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My friend aged 15 years over the weekend and nobody knows what is wrong with him
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Age: 58
Sex: M
Height: 6'2
Weight: About 225lb
Race: White
Duration of complaint: 5 days
Location: Washington state
Any existing relevant medical issues: Afib
Current medications: Betablocker for afib
Since Sunday evening my friend has been experiencing some strange symptoms. He keeps making involuntary movements with his arms like he is throwing an invisible object. He has a very hard time holding anything without just tossing it in front of him. He is able to control this movement, but it is very difficult. He says the urge is similar to needing to scratch an itch or needing to sneeze - almost uncontrollable but not quite. It has been going on for about 5 days and it is now at the point that he says his arms ache from making this constant movement but he can't get himself to stop.
In addition, he is confused, dizzy, is having trouble remembering words and is also having trouble balancing. He has fallen down several times while "throwing" something.
From my perspective, he has gone from being a healthy active guy to acting like a doddering old man with a mental illness, overnight. He can't drive, struggles to hold a glass or dial the phone. He was completely fine last week.
I thought he might be having or had a stroke so I took him to the ER on Tuesday night and they gave him a CT scan and full bloodwork, everything came back normal.
I have googled and googled this and the only thing that seems remotely similar is maybe Tourette's syndrome, but he is way too old to be diagnosed with that. I have also thought maybe some kind of parasite..? I understand it is most likely neurological and he has an appointment to see a neurologist but they can't see him until next week. He is frightened and afraid he is either going to die or be stuck like this forever. Can anyone shed any light on what might be going on? I am really worried about him.
Edit: Thank you so much to everyone who responded. It is so helpful to have some outside input and perspective. I think I have a better idea of what to suggest to doctors and what tests to run. Thanks again.
| 655 |
CT’s main clinical value in the diagnosis of stroke is ruling out a haemorrhagic cause, not in finding the infarct. ‘Positive’ findings like the myoclonus/motor tic are unusual, and could well point to other causes however.
It still sounds enough like a stroke that I would absolutely recommend either going back to the ER or if it is easier in your area, getting your GP to arrange an urgent MRI. He may also need an lumbar puncture.
My top differentials would also include a Parkinsonian-like process (needs a decent examination), encephalitis or vasculitis.
| 594 |
AskDocs
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Damage to vulva
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Female. 27. That’s all that really matters.
I was assaulted last night. He used a condom. Im not reporting it. I’m not changing my mind. I don’t want to talk about it.
There’s damage to around my clitoris and vaginal hole. As well as just everywhere. Scrapes and cuts. I’m bleeding. It feels so dry and uncomfortable to wear underwear or a pad to catch the blood. It’s not a lot of blood. How can I make this heal the fastest. I was thinking of putting antibiotic cream on the pad to make it feel less dry. Would this be ok
| 868 |
I would use simple Vaseline instead. Non prescription antibiotic creams rarely do anything, and cause irritation in 10-15% of people. Sitz baths or Epsom salt baths may also be helpful. Ibuprofen or Tylenol can take the edge off the pain.
| 1,246 |
AskDocs
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BMI of 15.1, am I at risk?
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I'm 5'11 and 108 pounds, I'm a 22 years old male. Didn't even realize I was losing so much weight. Curious what stage of starvation I would be in now. Don't eat more then a couple hundred calories a day due to not being hungry, not really sure how long this has been going on as I've always been on smaller side and didn't notice the change. (130-145 pounds in past) I want to eat more, just curious if my organs are gonna shut down before then
| 507 |
You need to see a doctor very soon.
| 930 |
AskDocs
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Very embarrassing but I pooped myself in my sleep. I’m an adult, why would this happen?
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I’m a 23F, approx 160lbs, non smoker, occasional alcohol. Diagnosed with IBS-C, GERD, and depression. Medications I use are miralax and dicyclomine as needed, because since I had COVID, my IBS has been acting more like IBS-A/M than C. I don’t have a gallbladder anymore.
So to make a long story short, I pooped the bed.
I’m beyond embarrassed about this so I’m using a throwaway, but this literally just happened to me about an hour ago. I went to bed feeling pretty fine and I woke up to find that I’d had diarrhea in my sleep and it was a lot. The diarrhea itself was very smelly, bright yellow mixed with red hued stool.
My stomach is significantly more bloated and cramping than before I went to sleep. The only things that might be relevant are this:
* I haven’t gotten more than 5hrs of sleep per day for the past week when normally I get at least 8hrs
* I fasted for around 30hrs before this to try to get myself out of a constipation flare up. I’ve done this before and this is the only way I can get myself out of constipation flare ups
* I ate shrimp that I thought kinda tasted like bleach before bed. Not sure if it was my imagination or not
Can anyone tell me what the hell just happened to my body today? I’ve had fecal incontinence before but only ever while awake and it was only ever after I was already having diarrhea and took the risk with doing something instead of resting. It’s also only happened to me around 3 times total in my life.
I’m very embarrassed and exhausted but now I’m too scared to go back to sleep in case I have the diarrhea while I’m asleep again.
Thank you for your time
TL;DR: I’m a young adult and I had complete fecal incontinence while I was asleep. I don’t understand why this happened
EDIT: Thank you guys so much for all your responses. I’m feeling a little less embarrassed now at least 😅 and I’m gonna toss the rest of the bag of shrimp and call up my GI doctor about it.
UPDATE #2: Sooo I definitely think I have food poisoning from that shrimp. I’ve been on and off the toilet all day and night since this post with that same bright yellow food poisoning. Before I switched back to pescatarianism, I was vegan and vegetarian collectively for around 10 years, so this is the first time I’ve had food poisoning in around 10 years. I’m guessing that coupled with my already diseased intestines might be why I had the accident. Still gonna call up my doctor and re-educate myself on internal temp cooking practices with seafood 😅
| 561 |
NAD, just offering words of encouragement. My ex wife got food poisoning on our honeymoon when we both had a cold. Long story short, she was sneezing and projectile shit the bed on our first night as man and wife and I was behind her. Lol. We went and showered and I cleaned up the bed while she sat in there crying. Things can always be worse. But also, we're all human and for lack of a better phrase, shit happens.
(No, not ex wife due to this incident. 3 years of marriage followed. Lol)
| 1,180 |
AskDocs
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Suddenly smelling cigarette smoke
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Hello. I am a 20 year old male. I'm not a smoker. A few days ago I've started smelling cigarette smoke and it's pretty bad, but I get around. Nobody in the house smokes, and even if they were, I can smell it wheverer I go. However, I panicked when I read on the internet (I know, bad thing) that it could be a tumour or some serious other thing. I don't wanna visit the doctor considering the COVID situation and I don't really know what to do. I thought a simple question here could help me out a bit. When should I start worrying? It's been only 3-4 days but the smell remains kinda constant. I tried cleaning my nose with salt water, it worked for a few minutes but after that it started again. Also, I have nasal polyps and I hope that's the problem, but I can't be too sure. The thing is, I've had polyps since I was little, and the smell only started recently, so that's why I'm asking this here.
I'm really sorry if it's a stupid question but I'm out of reach right now, and with the COVID situation I can't really wonder between doctors. Thanks in advance.
​
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| 338 |
I would say get it checked out with your ENT if you feel comfortable. They can use the nasal speculum to take a better look in the nose or do a scope exam to see if you have a significant polyp burden that may be causing your dysosmia. They may even consider doing an MRI to evaluate the area at the top of your nasal cavity (cribriform plate) that contains all the nerve endings that help you process smell.
| 231 |
AskDocs
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Please upvote. Doctors are at a loss. Don’t know where to go from here. Maybe nsfw
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Sorry for formatting I’m on mobile. It’s going to be kind of a long story. I’m really sorry but I want to add as much detail as possible so we can figure out what’s going on with me. I’ll just start off with my info and go from there I guess.
24 year old female. 5’1” 100 ish lbs
I take 62.5 mcg synthroid daily and a multivitamin.
Allergic to nsaids
Previous medical problems: vitamin d deficiency, hashimotos, hypothyroidism, avascular necrosis, eczema, and possible hormonal imbalance.
Surgery: Bilateral salpingectomy oct 2018. Wisdom teeth sept 2019
No alcohol use, no nicotine, and daily cannabis use for avn pain. (Usually smoked)
Ok so a couple months ago, (June ish) I weighed 125lbs. I started to lose weight rapidly. I lost 15 lbs in less than a month and then when I broke my foot (unrelated but July 11th) they weighed me at 104lbs. Around that time, I all of a sudden couldn’t eat beef. It would hurt my stomach REALLY bad and make me nauseous. I quit eating it and switched to plant based “beef” which is what my endocrinologist said to do. Around mid August, I started getting a weird back pain behind my ribs. Mainly on the left side. It would come and go so I just thought I had a knot or something. My stool became very fatty around that time too. I also quit smoking from the beginning of August to mid September. (No reason just ran out and didn’t get to the dispensary.) then around sept 20-27 I became extremely bloated and had bad stomach cramps. Upper left under my ribs. I thought it had something to do with my cycle since I had a 15 day period. (Drs say this is unrelated)
sept 27, I went to med express thinking something was wrong with my gallbladder or something. They gave me a pregnancy test and sent me home.
Oct 2nd(100lbs), i was in so much pain, I couldn’t move or talk without pain. Went to hospital and was admitted for pancreatitis. My lipase level was 170. It shot up over 200 the next day. They kept me on fluids for 5 days. I had a ct scan, mri with contrast, ultrasound, endoscopy, and a lot of bloodwork done while I stayed there. Everything came back “normal”. The only thing wrong was that the tail? Of my pancreas was inflamed a bit and I had erosions in my stomach but they said that was unrelated. They also found that I have intussusception of my small bowel. My lipase levels went down to 140 and they sent me home on the 6th since my stool was back to normal and I was able to eat without much pain.
I had a barium test on oct 22nd to look at my intestines. (Still haven’t gotten the results yet) around that time I couldn’t eat wheat. It made my stomach cramps come back and I could feel the pancreas and back pain all over again. Same with regular white bread. (I usually eat wheat so this was new)
on nov 2nd, I had an endoscopic ultrasound. They suspected celiac disease so they took biopsy’s which came back negative. This was the last step. No one knows what’s causing any of this to happen. They recommended I get another mri to look at just my pancreas but that’s it. I have an apointment next week to see what’s wrong with my hormones but everyone thinks that is unrelated to the stuff above.
I have no idea where to go from here. Currently, I quit all cannabis use but they said not to avoid any foods until we figure out what’s causing it. I have more information like lab work and test results from when I stayed in the hospital I just didn’t want to post it all. So if anyone has any idea what I can do or where I can go or literally any little bit of help, I’ll take it. I’m sorry for the long read and for my grammar. Thanks in advance. Please upvote so more people see it.
TLDR: doctors don’t know what’s causing pancreatitis, intussusception, and rapid weight loss. I don’t know what to do.
Edit: I’m getting a lot of comments and dms so I’m sorry for the slow response but I am making a list of tests and disorders to show my doctors. Thank you guys so much for all the suggestions.
Edit 2: Im getting so many notifications that it keeps crashing and I can’t read any more of them. Thank you guys so much for the help. I’ll update as I find more things out but I don’t think I’ll be able to reply to everyone.
| 1,611 |
NAD but bear with me.
What stands out to me is the new allergy of beef (red meat). It reminds me that there is a tick called the Lone Star tick that can cause what's called an alpha gal allergy which can make you allergic to red meats. I creeped your page (sorry not sorry) to find that; 1, you like hiking and the outdoors; 2, a post 4 months ago, when you say you first developed this allergy to meats, you posted a bug bite on r/bugbites that looks very similar to a tick bite; and 3, that you live in an area where they can be found.
Lone Star ticks can transmit Rickettsial diseases which could cause myalgias (muscle pains which explains on and off back pain), anorexia in the early illness (sudden weight loss), nausea and vomiting, and in some cases acute pancreatitis. I think your best bet would be to have your doctors test for different Rickettsial diseases.
EDIT: If not a Rickettsial disease have them check for Alpha-gal syndrome as someone else mentioned.
EDIT 2: Jeez everyone, thanks for the awards. I really hope this points OP's docs in the right direction.
| 1,411 |
AskDocs
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Does hair tend to darken after death?
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A friend (19M) of mine recently died. His mother asked whoever was in charge of doing the autopsy if they could cut locks of his hair for her to keep before he was cremated. He had beautiful dirty blonde hair, so his mother was pretty devastated when the locks they gave her were brown. Does hair color change after death? Or does it have more to do with the fact that maybe we perceive the color differently when it’s just a lock and not on a person? Thanks.
| 367 |
Not a doctor, but scientist:
No. Hair is already dead when you're still alive. The moment it leaves the hair follicle it can't repair itself anymore or gets any nutrients. Also there's no blood supply so it also can't get oxygen. It's similar to your nails.
A possible explanation is that people with dirty blonde hair have lighter hair on top as the sun naturally bleaches it (the sun destroys the brown dye particles in the hair, making it appear lighter).
They might have taken a section from the hair underneath that didn't see the sun much.
| 537 |
AskDocs
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I just fainted twice after a bath. Is it just the heat or should I go to the ER?
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Hi everybody. I’m 14F, 5’2”, about 110 pounds, and Caucasian.
So, I just took a hot bath. When I got out, my head was pounding, and the next thing I knew I was on the floor. This happened twice, and it took me about 5 minutes to get back up. It’s been 15 minutes and I still feel dizzy.
I looked it up, and I got the answer that it could’ve been caused by the heat dilating my blood vessels, causing blood to pool in my legs and reducing the oxygen level to my brain. However, this was only a Google search.
I’m young, I have had no previous health conditions, and I don’t feel like I am sick, but I’m still a little concerned. Should I go to the hospital?
BTW, I am not asking for serious medical advice. Just your recommendations.
Thanks in advance.
Edit: Goddamit, can you please not see the “F” for a second? The first advice I got was some pedo telling me I was sexy. Fuckssake. Pardon the language
Edit 2: I got actual advice and am not dizzy anymore. All good
| 593 |
As long as you didn't hit your head and you're feeling ok now, no need to go to the hospital. This is pretty classic for orthostatic hypotension related to vasodilation. Best thing to do next time is to get up and out of the bath super slowly. Sit on the edge for a few minutes before standing up.
| 577 |
AskDocs
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I(M) went to a laser hair removal for my cheeks hair and I could feel the laser in my eyes.
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M24, 5ft11, 165 pounds.
Hi everyone,
I hope that's the right subreddit to post this. I recently went to my usual dermatologist clinic and I asked to remove my cheeks hair with laser as I sometimes get acne from shaving them.
However, despite the technician putting a black piece of carton on my eye I could still somehow see the light and I'm concerned whether I should continue my sessions or it could be damaging to my eyes.
Thanks!
| 323 |
I'm no expert in the lasers they use for the skin, but I would say the likelihood you get injured is very very low.
There are some reports of injuries but are mainly for lasers performed in the eyelids or close to.
| 275 |
AskDocs
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Help! Abdominal pain & painful/frequent urination. Is this something deeper?
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32F/5’8/185lbs/white/non smoker - non drinker
Been in pain for a little over a year.
No other medical issues.
Only meds I take is hormonal birth control. (Linessa 28) — been on it for 13 years.
Symptoms:
- fatigue
- waking up 3x during the night for no reason
- slight back pain
- stabbing pains occasionally in abdominal area, sometimes off to the left or right side
- abdominal pain/bloating that doesn’t pass
- vulvar burning/itching
- urethra burning/itching
- itchy anus
- mucus surrounding stool
- painful intercourse & especially after
- painful urination that is worse after intercourse
- frequency — feeling like I need to go after I just went.
- very little watery vaginal mucous with very small white spots in it.
I have seen multiple urologists, Doctors and a gynaecologist. None who want to test me for any deeper infections. I was only referred to do a Urine culture after visiting 4 doctors, so I’m a little concerned that there may be something deeper here.
2 urologists, 1 urogyno & 1 OBGYN
I’ve been tested for chlamydia, tricomonasis, yeast and I’ve done a urine culture and all is normal. There were some ketones shown in my culture, and I do notice some oil floating on my urine.
I had a cystoscopy and ultrasound by a urologist which was also normal. The only thing found was microscopic hematuria. I tried pelvic floor therapy — there was nothing wrong with my pelvic floor. I tried everything prescribed for interstitial cystitis, nothing worked. Elmiron caused me more pain. I even tried the IC diet.
It was noticed that I have a urethral caruncle, but apparently that isn’t causing my symptoms as per 2 urologists that I saw. I tried treating it with estrogen cream with no luck.
A year prior to my symptoms I had a blood test to rule out diabetes, and my family doesn’t have a history of it.
I have done a vulvar skin biopsy — I don’t have my results yet.
| 403 |
I am not trying to scare you, but I had the same symptoms when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It's rare in your 30s but it's better to be checked for it.
| 157 |
AskDocs
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Suboxone patient dying of cancer. Concerned about palliation.
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41 yo white male, history of opioid abuse disorder, no major surgeries recently. 12mg bupenorphine/3mg naloxone 1x daily.
I'll spare you the gory details. Small cell lung cancer, inoperable, 4 months to live. I've been referred to palliation. I'm a grumpy bastard and my life has been pretty unpleasant in many regards so I'm actually not that worried about dying. Had to check out sometime, yeah?
What I AM worried about is pain relief as a long-term bupenorphine patient. Even if I went cold turkey today, which my prescribing physician recommends against, I'd still have somewhat of an opioid tolerance, no?
I don't meet with hospice till Friday, so I have some questions. Will hospice be able to meet my needs even though I have a tolerance? I don't want to die in pain and I'm really not in a position to book a euthanasia appointment on the other side of the country.
Thank you for your help.
| 1,332 |
Definitely a common enough scenario that the palliative team will be able to manage. One thing I’ve learned doing palliative care is there is always someone with a high opioid tolerance; it’s unlikely to be something they haven’t seen before.
| 507 |
AskDocs
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Why are patients not sedated during IUD insertion?
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Hi medical professionals. I'm 24F who doesn't plan to have any kids. I'm a huge fan of my Mirena IUD, it's the best birth control method I have ever used. But at this point I've had two and both times the insertion pain is AWFUL. My friends share similar stories to this. I have broken bones and I personally have never been in more pain in my entire life. I threw up and fainted during my replacement. It seems really cruel that pain medication is not offered for such a painful procedure. My friends in Australia have told me that they got put under anaesthesia to get their IUDs placed. Why is this not a practice in the US?
I would do it again because I think its worth it, but dear lord I feel like I have PTSD. I shudder when I think about how bad it was.
| 1,264 |
When I got my IUD, the doctor used a local anesthetic. (Similar to getting a shot of Novocain before dental work.) The whole process wasn't much worse than a regular gyn exam. I am baffled that this isn't more common, since it bypasses the risks associated with both opioids and anaesthesia.
I did go to a doctor at a university hospital for the insertion. I've heard that docs working with college populations tend to do more IUD work than most, and so are often better at it. (No idea if this is generally true, but my university doc was great.) I need to get it replaced soon and I'm dreading it, since I've moved and need to find a new doctor.
| 565 |
AskDocs
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Roommate has a brain tumor. She passed out 36 hours ago and has been having seizures. Called 911 three times, ambulance came twice, but she refuses to go to the hospital.
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Not myself
Gender: Female
Age: 30
Height: 5’6
Weight: 200-220 lbs
Medications: unsure
The day before yesterday approx 34 hours from this time of writing my roommate passed out. She started having some seizures and has been in and out of consciousness since and very delirious and completely incoherent and mostly unresponsive. We called the ambulance three times, the first time they told us to keep an eye on her and lay her in bed. Second time they came when she passed out and we couldn’t get a response and the emt’s put her in a wheelchair and she woke up and refused to go.
She went back to sleep and as far as we know has been in bed for 16-18 hours. Checked on her this morning and found her on the edge of her bed with her head propped up on the corner of her nightstand and unresponsive but could see her hands twitching and eyelids twitching. Called again, EMT’s came, paramedics begged her to go to the hospital but she woke up and was able to refuse again. EMT/paramedics told us both times just to keep an eye on her.
At a loss of what we should do or what is going on. I am unsure of what medications she is on, but there is a ton of different bottles sitting in her room.
My roommates and I are debating getting her into one of our vehicles and driving her to the hospital if she’s not better by tomorrow. Can another professional please chime in?
Thanks
Update:
State is HI
| 780 |
It sounds very much like she needs urgent medical attention. If she is truly incoherent and confused, she is not in a state where she has the capacity to make her own medical decisions and may not have an understanding of what is going on with her health. If you can get her to come with you in the car, please take her as soon as you can.
| 885 |
AskDocs
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Have been perpetually anxious/stressed since August and have not had a normal bowel movement for months because of it. How to manage?
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F23, 105lb, diagnosed: anxiety, subclinical hypothyroidism
Meds: bcp, levothyroxine 25mg, spironolactone 50mg, propranolol 10mg as needed.
I have been anxious since august (thanks law school) and am getting tired of the constant diarrhea/ soft poops. I as a person already don’t poop very often (a few times a week), but I have not had a normal solid stool in months. Wondering if there is anything I can do to firm up? I used to have constipation issues with very firm + large stool, but now I’m having the opposite issue.
Help a girl have a satisfying poop.
Edit: thanks everyone! I am going to speak with my doc about anxiety meds and also try some mucelin/ getting more fiber in my system. I appreciate all the comments but I really didn’t think a post about my poop would get this much attention haha. No need for further advice
| 356 |
Metamucil is actually good to try here. While it is a stool softener it also adds bulk to your stool and can slow down transit time. Drink lots of water. Another option might be short term use of immodium, maybe a few days to a week.
Anxiety causes your fight or flight response to malfunction. So really you need to get a handle on your anxiety. Highly recommend meditation or mindfulness exercises, or daily exercise in general if possible.
| 108 |
AskDocs
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I'm 8 months pregnant with Covid and I just can't manage the pain anymore. Is there really nothing I can do besides drink fluids?
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30 years old and 235 lbs. I ended up in the ER yesterday and was diagnosed with covid. I tested negative on November 3rd but I had to go back yesterday because of the pain. The body aches are about 12/10 and my ribs are on fire. I can hardly stop coughing when I start and all the ER doctor could do was give me an inhaler. He also said I was taking too much tylenol but there's only so many warm baths I can take.
I don't mean that as a slight against the ER doctor. I just can't eat or sleep anymore, I don't feel human anymore. If I call my pcm tomorrow, is there anything they can do for me? Could they give me an IV to help me stay hydrated? Is there really nothing I can take to make the pain stop? The ER doctor said my baby will be okay as long as I take care of myself but it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything right. Please help or advise me.
Edit: Called my OBGYN and they can't or won't help me unless my baby is in danger. Presumably so I don't get others infected too. They transferred me to the hospital's covid hotline and all they told me was to go to the ER. I explained that I've been to the ER twice this week and all they gave me was an inhaler that's not working and it doesn't matter. "Go to the ER" or just suck it up at home I guess, those seem to be my only options right now. Thanks everyone for trying to help me.
| 896 |
NAD but just spoke to my wife’s aunt who is an OB. She said avoid the ER. They aren’t equipped to manage ongoing symptoms and illnesses. She said you need to call a primary or your OB. Once you have a baby in you it’s a whole different story. My wife always called her OB with both my daughters, before any doctor when she had questions and it was always the right move. Do not listen to anyone on here who tells you to take or stop taking something. Everyone is different and your OB knows you and will recommend your next steps. I hope you feel better and I know you and your baby will be okay. Congrats on the new baby when they are born. Stay well and a fast recovery.
| 545 |
AskDocs
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41yo male dying of lung cancer, meeting with palliative physician today. What kinds of questions should I ask him?
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Hi everyone. Lung cancer guy again. Bad things are happening. Just got home from the hospital and barely avoided being admitted thanks to a palliative NP rushing over in the middle of the night to admit me into the home hospice program. I am forever grateful to her. I'm meeting the physician today. What kinds of questions should I ask?
My current list of questions is:
- Can you manage my pain after years of bupenorphine maintenance?
- Will someone be available to help me write letters? I'm cut off from my family but want to make amends.
- Will someone be with me all the time? I don't want to die alone and don't have anyone to call.
- Will I avoid terminal Restlessness and delirium? That is my only fear right now.
I don't think I have many more questions. Probably can't respond to many comments and PMs like I did last time. I'll try to post an update before I die.
Thank you for your help.
Edit: would also be nice to hear from others who have hospice experience.
Edit: thank you for your kind offers of helping me transcribe letters. I am not feeling strong enough tonight but perhaps tomorrow. Though, if things keep up at the same pace, tomorrow won't be looking too good. I will try to reach out if I can.
| 2,312 |
I would love to talk on the phone and help dictate your letters if you don't find someone to help you. I wish you all of the best
| 509 |
AskDocs
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2 week post abortion question from a cancer patient
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I'm a 31y white female- 5"2' 104lbs- located in South Florida. I have hormone positive breast cancer with multiple tumors including lymph nodes. I began AC chemotherapy on 11/3.
I received a medical abortion at planned parenthood on 10/31. Took the second dose of pills on 11/1. Passed the pregnancy that day. Following that day I slowly began bleeding less each day. On 11/7 I was able to wear only a pantyliner as opposed to a maxipad.
I started chemo on 11/3.
Yesterday I began bleeding more and its continued today. I had to begin wearing maxipads again. Each time I urinate, blood clots come out of my vagina. Each time, one's been about the size of a quarter and there will be a few smaller ones. There will be droplets of blood as well that are a brighter red. I have pictures of the clots if that would help.
Is this a reason for concern? I can't find anything specific online and planned parenthood is closed. I don't know who to call or ask. I received bloodwork from my oncologist to check my white blood cells a week after my first chemo on 11/10 and they are very low.
Is the blood a sign of infection? I've checked my temperature and it's been fluctuating between 99.1-99.6. I don't know if I should just go to the hospital?
If anyone can give me any information or direction I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
| 290 |
Heavy bleeding two weeks post termination - treat as endometritis (infection of the womb). Doesn't matter if you're on chemo or not for that disgnosis, though I'd be even quicker to treat you due to immunosupression and the risk of becoming unwell very quickly.
