blame but i know will heal with time and those are pointless things to do.
EDIT EDIT . Thank you all so much for the support and kind words, it really does help seeing people who have had similar issues and thanks to the professionals for confirming the doctors and nurses did the best and all they could and explaining why alternative options were not a good option either way.
| 769 |
I am so sorry for your loss.
My father died in February and it was very traumatic for me. I am 29 and never in a million years did I think I would lose my dad so young - he won’t be there to see me graduate with my masters, get married, have children... I sought solace from support groups. Surprisingly, there are plenty on Reddit.
Try:
r/griefsupport
r/grieving
r/death
r/ijustlostmy
r/lostalovedone
r/childrenofdeadparents
r/bereavement
r/askfuneraldirectors
Best wishes, OP. Be there for your family but don’t forget to be there for yourself. 🤍
| 343 |
AskDocs
|
(20M) Getting "Allergic Reactions" and hive-like rashes randomly
|
Its been a month since i started having these random attacks of rashes and allergic reactions. Its often not serious but at times i have wheezing / cough. I have attached the images of the rashes below. Would appreciate it if you guys could take a look.
[https://imgur.com/O9ao1hH](https://imgur.com/O9ao1hH)
| 250 |
I had something similar for a while called chronic Uticaria
| 120 |
AskDocs
|
Can antidepressants permanently destroy creativity?
|
So I'm a 17 year old male and was medicated on fluoxetine for low mood and paralysing anxiety. That was 1 year ago, and 6 weeks ago I knew I had to stop taking them. Partly because I had gotten my life in shape and partly due to my inability to receive emotional information. That's a huge change, I've spent my whole picking up how people are feeling intuitavely. I'm also a very creative person, but apparently not any more. I'm off the drugs, but I think they have permanently altered my brain chemistry. Is that possible? Are they still wearing off? Will I be creative again?
| 347 |
Reduced empathy and lack of creativity sound more like symptoms of untreated/undertreated depression than medication side effect.
You should absolutely not just "stop in case". I suppose you're ultimately free to do whatever you want, but if you're interested in having a positive health outcome, any changes to your medications should be made only in conjunction with your prescribing provider.
| 384 |
AskDocs
|
Brain zaps?
|
19F, 87lbs, 5'6, Caucasian, ADHD (Vyvanse)
**Yet another EDIT: I fainted today on my way to the store and was brought into the hospital. They did a bunch of tests, and realized I was having from 6-10 "silent" seizures a day. I probably had them when I was younger too and they just went away, and came back due to my lack of sleep in the past couple of weeks and anxiety. I honestly didn't even know that was a thing until yesterday, so thank you all. They also did a GI and said that I might have gastroparesis, which would explain pretty much all my symptoms when it comes to weight-loss, and I have an appointment for a gastric emptying study in 2 weeks from now. Thank you all!**
**EDIT: I've called them brain zaps my whole life, but I didn't know that was an actual medical term for something completely different. Its not the withdrawal kinda zaps, it's like a loss of consciousness that I get, but still stay standing up.**
**EDIT 2: No, I don't have an eating disorder. Doctors have no idea why I lost my appetite and can't keep food down**
So I really don't know how to explain this without sounding absolutely insane.
I made a post about a week ago about my unexplainable weight loss, and you guys have been really helpful, so I'm trying my luck again.
Since about a week ago, I started getting what I call "brain zaps". I used to have them as a child and I was told it was due to my ADHD, but i think they went away when I was about 12-13 and just started coming back again.
I'll try to describe it as best as I can.
So for example, yesterday, I was walking in a park with my boyfriend, and suddenly, he was 50 feet away from me. In a split-second. Or two days ago for example, I was grabbing a bagel from the toaster and it was fine for a second but then started burning my hand as if I had been holding it for like 30 seconds (I hadn't). Or I miss parts of a conversation (my friend will be talking about something and then its as if she skipped, like a record or something). From what I know, they happen maybe 2-3 times a day and up to like 8-10 times when I'm really stressed out.
Could this be that my ADHD medication is starting to not be adjusted correctly? They do come around more often when I'm anxious, and I know that my ADHD medication does help with anxiety. I'm just scared with how easily I've been distracted in the past week.
Thank you all
| 309 |
Quick questions: do you drive and what’s your dose of Vyvanse?
“Brain zaps” is a buzzword for SSRI withdrawal (as everyone else seems to have pointed out), but **they’re entirely different from what you’re describing.**
If you’re “skipping” forward in time, seizures vs narcolepsy vs inattentive type ADHD are on the top of my differential. Because Vyvanse would make narcolepsy and ADHD better and not worse, I’m worried that this could represent a seizure semiology.
There are specific types of seizures that look a lot like what you’re describing, and they classically start in childhood and can improve with puberty.
I’d ask for a referral to a neurologist, especially one who specializes in epilepsy.
| 300 |
AskDocs
|
No one knows what is wrong with me. I really need some help.
|
Basic information: 26F, 5'0, 132lbs, no medication, no drinking, no smoking, no drugs.
I've been thinking of posting here for weeks now. I'm just a little tired of telling my story over and over again and no one can tell me what is wrong. Hope you're sitting because this is going to be a long reading. My apologies.
From what I remember, it all started when I was 14. I suffered from Dengue hemorrhagic fever and nearly died from it. I recovered but my health never was the same. I started having pain in my hips and knees, which doctors examined with x-rays and told me they were growing pains and was normal. I experienced some swelling in my legs and stiffness in my hips all the time but I would take some panadol and go on with my life. Also, I remember that I was sick all the time. Colds, urinary infections, sore throat and tonsilitis were common.
Then I started to have severe problems with my digestive system at 16. I've had problems with my stomach before but this was something serious. Constant nausea and vomiting episodes that weren't related to stomach flu and in the ER treated them like gastritis. The food I consumed wasn't getting porperly digested and it would form a ball in my stomach. It was so painful and the only thing that I could do to alleviate the pain was to vomit. The gastroenterologist I was seeing told me that it wasn't normal and after a bunch of exams diagnosed me with hypochlorydria.
During that time, I was experiencing problems with my period and hormones as well as some urinary infections. My pcp referred me to a gynecologist. They did some blood work which revealed some hormonal imbalance, and sonograms that came back normal. They tested my thyroid and it came back normal. So the gyn prescribed the pill to help with the irregular and painful periods. I didn't take it because I was afraid of the possible repercusions that taking it could cause.
Now I'm 19 and the problems with my hips and knees persisted through all this time and were getting worse. I've managed them with panadol and advil and when they were unbearable I went to the ER. My pcp at the moment referred me to a physiatrist. The physiatrist examined my case and did new x-rays which showed some narrowing of the knee joint but ranged normal and did some blood work. I started experiencing other symptoms like numbness in arms and legs, stiffness, pain in elbows and shoulders, inflamation all over, headaches, fatigue. Because of the numbness he did an EMG that came back normal.
He thought it could be autoimmune, so he tested my ANA that came back high positive. He referred me to a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist did more blood work which came back normal except for my ANA that was positive again. There were some other test that came normal but they were high normal. She dismissed my symptoms and told me that it was nothing. She didn't do any follow up with me.
My physiatrist treated me with cortisone injections on my knees when they were so swollen that I couldn't walk. Those injections helped for a short period of time but the problems persisted. He referred me to ortho and the ortho totally dismissed my symptoms, didn't even look at me and told me it was probably chondromalacia patellae because of what I told him. I didn't do any sport or anything at that time or at any time, so it didn't make any sense to me. My physiatrist told me that he just hit a wall and didn't know what to do anymore. I stoped looking for answers because I was tired.
My first college years were horrible. The problems persisted. I went to ER with the vomiting episodes as well as the knee swelling. My pcp repeated the blood work periodically to monitor everything. I was fatigued all the time. There was a time when I went to the ER because I couldn't move my right leg. My leg just couldn't respond. In the ER they did x-rays and other testing that came back normal and they told me that because I was on my period it could be the inflamation what was causing that. It didn't make sense to me but I was used to that. The problems persisted but I managed them again. As I was having so much problems with my period and my acne was the worst I started the pill. My cicle and acne improved.
My first year of graduate school I began experiencing sore throat. I thought that it was just a cold because I was always sick. Then I looked at my throat and there was a little lesion in the area surrounding the right tonsil but it was more near my teeth. My pcp referred me to an ENT. Apparently it was a salivary gland stone or something like that. It resolved itself. Then, months later I woke up one day with a peritonsillar abscess. No previous infection, no warning. It just came out of nowhere. It was drained at the hospital and for like a month all was well. Then another one came out of nowhere. Then I went to the ENT and they gave a me a date to take out my tonsils because my case was severe. Then one month later came another one, so they couldn't do the surgery. And finally, the last one came a month later. So, in total I suffer (was tortured) from 4 peritosillar abscesses in a period of 6 months. Then they did the surgery and there where some complications. I went to the ER because I had a vomiting episode. I recovered from the surgery well.
My symptoms came and went and I managed them. Then in 2017-2018 I experienced accute stress caused by different situations (Hurricane María, the aftermath, personal situations and more). In august 2018 my body colapsed. It began with the pain and inflamation on my knees and then it got worse in a matter of days. Really worse. My pcp prescribed initially corticosteroids to treat the inflamation and that helped at the beggining of the symptoms but it was something else and I knew that this was going to be the worst episode I would experience. I began experiencig problems with coordination, extreme fatigue, muscle weakness, vertigo, dizziness, problems with balance, gait abnormality, headaches (migraines), numbness in feet and hands, general joint pain, joint stiffness, general inflamation, brain fog, pins and needles on feet, toes and fingers turning blue with cold temperature, mi skin would turn red (like a fish net or something like that) with cold temperature, severe anxiety, and some other symptoms. I gain weight dramatically because I couldn't exercise or even move normally. I was depressed because I couldn't understand what was happening to me.
Initially, my pcp did some x-rays, blood work (ANA positive again), referrals to ortho and neurologist. Ortho ordered an EMG/NCV and confirmed muscle weakness. Because of the bureucratic process of referrals and long waiting for the appointments, the neurologist saw me like two or three months after my symptoms got worse, I was starting to recover very slowly. She wanted to rule out an MS diagnosis, so she ordered the MRI's before, so she could have the results at the appointment. It was all normal, so no MS. She ordered different lab tests for autoimmune diseases. This time all came back normal including ANA. Then she referred me to rheumatologist again because, in her opinion, my case resembles lupus. This is not the first time I hear that word because since the first time my physiatrist suggested it could be autoimmune my pcp thought of lupus.
2019 - Rheumatologist saw me like two months later which is like 6 months since my symptoms started getting worse. I was better but still couldn't walk properly. She agreed that it could be lupus or the beginning. She was awesome the first visit, reassuring me that she would help me. She ordered blood work for autoimmune diseases, bone scan and some x-rays. All came back normal but the bone scan which showed inflamation on my knee as if I had injured myself. That was not the case. The second visit I came with the results and she asked me again where it hurts on my knee and when I explained she told me it wasn't supposed to hurt there. The reality is that I was 25 years old and it is not expected to be experiencing pain anywhere at that age but there I was. She told me it was nothing, dismissed my symptoms and told me that I need to exercise. I couldn't even walk properly and the joint pain was horrible, how I was supposed to exercise? I felt so discourage and frustrated with everyone. I felt like I was crazy and that all was on my head. I doubted myself and my symptoms.
After being more depressed than ever for several weeks, I decided that I needed to get better even though I didn't know what was happening to me. So I researched about changes I could make (apart from exercise) to alleviate my symptoms, particularly inflamation. I began changing my food and began acupuncture treatment. My symptoms began to improve and slowly but surely I recovered. I'm not totally fine, but compared to how I was back then I'm much better. The last thing my pcp suggested was to search for a geneticist. I don't know if that's what I need or if I will receive some answers from genetic testing. Also, I'm afraid of the costs.
Now with all the things going on with COVID-19 and lock down my symptoms are starting to come back. I've been sick constantly with colds and fatigued. I've been managing it like always but I need peace and need answers. I need to know what is wrong so I can make informed decisions, so I can receive treatment, so I can go on with my life, so I can have a better quality of life.
I'm sorry for the long story but I tried to explain everything chronologically so you can understand better. If you have any suggestions or something to bring any light to my case I would appreciate it. I'm going to start searching for new specialists when things get better.
| 548 |
I think you should find a good rheumatoid doctor. It seems like post-viral(dengue) chronic polyarthritis (maybe even RA, but I don't see you mention checking your blood for rheumatoid factors, even tho you said "bloodwork". Also maybe some juvenile idiopathic arthritis triggered by Dengue. In any way, all your symptoms are more likely caused by some autoantiinflammatory diseases (even Lupus).
ELI5: (unproven 100%) Joints and not only, are affected because your immune system thinks that the synovia (liquid+cells that produce liquid) inside your joints have some similarities with your virus, so it attacks them => inflammation => pain. Also because the immune system wastes resources, it is prone to get infection easier (mouth, throat sores, pain, feeling tired, dizziness, etc).
​
PS: Everything above is my opinion. I'm just a brain surgeon, not a rheumatologist. I do not exclude that I may be wrong on some points.
| 500 |
AskDocs
|
How can I get doctors to ignore my medical condition? (I know how bizarre that sounds!)
|
36F, 5'5", 145#, complaining of difficulty communicating with docs, been going on for a while, sometimes alcohol, no drugs.
I have a genetic mutation called GCK-MODY which is kind of like lifelong prediabetes. The nice thing about it is that it doesn't require treatment, it doesn't lead to the usual complications associated with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and my risk for developing other types of diabetes are the same as the general population.
But damn, I wish I'd never been diagnosed with this. The problem is that every caregiver I encounter sees "diabetes" and thinks they know what that means. This mutation is rare enough that unfortunately, I am often a bit more informed than my doctors and nurses about the condition. I try to let them know I don't need counseling about nutrition and exercise, but I always seem to be put on the diabetes "conveyor belt" of treatment. This is extra unpleasant because I'm recovering from body image issues and disordered eating, so I can have irrational reactions to things said in these discussions.
I understand this might sound like I'm ignoring some good advice, so I'll just put this out there that my A1c has been steady at 6.0 for the last six years, I have a healthy diet, and exercise 30-90 minutes six days a week.
So it's infuriating for EVERY appointment, even with dentists and dermatologists and eye doctors, to start with a check in about how I'm managing my diabetes. I get my health care through a big organization with a central chart database, so every provider no matter what specialty sees "diabetes" before they even see my face. I had one obgyn say she would only manage my prenatal care if I agreed to an elective c-section, which is LUDICROUS even though pregnancy is the only time GCK-MODY might impact healthcare protocols.
When I try to explain about the condition, they might seem to listen to me, but then they'll conclude the conversation with a tip about limiting carbs and getting enough exercise, or a mention of what complications I can expect from poorly managed diabetes. It's depressing and irrelevant.
So docs of Reddit, could you give me some magic words that will nudge medical professionals off the "diabetes track" and into care that's appropriate for me?
And by the way thank you so much for the hard work you do to keep people healthy. I really look up to medical professionals regardless of this complaint.
| 630 |
If diabetes is on the chart, most (primary care) docs need to mention it to you for standard of care during wellness visits . Just like smoking.
Other than that idk, I haven’t heard of that mutation. Sounds neat but ya you need to have your PCP do some chart doctoring to remove diabetes as a a problem on the problem list. It won’t go away otherwise.
| 436 |
AskDocs
|
[19F] I’m worried that I’m slowly dying. Please help
|
19F, 5’7’’ 110 lbs south asian, don’t smoke, drink occasionally but haven’t since new year’s
medications: prescribed adderall IR 10mg; have not been taking recently
Please read through this if you can; I’ve been trying to ignore these symptoms but my intuition keeps telling me that something is very very wrong
In December of 2019, I felt a little ball shaped nodule in my forearm. Then felt a few more. I didn’t really think much of it except thought it was weird they stung/made my arm go numb+ ice cold when I touched them. I also didn’t care much bc I’d already been having random health issues pop up since June 2019: chronic urticaria (blood tests showed elevated anti-iGE), frequent diarrhea, and strange neurological symptoms like drooping face/eyes, numbness, weakness and tingling, oscillating vision. After MRIs and various testing with no answers, I eventually figured out that gluten was causing my “stroke-like” face droop. I cut it out and most of the neurological symptoms resolved. The diarrhea and some swelling in my left palm remained a mystery.
In January of 2020, I started adderall as prescribed by my psychiatrist for ADHD and I believe on the second day my heart rate (according to my Apple Watch) was around 170-190 and I was struggling to breathe. My psychiatrist sent me to the ER where they kept me until it went down to 100. Only abnormal labs were from the Urinalysis- RBC 3/HPF, Protein 30 mg/dL, Ketones 20 mg/dL. These weren’t mentioned to me in person, I only know from my online reports so I imagine they’re maybe not important.
My adderall dose was cut in half, then slowly brought up which improved the HR situation but every time I took it I’d immediately get very very dark circles under in my eyes and my eyes would become puffy.
I had an appointment with my primary care doctor in January , who felt those nodules in my forearms, as well as now down the side of my leg and ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound was clear. In February, I stopped taking adderall.
In mid March, I started struggling to breathe and had to keep my head propped up at night so I was sent to a drive through respiratory clinic. Everything was fine but my HR was 140 when taken at two separate times. They sent me to urgent care where it remained between 130-140, ecg was sinus tachycardia, and they sent me home with an inhaler.
In April, my forearms (with the lumps/nodules?) began swelling. My fingernails became white across the middle. Slightly above my ankles also began to swell too. The nodules are hard to feel under the swelling but I can feel them very well going up the center of my shin: they feel like little squishy clumps and can be pushed from side to side. Now, when I put my feet on the floor it feels like when your foot falls asleep and my nails turn blue. My eyes are bulging (feels like I’m looking through some sort of weird lens) and I have very dark circles underneath. Anytime I eat, I have to go to the bathroom immediately after. I either have diarrhea or I vomit. My stool for the most part on the Bristol Stool Scale is type 6, sometimes 7. As of yesterday, I can’t sit or sleep comfortably because my butt also becomes painfully numb like my feet do, as well as my groin area. My dog incessantly paws at the swelling, particularly in my palms and sniffs/licks it constantly. I’ve also become extremely fatigued and any time I stand up I lose my vision for 10-15 seconds. My resting heart rate used to be ~50 but my Apple Watch shows now around ~80 and any slight movement will bring it up to 130-140. I don’t know if my weight is even accurate anymore because my clothes have become loose on me very quickly.
If anyone has even a vague idea what any of this means please, please share. I feel like I’m very slowly dying and these symptoms are so random I don’t even know how to get help or how to get people to listen to me
edit: I appreciate all the comments and just wanted to add: I see a psychiatrist/therapist regularly who has not diagnosed me with an anxiety disorder and doesn’t believe that’s the issue. She’s actually (attempted) to help me advocate for myself but it hasn’t worked too often. But I’ll see if I can see another psych/therapist for their opinion. And adderall didn’t make me feel anxious! It was actually life-changing and made my brain, for the first time in my life, feel quiet. I stopped bc it made the bulging eyes/dark circles significantly worse and figured it just doesn’t suit my body
| 361 |
You have many symptoms that are vague, transient, and non-specific. You have seen many doctors and had many tests that haven’t shown any specific disease. Furthermore it is next to impossible to put all your symptoms together into a single diagnosis.
Your persistent tachycardia probably needs a visit to a cardiologist, but I’m doubtful that will show much beyond anxiety since ECGs have been normal.
You have the hallmarks of health anxiety. I would start with much more aggressive anxiety management, ideally with regular CBT.
And we are all dying slowly. But nothing you’ve said makes it sound like you are dying any faster than the rest of us.
| 288 |
AskDocs
|
[22F] please tell me that there's nothing wrong with my breasts
|
Age: Early 20s female
Weight: 110lbs/50kg white
I don't drink, smoke, or do recreational drugs.
# Well I never thought I would turn to the internet to examine pictures of my nipples but here we are...
Imgur album with timeline: [https://imgur.com/a/0NdAg5z](https://imgur.com/a/0NdAg5z)
As far as I know, my nipples have always been inverted and I first approached a doctor about nipple discharge (white to yellow substance) when I was 17. OB/GYN said it wasn't concerning because it was both breasts. I've always had cyclical breast pain that was moderately severe and interfered with normal activity but like most "women's problems" was just told that it was normal and to stop complaining.
# Fast forward to January 2020.
The intensity and duration of my cyclical breast pain (dull ache, sensitive, painful to the touch, full sensation) was getting worse. Sometimes it can be stress related which definitely contributed at that time. I had a couple of bad months where I had breast pain during the entire luteal phase of my cycle (which is coincidentally 50% of the time). It would hurt to sleep without some type of bra on because of the movement of my breasts in my sleep. Since February/March, I have had some degree of breast pain that is non-cyclical. I would find myself experiencing breast pain after I started my period and for an entire week into my next cycle. It would never even let up to the point where I could put on a sports bra and go for a run. I would often take off my bra at the end of the day and my breasts would be hot to the touch, same thing when I would wake up in the morning.
I started taking an iodine supplement at the beginning of April because I suspected it could maybe be something nutritional and that month was better; I had a couple of weeks in the middle of the month where my breasts felt normal. At the end of the month I started hormonal birth control (I took yaz when I was 14 and it caused really bad breast pain) so I opted for levonorgestrel/ethynyl estradiol combo because \*supposedly\* that's the least likely to cause breast pain. Within the first 3 days of starting the combined hormonal birth control pill I had a **shooting/stabbing pain** just in my left breast near my sternum. It was so sharp it caused me to cry out at times. It would happen randomly, every half hour or so. **It felt like getting shocked.** It stopped happening after day 5 or so but it was still very concerning to experience. I only made it 2 weeks on that pill because of other side effects and it was causing breast tenderness starting day 11 or so.
Logically there's probably some other explanation other than the c word but my underarms and the area underneath my collarbones are also sore.
**We haven't even gotten to the nipple discharge part yet but it has increased since I originally saw a doctor about it 5 years ago.** It's a white color but sometimes a bit yellow and crusty. If I try to remove it, the tissue underneath is really sensitive the skin will break. There's also scaliness on my areola. I've tried putting a lactic acid/urea moisturizer on it but it doesn't really do much. The discharge/crust builds up in the left nipple primarily whereas the right just gets a bit dry and tough with maybe a bit of dead skin.
**Album incase you missed it:** [**https://imgur.com/a/0NdAg5z**](https://imgur.com/a/0NdAg5z)
I made an appointment with my GP last week where she did a manual exam of my breasts and ordered a test for **prolactin levels**. She said she'd call me with the results and I left. **I got the results online the same day and my prolactin levels are solidly in the normal range**. I never received a follow up call and that was over a week ago.
I almost never touch my nipples, even when I felt for lumps I touched the part near my sternum and underneath towards my underarms, not the nipples so I don't think that explains the discharge. My bras fit very well and my nipples are inverted so I really don't think it's friction from my bra either. I think we've ruled out prolactin issues from what I can tell.
**/////////////////////////////////////////**
**My boobs hurt almost all of the time, especially the left, there's a dull ache that comes from the same area where I had stabbing pain a couple of weeks ago.** I can't really tell by feeling if the tissue feels symmetrical because it's pretty hard/fibrous to the touch and it hurts to try to feel around with my hands.
I think I just need a second opinion since my GP can't be bothered to get back to me about next steps and has left me hanging.
**If someone who is experienced in the area of breast examination could please just tell me that my pain is completely unrelated to my breast health and nipples and that I'm normal I would be so relieved. I wouldn't go through the trouble of posting here unless I felt really compelled to get a second opinion aside from getting prolactin levels checked and having no follow up.**
| 388 |
NAD but I am a lady who’s breastfed two babies and the pain and symptoms you’re describing sound a lot like when I had a fungal infection called thrush. Nipple was flaky red and irritated and I had the stabbing aching feeling. My Ob/gyn recommend using an anti-fungal over the counter medication like one for athletes foot. Do you have an OB/Gyn ? I would go see yours if you have one. They’re not only for vaginal health, mine gives me my breast examination every time I’m due for a pap.
| 295 |
AskDocs
|
Incorrect Chemo Dosage
|
Hi everyone.
I am here because my husband has bladder cancer. He has been undergoing chemo since March. This next week was suppose to be the 12th week, and final infusion.
This week, we received a strange call from his oncologist's office. They said the Dr. needed to speak to us. Due to coronavirus, most office visits have been over the phone, so this one was scheduled the same way. They told him that I should be present on speaker for this one and that everything was ok, not to worry, but the Dr. needed to speak to us about his dosage.
I knew right then what was wrong. Not that I am an expert, and not that my husband hasn't suffered, but it just seemed "too easy". We both thought he would have been much sicker with the chemo. We even told them in the beginning, before they stopped in office visits, that we had expected everything to be much worse than it is.
We scheduled the tele-visit appointment for a few days later. During the call, the Dr. explained that the dose my husband was given was incorrect. It wasn't enough. Apparently, the Dr. wrote it down correctly, the NP, using some template, made an error, and the pharmacist didn't catch it either. He has had seven infusions. No one caught the error. No one.
He said this has never happened to him before. We could tell, and he may have said it, that they had no idea what exactly to do. He said my husband would have to have more treatments now. His surgery, of course, will be postponed. He brought up the option of radiation, which he was very against during our consultation visits with him. He said by the end of the extended treatments, he will have received more than what he should have to begin with.
We have an appointment with the Dr. next week, and the post chemo CT scan has been rescheduled for sooner. He said to come prepare with questions. I have no idea what to ask. Of course, how did this happen? How does this affect him? Is having extra sessions going to impact him negatively? What else? We are just so lost now.
60 - White Male, 5'8", 180lbs
High Grade, T2 Bladder Tumors
Chemo: Gemcitabine/Cisplatin
4 cycles - 2 weeks on, 1 week off
Completed all except 2nd week of 4th and final cycle.
Other:
Lipitor 10mg daily
| 254 |
>He said to come prepare with questions. I have no idea what to ask. Of course, how did this happen? How does this affect him? Is having extra sessions going to impact him negatively? What else? We are just so lost now.
Those are all excellent questions to ask. I would also ask whether this error has implications for his overall prognosis. If it was multiple treatments that were given at the inappropriate dose, that is a bigger problem, and I personally would wonder whether they expected me/my insurance to pay for it. I do not usually suggest this sort of thing, but I think consulting an attorney would be appropriate to ensure you have everything appropriately documented in case there is need for future legal action.
| 305 |
AskDocs
|
Cut 2 of my fingertips off with a mandoline slicer
|
27F, 5'11", 170lbs, white. I cut 2 of my finger tips off, diagonally, using an incredibly sharp mandoline slicer on Tuesday. I do not have health insurance(I live in the US) and cannot afford to see a doctor, so I did not see one. No bone was exposed so I called my dad who is a nurse with decades of ER experience. He gave me instructions on how to clean them, dress them, and generally take care of them. So far I show no signs of infection however, it is obnoxiously painful. I'm worried that maybe I screwed up by not getting immediate medical attention and am curious as to how some of you think my fingers might heal. [Here is a picture](https://imgur.com/a/SWyW27X) of my wounds. I do drink regularly, especially right now to ease the pain which I know is not ideal. I use marijuana recreationally and am not a cigarette smoker. I am not on any medications. Any advice on how to care for my injury and just a general idea of how serious this actually is would be appreciated. Thank you.
| 482 |
Looks like a simple avulsion. No bone sticking out right? Your tetanus is up to date? Keep it clean and dress it regularly, will heal fine. Motrin or tylenol for pain .
| 463 |
AskDocs
|
[34F] Does feeling everything have a name?
|
I know I probably sound crazy but I can feel everything that goes on in my body! Well... probably not everything but many things. E.g. I know when I'm ovulating, I feel food and can point where it is in the digestive tract, I can feel certain areas of my brain depending on what I'm doing, I can feel subtle changes in my heart rate or blood pressure. It drives me nuts and I wanted to know if there's a specific name for this or anything I can do about it? Or if anyone has experienced this? Help! And thank you. I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs. Never had any psychiatric issues diagnosed either.
| 425 |
NAD but feeling ovulation is called mittelschmerz and can just be a little dull ache. I have it and I know which ovary is in use each month!
No idea about the rest though, sorry
| 268 |
AskDocs
|
Weird, random symptoms. Doctors usually just blink a few times and assure me that it’s nothing. What should I do about it?
|
25 F Diabetes, Celiac, Hypothyroid, Seasonal Allergies. Taking Insulin & Synthroid. No drugs, no alcohol, no smoking. Not over or under weight. Exercise 3-5x/weekly. Eat healthy.