With a very low white cell count I wouldn't hold back. Call both your onocology team and planned parenthood.
| 193 |
AskDocs
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41yo suboxone patient with lung cancer. I don't mean to keep pestering this sub, but I thought I'd drop in to say good-bye. The cancer is in my heart and central cardiovascular area. It's over.
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Hello all. I hope this update doesn't break any rules, as I suppose I do not have any questions. Mods, let me know. I did not want to just disappear from reddit. I know a number of you have been thinking about me.
I said I would post an update before I passed away and, well, here I am. I know it is fast. But things have been happening fast. I don't mean to flood this sub with my misery. I'm on some heavy duty medications. I hope this doesn't come off as rambling.
This will be my final post. The Cancer is all through both sides of my chest and above my collarbone. It's over.
I was diagnosed with Extensive Stage small cell lung cancer and given four months to live on the 6th. Well, it seems "two weeks" was a more accurate approximation of my time. I am not long for this world.
As for what happened-- I wasn't slated to meet my hospice team till yesterday, Friday. I went to the ER on Thursday with chest pain. They took a lot of fluid out of my chest. The ER physician described my imaging as "grotesque" and immediately asked if I had considered palliation. I said I didn't see hospice till tomorrow. He said if I wanted any chance of dying at home, I needed to see them NOW, otherwise he'd have to admit me. He won't be getting any awards for bedside manner any time soon, but I greatly appreciated his candor. Several urgent phone calls later I had a palliative Nurse Practitioner in my room who went through the screening process and admitted me to their home hospice program. I went home Friday morning with a hospice kit. Met the palliative physician that evening, shortly after I posted my list of questions here.
I will not see Christmas, or Thanksgiving, or even next weekend. Every breath is work. Each one more work than the last. My team estimates that, at this rate, I will die Tuesday at the absolute latest. Probably sooner. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe tonight.
My oncologist called to personally apologize for misjudging my remaining time, but I hold him no ill will. Determining the time of death is not an exact science. I know that. I'm arranging to donate my body to science. I want them to do an autopsy and see how it got me so quickly, to help other cancer patients. The oncologist thinks the cancer may have gotten to my heart or the major central blood vessels. I didn't think small cell could move THIS fast but my oncologist says we caught it late.
My hospice team has been wonderful. I have crossed tapered from bupenorphine-- which I discontinued Wednesday-- to methadone, with little difficulty. I have a lot of morphine and the option of hydromorphone is on the table as well if needed. I am comfortable and resting at home.
The next stop on the train is continuous sedation, and I am very tired, so I probably will not be able to respond to anyone like I did last time. My physician says we can start a midazolam drip as soon as tonight. I will probably take him up on the offer tomorrow, if I'm still alive.
I suppose this is a good place to share where my fears around palliation come from. I used to be an aid in a nursing home, many years ago. I saw a number of unpleasant deaths due to insufficient palliation. We had a wonderful man who was prescribed a self administration pump for morphine. Problem was, he was too sick to press it, and his physician did not seem to grasp the severity of his condition. Every half hour, one of us would sneak in and press the button on his pump, which, in hindsight, was probably illegal, but what else could we do? He was very uncomfortable at the end. I tried to do basic mouth care just before he passed and he recoiled in pain. "Have a heart", he whispered. It broke my heart to hear this admonition from such a wonderful man.
My greatest fear was Terminal Restlessness. I saw a few patients scratch their faces and tear their fingernails out as they died, even on high doses of opioids and benzodiazepines. My palliative physician has assured me that he won't let that happen and that there is no limit to what they can give me. I feel much reassured.
I have tried to write letters to the people I've wronged. I suddenly find that I want to make amends. So many letters. I was a functioning addict for a long time. My family cut me off, rightfully so. So I have been writing a lot of letters. But I am losing strength. I will not be able to write many more letters. My CNA has transcribed one letter template for everyone. I hope it is enough.
I also had many kind offers to transcribe letters from Redditors here on the sub. What love that you would do that for a stranger. If I was strong enough to talk on the phone, I would have taken you all up on it, but I can barely talk. Perhaps, had I not been so stunned by my diagnosis, I could have arranged this sooner. But that is in the past now.
Dad, if you somehow see this post, I know how much I hurt you and and I am sorry. I wish I could call you. I do not even know where you live and I'm not strong enough to find you. I do not ask for your love, for that is beyond my power to ask. Just your forgiveness is enough. Please Dad, forgive me. I do not want die without your forgiveness. But I will, won't I?
I beseech you all to make amends with those you begrudge. Do not go to bed angry or hold hate in your heart. You will be glad that you forgave. I wish I had done so sooner, before I ran out of time. You will run out of time, too, some day in the future. Don't leave any business unfinished, any grudge unmended.
There a nicotine patch on my arm. A reminder of one of the several self destructive habits that brought me here. My smoking habit was not had enough to set things off this quickly, but it clearly did not help. For those of you who smoke, I have but one message: stop it. Please. You think you will wait till you are ready. You will never be ready. You say you will quit tomorrow, but then tomorrow becomes today, and you are never ready today, only tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes. Today is the only day in which the decision can be made. You can only quit TODAY. Do so now. Throw your cigarettes in the trash. Do it for me. What a gift it would be that my post would free you of tobacco's golden chains.
As difficult and shocking as these last few weeks have been, I regard them as positive.
Only four weeks ago, I thought that the universe was a cold and cruel place. I experienced physical and mental abuse, chronic pain, and addiction. But my situation has forced a change of perspective. I see now that all our experiences, no matter how horrid, are temporary, and that we will all find the same rest and peace in the end.
I do not mean to give the wrong impression to those struggling with depression. I have tried to kill myself before. The difference between then and now is vast. Death is an old friend waiting to greet you at the end of a long and well lived life. It can not be appreciated properly when sought in darkness. I know there is no magic fix for depression, but I urge you to get up, go out, and live the crazy, wonderful, irrational, beautiful life you want. If only I had done the same. What a gift is life!
Thank you all for your love, empathy, and reassurance. For all the people who PMed me offering to help with transcribing letters, for all the kind messages and comments. You are all beautiful people. I hope you remember that. No matter what anyone else says or thinks, or even what you yourself think, you are beautiful and can only be so, because you reached out to a stranger in his moment of pain. Your hearts will always carry that little light of goodness no matter how dark your days. Carry that little light with you and forget it not. It can brighten a stranger's day. It can even save the world.
A few PMed me asking to look into their religion. In the past I would have been irritated. Now I recognize that you were concerned for my souls well being. Thank you for your compassion. I am not well versed on religion, but I have prayed, and I trust that whatever higher power may dwell above the stars will look upon my situation with infinite love and compassion. This in my heart I know.
/u/hugegrape, you wanted to make me a plushie free of charge. Your care and empathy have touched my heart. I'm sorry to say that I will not be in a position to receive it. I did not expect to go this fast. I want you to make it anyway. I want you to keep it with you and know that you will always have a part of me. I hope this brings you some comfort. You have my everlasting love and gratitude.
Wishes are usually reserved for the future. I have no future. But I find myself still wishing.
I wish I had not worried so much about the little things. I wish I had not worried so much about the numbers in my bank account or the punch of the time clock. All that time working. I had enough money to keep a roof over my head and to invest in what few hobbies I had, yet I still kept racking up overtime. And for what? Only to find myself here. It all came to nothing in the end. I robbed myself of the most precious commodity I had, time, in exchange for green pieces of paper and little metal discs. A perverse and twisted trade. Only now do I see the truth.
I wish I had had the courage to live my life the way I wanted to. I wish I had traveled the world, fallen in love, written a novel. I wish I had had children. I have no one to whom I can pass my life lessons. No one to sit by my side, here at the end of my world. It is too late for me. But it is not too late for you. Live the life YOU want, no matter how strange it may seem to others or to society. It is your life and yours alone. Live it well.
I'm not sure where I go from here. I have been reading accounts of the afterlife from various cultures. Summerland, Elysium, Tir Na Nog. I've also taken to reading The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, though it seems I will run out of time before I can finish. What a strange feeling. I personally do not believe consciousness survives death, but I'm open to being pleasantly surprised. And if not, well, who can complain about a siesta that can't be interrupted? Regardless of what awaits me, it is nice to dream.
And that is what I will do now. I will dream. I will rest and dream of the peace to come till I dream no more. May you all one day face death with this same wonderful dream.
I do not have any friends or family to sit here with me, so I am leaving this tab open. I will read your comments and savor your reassurances, even if I do not reply. I will keep you all here with me. I feel less alone this way. I will keep you all with me as I die. You people are all I have now. I am strong but I am scared. Stay with me till I'm gone. I do not want to be alone.
Till we meet again, my beautiful friends.
Robert S
Edit: just woke up from my nap and I'm overwhelmed by the outpouring of love. I'm touched by the people throwing away their cigarettes and finding the courage to pursue the life they want. What a blessing you all are. I am reading every message I can even if I don't respond. Tears streaming down my face. Now I know I will not die alone. What a gift this sub has given me.
Edit 2: Sunday at 2:30 pm. Haven been awake much but I've read as much as I can. How I cherish your love and kindness. You helped a grumpy drug addict die with love in his heart and a smile on his face. the doc will be here at 3 to give versed. I'm tired of trying to breath. chaplain has given me last rites. Its over now my friends. I love you. Good bye
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You aren’t alone - all of us are with you right now.
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PLEASE HELP, Haven't been able to walk for 8 months
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M24, 5'9", 180lbs
I have not been able to walk more than a block since last January, and the doctors are puzzled as to why. It feels like I am doing a spilt, and both internally and externally (when I press on the area) as if a piece of my perineum has ripped out. It started after I pressed on the shaft of my penis while erect (pressed like a lever).
At first, right after I pressed down on the shaft, it was painful right where the top of the shaft meets the skin of the pelvis, and internally between my legs. The perrineum was swollen for a couple days, but that went away as did the pain in the shaft. After a couple of months the pain went down, but it felt like there was a hollow cavity between my legs, as if there was no support in my pelvis, and upon pressing on my perineum there is indeed a depression there.
I have taken every test and scan in the book, and my penis, testicles, bladder, colon, and prostate are all fine. Please help.
Edit: Thank you everyone for all your help. I unfortunately am not very optimistic, because I have tried so much already. But I will keep trying, and any further suggestions are much appreciated!
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NAD - I went through this exact situation. I was having sex, my penis got pulled down and I went from walking 21 miles a week to not being able to walk 3 or 4 blocks without needing to rest. Lumbar and thoracic MRIs were normal. Did PT for 2 years, did pelvic floor PT for 1.
What I had to do was just slowly build back up on my own after about 2 years when the pain settled. It's been almost 4 years now and still not 100% (have a noticeable limp), but I just have to live with it. Doctors have told me something probably got pulled or torn slightly and in my case my muscles have just refused to settle back down on their own.
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Update on Robbie from Cherri
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Good morning. My name is Cherri. I was Robbie's volunteer doula with the hospice program. I am posting here to honor his wishes in providing this message board with an update after his passing. I am not familiar with this app, but Robbie gave me a little tutorial. Please forgive any mistakes :) Robbie had initially wanted to pass while conscious, however, he was having increased difficulty breathing Sunday morning. He received last rites from our chaplain and was sedated with midazolam, at his request, at 3:05 pm. He remained asleep and appeared comfortable. Agonal respirations were noted by the nurse at 6:14 pm and suppressed with morphine. The physician called time of death at 6:27 pm, Sunday, November 15, 2020. Robbie's passing was peaceful and without pain. Robbie spoke often of the kind messages he received on this board. I know they brought him comfort. His final posting was incredibly poignant and moved even our most seasoned staff to tears. He was a quiet man. I think his voice was his words. It was honor to attend to him in his passing. I was attracted to hospice because not everybody breaks a bone, not everybody has heart disease, but everybody dies. It is an honor to be with others as the undergo this universal journey, and it was a particular honor to attend to Robbie, who had no family or friends by his side. I am providing some images on imager that Robbie wanted shared with this board, one of him young and healthy, the other a final handwritten note. Please let me know if the link works:
http://imgur.com/a/OLbDMdx
I obviously cannot hold onto his phone :) it will be shut off and filed away with his estate, which is being handled by his family, who our social workers were able to locate Sunday evening. They expressed regret at the news of his illness and passing. We are sharing his final posting with them as well. One last thing before I go. First, Robby expressed many concerns about his suboxone. As the opiate epidemic continues to ravage our communities, we see more and more patients entering hospice on suboxone and methadone. I want those of you with opioid maintenance to know that you will never be judged by our staff, and your medications are not a barrier for care. Our organization consults with a pain specialist physician specifically for these cases. We will never let you die in pain. Never! I hope this posting provides some closure for those of you who have been following Robbie's case. These fast cancers are always sad, but Robbie faced his passing with dignity and grace. He was truly a wonderful man, and he lives on in our memories. With regards, Cherri N
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This really resonated with me. I am having my 2nd miscarriage in 7 months right now. I was feeling so sorry for myself and thought *I have nothing to look forward to. Life is too hard. I can't do this anymore.* Reading Robbie's positive outlook on life and the love he felt for just *being* has really opened my eyes. I am so fortunate.
RIP Robbie. You helped so many of us. And thank you Cherri for being in the career you are in. The world needs more people like both of you.
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(78M) My father is losing some memory and being confused, he was, until recently very brilliant, most of the exams give normal result, except for the ressonance, i'm brazilian .
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So here is the transcript:
Spotlights of signal superintensity in the T2 and FLAIR sequences, in the perivencular white substance and semioval centers, which do not have an expansive, unspecific effect.
There is no evidence of an intraparenchymatous expansive process, extra-axial fluid collections, hypertensive ventriculomegaly, acute / sbuaguda intraparenchymal hemorrhage, deviation of midline structures or effacement of base cisterns
Usual flow at the level of the great intracranial arterial branches of the vertebro-basilar and carotid systems, according to Spin Echo criteria.
There is no area of destruction to the free diffusion of water molecules evidenced by the sequence Echo Planar.
Diagnostic printing:
Signs of diffuse brain volume reduction, with compensatory ectasia of the supratentorial ventricular system, usual for the age group
Focuses of signal hyperintensity in the T2 and flair sequences in the supratentorial white matter, nonspecific, suggestive of gliosis resulting from microangiopathy.
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So this exam was last year, go do a new one tomorrow and go back to the neurologist soon, is a bit hard to understand what that diagnosis mean, i just wanna to have more info to talk to the neurologist.
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TLDR: there are changes in the brain from long term blood vessel problems. This is not "normal" *per se* but is unfortunately very common, and these changes can in turn cause what is called **vascular dementia.** I think that this scan as written does not particularly rule in or rule out **Alzheimer's dementia** (it is also possible to have two causes of dementia). Either way, it still sounds like dementia.
Neurologist is exactly the person to go see. Questions I would ask him/her: What is the cause of the memory loss and confusion? What should we do about it? They might say "I don't know the cause for sure," which is true, but it's OK to press them a little for an educated guess.
# In detail
* Spotlights of signal superintensity...: Changes from blood vessel problems (like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol). Some people might call these "mini strokes" but that term is used pretty loosely. When you see these spots on the MRI scan, the person may not have had any obvious stroke symptoms in the past (slurred speech, weakness, face drooping). These spots probably happened one or two at a time, over the course of years. Looks basically like [this picture.](https://www.md-health.com/images/1HT04825/chronic-microvascular-ischemic-disease.jpg)
* no evidence of an intraparenchymatous...: No sign of a cancer, no emergency situation with bleeding or fluid blockages (not surprising).
* Usual flow...: This means they did a magnetic resonance *angiogram* in addition to the "regular" MRI. No blockages in the *large* blood vessels (which is good). But the small blood vessels are responsible for those T2 changes, as above.
* No area of destruction... diffusion...: This means no stroke going on *right this moment*. Also good.
* Signs of diffuse...: There is slightly less brain material there than there once was, and it seems to be affected all over (not in one particular place). This can go along with the problems with small blood vessels that we've been mentioning all along. *Sometimes* the radiologist will comment on areas that relate to Alzheimer's. The "classic" MRI of Alzheimer's shows volume reduction in specific parts of the brain (not diffuse) but this is honestly pretty tricky. "Diffuse" does not automatically mean "it's vascular dementia and not Alzheimer's." Personally I don't like the phrasing "usual for age group." Radiologists in the USA use it too. It may be "usual" to have an abnormal MRI, abnormal stress test of the heart, knee arthritis, glaucoma, etc. when you approach 80 years old, but too often this phrasing gets *misinterpreted* (by doctors, patients, and families alike) as "completely normal MRI which does not explain the patient's symptoms."
* Focuses of signal hyperintensity...: They are just summarizing and restating what they said above.
# Conclusion
I mostly focused on interpreting the MRI report, because that was the biggest part of your post. Obviously there's more to it (see caveats below). I'm sorry to hear that you father is having these memory problems.
Classically, Alzheimer's dementia is a slow, steady loss of memory. But vascular dementia happens in sudden (but small) steps. Such as "I noticed in the middle of February that she kept asking the same question again. Then she stayed the same, but in November she started to forget what day it was." A lot of times, information from the family is *more important* than the MRI test in making the diagnosis. Your father is lucky to have you around helping him through this.
# Caveats
I don't know 100% what you mean by "most of the exams." Probably you mean scans and lab tests, but I don't know if your father had neurocognitive testing (this is a process where you spend a long time with an examiner who asks memory questions, drawing tasks, planning tasks, etc.). I would be surprised if neurocognitive testing was normal given what you said.
I also don't know exactly what you mean by "confusion." To doctors, there are ways to distinguish disorientation (like not knowing what day it is) from delirium (can be disoriented but also very much comes and goes, and involves problems with very short term attention tasks).
I'm not a radiologist or neurologist. Biases: the 2 most common causes of dementia in my patients (adults in the USA) are Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. A big percentage of my patients have MRI reports that sound exactly like your father's.
Lastly, please let me know if any of my English is too technical or has too much jargon, and I can try to reword it.
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[34F] Nurse fired for mistake during delivery of my son, but I’m being told the mistake poses no risks to my health.
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After receiving an epidural during labor, I asked the labor nurse when they’d be placing the catheter (as they did with my first born). She informed me that a catheter isn’t necessary.
When my son had transitioned and it was time to push, the delivery nurse and Obstetrician came in and asked where the catheter was, since they had planned to pull it before delivery. I told them the prior labor nurse said it was not necessary. There was a clear concerned look shared between the delivery nurse and OB. They tried to put a catheter in me before pushing to drain my bladder, but my son’s head was too far down and blocked it. So I delivered my son with a very full bladder (I had drunk a lot of water prior to receiving the epidural, as instructed by another labor nurse). They gave me a catheter after delivery and drained my bladder then. But after a few hours I was still unable to pee, which I think was because of a distended bladder. So I got another catheter for 6 or so hours.
After that, everything has been fine. I’ve had no bladder, urination, or incontinence issues. One of the labor nurses said that there may be a risk of incontinence later in life, but my OB said there were zero long term risks to my health. However, I just found out that the nurse who made the mistake was terminated for that reason.
Am I facing potential health risks? Why is the catheter with an epidural standard of care if there are no health risks associated with not placing one?
Thank you for your insight!!
TLDR: I delivered a baby with a very full bladder. Is there any risk of long term damage to my bladder or ability to urinate?
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Since you're voiding normally now you should be fine. You are NOT at an increased risk of incontinence or other issues as a result of the lack of a catheter. You'll be fine. Congrats on the new baby.
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AskDocs
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[37F] Please help my mum. Lost complete mobility in her left arm 15 mins after a flu shot.
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37F | 5'8 |Overweight |White British | Loss Mobility In arm |15 days |Broken Back? , Deep Vein Thrombosis, Gluten Intolerant |Unknown Medication| No smoking |Social Drinker | No rec Drugs | UK
Hi all, I am looking for any insightful information to help my mum in her current condition.
Quick Overview : We live on the UK, my mum works within the hospital, she was a radiographer. Now she gives people heart attacks. Bit strange. But its for nuclear medicine.....soooo yeah. She is 37, quite healthy. But takes a type of steroid medication and, what she calls "horse tranquilizers" for pain to help with a spinal injury (I don't really Know, I think a broken back. She can still walk though ) and is gluten intolerant and has deep vein thrombosis. Don't know if any of that helps but....yeah. If you couldn't tell from the title she has lost the complete use of her left arm 15 minutes after a flu shot. It has since been 15 days.
She went into the hospital to get a flu vaccination, within 15 minutes of this she lost complete use of her left arm. This began slowly. A tingling sensation that began to spread through her arm beginning to feel limp and weak, unable to even remove the blood pressure cuplet...? thingy. idk really know. I do believe all feeling has gone as well.
They used a short needle, so it shouldn't be nerve damage they said.
Once this happened she spent the next 2 days in the hospital as they tried to figure out what the problem was. They released her without figuring out what the issue is, they're still communicating with different specialists but no one knows.
She has since been able to EVER, ever so slightly able to move the tips of her thumb and index finger. she does not know which one she is moving however.
They suggested that it could be **Brachial neuritis** and it could take a month for this to sort itself out. They also suggested many other possibilities that aren't as hopeful.
I hope madness made sense to anyone. I hope one of you can give me something helpful that I could rely to my mum and her doctors, without looking like some nut with web md.
Would like an instant fix or name like in films, but I understand the situation. Even simple things like stretches' and exercises that might help would be wonderful.
If you did read all of this, Thank you. I just want my mum to get better and I'm happy someone else out there cares enough to at least read.
Thank you again all.
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EDIT - Hi again, I would like to thank you all for your responses and the feedback you have given. We are still waiting to get further tests and appointments made, but have spoken to the doctors regarding the help received here. Sorry for the wait.
I did however miss out and inaccurately stated some information which I will correct now.
Originally I said it took 15 mins for complete weakness, this was in fact 30.
Her hand was locked in a fixed position unless manually moved with her other hand, and it would keep going cold.
Regarding the vaccine, it has been reported locally. It is still in discussion if it should be reported to the flu vaccine company (Doctors Choice) or if its a human error. The same batch number is being used in the hospital and no one else has had the side effect. Out of her box 8 others had the vaccine before my mum and not one has had any side effect.
The injection site as asked for, is nothing its just her aim. Its 5 weeks old and seemingly normal. My mum doesn't really wanna post any photos also.
On a positive note she is able to move her wrist now, (Not sure quite how she can move it. She hasn't got back to me yet)
Negative note, little finer and ring hardly move and is extremely painful. All fingers and hand is swollen and cold to the touch.
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It was likely either a misplaced flu vaccine that caused damage to the brachial plexus of her arm or a neuritis, although that would be fast to kick in within 15 minutes. This needs to be reported to the flu vaccine company and they may need to investigate whether there could have been some sort of contamination of her batch as well.
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33m asking about a 29F's death.
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I have a request to the medical community, in particular an Emergency Room Doctor.
Three years ago today, my wife died.
When we found her, she was unresponsive. This was early morning after a long and strenuous talk between she and I. I made her breakfast, gave it to her daughter to bring up to mom. The daughter came back down and said Mom was acting weird. She was unresponsive. I gave her CPR while calling for the ambulance. The ambulance arrived, and they brought her to the hospital. She was pronounced dead there in front of me.
Every day, I try not to wonder about things, but this is the one day a year that I permit the thoughts to linger for more than a moment. Originally, I would have gone to the hospital to ask this, but given the current dumpster fire that the United States is in, I thought it not best to go up there.
I was hoping to be able to talk with an ER Doctor about what happened. I have all of her files from that day, it's a stack of EKG readings, the notes from the 911 officer, the hospital, etc.. And I just have questions.
My wife suffered from Myotonic Dystrophy, and an undiagnosed long QT rhythm (I found out later it's a genetic trait that the family has that they didn't really know). She had Polycystic Overian Syndrome. She was 5'9, somewhere around 200lbs. She was probably malnourished, as she was on a diet trying to lose weight, and was very stressed from that week because of work, family, diet, and I was out of town.
And, in case this isn't something you want to broach someone with, my questions aren't around procedure, or blaming any doctor or medical staff. They're just...morose pondering:
1) Was she conscious when she died?
2) Did she know she was dying?
3) Could knowing anything about the long QT change anything?
I hurt. My existence hurts. Our family hurts. And it's been three years, and this is really the only day I permit myself to get into this slump. And, it's probably going to hurt. It's probably going to suck to ask or talk about. But...I gotta know.
So if anyone is willing to hop on a call, and/or look at some paperwork, I'd be greatly appreciative of it.
**Day after edit:** The question has been answered, so to those that I didn't get to reply before the thread was locked, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for sharing your personal insights, your concerns, any personal experiences, and any professional experiences.
I got what I needed for today. It's going to take me a few days to get myself back together. But thank you.
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I am very sorry for your loss. It must still hurt so deeply, even three years later.
I agree with my colleague that, knowing her medical history, it seems likely she died due to her Long QT syndrome. This is a problem with the hearts electrical system which, when triggered, causes a sudden abnormal heart rate, an arrhythmia which is very rapid. The heart cannot sustain blood flow to the brain and organs when this occurs. Most people who die from this become unconscious very quickly. She may have had a brief period where she felt lightheaded or felt heart palpitations, but it was unlikely to have been painful. She may have been aware that something was wrong, but she did not likely spend a long period knowing she was dying.
If she had known about the Long QT syndrome, she may have gotten an implanted defibrillator. Other family members should be tested for this to see if they need one, too. It sounds like some of them already have. It is also important to avoid certain medications when someone has a history of Long QT syndrome--many common medications including antibiotics, anti-nausea medications, and antidepressants can lengthen the QT and make someone more likely to have an abnormal heart rhythm.
I am happy to take a look at the paperwork you have. I am not sure how much clarity it would give, but I can take a look.
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Finnaly made an appointment to deal with my depression, how should I go about it?
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M20, 275(ish) lbs, no medical history (other than the depression im trying to sort out), no meds other than the occasional otc nsaids.
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Basically, Ive been dealing depression for a while now (or at least the symptoms, low self esteem, low self worth, no motivation, lack of self care, general sadness, intrusive thoughts) Its been getting progressively worse, and especially bad over the last week.
I finally made an appointment with my family doctor. I was really embarrassed, so I lied to the nurse and said I need a physical, so I have an appointment with their nurse practitioner next week.
My question is how can I go about this to get the most help? Im terrified of this appointment. I have been having suicidal ideations, but im sure I cant be telling her that, Im not willing to be committed to the hospital.
What questions should I ask? What generally happens during these appointments?
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sorry for the dumb questions, I just have no idea what to expect. Thanks in advance
EDIT: Thanks everyone for the advice and the well wishes. I cant reply to everyone just yet (at work), but I appreciate it. I didn't think this post would get this much traction.
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Just remember there is nothing to worry about when it comes to telling your doctor anything. It's just a job for them. They don't judge. They don't treat sending you to the psych specialist any differently than an auto technician would treat telling you to get your oil changed.
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My son contracted herpes from me during birth killing him, but I was never tested during my pregnancy, so I never knew I was infected.
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A year ago, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. 6 lbs and 7 oz. My water broke just before 37 weeks, but he seemed healthy enough that he did not require an extra time in the hospital. During my labor, I had to be induced because my body was not naturally progressing into labor further on its own. Well, they ended up giving me too much and my contractions were not ending. It was one long contraction that wasn't helping to push the baby out. So, they gave me another drug to slow my contractions. I was writhing in pain. I could not sit still or lie flat. Because I couldn't lie in a position to monitor my son's heartbeat, they put a fetal scalp monitor on him. They told me if I didnt get the fetal scalp monitor on, they would not give me an epidural or any pain relief, so we did the scalp monitor.
After my son was born, he had an issue with jaundice. His level was at 14 at one point and he almost had to be hospitalized, but thankfully it resolved itself before that happened. A week later, a cluster of blisters appeared on his head around the area where the fetal monitor was placed. I had no idea why those were there and it scared me, so I immediately called the doctor and they told me to come in the next day.
The pediatrician did not recognize this condition and started to question me on how the wound got on his head. It was the nurse who asked me if he had the fetal monitor on his head. I was puzzled that the doctor did not recognize a mark left behind by a fetal scalp monitor, but i brushed it off. I was more concerned with finding out what was wrong with my son.
She took a sample of the infection on his scalp and prescribed an antibiotic. When we went to fill the prescription, the pharmacist refused to fill it because she had prescribed an antibiotic too strong for a newborn. The pharmacist called the pediatrician to ask why she prescribed an antibiotic that could not be given to a baby of this age. After that, the nurse called us and told us to come back in because of the error so that he could be treated for the infection.
When I got there, the doctor explained that the medication she prescribed could not be administered, so she gave him a shot and prescribed another antibiotic that was safe for him. We also started putting an antibiotic ointment on his head as well.
Needless to say, none of this worked. My son began having seizures, so once again, we were back in the pediatricians office. I showed her the video I had taken of the twitching I observed because at that time, I was unaware they were seizures, but I knew they didn't seem normal. She immediately sent us to Riley Hospital.
Within a day, we were properly diagnosed with neonatal herpes simplex 2. He was immediately put on acyclovir and other medications to control seizures. A tube was placed in his throat to breathe for him. He steadily got worse and worse. Eventually, the virus caused him to acquire a condition called status epilepticus. His seizures were so severe that he was on several medications to control them and none could stop them. His brain waves were repressed so much that the only brain waves detected were seizures.
I was given the worst news of my life. My son's brain was destroyed by the virus and he would likely not survive. If he did, he would never walk. He would never talk. He would never eat on his own.
The next day, they discovered several areas where the virus had created holes in his intestines. They asked me if we wanted to do a surgery to allow the bowel to drain outside of the body, because at this point, fecal matter was leaking into his body. The doctor warned us that he would probably not wake from the surgery. My boyfriend and I held each other and cried and cried and cried.
We knew we couldn't put him through anymore. We knew we had to let him go.
My questions are this. Why didn't the pediatrician know right away what was wrong? Had he been diagnosed in time, he would be alive. Also, why did my gynecologist not test me for herpes? I realize the CDC does not "require" it, but what would be so bad about testing for it knowing this could happen?
Age: newborn Weight: 6 lbs 7 oz medications: none until Riley
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I'm sorry for your loss, it's truly devastating to lose a child and a grief few will ever know.
I can give an answer from an obstetric point of view, though practices may differ from country to country.
Herpes occurs as either genital, or oral via the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There used to be a view that HSV 1 causes oral herpes and HSV 2 caused genital herpes but the line has long since blurred and either can cause oral or genital herpes, and transfer can be oral to genital, or vise versa. Testing the blood will show up an immune response to one or the other, and whether the infection was recent or a while ago.
You should usually be asked whether you have genital herpes at the time of booking in during your pregnancy. The reason for this is because if you have a history of it we would usually counsel you on the risks of active genital herpes during a vaginal birth, or if your waters have gone for longer than 4 hours prior to c section. The way to avoid this is to give acyclovir from 36 weeks to suppress any chance of herpes occurring. If there is active herpes then we recommend C section as the baby can pick it up from a vaginal birth. The mortality of a baby catching herpes from it's mother in this case is low as you have already formed antibodies that pass the placenta and help the baby have some immunity to the herpes.
If you develop genital herpes for the first time later on in the pregnancy then the risk is much higher, and risk to the baby is greater as your body doesn't have time to create the antibodies that can pass to the baby. This means in a vaginal birth the baby can catch the herpes and be overwhelmed by it leading to a high mortality rate. We would offer c section in these cases to avoid this from happening, or intravenous acyclovir in labour if you choose this/or your waters break for more than four hours prior to a c section.
This can also be the same with oral herpes/cold sores and there are cases of early neonatal death with exposure to family relatives who have cold sores (usually via kissing the baby). This tends to cause a serious response if the mother has not had cold sores, or genital herpes as there is no cross immunity whatsoever for the baby.
So it depends on your history. Did you know you had cold sores/genital herpes when you were pregnant. Did you develop these in the pregnancy. If no to either of these, did anyone know you have a cold sore and contact with your baby around the time of infection?
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Loss of consciousness after showers, should I be worried?
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I (22M 180/70) have been losing consciousness ,feeling nauseated and dizzy after taking a shower recently. It only lasts a few seconds, so I have been ignoring it but is this something I should be worried about? I would say it happens once in a few weeks and I would say it started around a year ago. I don't have any medical conditions that I am aware of and do not smoke, drink or do drugs.
edit: Thank you to every one who has commented, I appreciate it! I am planning to mention it to my doctor in 2 weeks during my annual checkup.
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There's a few considerations here.
First, if you're actually losing consciousness, you should be evaluated by your doctor. Whether the cause is external or internal, this is not normal, and loss of consciousness means your brain isn't getting enough oxygen for at least a few seconds.
The most likely scenario is the water might be too warm, which is causing your body to divert blood flow to your skin to lose some heat, which then means your brain doesn't get enough blood and you faint. There might also be something else going on though, which is why you should make an appointment regardless of if the issue is fixed with cooler water or not.
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AskDocs
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My body feels bruised but it isnt
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No injury. It's just tender to the touch basically everywhere. Getting dressed feels awful. This has been going on for months now. Theres no visible bruising. I dont have any diagnosed blood disorders, but I do occasionally wake up with unexplained bruises on my arms and legs and I used to bleed excessively (soaked through several towels and swallowed a LOT of blood when I got my lip pierced, cut while shaving and bled for 3 days, etc)
24f, 175 lbs, 5ft 4in
I take methylphenidate, aimovig, Lamotrigine, vimpat
I have migraines, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, adhd
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There are a few things here that raise the alarm. It could be a collagen disorder such as Ehlers-Danlos, but the bleeding is a priority and is quite concerning for me. Please see your primary doctor with some urgency and get it checked out - I would expect a good panel of blood tests to look for anything out of the ordinary
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AskDocs
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(28F) Losing attention really quick and easily forgetting stuff - brain issues??
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Hello! I’m 28 female with 153cm and 65kg.
For a couple of months now I’ve been feeling that no matter which is the business I’m always losing attention to it. I’m capable of having a conversation with someone and for a fraction of seconds looks like I’m not listening anymore - like if my brain shuts down and I’m not there anymore - this leads a lot to forgetting things, lose the focus and the unfolding of the conservations.
I have the sense that it’s not a matter of memory because I can easily remember dates or things I’ve scheduled and I can even memorize them pretty well.
I feel this is not only affecting my personal life but also the professional since my job needs a lot of concentration and awareness and I just can’t focus for more than 10 to 30minutes.
I went to see my doc and he told me that these types of symptoms where barely related with thyroid so two months ago I did a couple of exams. They showed something but I only need to be checking it every 6 to 12 months.
This is really boring and demotivating since I’ve been accused of not listening or not care about several topics because this happens a lot lately.
I feel that I’m really young to be experiencing these things, mainly when I’m feeling totally healthy and capable. I used to smoke things when I was at university so now I’m afraid these are the consequences and I should do something about it!!
Any advice? What should I do?
Thanks in advance.
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The first thing that comes to mind: have you been sleeping enough? And if you think you have, have you been evaluated for sleeping disorders (there are many)?
With many sleeping disorders you might spend enough time in bed, but have a low sleep quality and therefore don't get enough good sleep
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Post-COVID heart symptoms (7 months)
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28 year old, previously athletic male. I went through a rather severe run with COVID roughly 7 months ago.
About 60 days ago had a side chest x-ray done with some 'darkness' in the front and back of my heart, and after an ultrasound I was diagnosed with right ventricle heart inflammation and have been resting in bed since then.
A week ago my cardiologist performed a follow up ultrasound and told me my heart was clear and I was good to slowly reintroduce normal activity.
Since then I've had two events that felt like heart attacks, left arm complely numb, chest pain, dizziness. And I am now unable to do anything beyond walk slowly without causing chest discomfort and dizziness.
I'm without health insurance and won't be able to afford a follow up for several weeks, so I'm hoping to get some advice in the meantime while I continue bedrest.
I greatly appreciate any insight!
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This is not uncommon with Covid recovery. In general, with myocarditis (which is the working diagnosis for what’s going on with Covid, although it hasn’t been as well proven as it has been in other cases), I recommend my competitive athlete patients take six months off of training and competition after compete resolution, because it can take that long to fully recover.
Recognize this this isn’t unusual, but you you will almost certainly get better with time. It just may take more time than you wish it would.
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I (24F) am rapidly developing worsening Leukemia symptoms with mostly normal blood work
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Please bear with this post. I have been very fatigued for a month. At the beginning of the month I noticed a low-profile lump in my arm and an aching pain coming from it, not caused by any injury. My PCP referred me to an Ortho who ordered an MRI just on my forearm (hopefully getting results today). Since then, the aching pain has spread to pretty much my entire body. It’s become a terrible pain that feels like it’s coming from bone.
A week ago I went to an Urgent Care because of the worsening pain. I tested negative for COVID and the flu. They had no answers for me, but my CBC showed slightly elevated WBC, Gran, Platelets and slightly low MPV. I was told not to worry about it.
Yesterday I developed a lower back pain, and my thigh was in so much pain that I could no longer walk on it, prompting me to go to the ER. They checked me for mono and COVID (again). I was told my CBC was normal and that they would’ve caught anything serious through that. I was told it’s impossible that I have acute Leukemia because my blood work would show it. I went home without answers again.
I just woke up drenched in sweat. My apartment is 60 degrees. This has never happened before. I’ve never felt this kind of pain or exhaustion, I’ve never been woken up by my own sweat. I have some unexplainable bruises. I just had an ache in my arm on the 5th- now I feel like my body is shutting down on me. I tested negative for both strains of the flu, and tested negative for COVID twice. I was told my blood was fine last night.
I’m at my wit’s end. I lost my grandmother to acute leukemia, and there have been other cases in my family as well. I feel exponentially worse each day. When I tried to update my PCP and ask for help, she told me to get tested for COVID and mono. I showed her my paperwork clearing me of both. So she told me to see a psychiatrist.
I have a terrible gut feeling that I am very, very sick and that I’m running out of time to figure out what it is. My body doesn’t feel like mine anymore. I’m exhausted. I feel sick. My bones hurt. Pain medication isn’t touching it. I feel worse every day. I’m being woken up by my own pool of sweat in my cool apartment. Weird CBC one week, supposedly normal the next. I’m the only one who seems worried. What do I do? Who should I see? What could be causing these symptoms? I don’t know how to be taken seriously when it seems like they’re only looking at the blood work. I’m getting scared.
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I understand you are very worried. It is not easy to differentiate between somatic symptoms and psychosomatic or psychological symptoms.
Realistically speaking, it is possible that what you are experiencing is something minor, but because you are familiar with something severe as leukemia, you have more fear and pay more attention to things like bruises than you usually would. I would like to encourage you to see this possibility and openly speak to your doctor about this. Likely, if they see you considered it in a serious manner, but still communicate that you feel the need to exclude severe diseases, they will be more willing than if you say "it´s impossible". It really is a win-win situation, since you can be helped no matter what.
I am not saying there is nothing wrong, don´t get me wrong. Just be open about all the possibilities.
For the CBC, it is absolutely possible to have a slight elevation one day and normal the other.
For how to proceed, advocate for yourself. A second opinion sure doesn´t hurt, but avoid doctor-hopping. Insist with your regular doctor to follow up. Try to be patient for the MRI results and give an update here, more details will make it easier to point you in a specific direction. I would for now wait and cooperate with the doctor that took your concerns seriously and ordered that MRI and discuss the findings and proceeding with them.
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I think I legitimately poisoned myself with carbon monoxide. Do I need to go to the hospital?
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I am a 24 year old female with no pre-existing health conditions, taking Wellbutrin XL 300mg. This story makes me sound extremely dumb, but...oh well, I guess maybe that’s a preexisting condition.
Today I was trying to hardwire a GPS into my car’s fuse box in my garage. The car had been sitting in the garage all day and the garage door was closed. I turned on the gas to check if the hardwire was working, took about 20 seconds to realize it was not working, turned it back off. I repeated this maybe twice...didn’t even think about the consequences. I honestly never thought that only a minute or so of running the car could cause a problematic amount of CO fumes.
At this point, my memory becomes blurry. I think I was becoming more and more confused, more and more frustrated, at the fact that I could not find a point to ground the wire. My body ached, my hip joints in particular were agony, and my head hurt. Don’t remember how long I was there, maybe an hour and a half. I got upset and thirsty, so I got up. I managed to get my water bottle and go up a flight of stairs, and went to pour myself some juice. I felt extremely, and I mean extremely drunk. I was uncoordinated, spilled juice on the floor. I felt like I needed to be on the floor, so I got on the floor and laid on my back. Don’t know if I passed out, don’t think so. My vision cleared up as I laid there and I got up. I changed my clothes and had a shower. Then the carbon monoxide detector in the hallway near the garage started going off.
It’s been about an hour since then. Got some fresh air, aired out the house. My head hurts and I am tired but I am not dizzy anymore. I feel stupid and embarrassed, and I don’t want to go to the hospital and risk exposing myself if there’s no point. Do I need to? Could bad things still happen even though I feel better?
Edit: Hi, sorry for the long time I took responding, I was out really late last night. I went to urgent care and they sent me to the ER. I went right in and the ER took some blood and stuff but was not too concerned I guess, about how much I got exposed to? I was on oxygen for a while and slept. I feel much better now. Thanks.
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NAD. Yes, you need to go if you have a residual headache. That's a hallmark symptom of CO poisoning. Glad you're still with us.
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AskDocs
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What are the physical health risks of staying indoors every day and not exercising? (What many people are doing during lockdown)
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I’ve been wondering what effects staying indoors and not exercising can have on health (specifically on the heart)?
I’m 20, Male, don’t smoke/ drink and used to exercise regulary but since around 1 year i’ve been staying indoors and haven’t been exercising.
Can this lead to heart disease, and if so, what type and why? Can it lead to anything else?
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Given your young age, probably nothing other than problems you would readily notice like obesity and depression. The risks associated with sedentary lifestyles like heart disease and cancer will develop over time and present mostly later in life. I also found regular exercise difficult to maintain since COVID but taking on a new activity like cycling in my case might help!
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AskDocs
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They removed my embedded IUD 2 days ago and now my vulva is raw
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I've had persistent, painful vaginitis, burning while urination and stabbing pain in my lower abdomen for months. After being tested for everything known to man, they discovered my IUD had dislodged and was embedded in my uterus.
Since they took it out two days ago, my vaginitis has flared up horribly. I'm red and raw and in pain. The veins on my vulva are bulging and I feel on fire. Can a displaced IUD cause a rash on the vulva vestibule like this? Why is it getting worse and not better since it was removed?
Update: I wanted to update everyone about what's going on. Turns out the displaced IUD and the vaginitis were separate issues. The rash has been diagnosed by a dermatologist (thank you for the suggestion reddit!) As contact dermatitis from the propylene glycol base of the estradiol estrogen cream I use 3X a week. My pcp is now looking into alternative forms of estrogen.
Essentially there was massive miscommunication that lead to me being prescribed something I have an allergy to. I didn't even realise that propylene glycol was in a lot of lubricants that gynecologists use during exams (thank you again reddit!) Or that it was the base in many medications. The allergist I was referred to never sent the results to my pcp office. And I didn't know to tell my pharmacy about the allergy (nurse friend recommended I do so). So essentially the answer was under everyone's nose the whole time. It wasn't until the dermatologist suggested I read the medication ingredients to see if it contained propylene glycol that it finally all clicked. Thank you reddit, your suggestions lead me to going to a dermatologist and lead me to telling her about the propylene glycol allergy when I was warning her not to use it during the exam.
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have you been diagnosed or treated for a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis?
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AskDocs
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Does repeatedly interrupted sleep invalidate the "At least 8 hours per night" advice?
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Age: 41, Weight 12 stone 5 pounds. Duration: Approx 10 years. Location: My bed. Medical History: Unavailable. Meds: None.
I keep hearing that getting a certain amount of sleep per night (I think it's 8) is vital for mental health, and that being sleep deprived creates all kinds of issues for mental health (I have seen quite a few posts on reddit lately along those lines)
For years I have had very poor 'waterworks' which cause me to have to use the toilet many times a night. I estimate roughly that I don't get more than 3 hours sleep between visits to the toilet. I *have* tried to get help for this from my GP more than once but I am deeply disappointed in the 'help' they provide (One: Get tests done, tests come back normal, end of story. Two: "Drink less coffee")
My worry is that although I *might* be getting somewhere around 6 to 8 hours of sleep if I'm lucky, I'm *never* getting that much *uninterrupted* sleep.
So my question is, does it count as 8 hours if I've woken up say 3 to 5 times to go to the toilet?
As it happens I have been struggling mentally since about August (I visited the doc a few weeks after that started, and was offered anti-depressants, refused them because I consider them a last resort and don't want to become reliant... Was also told where I live simply doesn't have the resources for one-on-one therapy), but my poor sleep has been an issue for a *lot* longer than that.
**Edit**: Thank you for all the replies. I did not expect to get that many! I don't have time to reply to them all right now (though I may reply to some when I get time to read through them again) There is a lot of support for antidepressants so I will reconsider them. I have deleted one of my replies as it was getting downvoted to oblivion (I apologize for having misconceptions about antidepressants)
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Typical antidepressants are not addictive (as in, you won't become reliant on them to live or anything like that), so please consider taking them if they are prescribed or suggested to you by a professional.
Everyone gets up to take a leak once in a while, and this usually worsens with age, however, having to go several times a night to the point you can't get three hours of uninterrupted sleep may warrant a visit to a more specialized practitioner - an urologist - for a more thorough investigation. What tests have you had done?
Now, to answer your question: sleep comes in a cycle with four stages, and these stages repeat several times during the night. Each cycle lasts from 90 minutes to 120 minutes. Once you wake up you have to go through all the stages again. Depending on which stage of these cycles your sleep is interrupted, you may wake up feeling very groggy, and repeated interruptions are scientifically proven to have an impact in long-term mental and physical health. So, in short, yes - your lack of continuous sleep is probably playing a part in your mental struggles.
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Can schizophrenic parents forget their child’s existence during psychosis?
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My ex, and the father of my child, is schizophrenic. We haven’t talked for years but I recently saw him and tried to talk to him.
He literally RAN AWAY from me, screaming that he doesn’t have a child and he is not [his name], he doesn’t know me etc. yet every time he sees me now he avoids me..
So, does he actually not remember me or our child, or is he just acting like an ass?
I wrote psychosis in the beginning because that’s what his father told me was “probably” happening at the time since they hadn’t been in contact for a while. But he was not sure. this happened 6 months ago if not longer.
(male, 29 y/o, 1,80cm-ish, schizophrenic and is on the spectrum. Has been addicted to drugs years ago, not sure if he is now. No idea of weight but approximately 65-70kg)
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In a full blown psychotic episode people are essentially existing in a reality that is not our own. Also, people with recurring psychosis may get confused about what has happened and what was hallucination.
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AskDocs
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Infant son (6m) had a night mare/ terror and then became unresponsive and staring off for 3 mins when he finally woke up
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Male 6months old no medical conditions, no medicine being taken. Approx 20lbs healthy baby boy
My son was sleeping and woke up screaming I went to soothe him and he couldn’t be consoled for what seemed like forever. I tried waking him up from what seemed like a nightmare but he wouldn’t wake finally he woke up and stopped screaming. He became unresponsive but with eyes open. He looked lethargic and wouldn’t respond to stimulation. Then shook a little bit 3 times and went back to normal. Was this a seizure? Should I take him to the hospital or have his doctor look into it at his physical?
Thank you for any response
Update: baby went to the doctor today they will be doing an EEG to be on the safe side.
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This sounds like it may need more urgent advice than can be offered here. Your pediatrician will have a 24 hour on call line. Take your sons temperature and call your pediatrician, they will direct you to the appropriate step.
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AskDocs
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20F - I feel depressed, lethargic, I can't sleep, my appetite is gone, I am continuously thirsty, my hair is falling out and I sweat all the time
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Non-smoker, light drinker, no drug use, not pregnant, average weight,
I always felt a little bit more blue than normal, but this is just horrible. I never experienced this type of lethargy before. I also feel a lot more irritated, everything and everyone just rubs me the wrong way. I just feel like being by myself.
I can't sleep at night, I always feel cold when I sleep. I could wake up at night sweaty, bundled up in layers and I'd still be cold. Especially my feet. The cold makes me want to use the toilet even when I KNOW I don't need to.
Talking about toilet, my bowel movements are all over the place. But that could be from my reduced appetite. Though my thirst is greatly increased. I keep drinking or chewing gum because my mouth just tastes bad if I don't.
I also have been noticing that I shed a lot more hair than I ever used to before.
I also had problems with irregular and/or viciously painful periods before.
//I don't know if all of these are part of the same problem but I wanted to list everything that was ever wrong. Is this just a case of feeling more down that usual or should I worry?
EDIT: thank you everyone for the advice, I went and got some blood works done
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Have you had any investigations/blood work? Thyroid dysfunction comes to mind but this could be many things.
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AskDocs
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24F. 100.5 degree fever, body aches, head/neck/jaw hurting. Woke up covered in little bruises.
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Georgia, USA. E cigarette user. Never smoked actual tobacco. Occasional drinker. 30mg Prozac daily, 25mg hydroxyzine as needed for panic attacks, Nexplanon. Last period was a week ago. No new foods, detergent, medicines, etc. Woke up with small swollen knots/bruises on my arms and legs. No trauma to those areas. Head hurting so bad I can’t sleep. Neck is stiff and extremely painful. Hips and back are also aching. There is not enough water on the planet; I’ve killed 6 bottles of water since I woke up at 11:00AM and its 5:45PM here now. Not hungry at all but I forced down some chicken tenders earlier. Nausea, no vomiting, a short bout of diarrhea Sunday night. Sunday night was the onset of the aching and the now largest bruise was getting sore but had not turned colors yet.
Went to the walk-in and they didn’t tell me anything. They just said, “Hm, that’s weird. Never seen that before. Anyway, here’s a cotton swab to the brain.” This doesn’t seem very... COVID to me, but they did test me for it, so I’ll at least have those results by tomorrow or the next day. They said my blood pressure was “normal” and my pulse was 104, which they informed me was high. Lungs sounded “clear.” Temp this morning at 6:00AM was 100.5, 100 even at 1:00PM, and 99.8 at 3:00PM when I was at the walk in.
Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/CfKAH4U
UPDATE: Got an emergency appointment with my primary care after posting this. Confirmed either purpura or she said more likely erythema nodosum. Negative tests for strep, COVID, and flu. Bloodwork comes back today or tomorrow, but since its 5:30PM I assume tomorrow. Sorry guys. I feel like I’ve been hit by a train, so I’ve been asleep. Thank you for your concern! I’ll update again when bloodwork comes back! I’m in tech support so I know what its like to be mentally solving a problem and not get an answer to know if you were right. 😅
Edit: Updated progression pics with a different album in order with my fever that day.
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If your neck is stiff and painful, and you have a fever, I agree you need to go to the ER and be evaluated for meningitis. The bruises don't look exactly like a meningitis rash, but I wouldn't mess around with this.
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AskDocs
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My Arms Are Turning Blue, Please Help
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Edit 2: Some of my rheumatology results were abnormal, but they were still “in acceptable range” as was explained to me.
I had my gastric-emptying test done, and I have gastroparesis.
Edit: Thank you to everyone who suggested various things that it could possibly be, and please know that I took your advice, both from this post, and the follow-up one I made awhile back, that I’ve since deleted. Here is the in-depth follow-up that some had asked me to provide.
Hematology: I was denied by two different hospitals, even though I had a thorough PCP referral, as both places said my issues weren’t possibly blood related. There were no other hematologic options in my area, so I decided I needed to move on from hematology completely, because I wasn’t getting anywhere. I’ve not been tested for any hemoglobinopathy as suggested on this post, or any other blood-related issue due to this.