Hair loss
Skin rashes
Mouth sores
Tightness in chest
Pain & muscle cramps
Dry throat & mouth
Constant fatigue
Poor sleep
Irritability
Duration: Last 6-8 months.
Thank you!!!
| 261 |
These symptoms shouldn’t be brushed aside, I’m sorry if you feel like you haven’t been taken seriously. Having said that, they are individually common and nonspecific - so they might be evidence for a unifying diagnosis or they might be coincidental. In the context of your strong autoimmune history you’d have to be mad not to investigate further. They do require a work-up. I would probably test your Hba1c and thyroid levels to make sure control is optimal, an electrolyte panel, renal function, simple causes for fatigue like vitamin D and a rheumatological panel would be necessary (incl anti-Ro and anti-La). If this suggested rheumatological disease then a referral would be necessary. They will likely run further tests.
I’m not a rheumatologist, but as others have mentioned your symptoms could fit with Sjögren’s syndrome, which is also associated with coeliac and thyroid disease. I have a few extra questions if you don’t mind. You could save these for the doctor if you want but might be useful to think about beforehand.
Do you have any join pain/swelling?
Are your mouth ulcers painless?
What are your rashes like? Could you provide a picture?
What is making your sleep poor?
Is you chest tightness associated with breathlessness or a cough?
Do you have any eye dryness?
Have you (and totally understandable if you don’t want to answer this) had any exposure to blood born viruses? E.g. unprotected sexual activity, IV drug use, blood exposure, needle stick injury.
Hope you get the answers you’re looking for and some relief.
| 136 |
AskDocs
|
My Mother Was Anti-Doctor, How Do I Find A Doctor That Will Help Me With Missed Vaccines, Undiagnosed issues, missed exams, etc.
|
21f
TLDR at the end
So, my mother was extremely against taking meds and seeing doctors unless absolutely necessary. Unless I was over 104 for a day, profusely bleeding, or literally writhing and screaming in pain, she saw it as no big deal. I never got eye exams, check-ups, physicals, vaccines, or any other regular doctor visits. I also saw the dentist maybe twice. Even if I brought up issues.
I began experiencing episodes of shortness of breath, chest pain/tightness, wheezing etc. when doing exercises. She dismissed me saying I was out of shape and over exaggerating. (Note: I've always been fit and active, and she and my whole family smoke in the house) I complained of other issues like joint pain, she'd call me a hypochondriac. I even fell on my elbow once and couldn't move it, sever pain, swelling. She even said 'probably a hair line fracture'. But refused to take me to the doctor saying they'd only tell her what she already knew. And again claimed my pain was exaggerated. I spent the next few months keeping my arm in the centre pocket of sweaters as a diy sling and popping advil. (I was about 15) She cared even less about mental health, even when I told her of my thoughts of suicide.
I have tried since then to get a new family doctor (didn't have one) but the one I got was less than ideal. She was very keen on treating symptoms and never looking into the cause. Having anxiety (now diagnosed), I haven't yet gotten the courage to give her the ax. Clinic doctors are busy, and I understand that, so they just don't have the time or enough context to really help me fully.
So, how do I go about finding a doctor that will take my practically non-existent medical records into account and help me to basically catch up on many things never looked into as a child. A doctor who will listen and be patient, and work with me to find whats causing my multiple chronic issues?
TLDR; My mom only went to docs in absolute emergencies. Now I have chronic issues that have never properly been looked into. How do I find a patient and understand doctor who has the time to help me catch up on what I missed and find any underlying issues?
Update: Thank you so much everyone! I've gotten more helpful comments than I can even respond to. I really appreciate all of your advice. If its not too much, I'd like to know if any of you know of how to go about getting a new PCP. Like I mentioned, mine isn't ideal. Never even did all the stuff you guys are saying a doc should do with a medically neglected patient. I live in Canada and there is a service that will help you connect with a family doctor, but since I technically already have one I can't use it. How do I terminate the relationship with my current doc? I think theres maybe paper work I have to do.... The doc is registered with my health card and stuff, so I don't think I can just get a new doc without officially cancelling my relations with my current one and I'm not sure how to do that
| 947 |
Find a PCP (primary care physician). Once established with him or her, they can refer you to other specialists, if needed. Most importantly, you need to be vaccinated. It's not too late.
To add, even the most healthy individuals still need their 6 month or yearly physical with their PCP. Preventive care is very important.
| 385 |
AskDocs
|
22M. I have ADHD. I have felt tremendously numb and unmotivated for the past month. I tried nicotine for the first time and it really helped me. I’m not sure what to do with that information
|
Update: Nicotine was only helpful to me while I was still on Vyvanse and in withdrawal after stopping Vyvanse and stopping trazadone (an anticholinergic). Most of my symptoms have decreased significantly (although not completely, I’m not numb anymore but still sleepy and not completely functional a lot) and so nicotine is now barely beneficial for me. So I know most of you did not actually care whether or not my symptoms improved or if my suffering decreased and solely cared about me not doing nicotine, so you will be happy to know that I no longer have a reason to do nicotine and won’t.
For people who are also on Vyvanse, I found out from Dr. Russell Barkley that it can suppress the limbic system and therefore your emotions over time.
READ BEFORE COMMENTING: Can smokers please stop commenting about how I shouldn’t do nicotine because they regret smoking? Smoking tobacco and having a nicotine lozenge are different things. And I am really disappointed that I’ve gotten so many comments and the vast majority of them are so unhelpful and just telling me “don’t do it” and not offering me some alternative when I just told you I was suffering emotionally and suffering in my school work for 1.5 months and was completely numb. I’m literally failing almost every single class just because of the lack of work I was able to get through in the last 2 weeks, which will cost me like $20k. So please do not project onto me your smoker’s guilt, I posted on here to find out if there was an alternative I should look into. It doesn’t even seem like most of you have bothered to read my description.
So this is a very odd situation.
I’ve been doing pretty poorly in school during quarantine. I’ve been feeling very numb and unmotivated. I was on 20 mg in Vyvanse and then 40 mg of Vyvanse. On 20 mg I realized I wasn’t getting the focus benefits of Vyvanse. On 40 mg I was getting the focus benefits to some extent, but the come down was really hard and even thought it helped me focus, there was something about it that made me feel mentally slower. No matter what dosage of Vyvanse I was on, I felt really numb and unmotivated inside and it prevented me from being productive. It didn’t matter how much coffee or how much Vyvanse I had, it was like my body just stopped reacting to adrenaline. This has happened to me in past semesters as well, so it’s not just a quarantine thing. This even happened to me last semester while I was on 15 mg of lexapro.
I heard nicotine worked on acetylcholine receptors and my friend talked a lot about how much she loved nicotine. I decided I had nothing left to lose with how numb I felt inside and how poorly I was doing in school, so I bought 2 mg of nicotine lozenges. I sucked on half of it and took it out while I was trying to work at my friends place. I was also on 20 mg of Vyvanse at the time, but it was about 8 pm so it was close to the end of the duration.
And all of a sudden, I felt joy again. After a month of numbness and feeling like I was being dragged through the rest of the semester and barely eating because I was so bored of the idea of making another decision about what to eat. And it was such a relief, because I didn’t know when I was ever going to stop feeling numb again and I felt like I was barely a human and suddenly it was like I could breathe. My thoughts were finally moving at a normal speed. I felt motivation and I wanted to do my work and I did.
And I don’t know what to do with that information. I don’t know if that means I should be trying out a certain type of antidepressant. I tried bupropion XL 150 mg for 1-2 months before and it made me had sporadic moments of hearing my pulse in my ear (but I had also just stopped using Vyvanse and I know Vyvanse had raised my blood pressure since I started using it). It had also made me a little irritated and I didn’t really see benefits from it. But maybe I didn’t give it enough time or didn’t use it a high enough dosage?
Or I don’t know if I should start using nicotine gum medicinally 1-2 times a week. I know it has a high addiction rate and I don’t want it to downregulate any of my neurotransmitters. But it doesn’t have the same harms as smoking. But as far as I can tell, there really aren’t prescription drugs that work out there quite like nicotine.
I just feel like now that I know that it’s possible for me to function like a normal and functioning person again, I need to try to figure out how to do it with a safer drug.
I haven’t tried atomoxetine before, I don’t know if that’s something I should try
EDIT: I also take 12.5 mg of trazodone at night to help me sleep
| 410 |
this isn't going to be helpful at all, but don't start using nicotine to make your medication work better. Try a different medication instead.
I take adderall and I am a smoker. I have come to realize that as long as I continue to take my adderall, I will likely be unable to quit smoking- something about it just makes me want to smoke. I tried other medications, but still always had the desire to smoke. On off days, I basically don't smoke at all.
| 200 |
AskDocs
|
Chiropractor Torqued my neck hard - Neck & Spine Experts Needed (Neurologists/Radiologists/Surgeons, MRI & X-rays included)
|
9 months ago, as part of treatment for a 60mph rear end I was in over 2 years ago now, I visited a chiropractor with 20 years in the business. I visited him twice for mid thoracic & shoulder pain, no neck pain to speak of -- first visit went fine, but on the second visit when he adjusted my neck, it went wildly wrong. He didn't take any time at all to prepare me for the adjustment, and my body involuntarily flinched and resisted with full force to the right. The chiropractor was ignorant and forced my head against my resistance a full 90 degrees to the left. No popping happened, but he sure was trying for it. I felt a lot of torque and muscle tension -- it was very disconcerting, but no immediate pain. I didn't think much of it at first given no pain, but it was enough to scare me out of going again. In the following days & weeks, I started getting electric shock symptoms at the left base of my neck when reaching far with my left arm (out, up, down), or moving my neck in a certain way. Got an EMG 3 weeks later that stated moderate chronic radiculopathy of C8 on the left. I proceeded to go through 12+ weeks of PT, Traction, Airrosti, tried dry needling etc. No improvement. I even faced my fear and tried other chiropractic 6 months after incident thinking it would realign & heal things (Gonstead 3 sessions & CBP 2 sessions) which didn't help, as well as more massage and a lot of home PT. Just recently started seeing a NUCCA (upper cervical) guy that does a technique called QSM3... pretty sure it's bogus and isn't doing a thing.
I have no numbness/weakness/tingling, and nothing that travels down my arms. I occasionally get a burning sensation across my left trap. I can feel within my left trap that theres an extremely tight band of muscle that feels almost like a bone when flexed, and it is when I use my trap that I get the electric shock sensation along that same path - the more I use it, the larger the shock. If I reach behind my head, trap flexed, and palpate the taught band of muscle near my neck/paraspinal region, I get the electric sensation. If my arm is relaxed down to my side and I palpate this same region even with a lot of pressure, no zings. I'm starting to get occasional little zaps on the right side of my neck too (mid paraspinal) -- top right of my neck is also very crunchy and tight. I seem to want to support my head a lot, so I am suspecting some ligament laxity/weakness is at play. The clicking/cracking in my neck seems to be increasing.
X-Rays: [Lateral view](https://i.imgur.com/P5dPIQl.jpg) | [Flexion & Extension](https://i.imgur.com/6XpfhOW.jpg) | [Front view](https://i.imgur.com/GbBDt3o.jpg)
I had a [cervical MRI](https://i.imgur.com/MhMTYBH.jpg) 6 months after the incident that revealed multi-level mild uncovertebral hypertrophy, a 1.6mm, 5.2mm wide bulge at C7-T1 ([Lateral](https://i.imgur.com/soxYef3.jpg), [Slice](https://i.imgur.com/AC3CoIc.jpg)) that may hit the ventral nerve root on the left, as well as a C3-C4 2mm bulge ([Lateral 1](https://i.imgur.com/H4o82Wh.jpg), [Lateral 2](https://i.imgur.com/iqJHusn.jpg), [Slice](https://i.imgur.com/gKZkSuA.jpg)).
I had a [Thoracic MRI 2 weeks later](https://i.imgur.com/GKr8JYN.png), and the record said that it seemed the bulge at C7-T1 may have undergone interval desiccation or resorption, but I find that unlikely. My T1-T2 has lost some height and I have bilateral facet arthrosis ([Lateral thoracic](https://i.imgur.com/JjS1YkO.jpg) | [1st Slice](https://i.imgur.com/E12Fu9e.jpg) | [2nd Slice](https://i.imgur.com/T4H43jl.jpg) | [3rd Slice](https://i.imgur.com/uRROHed.jpg)). I'm curious how bad the facet arthritis is, if anyone has expertise -- the top portion of the lateral view looks odd/concerning to me. It's starting to pop & click and ache more and more, even without movement in bed. Happy to provide more views, not sure if I grabbed all the right ones.
[Here is the 3mm Bulge at T5-T6](https://i.imgur.com/diZK0Ww.jpg) which was from the accident, and been a pretty consistent dull/sharp aching point and also clicks all the time.
Doctor has recommended an epidural steroid injection at C7-T1 which I've resisted. I've read about the possible complications, how it is contraindicated by the FDA for cervical use, and how it really only helps if you have symptoms going down the arms (but really they're only approved for sciatica type leg pain). I recently tried a steroid dosepak as a less invasive method, but that gave no symptom relief at all. Read that steroids are only a band-aid and will do nothing to fix the structural issue.
Just looking for more opinions -- do my symptoms sound more facet related than disc related? It's the intermittent nature that has me stumped. I've been looking into PRP & Stem Cell injections into my facets, possibly an epidural with Platelet Lysate from my own blood. Really would prefer something regenerative vs catabolic.
Would a CT Scan of my cervical region provide any further answers on what to treat given the mechanism of injury? Would a standing/sitting MRI be helpful? Ultrasound? Digital Motion X-Ray?
I'm growing hopeless that this will be my new normal and trying to find answers to hopefully correct what's going on and slow down the degeneration (yes perhaps obsessively... but hey, it's my health and I'm only 33).
Thank you for your time.
| 332 |
This is why I will never go to a chiropractor, ever.
| 495 |
AskDocs
|
Is my mother being conned by a homeopathic wizgod
|
My mother 50(F) WORSHIPS this local homeopathic doctor. Around 2009, she had kidney stones and due to complications, her uterus was removed. I was probably 5-6 then, don't remember much except for the blob of weird stuff in a tall glass bottle.
She was fine after the surgery but down the years developed "post surgery" complications. She was allegedly allergic to the general anaesthesia which somehow transitioned into vertigo and she tends to lose grip on her right side.
Oh, and this doctor has told her that she has snot/cold filled in her sinus and head and her nerves are being pinched and so are the sacs(?) between her cervical discs.
She refuses to take allopathic medicine claiming it's too strong for her
She has been under the medication of this wizgod for more than years. Everyday she has 40 drops of this liquid, 12 tablets and 6 of those sugar looking pills (total dosage divided 3 times a day).
She freaks out when she doesn't have his medicine claiming her vertigo is going to return.
FYI his prescriptions (they're not prescription, his attendant assembles the medicine outside his cabin) last 15 days. Every 15 days she gets a new prescription excluding when we travel, the man will bless her with 1 month to 2 month supplies.
Is this guy a dupe?
Is my mother under one heck of a placebo effect?
Can "cold" even accumulate the way the claim?
TLDR: mom under medication of homeopathic doctor for 7 years due to post surgery complications, i feel he's a business man extorting money from my mom as she has been having these concerns for more than 4 years.
| 251 |
Sure sounds like this guy’s a quack. In my experience, trying to convince someone that their homeopathic treatment is a scam is like trying to convince someone that their religion is silly. You’re probably going to be met with hostility and drive them even farther down the homeopathic rabbit hole.
One option is to tell your mom to google this guy’s name and maybe she can see some objective reviews on the guy. Doubt that would actually do anything though.
You have to be very careful talking with patients like this. I tell people that modern medicine isn’t perfect. We don’t know how everything works. I’m okay with people trying alternative medicines as long as it’s not harmful and as long as it’s not draining your wallet. Any way to find out what’s in her pills and how much she’s spending? What’s sad is that her vertigo may be treatable or curable.
Edit: I'm hijacking my own comment since it's the top comment right now. I just looked this doctor up and there's an article about this doctor writing a letter to the prime minister of India about changing the paradigm of thinking about cancer. He says cancer is caused by a disturbed mind and emotional turmoil rather than things like tobacco. This guy's faculty at the London College of Homeopathy. This isn't just a con man getting a few thousand bucks from someone. This guy's got influence and using it. This is really harmful.
| 228 |
AskDocs
|
I'm 33 and I have just learned that I have 45 chromosomes. What now?
|
I'm 33 years old, had trouble conceiving with my GF so we went to a fertility clinic. I passed some tests and was diagnosed as having low sperm count. Post wash, the total quantity of motile sperms was about 4-5 Millions.
We started IVI (in vitro insemination) treatments (we get 9 tries paid for by the government) and in the meantime, my doctor had me take some ADN and hormonal blood tests. Hormone levels were considered normal, although in my opinion the testosterone count was on the low side (and estrogen is under the lowest normal value, but somehow my doctor told me only testosterone is of interest..).
Generic test results took a few months longer to come back I was just informed that I have 45 chromosomes. The doctor from my fertility clinic told me he cannot give me more information and tells me I will have to pass some specialized genetic tests. I'm kinda freaking out right now, does anyone know where I could get some more information? Should I be followed by a doctor for the remainder of my life? Is there any chance we can do In Vitro?
| 918 |
To be honest you really do need the actual details of the genetic test (which chromosome is missing?) and to see a genetic counselor.
Given that you're a guy, it's actually really interesting (sorry, I know you don't want to be interesting). I'm wondering if you're a super super rare Male Turner syndrome or perhaps a mosaic/chimera - which means basically your body is made up of two sets of genetic material. (Edit: or as others have mentioned a Robertsonian translocation where effectively the genetic material is all there but the number of chromosomes is less due to swapping of chromosome “arms”)
Please give me/us an update! If they are willing to give you any information right now, I'd at least ask 'can you tell me which chromosome is missing?' That would give us the most to go on right now.
If it’s anything other than 45 x then I would assume it’s almost certainly a robertsonian translocation
Edit: also OP if you read this again, what sample did you give for karyotype (blood, semen, etc)?
| 863 |
AskDocs
|
Husband (39M, very healthy) suffered a stroke 2.5 days ago. Several question, one very personal
|
My husband (39M) is an ultramarathoner who routinely runs 50+ miles a week. He has perfect blood pressure and is a healthy weight. On Thursday morning he woke up with an intense headache, tried to get out of bed, fell and could not move his left arm or leg and was very slow to respond/seemed confused. Arrived at hospital by ambulance 30-40 minutes later at which point his symptoms were improving. According to an MRI, he suffered two small strokes (ischemic but not TIAs) He was released from the hospital this afternoon and seems to have suffered no permanent damage.
We are of course seeing various doctors over the course of the next few months and are still searching for the cause. We found that he does have a PFO, but the cardiologist thinks that's unlikely to be the cause.
Because of COVID, I was unable to be with him in the hospital and had to talk to doctors over speakerphone which is not an optimal communication method for important info. My husband tends to be very quiet, so I'm usually the one asking questions, but I was not able to do this very effectively over speaker, so I am now here and hoping I can get some insight from professionals.
So first, my husband uses minoxidil on his hair but forgot to mention it to his doctors. I think he should stop using it. I hope you all can back me up on this. Also, could this have contributed to stroke?
Second, as a guy who sometimes runs more that 50 miles at a time, his idea of what constitutes "exerting himself" is different from how I and most others would define it. He would like to go out and mow the yard tomorrow, go for a 5 mile hike next week, take a slow run on the track, etc. (He does not think of these things as real exercise.) I am trying to convince him to hold off on everything that more normal people think of as exercise at least until we identify a cause. Am I right to suggest this?
Third, he seems to have absolutely no permanent damage and has suggested resuming sex very soon. I have no idea when that stops being risky, but I'm assuming 3 days out is definitely not enough time. When can sexual activity start again?
Thank you so much! I may come back with other questions later, this has been so fast and such a nightmare.
| 672 |
# TLDR
I include this section mostly for curious bystanders. OP, you probably want to read this whole post including the final section.
1. Minoxidil: I could go either way. Discuss with him & with doctors at follow up. The discussion is important.
2. For activity, OK to start resuming his prior activities including exercise, chores, etc., but start less intense than before and build up. See how it goes, which means back off if anything seems weird.
3. Sex is basically the same as point #2 but also make sure everybody is emotionally ready.
# Answers to specific questions
1. Topical minoxidil: **I could go either way. Not super scary to me to keep using it.** On the one hand, it's "only" topical. I did not see mention stroke or related conditions in the package insert for US and [Canada](https://www.jnjcanada.com/sites/www_jnjcanada_com/files/pdf/en/Rogaine.pdf) regulatory agencies. When it's taken orally, it's used to control blood pressure, which *usually* will *reduce* the rate of stroke *in the long term*. (Emphasis in that sentence is important.) I also don't see any mention of stroke + minoxidil in Pubmed. Probably your best evidence is going to be a [trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17761356/) which included an open-label safety extension of a hundred-ish people for a year (no mention of stroke). I don't see any big-scale observational pharmacoepi type studies.
1. On the other hand, "only topical" is not a strong argument *in the general case*. If you (or he) are worried, why not quit this med? This is a case of weighing a known benefit in one area (cosmetic benefits are still benefits, & people are allowed to value them) versus a very small & partly unknown risk in another area. A lot of times the process of decision making is as important as the decision itself. I don't hear anything urgent here.
2. Activity level: **My opinion is find a middle ground.**
1. Doing a 50 mile run 3 days after a diagnosed stroke *feels* extreme to me (opinion; no studies/citations).
2. Mowing the lawn seems probably fine, but that can mean about a million different levels of exertion. (Is it a self propelled mower? Manual push motorized mower? Old school blade push mower? Ride-on? How much land? What temperature?) You don't have to answer those questions; my point is just to keep it reasonable. Try it but take it easier than usual. **Test the waters** (metaphorically)**.** Listen to what his body is telling him. Maybe take more frequent breaks; make sure to drink water.
3. A five mile hike next week also *seems* okay to me especially if he feels he is at 100% normal physical level. Again, "5 mile hike" means tons of different things to different people. I wouldn't plan on 2.5 miles into the middle of dense forest with hills and rock ledges, no cell phone service, EMS would need a helicopter with infrared to find you, etc., etc., and then 2.5 miles back to the trailhead. Strokes recur on their own too. Even if the hike doesn't cause it, what is the plan if it recurs? I think you get the idea.
4. Slow run on the track (in a few days) also *seems* okay to me. Same policies as above (start out at a lower level than usual, pay closer attention than usual, quit early if problems). There is zero reason to go directly to a 100% training intensity. Nobody should have anything to prove on either side here. Even if OP's husband is Meb Keflezighi and running is his livelihood, the training is going to be set back somewhat. It's unfortunate, but you should expect less training ability for a little while.
5. OP, **what do you mean by "identify a cause"?** Are there further tests pending?
3. Sex: Once again, it seems **basically okay to resume, with a bit of caution**. I'll make this point once more: "having sex" can mean about a million things in terms of what the circulation to the brain sees. Blunt & graphic stuff follows, so skip this paragraph if you don't care to read about sex. It's possible to (a) go nice and slow over a period of time followed by a sort of gentle orgasm, and barely get your heart rate up; (b) be over and done with in 3-5 minutes, maybe just masturbation in the presence of a partner, which is a pretty small stress on the circulation; or (c) go at it for 4+ hours, one person on bottom, then on top, then on bottom, then standing, with constant grunting, yelling, panting, you get the idea, which is probably not advisable in the week or so after a diagnosed stroke! Lastly, it is very important that both parties are emotionally ready. If OP or husband is going to have an unenjoyable experience, then by definition it is not the right time for two-person sex.
# Additional comments
39 is young to have a stroke. OP, I'm sorry this happened to your husband & to you. Most of all I'm sorry you couldn't be there in person in the hospital with him & to hear from the doctors in person. The COVID era sucks; it's not your fault that you couldn't be there. He's lucky to have you asking questions for him.
It is very good news that he started to improve so rapidly on his own. All strokes improve; the question is how much and how fast. Great news that there is "no lasting damage" by which I guess you mean the strength in the arm/leg is back to 100%. It is also good news that he's been released from the hospital straight to home. Great news that he's in phenomenal shape to start with.
This *sounds* like the type of stroke that is due to arterial disease of the blood vessels inside the skull. This would be a very common cause of stroke. Obviously I didn't do the neuro exam or see the MRI/echo/carotids/etc. If the doctors don't think the PFO contributed, they are in the best position to make that call. Blaming the PFO depends somewhat on the location(s) of the stroke(s). It's totally appropriate to get a 2nd opinion if you're wondering about PFO closure, but totally *inappropriate* for me or anyone to speak with certainty based only on 400 words you wrote on Reddit. If I did get a 2nd opinion & was offered PFO closure, I would ask what is the evidence that it's a cardioembolic stroke, and how the rate of stroke is expected to change after closure/anticoagulation. (This is to prevent someone basically "upselling" me on an expensive and invasive procedure that I might not need. I've seen procedures go both ways: undertreatment and overtreatment.)
Sometimes there is no "identify a cause" beyond what I mentioned in the previous paragraph. I'm assuming the stroke wasn't caused by cocaine or some other drug, although I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it. The treatment for this type of stroke is aspirin, usually statin, and blood pressure control (if needed, and on the timeline prescribed by doctors). Aspirin is great at reducing the chance of a 2nd ischemic stroke, and it is heartbreaking how often I see people not taking it, for no good reason. I suspect this is because it's not a "flashy" drug and also that it is literally over the counter, which makes it easy for docs to assume people are taking it per instructions. Point is: if he's not on aspirin, he needs to ***ask someone why he is not on aspirin.*** Aspirin increases the chance of GI bleeding; usually not serious; known risk that is usually deemed to be "worth it."
It's somewhat sad that the activity recommendations were not spelled out in more detail for him when he was discharged. This is all too commonly overlooked by specialists and inpatient doctors. I'm confident that my PT and PM&R colleagues will agree 1000%.
I'm an internist, not a neurologist, and I am not your husband's internist. I do see plenty of acute strokes. I just don't know every single nuance of stroke diagnosis/treatment, especially rare stuff.
Ask questions at the follow-up visits!
I know this is damn long. I tried to be complete. However, there is still a chance I forgot something and will need to reply or edit this post. I expect this illustrates that it is often not possible to make a short yet correct statement about medicine.
| 401 |
AskDocs
|
Have I completely ruined my nail bed?
|
So, I (34F) have a long history of ingrown toenails. It started with years of pointe ballet and needing to keep my nails super short, to an almost fixation on my nails. About two years ago I cut my nail WAY too short. I tried to fix it as I'd done a million time before but made things much worse. After about a year of pretty much finally leaving it alone and not trying to "fix" it anymore I'm left with a missing part of my nail and what looks almost like a new toe growing over it. I can't even explain...I'm embarrassed.
The part that look like a new toe is movable... I can lift it up and there's a big dip in my nail under it. Any suggestions? Is this fixable? Have I completely ruined my toe? =[
I have no major medical conditions or medications. I am 5'5", 150lbs. I occasionally smoke and drink, no drug use.
[toe](https://imgur.com/a/vlRVUG0)
| 267 |
I'm NAD but I'd think a podiatrist could fix this with a minor surgery
| 171 |
AskDocs
|
Please help a new mum! I think my baby has one eye smaller than the other...
|
** Final Edit - The ophthalmologist says she does have microphthalmia, but there's no signs of an underlying syndrome. The eye may be big enough to promote normal socket growth, but she will need to be monitored and may need spacers to shape the socket and cosmetic contact lenses for symmetry. The small eye appears structurally sound and probably has vision but will require significant correction. Overall pretty good news **
** Edit - We have an appointment with a paediatric ophthalmologist for tomorrow - will let you know what he says. Thank you to everyone who has replied! **
Female, 2 weeks old, 53cm, 4.2kg.
(Just noticed - in the picture automatically retrieved for the post she just looks squinty/swollen - please click on the link at the bottom for better pics.)
My beautiful little girl was born two weeks ago by emergency c-section. I noticed while she was still in the special care nursery (for hypoglycemia and hypothermia - out after two days) that one eye did not open properly, but they said it was nothing to worry about. Probably just swelling from the slightly traumatic birth. She came home after a few days and is nursing well and gaining weight.
She was readmitted to special care for phototherapy due to ABO incompatibility jaundice but has been home for more than a week and is much better. However I'm still very concerned that her right eye is still not opening properly and also seems to be actually smaller than the left.
The maternal child health nurse said to give it a few weeks until the eyes open up more, but I'm concerned this is something that needs to be addressed more urgently. Obviously we will need to see a doctor (ophthalmologist?) And yet I'm hesitant to take my unvaccinated baby out much before I have to. Am I just paranoid? And if I'm right how urgent is this? Pictures attached.
Edit: Should have mentioned - the hospital did a red reflex test which was normal. The pupil in the small eye responds to changes in light and dark. The little eye tracks and focuses normally with the big eye, as far as I can tell.
https://imgur.com/a/fVGiLJy
| 349 |
This requires evaluation with a pediatric ophthalmologist. Ask your pediatrician for a referral if you need one.
It's impossible to tell for sure from the pictures whether the right eye is enophthalmic or microphthalmic or if the left eye is exophthalmic or buphthalmic. Needless to say, the list of potential causes is quite long. However this age is a formative time for the development of visual pathways in the brain and delaying care risks permanent loss of vision.
| 519 |
AskDocs
|
First pregnancy negative herpes. Second pregnancy positive herpes.
|
First pregnancy my test for gential herpes was negative. My second pregnancy it came back positive - I personally didn't have any interaction with anyone apart from my spouse during this time and he may very well be lying saying he didn't either. Besides the point-My question is moreso could it be possible the hormones in pregnancy offset something the second time around that wasn't captured in the first pregancy? That the herpes virus was dormant and not picked up the first pregnancy around?
Age 28. Female. 5'0. 125 lbs. White/Caucasian. No other medical conditions. No medications apart from prenatals, biotin, vitamin D.
Edit: thank you everyone for your indepth responses! I wish I could reply to all individually.
| 377 |
Would wait for a doc to respond as I am not sure how they test for HSV 2 during pregnancy.
Typically though you can test positive while it’s dormant and not have any symptoms.
Initial Herpes infection typically comes with fever and flu-like symptoms (go figure, so does everything else it seems) but there is normally a lesion along with that. So, think about it.
Between the first and second pregnancies, did you ever have a time where it felt like you had a sore or extremely itchy spot anywhere in that area? Something that felt like a pimple or ingrown hair but felt different?
Did something like this happen before the first pregnancy?
Do either of you get cold sores (HSV-1)? This could have been passed via oral sex and I think would probably show a positive herpes test unless they were specifically looking for HSV-2/genital herpes.
I would drag the hubby to the clinic with you and get you both tested again and ask the clinician about this. A second test for you would help determine a false positive or not.
| 294 |
AskDocs
|
Mystery STD Doctors haven't been able to identify
|
August 3rd had sex with an ex without protection. August 10th, noticed some tingling and itching in vaginal area. August 17-18th, increased itching and tingling, noticed some yellow discharge. August 23rd, my entire vagina swelled to twice it's original size and I shot a watery greyish discharge out of my cervix, and whatever infection it was entered my womb and gave me PID. I had been in contact with ex since Aug. 18th, trying to ask him to get tested and he did. When my vagina swelled and discharge shot out, I called him to see if he had gotten his results. He said he only tested positive for Chlamydia. I had not been able to test yet because of menses.
I ran to ER and got Ceftriaxone shot and Azithromycin. The discharge and swelling went away for a day. The next day, my discharge was back, and my vagina was still irritated.
I spent the next few months regularly testing for STDs, the whole time the discharge continued, and I kept getting antibiotics. Rocephin gave me immediate relief but didn't last. Metronidazole would control discharge until script ran out. I finally got on insurance and went to a proper Gyno. She noted I certainly had a bacterial infection of some sort, and gave me a pap.
My pap came back HSIL, led to Colposcopy that resulted in 4 biopsies. They all came back CIN 3. I'm told my symptoms are unrelated. My irritation went away about 4 months after initial onset of symptoms. The discharge continued for 7 months total, until I had a LEEP procedure and a round of Augmentin. After that, the discharge finally went away.
Through all of this, I found out I was never tested for Herpes, so I took that test yesterday. I'm almost certain that could not of been what caused my symptoms, as I had no pain with urination, no blisters or ulcers in or on vagina. I had regularly been investigating myself with my own fingers because I knew something was wrong. There was never any pain, other than the PID. I could feel scales/mosaics developing on my cervix from August 23rd up until February with my LEEP. Started with a few spots, by the time I had LEEP, most of my cervix was covered. My LEEP came back no cancer, but a lot of CIN 3 with glandular involvement. I have not had any symptoms since.
I have been talking another man for a few months and he knows I've had symptoms and knows about HPV and my precancer. My concern is that I do not know what caused my symptoms and I am concerned about passing it to him. Can someone please provide alternative diagnoses? I'm fairly convinced I had a very bad inflammatory reaction from catching HPV, which led to secondary mucopurulent cervicitis. So I am also concerned that if that's the case, and my CIN 3 developed within 6 months of contraction, I may very well be at risk of fast onset of cervical cancer for the rest of my life. Or could this really be an atypical presentation of herpes?
| 492 |
Sorry in a hurry to write. Not likely Herpes; this isn't typically/routinely tested as a blood draw but it depends on the provider. If there are active lesions, it likely would have been swabbed for herpes confirmation. Symptoms improved with the antibiotic treatment so that's promising that it's likely bacterial. Ceftriaxone and Azithro are the gold standard for G/C. Yellow discharge can also be indicative for trich, in which case should have been treated with metronidazole. Men are commonly asymptomatic and not usually tested. I'm sorry this must be frustrating; you should f/u with OB/GYN or get another professional opinion.
| 290 |
AskDocs
|
My wife's health is in trouble and doctor's keep assuming it's poor diet.
|
My wife is a 27 year old 5'8" 300lb heavyweight strong woman. she's a state title holder and national level competitor. Works out 6 days a week and eats a strict vegan homemade healthful diet.
In the past couple months she started having issues with fatigue and weakness in her workouts. Then 3 weeks ago it was like her body hit a wall.
She began having strange burning stabbing abdominal pain. She broke out in hives that lasted a week.
She went to the doctor and they said she seemed to have an allergy to something. They ran a CBC and cmp which looked normal. Blood glucose and a1c were normal.
She began taking allergy medications, but her rash started spreading from one spot to her whole body within 24 hours, and her abdominal pain intensified. She went the hospital, they did a full torso ct. The only thing they found that was out of the normal, other than ground glass opacity in her lungs, was that her intestines were full of fecal matter, even though she had normal bowel movements 4 times that day before going to the hospital.
We followed up after the hospital with her primary. All the doc said was that it sounded allergic or viral. I asked if she should get tested for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. We're vegan, as I told them. I wanted to see if she was anemic, b12 deficiency, maybe some other imbalance. They reluctantly humored me. She showed marginally low iron, and low vitamin c.
I got her suppliments, but neither was hugely out of range and she still feels abnormal and weak. She feels nauseous, shaky, fatigued. She said it feels like her stomach quivers when she tries to eat.
I don't feel like the docs are taking her concern very seriously, because shes a heavy person. They continue to mention poor diet. She does NOT have a poor diet. She has a crafted, tracked, and measured food program that she has been training with for 4 years.
I'm at a loss for how to help her, but if we can't figure it out, it's going to ruin her training and competitions.
Any advice would be extremely helpful and appreciated.
| 626 |
NAD, but did she get tested for celiac disease? The stomach pain and rash can be a symptom of gluten intolerance.
| 344 |
AskDocs
|
[Texas] [22F] My sister's doctor passed away. He was the only doctor for hundreds of miles who was able to prescribe her low-THC cannabis under Texas's Compassionate Use Act. She'll likely start having severe seizures again if she goes off this medication. Does anyone know what we can do?
|
The title pretty much sums it up. My sister has a seizure disorder in addition to some other health disorders. She's been on several medications most of her life. Dosages and combinations used to constantly change, as her seizures always returned even when it seemed her medications were working.
She began taking the low-THC cannabis oil a couple of years ago and her major seizures stopped. Now she only occasionally has minor seizures and goes long periods of time without having any at all. She's happier and healthier than she's been in a long time as well.
With her doctor passing away, we don't know how to continue getting this medication for her. There isn't a doctor for hundreds of miles and it's nearly impossible for my sister to travel that far without it taking a toll on her health, especially now given the pandemic.
Does anyone know what we can do or who we can contact to continue getting this medication for her? She only has about 2 weeks worth left. Any advice is much appreciated.
| 926 |
Check with TX NORML or your local NORML chapter. They likely have a list of doctors that will work with your sister and some doctors may be doing telemedicine so she doesn’t have to travel.
| 314 |
AskDocs
|
Toddler son possibly got diluted bleach in eyes?
|
My husband left a spray bottle on our son's play table that was 1/3 bleach and 2/3 water. My son and I had just got back home, I was coming out of the laundry room when I see to my horror he had his hands around the top of the spray bottle, I screamed NO but he already sprayed it, I don't know if it went into his eyes but I immediately scooped him up, rinsed his eyes over the sink and gave him a bath while also rinsing his eyes (as much as you can rinse the eyes of a 2 year old who will just squeeze his eyes shut and say "no"). I got him ready for bed, he seemed to be acting normal, no rubbing his eyes or being irritable. His eyes were a little red, but I'm not sure if that was just from the eye rinsing.
He is asleep now, but I am in this panic, I don't know if he got any bleach in his eye, if it is causing any damage, or if i should take his lack of crying or rubbing his eyes as him being fine. I am also balancing the concern of him getting Covid if I take him to the ER.
He is a pretty tough kid, he doesn't cry when he scrapes his knees, etc, but I figure he would have cried if he got a chemical in his eyes.
Update: I called poison control center last night and they told me he is very likely fine. He woke up this morning with no eye redness or irritation. Thank you all for your help and input! This subreddit is amazing, I didn't know it existed until my search for an opinion last night.
| 315 |
You’re fine. If he really got bleach in his eyes, he’d be screaming his head off.
Edit: unless the injury was so severe that it killed off all of his corneal nerves. The eyes would be very obviously affected at that point.
| 399 |
AskDocs
|
My (24F) Partner (26M) says that I abuse him in my sleep.
|
Me and my boyfriend of four years just moved in together for the first time almost six months ago and since then he has described sleeping next to me as a *nightmare*. From what he says while I sleep: I continuously kick him in my sleep, I’ve throatpunched him, pushed him to the edge of the bed and if I’m feeling festive I’ve kicked him off the bed, I usually mumble or speak very coherently. and on this weeks episode apparently I have been “thumping my foot like a rabbit, really fast like” or I’ve been “tapping/slapping him like I’m speedboxing in my sleep”. even though I have no recollection of these things. he says that he’s lucky if there’s at least one night a *month* in which I’m “tame” while I sleep and don’t assault him
I know that I do have very vivid dreams (usually nightmares), that I’ve struggled with for most of my life. I also struggle with waking up a lot in the middle of the night also (typically every hour and a half to two hours) I don’t have any history of sleepwalking. and ever since middle school it’s been a common occurrence for me to wake up with deep scratches on my arms or legs, though I still haven’t figured out if it’s me doing the scratching or my down feathered duvet on my bed.
I haven’t ever had a sleep study done because they are relatively expensive and I keep getting denied for a sleep study because I don’t have any breathing problems while I sleep and my insurance won’t cover it if my sleeping isn’t affecting my physical health.
Can someone please explain to me why I’m so active while I sleep and if there is a way to stop it?
note: I rarely drink high caffeinated beverages before bed and I am a smoker.
EDIT: wow thank you so much for all of your responses! I meant to add that I was being a little facetious about me “abusing” or “assaulting” him. Besides the time I throat punched him; He would like to say that he’s never actually felt like he’s actually in danger. He just likes to joke that I *abuse* or *assault* him in my sleep. I weigh 90lbs soaking wet so my little kicks, slaps and jabs don’t actually hurt him as much as it’s just irritating as all hell and disrupts *his* sleep.
I would also like to add that he’s the first person that I’ve shared on a bed with on a regular basis, as he’s the first significant other that I’ve moved in with and that I’ve spent most of my life sleeping in a large bed alone and previous partners before have never commented on my sleep patterns because I’ve never fully spent the night; I typically just go home and sleep in my own bed.
| 371 |
For the moment it seems important to sleep in different beds. This isn’t a problem. There are married couples with wonderful marriages who sleep in separate beds/rooms due to snoring or different schedules or other reasons.
Perhaps you can film yourself off night while you sleep and then see your doctor with the video clips and ask about getting approved for a sleep study.
Honestly, at this point it sounds like even if it’s expensive it’s a good and necessary thing to do if possible.
I’m not a doctor so hopefully a doctor will respond with better advice. I hope you get better soon.
| 381 |
AskDocs
|
HELP! Abnormal Menstrual Bleeding
|
Please help! Any advice is appreciated. Long post here so please bear with me. I’m a 32 year old, married female, overall healthy.
I started on BC pills when I was about 15 years old. My period had always been very regular with minimal cramping and bleeding. Had never had an issue with my menstrual cycle up until I turned 30.
Once I hit 30 everything changed. My periods suddenly became VERY heavy and irregular. I’d have periods where I bled for weeks on end, I had to start doubling up on a pad and tampon to be able to leave the house for more than an hour at a time. I started seeing very alarming sized clots, golf ball up to palm sized.
After dealing with this for about 6 months my annual exam with my Ob/Gyn of roughly 10 years came up. During this exam she mentioned switching BC pills since I’d been on the same ones for years. I agreed, and thought maybe that was why my cycle suddenly and so drastically changed.
I tried to acclimate to new BC pills for close to a year, continuing to bleed profusely for weeks at a time. I again met with my Ob/Gyn, this time she suspected an issue. I stressed to her my wedding was coming up in 6 months (December 28 2019) and I’d really prefer to NOT be dealing with this during our wedding and honeymoon. She prescribed me Lysteda to start taking when I started bleeding.
At this point she performed a Sonohysterogram and found a fibroid, around 4 cm, which she attributed to the heavy bleeding, she also biopsied the fibroid, everything being benign.
Because of the upcoming wedding she decided to schedule me for surgery to to do a hysterscopy and a D&C, and also insert an IUD (mirena) as we felt the pill was no longer the best option. I had this procedure done on 10/01/2019.
I noticed an immediate improvement with the heavy bleeding, however I was in excruciating pain multiple times a day. When I went for my post surgery follow up roughly a month later, my regular Ob/Gyn that performed the surgery was out of office so I saw a different doctor. He said the IUD placement looked great and that cramping was normal in the first 3 to 6 months.
We made it through our wedding and honeymoon, arriving home around mid January 2020. The pain from the IUD wasn’t getting better but I continued to have very minimal bleeding.
Finally in March I decided the pain was too much so I wanted my IUD removed. I visited my doctor on 3/23/20 for removal, at which point she did mention the IUD had moved from where she had originally placed it. I had light spotting the day it was removed.
On 3/27/20 I started bleeding profusely once again. I was sitting outside with my husband when suddenly I felt a gush, and a HUGE clot the size of a lemon came out of me, I ran to our restroom to clean up, gushing blood all over our hallway and bathroom. The bleeding being so severe I was soaking through an adult diaper every hour. My bleeding continued on like this for the next 15 days until about 4/10.
While the COVID situation was happening I sought a second option from a family friend who was willing to see me at their practice. She did an ultrasound and found that my fibroid has grown back and is roughly 4 cm again. She also prescribed me a 3 month BC pill, Seasonale, to try and control the bleeding so I’d only deal with bleeding once every three months. I started the Seasonale on 4/14/20. This doctor didn’t seem overly concerned the fibroid grew back so quickly.
I began heavy spotting again on 5/15 and I have started bleeding profusely for the last 12 days (mind you I am one month into the 3 month pack and i am bleeding just as severely as before my surgery).
I have a doctors appointment scheduled for this Monday- 6/1/20 with my original Ob/Gyn. Any ideas of what could be going on or suggestions of things I should ask my doctor. I will include a pic of a clot I had this morning, this is about an average size clot for me.
I can barely function and have a normal life with this level of bleeding for this duration. I need to figure this out and get a more permanent fix. [typical clot](https://imgur.com/a/TohkEMk)
Edit 2- THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!! I am doing okay today, still bleeding though. I was able to speak with the emergency line for my doctors office several times yesterday, shockingly I am not really dizzy or lightheaded. I have been drinking lots of fluids to stay hydrated and taking the Lysteda (Tranexamic Acid) and ibuprofen as my doctor ordered. I have an appointment with my obgyn of over 10 years this afternoon- don't worry, my husband will be driving me. I should have included in my OP that my husband and I would like to preserve my fertility and try for a family in about a year, assuming we can figure this issue out so an ablation or hysterectomy is out of the question unless there was something seriously wrong and that was our only option.
| 709 |
Hello, and I’m so sorry you going through this.
Off the bat: bleeding more than two pads an hour for two hours or being dizzy/lightheaded means you should at least talk to the on call doc, if not be seen tonight.
Regarding your abnormal bleeding. I’ll run you through basically all the reasonable possibilities:
Fibroids - you have one. This is reasonable given its size. You can have it removed or try hormonal control. At this point it might be reasonable to try a mirena again. Could alternatively try depo provera but I hate that long term. The nexplanon is associated with irregular bleeding but might be a more tolerable amount.
Adenomyosis - endometrium that is present in your uterine muscle. Only options are hormones or hysterectomy. This is possible but less likely. Given that the Mirena did help at one point I wouldn’t worry too much about feeling like someone is going to tell you that your uterus needs to come out.
Polyps - not your problem
Cancer/precancer - unlikely
Coagulopthy - unlikely
Ovulatory dysfunction - definitely possible. Most common should be checked for PCOS and thyroid dysfunction.
Medications or the hormones themselves - it’s always possible the drugs you are on are responsible for your bleeding but given your history this is less likely.
What to do: consider repeat Mirena. Nexplanon or depo provera may be ok choices temporarily but not long term (at least not depo. Plus nexplanon isn’t really targeted for heavy bleeding patients but can help). You should get checked for pcos and thyroid issues. Having that fibroid totally removed is an option but they can grow back or you can get new ones. You could also try the nuvaring or the patch but to be honest they are similar to oral birth control. Lastly if you want to become pregnant soon then being on progesterone for about 10 days out of the month might be enough to keep your bleeding tolerable and have a shot at pregnancy. Continuing Lysteda is an option as well however is hard for prolonged or unpredictable bleeding.
Lastly going on something like Lupron or Orlissa (puts you in temporary medical menopause) is only a temporary solution. It can shrink your fibroid but it will regrow.
Happy to clarify more.
Edit: someone else mentioned an ablation. The reason I didn’t bring it up is because OP is young. Also if there is an underlying issue (like thyroid dysfunction) that should be treated first. Alternatively if OP was 100% positive she never wanted kids then an ablation (Or a hysterectomy) could be reasonable. Those would be the most drastic, expensive, invasive, and permanent options however.
Edit2: also just want to make sure people reading this aren’t horrified of IUDs. Like anything in life, some risk is associated with every option. This being said, most women love their IUDs.
| 462 |
AskDocs
|
My mother [58] is losing her ability to speak, all tests inconclusive except for one test for microtoxins, moving on to doc #5 and I don’t know what to do going forward
|
My mother is losing her ability to speak and I don’t know what to do
This has been going on for two years and started off by me and my sibling noticing her voice starting to change. Fast forward two years and my moms ability to speak is almost entirely gone, and gotten worse in the past two months particularly.
It’s sounds like she is a baby or younger person and causes heavy sluring, essentially she’s lost all articulation and speed. Her mental ability is still 100% there, we’ve done multiple tests for memory, etc and she comes up in the higher percentiles for her age.
She writes me detailed letters that demonstrate her cognitive ability, no mental illness in the family.
She is 58, exercises daily (since college) and only eats healthy food. No smoking or drinking.
She is on the fifth doctor (CA) and they are starting from square 0 again with tests for ALS, dementia, etc.. but I have a feeling after another 6 months of testing we will find inconclusive results once again. As we have with all doctors (nobody can find what’s wrong).
EDIT: a (belived urine, will confirm when know) test for rare micro toxins that were detected, my mother testing in the range of 608 ng/g for Mycophenolic Acid, where the acceptable rate is roughly \~38. Please see this comment for more discussion on this: [https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/guzowl/my\_mother\_58\_is\_losing\_her\_ability\_to\_speak\_all/fsnmo6u/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/guzowl/my_mother_58_is_losing_her_ability_to_speak_all/fsnmo6u/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x)
There’s is nothing that has changed mentally for my mother outside the newly added stress (she is on disability for work because her job requires talking) but I’m loosing my mind watching my mother lose her ability to talk, and I don’t know what to do or where to look. All the tests she passes and I just don’t know I just want hear her voice again.
What can I do to get to the bottom of this? We’ve spent so much on these studies that show up inconclusive, nobody is giving me solid advice, every doctor wants to test the same things again (which I understand as its due process), but I need to figure this out.
​
​
# *********** Updates *************
My mom first noticed her ability to speak leaving in 2017, this "illness" has been a gradual climb since then and is now rapidly accelerating into her not being able to speak anymore. She can barely communicate for 2-3hrs of the day at the moment and this number is dwindling.
She has/is attempting western medicine solutions, we are on a long chain of specialists and referrals that started around late 2017.
She also believes in trying homeopathic/eastern medicine options, hence the long list of supplements.
One of the biggest concerns is the high level of Mycophenolic Acid that appeared in my mothers urine samples. She was not tested for Mycophenolic acid until after she had been on her supplements for roughly six-eight months, she started the supplements early 2019.
She moved homes in 2018, the home she moved into was torn down to the foundation (by her) and rebuilt (this process **finished** in 2018), before moving in the home was checked for mold and no results came back. I have a theory that her furniture could have accumulated mold (all her main furniture sat in storage during the remodel).
What I'm trying to do:
\- Make her condition and known results publicly and easily accessible by you guys
\- Forwarding all questions to her and recording all responses
\- Sending love to my mother
We plan on having the house re-checked for mold and will be moving her out temporarily in hopes that her condition improves (hoping that this is the cause of all this).
**Please see edit 3 for the newest test results**
# EDIT 2:
This is round one of information that I received, more will be incoming throughout the day when she finishes her swallow study today.
All symptoms are on the left side of throat/jaw/mouth
**Tests:**
* brain MRI in May 2019 was normal.
* DAT scan for Parkinsons and PSP was normal in May 2019
* EMG nerve test for ALS in April, 2019 was normal
* Nuero psych exam in May 2020 normal
* MRI of abdomen shows subcapsular cysts on spleen and thoracic roots
* MRI of neck shows osteocytes on C 5,6
* Abnormal blood tests are:
* elevated ANA antibody
* chronic past EBV infection-high titers
* chronic low Vitamin D levels
* Mycotoxin of Ochratoxin A and Mycophelonic acid
* Heavy metals: Mercury, lead and arsenic. We have not tested for Aluminum or Cadium yet.
**Medication:**
\- Levothyroxine for thyroid
\- Losartan for blood pressure
\- estrogen and progesterone hormones
**Vitamins:**
* C, D, E
* Zinc
* CoQ10
* L-Lysine
* Choline and Inositol
* Quercetin
* Turmeric
* Omega 3
* Oleic Acid
* Linoleic Acid
* Alpha Lipoic Acid
* Selenium
* Chromium Picolinate
* Pyconogenol
* Revervatrol
* Biotin
**Herbs:**
* Usnea
* Cat’s Claw
* Holy Basil
* Astragulus
* Astaxanthin
* Ashwaganda
* Black Walnut
* Baikal Skullcap
* Reishi mushroom
* Milk thistle
* Cryptoleptis
* Ginger
* Grapefruit seed extract
* Juniper berries
* Andrographis
* Lemon Balm
Notes from mom:
I only started taking a majority of these beginning 11/2019. My symptoms of choking on liquids and slurred speech began back in September 2017.
# EDIT 3:
Pathogen-associated immune reactivity screen results : [https://imgur.com/a/b4esY5g](https://imgur.com/a/b4esY5g)
Urine test results : [https://imgur.com/a/jLpaXtJ](https://imgur.com/a/jLpaXtJ)
​
**Swallow results:**
\- Not aspirating or accumulating fluid in the lungs
\- Base of the tongue was determined "weak" which contributes to problems speaking, eating, swallowing, etc.
​
**my mom on the auto-immune disorder:**
"To better answer your question on autoimmune. The ANA is a high positive for general autoimmune distinction, but then they did further tests for lupus, celiac, and other particular autoimmune disorders. The only one that came back positive is for "anticardioliphin" antibody, which means I am prone to blood clots. Never had one though!"
​
​
| 547 |
Why have you seen five different doctors? Are your doctors referring to other specialists or are you or your mother the ones moving around? In general, you will spend less time repeating tests if you stick with as few doctors as possible.
What tests have been performed? What were their results? We need to know the specifics in order to be helpful and suggest things your doctors haven't already thought of.
| 146 |
AskDocs
|
[31F] Abnormal Pap smear showing HPV after 7 years of being monogamous. Before I potential rip my husband by mistake is it likely I contracted it from years ago?
|
I’ve gotten regular Pap smears since my early 20s and I’ve never had an abnormal pap. I was just notified by my doctor’s office that I have an abnormal pap, I’m HPV positive and I need to go in more more tests. She declined discussing more with me on the phone but because of the pandemic I won’t be able to go in to the office for a while.
I had the HPV vaccine when I was maybe 24, at which time I was already sexually active. I was once diagnosed with clymydia also around the same time but I have since gotten it treated. I have never tested positive for HPV or other STIs before. It was a little late for me to get the vaccine, I know, but I couldn’t get it earlier for various reason (non-health related). I’ve been with my husband since I got the HPV vaccine (I’m now 31). Presumably he didn’t cheat on me, I don’t think, and I’ve never had sex with anyone else.
I read that HPV can stay dormant for years, is this likely? Or is it more likely that someone who has HPV gave it to me recently?
In the meantime, should I refrain from having sex with my husband? Should he get tested? I understand there’s no good test for males? Then how are we supposed to prevent cross transmission?
| 708 |
Firstly, thanks for a really good question.
In theory the abnormal smear could be from HPV you contracted before marriage or from your husband even if he's never cheated.
HPV causes cervical cancer by hijacking the DNA of the cells lining the cervix and making the cells abnormal and prolific. If you caught it before marriage the virus could have started multiplying faster recently because of a weakened immune system. If you caught it from your husband it could be due to high recent viral loads in him because of a weakened immune system.
This is speculation. I don't know the specific behaviour of HPV. Help virologists?
| 775 |
AskDocs
|
Post-menstrual pain is making my life hell, but all of the imaging comes back normal and I don’t know the right questions to ask
|
25, female, white, 135 lbs, 5’10”
History of double hip impingement and suspected torn right hip labrum.
I take Allegra most days for environmental allergies.
Paraguard IUD for the last 6 years.
Every month during the last 3ish days of my period and 4ish days after my period, I have horrible, stabbing pain in my lower abdomen. When a wave of pain hits, it stops me in my tracks and makes me double over. It’s almost always on my lower right side and goes through to my back in a straight line, an area so specific and consistent that my boyfriend and I call it The Spot (The Spot also often hurts when we have sex). Sometimes it’s my whole lower abdomen. I try to push through the pain, but lately I just can’t anymore. I often call in sick to work so that I can spend the day with my heating pad.
This post-menstrual pain started getting really bad about 3 years ago. I’ve gotten tests for STDs and UTIs a million times but they’re always negative. Doctors have considered appendicitis, endometriosis, and painful ovarian cysts, but imaging doesn’t support those diagnoses. I have had a CT scan of my digestive tract, 2 regular ultrasounds, and 2 transvaginal ultrasounds. One time I had an ovarian cyst and free fluid, but other times with similar pain there was nothing. They just send me home without any solutions. My last doctor was content with calling it IBS, but I have gone through gone through several stints of diligently tracking everything I eat, and I have never been able to identify a trigger other than my period.
The thing that has helped most is when I did physical therapy for my hip. The PT would do traction on my hip, and I would feel everything in my guts move a little bit and have instant pain relief. Unfortunately/fortunately, I did a lot of work and was discharged from PT. My boyfriend just can’t do that traction as well as the PT could.
I don’t want to live with this pain anymore. It’s ruining my work life, my sex life, and my mental health. I just seem to freeze up at the doctor’s office because they never find anything physically wrong and I don’t want to be dramatic or crazy. How do I advocate for myself? What questions should I ask? What should I be doing to help myself?