Rheumatology: This was the major one recommended on my other post, and I actually just went there a couple days ago after a successful (and surprisingly quick) referral. Despite my leg pain, color-changes and other various issues discussed below, the doctor doesn’t believe it’s anything rheumatology related, either. A physician on the other post I had made, suggested getting a work-up and asking about APS (antiphospholipid syndrome), but I was only tested for possible muscle diseases to my knowledge. I haven’t received those results yet, but I’m sure they’ll be normal. We’ll see.
Pulmonology: I was also referred to pulmonology due to the fact that I still couldn’t breathe, with no history of anxiety, and I’d previously had COVID-19 in October. Nothing came of this appointment either, where I received yet another X-ray, and I don’t believe the doctor even thought there was even the chance for asthma (which is what my mom was believing it to be). I’d previously had breathing treatments as a young child, and was born two months premature, but had it explained by my previous PCP that my complications would have already been present at this stage, if it were due to my birth. I still have moments where I really struggle with breathing, but you can’t find an issue where there isn’t one - I’m extremely thankful my lungs are visibly healthy, don’t get me wrong.
I’ve also recently had a redo of my heart echocardiogram done (which came out normal) because the last one was almost completely “suboptimally-imaged”. My most recent (required) EEG was completely normal, but I’ve been put on yet another epilepsy medication, unfortunately.
The only thing I’ve been diagnosed with, since when this was originally posted, has been migraines and bilateral occipital neuralgia, which I receive injections for.
My blood seems to no longer be watery thankfully, but my values are still abnormal. My platelets are steadily increasing as well, although not out of range yet, which is where I believe the APLS thought came in to play. This is where I’m currently at, but again, thank you!
𝐓𝐋;𝐃𝐑
𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚, 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲. 𝐍𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞. 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧.
𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙤𝙨𝙩:
24F, 185lbs, white, non-smoker, non-drinker.
Hello, I’m in quite a predicament. I’ve now been labeled a “zebra” by a vein specialist, because no one can figure out the reasoning behind my current issues.
For context, this is now seems to be a somewhat progressive issue, as different symptoms have arisen as time has gone on. I began not being able to breathe well sometime last year, but every time medical professionals take my O2 stats, it never goes below 98. However, it’s becoming increasingly harder within these last few months, especially taking deep breaths. After having some bad reflux episodes, I was told I had GERD, and then given some medication. However, I’ve now been hospitalized twice for my severe breathing issues, both occasions in September, after my GERD diagnosis (and it’s well controlled/no reflux episodes), so I have a feeling it’s definitely a separate issue. My chest also feels as if there’s a crushing force on it very frequently.
I started getting severe leg pain, that made my (especially my left) calves feel heavy one minute, almost like carrying around tree trunks, and then pulsing/throbbing the next. I was scanned for blood clots in my left leg while at the ER, and everything came back normal. The same day I was scanned, a nurse noticed my left arm being a vibrant blue. The ER doctor then pointed out the fact he’d noticed that it was also on my right arm at that point, as well. Ultrasounds have recently been done on both my arms, but those results also came back normal.
My blood is now starting to be impacted as well I believe, as it’s appearing to have trouble stopping or clotting quickly. I’m not sure if this issue is related to the color-changing or not. My blood will borderline gush out after blood draws/IV site wounds. My RBC has also been consistently high for awhile now, and my MCH and MCV are now dropping again. The values being abnormal aren’t by much or extremely significant, but I’m not sure the reason for the abnormality either (again, reiterating the fact that I’m not sure if it’s connected to the color-changing or not).
𝐓𝐋;𝐃𝐑
𝐌𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐡-𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬. 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧/𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲, 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞, 𝐢𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭.
[Arms](https://imgur.com/a/7xrLYUV)
| 464 |
Except for the bleeding, you're pretty much describing a sickle cell disease crisis. Did you ever have a hemoglobin electrophoresis test?
EDIT: I saw the conversation further below. Some common traits for hemoglobinopathies are indeed low hemoglobin, high RBC and low MCV. I'd say you could catch about 80% based on these values (but then, electrophoresis is still required for final diagnosis, or DNA testing for alpha thalassemias). Anemias can be compensated for with high RBC counts. MCV, as in sickle cell anemia, may be normal since the sickeling occurs in the microcirculation at low PO2s.
​
EDIT2:
I'll give a short summary of things written below (including personal interpretation of what was written) for any physicians currently tuning in;
**Summary**
* 28F, non smoker, non drinker, not on birth control
* Fatigue
* Severe leg pain (excruciating), pulsing, throbbing
* Severe pain 'everywhere', especially shoulder blades
* Blue discoloration in arms
* Oxygenation is fine
* Both arms and legs were scanned but no clots were found
* No history for excessive bleeding during surgery or tooth extractions
* Periods were heavy in the past, but no longer
* Pictures could be interpreted as deep-tissue bleeding/bruising, but no discoloration has been described (cave too recent)
* No weight loss, fevers, infections
* Liver and spleen are normal
**Lab**
* No full lab results on hemostasis (e.g. PT, APTT, Fibrinogen)
* Initially high RGB, normal MCV, hemoglobin. Now all three are declining
* Normal d-dimer, normal platelets
* No hemoglobin electrophoresis was done
**Possibilities** (in no particular order)
* (Acquired) Bleeding disorder
* Thrombosis
* Sickle-Hb C disease
* Anxiety
* ...?
| 338 |
AskDocs
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18f tiny black sticks in urine and eye
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Don’t take any medication except occasional vitamins.
Yesterday I noticed tiny pencil tip sized black sticks in my eye. I got them out, and assumed it was just random stuff that got into my eye.
Today I used the washroom, and found that there were similar black sticks in the toilet, except this time they were the length of a quarter. They were the same width (very thin) just longer.
I can’t find anything online about this. It’s kinda worrying me. What is going on?
I don’t have a picture of any of the sticks because I didn’t think to do that. If it happens again, I’ll post a link to it. Both times it looked similar to pine needles, but brown or black. When it was in my eye, it was very small. When it was in the toilet, it was normal pine needle size.
Is this a medical problem or is it something else?
| 262 |
Just an idea: any chance someone was trimming their hair, that hair got on a towel that you used on your body; which inadvertently planted little hairs on your face (that got in your eye), and in your nether-regions that make you think you peed them out?
| 395 |
AskDocs
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Audible pop in nose during COVID test
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**Follow up**
Just want to thank everyone who took the time to respond and help someone less informed, pretty neat that people do that for each other.
Didn’t see anyone medical today due to a packed work schedule, but neck pain and headache reduced, as well as the blood taste. Nostril still feels a little weird but nothing too uncomfortable. All in all looks like it’ll be fine, but thank you to all those who had something to say.
As an aside, I shouldn’t have used the term “doc” it’s the generic term for corpsman in the US DoD, so it was not an actual doctor who administered the swab. That said, yeah the guy and I have some beef, so I can see why he was so aggressive with it. Thanks again all, I live:)
25M, 5ft8in, 165lb, Latino/Hispanic.
Underwent nostril swab COVID test 8 hours ago. 3d test so far, second one in 24 hours, same nostril (right side), during test doc pushed much harder than in other two tests. Felt/heard a pop in the top/back of my nostril during that really uncomfortable portion of the test, swab came out with blood. Nose bled profusely for ~30 minutes before the inside kinda dried up and stopped bleeding. During that 30 minutes I snorted out a large hunk of something solid. Developed a strong headache behind my right eye, sides of my neck became sore (especially the left side of my neck), and experienced a clammy light headed spell roughly one hour afterwards. Headache leveled out at 3/10 pain after the first hour, still ongoing. Neck pain has progressed in pain, now at 5/10.
No existing medical issues, completely healthy going into test, had to take it for work clearance to travel. Drink less than 5 drinks per week typically on Friday and Saturday evenings. Don’t smoke. Don’t use drugs or any medication. Have actually been sleeping on average 2 hours more per night in the last week than the last few months due to change in work schedule. Did receive three shots an hour before the test (for work) which were flu vaccine, anthrax, and JEV. Still taste blood in the back of my throat when swallowing saliva, and breathing in deeply through nose creates feeling in the back of my head similar to accidentally breathing in some water. Have never had a nose bleed in my life, can count the number of headaches I’ve ever had on one hand, did have a decent surf wipeout yesterday that could contribute to the neck pain, but based off of plenty of previous wipeouts I’d judge the location (sides of neck) to be weird and the intensity of discomfort to be disproportionate to the severity of the wipeout. Plus I woke up with only a 1/10 sore back of my neck that didn’t really bother me until after the test when it ramped up. Just want to know if I should seek further medical attention or if this is something harmless - haven’t been sick in over 5 years so it’s unusual to feel down. Am going to bed now, hopefully feel better in the morning but if not will look to some advice.
| 366 |
See if you can contact an ENT about it. I have performed this test on thousands of people and sometimes there is a little bit of blood but have never seen this severe of a response.
| 251 |
AskDocs
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Please upvote for visibility!! Incredibly painful pins and needles
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Painful Paresthetia
Incredibly painful pins and needles
Age - 28
Height - 6’2”
Weight - 185lbs
Medications - Remicade 900mg
Medical history - Crohn’s disease. Eczema. Thalassemia minor.
10 years of pain.
Whenever I get hot and start to sweat I get these super painful pins and needles. Mostly on my back and neck but they go everywhere; hands, feet, head, etc. all above waist. Incredibly painful. I can’t workout during the winter or do any physical activities in fear of them. Luckily (I guess) it’s the winter and I live where it snows so I’ll go outside or open a window to get rid of it.
- Only happens in the fall/winter. No pins and needles when I get hot in the summer
- ZERO rash. No marks or discoloration or anything on my skin when I have them. You’d never know I was getting them besides me fidgeting and rubbing the skin from the pain
I’ve been getting it for the last ~10 years and I want it gone. So tired of it.
I just started 300mg Gabapentin but it has not helped.
I got tested for B12 and it’s at a normal level
Had an MRI to check for MS and it’s clear
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!
| 407 |
Sounds a little bit like how some people describe Lhermitte's sign - however, not 100%, and you mentioned an evaluation for MS was OK and I'm not aware of other diseases with this phenomenon. Sorry can't be more helpful; wish you the best!
| 34 |
AskDocs
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Puking blood, Severely ill, doctors have given up
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My aunt who is [58F] puked blood about a week ago where we immediately rushed her to the hospital. Now there they did a few tests including for COVID which came negative and in doing further tests the doctor said that she had thermocytopenia and the next 3 days they gave her 7-10 bags of platelets. On 29th Nov they counted ~18k and then on the 4th Dec they counted ~40k. After that they told that theu have to move her to a hospital that has a hematologist department which happens to be at the capital state and she went in an ambulance which took 5hrs. Upon reaching they rushed her in and did a few tests (on 5th Dec) for which the results came in anf today early morning they told us about what was up. They suspect bone marrow cancer for which the test will take 5 days to come as it can't be done in my state and after a few blood tests they say that her liver is rotten (sorry for bad English translation) and her food bag is melted. Now they say that she has less than a week to live and saving her will take lots of money but still has a low chance of bringing her back. We are not rich at all but we want to do everything to save her, today she has stopped urinating, pooping, hasn't ate or drank anything, can't open her eyes she's just laying there... Breathing that's all. Something I'd also like to mention is that when in the first hospital when they gave her the first bag of platelet it was all gone as she pooped it all out. This was tough to write sorry for not writing it more properly, I need any help knowing her condition better and want to do anything to help her. I'd appreciate any advice.
| 444 |
It sounds like she may have had liver problems for some time (and may not have realised it), leading to "portal hypertension"; one of the complications of this is bleeding oesophageal varices - a combination of liver blood pressure issues and the thrombocytopenia caused by decreased liver synthetic function.
Unfortunately, the options for treating liver dysfunction directly are basically non-existent, and if the liver failure is a result of some secondary disease (e.g. cancer from either the bone marrow or any of a number of possible other causes) then even transplant, should by some miracle it be facilitated, would likely be a futile measure.
On the flip-side, the liver has pretty good regenerative capacity, so if the underlying cause can somehow be reversed fast enough, then there may be hope. However, it's impossible to know at this stage what the likelihood of this is without further diagnostic information.
In the end it all depends on what that underlying problem is and what your treatment options are in your locale.
| 370 |
AskDocs
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My husband vomited blood
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Male
31
Smoking and alcohol use
No medications
High blood pressure
So my husband yesterday morning told me he wasn’t feeling well and he spit up black tar like substance. He assumed it was blood. So he decided to go to bed. He woke up a short time later to get a glass of water and passed out in the kitchen. I called EMS but he refused care.
Hours later, he proceeded to throw up in the toilet, pass out in the bathtub where he continued vomiting.
I once again called EMS, and he was taken to the hospital. They just ran blood work. And ekg was also done. Finding the blood work came back normal they sent him home.
What would cause someone to vomit this much blood and be okay?
I thought it was a possible GI bleed. He is still feeling ill today. He is pale, cool and clammy.
https://imgur.com/a/RrbmORW
UPDATE: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/k8hken/update_my_husband_is_vomiting_blood/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
| 811 |
ER. Now. Feeling “cold and clammy” in setting of GI bleed is alarming.
| 1,235 |
AskDocs
|
UPDATE: My husband is vomiting blood
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Male
31
Alcohol use
Tobacco use
No medications
Prior use of aspirin and ibuprofen daily which has now ceased
So my husband is refusing to go to a different hospital. He still looks pale to me, but not gray looking. For now. No vomiting of blood. Stools, I am unsure of.
He’s been really tired and cold still but not clammy.
I’ve asked repeatedly to go to a different hospital and he said no.
To answer some questions,
Yes, he does have an issue with alcohol use. The tall boys 3 beers daily. Which has now stopped.
I found his hospital paperwork below. https://imgur.com/a/NFzmjvc
Thank you to everyone who cares about this. I wish he would go get help.
Original post
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/k81yc2/my_husband_vomited_blood/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
| 568 |
discharged with tachycardia alcohol abuse hematemesis? not consistent with standard of care imo, all else equal.
| 477 |
AskDocs
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Update on “Should i take another pregnancy test in a few weeks? (repost because it didn’t get any responses. please upvote)”
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“F16 white 5’6 130lbs.
medications: 150mg seroquel nightly
I have the mirena IUD (got it back in June) and last had unprotected sex on November 17th. my iud is still in place but i got very paranoid and was having weird cramps so i decided to take a test today. some sources said to wait 21+ days after sex some sources said to wait 10+ days after sex since i don’t have periods due to the iud so i can’t judge based on that. the test came back negative. am i in the clear with the test and iud or should i take another one in a few weeks. “
UPDATE: I’m experiencing mood swings, nausea (very unusual for me), skin breakouts, frequent urination, extra discharge, weight gain (or just bloating), bad cramps, really light spotting (i don’t get my period since the iud so this is odd). is the pregnancy test i took on 12/4 accurate or should i take another one and when should i do this. i’m worried i’m somehow placebo-ing myself and am unsure if my concerns are real. would appreciate some feedback from someone who’s not all strung up in this emotii you on ally
EDIT: thank you everyone, i understand it’s probably symptoms from the Mirena and now i understand that if i’m experiencing pregnancy symptoms i’m probably also gonna get a positive result. i know i don’t have an std and the nausea could be from something else. this more comes down to my anxiety/ocd mental stuff i just get horribly paranoid and need to make sure it’s 100% thank you for the responses
| 576 |
My friend has the same issues with her iud she randomly started getting period symptoms without bleeding (except spotting) after having it for 2 years
I’m currently pregnant it took me 10 days to get a positive after having sex
The end of week take another test and see how it goes and also planned parenthood does free pregnancy tests and stuff and if you really are worried go to your doctor or to an urgent care
| 181 |
AskDocs
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How can you tell the difference between brain fog / mental illness and stupidity?[23M]
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**EDIT: I didn't suspect to get this many responses! I want you to know I read every comment and deeply appreciate all of them. That said, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I am very thankful for the support, but I'm not asking for possible causes to my cognitive difficulties. I have researched these myself. Rather I'm asking how I can determine whether I'm dealing with dysfunctional cognition in the first place. All online information on brain fog (and mental illness in general) heavily rely on subjective terms like "feeling 'less' focused" or "feeling like your mind is 'more' clouded" instead of giving a point of reference for normal cognition and how brain fog deviates from it.**
**Also, because these seem to be common suggestions/questions: I haven't had a test for sleep apnea or thyroid dysfunction yet. I have had bloodwork done for vitamin deficiencies (don't remember exactly which ones because it was done for unrelated issues) 24 months ago, but I only had mild vitamin D deficiency. I have also been diagnosed with and treated for ADHD, but it was extremely inaffective for me.**
Height: 180cm
Weight: 62kg
Race: White
I don't know if this is appropriate for this subreddit, but I'll give it a shot anyway. I used to think I was of above average intelligence because when I was much younger I always had an easier time learning things than my peers, but over the past few years I've started to notice that I've become much slower and now actually perform worse than my peers. I have extreme difficulty thinking at all, both my short and long term memory are terrible and I'm very prone to making very obvious and simple mistakes. All of these have always *felt* uncharacteristic of myself to me but have been the norm for my entire adult life (5 years). I'm having trouble pinpointing why I'm performing so poorly. I suspect several causes, some of which being simply negligence of my cognitive development and some being mental/physical illness(sleep apnea due to deviated septum, hypo/hyperthyroidism, nutritional deficiency due to vegetarianism or lack of sunlight).
So my question is, in terms of cognitive function, how can brain fog or mental illness be discerned from stupidity? Are the experiences different in any fundamental way?
| 577 |
I wouldn’t necessarily reach straight for another medical problem. I’m not stating the following as fact, just food for thought. See if it resonates.
It sounds more like you might have rested on your laurels/natural ability as a youngster. (V. common when kids are told repeatedly they’re smarter, rather than praised for the effort they put in.)
Then, whilst everyone else was learning how to put that extra effort in to keep up, establish good habits/work ethic, you might have stagnated a bit.
We have to keep exercising our minds to stay sharp, and excellence isn’t an act, it’s a habit.
| 389 |
AskDocs
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EVERY TIME I [19F] exhale, I hear weird chirping noises coming from my throat to the beat of my heartbeat. I'm not kidding, I will post a video. It's been driving me crazy for months. PLEASE HELP ME.
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I am 19, female, 105 pounds. I take Vyvanse (40 mg) 5-7 days a week during school for ADHD and have been on Vyvanse for 7 years. I don't take it in the summer unless I am doing an online class. I don't smoke and I rarely drink.
I first noticed this back in June when I was taking an online class. I've always noticed that my Vyvanse increases my heartbeat, but I didn't think much of it. But then the weird noise started happening when I exhaled. It isn't loud, so I'm sure I'm the only one that can hear it if someone is around me. But it sounds like little chirps coming from my throat when I exhale through my nose, and they get slightly louder when I exhale with an open mouth. The chirps happen at the same time my heart beats. I only ever notice the noise when I'm on my Vyvanse, so it could be that it only happens when I take it.
PLEASE put your volume up as loud as it goes, it's quiet but you can hear it if you put your volume up. No, this isn't a joke or a prank. I'm serious. The noise is happening right now and it's driving me insane. [Here is the video.](https://imgur.com/a/yysN2qW)
If you're NAD, PLEASE comment and upvote just to boost this. I am really hoping for some answers here because it's so bizarre and I struggle to focus on my work because of it even though I'm on my ADHD medicine.
| 796 |
NAD - I am a medical student. You may have Mitral Valve Prolapse, which can cause a "click" sound in your heartbeat. It's unusual to be able to hear it without a stethoscope though. Are you having any other symptoms? Shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, heart palpitations, chest pain?
​
Edit to add: MVP is very very common. It's the most common valvular abnormality, affecting 2-3% of the population. It's typically benign and often people can go their whole lives with no symptoms, but sometimes people do become symptomatic and may require medication or surgery. If you hear this clicking sound in rhythm with your heartbeat it's always best to bring it up to your PCP so they can listen with a scope and properly evaluate and diagnose you.
| 396 |
AskDocs
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I'm randomly collapsing with increased frequency.
|
Timeline:
35 y/o white male.
Back in December of 2019 I was the sickest I've ever been in my life. Bed ridden for about 10 days, totally out of it, delirious, couldn't stand without help. Super high fever and coughing. After I recovered my heart was about 150-160 all the time and completely dancing around in my chest. After the 3rd day of this, I went into the hospital and after an ECG they determined it was Afib and ordered a series of blood tests. I was put on 2.5mg Bisoprolol and Apixiban 5mg twice daily. It was great medication to be honest as it helped me and there were no apparent side effects.
So life goes on completely normal until 3 months later (March 2020), when I had to most severe pain in my lower left side (near kidney). It was unbearable and even the lightest touch was agony. The obvious diagnosis here was kidney stones and that's what they said I had. Moving around was agony and the only pain medication that would even take the edge off was Diclofenac Suppositories.
My Urine test came back clean and I was ordered an ultrasound and MRCP. No issues were found with my kidneys, liver, bile duct, pancreas etc. And I never did pass any stones. But thankfully the pain vanished by itself about 6 weeks later (May 2020).
At this point, or shortly after I had very noticeable weight loss and fatigue. From 180 pounds to 150 in a couple of weeks. I hadn't changed my diet or started exercising. I was given a full blood work up.
Negative for Hep's and HIV etc. These are the 4 values that were found to be abnormal.
|Test|Amount|Unit|
|:-|:-|:-|
|Serum ALT level|478|u/L|
|Serum ferritin|646|ug/L|
|Neutrophil count|1.6|10\*9/L|
|Serum Immunoglobulins \*IgA|3.94|g/L|
They also concluded I had the Epstein–Barr virus back in December which caused my initial issues. They also did an echocardiogram, which concluded I had trace mitral and tricuspid regurgitation.
So, that's my medical history. I've really not had any other issues or illnesses during my childhood, and nothing remarkable or note worthy happen to me during the past decade. I should also say, my immune system has been rock solid. Never needed days off at school or at work due to the flu etc.
As of 3 months ago (Aug 2020) I started to get really bizarre set of symptoms. It started with me just collapsing. Feeling like there was a profound drop in blood pressure, my watch informed me my heart went below 50, and at its lowest 35 bpm. These events are increasing with frequency and I've noticed a pattern! Which is the main reason I'm here today (so forgive that medical timeline above if you find it to be irrelevant).
An event starts like this. First I feel a slight stabbing pain deep under my skin, typically at one of 4 locations. Left neck under collar bone, left arm, left groin and left lower abdomen. Coincidently this is the same pain I felt initial back in March 2020. Then I feel a slight bubbling sensation (not a muscle twitch or spasm). The pain then subsides and immediately I'll get pins and needles radiating from the site down to the hands and fingers OR legs and toes etc. This is quite painful sensation although not unbearable. Finally I get a very profound drop in heart rate and blood pressure. From 90 to as low as 35. I feel dizzy light headed. My face and ears become flush (apparently my body dilating vessels to keep me awake?). This feeling subsides after about 10-15 mins.
They took me off my medication thinking this was the cause and so I've been off it for months. The "events" I experience are now increasing with frequency.
And lately, I've felt dizzy for a couple of days afterwards. I don't appear to have any slurred speech or cognitive issues during this time. I just feel like I could topple over. Another thing is coldness in my hands and feet and even sometimes random bouts of numbness that last anywhere from 10 seconds to a couple of minutes.
At one point last week I had it 3 events in one day.
Needless to say, I'm very worried and I'm stumped. As is my doctor. Can anyone shed any light on what the hell is going on?
***Edit #1 — I did contract COVID (test pos) about a month ago. My daughter had an outbreak at her school. She coughed into my mouth, which I believe is a great route for infection.***
***My symptoms started before this infection. I had a very mild cough for 2 days, and loss of sense of smell. This isn't to say I didn't initially have it back in Dec last year but could be unlikely as I was working from home and not traveling outside 4 weeks prior (self employed designer).***
***Edit #2 — Here are some of the tests already conducted.***
|Test|Results|
|:-|:-|
|ECG #1|Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation|
|Ultrasound of Kidney|Normal ultrasound appearances of both kidneys. No hydronephrosis, renal calculi or renal masses seen bilaterally. The urinary bladder was underfilled.|
|Bloods (various)|High levels of AST (Liver) and low levels of neutrophil (White blood cells)|
|Ultrasound for AAA|Normal|
|Echocardiogram|Normal. Trace mitral and tricuspid regurgitation.|
|Chest X-ray (various)|Normal heart size and mediastinal contours.The lungs are clear. No pleural effusion or evidence of pulmonary oedema.|
|CT Angiogram of Neck|Arterial phase: Conventional arterial anatomy. No abnormality of the great vessels. Normal vertebral arteries. Normal carotid arteries. No evidence of arterial dissection. Venous phase: Symmetrical jugular systems. No evidence ofvenous thrombosis. No abnormality is seen in the intrathoracic component of the subclavian vein. Other findings: No significant soft tissue abnormalities.Normal vertebral bony appearances.|
|CT Abdomen #1|The terminal ileum is very mildly distended. There is minor subtle irregularity of the wall of the terminal ileum over approximately 3 cm in length.|
|CT Abdomen Followup #2|Normal (the above healed itself?)|
|MRCP|Normal appearances of the gallbladder with no stones or wall thickening. Normal calibre intra and extra-hepatic biliary tree with no bile duct stones. Normal branching pattern to the biliary tree. Normal level of cystic duct insertion. Normal pancreas and pancreatic duct. On available imaging no abnormality is seen in visualised liver, spleen, adrenals or kidneys.|
|ECG (various spanning 4 months)|Normal|
***Edit #3 — They actually tested me for LUPUS, and the first test of (Russell viper venom time) was intermediate? But follow up testing ruled that out.***
***Edit #4 — As of Fri 11th Dec 2020 00:34 I had another event. From my chest outwards, it almost felt like a cold sensation. Like there was wetness on the inside of my chest wall, that radiated out. No chest pain, just light headedness. Pulse dropped to about 50 and is steady without pause or irregularity. Will be relaying this Dr on Monday.***
​
Update Tue 5th Jan 2021 — Currently waiting on results for the tape that was pushed back. Also got some other tests due on the 6th.
| 301 |
This makes me think of post-viral dysautonomia. I do not have much experience with diagnosing or treating this but the timeline seems right. Have you been on a long-term heart monitor for these episodes? Seen a cardiologist? If you are getting dizzy or passing out from episodes of bradycardia, and you have been taken off your beta-blocker, this makes me think you should be evaluated for a pacemaker.
| 147 |
AskDocs
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Pressure in head, face, and neck- please upvote for visibility!!!