Edit: Thank you so much for all of the advice and personal stories, everyone! I am going to schedule an appointment to get my IUD removed and get some new birth control. If that doesn’t do the trick, it sounds like seeing a pelvic floor PT would be a good option. I would definitely prefer not to have surgery, but I will not be shy about asking for an exploratory lap it if it comes to that. I’ll post an update in a few months if I have insights!
| 423 |
From what I understand endometriosis can not be diagnosed through imaging. You would need an exploratory surgery by laproscopy. I had surgery to remove the two ovarian cysts that were found by imaging and while they were in there they found that I had endo all over the place, covering my bladder even. If your gyno hasn't suggested this route, perhaps you should see another doc.
| 189 |
AskDocs
|
Need guidance/suggestions - mom nearly died, spent 3 weeks in the hospital, 4 days into being home and we've now sent her back to a new hospital. Legal? Normal? Advice?
|
tl;dr mom had 3 major life threatening medical emergencies, resulted in removal of 6 inches of intestine, amputated leg, and all the trauma killed her kidneys. Shes now unable to move anything more than barely lifting her arms up and I can't understand why she was released in this state, scared shes going to die.
65 y/o, no regular checkups of primary care doctor, has always ignored health issues until when they become catastrophic. No insurance but hospital began the process to get it turned on but next step is on the 12th and there might be more after.
prior to this she was relatively healthy, working as a house clearner, on her feet plenty and fully self reliant as a normal functioning person, albeit with various problems that she ignored which lead to this
when in the hospital we were told she hasn't been eating much but they showed no concern about it. We were also told she was "very weak" and would need rehab but because she had no insurance we have to wait for ss/medicare/medicaid to turn on, they gave us a few basic instructions on how to help her move around and whatnot but was never told she would be in the state she was is when she got released. We voiced these concerns prior to release and they just kept telling us "without insurance a rehab facility wont take her" and "we can't keep her beyond this because that's not how hospitals work, once a patient is stable we have to release them"
The experience from start to finish was a nightmare. each person we talked to only had knowledge of whatever specific task they performed was, and even the case manager dr told us "I just got put on this floor today because we rotate, I'm new to her case and can't really talk about anything that's happened prior to today"
\-upon release we discovered her level of strength was at zero. She was bed ridden, cant lift her leg, cant lift her stump, can't lift her head up, can barely lift her arms or hold anything. we discovered she also was refusing/unable to eat because she was constantly sick or about to throw up etc. we weren't aware "not eating much" meant nearly nothing until she was home and told us herself. At most she had 2 tablespoons of solid food and a couple ounces of fluids a day at the hospital, and that continued until the last 2 days where she put in enough effort to eat 200-300 calories each day
\-she began having explosive diarrhea the day she ate her first burger. No control over bowel movement nor bladder. With her being a ragdoll this was a massive issue to deal with.
\-it happened again today, we called her dialysis to ask if they can handle this if it occures while shes having her treatment done, they said they knew she was very weak and dehidrated during her first treatment so they never took any fluid from her, then suggested we bring her to the emergency room because her condition doesn't sound right for what's been going on
\-called nurse hotline from hospital, they too said this doesn't sound right and to bring her back to the ER
\-decided to bring her to a different hospital because of this experience
\-beginning nurse in ER whos had a glimpse at her said they can't know for sure until shes properly looked at, but in his opinion they'll likely admit her because her current state doesn't seem right
​
How did they release her to us in this condition? I get the no insurance thing but how did they ignore that she didn't eat for 3 weeks, knew shes completely bed ridden and couldn't even perform basic muscle use like sit up or lift her head while telling us she has to be taken to a dialysis center every 2 days. We were only allowed to see her twice in the hospital and she kept saying "My mouth is so dry" and sucking on ice each time and this has continued even now, I assume this is because she was dehydrated and don't understand how it wasn't concerning, worked on, or even mentioned to us. I have also been given power of attorney so I should have been getting any and all updates and information I'd assume.
I'm scared this is life threatening and/or it being so long its now irreversible , I don't know what to do if they send her back like this and I have no idea how to manage it. Please help?
| 297 |
This is an unfortunate situation
And without knowing all the details I cannot guarantee anything, but generally speaking - both legal and reasonable.
She has no insurance
In a country where there is no health care if you do not have insurance.
A hospital is not going to keep any person that does not require active medical intervention: reconditioning, dietary intake etc are not their problem
| 244 |
AskDocs
|
Why haven't I been able to sleep more than 3-4 hours a night for the last 4 years?
|
Age 64
Sex Female
Height 5'
Weight
Race Caucasian
Duration of complaint 4 years
Location Los Angeles
Any existing relevant medical issues - Asthma, allergies, mild depression/anxiety, ADD. These are all being treated.
Current medications - Vyvanse, Synthroid, Aciphex, Symbicort, Montelukast. These medications all predate this severe insomnia by years.
I have not been able to sleep more than a few hours a night for the last 4 years. It’s absolutely ruining my health. I had a sleep study done two years ago with no sign of apnea. When I didn’t require a CPAP machine the doctor literally didn’t want to discuss what else could be happening.
I have a lifelong history of insomnia but I've always had easy solutions that could kick me back into sleeping after a few days. But, since 2016 I’ve done absolutely everything and they've all failed.
* Weighted blanket — didn’t work
* CBD — didn’t work.
* THC - made me feel great but didn’t help me sleep. Stopped due to cognitive problems associated with it.
* CBN - did nothing.
* Making bedroom strictly for sleep — helped pre-2016 but not now.
* Exercise — I swim - helped pre 2016 but not now.
* Meditation — I tried but I never was really successful
* Sleeping pills — hangover effect so ruled it out for longer term.
* Strict sleep schedule — worked pre 2016 but has never worked since.
* Acupuncture — worked short term.
* Herbal remedies, Valerian, Melatonin, Chamomile -- None have worked.
I don’t understand how I could be sleeping 3-4 hours a night every night for 4 years and never become exhausted enough to sleep. In the period before 2016, I had a bunch of workarounds that would eventually get me back to sleeping but they’ve all failed since then. On rare occasions I DO sleep but it’s only if I’ve stayed up straight for 2 days. Then I only sleep 1 night and revert back to sleeping 3-4 hrs.
Important info: 1) This began after my mother died. I’ve been in therapy and am doing much, much better mentally. I'm financially solid, have a good marriage, great circle of friends. But I still can't sleep.
Any help you can give me that would help me ask the right questions or find the right specialist would be greatly appreciated.
**EDIT: I think /u/etirpsakdov might have hit upon an answer. Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome. (Wikipedia: The primary symptoms include chronic insomnia, anxiety, fatigue or sleepiness, unrefreshing sleep, and difficulty concentrating.) I had surgery shortly after my mother's death that I completely forgot about. They damaged my windpipe and my vocal chords. I thought it all healed (not the vocal chords) but I have no idea what damage was done in my windpipe. It all fits. I'll try to not get my hopes up. I will update when I get results. Thank you.**
| 522 |
Could be upper airway resistance syndrome. I had a sleep study that showed no apnea too. I wake up a few times almost every night after a few hours of sleep. ive had lifelong insomnia too
/r/UARS
| 129 |
AskDocs
|
(24 M) Unusual lung testing results. Need help interpreting data
|
I am a male, 24, non-smoker and am 5'10". I came down with a sensation of shortness of breath since January 2020 that was persistent even at rest. It became gradually worse and unbearable so I decided to make an appointment. I have a family history of Pulmonary Fibrosis (grandfather died of it).
​
The doctor ordered something called a "pulmonary function test". It was this large machine with multiple gas tanks in the back. After testing, the respiratory therapist technician saw the results and said one metric looked odd. A couple of minutes later, the doctor reviewed my results and said that it "looks fine". I asked why the technician commented on my numbers and I was shocked to see that I measured at **53%** of the "predicted" value for my inspiratory capacity (IC). The doctor was still firm on his position that I am fine and claimed "you did not take a big enough breath in" & "Your FEV1 results look good". Why is he ignoring all the values in the second table? If any doctors PLEASE can help me, I feel he is biased just because of my age.
​
**I am very worried this could be something called Pulmonary Fibrosis.** A medical student on this subreddit said that if your FEV1 is increased, and TLC is decreased it is Pulmonary Fibrosis. [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/gjgnqx/covid19_positive_with_lung_predisposition_please/fqlq7lj?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x) is his comment. I feel like this applies to me.
[Photos](https://imgur.com/a/EYetEXv) of the results sheet. This is what my doctor was reading.
​
|Spirometry|Predicted|Pre-Treatment|% Predicted|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|**FVC**|5.54 L |6.04 L|109|
|**FEV1**|4.64 L|5.22 L|113|
|**FEV1/FVC**|84 %|86 %|103|
|**FEF25-75%**|4.88 L/s|5.32 L/s|109|
|**PEF**|9.99 L/s|13.40 L/s|134|
|**FIVC**|5.50 L|5.76 L|105|
​
|Lung Volumes (He)|Predicted|Pre-Treatment|% Predicted|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|**VC\_max\_He**|5.54 L|4.39 L|79%|
|**IC**|3.85 L|2.05 L|53%|
|**ERV**|1.65 L|2.34 L |142%|
|**FRC-He**|3.30 L|4.42 L|134%|
|**RV**|1.65 L|2.08 L|126%|
|**TLC**|7.13 L|6.47 L|91%|
|**RV%TLC**|24|32|136%|
|**R Occ cmH2O\*s/L**|3.11|2.48|80%|
​
|Diffusion|Predicted|Pre-Treatment|% Predicted|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|**DLCO SB**|36.05 ml/min/mmHg|35.90|100|
|**DL/VA**|5.06 ml/min/mmHg/L|4.85|96|
|**VA SB**|6.98 L|7.41|106|
​
​
I am afraid now, because the shortness of breath could be explained by pulmonary fibrosis and the doctor seems to not care about this. Could this be pulmonary fibrosis? Please help
| 365 |
This is a normal pulmonary function test.
| 192 |
AskDocs
|
My doctor has abruptly changed my prescription from Ativan to Valium with no instructions on how to transition and I have no clue what I’m doing.
|
32 female, 5'3, 110 pounds, non-smoker, non-drinker, medication is for GAD and Panic Disorder.
Back in December, I started having more frequent panic attacks to the tune of 3-4 per week. My ARNP prescribed me 1.5mg of Ativan/Lorazepam daily and assured me that this was one of the weaker benzodiazepines and that I shouldn’t have an issue coming off them even after years of use. After being at 1.5mg for about a month, I found out that Ativan is actually pretty potent and is certainly not easy to just quit. I was livid and started tapering myself off immediately. After a few months, I got myself down to .25mg per day.
Unfortunately I’ve been stuck at .25mg for nearly two months now, if I try to drop any lower than that the muscles in my neck and back seize up and it’s extremely painful. To make matters worse, due to Ativan’s short half-life I’ve now been experiencing interdose withdrawal. I told my prescriber about my problem, and he emailed me saying he’d send over a script for 2.5mg Valium which is supposed to be much easier to taper from due to its long half-life. He didn’t instruct me on how to transition and frankly, I don’t know that I’d trust him to give me the correct info. He’s been pretty careless with my meds in the past as well.
I’ve read multiple things that indicate that you can’t just swap Ativan for Valium in the equivalent dose, that it has to be done gradually. But I’m not sure how to do that or if it’s even necessary considering how low my dose is.
What would also really help me is if someone would explain why this needs to be a gradual transition, the pharmacology behind it. Is it because the GABAergic activity mostly comes from the metabolites of the drug and you need those to build up in your system?
I’m really worried about throwing myself into withdrawal because I’m already going through a lot right now. I’m sorry this is so long but thank you to anyone that can help. I know I should just get a new doctor but unfortunately I lost my job and insurance at the beginning of the Covid outbreak and he’s at least nice enough not to charge me for my check ins with him.
| 428 |
This sounds like you and your care team have had a bit of a communication break down, which is a problem.
In terms of switching to a different benzodiazepine, It Is usually safe to switch to an equivalent dose without tapering between the different medications. However, since I don't know you at all, your best option is to contact your pharmacist and ask them. They are great at solving medication queries, and as health professionals, they can form the sort of relationship that enables them to get your records (either from you or from your doctor depending on where you live) and sort this out.
For the future though, you might want to make an appointment with your doctor specifically to discuss this issue, try and figure out how communication broke down, and patch things up. So long as it is done respectfully, the majority of people appreciate being told when they hurt someone inadvertently, and will try and fix the issue.
| 309 |
AskDocs
|
19M My dad bit me on the arm and the skin around the wound is turning a light yellow tint
|
Should I be worried? It's been 3 days and the wound seems to be healing well (its not a large wound to begin with) but the surrounding is turning a slight yellow. I washed it out with water, disinfected it, and bandaged pretty soon after the wound was inflicted. I'm just worried because my I know that my Dad has hepatitis B and I know yellowness is associated with that disease (pardon me, I don't know much). Mom says I have the vaccine though. Im just wondering if I should worry about it or just let it be. By the way, I'm Vietnamese so it might be a little hard to see the yellow.
Pic: https://i.imgur.com/4POrXwv.jpg
this is a pic of the wound after i took my bandage off several hours after: https://i.imgur.com/h3m4E2e.jpg
Please let me know your thoughts! I realize the wound isnt bad but the fact that its a human bite makes me nervous. Thank you for your time!
| 393 |
Hey OP! This wound looks like it's healing well. This is not jaundice - jaundice is an **all-over** yellow tint to your skin that you could also see in your eyes. It wouldn't be in one specific area or just at the area of the wound.
Concern for infection would be: redness, swelling, pain, or drainage of pus from the wound.
I also want to reiterate what other commenters have said: it is not okay for your dad to bite you. I'm really sorry this happened to you. Do you have somewhere you can go that is safe?
| 636 |
AskDocs
|
Contemplating suicide I can’t be a burden and live like this anymore.
|
Symptoms
Easy bruising
Horrible headache
Sleep but feel like I’m not getting any
Can’t regulate body temperature hot and cold and miserable
Extreme daily fatigue
Joint/muscle sharp stabbing pain
Emotional
Heavy arms and legs .
All blood work comes back normal except slightly raised white blood cells and inflammation markers, but only slightly and sometimes they come back normal, had mri a cardio gram every thing all normal.
21F 211 pounds 5”7 concerta 54mg Bcp Lo Fe and Citalopram 40mg and a multivitamin, a zinc supplement once and a while and fish oil supplements just got off a 30 twice daily dose of naproxen.
This may be my last shot I cannot live like this anymore I’m 21 and my life is being taken away from me.
| 548 |
I WAS YOU. I’m NAD but please hear me out because this was me exactly - fatigue gradually worsening until what was the fucking point? Unable to do anything beyond basic self care. Left my job due to fatigue. Couldn’t even shower half the time any more.
Eventually I was diagnosed with dysautonomia. That fits pretty much all of your symptoms - heat intolerance, circulation and bruising issues, fatigue, headaches, the works. Have you been checked? Considered for POTS?
Diagnosis wasn’t the solution but it was the beginning of my hope. 4 years on they’ve added diagnoses of ADHD and sleep apnea too, but I honestly feel like it’s that fable and we’re all just describing different parts of a much bigger elephantine whole.
Ritalin has changed my life. Awake and energetic all day, blood pooling significantly decreased. Headaches down to maybe one a week. Feeling the same temperatures as everyone else.
I’ve been a new woman since Christmas and I owe it all to the fact that I’m annoyingly tenacious and refused to ever stop trying, stop advocating for myself and stop looking for more.
You deserve better than this, and it exists for you: I’m sure of it. It’s not over until you’ve knocked on every door, so don’t you dare give up when there’s an answer waiting out there for you.
Rooting for you 100%
| 499 |
AskDocs
|
I can hear my brain zaps
|
Thank you for all the kind and positive responses, it can be quite a daunting task posting online, getting trolled etc - You have all been wonderful and I applaud everyone of us!
​
Hello,
I am (with my doctors blessing) going cold turkey on venlafaxine, I'm on a 200mg daily dose which took about 6 months to build up to, haven't had a good time on this medication at all - hasn't suited me.
I am experiencing what I believe are known as brain zaps, though my doctor called it ssri withdrawal syndrome, she said it isn't harmful - just very uncomfortable - to which I agree it really is quite uncomfortable!
My question is.. can anyone hear them? I've noticed with me at least, that if I move my eyes too fast I will get a zap, having them closed or open makes no difference, but, I can hear the zaps and it's a little odd, it sounds like something being dragged? it last only as long as a zap lasts, and on very very rare occasions I hear a really really loud crack.
Just wondering if anyone else is having this same thing?
A bit of info for the post to not be auto deleted.
I am a nearly 40 year old male from the UK, I smoke tobacco - used to heavily smoke cannabis for years (from 15 to roughly 35ish), I am 6ft 4in in height and weight around 12.5 stone. I have a decent diet. I have been suffering depression for maybe 2 years now - at least it was diagnosed 2 years ago.
Cheers and stay safe!
Edit: To clarify I am asking can anybody else hear their own zaps, I am confident there is actually no sound being created and it's a weird of the medication!
Edit: I am not overly concerned about these sounds - I feel like I can cope with the zaps and the sounds - I just wondered if it's a known thing or am I particularly lucky in my withdrawal symptoms.
​
Thank you all for you wonderful comments, it truly feels great to know I am not alone in my madness!
Update :: I am about a week into giving up venlafaxine and the zaps are coming thick and fast every time I blink or move my eyes too fast, it's horrible but I can cope with it - not painful - highly uncomfortable.
Update #2 :: I am now experiencing incredible dizzyness when I get up from a lying position, first thing in the morning is the worst - can take me completely off my feet, was lying on the bed with the girlfriend last evening, just chatting nonsense as you do, got up - almost fainted. I am positive this is another side effect of the medication as I rarely get this normally, I occasionally get the head rush feeling when I stand too fast but this is on a whole new level.
Update #3 :: 7 months after writing the original post I am now almost totally side effect free, I occasionally get really loud cracking sounds when I am especially tired, but all other symptoms stopped a good few months ago, thought I'd update in case anyone else goes through this, there is an end to it all!
| 365 |
NotADoc but if I miss one dose (75 mg daily) I wake up because of the brain zaps. And I can internally hear them sometimes. I wish you well quickly sir!
ps. Good to know the zaps have a name and it's not all in my head.
Edit: my zaps last only a millisecond-ish but they occur every 30 seconds or so. And the sound is like someone rattling a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. That's the closest description I have. I know, so weird!
| 182 |
AskDocs
|
Is it too late to vaccinate?
|
I’m not looking to be yelled at. I am humbly coming to ask to if it is too late to vaccinate my children, hoping for enough medical advice to get to into the correct doctors office.
Please, no name calling.
I’m also on mobile, so I apologize for the formatting.
I have two children. A four year old and a two year old. My four year old had her vaccines up until 2 years, my two year old has had no vaccines.
My husband made a very compelling argument against them two years ago, and I both respected his wishes and reluctantly agreed he was probably right.
Now I am not so sure. I’m scared we may have jeopardized my children’s health. I once tried bringing up vaccinating with my doctor to ask her opinion, but I was judged and shut down.
I’m hoping someone here can help me. I just want to know if I can still vaccinate them.
Please be kind.
TL/DR: I was mostly convinced not to vaccinate, I’m scared my children may be health compromised, I want medical advice on what to do.
EDIT: Wow, thank you so much for the awards! I am so very thankful to all who responded. I feel so much better about my choice to rethink this decision, and I am ready to make appointments for them. I learned about the catch up schedule, and was blessed by so many who shared stories of late vaccines. Thank you all, so much!
| 1,241 |
I really want to congratulate you for considering to vaccinate your children!
It's never too late!
My husband was only partial vaccinated as a child. When I got pregnant with our daughter, we checked his vaccination pass and we did the last missing vaccines. He did the MMR when he was 24 for the first time.
I'm so happy that he chose to protect himself and our daughter and got over the preconceptions he grew up with ( vaccines are bad, big pharma, alternative medicine shit).
Vaccination is the most awesome and cheap way to protect yourself and the kids from really, really shitty diseases.
| 830 |
AskDocs
|
A little under a year ago, I woke up to half my eyebrow having fallen off, and it continued to worse for a month. The eyebrow has not regrown at all. Are there explanations for this / should I be concerned?
|
Age: 22
Sex: male
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 165 lbs
Race: Caucasian
Primary Complaint: missing half eyebrow
Duration: slightly under one year
Medical conditions: none
Current medications: none
Drugs / alcohol: weekly drinker and marijuana smoker, occasional nicotine vape use
About a year ago, I woke up to a crescent piece of my eyebrow missing (I was alone, no chance of being shaved as a prank). Over the next month, my right eyebrow continued to lose hair until only 1/4 of it remained. About 4 months after this, my sideburn also stopped growing for a period, but resume growing as normal eventually.
I have not sought any help from a primary care doctor or otherwise as I wasn’t really worried about the cosmetic problem, though with it not growing back for this long I am concerned about potential causes. Is this something to be worried about and could I have greater problems going on? I had ringworm within a month of the eyebrow coming off.
Pictures of eyebrow - 1 week after noticing and now
https://imgur.com/gallery/kZMOMX7
| 351 |
That could be alopecia areata. Which is hair loss from certain parts of the body. You don't lose all your hair but you lose some. You need to see a rheumatologist. Usually what's given is steroid cream for the affected area. If the cream doesn't work they might recommend steroid shots to the area. Stress usually causes alopecia areata to start and stress also makes it worse. Hope you get some answers.
| 181 |
AskDocs
|
It sounds like a mouse is squeaking from inside of me in time with my heartbeat. (Video of sound included)
|
20F, 5'10", 158lbs. I have hypermobility syndrome (EDS) and asthma, no known heart defects.
Capture of the squeaking noise -
https://youtu.be/ByfXQFlrGoo edit: was taken down by YouTube, appealed it and they've reinstated.
Every 2 weeks or so, I'll get this squeaking noise coming from inside of me randomly. Normally at rest but can be when I'm walking. It's been happening more regularly recently but nothing much has changed in my life.
I thought it was in my ears originally, but hearing it on video has shown it isn't. Sounds like it's coming out of my mouth but deep within me - I can't feel anything contracting.
I have an at home heart rate test kit and my at rest heart rate is about 98, although I've never been hugely fit and not sure if I'm taking it correctly.
I'd go to the doctor but they aren't open properly in my country due to covid except for emergencies or suspected cancer referrals. Should I push for a doc visit? What could this noise be?
I also get dizziness regularly, exhaustion, but always have had that and doctors suspect it's due to HMS(EDS)
| 340 |
I really don’t think this is a heart murmur but it’s tough to tell without placing a stethoscope on your chest. It could be a defect with your trachea or other pulmonary pipes (EDS or otherwise) and you’re hearing a unique wheeze, or also just your asthma contributing to this. That you mentioned getting it (more?) while walking makes me think breathing (lung or airway); it also just sort of sounds like a wheeze. Does your inhaler suppress it?
I would be incredibly surprised if this was a cardiac murmur, even from other flow sources. And you’re certain this isn’t environmental?
An EKG would not help distinguish a heart murmur by the way*. Nor a lung issue*.
If you have not had a baseline echocardiogram then you could ask your physician for a referral for this. It is non-urgent*. It’s part of usualish care for EDS.
So probably pulmonary related, but get routine care routinely. Thanks for the video, too! Keep us posted.
-* someone will fight me on some minute detail of this I’m sure...
| 170 |
AskDocs
|
Advice for dealing with distressed neighbour with Alzheimer’s
|
Female, age 50+ (early onset Alzheimer’s)
My neighbour has Alzheimer’s, newly diagnosed. She lives with her husband of thirty years. I don’t know her very well, but with increasing frequency she is turning up at my house at night, highly distressed. She is carrying belongings, asking to move in, trying to get in the door, claiming she is frightened and is trying to escape... With this pandemic I’m not able to invite her in to calm her down, and I don’t want her to wander off in that state and get lost/in trouble/exposed to covid because she’s not aware of the risks (one time she was waiting for a bus). The first time this happened I took her claims of a stranger in her house at face value, and called the police. Now I am aware of what’s going on, I’d like to be better equipped to help.
I recognise this issue is not mine to solve - her husband needs to be able to make the home secure, and look to ongoing support - but I am looking for help in how to talk to someone in that state to not make them more distressed or confused, and how to encourage them home. Do you go along with the narrative (previously an aggressive lodger, a student that won’t leave, a boyfriend that isn’t working out) or do you correct it? Do you do neither and deflect the conversation? I had to look after a neighbour with vascular dementia before, and he’d get confused and upset, but nothing like the roiling fear this lady gets.
Many thanks for any advice you could give.
| 397 |
Once agitated it is difficult to talk someone down who's demented. There's no real harm in accepting their reality. You can expand on it. "Your husband just called and told me he chased away the intruder. He asked me to send you back home if I saw you. He's worried about you."
You can redirect. Start asked about some distant positive shared memory. "Lois, I was thinking about your lovely irises. How is your garden doing?"
There's no real right answer, except saying something that worsens the agitation. "There was a warning that there's been break-in's in the neighborhood recently". Also don't try to logic your way out.
Whatever gets said will be shortly forgotten.
The real answer is her husband getting her to the doctor. There are pharmaceutical and physical barrier strategies that can keep people safe. A phone call to her husband to report the problem and gently persuade him to seek help is a good step if not already done. There are books and on line support groups that can be very helpful.
Good luck!
| 433 |
AskDocs
|
I went absolutely psychotic after general anesthesia.....why
|
26 yo white female
Hhx: Depression, anxiety, IBS-C, iron deficiency, insomnia
Meds: Venlafaxine 225mg, iron supplement, vitamin C supplement, melatonin 10mg
On Thursday the 11th i went under general anesthesia for a root canal (severe dental phobia). When they woke me up in the office I was extremely belligerent and was thrashing around and screaming like crazy. When I got home I punched my husband in the face and tore apart our entire apartment in a fit of rage (I am NOT a ragey person). Then I passed out on the ground. Husband called 911. Paramedics brought me to hospital. I got 4 of narcan, no response. Smelling salts not much of a response. Then woke up lated and was belligerent again in the ER, refused to let them do head CT, I was screaming about being raped. I got admitted for observation. I woke up in the middle of the night, went to the bathroom, got dizzy and passed out again. They did head CT and it was normal. The next morning I had paranoid delusions, I was convinced the FBI was monitoring me and they were going to take away my daughter, paranoid the nurses were poisoning me, ect. I ran away from my room and it took them an hour to find me. Then they gave me olanzapine and I slept for like 20 hours straight. Woke up normal with very little memory of what happened. ....so my question is how the hell did general anesthesia do this to me?
I have been under general anesthesia about 5 times in the past for various procedures and this did not happen. I had another dental procedure 3 weeks prior with somewhat similar results. I did a root canal under moderate IV sedation and while I have no memory of it, the dentist told me I was fighting them the entire time, hence why we did general anesthesia for the second root canal. I do not have a history of violence other than during these two root canals.
These are the meds I was given according to the anesthesiologist: 15mg midazolam PO, Once IV was started, you got 150mcg fentanyl and 20mcg dexmedetomidine titrated,
150mg propofol for induction, You got another 100mg propofol after intubation because you were bucking on the tube, 10mg dexamethasone. Most of these meds between 1:07 to about 1:20. Sevoflurane maintenance until about 2:30 and toward the end I gave you another 25 mcg fentanyl and 15 mcg dexmedetomidine to do awake extubation, Along with 4mg ondansetron
I will need more dental work in the future but both of my experiences with anesthesia for dental treatment has been, well, horrific. Moving forward I'm terrified this will happen again. What could have caused this? What in anesthesia makes people go psychotic? How can I avoid this?
| 558 |
" Patients with postanesthetic psychosis commonly experience hallucinations, time-space disorientation, recollection of fastidious events, anxiety, and even paranoia. Improved methods of delivering anesthesia and the development of simpler and more rapid operative techniques have diminished the number of patients who have postoperative psychiatric events in recent years, but it can still occur.
The exact pathophysiology of postanesthetic psychosis is not well understood. General anesthesia affects brain function at all levels, including neuronal membranes, receptors, ion channels, neurotransmitters, cerebral blood flow, and metabolism. It also affects stress-regulating transmission, the alteration of intracellular signal transduction systems, as well as more essential cellular processes that play an important role in neurotransmitter synthesis and release, including the intraneuronal signal transduction and the second messenger system. Interrupting any or all of these functions can alter mood, memory, and motor function, and cause behavioral changes, which can manifest as postanesthetic psychosis.