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32F, 5’5”, 170lbs; taking 150 mg of Wellbutrin and 10 mg of Prozac
Occasionally upon waking, I’ll have like sinus pressure but it goes all the way to my ears and affects my head and neck as well. It feels odd to swallow, almost like my ears need to pop but not quite the same. This feeling can last for days and then it seems to resolve for a short while. Oftentimes a headache will start after the pressure. No fever or other symptoms. Just a headache and crazy pressure in/behind my ears and neck. Any ideas on what’s going on??
| 946 |
Sounds like my TMJ symptoms to me. NAD tho. Just a sufferer.
| 80 |
AskDocs
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Vomiting daily for 4 months (down syndrome F 26)
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My sister is 26 has down syndrome, pretty healthy in general though.
She's been struggling to keep food down for 4 months. Every time she eats or drinks anything within a few mins to an hour the food repeatedly in small amounts comes back up. Lost a lot of weight. Has strange excessive loud belching along side it.
She was in hosp a month (Sept) on fluids and testing. All tests normal (bloods, camera up and down, ct scan, mri scan, x ray, stool and urine samples etc) so discharged and no answers. She's also experienced random limb bruising and nose bleeds, told due to low iron..
It's horrendous watching her go through this daily. Life was challenging enough having the syndrome, now she can't leave the house at all, and sits in the same chair all day with a sick bowel and towels by her. She get distressed and cries each time, very difficult for her and mum and I as carers.
Please can anyone offer any suggestions?
| 641 |
Has she been evaluated for functional GI disorders? Like the esophageal sphincter not closing properly?
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AskDocs
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Please upvote for visibility. Years of fatigue, cognitive decline in 27M, low WBC. Desperate for an answer
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27M, 190 lbs, 6', Latino (Brazil). Rarely drinks, never smoked or did illegal drugs.
Many relatives with strokes on my father side of the family (including him), an aunt with lymphoma and CKD (that led to complete kidney failure and death years after) of my maternal grandfather.
Symptoms: For many years I've been suffering with fatigue (I practiced a lot of sports and was very active in my childhood and teenage years), lack of motivation to do anything, trouble concentrating (worse than it was before), I feel like I'm not as smart as I was a couple years ago (brain fog), my memory was great, but now is below average, terrible irritability that starts without any particular reason (sometimes it also comes together with itching in the entire body and feeling hot), my personality changed completely from an social person to someone that barely leaves my home and frequent urination.
I'm currently being treated by a psychiatrist that diagnosed me with anxiety, depression and ADHD, but besides years of many antidepressants and years of therapy with different professionals nothing seems to solve my problems. I'm currently taking ritalin, fluvoxamine, changed to a healthy diet and exercise regularly. This lack of improvement that led me to believe that may be a physical (for the lack of better word) cause for my symptoms.
--------------------------
A few months ago I did some blood tests and these are the results (lab ideal values between parentheses):
RBC : 4.970.000/mm3 (4.500.000 - 5.500.000)
Hemoglobin : 14,9 g/dl (13,0 - 17,5)
Hematocrit : 42,1% (40,0 - 50,0)
MCV : 84,6 fl (80,0 - 100,0)
MCH : 30,0 pg (27,6 - 32,6)
MCHC : 35,5 g/dl (32,0 - 35,4)
RDW : 12,4 % (11,0 - 13,8)
WBC - TOTAL: 3.530/mm3 (4.000 - 11.000)
Segmented Neutrophil : 46,7% - 1.640/mm3 (2.000 - 7.000)
Lymphocyte : 40,9% - 1.450/mm3 (1.000 - 3.500)
Monocytes : 10,6% - 376/mm3 (200 - 1.000)
Eosinophils : 1,1% - 40/mm3 (20 - 500)
Basophils : 0,7% - 24/mm3 (Lower than 200)
Platelets : 279.000/mm3 (150.000 - 450.000)
Urine test : everything normal (and 5.5 pH), except for calcium oxalate presence and the density of the first one was 1.027 and the second was 1.014 (lab range: 1.015 - 1.025)
Ferritin : 262.4 ng/mL (adult males: 22.0 - 322.0)
Serum Iron : 116 mcg/dL (adult males: 65 - 175)
TIBC : 349 mcg/dL (250 - 425)
Calculated Transferrin Saturation : 33% (males: 20 - 50)
Uric Acid : 7.8 mg/dL (males: 3.7 - 7.8)
Vitamin D - 29,7 ng/dL (previous: 11,4), and i'm supplementing it monthly.
Calcium - 10,0 mg/dL (8,3 - 10,6)
Ionic Calcium - 1,23 nmol/L (1,10 - 1,35 or 4,40 - 5,40)
Potassium - 4,8 mEq/L (3,5 - 5,1)
Sodium - 139 mEq/L (136 - 145)
AST - 22 U/L (previous: 25) (lab range: smaller than 40)
ALP - 64 U/L (previous: 55) (lab range: 36-110)
ALT - 41 U/L (previous: 57) (lab range for males: smaller than 58)
GGT - 43 U/L (previous: 54) (lab range: smaller than 73)
Hb1AC : 5.3% (lower than 5.7)
Fasting Glucose : 79mg/dL (60 - 99)
Creatinine : 0.78 mg/dL (males: 0.5 - 1.1)
Estimated GFR : higher than 90 mL/min/1.73 m2 (higher than 90)
STDs tests: All of them negative
Normal blood pressure
TPO : 33 UI/mL (lower than 60)
TSH : 2.15 microUI/mL (previous: 1.21) (lab ideal: 0.48 - 5.60)
Free T4 : 1.10 ng/dL (0.89 - 1.76)
(Couldn't find the actual values, but I remember that my bad cholesterol was slightly higher and good cholesterol lower than the lab range)
--------------------------
Recently (more than 6 months after those ones), my doctor asked for new tests:
RBC : 5.290.000/mm3 (4.500.000 - 5.500.000)
Hemoglobin : 15,0 g/dl (13,0 - 17,5)
Hematocrit : 44,6% (40,0 - 50,0)
MCV : 84,3 fl (80,0 - 100,0)
MCH : 28,3 pg (27,6 - 32,6)
MCHC : 33,6 g/dl (32,0 - 35,4)
RDW : 13,3 % (11,0 - 13,8)
WBC - TOTAL: 3.100/mm3 (4.000 - 11.000)
Segmented Neutrophil : 46,2% - 1.432/mm3 (2.000 - 7.000)
Lymphocyte : 39,6% - 1.228/mm3 (1.000 - 3.500)
Monocytes : 12,6% - 381/mm3 (200 - 1.000)
Eosinophils : 1,1% - 34/mm3 (20 - 500)
Basophils : 0,8% - 25/mm3 (Lower than 200)
Platelets : 268.000/mm3 (150.000 - 450.000)
Homocysteine : 20,35 micromol/L (males: 7,71 - 22,33)
Bicarbonate : 27 mEq/L (20 - 31)
C Reactive Protein : 4,0 mg/L (Lower than 10,0)
Ceruloplasmin : 23.1 mg/dL (20 - 60)
Copper : 97.7 (adult males: 70 - 140)
B12: 410 pg/mL (211 - 911)
CK: 84 U/L (males: lower than 200)
Potassium : 4.1 mEq/L (3.5 - 5.1)
Magnesium : 2.0 mg/dL (1.6 - 2.6)
Folic Acid: 381 ng/dL (higher than 151)
-----------------------
I felt no improvement with the months of vitamin D supplementation.
My doctor couldn't explain what is causing my symptoms. Is there any other possible diagnosis that I should look into (don't matter if it is very unlikely) ? Any type of doctor that I should schedule an appointment ? Feel free to ask me any question.
-------------
Edit: I found some other tests I had done months ago:
Testosterone : 372 ng/dL (previous: 237) (lab ideal range: 165 - 763) - My first testosterone test (237) was taken 11:06 am. The second one (372) at 9:52am.
FSH : 4.26 mUI/mL (previous: 5.16) (lab ideal range: 1.4 - 18.1)
LH : 2.71 mUI/mL (previous: 1.92) (lab ideal range: 1.5 - 9.3)
SHBG : 22.5 nmol/L (14.6 - 94.6)
Free Estimated Testosterone : 9.19 ng/dL (3.03 - 14.8)
Prolactin : 7.6 ng/dL (2.1 - 17.7)
Edit 2: I completely forgot to add that I did, in my childhood, months of treatment with an Speech-language pathologist because I talked everything wrong (even though I started talking and reading at an early age), but now my speech is a thousand times better.
Edit 3: Just remembered that an aunt had, many years ago, lymphoma (now she is cured).
Edit 4: Serum Zinc : 116.0 mcg/dL (70 - 120), and I never took a zinc supplement
Edit 5: My tests are all in paper, pretty sure I found the vast majority (95%+) of them, but I found a new one. I had my PTH checked, because I heavily insisted with my doctor, but it wasn't measured at the same time (weeks after) as the calcium.
Intact PTH : 52.8 pg/ml (lab range: 18.5 - 88.0)
Edit 6: I'm writing a lot of stuff that is being said on this thread and doing my own reasearch (not a doctor, I know) but what about ammonia ? cortisol ? phosphorous ? some other hormone ? Is that possible ?
Edit 7: A lot of (very qualified) people suggested for me to keep being treated for depression and ADHD, I want to assure everyone I'm still following everything that was prescribed to me, but I came for this sub for the more uncommon ideas, if you should always look at the more likely scenario even when treatment (with full patient compliance) is not working for years, what is the point of this sub ? or even a human doctor ? "keep trying to treat this non falseable hypothesis until you kill yourself". I know you should look what is more likely first (I'm a engineer, was a good one, have research experience, albeit not medical one), but if the more likely scenario is not improving for years let's test something else.
| 1,330 |
I’m not a doctor, but I have all of these symptoms.. even the vitamin d deficiency. I have Multiple Sclerosis. I second the see a neurologist.
ETA: I don’t have issues with CKD. Not that I’m aware of.
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AskDocs
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My baby is COVID-19 positive, hasn’t urinated in 18 hours, when to know when he is dehydrated.
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My child is male 11 months old and started running high fevers on Friday afternoon, his pediatrician directed me to take him to the hospital bc I couldn’t get his fever down with medication and he is not eating or drinking and the office is closed until Monday.
He got a positive COVID result, so they just said continue medicine around the clock and don’t let him dehydrate.
He is breastfed, so he is nursing more than he normally would, but he still refuses food and drink. His temperature stays around 103 on medicine.
He drank 25 mls of Gatorade this morning, through syringes.
How do I know when he is dehydrated? Will he dehydrate if he is still nursing? He has had 3 wet diapers in the last 3 days but still seems alert and almost playful sometimes.
I just don’t know if wet diapers is the only indication of dehydration or is he is okay bc he is nursing. Please help. TIA.
| 1,129 |
Three wet diapers in a 24hr period minimum. It sounds like he needs an assessment.
| 1,075 |
AskDocs
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No request for upvotes, no bumps
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Posts with requests for upvotes and comments intended to bump will now be removed by the AutoModerator. It's getting ridiculous and serves no useful purpose except to encourage further clutter.
| 650 |
Thank you. I thought maybe it was just me who noticed an uptick in requesting upvotes...
| 189 |
AskDocs
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(40m) blood coming out of my eye (not bloodshot, actual blood)
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On Friday I woke up with dried blood caked around my left eye. Didn’t think anything of it and went about my day. Later that night my vision started to get cloudy and checked the mirror and blood was coming out of my eye. Rinsed it out for a few minutes and vision was fine (just cloudy because of the blood) and bleeding stopped. Problem is this routine is happening about 4 times a day, and only out of my left eye. I went to an ophthalmologist yesterday and they couldn’t see anything wrong with my eyes and they gave me over the counter eye drops and said hopefully that fixes it. I know its only been a day, but it was actually worse today. Figured if it was just overly dry eye a full day of eye drops would at least make the bleeding less, but today was actually the worst day in terms of the amount of blood I have had. The amount of blood on my Kleenex rivaled the amount of a minor nose bleed. Does anyone know what this could be? At what point should I see another doctor if this doesn’t get better? Also, what kind of doctor should I be trying to get my next appointment with, or would this be something that is hospital worthy? The optometrist wasn’t much help in terms of next steps so my thinking is they must have thought it isn’t serious and will go away on its own, but I am not too confident in that assessment now that things aren’t getting better. Thanks in advance.
| 576 |
Post a picture and I'll take a look. Are you sure the blood is coming from the eyeball and not the eyelid? Do you only notice the blood around the eye when you wake up or do you actually see the eyeball bleeding?
Edit:
Just saw the videos and pictures.
Your bleeding is NOT coming from the eyeball. It looks like it’s coming from your nasolacrimal duct. Blood from the nasolacrimal duct is concerning for cancer. You need to see an oculoplastic specialty trained ophthalmologist as soon as possible!
| 616 |
AskDocs
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7 year old - violent dreams and play in real life
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**UPDATE
I took our daughter to her counselor today. She said that what my daughter is going through is perfectly normal. We talked about everything going on and my concerns and she listened to my daughter talk as well. We have some strategies in place to help my daughter deal with her super creative mind and imagination and anxiety. The counselor has 3 daughters of her own so it made me feel a lot better about everything.
Thank you all for your kind words, the people who messaged me with their personal experiences, and even the ones who made some very unkind remarks.
————————
Thanks in advance to anyone who responds.
We have an amazing 6 year old (7 next week!) daughter. She is extremely smart and is able to read at levels well beyond her grade level. She is hilarious and the light of our life. She is well spoken and is all around kind to people. As for any bad behaviors - she gets frustrated pretty easily and it’s been something we’ve been working on together. She is physically healthy though very tall for her age. She is involved in gymnastics and has been learning remotely this semester. We believe her home life is great and as normal as can be for a middle class American family. She does though ask some very big questions that I can’t answer as an adult. “Who were the first humans?” “Where does outer space end?” “What happens after you die?” Also to note, we don’t practice a religion but encourage her to explore anything that interests her.
This morning, she confided in me that sometimes she has violent dreams. These are the ones she told me:
- The most recent was one where bad guys (she didn’t say who) we cutting her to make her bleed. Then, they started chopping her up. She said she could see herself in the dream from a distance
- A dream where she was the bad guy and she planted vines and had people up against a wall trapped in the vines. The vines started squeezing the people and making them choke & die
- A dream where everything around her was black. I told her in the dream that she needs to “learn to die” and the black started caving in on us.
- A dream where bad guys enter our house and hide during the day and at night come out to kill all of us
This normally wouldn’t concern me, but she also told me that her vagina/genitals feel weird when she has these dreams. I asked her to describe it for me and she couldn’t because she was embarrassed. What I gathered though is that it’s not a bad feeling or a good feeling, and she doesn’t mind it.
What else concerns me too is that she said this doesn’t just happen during dreams. She plays “evil doctor” with her friend and this feeling happens too.
My daughter has never hurt anything or anyone. In fact, she stopped eating pork because she wants to save pigs. She’s a very empathetic and sensitive little girl so the fact that she’s having these thoughts is concerning.
| 640 |
NAD but I am a sexual abuse survivor and this feels familiar to my childhood. I was terrified of falling asleep because of the dreams I had. After years of therapy (I'm 41 now) I learned that my constant fear of being harmed (in dreams and in reality) stemmed from feeling unsafe as a child because I was related to my abuser and saw them on a daily basis until my abuse came to light. I learned that it's not normal to be incredibly startled in benign situations (like coming around the corner in the grocery store and someone else coming at the same time, and it scaring me into a panic attack), it's not normal to worry about someone grabbing your feet while you walk up the stairs, it's not normal to be an adult and be afraid of the dark. My brain was subconsciously telling me that I'm not safe no matter where I am or who I'm with.
The "evil doctor" piece makes me nervous that this friend is doing something malicious with her. My abuser was bullied into performing oral sex on another male when they were a child, and from that point on the only way they could feel in control was to exert power over other people which unfortunately included me. Anyone telling you to see a pediatric therapist is right on par, and I would mention these things ahead of time (not in front of your daughter). Let your daughter know that this person is a caring friend who is there to help, someone she can trust and that whatever she talks about in that room is strictly private and even you don't have to know about it. Be open with her about how her body is her own, and no one else has the right to touch it and that if she feels unsafe in situations you will work with her to figure out what makes her feel secure. She will be ok if she feels like she has support and love and if she feels like she can speak openly about how she feels. It sounds like you're doing a good job of this already. <3
ETA: She may be having violent dreams because someone threatened her that if she told you what was going on they would harm the both of you. I'm not trying to scare you, just trying to be open and honest.
| 398 |
AskDocs
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Cancer diagnosis 91F—wondering about how things will proceed
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Hi Reddit
My grandma was diagnosed yesterday with rectal cancer that has spread (at least) to her liver and her lungs. Given her age, she had made the understandable choice to just be kept comfortable and let things progress as they do. The doctors told us today that they think she probably has about 2 months left at most. This is my first time dealing with a loss like this and I’m looking for just any guidance about what to expect in the coming weeks. What does it look like for a terminal patient to be kept comfortable? Will they really be able to keep her out of pain? Can you tell me anything about what the end might be like? Are there questions I’m not even thinking to ask that I should be considering?
I truly appreciate any information you’re able to provide
Edit: thank you all so much for your kind comments and messages. I’m deeply appreciative for all the experiences you’ve shared and the advice you’ve given ❤️
| 369 |
Also, PLEASE encourage her to contact a local hospice and use their services. Hospice takes care of the family as much as they do the patient. They will be able to titrate medications to keep her comfortable, as well as educate the family on the dying process. Also studies have shown that patients on hospice live up to 3 weeks longer than patients not on hospice. They will help provide needed supplies, medication and equipment to keep her home (if that's what the family desires). Source - I'm a hospice nurse and deal with this daily.
| 309 |
AskDocs
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My wife's sisters [17f] seem to be developmentally the same age as very young children. Nobody knows what to do or how to help them. What type of therapy/classes could help with this?
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My wife has sisters who are twins, both 17f, living in the US. Not sure about exact numbers of height and weight, but they are both overweight. They've never been diagnosed with anything serious. They don't smoke, drink, use any drugs, or do any recreational activities. They have no interests whatsoever and seem to have a very difficult time connecting with other people. They live with their mom (who is also my wife's mom), and she's been reaching out to us for any suggestions because she's at her wits' end with all of this.
My wife posted something about them to r/relationships about a year or so ago asking for help connecting with them, and was told "they're fine, they're just nerds/introverts". I genuinely do not believe this is the case. I was a late bloomer myself and have met many, many people who are nerds/introverts/varying levels of aspergers, and this looks like something different to me.
It's probably worth pointing out that they're in normal high school classes (as in, not special classes or IEP) and they get straight A's, and they also both have jobs and do very well at work. They also seem to have a better understanding of the global pandemic and how pandemics work than most adults do.
Outside of work and school they do nothing. I don't mean "they go on the computer, read, a little of this, a little of that", I mean they come home and do literally nothing. It's not that they're introverts (which they definitely are), it's that they have barely any interests at all, have almost no opinions other than hating anti-maskers (which isn't a constant thing, it comes up maybe once a month), and have a very minimal understanding of how the world works. The only times we've been able to get them to talk about anything they *might* be interested in, it's always either "Olaf from Frozen" or "emojis" or reciting their work schedule/what grades they have in which classes.
They have almost the exact same personality, the only difference my wife can tell is that one is slightly more irritable than the other. One of them is in therapy but I don't think anything has come from that. My wife says they were developmentally normal or close to normal until they were around 10 or 11, and then just stopped mentally aging.
For some examples:
* If they had to walk home from school (which is very close to their home) they would not know how to get home, nor would it occur to them to use the GPS on their phones. They would stand outside the school and get progressively more and more scared before calling their mom in a fit of rage.
* They know how to use facebook, netflix, and instagram. They do not know how to use an answering machine or the voicemail function on their phones.
* They refuse to use their cell phones when the battery dips below 100%, it has to be 100% at all times.
* When we ask for a picture of something (like the weather where they are, or a gift they received) they will point the camera at the object and take a picture and send it, regardless of if the object is actually in the picture or not.
* They exclusively eat candy and junk food. Their mom tries to cook healthy meals for them but they scream and cry and refuse to eat it, until their mom makes them junk food. Since they've been working they buy their own food, which is almost entirely candy or cake.
* They believe they need their mom's permission to do things like walking to the corner store or answer the home phone. This is not a rule at the house, their mom has tried to teach them how to do these things independently many times.
* Someone has to be there to get them ready for work and school, because they don't understand how to brush their hair, teeth, put on deodorant, or shower properly. They will not do those things unless they are repeatedly asked to do them. They have been shown how do these things many times, but they don't understand it.
* Their mom had to physically give them baths until they were 14 because they would just sit in the water and not get clean, and didn't understand the process of cleaning oneself.
* They can't swim, ride a bike, run, or do any physical activity whatsoever. They can walk, but my wife says they have a very awkward walk, like they walk without moving the joints in their knees. They used to walk normally. They also used to be able to dogpaddle around, but starting around puberty neither of them can go in the water without arm floaties.
* They have no sense of identity or individuality whatsoever, their mom picks out their outfits and does their hair. Their mom does not want to do these things, it's not a control thing, it's that they literally do not know how to dress themselves and do not care what they're wearing.
* They have no interest in dating (men or women), and all of their friends eventually outgrow them.
* They talk in baby voices, and call their mom "Mommy" and their dad "Daddy". When strangers talk to them, they hide behind their mom.
* They're vaguely interested in The Jonas Brothers, but can't comprehend what any of the songs are about, they just like the sound of the music.
* When they talk or send texts, it's purely objective statements. "Today I did X." "Tomorrow I will do Y." I am X feet tall." "Today I took my temperature and I am 98.9 degrees fahrenheit." They only tell you things, or repeat facts. They don't ask questions or elaborate on what those things mean to them.
* When my wife tries to talk to them about age appropriate topics, they get embarrassed and shut down. They view normal teenage activities as "bad".
* They see classmates and coworkers who are the same age as they are as "much older" than they are.
* They've both mentioned wanting to go to college, but don't really understand the concept of being away from home, or picking a major because they have no interests.
Literally any help at all would be great, especially in regards to what kind of doctor or therapist specializes in this kind of thing.
Edit: We are reading every single post but there are a lot of responses (thank you all very much by the way) and we can't respond to everyone in a timely fashion.
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Hi, the fact they can get around school without an IEP, manage their school work on their own which includes things like organizing, prioritizing, taking notes, hold down jobs and then be unable to engage in simple life skills like taking a shower makes me wonder if this is something other than autism, to be honest. But something is definitely wrong here. Very wrong.
The first step is a full neuropsychological assessment by a clinical neuropsychologist.
I would also be concerned about regressive disorders, though I can’t even speculate based on this information given. The walking needs to be evaluated by pediatrician for possible referral out.
Sure, socially, the symptoms match for autism, but the overall picture here does not support the diagnosis. These girls are not high functioning in any way if they cannot shower or engage in ADLs, or just because they appear to function at school and work.
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Should I see my physician sooner than my next scheduled appointment in February? Rapid unintentional weight loss, tons of bruises, numb/burning hands and feet, super frequent UTI symptoms but no infection, and a super weird feeling like a chunk of food is stuck in the back of my throat.
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I’m a 39 year old female. I have asthma and eczema that I’ve been managing and treating since age 2. I take Breo 250 daily and only need a rescue inhaler 2-3x a month. I have ADD and was diagnosed with an ASD in my late twenties. I treat my ADD with Vyvanse 60mg. I switched 2 years ago after several years of Adderal XR. I have a history of thyroid “stuff” which I don’t understand and had a partial thyroid removal 10 years ago because I had a weird growth that looked like a giant kidney bean. I’ve been fine since and haven’t even needed any prescriptions to maintain normal thyroid levels in 7-8 years. I also have a history of interstitial cystitis but can usually be explained by my ASD issues and any certain activities I’ve engaged in.
On to the concerning stuff. In the last 6 weeks I have lost about 22 pounds. I am 5’7” and have weighed about 170 (a size 10 pant) most of my adult life...except pregnancy/postpartum. All of a sudden my clothes started fitting looser and looser and looser until I finally forced myself to buy new pants and I was stunned that I needed a 6. I got on the scale and now I weigh 147-149. My hands feel numb/tingly/burning whenever I use them or evens lift them up. My feet recently started doing the same. I mentioned a history of cystitis. Usually happens 2-3 times a year if I “hold it” too long and ride a bike, have intercourse, etc. But since July I’ve had about 6 episodes with lots of blood. And now I am bruising like crazy. One day in October I woke up with a dark purple thumbprint size bruise about two inches up and two inches to the left of my bellybutton. Over the next 10 days it grew to the size of a baseball. It took weeks to fade. And now anytime anyone/anything touches me I get a bruise.
So other than that...oh and the weird food stuck in my throat feeling...I feel fine. Not tired, not fatigued, not achy. Nothing.
Am I sick or do I just need to take vitamins?
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The unintentional weight loss is a red flag for something significant going on. The bleeding and easy bruising suggests you might have abnormal blood counts. Putting the two together is concerning enough for some sort of hematologic bone marrow suppressive process that you should get checked out and at least get a CBC. It may be nothing serious, but you can't ignore it.
Edit: bruising, not brushing. Ducking autocorrect.
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Achievement unlocked: Covid vaccine!
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44f
I got the shot! I forget to get an action shot, but it was painless, no issues!
Posting to help encourage people to feel safe to get theirs when possible!
If you have gotten yours too, share!
Shots shots shots!
https://imgur.com/a/YxRJh8U
#igottheshot
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I can't wait to get mine. I am a cancer patient on chemo. I definitely feel good that the healthcare staff around me are being vaccinated.
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AskDocs
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I’m worried my daughter might have an infection from a vaccine injection 10 days ago. She has a reddening and worsening blister on her thigh. Photos inside.