The patient is often irritable, uncooperative, uncompromising, thrashing, moaning, incoherent, or crying. This commonly occurs in elderly patients. Interestingly, there has been an increased incidence in emergence delirium among elderly patients undergoing orthopedic procedures and cardiac bypass surgery. The reason for the correlation with orthopedic surgery is unknown. However, during cardiac bypass, the heart is stopped and blood is circulated throughout the body by a bypass machine, which alters cellular metabolism. This alteration can lead to a change in mental state, or postanesthetic psychosis, in up to 60% of cardiac bypass patients. "
Oh wow.
| 301 |
AskDocs
|
Can only think clearly at night. Mind is always blurry and tired during day time.
|
26M. 6’1, 212lbs. No known health problems.
During the day I cannot focus well, and I’m always tired. I can no longer play video games without losing focus easily, or workout without getting fatigued quickly. My mind is constantly cloudy. My memory has gotten poor and I feel like I’m not quite myself and have not been for a few years. I don’t really feel emotional much during the day, and I really only feel like sleeping. I do my best to fight it by working out and drinking caffeine, but it doesn’t work as I end up crashing at 5pm every day after work. I sleep 7-8 hours a night. Sounds kind of like depression but I’m not sure.
During the night I’ll wake up and have moments of absolute clarity. I can recall long forgotten childhood memories, and I feel overwhelmed with emotion that I normally don’t have.
I’m a lifelong pianist but I’ve really stopped in the past few years as I can’t seem to focus well and have poor coordination. At night during these moments of mental clarity, I can play again and easily get around my keyboard in the dark. I feel the urge to get things done, but I can’t because it’s late and I know I need sleep. It’s like my brain all of a sudden wants to function again. Parts of my brain that normally don’t work begin to function again. Sometimes I’ll go learn new music, play video games, or even clean. I’m the version of myself that is the true me, rather than this tired man that can’t seem to care about anything.
I don’t know if I have a sleep disorder or depression, but it makes me really sad thinking about how much I enjoy life when I’m going through those moments of clarity at night. I’d do anything to be the person I am at 3am, but during the day.
| 535 |
There are many possible reasons for fatigue (mood, sleep quality, hormones, diet, etc.). Your GP can do a work up for possible causes.
| 174 |
AskDocs
|
Seemingly Random Hole Under Breast?
|
Age - 20
Sex - F
Race - White
Weight - 170
Height - 5' 9"
Duration - 4-5 Days
No Smoking or Drinking
Meds - Mylan BC
Hello All, I'm posting this on behalf of my GF who doesn't have a reddit, and we haven't found anything on the internet
4 days ago she showed me under her breast where a pretty significant Bruise had formed a ring around a small red spot. We've just been keeping an eye on it and today the bruise is almost completely gone, but a hole (crater?) has formed in the center. No pain or discharge at all, just kinda there. We've got it covered and are wondering what the next move should be. We aren't super worried as there is no pain and no discharge. She has an appointment with her Gynecologist next week but we wanted to see if there is any reason to go sooner
Attached is a picture taken this morning with finger to scale, but her finger is kinda stretching it.
https://imgur.com/a/r6zEKK9
Edit: Really appreciate all the responses! Seems like general consensus is Hidradenitis Suppurativa or a burst Cyst. We're keeping it covered with tripantibiotic and she'll get it looked at during her doctor visit next week. Thanks Everyone
| 330 |
You probably missed the discharge (maybe it happened overnight or in the shower) but this looks like a cyst drained. Cover it with vaseline and a bandage and it should heal up in a week or so. If it doesn’t, she will meed to see a doctor.
| 503 |
AskDocs
|
Acid from anus?
|
24F, 166cm, 73kg, no smoking, no meds, no other relevant health issues, had this problem with my anus, (bowels) for a few years, maybe 3
Sorry in advance for this being kind of gross.
I sometimes have a feeling similar like needing to fart which occurs often but not always after making a poop. Sometimes it also starts like that. If i push just very slightly then i have small amounts of some foamy-slimey fluid that smells more like a mixture mildew and raw chicken meat than poo coming out my rectum which has a slightly roasty-brownish-gold colour similar to water with just a few drops of coke. When it touches my rectum it burns insanely, like not to be compared with diarrhea but a really acidic feeling similar to putting ammonia to your nose. What is this and is it normal?
| 250 |
First, I would check for sexual history and perhaps exclude some STI's. Next is taking history of gastro intestinal conditions in you or your family, recent anal blood loss, weight changes, diarhoea/constipation history.
Blood work check up is useful to check for liver/pancreatic/galway problems and inflammatory bowel disease.
It is possible to just be related to certain food intolerances/allergies or IBS.
| 731 |
AskDocs
|
Wife has gotten 4 cm taller, well past the age that people normally stop growing?
|
Background.
Wife is late bloomer, she went from the shortest in the class to on the taller side.
Was 167 cm several years ago before we got married.
We had a couple of kids early 20s. She gained some weight during pregnancy.
Now she does exercises, a rowing machine and exercise bikes mostly.
Her height is now 171 cm.
​
Its not a measurement error. She measured 5'6" or 167 cm several times, they have used a stadiometer.
Now she is 171.
​
We also notice her height change as she is taller relative to me than she used to be. Memory and photos.
​
What could possibly explain that?
I read about people with gland disorders and things and it makes me worried for her.
​
Now real other symptoms that I can think of.
​
She is 30 now.
| 572 |
She should see an endocrinologist
| 671 |
AskDocs
|
What just happened? Face in mirror isn't mine
|
26F, non-drinker, juul way too much, 5'7" 125lbs. Dx GAD, DSPD and endometriosis. Taking paxil, visanne and aerius daily.
I've experienced derealization and dissociation before, where I got dizzy and distracted and went out of myself, but I can't find anything online that explains what just happened.
I was laying in bed watching YouTube videos and got up to pee. When I turned on the light I was shockedv to see someone else's face in my mirror. Logically I knew it was my face, but it was just...wrong. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly was different, it was just not my face. I tried letting my eyes adjust to the light (very bright) and put my hair back like it normally is, but it didn't change. I took a few pictures of my face to compare, and my face looked totally normal in the pics. But in the mirror, it stayed wrong. I woke up my wife and asked if she thought my eyes looked weird, and she said I looked tired but normal. I turned my head and my side profile looked normal, but straight on it's just still not my face.
I've just won a court case against a violent offender, but I'm not particularly stressed right now, since it's been 2.5 yrs in the making and I'm happy it's over. Is this just sleep deprivation? Having DSPD, I'm almost always sleep deprived and I've never experienced this before. Is this a symptom of something worse than anxiety or fatigue?
Edit: I had Alice in wonderland syndrome as a kid, mostly grew out of if but it occasionally pops up. Could this be AIWS?
| 530 |
Hi, I’m not a specialist in those conditions but depersonalisation/derealisation are associated with sleep deprivation, stress and anxiety. I think if you’ve experienced those symptoms before and have a clear reason why you’re sleep deprived then that would account for it. Hopefully it won’t recur, otherwise it may be helpful to see your psychiatrist.
Edit: forgot to ask, is it still present? And if so how long? If it is persistent it may require assessment by a doctor just to rule out neurological causes, such as temporal lobe epilepsy, however this wouldn’t need to be urgent.
Any loss of consciousness, weakness, speech difficulty, facial asymmetry, or numbness should be assessed urgently as an emergency.
| 269 |
AskDocs
|
Fathers death
|
Hello. My father passed away a month ago and the police just called me to inform that they determined the cause of death to be suicide.
They claim that he offed himself through an overdose of an antidepressant called Sertraline in the amount of: 2.9μg/g. How many pills would that be if each one contains a 100 mg? Since I was there with him the night before he passed away, and i found the body, how long does it take to pass away when you overdose on antidepressants? I find the whole thing strange since he is a diabetic, and it just seems strange that he would commit suicide through antidepressants and not insulin which he has talked about before, forgive the strange question. He was very sick and couldn't even walk his last days basically, so i find it weird that I didn't find any Sertraline packets anywhere in the appartement. I am very troubled by all this and if anyone could please bring some clarity to mu questions it would be deeply appreciated.
When i was there the night before, he had cramps, was nausious, looked pale and was sweating and his leg hurt. This was around 8 Pm. I found the body at 1. PM. The next day. He had been sick a couple of days before and agreed that he would go with me to the hospital the following day. Is it likely that he had already overdosed when i was there with him? I would say that he probably died about 5 AM judging by his body. He must have taken the pills after I had left, right?
Some more info about him:
60 year old male.
65 kgs.
Diabetic.
Had a heart attack a year ago which caused brain damage.
Bypass operation which caused a thrombus according to the medical exam after his death, which explains why he could barely walk his last days.
The results from the autopsy found:
He had no alcohol for a couple of months before his death and non at the time of death. The full results from the autopsy is:
Sertraline: 1.3 μg/g
Desmetylsertraline: 1.6 μg/g
Propiomazin: 0.03 μg/g
Dihydriopropiomazin 0.11 μg/g
Aripriprazol 0.15 μg/g
Zopiklon: 0.11 μg/g
I know that he took two zopiklon which are 5mg each if that helps with anything
Please help me with my questions if you can, i could really need it!
| 439 |
Not a doc just here to send good vibes. Im sorry for your loss. Your father is at rest.
| 380 |
AskDocs
|
5 year old daughter losing weight and bruising easily
|
Here is the info I have
* 5F
* Height: unsure
* 34 lbs.
* Caucasian
* Medications: Vyvanse 30 mg/day and Methylin Oral Solution (5mg/as needed).
My daughter is 5 (will be 6 in August). She weighs 34 lbs. She keeps losing weight but only a little at a time (like a few ounces here and there). She weighed 39 lbs about three months ago. We've noticed that she has been bruising easier and barely eats. I called her doctor about a month ago and asked what I could do at home because I didn't want to take her into a doctor's office during the pandemic. They recommended pediasure. She loves it and thinks it's chocolate milk but that's all she wants at dinner. She has severe ADHD so that is why she is on Vyvanse and Methylin. We are concerned she is losing too much weight. I called her pediatrician and waiting for a call back from them. Any other advice or suggestions? Thank you for your help!
[Photo of bruising](https://imgur.com/a/xWDymc5)
EDIT: I am not here to be judged. If you don’t have anything helpful, please move along. She is on this medication after more than two years of struggling to do basic things because she couldn’t concentrate. She’s now starting to learn and read because she can concentrate more.
To all the helpful comments, thank you!!
| 577 |
I would have her be seen by a pediatrician in person. I am a pediatrician and most offices have cleaning/ safety procedures to keep patients safe. Your daughter needs to be seen by a doctor and I imagine that they would order some blood work and other tests.
| 730 |
AskDocs
|
Girlfriend (31F) has gotten really clumsy over the past few months
|
Details:
Age: 31
Sex: Female
Height: 5’ 5”
Weight: Wouldn’t dare ask
Race: Caucasian
No underlying health issues or medication except contraceptive pill.
I know the title makes it sound like a not-huge deal but I’ve noticed that over the past four or five months my live-in girlfriend has started knocking things over, dropping things, breaking stuff, etc. At first it was just kind of annoying but it’s gotten to the point where it feels like every time she goes to interact with an object there’s a 1 in 10 chance she’ll end up accidentally destroying it. At this rate we’ll have to replace her phone in the next two weeks because she’s dropped it multiple times every single day of quarantine.Her motor functions otherwise seems completely fine, and she hasn’t had any other telling symptoms (eg slurred speech, behavioural changes, etc). She’s also still a perfectly capable driver.
I’m assuming it’s just from being locked in a small house with nothing to do for the past few months. We’ve both had difficulty keeping to an exercise routine or eating properly and we’ve definitely put on some weight, so it could just be from the change in routine. I’m just worried because we’ve known each other for the better part of a decade and I’ve never known her to be this careless. At the very least we don’t have the money to keep replacing plates. Any advice would be awesome, thank you in advance.
| 436 |
This one can't be diagnosed over the internet. Needs a neuro exam. This could be anything from a pituitary / brain tumor to thyroid issues to vitamin deficiency to run of the mill clumsiness. See a neurologist.
| 555 |
AskDocs
|
Please Help Me
|
Age: 8 Months
Sex: Female
Height: 24.61 inches
Weight: 13.49 pounds
Diagnosed medical: NAS
Medications: None
I have had custody of my niece for the last 8 months and she is nearly 9 months old. She spent the first month of her life in the NICU because she was born with NAS; having been exposed to methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroine. From the very beginning of me having her she has very sensitive skin, she bruises far easier than my children ever had. Example: she laid her head on my mother's wrist for about ten minutes and her bracelet caused a notable bruise on her face.
As far as developmentally, my niece is advanced and hitting milestones early. She is already pulling up, babbling and saying words, etc. She is a very active baby, and her bruising has continued along with her added mobility. i have tried to baby-proof my home to the best of my ability, but I suppose I have failed miserably because her bruising still happened. I have also discussed the bruising and finding a cause t every well-child visit and every additional visit we get related to her NAS, as well.
Last Monday I woke up to find her leg twisted in her crib and she did not cry until she actually saw me. I cannot tell you exactly how it was positioned because it was a different type of cry and i panicked in trying to free her. Her leg was caught between the bumper (i know it's not supposed to be in there, but if it isn't she will continuously bang her head on the wood when she is upset at bedtime) and her leg was in between the slats of the crib. I was able to twist her leg free after maneuvering her leg a bit. It was red and she was obviously upset, but no swelling had appeared as of yet. I comforted her and got her to calm down and we headed downstairs, so I could make a bottle and breakfast.
I placed my niece in her walker, that she does not usually walk in, she just kind of bounces. I made her a bottle, put a handful of cheerios on her walker tray, and then started breakfast for myself and my four year old. She was no longer upset and I continued our usual daily routine, as I had previous times she got her leg stuck in the crib. Throughout the day I did notice that her leg that got caught was kind of causing her issues; she didn't jump on it as much, she did not use it as much during crawling, she was not trying to stand, etc. Around dinnertime I began to notice that her leg was starting to swell. I became concerned at that time, but my boyfriend was not home, so i could not immediately go to the emergency room due to covid-19 and I did not want the possibility of exposing my daughter by taking her too.
When my boyfriend got home from work, which was around ten that night. When we got to the ER they performed x-rays on her leg and they said that they could not see a fracture, but decided to splint. They would need radiology too review because she did move (she hates being held down) and they were not as clear as they would like. We were sent on our way with the splint and advised to follow up with her PCP. The next morning, I called first thing to her PCP, and had to schedule an appointment for the next day. We went to the PCP and she wasn't alarmed by the results at that time either and said we needed to follow up with an Ortho in about a week.
I missed a call from her PCP early evening that said the radiologist was able to review her x-rays and there might be some concern and that I needed to take her into Children's ER and they would retake the x-rays. So, I got her and myself ready and packed up the car to go, with my boyfriend and four year old staying home again. Just as I put on my seat belt a lady with a binder knocks at my door and my four year old opened the door. I freaked out, and hopped out of the car. Turns out she was with Child Protective Services, and interviewed us and went to the ER with my niece and myself.
The PCP had called the ER ahead to tell them I would be coming in for additional x-rays, but in looking at my niece's paperwork her admission reason was listed was "Non-Accidental Trauma" and this was prior to them obtaining a clear x-ray of the original issue. So, first I would like to know if this is common, to list this as a reason to admit someone into the ER without even having all of the information. I feel like it created a biased among the nurses and doctors who reviewed her papers and examined her. She was admitted for testing and observation and i was treated very poorly by staff, from being ignored, to a nurse huffing and rolling her eyes at me.
During her ER visit I was presented with her leg's x-ray and i was advised it was called a metaphyseal fracture to her growth plate, I remember this specifically because I asked the doctor to spell it and explain it. My concern was her growth and I wanted to have a full understanding of what was wrong with her. The doctor said that these types of fractures are also called bucket-handle fractures and briefly explained why. They then performed additional testing on my niece; a skeletal survey, a brain CT, and some blood work. They did find an additional fracture in her right ulna, which i was told was her wrist area. And they later found a hairline fracture on her back left side of her skull, but no injuries to her brain.
After being in the ER for close to four hours, I was told that DHS was taking custody of both my niece and my four year old and I was required too stay with my niece while she was in the hospital for observation. She was supposed to have additional testing done during her observation period to try to find an underlying explanation to her issues. I was only visited for additional blood testing. She was visited by a CSI photographer and a forensic pediatrician in addition to the regular team of doctor's and nurses.
What I need help with is in understanding her discharge paperwork, it says something completely different as far as her leg injury from what I was able to google. I feel as though I am in an uphill battle to get my babies back and I am terrified that they are giving me conflicting information all along the way and from this doctor to that doctor or nurse, information changes. I cannot afford an expert to get a second opinion from, so I am hoping you guys can help to point me in the right direction.
Below is taken from her Skeletal Survey:
-healing fracture of the distal right ulnar diaphysis with osseous callus formation and fracture line still evident
-small linear calcific density lateral to the distal left tibial epiphysis and mild widening of the distal tibial physis suspicious for an acute fracture. No dislocation. Left ankle soft tissue swelling is present.
Findings suggestive of an acute fracture involving the distal left tibial physis/epiphysis.
Healing fracture of the distal right ulnar diaphysis
Below is taken from he Brain CT:
-A nondisplaced hairline fracture is seen extending from the left lambdoid 2 sway most all suture
-no underlying brain injury
-no acute intracranial abnormality
Below is taken from her Discharge Summary:
-discharge diagnosis: L distal tibia fracture
-minimally displaced fracture of the medial aspect of the distal tibial epiphyseal growth plate
-CT brain obtained with no acute intracranial abnormality
-Skeletal survey reported acute fracture distal left tibial epiphysis, healing R ulnar and linear skull fractures.
It should also be noted that:
- von Willebrand Factor Antigen with a result of 42% with a reference range of 60-150% and flagged as Low
-von Willebrand Ristocetin Cofactor with a result of 32% with reference range of 50-150% and flagged as Low. With a doctor's note: Decreased von Willebrand activity and antigen consistent with von Willebrand's Disease. Recommend repeat studies including multimer analysis to determine VWD subtype
Further note:
-Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
-Fair skinned, red haired
| 478 |
I can see why there would be concern for child abuse due to radiographically imaged fractures of different stages of healing. This is typical when a child is being abused. A bucket-handle fracture is also usually seen in the setting of child abuse. Seeing those two pieces of clinical information are red flags for child abuse.
You do sound like you love your niece and children and I don't want you to feel like anybody is against you. The measures the hospital and staff have taken is to make sure your niece/children are safe. Is there anybody else at home who watches the children when you are not there or someone who has access to the child when you are not around? The child might have been abused without your knowledge.
However, if there is no abuse, then the cause of her fractures will definitely be investigated. Be open, honest, let them know you have nothing to hide, and the facts will speak for themselves. I wish you nothing but the best.
| 324 |
AskDocs
|
I have severe social anxiety. I really need a step by step for a doctors visit.
|
I (19F) want to visit a doctor for STD testing, I also want to see someone about my irregular periods. Separate visits, I’m sure. (Which should I do first, if it matters?)
I’ll be going alone, more than likely, and I want to know exactly what I should be saying. If I should call or go in to set up an appointment, the vernacular I should use, what will actually go down when I get in there, etc.
I feel pathetic but anxiety really is no joke. I can’t allow it to prevent me from caring for my health so I want to prepare best I can to ease my nerves.
| 649 |
You can do both in the same sitting, they will schedule a longer appointment.
I am socially anxious as well, and I feel safer when calling for an appointment. I won't feel like anyone is watching me set up an appointment for something I might feel embarrassed about.
What you should include in your call, assuming you are already in their system, in order:
- Name, DOB
- I want to set up an appointment with Dr. (name) for 2 issues. (if you don't know your doctor's name, you don't have to name them.)
The assistant might ask which doctor you want to be set up with if you didn't give a name and the office has multiple doctors. You can say you have no preference, but that you would like a doctor who is good with anxious patients.
The assistant will ask what your appointment will be about.
- I want to get STD testing done, and I have some questions regarding irregular periods.
The assistant will ask you when you would like an appointment. You can tell them your preferred day and/or time of day. You can take a look at your daily schedule and find a time that would be most appropriate without having to shuffle around too much.
The assistant will suggest a date/time. If it isn't going to work, you can give an alternative. It is possible that the actual appointment making goes back and forth a couple times, so make sure you have an overview of available dates/times in front of you.
When you've agreed on a date/time, you will be all set to go. The assistant will give an overview of your set appointment. If your doctor's office does e-mail confirmations, you will get the deets in your mailbox. With this confirmation, your appointment has been set. The assistant might give you instructions for COVID-19 precautions in place at the office, or these precautions will be included in the e-mail if applicable.
Then comes the actual appointment.
Prepare a list of questions you want to ask your doctor and bring it along. Prepare a list of symptoms you are experiencing. You can hand over your notes if you feel too anxious. Bring a note book to take notes and write down more questions if you feel too anxious to talk properly.
You will arrive shortly before your set appointment. Read up on COVID-19 precautions taken at your doctor's office beforehand.
When it's your turn, the doctor will call your name. Follow them into the room. Don't be afraid to tell them about your anxiety before any real talk starts. They will understand and act accordingly.
There are a few possibilities for STD testing. The doctor will ask about any symptoms you may have noticed. The doctor might ask you to strip down so they can take a look at your genitals and take a swab test to send off. Another possibility is that they write up a test form for blood testing.
For your irregular periods, the doctor will ask you about how long this has been going on. They might ask you about sexual activity, or other symptoms you might be experiencing, such as pain, severity of bleeding, acne, hair growth in places you wouldn't think of as normal, and the list can go on. When the doctor is done asking questions, they will tell you what the next steps will be. This can include blood testing for hormones, complete blood count, iron levels, and maybe some more. Ask about these tests and what they can tell the doctor when it comes to possible diagnoses. The doctor might also write a referral to an OB/GYN.
If you are uncomfortable at any point, tell the doctor. Keep taking deep breaths if you're anxious. If you feel comfortable enough, keep asking questions if anything is unclear.
When your appointment is nearing completion, you will get instructions on what to do next. If you are missing any info, ask the doctor.
If questions come up after the appointment, you can always call the office again.
I hope this helps, good luck! I know how much anxiety can suck and how huge that mountain can be. You can do this, I'm sure of it!
EDIT: This was all written from a Dutch point of view. Read replies to this comment for some practices that might be different. All of them are helpful!
| 982 |
AskDocs
|
My grandpa sings almost 24/7
|
My grandpa (90M) suffers from a stroke and has been paralyzed on his right side for over two decades now. Just last year in March, my grandma passed away and it obviously affected him. In November last year, one of my uncles suddenly died too. Just some backstory, my grandparents (just my grandpa now) were being taken care of by my aunt and uncle (all the other aunts and uncles live a couple hours away, so they take turns and make regular visits back) – within the span of the year, that home saw the loss of both my grandmother and my uncle.
Around late last year or early this year, my grandpa started singing. We brushed it off as him just trying to be cheerful because he struggles to communicate due to his stroke, but lately the frequency of his singing has increased drastically. To the point where he sings every five minutes, he sings in his sleep, and he doesn’t really seem to be conscious of his singing.
Is this normal with the elderly and if so, can anything be done about it? We are planning to bring him to see a doctor (for a separate reason, he has a skin conditioning that’s worsening because of him constantly sitting and lying down) but it’s a bit difficult and he’s at higher risk with the current COVID situation.
Btw, sorry if I’m not following the right procedure! First time posting in this thread.
| 560 |
Some patients who have speech difficulties after a stroke are better able to put together a coherent string of words by singing... for reasons that are ~~are~~ not terribly well understood, but thought to be related those functions arising from different pathways in the brain. Kinda cool, huh? (I've heard the same can be true for people who stutter...but I'm not a stutterologist.) :)
Or it could just be that your grandpa is trying to be positive (as you said) or maybe he misses having someone to talk to so he sings ("talks") to himself. And now it's become a habit that he sings all the time.
Regardless of the reason, it's not an indication of a problem as far as I know. Certainly no harm in mentioning it at his next Neurology appointment, though.
Purely anecdotally, my grandmother had a stroke and suffered severe expressive aphasia. But she could sing Happy Birthday, various Christmas carols, and the lyrics to many other songs she knew before the stroke without missing a beat. So we encouraged her to sing and sang along with her (even if she wanted to sing Jingle Bells in July) because it seemed to make her happy and why not?
| 317 |
AskDocs
|
Multiple Unidentified Masses In Infant’s Leg
|
Female
D.O.B 02/02/2020 (19 weeks/5 months old)
26.5” currently (21” at birth)
15lbs6oz currently (8lbs11oz at birth)
White
Full-term/vaginal delivery
Multiple masses spanning over entire left leg
Noticed and sought treatment April 29th
My daughter has multiple masses within her left leg. The size/pressure has caused her to lose the ability to move her foot. She has seen quite a few specialists that determined she had a vascular/lymphatic malformation with multiple macrocystic hygromas. We were referred to The Hemangioma and Vascular Malformation Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and were seen within a month.
Nine days after her initial appointment she was scheduled for surgery. Her masses were to be drained and then sclerotherapy was to be performed.
Roughly 45 minutes after entering the OR my fiancé and I were called to a small room to discuss revised treatment options with her radiologist and newly appointed general surgeon. Her mass was unable to be drained as intended because the contents were thicker than intended and contained tissue(s).
The general surgeon went on to perform her surgery - removing approximately 200mL of fluids, inserted a drain into her calf, and collected samples for pathology.
During her time in post-anesthesia recovery: her mass had “refilled” and was nearly the same size/fullness as it was prior to surgery; albeit the mass was not as firm.
The following day her capillary refill rate and temperature improved in her foot. No notable improvements in her foot/ankle movement. However her hemoglobin levels were low prior to surgery, during anesthesia recovery, and dropped further post-op. After being monitored and given IV fluids we were released to go home. We were discharged with orders to visit a local children’s hospital for a CBC tomorrow (05/23) to rule out the need for transfusion.
Today, (05/22) we received a call from the pathologist. We were told that the mass is not what she was initially diagnosed with: it is not a hermangioma/hygroma/lymphatic or vascular malformation/cyst. We were told that they aren’t certain what the mass is. We were also informed that cancer has not been ruled out.
She will be seen this week for a more definitive diagnosis and treatment plan, hopefully.
I will include pre/post op photos and measurements. At this point I am just seeking some sort of direction, what we can possibly expect, what we need to be asking doctors, and if there is anything that anyone can do that isn’t currently being done. Myself and my fiancé want to do all we can but we are scared and at a loss currently.
TIA.
[Leg Masses]
https://imgur.com/gallery/b6OSerU
[Progression]
https://imgur.com/gallery/ovWrEp5
EDIT: forgot to include that upon discovery (7 weeks ago) the largest mass (calf) resembled an insect bite. It was roughly the size of a ping pong/golf ball. It is now easily soft ball sized.
EDIT #2: I’m sure that anyone would be hesitant to even suggest a diagnosis. That said: I appreciate any and all input. If anything I’m looking for what it *could possibly* be so that I can mentally prepare myself.
EDIT #3: added another link of photos to document progression of size/decline in mobility.
| 460 |
The Hemangioma and Vascular malformation center at Cinci Children's is without doubt the best place in the world for evaluation and management of such lesions in infants. I would state that you are in safe hands. I would suggest you sit down and make a list of potential questions - write it down, and take the list with you when you go to visit the team. It's hard to remember things under stress. Questions such as what kind of treatment they would recommended now (medication, surgery, or perhaps other types - laser/radiation), what the anticipated results would be of each therapy, what would be the potential side effects, and what would be follow-up (how long, what kind of testing), is there potential for local or distant spread, whether any additional testing is needed (genetic, imaging), is there likely to be any effect on growth of the underlying limb etc.
| 290 |
AskDocs
|
My nipples have been achy and itchy for the past 5 days. I'm a dude. I heard that's how they feel in breast development. I'm kinda freaking out about the possibility of gynecomastia or something.
|
I'm a 28 year old man, tall-ish, skinnyfat. usually my nipples are just there, not much more feeling in them than in any other piece of my skin.
They've started hurting and low-key itching several days ago, and haven't stopped really. The sensation is in both of them but a little stronger on one side. There are no visual changes. I'm getting kinda freaked out about the possibility of this being some kind of late onset gynecomastia or some weird hormonal problem.
Is it normal? Should I get it checked up?
| 266 |
Could just be skin irritation. Like from fabric or sensitivity to detergent
| 241 |
AskDocs
|
My neighbor (36M) dropped dead in front of me. I failed to resuscitate him. Hoping to get better understanding of his cause of death.
|
This happened a month ago and I’m sorry if this isn’t the right place but it was a traumatic event for me and I think having some potential logical explanations might help me move on.
My neighbor (who I didn’t know at all really) was a 36 year old male, slightly overweight. He worked construction I believe. I was out front of my house when his truck drove down and he kind of pulled into his parking space a bit erratically but I didn’t think much of it and was busy with my daughters. After what felt like a couple minutes (but was actually 12 mins according to my security camera), another neighbor screamed and said “he’s not breathing” and asked me for help. I called 911 and immediately helped get him out of his truck and onto his back. He was blue. Me and another man took turns doing chest compressions until rescue arrived. They were able to get a pulse back but he ended up dying a week later.
He and his wife had a brand new baby. They don’t speak English and so when I asked her what had happened she told me as best she could that it was not a heart attack. That it was respiratory arrest. That he had a form of syncope.
I actually have syncope myself (neurocardiogenic syncope and take beta blockers) and didn’t want to ask any further questions. Just wondering how such a young guy can go from driving one second to just not breathing the next. As far as I know, my doctors have never told me I might just faint one day and stop breathing as a result. I’m guessing this is a different kind of syncope. Just wondering if anyone knows of any possible reasons?
Edit: I wasn’t expecting so many responses and am so grateful. There are so many potential causes of death I hadn’t thought of. It’s really moving hearing so many doctors and paramedics share their own stories of losing patients and the emotional ramifications. Thank you. I’m going to absolutely pursue counseling.
I’ve had a couple people message me about his widow and baby. I wanted to update that I’ve been doing my best to help them. I got a fair amount of baby gear donated and my husband and I bought her enough groceries for a month as well as a $200 gift card to the grocery store. I also printed photos (which I got from her sister) of him and his baby on archival quality paper and framed them as a gift for them. They were already struggling before he died and both out of work. It seems like since his death, a lot of family has arrived to help her out too.
And lastly, it wasn’t covid (luckily). It’s been a month and I already tested negative.
| 1,038 |
Just chiming in to reinforce what has been said. We can't tell you exactly what happened, because we can't know without a lot more information. However, we can say a few things.
Seeing someone die is always a hard thing to deal with. The first death we all saw in our careers stay with us, even when doing CPR becomes a routine thing, and if you ask the majority of us we'll be able to tell you what happened in detail, even after quite a few years. It does get easier though, once you realise that the person you were trying to resuscitate needed resuscitation in the first place; they were dying without your intervention and you did all you could to try and change the outcome from what was already going on. In your specific case, the fact that you kept pumping his blood for him well enough for paramedics to get a return to circulation means you did a good job of it.
You should consider talking to a counselor about this. It is definitely a big thing to process, and it's normal to struggle with it. We usually get a debrief from our seniors after a death, and getting to talk it over with someone who can help you unpack it all is quite helpful.
Also, know that there are various different kinds of syncope, and the kind you have doesn't cause an increase in your risk of sudden death.
| 532 |
AskDocs
|
At least one of my children comes home with strep throat EVERY time they visit their grandparents. This has been ongoing for several years now.
|
I have 4 children (14F, 10M, and 7F twins). No underlying medical issues. And literally every. time. they go to visit their grandparents home, which is about 1.5 hours away from where we live, one or more of them come home and show signs of strep within a day. Currently dealing with this now. They visit their 2 grandparents, their dad (I’m divorced), and sometimes their cousin and aunt while they are there. I still have great relationships with all of them and love them all dearly. I am just tired of the dread that comes with sending them up to visit knowing what typically happens when they get back. As I mentioned this has been ongoing for several years now and it’s a trend my entire family has noticed. My ex and his in-laws are unaware of the issue. I haven’t mentioned it because quite frankly it sounds made up and as if I’m trying to find excuses to not sent the kids to visit - which is totally not the case, I appreciate the break and my kids always have a great time visiting with them! None of the relatives are ever sick during or after the visit. They have an extremely clean household. My ex smokes, but never indoors and I hope minimally around my children. Their cousin is unvaccinated - my children are and that may have nothing to do with anything, but trying to think of every detail.
Is this just pure coincidence? Or is there something more to the story?
| 679 |
Some people are strep carriers. They aren’t sick but they get everyone else sick. Sometimes even pets can be carriers. I suspect the grandparents are vectors.
| 789 |
AskDocs
|
Sleep-walking, drunken black out, or date rape drug?
|
Hi I hope it’s ok to post this since it’s not really a “current” medical issue. It was several years ago.
At the time: 19 female, no medications, occasional cigarette, rarely a joint. Binge drinking 1-3 times a week. 5’6” and 160 lbs
TL, DR : Finding myself naked in public in a trance-like state. Does that sound like sleep-walking? Can people see and be aware of things and remember things while sleep walking?
Several years ago I went to a party like usual. I remember drinking some, flirting, then taking off with a girl I had hooked up with a couple of times. One of her friends whom I had never met left with us. I don’t know why he came along. As far as I remember I wasn’t that drunk.
Vague memory of sexual encounter with the girl, nothing unusual.
Then comes the weird part. Suddenly it’s like I “woke up” and found myself 100% naked on the 3rd floor of a building with no idea how I got there or where my clothes were. (I don’t mean wake up as if had been asleep, but like I suddenly gained some state of consciousness or awareness.)
But it was super odd. I was really really slow in my movements. I also wasn’t thinking clearly (or at all).... for example, I could have knocked on a friend’s door or easily gotten help but it didn’t even occur to me. I honestly felt like I was in a dream state or trance or something.
I walked pretty far butt naked until I found my clothes. The aforementioned girl was passed out on the floor completely naked.
Next thing I know I wake up in my bed in the morning. I remembered the events of the previous night, but I wasn’t sure if it was a dream or if it had really happened. It felt like a dream.
Soon enough I learned that it wasn’t a dream because people had seen me walking around naked.
So the question became, what had happened?
Two guys, good friends, said I had just drank too much. I considered the possibility, but I drank frequently and had never had a similar thing happen. I also didn’t remember getting very drunk, and I hadn’t thrown up. Most oddly, I wasn’t hungover at all in the morning.
Other friends said it sounded like a date rape drug. I don’t think I was raped. But there was actually a description on wiki about a certain unusual date rape drug and the experience sounded exactly the same; further, it said that this particular drug was from such-and-such specific region: exactly the same region as the unknown guy.
The other odd thing is that the girl made a comment to her friend saying that I had drugged her. But when I asked her, she said that she had been joking and meant that she had just drank too much.
As for myself, I tend to think that maybe it was sleep walking. I had never slept walked before. Can someone be conscious while sleep walking?
Thanks a lot.
**Edit: Thanks everyone for your responses. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was really helpful to read your experiences.**
| 322 |
NAD, but I had something similar happen to me in college. I also binge drank a lot in college. One night, I went to a frat party with two girlfriends. It was a Wednesday night, and I had class early, so I didn't plan to drink much. This was a frat that we knew all of the guys, and were certain we could trust them (way too naive), so I had ONE glass of punch, which they made all of the time. I normally drank 4-5 glasses of this punch before I would have been drunk. One of my two friends drank beer, and the other also had less than a glass of punch.
Next thing I remember, my friends boyfriend was carrying me up the steps to my apartment. I don't remember getting in the apartment, getting in bed, or anything. Woke up in the morning and felt fine. Made it to my 8am class like any other day. I'm a person that if I drink too much, I end up vomiting, and have a major hangover that lasts all day, so I can confirm that I hadn't just "drank too much"
Flash back to the party - my friend (the one drinking the punch) had been texting her boyfriend, and he could tell by her responses that something wasn't right. He showed up, and saw that her and I were really out of it, and assumed we were trashed. He found the other friend (she was off trying to find the flavor of the week, per her usual), and he drove us all home and made sure we got inside fine. I think God everyday for him being so protective of not only his girlfriend, but her two friends. Lord knows what could have happened to us that night.
That was the last time I drank anything at a frat party, and always try to tell everyone (especially girls) to not ever accept drinks at those parties. Even if you know and trust the guys in the group, it only takes one bad apple to do something like this.
| 189 |
AskDocs
|
Ovary removed at 14, changed my entire life the moment I woke up
|
Hi,
24 y/o white female-5'7" 200 lb. I'm not looking for any definitive answers I guess just a direction to go in. When I was 14, I had sudden stomach pains, went to the ER, and it turned out I had a football size cyst wrapped around my ovary. They did not know the cyst was that big going into the surgery, but all of it plus my ovary were removed. My physical recovery had no complications, however, when I woke up from the surgery I felt completely different and this has not gone away since.
To be more specific, I woke up and immediately felt sad, numb, depressed, and colors were dull. Additionally, I had a really hard time following directions and focusing on what was happening or what people were telling me. I didn't understand what my nurse was telling me to do and everyone had to keep repeating things to me. I thought, "hey, you literally just had surgery, so it'll go away with time"
Before this surgery, I enjoyed normal 14 year old things like watching TV and movies, spending time with friends, and reading. After the surgery, I struggled to do these things. Reading became impossible, watching movies became very difficult, and I would have a hard time getting through a few minutes of TV. I couldn't keep up in conversations with friends and just overall could not focus on ANYTHING and this has NEVER changed. I struggled in school for the first time in my life and would forget easy words, how to spell easy words, and my quality of writing just went way downhill. It has been 10 years and these things are still the same. If I try to focus on anything, I get almost like an internal pain that tells me to stop.
It was also at this time, I became exhausted constantly. I slept for 4+ hours after school, which was very unlike me. I was put on armodafinil (stimulant-like drug) after having a daytime sleep study and things got slightly better, but the cognitive side effects were still there. I also struggled with diarrhea and IBS symptoms constantly, which I had not prior to the surgery. I became suddenly severely lactose intolerant. I went to dozens of specialists who said it was just depression or anxiety (which I had no history of prior) or would run tests and everything came out fine (thyroid, blood sugar, etc). I eventually went to a rheumatologist who diagnosed me with hypermobile joints and recommended a cardiologist, as it could be POTS, which is often associated with hypermobile joints.
The cardiologist gave me fludrocortisone, to increase my blood pressure when standing, which I admit did help somewhat. I increased fluid and salt intake as well. Things started to look up and at this point, I was about to graduate from high school and was able to go to college. I was on fludrocortisone for a year, gained 70 pounds on it (not fun, but worth it I guess) and went to college right after stopping it. I started being able to exercise and walked to my classes about 5 miles a day. I still struggled hardcore with focusing and the weird depression was still there, but things were somewhat better.
However, things started to slowly, very slowly, turn bad again over the next 3-4 years. My second year of college, I fell into a deeper depression for seemingly no reason and the cognitive side effects were bad again. I sought psychiatric help and therapy. I have been on over 10 different psychiatric drugs over the past few years and I have not felt symptom alleviation. I was able to make it through college and then grad school right after, but at the end of grad school (also when I was put on lithium for the first time) I started feeling much much sicker and barely scraped by. I started struggling to move. I would sit in the same position for so long because any small movement is exhausting. If I need to take a shower, I cry because it is so exhausting and it hurts. i went off of lithium after a few months, but this is still happening and it has been happening for over a year. I also have significantly drier hair and my cognition is shot. I can't follow simple directions anymore and can't respond to friends' text messages easily. I had to quit my job, which I was barely making it as it is. Anything involving planning or executive functioning skills I just cannot do. I cannot plan ahead easily and have not been able to since the surgery. Also, I started having constipation around this time and my lactose intolerance went away?
I had regular blood tests done a few weeks ago after going to the ER the fatigue was so bad. Everything turned out fine including my thyroid. I am currently only on 200mg of armodafinil and 900mg of trileptal for mood. I do not believe this is just depression. I have had longstanding cognitive effects that have declined slowly, even when periods of my mood being better, they have never gone away. I've never had weakness like this before either and am terrified.
If you've read through all of this, thank you.
EDIT: I forgot to include that my sex drive, although I was only 14, has almost disappeared after the surgery as well.
EDIT 2: Thank you all so much. I didn't expect anyone to care and I am literally sobbing right now. This has affected every aspect of my life for so long and it's been extremely rough. Y'all have made me validated. Thank you <3
| 820 |
Are they giving you hormones (estrogen and progesterone)? I would absolutely check into this because your ovaries are the center for hormone production.
A decline in estrogen will give you "menopausal" symptoms like having foggy memory, depression, mood changes, and difficulty concentrating, weight gain, amongst many other symptoms. Research low estrogen and low progesterone symptoms and see if this resonates with you.
| 537 |
AskDocs
|
Eye doctor said "something's wrong with your brain." While I wait to see a specialist, can someone put me at ease?
|
UPDATE [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/i6bf3t/update_eye_doctor_said_somethings_wrong_with_your/?)
__________
*EDIT (original post below): thank you so much for all the responses! I really appreciate you all taking the time to answer, especially health care professionals, who tend to be so busy. I'd forgotten to mention I'm in Japan and English isn't the doctor's first language, although health care here is rather precarious so I don't think language matters.
It'll be a while longer till I see a specialist but I'll post an update when I have one myself.
Thanks again!
-----------
HI,
39 year-old female, 5'8", 130lbs, mixed race.
During a recent eye checkup, the ophthalmologist did a retina scan and said the color of the right retina was a bit off, which indicated that "something was wrong with [my] brain" and I should see a specialist. He wouldn't tell me what could be wrong, so here I am freaking out because that's kind of a serious statement to make!
I'm now waiting to see a specialist and my mind's all over the place about what could be wrong. The one thing that comes to mind, and scares me, is that, sometime in February, I had just started taking Zoloft (after trying an anti-depressant for a week or so, that didn't agree with me) when I woke up in the middle of the night with the sharpest pain ever somewhere behind my right eye. I thought I was having a stroke or something. I never took Zoloft again.
Due to mental health issues my cognitive abilities were already limited by that point, and they have since improved since I left my job (harassment at work was the culprit), but they're not getting back to normal and I'm terrified I might have had a brain aneurysm or something. I did some online research but the vast majority of symptoms don't check out - no droopy eyelid, no numbness anywhere, just cognitive issues (memory's even worse than before, can't always follow trains of thought/logical thread, I can get lost while telling a story - normally I write stories and I can speak multiple languages, but remembering words isn't the same as before either).
I know it's not possible to diagnose my "brain issue" through just a post, but I'm quite stressed by all this, and am wondering if anyone has any theories, or, even more importantly, anything I should do or avoid while I wait to keep things from potentially getting worse?
Thank you very much!
| 498 |
Ask for your records and tell me the diagnosis and what the retina scan was. I can clarify it. The way you wrote it doesn’t make sense so there’s been some miscommunication.
Another user mentioned intracranial hypertension but that wouldn’t be shown on any scan. That’s seen with the naked eye. So I doubt that’s what they saw.
My guess is it wasn’t a retina scan but a visual field. That can show pattern loss indicative of brain lesions.
| 668 |
AskDocs
|
Mom (58F) died of a aneurysm rupture in front of me yesterday, I have questions
|
First of all sorry if this is not the right subreddit, I don't know where to ask this.
1. Just before it arrived she said that she did not feel so good and had a huge headache, she laid down and instantly started snoring, with her eyes wide open, why does this happen ?
2. he was not responsive to anything, the person on the phone ask me to pinch her really had and she had no reaction. But she was still breathing, it was a struggle and but it seemed easier for her to breathe when I was holding her in a sitting position. How was she still able to breathe if her brain was mostly already dead ?Even after paramedics showed up, at some point they made her breathe manually (I assume she stopped), but then she started breathing again on her own, heavily but kinda normally. (the doctor even pointed it out with a kinda optimistic tone)
3. Why did she vomit ?
4. At some point the doctor was trying to force some kind of angled metal tube in her mouth / throat, it was rather large. He struggled quite a lot to put it and remove it. It did not seem like a breathing device, I assume maybe it was some kind of optical device ? So that he could see if there was a blocage of something ? Any thoughts ?
5. When did they guess it was a aneurysm rupture ? I don't know what happened in the ambulance and when she was admitted, they did a scan and it confirmed the huge bleeding, but I guess they were already pretty sure before that ?
6. She technically died the morning after, because she was still showing very small signs of brain activity, but she did not have her hooked up to a brain scan the whole time, did they ? So I guess we don't really know when the brain death happens ?Also, for me I feel like I saw her die in front of me then saw her die again the next morning, at the ER doctor said that she was in a profound coma and she would die soon, but she was not technically dead since they were some signs of brain activity still. I don't know this confuses me.
7. Also the most important question : is there any way to roughly know when she lost consciousness ? I mean, she became instantly limp and unresponsive when it happened, but people in locked in syndrome are limp and unresponsive, and they are conscious... So is there any way to know if she was conscious while I was holding her ?
&#x200B;
Also why are those questions bothering me so much despite the fact that I know it does not change anything. I am a pretty curious person usually, maybe that's why.
| 840 |
I'm very sorry for your loss.
From the way you describe it she probably lost consciousness the moment she was on the bed and no more responsive. She was comatose because of the bleeding. Breathing still works because that is regulated from the brainstem, which is deep down in the brain.
The paramedics probably presumed a intracranial bleeding because of the events. Headache and suddenly coma is very typical.
The device the doctor put into her throat could be a laryngoscope, a device used to introduce a breathing tube into patients.
The vomiting is caused by the pressure build up in the head.
| 582 |
AskDocs
|
22f PLEASE help , I get frequent boils in my groin area that prevent me from doing day to day activities.
|
I probably get about 5-6 a year of these boils (my doc says these are boils)
He prescribes me antibiotics wich I’m not even sure help. The only thing that seems to help it’s soaking and soaking them untill the finally “break” and leak puss out only to leave a small lump that can later become inflamed and happen all over again.
I am usually prescribed clindamycin 300g 2 times daily (so 4 pills in total a day)
They prevent me from walking and working as a server.
If I’m not experiencing the intense pain of them I’m wondering when the next will come. I can’t wear bikinis. I am scared to be intimate/ wash too hard.
I clean myself regularly and never shave down there. (Only my mound) here are some pics
(EDIT: I’ve deleted this I think my Whooohaa has had enough audience today)
Please let me know if you’re familiar or upvote for some visibility. It really affects my life unfortunately. Thank you all
Edit whoops I’m actually 25
| 762 |
It sounds like HS. NAD, but I have HS. You shouldn’t be prescribed antibiotics if these are recurring and they haven’t run a culture, antibiotics likely aren’t helping if it is HS because it’s not an infection. See a dermatologist, there are medications that can help. If it’s this severe, they may recommend you be on a biologic like Humira.
Also, this is NOT a hygiene issue. So please don’t feel like this is happening because you are not cleaning well enough.
| 552 |
AskDocs
|
My gf (26F) has posterior fibroids and her menstrual has been so impossibly heavy for the past 2.5 weeks, she can't wear anything for a few hours without completely ruining it. She's also recently developed lightheadedness. Her IUD is also falling out. I'm getting EXTREMELY worried
|
The above pretty much summarizes it.
She's about 5'6 and 237lbs, African American, non smoker, currently on birth control and standard pain medication.
I've been with her for 2 years and we've only recently started seeing this. Just before Covid, she went to the hospital in February because of extremely heavy flow and cramps of lovecraftian proportions, and the doctors told her that she had posterior fibroids. She was prescribed medication to regulate her period and mitigate blood loss (regular birth control pills and something else, possibly pain meds, iirc), but it has since gotten worse. She has been bleeding HEAVY nonstop since the week before Father's day and I. Am. Worried.
She's now experiencing lightheadedness, shaking, and I'm afraid she's going to pass out due to the perfect storm of trying to work retail, dehydration from the heat, and blood loss. Today at work she noticed that her IUD strings were poking out, so I instructed her to leave work and come straight to me. We're headed to Planned Parenthood in the morning for the IUD, but is this caused by the posterior fibroids? Or is it a coincidence? What can we do to stop her from bleeding so much? HELP!
| 698 |
This is suspicious for symptomatic anaemia and I think she needs urgent evaluation. She may need a blood transfusion.
| 841 |
AskDocs
|
Mysterious worms in mouth
|
I am Asian(18M), 180cm and 60kg, non smoker and not allergic to any medicine.
For the past month, I have been spitting out worms from my mouth ever so often. Went to see a doctor and he wasn't sure what it was too but gave me antibiotics to flush out whatever it is. However, I sneezed(?) it out again today (haven't started eating antibiotics yet) and am actually starting to get worried about what's happening.
The worm is a translucent one, extremely thin and about 5mm long. Its body seems to have multiple segments with a faint black line outlining the segments. I have picture and video evidence of this wriggly unwelcome intruder if that helps.
Edit 1: here's the link
https://imgur.com/a/tPYvcLn
The reason I did not visit the doctor until the 3rd occasion was because I wasn't a 100% certain they came out of me. On every sighting, only a single worm was noticed, always when I was brushing my teeth. Did not feel anything wrong with me too. Will definitely be ask to be referred to a more specialised doctor.
No, I haven't been eating anything dodgy off the side of the road. I'm from Singapore, with imo high hygiene standards. We do not (at least I think) have any dodgy gas stations or street vendors, but who knows?
From the comments, my "worm" looks like a moth fly larvae. Will be providing an update.
Update 1: Doc isn't an idiot, stop bashing him. He issued me metronidazole, which is indeed an antibiotic, but is anti parasitic too. It was my own fault for leaving the medication at work. Anyway, he has sent me to the a&e. Tifu story episode 2?
| 655 |
You need anti parasitic medicine from a doc ASAP but you gotta bring a worm for testing
| 534 |
AskDocs
|
I visited urgent care last night for a fever, sores/bumps on genital area, body aches, and burning urination. My fever is now rising higher. Cause for concern? [24] [F]
|
24 year old, white female
5’7 and 170 lbs
Only medication is Duloxetine 60 mg for depression and anxiety
I don’t smoke and I drink socially around once a week
No other pre-existing conditions. History of 3-4 urinary tract infections.
On Monday, I noticed my vulva was sore but I thought maybe it was because I had sex with my boyfriend two days prior. We have been in a monogamous relationship for four months.
Later that day, I noticed burning ruination and several red/pink bumps on my vulva. That evening, I felt hot so I took my temperature which was 99.9 and increased to 100.4 in an hour or so.
I scheduled an appointment with a gynecologist and the earliest she could get me in was Thursday. Work asked me to take a COVID test due to the fever so I did that yesterday. Yesterday (Tuesday) evening, my fever rose to 101.2 so I decided to go to urgent care.
I was diagnosed with a UTI and told that the bumps/sores on my vulva look like herpes. They intended to perform a swab test but said that the company that makes the herpes tests also makes the COVID tests so they stopped manufacturing the herpes test kits and the urgent care had run out. She knew I had a gynecology appointment on Thursday so we discussed I would be tested for herpes on Thursday and I was prescribed Macrobid for UTI.
This morning, I woke up feeling like my face was burning and my fever had increased to 102.8. I’m unsure if this is cause for concern considering all of my symptoms. I’ve never had a fever with a UTI before. I’m not sure if this could also be a herpes fever. Another concern is that I won’t be able to go to the gynecologist tomorrow due to my fever because they screen at the door.
Do I need to seek further care for increasing fever? I took my first dose of antibiotics last night and will take second dose in a few hours.
| 468 |
Completely anecdotally, this sounds just like my first herpes outbreak. It was a really awful couple of days and then a sore couple of weeks while the lesions healed. Subsequent outbreaks aren’t nearly as bad. Herpes is a super common infection, but it can be really upsetting to be diagnosed with. I struggled with it for months, it completely devastated me. Antivirals have really, really helped and I no longer get outbreaks. My PMs are open if you want to chat! Hope you’re feeling ok :)
| 459 |
AskDocs
|
i eat at least 3k kcals/day but cannot gain any weight and my weight has dropped to a worrisome level [23F]
|
hi,
i'm a 23-year-old asian woman who has had an abnormally fast metabolism her entire life. i am currently 5'6" and 102 pounds. i am diagnosed with type 1 narcolepsy and a non-functioning pituitary adenoma that is about 13 mm in diameter. i take 60 mg of dextroamphetamine a day with minimal breaks (the dose was increased from 50 to 60 mg about a year ago and i have been on dextroamphetamine for 5 years now), 262.5 mg of venlafaxine, and smoke 0.5 grams of cannabis every night (legal state). i also take 500 mg of magnesium and 1500 mg of n-acetyl cysteine every night.
i have always needed to eat more to compensate for my metabolism. however, it has become a problem as i've lost nearly 15 pounds in the last six months or so. my "happy medium" weight is 115 pounds, which is already slim for my height, but i managed to maintain that weight for most of my adult life; i began tracking calories and increasing my daily caloric intake to 3k kcals (calories) about three years ago, which helped a lot. however, as mentioned above, i have been losing weight steadily for about half a year now and am now at 102 pounds. i did not receive my period this month, and this is the first time that has happened.
i make sure i hit at least 3k calories a day by eating four or five regular meals with meal replacements (huel right now) and constant snacking. i am not kidding when i say i sleep hugging a 2-lb costco-sized bag of almonds. honestly, this has made my relationship with food pretty unhealthy since i try to eat even when i'm not hungry. i schedule my meals in my planner next to my school and work duties and they are not something i look forward to.
i am aware that stimulants such as dexedrine can inhibit one's appetite and speed up gut motility, but i count my calories very diligently since i know that my weight fluctuates and i'm not sure how much of a role increased gut motility would play. i was also diagnosed with a non-functioning pituitary adenoma last july that was discovered due to a history of headaches and am scheduled to have it removed in august.
i receive hormone panels every two months. my panel from last saturday, which was at 1pm and was not asked to fast for, indicates that the following hormones are out of range: estradiol levels of < 20 pg/mL with a range given of 37-218 pg/mL for mid-luteal and 20-92 pg/mL for mid-follicular phases, cortisol levels of 50.4 mcg/dL with a range given of 2.5-11.3 mcg/dL, and a prolactin level of 85 ng/mL with a range given of 2-29 ng/mL. however, the results of my panels change every time and this is the first time these three hormones have been out of range. for example, my thyroid appears to be normal now, but two months ago my panel indicated that i had hypothyroidism.
i am starting to wonder if there is some sort of hidden disorder that is causing this abrupt weight loss and overall fast metabolism, because i eat more food but lose more weight than literally anyone i know. i am meeting with my endocrinologist in two weeks and will ask how much of a role my fluctuating hormones may play in my weight, but any additional information would be great.
also, if anyone has any tips other than what i am already doing to gain weight, please let me know.
**TLDR;** i'm an asian 23F (5'6" and 102 pounds) who has had an abnormally fast metabolism her whole life, but managed to maintain weight of 115 pounds until six months ago. i eat at least 3k calories every day (oftentimes more). i'm diagnosed with narcolepsy and a non-functioning pituitary adenoma. i had a somewhat abnormal panel last saturday, although the results fluctuate. i'm wondering how much the abnormal levels may be contributing to this rapid weight loss or if there is some hidden disorder i should perhaps look into. i have a whole laundry list of doctor appointments lined up so this is just for extra info. i can provide more info if needed.
edit: i also wanted to add that i lead a pretty active life. i was on a dance team and play tennis 3 or 4 times a week. however, i have been pretty sedentary with the pandemic
edit 2: i just modified the ranges for estradiol because i had my panel done on the day my period (if it had come this month) was supposed to be ending, so i'm actually not sure what stage of my cycle i am at
FINAL EDIT: thank you all so much for your comments. there was some great input. if i have an update in the future, i will post it. fingers crossed!
| 380 |
All right. This one has at least one component directly in my wheelhouse - the pituitary stuff - but I don’t have the information to answer it completely - getting a unified picture isn't making much sense to me.
Relevant facts here:
>a non-functioning pituitary adenoma that is about 13 mm in diameter.
>no period
>Undetectable estrogen, elevated cortisol, and elevated prolactin
>prior abnormal thyroid blood tests.
Quick review here:
The pituitary gland is in charge of making a half dozen or so hormones, most of which control various other glands that control different aspects of you. If the connection of the pituitary and the hypothalamus is interrupted, all of these hormone levels go down *except* prolactin, which goes up.