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Female, 13mos, healthy height and weight, Caucasian.
My daughter was given 2 vaccines 10 days ago- around 5 days ago I noticed what looked like a bug bite on her thigh and didn’t think much of it. It got bigger and bigger the next couple days and I sent photos to her doctor, who said it could just be a normal reaction to the chickenpox vaccine. Yesterday a tiny blister appeared in the center so we called again. They told us to cover it with a bandaid and neosporin. She had a very rough night of sleep last night- no fever last night or this morning, but when she woke up the blister is darker and worse looking. We have been putting a warm compress on it and are going to see her on call doctor shortly. But does anyone here have any ideas? The doctor insists it can’t be from a unsanitary injection, but that’s what it looks like to me. How worried should I be? I don’t want her to have to use antibiotics because I’ve read about how antibiotic use in children under 2 can lead to things like allergies and asthma later in life. Is any of that true? Thanks for any opinions, photo links below.
**EDIT to add it is also very tender to the touch based on her reaction and pulling away.
***EDIT #2: WOW, this blew up- thanks so much for the comments everyone. She’s been checked over by the on call doctor and has been prescribed Keflex. The doctor wasn’t too worried by seeing/feeling the infection, but said it was absolutely something to keep a close eye on. She said if it doesn’t respond quickly to the Keflex, it may be MRSA, but that MRSA infections are very low in my area and she suspects the Keflex will take care of it. We are also doing warm baths and warm compresses, as her doctor said it would be good for it to drain on its own if possible. So we will see! I’m much more comforted about the negative side affects of early antibiotic use, I appreciate everyone who commented about that as well. You just never know what to believe when doing your own research, so it’s great to hear from some doctors and parents with experience. Thank you all!
https://ibb.co/28HRg0v
https://ibb.co/HdM5Wmq
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It’s irrelevant if it’s at the injection site. It’s a little abscess (glorified zit). Warm compress on it might help but ultimately it’ll likely drain itself. If it’s getting bigger and hasn’t drained itself then call your pcp.
Pro tip: they’ll often tell you to go to the ER for any abscess but I usually can drain them in clinic for like 1/4th the cost or less and save you 10 hours in the ER. So if it’s getting big and not draining consider calling a general surgeons office and asking if they can see you soon.
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My mom [49F] acts weird sometimes
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Hello,
So we have this issue with my mom for like 2-3 years where she acts weirdly for a couple of days every month or two.
During those days she has issues articulating herself and has terrible memory. She kind of acts like she's drunk. Like two days ago she had to give someone her birthdate to verify it's her, and she barely could do that if it wasnt for my dad helping her. Yesterday I asked her about it and she couldn't remember it. My dad also told me that she once couldn't remember which of the 8 doors in the building we live in was the one to our flat. She tried opening the basement for with our house key for a while until my dad found her.
We tried talking to her on many occasions, but she never talks to us. All she says is she's not drinking secretly (well my dad accuses her of that) and that she wouldn't understand why my dad and me are worrying about her.
This summer she told us that she'd get into these phases cause of work stress and high blood pressure. The thing is that these phases still occur even though she's not been working for a couple months now cause of the lockdown, so it can't be that.
I wonder if anyone here has any idea what could be wrong with her?
I'll give it a couple days until she cools off again and try my last attempt talking with her, then I'll try contacting a doctor or a psychiatrist. She refuses to go to see one by herself..
Thank you.
EDIT: So there's been a lot of replies and suggestions in the comments and I'm really really grateful for that. Thank you very very much.
I'll know what to consider when talking with the doctors about my mom.
I'm currently still waiting for her to come to her senses, since today seems to be another one of her bad days. Then I'll try again to talk to her together with my dad.
Also. Someone in the comments reminded me of something she said this summer. She said - before telling us that it was because of stress, like I mentioned earlier - that she'd know what the issue was but didnt want to tell us. Her reasoning was that she didn't want us to worry about her so much. She kind of wants to shield us from something? It doesnt make much sense to me.
And well, when we ask her what we could do to help her, she just says "Don't do anything. What's there for you to do?". I told her my dad and me are really worried about her , but she just kinda laughed and didnt day anything. It really hurt me, so I told her I'd wait until her episode is over and talk to her then.
This happened yesterday.
I'm sorry for crying my heart out here, but writing it down helps me a lot.
Thanks again to everyone who replied and tried to help so far. I appreciate all of you.
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Are there some obscure diseases that could cause this? Yes.
More common would be substance abuse. The fact that she isn’t concerned about the episodes highly points to substance abuse as she knows the cause of the episodes.
Just a guess. Trying taking her to pcp. Then keep pushing for more and more work up and seeing neurologist etc. she may come clean. If she insists she’s not abusing anything, then she really should be worked up
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AskDocs
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Daughter contracted GBS meningitis, and I’m terrified to have another.
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A little context:
I had my daughter when I was 21 years old, and she was my first baby. I attended all of my prenatal appointments, quit smoking as soon as I found out I was pregnant and took my prenatal vitamins as recommended.
Obviously, I was tested for group b strep around 35-36 week and it came back positive. My OB brushed it off like it was nothing (and I know most of the time it’s not a big deal) and told me I’d just receive IV antibiotics while I was in labor. Cool cool.
Fast forward: my water broke at 38 weeks, and IV antibiotics were started as soon as the determined my water had actually broke. Later they had to start me on pitocin because I wasn’t progressing or even really having any contractions.
Everything went great. I had my day vaginally after a 22 hour labor, and 1 hour of pushing. She was perfect. So so perfect. We got to take her home, and I was finally adjusting to the idea of being a being a mother and caring for her.
The night after her 1 month appointment things just went down hill. She was fussy and irritable, she wouldn’t sleep or take a bottle. I just got a new thermometer that day was I just kept checking. Watching it creep up from 98.1 one to 99.0 in an hour. Everyone thought I was crazy. My MIL told me that she was probably just gassy, and said “you’re going to have so many nights like this”. And my SO was irritated with the beep from the thermometer because he had to be up early to work.
I knew something was wrong. I just knew it, in my heart and soul I knew that my baby had NEVER cried like this before. I finally convinced my MIL to take us to the hospital (I had a lot of driving anxiety, and my nerves were tore all to pieces over this so I was in no shape to drive myself, but I would have if she hadn’t of offered).
They ran every test imaginable aside from a spinal tap that night. They placed an IV in her scalp, swabbed to viruses, drew blood, cathed her for a urine culture... everything came back negative. So they told her she just had a virus, and that it would run it’s course. I felt SO bad putting my 1 month old baby through that. I felt so much guilt.
Until about 2 hours later when she started grunting. Like she was trying to poop but constantly. She wouldn’t stop. MIL started to get freaked out after about 15 minutes of her doing this, and me balling my eyes out because I KNEW something was not right. We rushed back to the hospital, and I was so distraught at this point I didn’t even know what to say when the receptionist ask what the problem was. I just lifted my daughters arm and let it fall. I was shaking and crying so hard I physically couldn’t respond. She didn’t ask anymore questions and we were back in a room in about 2 minutes.
I sat down and waiting for the the doctor or whoever and my daughter just stopped breathing, right there in my arm. One big gasp and just stopped breathing entirely.
I’m a medical assistant, trained in infant CPR, but I completely blanked at this point. I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. Luckily a nurse was walking in as soon as this happened. She grabbed my daughter and ran to the crash room down the hall. This all happened so fast my MIL barley noticed until we were already running down the hall.
Next thing I know there a million people around. Doctors, nurses, PAs, NPs.. I can’t even remember. There was so much going on and I just could breathe. It was a mess. I remember when they get her stabilized (luckily, they didn’t have to vent her but they did start her on oxygen ASAP) the pediatric ER doctor was just standing in the middle of the room looking so frazzled, just taking deep breaths... trying to center herself I guess. After a second she looked at me and just said “We aren’t sure what’s going on, but we have a very sick baby on our hands”.
I remember looking down at my daughter after everything had settled. I really looked at her, and her skin was this tent of blueish-grey, and she was breathing so deeply and ragged. All these little wires on her, IVs, blood and pin holes from failed emergency IV tried.
I could help but think that she was going to die. I was so scared. She was my first baby, and I had no idea what was going on.
My MIL stood out in the hallway and called my SO.. I think she did that because she didn’t want me to hear her. But I was so hyper aware of everything in that moment that I still heard her. “You need to come now. It’s bad. Jemma’s really sick. Come now.” And then just hung up the phone and walked back into the room.
10 minutes later my SO showed up, and he just lost it. He gave her a kiss, rubbed her head, and proceeded to take a picture of her. (Later he told me he did that because he was afraid it would be the last picture he’d take of her alive).
They did a spinal tap, and drew more blood. Turns out that I’m the 2-3 hour since we left the hospital the first time my daughter had become septic, on top of that the tap showed she had meningitis.
We stayed in the hospital for about 2 and a half, 3ish weeks while my daughter received 2 different types of IV antibiotics. Gentamicin and Ampicillin.
She had to relearn how to fed from a bottle, and by that point my breast milk he all but dried up from all the stress. She also started having seizures.
They weren’t sure how this was going to effect her. They said that it was very uncommon, and cases varied so much that all they could do was hope for the best, but prepare me for the possibility of having a moderately-severely disabled child.
But she was going to live, and that all that mattered to me.
Over the next two years, I completely engrossed myself with her numerous appointments with all different kinds of specialists and therapies.
EI was very worried about her at first as she was scoring 1-2/6 on everything for her age.
But I’m proud to say my little girl is doing great. It’s been a long and exhausting road, but she a little over 2 and a half years old now and she’s doing most of everything she should be. She started a bit later than most kids, and it took a lot more effort on her part to achieve certain milestones, but she’s is dominating.
She’s so smart. She can sing her ABCs, count to 17, can distinguish shapes and some colors. She can finish sentence in books we’ve read a few times. Aside from a bit of left side weakness (which is only really noticeable when she tries to run) and a tad lack of coordination, she’s doing amazing.
But I’m terrified. I’m constantly worried sick, and I’m even more terrified of having another child even though I want another so badly.
I don’t want to go through this again. I don’t want to put another child at risk for going through it.
I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what kind of precautions can be taken, if any at all.
I guess my question is.. what can I do? How likely is it to happen again? What can I do, or doctors do to prevent it? Are their any protocols for this kind of stuff? Would my next child be at greater risk, since she got sick?
I’m tore all to pieces, and just at a complete loss right now..
I know my daughter was lucky. She received swift and excellent care, but I know most aren’t as lucky. I know that a lot of these kids end up disabled. Or they die..
What do I do?
I apologize for the long post, it was just very traumatic for everyone involved.. and I felt like that experience needed to be included.. thank you in advance for any advice given...
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I know everyone says therapy, but therapy. You went through an incredibly traumatic ordeal and my guess is that you were/have been so focused on her, that you’re not even thinking about you. You probably see it as what happened to her, but it happened to you too. And I’m a mom, so I’m going to guess there’s a small part of you somewhere that feels responsible for what happened. But it’s not your fault and I hope you don’t think that. Anyone can carry GBS, and in most cases the iv antibiotics work. Your daughter was lucky you stuck to your guns and followed your intuition. She’s alive because you did that.
What happened to her is rare. The odds of it happening a second time are so small. Like so, so small. I know that’s not really comforting, but it’s true. I don’t think if you were to have another baby that this would be the outcome. I also think that if you don’t believe this, then you’re still responding from trauma. And that’s okay, it’s not right or wrong. It just *is* because you had a traumatic event. You need to take care of yourself too. You sound like you’re a really good mother. I’m sure another baby would be lucky to have you when you’re ready. Don’t be afraid to take care of yourself and take time to work through this. Time isn’t a luxury you get when you have a baby. Especially a baby with extra needs.
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AskDocs
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**UPDATE** Feeling I'm like a patient in a bad medical drama 29f, need some advice on how to proceed. My retina is detaching?
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[Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/j8a891/feeling_im_like_a_patient_in_a_bad_medical_drama/)
Edit - since this is getting a lot of attention I wanted to link to a spreadsheet with my test results - anonymous email and no personal info Mods please let me know if this is not allowed -
[Test results google doc](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1j657ubJcvxoQjFZ9NNufp7YCk-Egw-zFh_O8RPNGyd4/edit?usp=sharing)
29/f 5"4' nonsmoker, occasional drinker, currently taking losartan, propranalol, and adderall
Thank you to all who responded to my previous post, you were all truly wonderful and helpful.
For anyone jumping in or wondering if they read my original, I was having issues with episodic high blood pressure, dizziness, nausea, frequent urination and a stabbing pain under my left rib. Was recently hospitalized during one of these spells and when I got out I found my retina was detached.
My doc had scheduled some imaging of my kidneys that came back clear - no stenosis or any kidney issues. He called me in for an exam where he asked me a lot of weird questions (like if someone could have been poisoning me, apparently I have had a "high anion gap" during all the times I was in the ER. )
Eventually he checked my reflexes because I told him my muscles felt tense - he said that they were abnormal - hyper spastic. This led him to refer me to neurologist. Neuro didn't seem to believe my reflexes were abnormal on the phone visit saying that only happened in people with strokes and that my primary was wrong and that I needed to see a psychiatrist for depression, I told her that I had already tried a multitude of SSRIs, DRIs, and Anxiolytics and that after extensive counseling and working with a psychiatrist that I was diagnosed with ADHD and I had to see him very regularly to have my prescription renewed/adjusted. She seemed annoyed and put in the referral to psych anyway and said that I needed to be on depression meds for my "quality of life". I explained again that I wasn't opposed to depression meds, they just all seemed to give me a ton of weird side effects and did nothing after months of taking them and she just kept shaking her head like I was lying to her or something. I'm not really sure what she wanted me to say, I think she thought I was faking or something due to the amount of visits I've had with other doctors.
Neuro ordered an EEG (clean) and an MRI and they found a 2cm cystic lesion in the pineal region. Due to the symptoms I was having and the size the neuro referred me to a brain tumor specialist. In the meantime I went to an ophthalmologist (apparently the person I had seen before was a retinal specialist, which makes sense) because my vision and eye pain seemed to be getting worse. They informed me that my eyes were mechanically perfect other than the intraocular pressure being high and I had some KP? and to consult a neuro-ophthalmologist. The exam they did was pretty quick and they seemed like they just wanted to rush me out the door, which is probably why they didn't catch that my pupils are completely different sizes at certain times.
Specialist ordered another MRI with contrast and found that the cyst looked pretty benign and unchanged since the CT in September (where they failed to make mention of the grape sized ball in my brain lol) but it was exerting a small amount of mass effect on my left thalamus and midbrain. Since it was "not likely to be cancerous or causing hydrocephalus" the neurosurgeon's nurse referred me back to my neuro and to a neuroopthalmologist.
They also found "scattered punctate lesions in the supratentorial region that are non specific" . The neurosurgeons nurse didn't remark on these and just told me to talk to my neuro about it.
I'm still not sure if this is all related - wanted to give a small update since it seems I am closing in on an least an answer as to why my eyes are wonky now, but I'm not really sure if its all part of the same issue or even what they would do - apparently the region the cyst is in isn't a great place to access surgically, so they only remove them if they are dangerous.
So if I find out this cyst is what's been making my body go crazy, what can I really do? Am I just stuck like this forever? Should I ask the neurologist for any specific tests?
Do the punctate lesions mean anything or is that just something normal and incidental?
It's just seems like no one can tie this all together but I know for a fact it all started at the exact same time and its been getting worse and worse - last week my left thigh muscle.. froze? when I was going down the stairs and I fell and messed up my right leg pretty bad. It didn't unfreeze for a couple days either, I was limping around with my left thigh stuck painfully and the muscle was rock hard - eventually a few days later after a hot bath and a beer it untensed.
Thank you all again for all your help I will post what I hope will be a final update and I will gild or make art for anyone who takes time out of their day to try and help!
Edit 2 - someone asked for some clarification and additional info and suggested I copy it here.
1. My doc tried to schedule an ultrasound of my adrenals and my insurance cancelled it, so then he ordered a different ultrasound to check for stenosis, and they just did a regular kidney ultrasound because they read the order wrong but it was fine according to him.
I also had an abdominal ultrasound of my spleen, liver and kidneys done as well and everything came back normal except very mild fatty liver. Only weird thing was they found a splenule on the initial cat scan but it hasn't shown up on a subsequent CT scan or on the abdominals, the tech who did the spleen ultrasound was super friendly so I asked if she got see it on the ultrasound and she poked around for a bit and said, huh, nope, normally they hang out around here but I'm not seeing anything. Just thought it was a little odd
2. They didn't give me a lot of info on the retinal detachment, just that it wasn't diabetes or high blood pressure related and most likely from a recent trauma. There were multiple tears according to the report for the optometrist who found it. The only recent trauma I could think of was when I was hospitalized it felt like my skull was trying to physically force my eyeballs out of it - my whole upper face was sore for a couple days. Like the same feeling you get when you're straining to go to the bathroom, but constant for an entire day.
3. Unfortunately most of the docs are only doing phone appts right now but he's the first person to check them, even the ER docs didn't get within 5 feet of me, hence the missed detached retina.
4. No dedicated imaging of the spine but I have had two abdominal CTs.
5. I did a Dexamethasone suppression test and my cortisol came back low, but my Endo said that was normal, I haven't had just a regular cortisol test. He tested fsh, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, and estradiol and they all came back within normal ranges but I haven't had a period in almost a year now.
6. Ethnicity is Caucasian ,(Italian/polish)
Occupation is office work (I work for a small electronics company doing whatever they need basically, mostly sales, tech support, and marketing). I do physically handle a lot of used/new consumer electronics.
Location is North East Ohio, US, we do have a lot of really notoriously gross/strange bodies of water that I have spent a lot of time kayaking, tubing, and swimming in (Lake Erie and Cuyahoga River).
I have two cats, a bearded dragon, and I have only been to washington DC in the past five years, before that I went to Texas and outer banks/Myrtle beach.i did get really ill suddenly for no reason at the outer banks, (severe vomiting, fever but that was probably ten years ago.)
| 344 |
You mentioned you've seen a neurologist. Have you actually had an in-person exam? If so, did that neurologist do a sensory exam? Detect any weakness? I agree with your implication that it's inappropriate for someone to dismiss someone else's exam findings over a phone visit.
I wonder about autonomic dysreflexia potentially explaining some of your symptoms, but it really doesn't fit all of it, and would typically require some obvious findings on neuro exam. It's also usually the side-effect of trauma or a cord lesion, which might lead to back pain, weakness, numbness -- things I'm not sure you seem to be describing.
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AskDocs
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My eye has been tearing up for months, and today this came out through my nose into my mouth. What is it?
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24F, 5'3", 125 lbs, white, no smoking/drinking/drug use, not taking any medications, no abnormal health history.
Pictures: [https://imgur.com/gallery/661oFcg](https://imgur.com/gallery/661oFcg)
My right eye has been tearing up over the past four months. It hasn't been painful or irritating to my eye, just annoying. Today out of nowhere, I got a funny feeling near the corner of my eye, then I felt something pass down through my nose and end up in my mouth. I spat it out and it was this solid, cream-colored tear-shaped chunk. It is hard yet has some flex to it, like a piece of rubber, and it's odorless. My tear duct felt instant relief and immediately the tears stopped.
The same thing happened to me exactly a year ago. Any idea of what might have caused this blockage, and what it might be? Any way to prevent this from happening again? I rarely wear makeup so I wonder where the buildup could have come from...
Thank you in advance!
| 627 |
Look up dacryoliths, a stone formed in the [tear duct](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasolacrimal_duct?wprov=sfti1).
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AskDocs
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My close friend thinks she has Chronic Lyme Disease with co-infections, she switched from taking her MS meds to alternative treatments and keeps getting worse. Need advice on how to help her.
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This one is a bit long, but please bear with me, I wanted to make sure I don't miss any important information that might be insightful.
About 8 years ago I became friends with a lady who told me she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after she had a fainting episode and then partially lost her vision temporarily, she went to the ER and following medical diagnostics (MRI, tests) was diagnosed with MS. In the next few years she'd share with me her progress/MRI results as she would experience periods of recovery and then relapses/flare-ups. At that time she was very physically active, doing biking events for MS awareness and such. About 4 years ago she began living with my family (to save money on college etc) so at that time I would be able to see her every day; while she'd occasionally have periods of fatigue and difficulty walking, barely noticeable tremors, there was never an occasion that we'd need to help her move/go up the stairs. All this time time she was on MS medications, sometimes switching from one to another, changing dose, etc. Cut to spring of 2020, up until this time she still kept being very physically active, doing workouts/light weight training almost every day at home. She started being unhappy with some of the side effects of her MS medicines (some made her heart beat very fast, some made her face flush red), and I suspect somewhere around this time is when she stopped taking her meds. By summer 2020 I started noticing her tremors became almost always present instead of only occasional, and she started having occasional difficulty walking. By the beginning of fall 2020 those symptoms worsened, we'd almost always help her unload her groceries from her car and bring them home. She could only occasionally do physical exercise. By the end of fall and up until now she could no longer walk without support and would often fall (2-3 times a week). She works from home due to the COVID-19 measures so that works out well, but she almost never leaves the house, has groceries delivered, and sometimes needs help having food brought to her room in order to not spill things because of her tremors.
Now for the CLD part. At one point, I believe in the spring of 2020, she visited an OBGYN and shared her frustration with MS, he suggested she check if she might have Lyme disease. She went ahead and researched online, brought it up with the doctor that was treating her MS, was told that she didn't have Lyme (they may or may not have done the test for that back when she was diagnosed with MS, her retelling of it was confusing, but she believes the test they did had evidence of some infection and the doctors didn't report on it, instead calling it MS. I'm inclined to think they did do the test since we're in an endemic area and it came back negative, but I don't know this for sure). She kept on researching online and discovered the CLD community and what I can only tell is an aggregation of misinformation and faulty research that claims some big pharma and CDC conspiracies about Lyme disease. Reason I know this is she told me about it and also asked me questions about how CDC and FDA operates and what it means if a test is FDA-approved/CDC-recommended (I work in the biotech field and happened to be working on a EUA submission for a test, so had a bit of insight) and most importantly what it means when a test is NOT endorsed by CDC and not FDA approved. Cut to the chase, she went ahead and ordered an IGeneX test for Lyme and co-infections and got a positive result. I looked into the test and found my own concerns with it (56% false positive rate being the biggest one), but since I'm not a doctor I told her to bring the test to one and figure out how to go from there. I don't think she ever went to one, or at least not one that's not "Lyme literate" as I found out the term. I looked into it and as far as I can tell the CLD isn't a recognized diagnosis and people are self-diagnosing themselves with it because doctors can't find what's wrong with them. At one point she claimed she saw "worms" in her stool that looked like "spirochetes", which, having worked on leptospirosis, obviously baffled me since AFAIK we don't have a microscope in the house, and when I pointed it out she claimed that it was a "biofilm." When I asked how she could tell that she said she saw pictures on the internet. In general, whenever the conversation got to this subject and I would ask legitimate questions about the claims she made she'd turn rather defensive so I decided to avoid asking any more questions.
What worries me is now she wants to go from harmless alternative treatments (scrubbing herself with a loofah before a bath to detox the surface of the skin, taking daily 2 hour salt baths to detox the skin/body, eating garlic to kill bacteria in her blood, taking herbs, vegetarian/vegan diets, drinking crazy amounts of water that send her to the bathroom every 30 mins) to potentially dangerous stuff like long-term intravenous antibiotics. She is only 28, underweight, can't walk without support, I had to lift her off the floor the other day because she fell while getting out of a bath and couldn't get up. I fear she might die, but I realize that if she's in what honestly seems like a cult, no matter what evidence I bring to her I'll get the backfire effect. She doesn't have any relatives in the US and I told her I will help her in any way I can but I cannot support and agree to what as far as I can tell is dangerous misinformation that's making her sicker every day.
I would very much appreciate any and all advice on how to help her. Thank you.
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The chronic Lyme disease myth has ripped apart my family. There is no talking to someone once they are in the cult. And long term antibiotics are very dangerous. I wish I knew what to say or do, but I’ve been unable to talk sense into my family member. It’s tragic.
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AskDocs
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Developed Covid after vaccination
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Edit #3: temporal relationship =/= causal relationship. And because y’all are semantic as a neurosurgery intern in July, temporal relationship != causal relationship.
Female, 35yo, Missouri
5’2, 110lbs, G3P3, no comorbidities.
I was vaccinated (Pfizer) on Wednesday 12/16/2020. Aches and chills started Sunday. Developed a cough yesterday, better today, but still present, chest pain today. I went to get tested for peace of mind and the test came back positive.
I know that cough is not a vaccine reaction and I was probably exposed right around the time I received the vaccine. Any theories on what happens when someone is vaccinated and exposed at roughly the same time?
Should my second dose be delayed? I think CDC says to wait 90 days, but my second dose is scheduled in 5 weeks. Will I need to repeat the 2 dose series altogether? I can’t find any information in the studies about this.
Edit: I can’t count. Next vaccine is scheduled for 2 weeks from today they are three weeks apart. I’ll contact the CDC about whether the normal schedule needs to change because I coincidentally contracted covid.
Also, the vaccine does not and cannot cause covid. I was eligible because I’m a nurse who volunteered to take care of covid patients back in March and I’ve been doing so ever since. I got covid because I’m constantly exposed to covid and getting a vaccine around the time I was exposed is just a fun coincidence.
Edit 2: CDC says quarantine/isolate (done and done). They also say to proceed with the second dose as scheduled.
FYI: the CDC has a 24 hour hotline. I did not know that before today.
And, for those in the back, I got covid from my sick, hospitalized, covid patients. Not from the vaccine.
| 741 |
Well it was one of two things
Option 1) You got the vaccine but separately contracted COVID in the last 7ish days and just started showing symptoms when you did
Option 2) You got the vaccine, experienced common side effects of the vaccine, got tested, and got a false positive (this probably depends on what test was done, what the sensitivity/specificity of the test is, whether the test could detect any part of your body’s immune response to the vaccine, etc).