So an elevated prolactin is caused by one of two things in your particular scenario - either your pituitary adenoma is NOT non-functional (i.e. it makes prolactin), or it's grown to the point it's pressing on the pituitary stalk (the connection between the pituitary and hypothalamus) and has interrupted that connection. It can also be elevated due to various medications, but none that you're on - except the pot, which will usually only increase it mildly. Without review of your prior blood tests, it's impossible to know which is true. Regardless, a high prolactin will suppress your estrogen, and will make your period go away - so that's an easy explanation.
What might be causing you to lose weight? Of all of the hormones that are effected by the pituitary, *too much* thyroid or *too little* cortisol are the usual culprits there. But you have an *extremely* elevated cortisol level, which makes zero sense at all - your story is concerning for that particular hormone being low. Cortisol levels in the 50s cause severe weight gain. So what makes this picture make sense? I don't know. It could be mismeasurement - there are some substances that can cause the analyzers to be screwed up, including biotin, a common ingredient in women's hair and nail supplements.
Thyroid blood tests in the setting of pituitary disease are also sometimes hard to interpret, so I'd be curious what the prior abnormalities were.
What would I do if I had a patient with a similar picture? I would ask that you abstain from the pot for a few days, stop any supplements for a few days, and repeat all the hormonal blood tests, including thyroid (TSH/Free T4), cortisol (ACTH/cortisol/DHEA-S), prolactin, estrogen (FSH/LH/estradiol), and growth hormone (IGF-1). The biochemistry (blood tests) is the most important thing to me here, but repeating the pituitary MRI may be reasonable as well.
If the prolactin remains elevated, they'll probably put you on medicine to lower it. If the cortisol remains elevated, you need further evaluation with a wide variety of testing.
| 190 |
AskDocs
|
Will my brother live?
|
Male, 23 years old, 5ft10 and 75kgs.
My brother was found unconscious but still breathing after consuming what appears to be 25mg of alprazolam, 25mg of Clonazepam, 200mg diazepam and about 0,5liter of vodka. We assume this was a suicide attempt.
Is there any chance he'll live? Thank you.
| 599 |
Yes, there is a chance he will live. Hopefully he did not suffer a hypoxic brain injury while he had severe respiratory depression. The fact he was still breathing is a good thing. Just have to give it time now.
| 631 |
AskDocs
|
Huge indentation on butt after trauma
|
30 y/0 female.
&#x200B;
I hit my butt super hard on my kitchen counter a week or so ago. This evening I noticed the area has turned into a large crater on my cheek. When I run my hand over the area, it feels like a complete absence of fat. And it is extremely noticeable.
Will this return to normal fat? Did I hit my butt so hard that I ruined it? Sorry if this is a vain post, but I don't know what to expect.
| 317 |
It could be one of two things
1. You still have swelling but the central depressed portion is tethered down while the surrounding skin that isn’t so tethered is raised. Different areas of our skin are more or less connected to the underlying muscle with connective tissue “tethers”. If this is the case, it will go away.
2. Fat necrosis. If you hit it hard enough, occasionally you rupture some of the fat pockets and possibly damage the local blood supply to the area. This is less likely to be reversible. Cells damaged this way release their contents which tend to bind to calcium. If you feel hard nodules under the skin, that would indicate calcium has deposited where the dead fat is. It may require surgical excision if it bothers you enough, but you will have a scar to take it’s place and there’s no guarantee the scar won’t tether down and create another depression.
| 258 |
AskDocs
|
[21M] Dry throat and each day i find more difficult to breathe
|
\[21 Male, Hispanic, 6'1, 70kg\]
It started around 2 of July with just a mild dry throat, im very very careful everytime i go outside and only do so to get groceries.
I'm currently living with my parents and my older sister (none of them have presented symptoms).
The following days i started to feel a very mild preassure on certain points around the left part of my chest and since then i had more and more problems breathing speccialy while trying to sleep.
I feel like i'm against the wall right now because feel like i could bankrupt my family if this gets more complicated or even worse i could infect my parents.
What i'm asking is if there is a way to help my symptoms without sacrificing the money i have in case a family member gets something worse than me.
&#x200B;
Edit: Sorry I forgot to say it but I'm currently living in Mexico, my parents do have insurance but I don't qualify because of my age and being unemployed, I'm also doing a self quarantine on my room, thanks for the support I will try to get a test but it's a little complicated around here
| 319 |
Please don't go get groceries. Stay in your room and let another family member do the shopping. If you have COVID you could be passing it to the public if you go into a store.
Is there any kind of COVID hotline where you live in Mexico? Perhaps they can point you toward some free or low-cost medical treatment specifically for COVID. Even without insurance, many countries are providing extra services to prevent the spread. I hope Mexico has some of those resources available for you.
| 218 |
AskDocs
|
Can I decline a pelvic exam and still be prescribed birth control?
|
Hi! I'm a 20 year old female in USA who is on birth control pills prescribed by my OBGYN. I've been seeing her since I was 14 for birth control. I'm wondering if my doctor would still write me my birth control prescription if I decline a pelvic exam? My reasons for declining have to do extremely personal trauma I've experienced in my past. I understand I'm declining a cancer screening but in the meantime while I'm still young I'm not too concerned as my family has no history of cancer. I'd absolutely still visit my obgyn for blood pressure/chatting for a yearly check in. And hopefully once I'm in a better place mentally and older I will be more concerned with having an exam. But for the time being I feel immensely against it. I'm just wondering if having a pelvic exam is mandatory in order to prescribe birth control pills. I'm taking the pills not as a contraceptive, but for regulating and to ease cramps. Thank you for reading!
Edit: Just adding that I'm turning 21 next month which my dr told me is the age when the physical exams will start. I have not expressed my feelings regarding the physical exam to her yet though.
Edit part 2: I'm sooo thankful to everyone who responded! I really didn't know anything of the reasoning on why these exams are done/important so I totally see now why they are important to get done. I'd definitely like to get the exams done at some point (hopefully soon). I'm working with my therapist regarding any trauma or reservations I have with my body and being touched for whatever reason. Its just my impending gyno appointment is coming up and I'll be 21by then so I was really freaked out and having an anxiety attack when I realized this and thats what fueled me to post on reddit lol It seems like the general consensus of the comments say I'm allowed to decline with explaining my trauma history with my doctor. I feel that she would be compassionate enough to allow me some more mental healing time. I'm grateful for all the other alternatives I learned of like the self administered test, anxiety medication, ect so I'm glad there are other options to move forward too other than outright declining. Thank you also to anyone who shared their similar experiences I'm comforted to know I'm not alone and the only one dealing with a concern like this <3 I have MAJOR confidence going into my upcoming gyno appointment knowing where my rights/consent stand, and of the possible outcomes that could be offered
Female, 20, 5ft, 120lbs, complaint/duration N/A, medications: seasonique birth control, race: asian, no drinking smoking or drugs
| 330 |
Having a pelvic exam is not mandatory. It is highly recommended to get a Pap smear (that's specifically the swab of your cervix) starting at age 21 in the US. Though not as good, you can do a self-swab to collect a Pap, so that's another option to discuss with your OB/GYN or primary care doc.
| 382 |
AskDocs
|
I can't go to the doctor and I have nobody to ask about this massive ass scaby hole in my arm
|
I'm 19 yo female from Central Texas. I recently woke up with what I thought was a spider bite, and all I had really was some itchy red dot w two little bite marks. I was like whatever and carried on with my day. It started to get bigger and become dry in the next few days- it was dry and about.5 inch diameter. it had a slightly raised ring arround the flat dry center. I was like ok weird spider bite and it'll heal soon.
Then while me and my cat were playing she got a tiny tiny scratch in the center. I was like ok cool maybe that's bad but I'm sure it's fine and didn't pay much attention to it. At about 6-9 days, it's about 1 inch diameter, and was just like a red dry skin patch for a while. But yesterday, it started to leak like a clear sticky liquid. it's pretty gross. no smell though, and no streaking. it's got a crusty outer ring and a flat ish center, but it's all red and leaking clear liquid now. someone said that's part of the healing process- but I'm not so sure.
Some have said maybe staph or ringworm, but it has not spread, and it's for sure been touched by my boyfriend so I don't think it spreads like that. Originally thought mild brown recluse, and I originally met the criteria through the "NOT RECLUSE" acronym, but now I'm not so sure. it's itchy again and kinda hurts. I'm worried because I can't go to the doctor because of covid. I keep it clean and wash it daily, but I'm not sure if I should keep it that wet.
Any medical advice woukd be really appreciated I know I should just go to the doctor but I can't. How to clean and take care of it - or even what it might be. I've been a fiend on Google but I'm just tripping myself out.
thank you to any Healthcare professional that can help me and what u do to help others :)
Here are some pictures
https://ibb.co/WgDC2rm
https://ibb.co/FxFDdz4
https://ibb.co/1QVpB89
Edit：thanks for all the replies. been generally telling me to go to the hospital- I'll go tomorrow (6/9). I hope nothing bad happens overnight, but it's been like 11 days with it so I hope it will be. I'm getting scared reading the comments though LOL
A special thank you for trying to help me financially and helping me to find support. I have enough money for the visit, so I won't be needing funds :)
I can update with what they say it is if anybody is interested
UPDATE: hi, it's 6/20 now. the doctor said it was ringworm, and prescribed me an anti fungal. I applied it 2x a day, and it's gone down significantly (https://ibb.co/VWrFstm)
thanks hehe
| 413 |
Go see a doctor before it becomes any worse. If you don't have insurance coverage then go to an emergency clinic. At the very least they can prescribe some medication and hopefully determine it wasn't a brown recluse.
A neighbor was bitten by a brown recluse on the leg and he did not go to the doctor immediately. He waited 4 weeks to go. When he came back he was on crutches. Two weeks later he just disappeared and I didn't see him for a few months. When I did see him again, he was in a wheelchair and his right leg had been amputated from the mid thigh. If he had gone when be noticed the wound spreading he may not have lost a limb.
| 473 |
AskDocs
|
Post Hysterectomy and Orgasms
|
I’m a 32yo woman and I had a laparoscopic hysterectomy with the Davinci on June 5th. I’ve never had children and my uterus was really small according to my doctor so the chances of vaginal prolapse we’re almost nonexistent. The doctor took my tubes and cervix along with my uterus and told me no intercourses for 6 weeks. I specifically asked about clitoral stimulation and they said wait two weeks. I’m at 5 weeks now and decided to try clitoral stimulation which brought me to orgasm, which was TERRIBLE! I felt like I was being ripped in half and I almost passed out. I went to the bathroom to check for bleeding but was all clear and I ended up crying myself to sleep. That was two nights ago and while I’m still not bleeding, my vagina does have a weird feeling, like a tampon is stuck in there. I’m not in any pain it’s just weird and uncomfortable. I have another post op appointment on the 15th but I’m wondering if I’ve done some actual damage?
| 367 |
If you stayed on the outside I can pretty much guarantee you did not do any damage.
A hysterectomy comes with a lot of cautery to pelvic organ support structures. I suspect you need time for this to heal. If you continue to have pelvic pain when you are more normally sexually active I would recommend considering pelvic floor PT (assuming you’re a good candidate for it).
| 250 |
AskDocs
|
Red spots on skin when stressed
|
Hey guys.
Image: [https://imgur.com/a/AMTpTuD](https://imgur.com/a/AMTpTuD)
I\[24M\] have been having this for over 10 years and today after some intense gaming I finally was curious what is the name of it. Google didn't help me at all.
For prior conditions: Never had skin problem, don't take medication, don't smoke, don't drink, don't use drugs. I do have a bit higher blood pressure but doctors told me there's no need for medication.
The spots appear in stressful moments: Social awkwardness, gaming, not sure about when working out, but most probably (I'm very used to it already).
They are never itchy, they never hurt, they don't have a bump, it's just hotter to the touch than other parts of the skin. I'm very curios if it has a name and what exactly causes it.
Thanks a lot!
&#x200B;
edit 1: add no bump
edit 2: For clarification, the spots are not swollen, they don't have a bump. They're on the same level as the skin, the ONLY differences being that they're hotter and they're red.
| 272 |
It’s called flushing. Yours is more intense than most.
| 238 |
AskDocs
|
Unable to cope today
|
I'm using a throwaway account to post as I don't want to be identified. I'm not sure if this is the right sub for this post. Any help will be appreciated.
I've been working in the COVID inpatient dept/ward for the last 3 months as one of the many physicians from other specialties who are contributing. These couple of wards are capable of housing 100 patients each. One of these cubicles has been turned into a makeshift icu with ventilators (in all wards, as required) as the og icu is not capable of housing more than 15 patients. I started working in the female ward 2 days back. On the first day, we managed a DKA patient who presented with constricted pupils and was hypotensive, and another female with b/l pleural effusion whose sats dropped immediately. Both needed ICU care but the icu was full with patients who were worse, but salvageable (a/t the intensivist). We lost both patients towards the end of my shift. Another newly admitted patient that day told me that her entire family had tested positive and were hospitalized or put under isolation.
Today, I got up feeling very tired and had a relenting headache (I do not usually have headaches). I cried in the shower. I couldn't bring myself to stop. It wasn't like only tears tolled down my eyes, I was sobbing and holding my heart. I was worried and scared. I was scared about getting infected. To be honest, I'm not sure what I'm feeling, and why I'm feeling what I'm feeling. I'd like to figure out so that I'm fit to take care of others again.
I'm not sure if I should take a break for some time. Please help me figure out what I should be doing. I tried to speak to colleagues but they told me they're just coping.
Edit: I'm posting here as r/medicine requires your account to be 7 days old
| 540 |
Always remember that in order for you to take care of others, you need to be taken care of first. You need to take some time off for mental wellness. It's not at all uncommon during these unprecedented times that staff members need to cool off, sometimes at a moments notice because of reaching a breaking point.
&#x200B;
The highest priority patient is you.
| 453 |
AskDocs
|
How can a dark skin, black girl like myself go about getting keloid/raised self harm scars removed?
|
23 female, California
I mention that i am a dark skin black girl because I don’t know if procedures involving lasers will work for me. I’ve been told by doctors that lasers don’t work well on dark skin like mine so they prefer not use it on us.
[These](https://imgur.com/a/ttN3NHU) scars are 3-7 years old. Theyre always in the front of my mind. How I dress, walk, stand, sit is surrounded by these scars. It’s one of the first things people notice when they meet me and I just see that look in their eyes thats either sorry or freaked out UGH. I’m ready for these to go away! I’m ready to start my life.
I tried googling it but I can’t find any results with my situation regarding my complexion and self harm scars. Please anyone any suggestions! Thank you.
EDIT: I wish reddit notified you all when op makes an update. I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the support, advice, messages, and awards! Some y’all even went out of your way to do research for me which was super helpful. I’ve made a list of all the treatment and procedures mentioned in this thread. I’ve been doing my own research and unfortunately there’s not enough info online regarding scar recovery by self inflicted woulds like mine – let alone for dark skin. However I’m not going to give up. I think the next step is to get a consultation with a doctor who works on scars and ask questions. Also just wanted to say I came into this totally opposed to getting any tattoo cover ups but now I’m *slightly* open to it. God bless you all! ❤️
| 1,025 |
You've already gotten a lot of good advice about the scars, but I just wanted to say that it's impressive you haven't self-harmed for so many years. I understand it's a very difficult thing to overcome, so I hope you are giving yourself appropriate (i.e. *huge*) credit for that.
I sincerely hope you find something that minimizes the appearance of your scars, but even if you don't, don't you DARE walk around in shame...worrying about what other people think and letting your scars hold you back. You are stronger and more resilient than anyone else knows, and your scars don't define you. Now go out there and kick (some more) ass. You've got this.
| 920 |
AskDocs
|
Boyfriend has severe constipation and Mass Gen ER wouldn't help,
|
Age: 23
Sex: Male
My boyfriend has had severe constipation problems his whole life. It took over a week for his first bowel movement as a baby to happen. His mom constantly had to use laxatives with him, as nothing would help. He would often have very large and very difficult stools to get out. He has been to a few docs as a kid and they just said IBS-C.
However, he will literally go weeks without being able to go. He's practically reliant on stool softeners, laxatives, and prune juice. Nothing is helping. Last night he had severe intestinal pain, vomiting, and water essentially coming out, so I took him to the ER. Literally all they did was palpitate him and send him home. Nothing else. His blood pressure was 142/90. They gave him some type of laxative. It has not worked. He's in bad pain and I don't know what to do. He's reluctant to go back because it doesn't seem like anyone cares.
Please help. I'm afraid of an impaction or blocked intestine.
| 447 |
Hi! When was the last time he had a solid bowel movement? I think you should go back to the ER, at the very least they could give him an enema to help with the likely impaction.
Once he gets better from that acute episode, he should definitely make an appointment with a gastroenterologist to seriously investigate his constipation problem. Hirschprung's disease is absolutely on the differential diagnosis list, not having his first bowel movement within 48 hours after birth is a very telling sign of an organic problem, rather than something functional like IBS.
| 327 |
AskDocs
|
In need of some serious help
|
(18 y/o male) I've been deliberating whether I should post my story online due to my fear of making something private kind of public but I've decided to give it ago in hopes someone can help.
A few days before quarantine began, I decided to sort of experiment a bit with my sexuality instead of just being bi curious, and hooked up with a guy on grindr. I was really nervous and we decided to just go slow with him giving me oral. I asked him several times before we got together whether he was STD free and he told me yes multiple times,. I even went as far as to use a condom since I was still very scared.
Fast forward into full blown quarantine and the guy texted me, saying that he was sorry he lied and that he should have told me the truth. My heart sunk to my stomach when he told me he had HIV and I instantly blocked him before he could say anything else. Now it's been a few months and I've been ridden with anxiety about my health and what will happen to me. I've been looking online about HIV transmission and all the websites said I should be fine but I'm still very scared because apparently you can still get it from oral if the condom breaks(he also sort of licked my balls a bit and idk if that's a risk factor) and all of this was so new to me. Ive basically cried my eyes out and been stuck in a huge depression. I have no one to even talk to because all my friends and family are a bit close minded and this whole situation is just embarrassing. I can't even go get tested bc all the clinics are busy with the virus patients or are just closed
So I've come here as a sort of last resort because I really dont know what to do. I'm so ashamed of myself for even trying something so stupid and so risky instead of just leaving my curiosity alone. If someone could please help because I'm just really scared and worried that I might have had it from like the condom breaking or something
| 421 |
I am so sorry this happened to you.
Good job for wearing a condom, as this helped prevent possible exposure.
Out of an abundance of precaution, I still recommend going to a clinic to get tested for HIV. Confirming you're negative will relieve a lot of anxiety.
I would not be scared or worried. Just go in, take the test, and get it over with so you are not riddled with anxiety.
If you need to, see a therapist for the depression and anxiety. This will help tremendously.
| 651 |
AskDocs
|
Whenever I go to the doctor’s office, I can not stop crying. How can I stop?
|
I’m crying even as I write this. I’m 23F and I have a history of serious mental health problems that are well managed. This is really starting to frustrate me because I feel like if I cry in front of my doctors, I’ll immediately get written off (I’ve found that the reason I do cry is because I have medical trauma from past stays in psych wards, but I 100% realize that this is not representative of every medical experience I’ll ever have and that there are great doctors that want to help me).
I’m truly afraid that if I keep this up, I won’t get the quality care I need, but crying is like a reflex at this point, the tears just flow. Doctors of Reddit, I would really appreciate any advice you may have. I don’t want this to be an anxiety inducing and dreadful experience for me or my doctors. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
EDIT: I had no idea so many people struggled with the same problem, I truly thought I was alone. Thank you so much to everyone that has taken the time to reply, it means the world to me and I can't wait to start implementing some of your suggestions!
| 538 |
You don't have to stop crying. You don't have to stop feeling anxious.
You don't have to change how you feel or who you are and you can still expect to get the same professional care, as if you stare at us with an unflinching, steely gaze.
If you don't feel you get that with a doc, there's nothing wrong with asking around and meeting other docs to find the ones you are comfortable with.
To be completely honest, the last time I saw my personal doctor, I started to tear up when I was talking about something. I don't even remember why. I think I was just opening up about something personal.
| 413 |
AskDocs
|
I had a panic attack yesterday, but I got a new symptom?
|
Age:18
Sex:Female
Weight: Approximately 216 pounds
Race: Caucasian
No drug/alcohol use
No medication
I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder a few months ago. I'm a very passive person and I don't like to fight. I was working retail and I got two particularly nasty customers. One was getting mad at me because her total was "too high" when in all actuality the numbers were correct. I helped her void things and cancel others to get the number lower. She immediately stopped bullying me as soon as she got word my manager was coming to handle it, and left. I took a 3 minute breather before ringing up more people.
Less than an hour later, a man walks up. He was holding a lot of drinks in his left arm/hand, and I grabbed them because he looked like he was going to drop it. 9/10 my customer appreciate the help. He didn't like this at all, and started up immediately. He started cursing at me and scolding me like a child, and my anxiety just ramped up. I was trying to hold myself together, so I only nodded when he asked for some cigars. He wanted a bag, so I put the cigars in the bag because most people just want it thrown in one bag. He immediately sighed, slammed his hands on the counter, and asked me (and my manager who come up at this point) how "fucking smart is that? It'll get crushed blah blah blah blah" and I instantly burst into tears on the floor and storm into the break room.
I had one of the most intense panic attacks of my life in the bathroom. I'm used to the trembling, stuttering, numbness in my hands, etc. I was hyperventilating very hard, and it was so bad that my face started to get that pins and needles sensation. I couldn't feel anything else but that specific sensation. I've never quite felt that before. It felt like my face was paralyzed, I saw myself in the mirror and I couldn't really make any facial expressions except the one I had already been making. I almost threw up, and I felt like I was going to pass out. Can anyone tell me why I felt this sensation?
EDIT: https://imgur.com/a/Rv7zPhy
This is not okay to say to someone, I was diagnosed with anxiety by my therapist. Anybody can have anxiety, it could be the vet in the wheelchair, the the class clown in your math class, your teacher at the board, the cashier serving you, your own child, your mother, your brother/sister. Anxiety comes in many different shapes/forms. Please do not let people bully you about your illness, it's people like this who will try to bring you down. Do not let them invalidate you.
| 445 |
Hi,
I’m sorry you’ve had such a shoddy time recently. People can be so mean.
What you experienced is called perioral numbness/paraesthesia (basically “numbness and tingles around the mouth”). This is a very common symptom faced by anxiety sufferers, and it is caused by the hyperventilation. When you hyperventilate, you exhale a lot of CO2, and CO2 helps to lower your blood pH. When you get rid of a lot of your CO2, it raises your pH (makes it more alkaline), and this leads to a reduction of calcium ions in your blood. Low calcium (or “hypocalcaemia”) causes your nerves to get super excitable and twitchy, leading to all sorts of strange symptoms such as a tingling feeling in the upper limbs and around the mouth.
I hope this answers your question :)
| 350 |
AskDocs
|
After months of recovery from COVID-19, my smell is gone again!
|
Hi there!
I am 19M, United Kingdom, non-smoker, 220lbs, 6ft 0in.
I contracted COVID-19 in March 2020 and tested positive on April 16, 2020. I completely lost my smell and taste, was breathless, lethargic, fatigued and had an awful cough.
I recovered from the virus in mid May and my smell and taste was completely back to normal (although I now hate the taste of chocolate, that's the only thing that's different)
However, over 4 months after contracting the virus, I have noticed my smell (which has been completely normal since the end of April) is massively changing.
I noticed it first on July 14th when chopping an onion, and it smelled really fruity and spicy rather than like...you know...an onion smell.
Over the last two days since this, I have noticed that everything is changing smells. Cut grass now smells like poop, and food now smells like burning rubber.
It is different to how my smell changed when I contracted COVID-19 (I just woke up one day having completely lost my smell and taste), where as this is just everything changing.
My question would be is it common for smell to still be affected after so long of not having the virus, or should I be concerned I have it once again!?
Edit: Also, would love to hear everyones stories of similar nature!
Edit 2: A lot of you seem to have questions, so if you want to know anything im happy to answer it!:)
Edit 3 (22 Jul 2020) - Hi all! Posting an update as hundreds wanted it lol. Don't even know if anyone will see this at all. I got my test back today, 22nd July 2020 (at 12:45am lmao). It was **negative!** Must have been the after effects of the first time I had it in March! Thanks to everyone for the advice on the post. Hope all is well :)
| 841 |
Hi guys, thought I'd update. In the last hour I have booked a test to once again get tested for the virus. I am really convinced it will be negative. The website says that a 'change of smell' is also a symptom as much as the 'loss of smell' which I didn't know, and the fact that all of my smell is so weird and so strong leads me to believe it could be a symptom. While I also agree with the assumption that this is a set of weird after effects from the initial infection, I would never want to put anyone at risk so would like to make sure I am corona free once again before resuming normal activities. Thanks for all of your help guys :)
| 341 |
AskDocs
|
Insatiable Acidic Cravings
|
Ever since I was a little kid, every few months I get hit with absolutely insatiable vinegar cravings. I will straight up drink it from the bottle and still want more. I also get cravings like this for things that are quite acidic in nature, such as lemons, hot sauce, or tomatoes. As a kid my parents would have to literally cut me off because I would eat so much my lips would turn white, and I’d still want more. I’ll sit down and eat an entire head of lettuce, bundle of celery, full size cucumber, etc with vinegar on it. (Idk if this is important, but I hate apple cider vinegar. My go to is red wine vinegar, but white vinegar or balsamic will also do the trick.) I do imbibe on occasion and have noticed that the last two days after I did get these vinegar cravings, but other than that, I can’t pinpoint any specific triggers.
I’m a healthy weight and eat a fairly varied diet, and the only oddities in my bloodwork are low white blood cell counts.
I’ve heard that sometimes intense cravings can signal some sort of biological clue for a nutrient that is missing. Could that be something that is going on? I was just curious! This doesn’t really negatively impact my life, it just causes me to get some weird looks sometimes.
Details: 23F, 5 ft 3 inches, 130 lbs, Caucasian, acid cravings, existing medical issues (Migraines, IST, mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation), medications (verapamil and singulair), no drugs, sparingly drink, no smoking.
| 351 |
Holy shit I have this too!!! I have never met another person who experiences this!! There is basically no limit to how much vinegar I can take. I’ll douse things in it, drink ACV and kombucha, eat salt and vinegar chips and pickles until my mouth is raw. My parents said when I was a baby I used to suck on lemon slices. I’ve always wondered why this happens!
Edit: Caucasian female, same height and similar weight but I’m 28. Only medical problems are allergies and ADHD.
| 221 |
AskDocs
|
Hurt myself masturbating with dildo.. please help !
|
Abdominal Pain after using dildo ..
Hi , I’m 19, a female . F19 , and hurt myself using my dildo while I was masturbating. I’m not sure how exactly , I just remember not feeling aroused anymore and pulled it out slowly, and I THINK I felt something twist a bit and then .. I immediately started to feel lower abdominal pain and nausea and my body started trembling. I thought maybe it was just trapped gas/air somehow but I’m not so sure.. I used a heating pad and took a Tylenol to soothe the pain. I can still feel the pain with certain movements I make such as standing or walking or sometimes sitting on a specific side .. the pain is still there and I’m worried it may be something more serious.. and advice ? Btw this JUST happened today , so it’s only been a few hours dealing with this .. :/ I believe I should mention the size of my toy .. I was using a 9 inch dildo .. with lots of lube ! It’s not my first time using it .
I don’t know if the way my body was positioned has anything to do with what happened? I was laying down but my upper body was kinda sitting upright against a wall.
Also , I don’t use any recreational drugs at all. No current medication being taken .
I do have Generalized Anxiety Disorder , but I highly doubt that Is the reason for what happened . Please help ..? Thank you 🙍🏻♀️🙍🏻♀️
| 428 |
ObGyn here.
Could be a cyst that's ruptured, but the after effects usually last a bit longer (twisting pain, irritated bowel and bladder etc) and you'd usually only be given pain relief if you go tonhospitsl. May also be an endometriosis deposit that's disturbed (dependent on what your periods are like), or you've just knocked your cervix badly. It may also be irritation of bowel lying next to the vagina. An ovarian torsion would be unlikely.
As others have said, pain worsening, nausea and vomiting, fever are signs to look out for. Otherwise paracetamol and ibuprofen (and maybe a warm bath) and chill out for the rest of the day.