Regardless, you should contact your physician about it, and you should quarantine for 10-14 days with no outside contact. For the questions about the second dose, you should contact your physician or supervisor.
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AskDocs
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Face and body acne cleared up after a week of barely eating. Should I get tested for food allergies?
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**17F / 5’6” / 111.3 lbs / Caucasian /**
**Blood pressure** (as of last week): 106/68
**Medications:** OTC Ibuprofen for period cramps
**Supplements**:
NatureMade Multi for Her (with iron): 1 tablet daily
Vitamin D: 5000 IU daily
**No existing medical issues**
**I have never smoked/vaped, have never drank alcohol, and have never used recreational drugs.**
**EDIT: Oh my gosh; I never expected this tremendous outpouring of advice and recommendations! Thank you all so, so much. Thank you to the medical professionals for your time and expertise and thank you also to anyone who chimed in with helpful anecdotes, similar stories, and recommendations. Please know that I'm reading all the replies and I really appreciate it!!**
**Issue:** I've had face and body (neck, back, chest) acne since I was 11. Nothing has made it go away - over the years I've tried body washes for acne, all kinds of creams and lotions, and was briefly prescribed Clindamycin 1% acne pads (those just dried out my skin and turned it red and rashy). My doctor told me I'd just have to wait it out and hope that I would outgrow it. Well, I'm 17 now and the acne is still going strong.Recently, I came down with a stomach bug that left me not wanting/able to eat very much for about a week. I managed to eat a little bit of scrambled egg and to drink a banana/peanut butter/milk smoothie per day, and that was my daily diet for about a week until I felt better. Astonishingly, my skin became fabulous. My acne cleared up completely, even on my back and chest, and my skin was so incredibly soft and smooth. My skin hasn't looked that good since I was a preteen. My skincare routine never changed during this time. As soon as I started eating regularly and properly again, my skin promptly reverted back to its old ways. I’m completely bewildered (and somewhat horrified) and don’t know how to explain this or how to get those amazing skin results back again. Not eating (or barely eating) is obviously not an option as I'd like to gain some weight. I don’t have any food allergies that I know of (although I know I have a sulfa drug allergy) and I’m completely healthy (I had a regular checkup last week along with blood work that my doctor said all looked great). I meant to bring this acne issue up with him again, but I forgot.
I know it seems a bit silly and vain to be worried about acne, but I don't know of anyone else who has acne pretty much **all** over their body except for arms and legs - it would be embarrassing enough if it was just my face! Seeing as there seems to be a food connection to my acne, should I get tested for food allergies? Any other recommendations or advice? Thank you so much!
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Fasting on it's own can reduce various forms of acne (studies have suggested your body makes decreased 'oil' when fasting).
That said, acne can be associated with 'food intolerances'. You could try eliminating foods from your diet one at a time, or you could speak with a dermatologist.
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Is this a miscarriage? (Photos, NSFW)
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*39F, 5ft2, 126lbs, caucasion. No significant medical history, no medications, been trying for 1.5 years to conceive. Smoking and drinking semi frequently prior to pregnancy.*
7 weeks pregnant, all normal until bleeding for several days this week. Had a scan on Monday as a result, and it came back all clear. Then this morning at 3am, fairly heavy bleeding with severe pain. This small mass was passed (please see photo) that looks like a small sack, and is "jelly-like" in consistency. There seems to be darker lumps inside. Due to Christmas Eve and location, nurse was unable to get arrange any scans til after Christmas, but we'd really like to know. Is this an embryo/fetus? Was this a miscarriage?
**Photo (NSFW):** [**http://ibb.co/dPjHGhd**](http://ibb.co/dPjHGhd)
Thank you!
EDIT: Thank you so much for all of your incredibly compassionate responses. I posted this on behalf of my sister, who did finally get to see a doctor, and has unfortunately miscarried. I will share all of your kind responses with her once she’s rested up and feeling stronger. She’s understandably very shaken by this. She doesn’t know what Reddit is but she knows there’s lots of kind strangers on the internet praying for her and sending her love and that made her cry with gratitude, so thank you guys for all of your wisdom, advice and concern, it is all appreciated. I’ll reply individually to those that I can once things have calmed down and Christmas is out of the way. Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you all have a wonderful time with your families and friends.
| 1,862 |
Hi there. Unfortunately, this does appear to be a complete miscarriage. You should go back to your doctor to make sure everything has passed. They may also take blood 48 hours apart to ensure your HCG levels are dropping. I am so very sorry for your loss. None of this is your fault.
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AskDocs
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Grandma is suddenly blind after sharp pain above eye
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EDIT: Thank you to all of the replies and well-wishers. Apparently she has endophthalmitis, which is severe inflammation of the tissues inside of the eye. It usually occurs after cataract surgery, but in this case they’re thinking maybe either bacteria or a fungal infection got into the hole where she receives eye infections for her macular degeneration.
There’s also a possibility that it is coming from her heart, according to her retina specialist, but they have to pull the cardiologist on that one.
They drew 6 vials of fluid from her eye and injected a steroid and an antibiotic iirc.
She is having emergency surgery tomorrow around 1pm.
From what the doctors have told her, they’re cautiously optimistic at getting most of her sight in the right eye back, but I’ve also read that the prognosis isn’t great so we’re just hoping.
I’ll update for likely the last time after her surgery, and/or possibly after we’ve seen how much of her sight they can recover.
I asked her to have someone take a picture of her eye just to put a visual to a diagnosis. I’m not sure when I’ll get that (or if, she’s already got a lot going on).
My grandma just called me and said that the other day she had a sharp severe pain above her right eye around the eyebrow. It quickly spread to her eye and began affecting her vision.
77 female non smoker for and 20+ years
Has non Hodgkin’s lymphoma for about 20 years now and many chemo and radiation treatments related to that.
Was once told by a doctor that she was having mini strokes a few years ago.
She stays very physically active and is usually even in a weight lifting class, but not for a bit because of Covid.
She has macular degeneration which has taken the sights nearly completely in her left eye.
She receives injections in both eyes routinely for her macular degeneration.
When my grandma was sitting at her kitchen table the other day after eating soup that she only had to heat up (so no exertional cooking) she said she suddenly had a sharp, severe pain in her right eyebrow area or just above. Not too long after the pain spread down to her eye and the surrounding tissue.
It affected her vision in such a way that she called her dr, but could only see a different provider not familiar with her history.
They said it wasn’t related to her macular degeneration and made her appointments for Monday and Tuesday for a pcp and retina specialist.
At the time she could still see out of her right eye and had no floaties.
She went back home and today she woke up with nearly all of her vision gone (she has a tiny bit of peripheral vision left in her right eye, but it is now obscured with MANY floaties in her vision.
She called her doctors again and the nurse tried to tell her that or was probably just dry eye related, which is ridiculous. We’ve all had dry eyes our entire lives in this family. They told her to just wait for her appointment. She protested because of a family member who had a stroke and lost his vision and was told of he had come in immediately that they could have saved his vision.
They were really rude and asked if she thought she was having a stroke and if not to just relax.
Even though she’s 77, lives on her own in the country and cannot see a thing aside from a small slice of peripheral.
I have encouraged her to call the hospital because she thinks she can dial it and ask them. It snowed here and everyone is trapped, so even off she could see she could not drive over the large, curvy mountain safely.
I don’t know if an ambulance could make it. She’s hours away from me and several mountains between us, so there’s nothing I could do aside from getting stranded in single digit windchill weather trying to get there.
Any help, please?
EDIT: thank your so much for all of the responses.!
I know that many people aren’t familiar with how rural some areas can be in places and we’re located in the oldest section of Appalachia. I live near a famous university, so my town is small, but convenient to everything. That being said we had quite the snow and ice and wind on Xmas Eve and it was treacherous out. They plow quickly in my town and we still we can’t even get out of our spot today for all the ice. It’s about 10 degrees.
She, on the other hand, lives in an area that you have to drive nearly an hour from the closest interstate, on roads where homes are miles and miles apart. There is often no service (although it is improving), the roads are winding, mountainous and can be treacherous even in the best of weather.
The mountain between her and the town with the hospital is a serious road. Large trucks and tractor trailers aren’t allowed to drive it, many places don’t have guard rails and the drops are straight down through tree.
Unfortunately there are places that ambulances can’t access in bad weather due to how rural it is and the distance means there are many stories of people dying of something way because they just didn’t get help on time.
I’ve been in contact with her. Her retina specialist keeps telling her that he’s not worried at all and wants to see her Monday.
I’ve managed just now to talk her into at LEAST calling the hospital (she’s scared of Covid) and the nurse practitioner and another doctor so she’s going to do that, although seeing the numbers is difficult, etc.
I’ll update more later when I hear more.
EDIT: she has gone to the er but I have not heard back anything so far.
EDIT: she is home from the er. They refused to do a ct or mri for unknown reasons. They said that they eliminated occlusion and arteritis.
She has neighbors checking in on her and taking her to appointments on Monday and Tuesday. I suggested that she insisted on a ct or mri.
To the person who suggested a big fall and tbi, she is discussing this with her NP neighbor.
Apparently she passed out from a heart condition at the top of the stairs which is why she feel so hard and she has recently been having problems from that fall, including suddenly losing a tooth and apparently 5 years ago she suffered from occipital neuralgia.
When it comes to the mini strokes, apparently two doctors were discussing it vehemently at the time and they never came to a conclusive diagnosis.
We’re just going to have to wait until the appointments, although I’m pretty mad that I couldn’t be there to insist on a ct or mri.
We’re talking now and she is clear and talkative and doing well, aside from the obvious fear and frustration with being almost completely blind, so we’re hoping things turn out okay with the appointments.
She said her np that was driving her was talking to a doctor on the phone and they were discussing something that starts with an S, but she can’t remember what.
| 388 |
A stroke can cause sudden loss of vision in one eye.
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AskDocs
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Lump in my hand, 2 lumps in my forearm. Someone please help me not overthink.
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24m
172cm
87 Kgs
Maltese
Don't smoke or do any drugs, drink occasionally on the weekends
Located in Australia
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Ok, so about 2 weeks ago I noticed a bump/lump form on my right hand. I was working in an Gelato shop and I used primarily my right hand to scoop (Gelato can be quite hard/solid when freshly made) and it started to hurt as I strained (At this point, I noticed the lump) I thought it was me overworking my fingers and passed it off as such, applied ice to it, took some Voltaren, lump chilled there and wasn't really being painful (Hasn't really ached for the last 2 weeks either)
However a couple of days ago, I was staring at it and my brain just went "Huh, I wonder if there are any other lumps on my body", did a quick check all around my legs, chest, stomach and nothing.... until I straightened my right arm and looked down (Almost like aiming down a gun) and notice my forearm to be a bit....misshapen. I noticed these 2 bumps that I had never noticed before, no clue how long they've been there for, what caused them or if they're getting bigger, one is about Walnut sized and one is slightly bigger. A nurse that I live with (She's been an aged care nurse for the past 25/30 or so years god bless her) and she thinks I must have pulled a nerve/tendon due to the amount of exertion done when I worked in the gelato shop, and she's tried everything to re-assure it's nothing super serious but having quite the past with Hospital I can't help but stress and grow anxious.
My overthinking brain went 100 mph and immediately went "Oh no, do I have Sarcomas spreading through my body?" and I've been worrying ever since... I will be booking an Ultrasound ASAP (either later today or Monday seeing it's 1:32 am and most places are closed for Boxing day/Sunday anyway) and I'll be attaching some pictures (Not that you can really tell anyway so I'll try to describe as best as possible)
[Hand and Arm](https://imgur.com/a/fgGZHK6)
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Edit: [https://imgur.com/a/r270ysA](https://imgur.com/a/r270ysA) \- Ultrasound pictures and a new post! I posted a new post about it with the pictures attached.
Sorry if this isn't allowed, will freely revert the edit on this! Just trying to get more attention on it so I stop overthinking (Since I didnt get the report with the ultrasounds)
| 298 |
What do they feel like when you touch them? Do the lumps move around under the skin?
I would guess something benign like a ganglion cyst or lipoma.
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AskDocs
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Infant girl three weeks of age has had two choking incidents , one of which made her spend her first Christmas in hospital.
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Bit of a heavy one here, but I NEED advice.
(Also sorry for the spelling and grammar I’m not the smartest when it comes to that stuff.)
So on the first of December I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl. She weighed 6lbs 2oz and was the picture of health and happiness. Everything was going perfect until the end of her first week of life , I looked down at her and she was red and wide eyed and flopping her head around in distress... I realised she was choking, I scooped her up and when she was up right and had a few sharp blast to the back vomit started to come out of her nose and mouth, she started crying when the vomit started gushing so I knew that she could breath again. Now this whole incident only last in total 5-8 seconds, but it really shook me. After she was better I was so relieved but I was immediately worried it was going to happen again so I asked my partner/ mum/ partners mum and dad/ friends who are parents / doctors/ midwife/ health visitor and they all pretty much told me it would be fine and she would have cleared it herself if had of been asleep or not watching her because ‘that’s how babies are designed ‘ , but they didn’t see it , they didn’t see the fear in her eyes and how she was acting. It was honestly so frustrating to not be listened to or taken seriously about this of all things.
Nevertheless even though it went against what I believed, I listened to them and settled myself and made myself chalk it down as a freak accident and told myself that she would have been fine if I hadn’t of helped her.
Fast forward to Christmas Eve and me and my partner where just about to go to sleep, I was actually already drifting off and he screams she not breathing, it was happening again but this time it was way worse , she was wide eyed again and flopping about in distress but this time when she was sat up and patted on the back nothing was happening and she started moving a lot less and her eyes closed, she was starting to turn purple, basically she was about to choke to death. Thankfully after the last time I watched some infant first aid videos, so i asked my partner to hold her head down and I opened her mouth and stuck my finger in and hooked the thick liquid stuff that was in the throat and started pulling it out, she let of one little tiny cry so I knew it was working to some degree so I ran into the kitchen and got the mucus sucker and with one hand used it on her nose and the other hand to hook the stuff out of her throat again . Finally she cried a few times and began to breath and even though she was foaming at the mouth and very weak I could tell she was atleast breathing again , this whole incident last 40 seconds. Once we got her breathing again we called an ambulance, they took her in to hospital and observed her for a while and advised on some changes in food (both the amount and type) and said she should be fine.
Now here’s my problem, everyone said she was fine the first time too, but clearly it happened again and to a much worse degree!
Now me and my partner are taking full shifts so she is always with someone who is awake and fully alert, which is fine but I can’t relax, I spent eight hours solidly just staring at her watching her breathing and panicking every time she moved or made a noise. I genuinely don’t know how I am meant to cope with this fear that she is going to die any second, I can’t enjoy any time with her because I’m so stressed even though I want to be able to enjoy being with her I just can’t over the past few days. I don’t know what to do , does anybody have advice or has anyone been through similar experience?
| 362 |
Tell your pediatrician and get an airway/esophageal study. Babies should only have milk/formula.
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Is it normal for pediatricians to do INTERNAL vaginal exams to a 2-5 year old? If a child refuses they have to stop right? And when they refuse, are the doctors allowed to try and convince them to give consent? (Idk whether I should put this in a childhood trauma subreddit but Ig here seemed best)
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For context, this was late 2000s (2007-2010 maybe) in Missouri. I've been having terrible flashbacks of the doctor donning the gloves, opening the packet of lube, and preparing to "examine" me. As far as I know, I was a completely healthy kid and had no troubles concerning my genitals, especially none that would warrant a full-on examination like that. I remember the doctor always trying to coerce me into letting these things that I was uncomfortable with happen. (as any child would've been.) Not to mention that this was a recurring thing. Is internal examination even part of your average physical checkup?? And for it to possibly be for detecting something, shouldn't once be enough? I know that problems can come back but this is something traumatic for a small child to go through wouldn't the doctor understand that and ask about symptoms first before doing it again? I could go on a whole schpiel on how my parents are irresponsible (for unrelated reasons, long story, irrelevant) but regardless of that, I don't remember whether or not my mom or dad were present in the room when these things were happening to me. But yeah, is this okay at all? Even if it was just them doing their job, I STRONGLY remember being distraught and refusing it all, but having it happen anyway. I've been hearing things like "you were a little kid so whether you consented or not it's okay for them to do it" But is that true? I understand that whether a kid is willing to get a shot or not they still have to get it, but isn't it different for physicals?
Honestly having answers to my questions isn't gonna undo what happened to me, but it's closure I guess? Kind of unrelated but I've had a lot of traumatic things happen to me throughout my childhood and I'm trying to pick it apart since I've developed a disorder because of it, as memories come up I try to pick them apart as best I can. Really all I wanna know if what happened was allowed or it was deviation from procedure and possibly child abuse.
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Edit: this doesn't really pertain to this story but I do get UTIs a lot but that's like a very current thing as of a few years ago, long after this incident happened, it wasn't a present issue at the time of this story. I will be trying to get a hold of the medical records from this time to see if this doctor is still in practice but I've moved all the way to California so I'm not at any doctor near where this happened. I don't wanna sound all "aw poor me" but I have VERY negligent parents so the likelihood of getting this information is slim. But whenever I see my current doctor (who is a saint) I'll be talking about this with her. Oh and don't worry! Picking apart and understanding this trauma isn't all up to me, I have many online mental health support groups to turn to and a loving boyfriend.
Edit 2 (not super important but I feel should be said): I guess I should've given more context in terms of my mental health which I did not because of privacy reasons and because I didn't think it was all that relevant to the question, but yes, of course I've been to professionals in the past and am currently seeing the best that I can considering the current covid situation. Yes I was very young and of course, there is vagueness due to this being a part of trauma but despite that, it does not undermine the validity of this actually occurring. Because of the therapy I've been through, more and more suppressed memories of my childhood are uncovered, getting me closer and closer to proper treatment of my disorder. (which I don't feel the need to specify because it doesn't really have anything to do with the question at hand) Yes, I as a minor don't have access to the medical records from this time because that's something for my parents to be in charge of, but even if they weren't negligent, this occurred over a decade ago and in an entirely different state to the one I'm in now.
To the "NOT A DOCTOR but I think you were too young to remember correct" posts and things along those lines, my apologies for not providing enough context to mislead you to that conclusion, but I do want to say that your **unprofessional** opinion of you downplaying this malpractice is not helpful :)
edit 3 (also not super important but HOLY CRAP) Uh jeez, I didn't think this post would get noticed let alone all this traction. 😨 Just thank you so much. That's all the words I really can say since I'm still awestruck. I appreciate the support people are giving me. Posting this was therapeutic in and of itself but seeing all this support, people sharing their own stories, it really does mean a lot. But yeah I'm just in shock lol, this is like my first ever reddit post. Call it sappy but I love y'all, you've been so kind. Of course the proper measures are still going to be made but this gave the much needed closure I was after. <3
| 858 |
Haven't seen any pediatrician comments. An internal exam, using a speculum or inserting fingers, is not a normal part of the annual exam. It IS normal to examine the external genitalia, and to gently spread the labia to examine what you can see internally without actually inserting anything. The primary things we look for are either common (rashes, skin issues, etc) or rare but significant (thin bands of tissue covering the vagina internally which will cause menstrual problems later, or subtle intersex disorders). The reason the exam is repeated is a quality control thing - we do the exam the same way every time, like a checklist, so we don't accidentally forget anything, and so that we don't make any assumptions. Lastly, many of the things we do are uncomfortable, so it is normal to try and persuade people - but part of that conversation is fully explaining what we're trying to do and why.
To give a real world example, I had a 13 year old girl who went through a great deal of abdominal pain because of hematocolpos, where she started having her period but the blood couldn't come out because of tissue covering the vagina. This should have been caught when she was a baby, but the mother had always refused to allow doctors to examine her genitalia.
I'm sorry for your trauma. Hopefully this helps clarify what should happen in a normal visit.
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AskDocs
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Need help. Not sure what to do.
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I believe my wife, 42F, 5’2”, 250lbs, has COVID.
On the 22nd I took her to the ER when she was experiencing fatigue, weakness (needed to be assisted to walk), coughing, nausea and severe diarrhea). They gave her the test but told her that it would take 3-5 days for the results. Even though they found fluid in her lungs, they told her (I couldn’t be in the building with her) that it wasn’t enough to warrant her to be admitted.
We went back the next day because after I helped her to the bathroom, after about a minute of sitting, her eyes went wide open and she started leaning to one side. I was barely able to grab her before she hit the tub. After about a minute, she was able to talk again, and remembered nothing. I noticed her face after she recovered was white with a slight greenish tint.
After that visit, on top of being told that the fluid in her lungs were a little worse with fluid, she was told that unless she can’t walk without assistance, showed signs of a heart attack, or stroke, or lost consciousness for more than 2 minutes, she was not considered an emergency.
Now she has two new symptoms within 48 hours that has me very concerned. Not only does she still have the above symptoms (including feeling faint every time she uses the bathroom, though she did not pass out), but she has confusion (at times she talks, then in mid sentence stops, then states that she forgot what she was saying, or she just says something random that doesn’t make sense, then forgets what she was saying. This happens mostly at night). The other is loss of appetite. She has not eaten in 48 hours, only water.
We called the hospital today (27th) because we heard nothing from the results. The ER said that the office that had the test was closed and to try again tomorrow.
I want to take her to the hospital again, but she doesn’t want to go she said that would be a waste of money. Even after insurance it’s around $500/visit, from past visits to this hospital.
I don’t know what to do. Does the new symptoms warrant to go back to the ER or will it be another “waste of money”?
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She’s in the ER. I’m in the parking lot.
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AskDocs
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My Doc said I’m slightly overweight but I’m 5’1” and 110-114 lbs?
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Hello. I’m 24F, leaving my first appointment with a new primary care doctor feeling confused. I am 5’1” (really 5’.75”) and I typically range between 110-114 lbs (usually on the lower to mid end of that range.) He told me “this may shock you, but you actually may be slightly overweight.”
(But after my appointment I used a few BMI calculators, and I’m in the normal range. I know BMI isn’t fullproof. In fact I am active with quite a bit of muscle which my doctor acknowledged.)
So he asked to look at my clavicle which he said was sunken in enough to seem like I am a normal weight, but the fact that he couldn’t see my ribs from the side when I took a breath meant I could be slightly overweight. I am just confused and slightly doubting my doctor, and I wanted to hear from other doctors what they think. Thank you!
Edited: I will follow up with him just to make sure there were no misunderstandings.
To those asking, I am not prediabetic though my dad has Type 2 Diabetes, and my bloodwork is completely normal besides low Vitamin D, and potentially high B12 and low sodium. Also, to those asking, my waist to hip ratio would be considered healthy. I have an hourglass figure with a small waist.
I have struggled with orthorexia in the past, so him saying this shocked me and hit a sore spot. Thank you all for your input! Much appreciated.
| 408 |
This is absurd. FM physician here and you are NOT overweight. At 114lbs your BMI is close to 21. That is a normal BMI. By medical standards, being overweight starts with a BMI > 24.9. BMI is primarily what we base our diagnosis on. The CDC definition: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/defining.html
No medial professional bases weight on whether your clavicle is sunken or because they can’t see your ribs. Please find a new PCP.
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AskDocs
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Twice within a month these odd apple-stem-like growths have appeared on my four y.o. daughter's abdomen
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[photos](https://www.reddit.com/r/medical_advice/comments/klj6pv/help_what_are_these_on_my_four_year_old/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
I've included a link to another subreddit where I've posted this - I'm so creeped out and concerned. The first time it showed up on my four year old daughter's stomach and she said it hurt around it (it was pretty red) and my instincts were to have her soak in the tub and see what happens to it.
After she was out of the bath this "stem" turned white and soft, and I was able to pull it out with tweezers, apply neosporin, and it healed just fine. She has had excema since she was a baby and I thought she had scratched and caused a scab that simply grew in a weird way, but now tonight she has the exact same thing, this time on her chest.
Please help ease my mind, because it's 11pm and I'm freaked out by this. TIA!
| 515 |
Hi, it’s difficult to see from the photos tbh, do you have any that are more close up?
At first glance it looks like a splinter or a thorn, I don’t mean this in an patronising way but are you definitely sure it couldn’t be something like that?
Otherwise, it’s possibly some dried discharge/skin debris. Is there a hair follicle where these are coming from?
Was it hard before you soaked it? And was it removable before you soaked it?
I wouldn’t worry though, it’s unlikely to be anything serious. Certainly there is nothing “growing” inside your daughter and the redness is some localised inflammation and doesn’t look like an infection. What are you worried could be causing this?
I think saving the things and taking them to a paediatrician could help if it keeps happening or you are concerned.
I’m not a dermatologist though so maybe one of them or someone else will have some better ideas.
Hope that helps.
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AskDocs
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One spot on my back unbearable to touch for 15+ years. Please help, it's driving me crazy.
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28 / F / caucasian / Maryland
meds: sprintec, spironolactone
conditions: none
height: 5' 1" weight: 108lb activity level: fairly low but good diet and healthy weight
Really hoping someone can help me. There is a 'zone' of my mid-back that I can't bear to have pressure applied to. Massaging, poking, kneading, anything that would help relieve the pain and sensitivity triggers a full-body, tweaky reaction that makes me jerk away. Not exactly pain but it feels like extreme stimulation of all my nerves all at once. I highlighted the area on [this stock photo](https://imgur.com/a/Jh9Gxv5). This has been the case since I was 14 or 15 years old. The area also gets stiff/tense/sore but I can't do anything to help it. I've only had one professional massage before but the guy asked me "how long I've had sciatica" (I wasn't aware I did), noted the extreme muscle spasms when trying to touch that area, and also noted that my glutes were spastic when manipulated too. Did some googling on sciatica and it looks like that ought to be lower in the back than this.
I know this isn't the most exciting or unusual complaint but really hoping someone can help. Right now it's really hurting me, feels like a tightly wound, tense area, and I can't seem to fix it with anything - heat or rest or meds aren't working and massaging it is out of the question. Seriously, my bf tried last night and it makes me grit my teeth and gasp and jerk away from just the weird nerve feeling.