If that pain doesn't go in the coming days then that is a reason to see you general practitioner/family health doctor (or ObGyn - I never quite know how the US works with directly seeing specialities).
| 585 |
AskDocs
|
Me and my partner have been dying from an infection for over 8 months. We have seen over 20 doctors. Active CMV is as far as we have gotten. Help us not die please.
|
http://imgur.com/a/ST6A5J8
Age:28
Height:5'2
Weight: 135
Gender:Female
Complaint: inflammation found in colon, rectum, esophagus, and stomache. Active CMV infection. Chills, night sweats, nausea, vomiting, ulcers in throat, food intolerance, anal fissure, anal pain, bleeding with bowel movements, abdominal pain, pain in left upper abdomen, loud burping.
The album above has colonoscopy and endoscopy biopsy results, blood testing, stool testing.
This all started last year, I had an anal fissure and had been constipated for the past year. Anal bleeding with every bowel movement.
Colonoscopy Nov. 2019 : anal fissure and inflammation in rectum
Partner (37 male) started having symptoms of nausea,vomiting, anal pain, abdominal pain and the above symptoms in January of 2018.
We were living together and were exposed to mice at the time in our apartment.
February 2020:
All above symptoms got intense for me in February. Saw colorectal surgeon and was referred to GI after my fissue didn't heal from diltiazem ointment and anal inflammation was still present. I started feeling full after eating, bloating, pain in abdomen, nauseated after eating, sometimes cramping while eating.
March 2020:
Gi saw inflammation in anus and fissure, ordered colonoscopy and endoscopy.
April 2020:
Colo and endoscopy:
Biopsy reports are in album.
Chronic Inflammation found in esophagus, stomache, cecum, and rectum.
First opinion was gastritis and ulcerative proctitis.
2nd gi opinion was crohn's disease or indeterminate inflammatory bowel disease.
Both refused to let me see infectious disease specialist or test me for infections even though partner and I are having same symptoms.
Partner saw ENT because of pain in throat, ent find inflammation with no follow up.
May 2020
GP #1 orders blood work, tells me I'm crazy and that I don't have IBD or infection.
Sends me to see his "friend" who is an infectious disease specialist.
I see infectious disease specialist a week later. He tells me there is no infection that would cause chronic inflammation.
He says it's a coincidence me and partner are sharing symptoms.
June 2020:
Partner goes to GP, they find an ulcer in his throat and more inflammation.
I go to the ER because I'm desperate and want answers. I have stool studies sent.
I have results in album.
July 2020:
Symptoms get worse.
I start seeing another GP #2 to get more opinions. She orders more stool studies.
Fecal Leukocytes are positive.
Partner gets more testing and tells me he is positive for CMV infection.
I notify new GP and got tested yesterday.
I woke up this morning with my positive result and what looks like ACTIVE CMV.
Please help me, what could be causing this?
Is this a secondary infection that is activating our CMV?
What tests and infections should I be asking for and who should I see at this point?
I know I'm dying, I'm tired all the time and I can only eat saltine crackers and bland foods. I'm sick and in pain daily.
We both we from being healthy to this within the past year.
This isn't inflammatory bowel disease. Please save us.
| 716 |
Did you have any treatment for ulcerative colitis/IBD yet? That would be the logical first step in my opinion.
CMV infections don't usually cause many symptoms but it certainly could be contributing in your case. You should follow up with your GP regarding the CMV serology. It may be worth repeating your HIV test.
Lastly, it's important to bear in mind that just because your partner has similar symptoms to you it doesn't mean you both necessarily have the same cause of your symptoms.
My advice would be to stick with one GP and one or two specialists for a while and try any treatment or investigation pathways they suggest. Your case sounds quite complex and it may take some time to get you feeling better.
| 370 |
AskDocs
|
There's a video of me just standing in the middle of classroom for 10+mins but I can't remember doing it, can it be a symptom of something?
|
I hope it's the right subreddit for this kind of question. I am sorry I am very new to reddit.
It happened a few years ago when I was 20 y.o. My friend was the one who recorded it for our uni event documentary video. I can't remember what I was doing but it was certainly me, my clothes, my height, and she stood up from the chair I usually was at. She (I) just stood up, walked a few steps and just stood there not doing anything for like 10 minute-ish (my friend even fast-forwarded the clip to make it even funnier on the final video, where I was just standing and everyone else was doing things in the same classroom), then walking back to the spot I was from. Everyone (and even me) was sure that it was me but I don't remember anything. It was like I suddenly went auto-pilot. I wasn't on any med, didn't drink nor smoke at all.
I sometimes also have drop attacks but it's not very often, though every time I have it I injured my knees severely, if it's related somehow? I don't know what else information I should give, as I experienced this kinda like 'black-out' only once.
I feel this question is kinda ridiculous cs everyone thinks this is a funny story (because of how it portrayed in docu video) and it's not disturbing or anything but I've been so confused and scared as losing consciousness/awareness can be dangerous if it happens again. Do you know what this could be and if I need to go see doctor? Thank you.
**Update:** *Thank you so much for all the responses!! I didn't expect this much responses tbh so I need some time to go through them all in detail. Also thank you for reassuring me that it's worth exploring. A lot of you suggest seeing neurologist asap so I'll try to do that. I hope I can have that scheduled soon and come back with good news. Thank you again!*
| 589 |
If you frequently have drop attacks then I'd recommend going to the doctor to get a neurological workup for seizures. Best case is that you were just spacing out while thinking about something, but it could also be an absence seizure where you're just not conscious while everything else appears totally normal.
| 536 |
AskDocs
|
I broke my neck 14 years ago and found out today! Can i get treatment?
|
(my age at the time 13)
so 14 years ago I landed on the back of my head on a trampoline. I was rushed to the hospital unable to stand or walk. They did a CT scan.
About 12 days later I was finally able to walk about 20m (it was extremely painfull and my right shoulder got automatically lifted 30cm higher than my left) that day I was told by the doctors that I will have a full recovery and I am free to go home.
The next few months I remember little of. Mostly I was laying in a bed in our living room unable to go to school.
2 years later I did a MRI scan (I was still struggling alot with pain in my left arm, upper back and neck) the response from my doctor was that I had a herniation and I just had to live with it.
Fast forward to 1 year ago I was feeling extremely tired of all this pain! So I tell my new doctor about my journey. (To my luck he is both my doctor and a chiropractor) so he told me the old pictures were to old for him to cnow anything about the condition of my neck)
I got the results today and quite frankly I'm in shock!
My neck was broken in c5 and c6 and my nerves are pinched in both places
What can he done about something like this so long after? I dont want to live with this pain for the rest of my life!
| 819 |
If I'm reading this right, your initial CT had no evidence of fracture, a follow-up MRI 2 years later showed herniation but no fracture, and you have now had another MRI scan that has showed fracture of c5/c6 and nerve root compression at these levels. Is this correct?
Do you have any reports or pictures from the scans? It doesn't seem likely that a fracture that was invisible at the time is now suddenly visible 14 years later so perhaps these are unrelated.
However, if there is evidence of compression and your symptoms correlate, surgical decompression may be an option. You should ask your doctor to refer you to a neurosurgeon who specialises in spine as a next step.
| 510 |
AskDocs
|
Underarms smell no matter what I do
|
Female, 25, non-smoker, 250lbs, no underlying medical issues. I take vitamins only: vegetarian collagen, calcium/vitamin d, and an ashwaganda supplement.
Lately, I have noticed that no matter how much I wash my armpits they continue to smell badly, even when I JUST get out of the shower. I use clinical strength deodorant because I am a naturally sweaty person and typical, run of the mill deodorant doesn’t cut it for me. I’ve tried several different kinds of soaps and various “scrubbing” tools like the shower scrubbys, a bristle brush, loofa, wash cloth, and just my hand. It’s embarrassing how often I need to reapply my deodorant... does anyone know what I could do to help this issue?
****EDIT
Thank you all so much for the overwhelming response! I am so appreciative of your assistance with this issue. I have ordered Crystal deodorant, Thai stone deodorant, and Hibiclens on amazon and they should be here Friday!
For those saying my diet is what is causing it: I am currently in a non-surgical weight loss program. I very very clean at 1200-1400 calories a day. I eat 90% plant based... “flexitarian” as someone put it.
I am 5’8” so yes, I am overweight but have lost 44 lbs since 10/2019!
I am more stinky then sweaty! So when I say “I am a naturally sweaty person” take that as “I sweat normally”. Sorry for the confusion!
| 547 |
I have always had the same problem. I wash my underarms with an antibacterial soap and don't rinse for several minutes. I also stopped using deodorant and started using a salt crystal stick. The idea is bacteria is causing the odor and the salt prevents bacteria growth. When i stopped using deodorant it took a few days maybe even a week before the deodorant was really gone. So it will possibly take a week ot two before you notice a difference.
| 268 |
AskDocs
|
Retained tampon - risks??? - so embarrassed
|
Backstory: For the past week I’ve had a grayish discharge. I’ve always kind of had a lot of/weird cervical mucous, so I didn’t think a lot about it. Then it started to smell funny. It’s been stupid hot, so I thought maybe I was just extra sweaty down there or something, so I showered more. The last 3 days I’ve had wicked “period cramps” but it isn’t my period.
Today: the smell was noticeable to me as I sat at work, so I started googling and worried. I landed on a list of “smelly discharge causes” and one said “retained tampon or foreign object”. I thought “nah, but might as well check to make sure tp or something else wasn’t maybe just stuck”, and OMG THERE WAS A STRING!!!!
I flipped out and pulled it out and *gag* there was a nasty, fat, grey, tampon!!!!! The smell wasn’t rancid or anything, but metallic and distinct.
Question: I washed up and laid down for a bit, but omg am I going to get TSS???? I have no idea how this happened. It’s been in there for at least 10 days!!!! I’ve been using tampons for 17 years and this has NEVER happened - even when I was a stupid kid and didn’t know what the hell I was doing, I never just forgot it.
Should I call my doctor? I’m mortified.
Me: 29, female, 125lbs - no medications, non smoker, no serious conditions.
| 512 |
Toxic shock syndrome is a possibility but rare. There is a chance of other infections as well. Monitor for sings of infection and go to your GP if you have cramping, offensive discharge, fever, aches, vomiting or are feeling generally unwell. Alternatively you could go to your GP preemptively and get a swab done to see if there is an infection brewing. But don’t be embarrassed, you definitely are not the first person who this has happened to, and when you think of all the objects doctors must find in people’s orifices, a forgotten tampon is mundane
| 632 |
AskDocs
|
My wife is a medical Anomaly, and in pain. We've exhausted our resources. PLEASE HELP
|
TLDR at the bottom, but I assure you, you need to read the entire thing to understand.
REPOST FROM:[https://www.reddit.com/r/medical/comments/hwk71m/my\_wife\_is\_a\_medical\_anomaly\_and\_in\_pain\_weve/](https://www.reddit.com/r/medical/comments/hwk71m/my_wife_is_a_medical_anomaly_and_in_pain_weve/) (Was advised to post here as well)
&#x200B;
May 2019, my wife (27) woke up to use the bathroom. When she had finished using the bathroom, her stool was mainly blood and some type of white fatty tissue. This was very random and she had no prior history of poor bowel movements. (picture [https://imgur.com/lv8g9pk](https://imgur.com/lv8g9pk))
) She wanted to go to the emergency room. I thought she was over-reacting, so I dropped her off at the ER since she seemed fine and wasn't in any pain but wanted to get it checked out, and I went to work.
Fast forward about 90 minutes, and I'm getting a phone call from the medical staff that shes going in for surgery and that they already started drugging her up for surgery so she could not sign her own paperwork and that they needed me to come in.
I rushed to the ER in a panic. She had about 10 interns around her super excited to get into surgery, at the time I thought it was odd to be excited to crack open a 27 year old woman. I was informed that during her CT scan that there was a mass found and that they needed to make a 3 inch incision and take a biopsy of the mass, and that the surgery should only take about an hour. I agreed to the surgery and signed the paperwork.
3.5 hours later, my wife comes out of surgery. They had informed me that there "was no mass" and believed it to be Intussusception (where your intestines slide into each-other, wont allow food to pass.) They decided to make another 8-inch incision vertically up her abdomen and pull out her intestines to undo the intussusception. Their findings were that there was no intussusception, and that if there was her body had fixed itself.
the medical documents on these findings read "patient self-corrected".
the entire past 14 months have been my wife in agonizing pain, all things that were non-existent prior to her double surgery. She can barely keep food down, she throws up anywhere from 3-8 times a day, sometimes just bile because she cant keep food down. She constantly burps, and not tiny i-just-ate belches.. Enormous gut wrenching "worst heartburn of your life" releases of air, this happens all day, everyday, from the time she wakes up, until she goes to sleep. The belching is always consistent and gets worse after attempting to eat. She also suffers from severe abdomen bloating anytime she eats anything, no matter how small, no matter how "healthy", and also suffers from unruling consistent nausea.
my wife had NOTHING wrong with her prior to that day, she was your healthy average 27 year old girl.
We contacted a lawyer and to save you all the trouble of reading ill sum it up.. They cannot pursue a case, they agree, and the medical experts that reviewed her case say that the medical staff DID JUMP THE GUN on the surgery, but that isn't enough evidence to hold up in court because medical opinions vary.
We've seen the best Gastro doctor in our city, and he sent us a letter telling us not to come back because he exhausted his testing, and cannot assist us further. The doctor we saw performed an Endoscopy, Laroscopy, Colonoscopy, and a Capsule endoscopy and also agreed that the staff jumped the gun on her surgery and to get a lawyer, but that he could no longer help as all her tests came back fine.
So here we are, over a year later, with an enormous medical bill that eats a large percent of our income every single month (thanks insurance!). We lost our residence because my wife couldn't work after her surgery, causing us to lose our home..My wife STILL not knowing whats wrong with her, my wife being in overwhelming daily pain, and myself just having to sit by and watch her get worse and worse by the week. Her hair is falling out, and she is losing weight consistently.
I am a veteran from the US Army, and with the way things are going I'm going to have to drop out of college (my entire reason for joining the military) to go to work full time, as she cannot even work some days due to how nauseas she is on a regular basis. We are overwhelmed and I just want my wife to be healthy again, I'll stand by her forever, but its hard not being able to do anything we used to together. Some days we cant even leave the house together because she is in so much pain.
We think it was the surgery, but I'm not a doctor, and the lawyer says we don't currently have enough evidence to prove that. I feel helpless just watching her every single day, only being able to do things like rub her back and tell her its going to be ok and that we will make it through this.
I will be more than willing to answer any further question and provide information, after 14 months of exhausting resources, I figured you, the good redditors of the internet, might be able to help.
Thank you so much for your time and for reading her story.
TLDR: Wife went to the ER over bloody stool, they said she had a mass, they performed surgery. No mass, they performed an additional surgery I didn't agree to or know about, that proved inconclusive as well. Now my wife suffers from adverse effects every single day.
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
EDIT: Thank you all for the feedback so far! There's a massive influx of replies and I want to get all my information as accurate as possible when replying to you. My wifes currently asleep and I will reply to everyone i can :)
EDIT 2: Again, thank you all for the feedback, and support. There are so many comments right now its becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all of them. We have made a checklist of what we think are the best courses of action to explore from these posts. As we continue testing I will continue to update this thread, thank you! (will still attempt to reply to people!)
EDIT 3:-My wife would like me to disclose that she does have extreme anxiety, and that before her trip to the hospital there was some extreme misfortune from her Family. Her father, 60 years old died in his sleep, they were very close. Two weeks later, Her Grandfather (Fathers Father) died, and then 4 weeks later, her Aunt (Sister of her father) Committed suicide. She was dealing with a lot of emotional trauma and shortly after the string of deaths, ended up in the ER herself.
EDIT 4: Thanks for the Hugz award, strangers!
\-The primary feeling of "air trapped" she says comes from her Diaphragm.-Nausea can be triggered by Heat, Motion Sickness, Not eating, Eating, constant belching.-She takes an acid reducer every morning, somedays it works, some days it doesn't.
Here's everything we think that was suggested is worth investigating. Please leave replies on this comment for physicians or medical students. (if we missed something through the influx of comments/ DMs please let me know.)
\-Gastric Emptying Scan
\-Xray of Abdomen (not CT scan)
\-MALS (Median Arcuate ligament syndrome)
\- Gastroparesis
\-Mayo Clinic
\-Motility Expert
\-NYP hospital (over 8,000 doctors)
EDIT 5: 11/28/2020 I just need to thank everyone for what they have suggested and done for us, while my wife still deals with medical abnormality pain, we've been able to alleviate it, and shes been looking much healthier the past couple of months. Personal shout out to u/DiamondFeline, your words reached far and my wife has taken great care in her mental health, and her positive attitude has definitely helped swing how she feels/acts.
She is going in for an Ultrasound in 7 days, the Gastro doctor we are seeing thinks that the scar tissue from the surgery bonded to her intestines and that is what is causing her intense amount of abdominal pain/discomfort. We will follow up when we have an answer, If this is the case, it will have been a result of the surgery she got and did not need and we may be able to move forward with a legal case. First thing is making sure my wife Is alright though.
\*\*please read the edits, so many people comment/direct message me without checking them!!\*\*
EDIT 6: If anyone is still following, my wife and I still don't know what's wrong with her, things have been better and some doctors have been running miscellaneous tests, but its the same as before, no one really cares, test here, test there, all inconclusive. I'm posting because its 4:32 in the morning, my wife and I tried to go out for the first time since her surgery and it abruptly ended with stomach pain, throwing up, nausea, every symptom in succession. I pray she gets better, we really can't afford better doctors outside of our insurance.
| 1,146 |
Anyway you can attach the history, physical exam, and labs the surgeons went off of without including your wife’s, the hospital and the surgeons name? I’d like to see their thought process.
| 588 |
AskDocs
|
Chances of recovery from 30% lung capacity - COVID
|
Age: 40
Sex: Male
Height: 6'2
Weight: 275lbs
Hey docs,
My girlfriend's father is currently in the hospital for "suspected" coronavirus. He's been sick for just over a week now and has been drastically losing the battle.
He's a healthy 40s non-smoker with no known underlying health conditions. He is slightly obese but in a healthy way.
When he first got sick he was at home and really puffed up and coughing. Other than that he was in good spirits. After about 4-5 days he was admitted to a hospital where they don't have ventilation but oxygen tanks and he has been declining in health there.
His first xray indicated that 1/4 of his right lung was killed off or white and today (about 3 days after admission) we recieved news that he's at 30% lung capacity and requires oxygen at all times.
Can someone please just be straight up with me here and give me some sort of ballpark on the chances to recovery? He's been taking dexamethasone since the admission to the hospital and been relatively strong throughout the battle.
At this point I would just like to be prepared for what is to come.
Thank you
| 442 |
A few things:
There is no “healthy way” to be obese. It is well-documented that obesity increases the risk of severe Covid symptoms.
If he’s in the hospital requiring O2 around the clock, that is a bad sign. How long has he been in the hospital?
This hospital has no ventilators? Is he on high flow nasal cannula? BiPAP? A non-rebreather?
It’s good that he’s on dexamethasone.
You’re likely to get the most accurate assessment of the situation from the primary team treating him. Your girlfriend can request they call her for updates, the social worker on the unit should be able to help with that.
I hope things get better.
| 306 |
AskDocs
|
Sexual abuse history and physically couldn't complete Pap. Devastated.
|
Age - 24
Sex - F
Height - 64in
Weight - 130
Race - caucasian
Duration of complaint - 8 years
Location - pelvis
Any existing relevant medical issues - PTSD, anxiety and depression
Current medications - Lexapro, Wellbutrin
Throwaway.
F24, 130lbs, 5'4, depression and antianxiety meds, diagnosed with PTSD from childhood sexual abuse, depression and anxiety. I'm sorry if this is TMI or comes across wrong. I am in therapy too btw.
Let me start by saying I've never been able to wear tampons. I've tried for 8 years. They just don't fit, no matter what angle I try or applicator or lube or size I use. If I try to press it in, it hurts and stings terribly.
This week I had my first pap smear. Or rather, I tried to. My wonderfully patient PCP is aware of my trauma background and was slow and gentle with everything she did. She used the smallest size speculum but even her inserting it an inch was a horrible burning pain. I have a high pain tolerance but was covering my mouth to keep from screaming.
I was deep breathing and consciously keeping the muscles down there relaxed. (If I don't consciously think about it, they are always clenched. Even when I do consciously think about it, they tense back up and I have to forcibly 're-relax them.')
But it wouldn't go in, without terrible, terrible stinging pain. She told me I should go to a Gyn who specializes in sexual trauma if I want to try to get a complete pap, but that the outer parts looked fine visually.
What should I do? What would a gyn do different? Is that normal? Am I messed up more than I thought? Could it be related to sexual abuse from years ago? Does it mean I can never have sex? How can I get a pap since my family has a cancer history?
I'm numb ever since it happened. It feels like the universe is laughing at me and mocking, bc of course I could never have the joy of conceiving, carrying a child, and giving birth and becoming a parent. My life has just been too painful.
&#x200B;
\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*
Thank you, kind redditors. I just logged back in and am shocked by the response and kindness and compassion. It was a hard weekend but the love shown by all you anonymous internet strangers has given a taste of sweetness. As I continue to heal, you all have played a part.
I'm going to ask my pcp to give me the referral to the trauma gyn.
Thank you, thank you thank you.
| 451 |
You need to have your PCP document in detail how you were unable to tolerate a pelvic exam. This will help with getting insurance to approve an Exam Under Anesthesia. It won't be true general anesthesia, but they'll send you off to lala land for the pap smear. That will help with the immediate screening need. Longer term, you are on the correct meds, but likely need some therapy. I would suggest looking into EMDR specifically.
| 759 |
AskDocs
|
Symptoms of breast cancer, feel discriminated against And not taken seriously by doctors because of my weight
|
TLDR; I know doctors hate it when the patient plays google doctor. However, I feel it is important to be educated when something potentially serious is going on with you. So I have done some reading (from reputable sources and medical journals) and strongly feel I am exhibiting symptoms of breast cancer. I feel doctors have ignored this because of my weight.
Background: I am a 25 year old female and now weigh nearly 250 lbs, almost 5’9”. Doctors have told me they think I have PCOS. I have been putting on weight for some time now, doctors have Said this gain could be due to the PCOS, however over 15lbs of the 30 or so I’ve gained in the last year has been in the last two months. And I’ve been actively trying to lose weight, even taking Contrave (bupropion/naltrexone) to help with my appetite. I also have a mirena IUD for BC and take spironolactone and Slynd (progesterone only oral BC) for cystic acne. They Slynd I’ve only been taking for three months.
Symptoms: Aside from the weight gain, I have one breast that has rapidly grown in size (it seemed to happen in the span of about four days) and is now over a cup size bigger than the other. Both breasts suddenly have increased vein prominence, some blueish discoloration (almost like bruising), I’ve had red dots appear on the skin and the skin on my upper chest suddenly feels bumpy and scaley, and both are very sore and aching. Both have leaked completely clear discharge from the nipples when lightly expressed. Under my arms and into my back are quite sore as well. I feel generally tired as well.
I went to see a midwife in OBGYN for the first available appointment And she found a lump on the larger breast. I’m scheduled for an ultrasound on the 30th. However, when I left a message to say that they had become even more sore and to inform her about the new discharge, I was called by a nurse, told the midwife spoke to some doctors, and they wanted me seen in general surgery that day (this past Thursday).
The surgeon I saw was very rushed (they must have squeezed me in) and did an improper breast exam, not even feeling where I told him the lump had been found. He told me “nothing I was experiencing was a symptom of cancer.” And I “shouldn’t lose sleep over it.” He offered to give me antibiotics but said he “wasn’t sure what he’d be treating” so I refused them. He told me if I just lost 35-45lbs a lot of my “problems would go away”. He questioned whether or not I showered everyday. He was accusatory, telling me the timeline of my breast growth “just didn’t make sense”. I told him well, yeah, that’s why it’s concerning. He told me to see an endocrinologist for my hormones and weight and suggested cosmetic surgery for both my increased unilateral breast size and my weight.
I was offended. I felt ignored. I felt confused. Why was I told to rush in just to be blown off like that? I know from researching that these can all be symptoms of breast cancer. I feel like my symptoms are all being blamed on my weight rather than thinking about how sudden and rapid the weight gain was and that it may possibly be a symptom not the problem.
I’m hoping this is a hormone issue, maybe due to the PCOS, but am afraid it’s something worse, like breast cancer.
I feel at a loss right now. So many questions. How do I deal with what I feel is weight discrimination in a medical setting? Are these symptoms more concerning than doctors are letting on? What hormonal issue could cause these problems, if it is that? Why have the doctors been dodging my questions about it being cancer? Has anyone else experienced anything like this?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
| 586 |
Lots of possibilities here. Nothing sounds suspiciously like breast cancer to me (rapid cup size changes are not typical for breast cancer, and spironolactone may be a big confounder here). But it is good you are getting an ultrasound for the lump since you are concerned. Your symptoms do sound like things an endocrinologist should look at, especially with the variety of hormone treatments you are on and that large weight gain and unusual muscle soreness
| 442 |
AskDocs
|
Why won’t you let me get my tubes tied?
|
i have heard so far:
Reason: i’m too young
Problems with this:
- I’m 23 and, as long as i’m over 18, am allowed to make my own medical decisions. for instance: if i asked for a boobjob, or liposuction, or wanted a mastectomy, i would be able to get one.
Reason: i may change my mind when i’m older
Problems with this:
- I have no interest in pregnancy. It looks painful and uncomfortable and shitty and no thanks. Nothing about pregnancy or birth appeals to me in the slightest. I fully intend on adopting children or having a surrogate.
- Pregnancy is dangerous, especially for black women. Black women are [four times more likely to experience life threanting complications in the united states during labor than white women](https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/02/20/why-are-black-women-at-such-high-risk-of-dying-from-pregnancy-complications) , and [in the united states women are dying 26.4 per 100,000 people while giving birth](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_mortality_in_the_United_States#Maternal_Mortality_Is_Rising_in_the_U.S._As_It_Declines_Elsewhere) . Not ONLY that, [it’s been proven that in medicine black people are often believed to simply feel less pain, for a plethora of dumb reasons, and are given less medication because of that assumption](https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/how-we-fail-black-patients-pain)
- if i do, on the off chance you are right, then i will face the consequences of that choice, when it comes. as i am an adult, and that’s how life works
Reason: i need to discuss it with my husband first
Problems with this:
- I am not married, and whether I get married or not I, as an adult, do not need permission from anyone else to make my medical decisions for me. I do not need a mans permission to get my teeth pulled, i don’t need a mans permission to get my tubes tied.
- It is stupid
Reason: I could just take birth control
Problems with this:
- Birth control is unbearable. It. Is. TERRIBLE. WHY ARE THEY ALL TERRIBLE?! the hormones, the weight gain, the headaches, the nausea, they can make period symptoms worse, the acne, they sometimes hurt, it affects my sex drive, the way each one affects you differently and it may change from cycle to cycle and it may even change how it affects you if you use it then stop using it and then start again and it often can give you months of bleeding...no. Not even mentioning the possibly fatal side effects.
- When men want to get vasectomies they aren’t offered birth control
So, why can’t I, an adult person of sound mind and body, who doesn’t want to get pregnant, get my tubes tied if I am willing to pay for it/my insurance will cover it?
Edit: misquoted source and more reasons birth control sucks
Edit 2: if there are any other men, or frankly any other person, who is eager to tell me how i am young and dumb and don’t know better, and about how childbirth is amazing, and how i’ll change my mind once i hold my baby or whatever, all because i don’t want to give birth, please, let me tell you now, fuck off. fuck off so hard in the face. i so, SO, don’t care about what you have to say. You can go die in a hole. ESPECIALLY if you are a man telling me how easy pregnancy and labor are because your WiFe dId iT...are you kidding?? stop.
Edit 3: I do not want to wait 10 years or see how i feel when i get married. i have no interest in my fertility, and if my husband does not agree i will not be marrying him. as a woman it is not my job to give anyone a baby. there are thousands, literally thousands, of children, specifically black children, in orphanages and foster homes who need families. If i decide to have kids, and that is a LARGE HEAVY IF, i will adopt or have a surrogate if for some reason despite my families medical history and my own neurodiverisity i decide to say fuck all that and have biological children. No one is trying to convince me of this, in fact i’m more often being tried to convince to change my mind and be pregnant. NOOOOOOOOO. no. thank you.
| 2,023 |
After adequate counseling (sometimes I make super young people do a short waiting period - like 2 months) I’ll tie anyone’s tubes.
| 953 |
AskDocs
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.