Here's the image of where it hurts and reacts. https://imgur.com/a/Jh9Gxv5
| 375 |
Sounds like hyperalgesia which can be consistent with central sensitization -- essentially you've had bad pain for so long, that your brain has rewired to be really good at producing pain when it shouldn't. The cool thing is that your brain is amazing and can retrain out of this state with the right kind of therapies.
This isn't sciatica.
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AskDocs
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[URGENT] My mom just woke me up at 6 am and said she's not feeling well, i'm now looking after her.
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She told me that she has a heavy head, feeling nauseous, said she has a feeling that it could be something with her bloodflow, she has a history of heart ilness and has back and overall joint problems and trombosis, no matter how much i ask she doesn't allow me to call an ambulance because she's scared of covid and told me to make sure she doesn't go unconsious, even though she's now laying with her eyes closed and takes about 3-5 seconds to respond to any of my questions, she said she's feeling a little better when not moving with her eyes closed.
please help, i'm just a 17 year old with a laptop and got no idea what to do
Update- She keeps walking to the bathroom, said she might be feeling sick
Another update- Got her to call ger doctor, she’ll write a perscription and i sent my friend to pick it up, i’m very thankfuk for all the help from all of you.
Update3- She talked with her doctor and they decided to wait for tomorrow to see if she gets better and only then go to the doctors, it’s been around 8-9hours and she’s still not very much better, i’m absolutely terrified of nighttime, since anything can happen in the soan of 7-9hours of us both being out, i’m afraid of what i might wake up to, started looking into it but i can’t find info wether or not an apple watch would sound an alarm god forbid something happened?
Update3-it’s 2:56 now and her heart rate is holding at 62bpm for the past 20 minutes, is that normal?
Update4- it’s 8:18, i haven’t slept the night and kept checking her heart rate remotely, it kept between 56-68bpm as she slept, ever hour i silently came in her room to check her breathing and she seems to be fine through the entire time.
Update5- it’s 19:17, my mom just got off a call with her doctor and she began suspecting covid, now that was really scary to hear, she’s gonna get tested on saturday, the only calming thing is the facts that my mom says she had something that felt exactly like this 13 years ago and the fact that i’m absolutely healthy so far.
Update6- it’s the third day, happy new years everyone, her head still hurts and she’s still more tired than usual, but she did walk around the house today, made herself some coffee without telling me, said she’s feeling not very good but much better.
Update7- she’s not getting better, still mych of the same, but better in a way, we got a covid test and it came back negative, the doctors still suspect covid and we’re going to get an xray of her lungs tomorrow
Update8- lungs got xrayed yestersay but no word from the docs yet, also as i said the doctors still suspect covid so her isolation has been extended and she got another covid test done today.
Update9- her second covid test also came back negative
Update10- my mom’s feeling better, but now after two weeks i’m beggining to show her symptoms, my temperature peaked at 38.2C and i’m getting a covid test done in 10 hours.
Update11- my covid test is negative and i’m feeling worse, my mom got an antibodies test done to finally see what’s going on
| 600 |
Ask her to state her name, date of birth, ask her what day it is, who is president. Any wrong answer call 911. Have her stand and take her Blood pressure and heart rate and 02 again.
If your red flags are going off, just call 911 and let the emts decide if something is wrong, that's their job. They don't take everyone they see to the hospital. Your 17 this decision is not up to you, or your mom because she is obviously not in her right mind. Just call 911 and let them check her out, say your mom is acting funny and you are worried something is wrong.
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AskDocs
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Female (29) Pfizer covid 19 vaccine do I take it or not if I want to get pregnant?
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I am a nurse and will be redeployed working in the frontline. I have been offered the vaccine but I do not know whether to take it risk it prior the evidence is out in regards to pre-pregnancy. What is your opinion? If I wanted to get pregnant end of next year should I take the vaccine or not. What is the actual evidence of the vaccine causing infertility post vaccine??
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Take the vaccine....Don't just walk but run to take it. From what we know, it's very safe and effective. There is NO evidence for infertility with the vaccine. The only issue is that if someone is pregnant and takes the vaccine, they have to avoid having a fever (fever is bad for the fetus). COVID-19 is far worse for anyone, and even more bad if someone is pregnant.
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AskDocs
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Frustrated nurse with weird fecal vomiting case
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I'm a nurse in a group home for adults with severe multiple handicaps (Netherlands) and we are often not taken serious by doctors. For the past few days one of my residents (male, 66) has been very upset, hitting everyone who comes close to him (he only ever does this when he is very uncomfortable but it has been exteme and all our interventions do nothing, ie; painkillers, change of position, less stimuli or more). He has **bloating in his stomach**, it sounds hollow when you knock on his upper right part of his abdomen. Now keep in mind, this man's body is pretty malformed, we have no idea what his skeleton looks like or how his organs are situated. He has had sennosides, a lot of macrogol and received enemas every other day, his defecation pattern was normal (his **defecation is always water thin** because of laxatives and tube feedings). His **temperature wasn't high** **(37,1 C/98,78 F).**
Tonight he was **extremely upset, feces came out of his J-tube** (he's had a J-tube for years and his intestine barely do anything anymore) and **out of his mouth.** We were sure he had an **ileus**. He was sent to the ER and was sent right back; CTscan didn't show any obstipation, his urine levels were normal and his lungs looked normal as well. They just sent him home... The doctor says he thinks it's a stomach virus.
Now I'm pretty young, not very experienced, but what kind of stomach virus could ever have anyone fecal vomit? I absolutely do not believe this.
Any help? Has anyone seen something as strange as this before?
Edit: made improtant things bold + minor spelling corrections
Edit 31/12/2020: This morning my colleagues called our doctor again for any help, since the hospital didn't provide us with anything else. The man had the audacity to prescribe **2x 500mg paractamol** and told us to **stop giving the resident Diclofenac because it would hurt his stomach more**... I cannot explain how angry I was. On top of that, he told us to only call him if the resident got a fever.
So my shift started, I discussed the situation with a fellow colleague who was equally as angry as I was (the resident was still extremely upset, hitting everything around him, quick surface breathing, we could easily see he was in pain. Family had arrived at that point and said the same. Once family says there;s something bad going on, it's in our best interest to absolutely believe them). We called the doctor again, after a few hours an assistant called back telling us the doctor prescribed **oxycodon** (5mg... but it's something to start with). He also allowed us to **decrease the tube feedings**; still the same speed, just 50% water 50% peptisorb.
Later in the afternoon and evening he slept, slept and slept. He was calm, I guess. The whole day after him being admitted to hospital, there weren't any feces around his mouth or in his tube. Colleagues have pointed out that they would've recognized the smell of fecal vomiting, and because his feces are so thin, it could've been something else. But then again, the man takes in nothing but white/yellow peptisorb. The colour of the liquid could potentionally point to **nexium** (? he does take this but has never had this color show up) or **old blood**, which is still a massive problem. We weren't able to send him back to the ER since there was nothing accute going on anymore. The doctor didn't want to send him in again because he cannot say what's wrong...
**Extra information that I had missed:** He wasn't being tube fed the first few hours in hospital and seemed to calm down because of that, hence the change in his feeding pattern, yet he was still angry.
In his medical history this has happened before, nothing was ever done but it always cleared up by itself after different tube feeding or antibiotics.
He also has a **hernia diagfragmatica**, **reflux oesophagus** and when he was a young boy he had **stomach bleeding.**
**Thank you all for the comments and sweet words! I'm honestly at a loss of what to do and as many of you have said, only time will tell. I'm off for a few days now (not actually free, I also work at a different group, oops) so I can only hope he is still there after I come back.
Colleagues have pointed out that because his anatomy is so different, perhaps it indeed is just a stomach virus that made him have feces in places it definetely shouldn't be. I believe they're just telling themselves that because they also have no idea.** Wishing you all a happy new year and I sincerely hope doctors do take you serious when you vomit your own feces. Let that be my 2021 resolution.
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No virus makes you vomit feces out of your mouth. What is the possibility of a bowel impaction? There may be an extremely hardened stool blockage where only the liquid bowels are getting around it.
Poor guy needs to get to a better hospital (and a better doctor!) asap.
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AskDocs
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should I go to the hospital?
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I (21 F) woke up from my nap about an hour and a half ago and could not feel my arms/ they felt like I couldn’t move them. They hurt so badly at the same time. The pain is like I had worked out my upper body the hardest I ever have (even though I have been sick in bed for three days). They are so painful.
My neck and my upper back hurt so badly also super achy as well as my chest muscles. I also have a slight headache and ear aches. I have also lost about 16 pounds in the past month unintentionally.
I am crying because of how bad the pain is but the nurse on call said to make an appointment in a few days if they still hurt.
Please upvote for visibility I am in tremendous pain.
Update: Thank you everyone for your responses I appreciate it! I went to my doctors office, my pcp couldn’t fit me in and I saw another physician who told me i likely pulled a muscle in my neck and wanted to send me home with a muscle relaxer. I promptly began to ball my eyes out and told her I was not going home given I now cannot feel my arms. I left and am now waiting at the emergency room.
Update 2: thank you so much everyone for all the support. I just had blood work and a chest x ray which both look super normal. They sent me home with prednisone because the ER is super filled with Covid patients. I got another Covid test which hasn’t come back yet. I was told to follow up with my PCP for a Lyme disease test/ check for MS.
| 717 |
You had surgery recently on your face and now have upper body, neck and chest pains? What’s the backstory? I advise evaluation within 24 hours or less—ED preferably. If you explained more we could try to determine the urgency but you have a recent surgery and now lots of pain /weakness, this should be evaluated.
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AskDocs
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A doctor is trying to prescribe my elderly grandmother hydroxychloroquine
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Hi there, I live in texas and my elderly grandmother has been diagnosed with COVID 19. I saw the president was recommending hydroxychloroquine (along with 10 capsules of vitamin D3 and some other stuff that sounds wildly ridiculous to me), but saw studies showing that the drug can actually be harmful (I am going to nursing school so I keep up with these things).
A doctor from a notable healthcare system is trying to prescribe my grandmother hydroxychloroquine, should I go through with that? Or should I get another doctor completely?
My grandmother is in her late 80s, about 4 feet tall, 120 lbs, is not a smoker, has dementia, and stays at home in her chair most of the time. To reiterate, we live in Texas.
Edit: wow holy shit this went downhill quick
Edit 2: We decided to keep the doctor and go through with the treatment. She was able to explain that the HCQ was being used as an agent to aid with vitamin absorption, not as a treatment for the covid. Thanks for all the advice everyone, also if yall could please quit DMing me links to QAnon stuff that would be super
| 693 |
Are you sure it’s being prescribed for her recent COVID infection? It’s regularly used to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis, which given your grandmother’s immobility might not be out of the question.
If it is for the COVID though, then the doctor is absolutely wrong, and it shouldn’t be taken.
| 794 |
AskDocs
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I have a weird rash on my back and under my breasts. Can you tell me what is going on?
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Hello! I (25 African American female) have had a strange rash on my body for at least six months. The rash is splotchy— it looks like a bunch small of dark splotches in a cluster. The rash does not feel any different than the rest of my skin. There appeals to be faint white edges to some of the splotches, almost like it is dead skin peeling but it doesn’t not feel that way. It is not raised, scratchy/dry or itchy and there is no pain at all. It covers my back and I’m worried!
Medical facts and issues:
- 240 lbs, five feet three inches
-pre-diabetic, working with doctors to lose weight
-asthma
-eczema, but this rash is not something I’ve experienced before
-frequent headaches
-PCOS
-stomach sensitivity
-no drinking or smoking or any other substances
Meds
-Wellbutrin 300 mg daily
-Zoloft 50 mg daily
-albuterol inhaler as needed
-metformin 500 mg twice daily
https://imgur.com/a/FEaENNU
EDIT: I got CARP, yall. Thank you for the help!
| 380 |
Dermatologist here. Unfortunately the person you all downvoted the most got it right. This is CARP, confluent and reticulated papillomatosis.
Acanthodians nigricans does make your skin dark but more commonly occurs on the neck and in the axillae. Yes it occurs in young, black, obese, diabetics but this distribution and description is inconsistent with the diagnosis. Acanthosis nigricans does not scale.
CARP is treated with six weeks of minocycline and selsun blue as a body wash.
| 1,078 |
AskDocs
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My son often claims to feel hot when it’s cold, and cold when it’s hot. Everything I’m coming up with when searching refers to body temps instead of sensation of temps.
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My six year old walking around in shorts, shirtless, wiping his forehead and going “whew it’s hot”, and it’s 60°F in my house and we’re running the heater. Meanwhile when we hit 110°F this summer he was bundling up under blankets and long sleeved shirts saying how cold he was.
Is he just being a weird six year old (because let’s be honest, they’re all weird at six) or is there something I should be looking into here?
We have suspicion he’s on the spectrum but the psychiatrist we saw wouldn’t even test him for it, just had a conversation with us as parents where he happened to be in the room. Otherwise a generally healthy kid (aside from a tonsillectomy for apnea) with no major outstanding conditions (that we know of).
| 532 |
Also NAD but sensory processing issues are common in autistic people, and his perception of temperature (assuming his actual body temperature is normal) is a sensory processing thing. My daughter is literally never cold and will be running around outside barefoot in 50 degree weather and refusing a coat until it’s below freezing. When it’s not an actual safety issue I just let her do her thing and trust that her sensory perception is different than mine.
The sensation of temperature would probably be considered interoception if that helps your searches at all.
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AskDocs
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Help me figure out what's wrong with my dad. The doctors keep saying different things. He has been to the ER 4 times this week.
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EDIT: thanks so much to everyone for the replies. I will get back to everyone after work
Sorry for formatting, on mobile.
Its 3am and I can't sleep bc I am anxious.
49M
Unknown weight
Unknown height
White
Existing medical condition:
- atrial fibrillation
- something was wrong w his thyroid 27-ish years ago and he had it removed
Chronic alcoholic for well over 20 years. Quit alcohol cold Turkey a few months ago when this all happened.
Smokes A LOT.
As for medication he is on thyroid meds but not sure what kind.
On lots of pain meds atm so I'm not sure which ones they keep changing.
A couple months ago my dad hurt his foot at work. Everything went downhill from there. Even though his foot healed the pain didn't. It wasn't too bad he could still go to work his feet would just hurt after.
Forward a few weeks later and he had constant pain in his legs and was unwell.
He was admitted to hospital for a few days and was discovered to have pancreatitis. Stayed in hospital till he was well and was discharged. He was meant to have an endoscopy but couldn't as he had to have a stress test (which had to be cancelled bc he ended up in hospital)
Had the stress test. His feet were too sore to run on the treadmill so he had to have the injection. Can still walk normally at this point, just painful. Heart is healthy apart from atrial fibrillation which we knew about before the stress test.
Now he can barely walk. And when he does he almost falls. The pain in feet and legs is unbearable. I believe the doctors said he has 'alcoholic neuropathy' and the nerves in his feet are dying. Nothing they can do about it but pain management.
They found a blockage in one leg and they are going to put him on blood thinners but they have to be careful with the medication they use, bc of his atrial fibrillation, if im correct.
I will list all symptoms now as this will turn into a 3 part novel if I keep going. The one thing I do mention is a lot of it sounds like alcoholic neuropathy but I'm not sure if ALL symptoms are it. And thanks to my health anxiety I'm second guessing the doctors, since they've said so many different things that I won't bother listing here bc it's too long.
He has been in and out of hospital 4 times this week. He has been a lot the past month.
- extreme pain in legs and feet, hard to walk, always needs to hold onto something to walk, can't drive
- pins and needles in feet
- feet are turning white?
- legs are an odd colour (purple-ish)
- insomnia. He has cat naps now and then but no actual sleep. It's been 1-2 weeks since he has had a proper sleep. He said its from the pain.
- has barely eaten, if at all, says its from the pain
- has lost 10-12kg since getting sick
- rash all over body, purple and spotty in some parts lines in others
- blood in urine which drs say is infection and has been given antibiotics
- occasional pins n needles in fingers/hands
Is prostate cancer likely? Could the drs be right with alcoholic neuropathy?
He goes hospital bc he is in pain in his legs, they do some tests and gets sent home.
He has had countless blood tests and CT scans. Would they have picked up cancer?
Thanks if anyone takes time to read this and respond.
Edit: his blood tests at first came back as infection somewhere in the body but not sure where
Surprisingly with his heavy drinking, his liver is completely healthy.
| 392 |
Have they looked at the blood supply to his legs? He could have chronic limb ischemia from his smoking... and it could be a blockage anywhere from his aorta to the leg arteries
| 366 |
AskDocs
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Please help me to protect my sister. She has secondary breast cancer and her immune system is compromised.
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The patient:
Age: 31
Weight: Over 10 stone.
Location: UK
Past medical history: Nothing major, kidney stones, whiplash
Current medical history: Secondary breast cancer, ER+, HER-, I think luminal A.
Current meds: Palbociclib, denosumab, goserelin (zoladex), letrozole
Hi guys, thanks for your time. I think this subreddit is incredible and I appreciate everything you all do.
The situation is this: my sister was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer about 3 months ago and has been put on targeted biotherapy drugs, such as palbociclib. These have significantly damaged her immune system to the point that they've had to pause her treatment. Now, obviously the meds are the main cause of this but she's also grown quite obese, is stressed out and is going outside for walks in the cold every day.
In an attempt to restore her immune system enough that she can resume her life-saving treatment, I have been doing some research and it seems the consensus shows that exposure to cold weather does inhibit immune function. When I tried to show this to her and her fiancé, dissuading them from going outside/on walks every day, the response was essentially, "she's wrapped up warm so it doesn't count as exposure", "I need it for my mental health" etc. Frustratingly, a nurse also said that there's 'nothing we can do to restore your immune system'.
For my peace of mind, can you guys give me your two cents on this? Beyond healthy eating, is there really nothing we can do?
Thanks.
(p.s. we're currently in a rural location and can easily avoid COVID and other people)
| 395 |
I'm very sorry this has happened to your family. I am certainly no oncologist, but I do not imagine going walking in the cold will have a genuine detrimental impact. I realise how upsetting it can be when chemo/radiotherapy is being held, and I don't know whether her treatment is curative or not, but either way, I agree with them; these walks with her fiance may be memories she treasures forever, and a bit of happiness in the landscape of a bleak world at the moment. You only want what is best for her, but it is her choice how to live her life, and what makes her happy.
&#x200B;
I hope it works out as best as possible for your sister.
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AskDocs
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Recieved letter back from cardiology stating my results were "normal" and no follow-up needed, but then the letter goes on further to provide a laundry list of abnormal findings. Very confused and upset -- a second opinion would be greatly appreciated!
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35 yo female
5'7" (170 cm)
180lbs (81.6kg)
Caucasian and Native American
I have previously had high blood pressure, but as of the last year or so my blood pressure has become very LOW for undetermined reasons, with my most recent reading being 101/60
Primary symptoms: Decreasing general health for the past ~3 years, primarily presenting as severe fatigue, syncope + nausea when overheated or standing up too quickly, needing a minimum of 10-12 hours of sleep every night to feel rested, general malaise.
I have asthma, ADD, MDD. Drink occasionally; previous occasional smoker but quit ~5 years ago. Same for recreational drugs -- on occasion when I was younger, but none for at least 5 years. **I had previously been diagnosed with Rheumatic Fever in 2015, which seems VERY relevant here, but every doctor I've tried to discuss it with brushes it off when I mention it.**
So, last month I finally got a referral to a cardiologist, after years of trying to get one, and I was given a heart monitor to wear at home for two weeks, and then on Dec 23rd I had an echocardiogram ultrasound done. After trying and failing to get ahold of them by phone, Friday I FINALLY received a letter in the mail with my results. The front page of that letter states that all my tests were normal, and no follow-up is needed.
THEN, that same letter goes on to detail in the next few pages that I have a **small left ventricle, sinus tachycardia with an average heartbeat ranging from 90-150 bpm, paradoxical septal motion, mild pulmonary valve regurgitation, a thickened mitral valve, mild mitral valve regurgitation, trivial tricuspid valve regurgitation, and then it states that my "right ventricular systolic pressure could not be estimated due to inability to detect peak tricuspid regurgitation" and that my pulmonary valve stats were also inconclusive due to "poor visualization".**
The "inconclusives" I suppose could go either way, and I don't know if those are something I should try to get more testing for to clear up or not. But the rest definitely does not sound "normal" to me, and based on a quick Google search most of those things seem to be more common in someone who has had previous cardiac surgery, which I have not, and/or they usually go hand-in-hand with severe pulmonary hypertension, and as previously mentioned, my blood pressure has been consistently LOW, to the point of being almost abnormally so, for at least the past year.
So, is there anyone who can confirm that all those abnormalities could be found, while still falling within the "normal" range of test results? Am I just reading too much into this, or am I right in thinking that my cardiologist didn't do his job properly, and a second opinion is needed?
Update: Wow this really took off way more than I expected! I went to bed early last night, was busy with other stuff this morning, and then I'm American, so I have been thoroughly distracted by the absolute shitshow going on in DC ever since..., so I haven't logged on to Reddit to check back on responses until just now. Thank you to everyone for what looks like some very educated replies; I'm working my way through them and will try to respond more thoroughly tomorrow after a good night's (hopefully) sleep!
| 460 |
Nearly all of the things you’ve described are seen on essentially every echo report. “Trivial” and “trace” and “mild” regurgitation are seen in one or more valves of (what I estimate to be) the vast majority of healthy people. The regurgitation is only really abnormal if it’s significant (moderate or severe). It’s important to mention any at all, though, so the previous report can be compared to any future ones (among other reasons). The reason there’s a lot of “could not assess...poor visualization” all over the report is because this was a transthoracic echo. If they need better visualization of those structures, they would need to do a transesophageal echo which is a really not-fun procedure which requires you to be sedated, and is usually reserved for people with high suspicion for infective endocarditis or severe cardiac disease involving the poorly visualized structures.
The rest of the findings could be related to pulmonary arterial HTN, which you’ve already mentioned. PAH is not the same as hypertension in general. The lung circulation is separate from the systemic circulation (though obviously the two are connected) and PAH is usually due to changes in the lung structure or function. For example, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis (scarring in the lungs), or - my attending’s personal favorite underdog in the world of heart/lung issues - *sleep apnea*.
The full report of any diagnostic study, like an echo, is *always* going to have something that doesn’t sound completely normal in it - the wonderful world of incidental findings. That’s why it’s important to go by what the cardiologist or other ordering physician interprets from the echo. It’s also why every diagnostic report has a disclaimer along the lines of “correlate with clinical findings.” In the context of your presentation, the echo that you had done was “essentially normal.” It’s what my own echo report said despite results that could have been used to diagnose someone with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction had they been a 68 year old with blood pressure of 155/100 for the past 25 years, extra heart sounds, and shortness of breath.
Your echo was done, I presume, to look for rheumatic heart disease in the context of your clinical findings (which could be consistent with that, though it’s rare to get this from only having rheumatic fever once). These findings aren’t really consistent with RHD. The mitral valve is slightly thickened, which may be the result of the rheumatic fever, but the report does not show mitral stenosis (the expected consequence of RHD).
What I’d recommend doing is writing down the findings you’ve seen on the report, including your concerns about what they could mean, and other good questions you’ve asked in your post here (like about pulmonary artery hypertension, and the “poor visualization” of certain structures on the echo and how important these inconclusive findings would be to a diagnosis) and take them with you to the next appointment. Because your cardiologist has a more complete picture of your clinical presentation and other health info, they are the best person to help guide you through the report, why they do not feel this echo has shown the underlying problem, and the next steps to take.
Best of luck to you, and thank you for the question! Echo reports are always confusing and concerning to many who aren’t aware that many of the “abnormal” findings are often normal variants, so this is a great post to discuss that with.
| 756 |
AskDocs
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Unknown/mystery illness- watching my kid die before my eyes
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My 24 y/o afab /NB kid has been bed ridden since May with some mysterious illness. They were 155 lbs in Apr-May and 114 lbs as of last week. They have lost 40 lbs laying in bed and now can barley walk and hasn't had more than 100-300 calories worth of food any day this week.
We have been to the PCP who sent us to a gastroenterologist who sent us to a hepatologist who is sending us back to the gastro. Throw in an ER visit that resulted in a dx of uterine fibroids, so now they are seeing a gyno.
I don't think we have time to keep waiting weeks in between appointments for someone to run more tests. My kid is dying and I can't very well just put 'em in the car and take them to the ER....we are in a pandemic. Last time they had to go to the ER I got Covid.
And on top of all of this, did I mention that Kiddo has BPD/ODD ,GAD and fibromyalgia
*Edited to add answers to common questions*
- no rash - no swelling - no hair loss
Only 2 bouts of vomiting/dry heaving in the past month or so
- last ER visit was late September
- they need help getting to the bathroom and back, but they are going...about 3x a day
- pain with eating which presents as abdominal pain with a radiating heat sensation.
- abdominal pain is basically constant, but becomes intolerable upon sitting up, and really painful with eating.
* Update *
After telling Kiddo that we needed to call their GP to discuss hospitalization , several panic attacks and much discussion later.....they have managed to make themselves eat something. And then a little more. We have included Pedialyte into their fluid intake. Their strength seems to be improving, and they are tolerating more food as time goes on.
Because they are over 18 and not legally incompetent, I can't force them to go. So, as long as they continue to improve, and to increase their caloric and nutrient intake, we will wait for the already scheduled next appointment.
Many, many thanks to all of you that made helpful and heartfelt comments and suggestions.
*Edited to post follow-up*
Visited GI today - rx written for reflux, upper & lower endoscopy ordered - 15 more lbs lost which is fucking terrifying - but a doctor listened and did things fucking finally! Exhausted. Going to sleep now, but felt the need to update those who expressed concern. Thanks again.
| 697 |
You definitely can throw them in the car and take them to the ER. Tell the ER the magnitude of weight loss and ask if you can be admitted for work up and management of failure to thrive. Would favor an academic center.
| 1,432 |
AskDocs
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Sudden erectile dysfunction at age of 25M
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Age: 25
Weight: 67 kg
Height: 184 cm
Sex: Male
Sudden erectile dysfunction after being diagnosed with covid (been having fever since 2nd of jan). Never before in my life I couldn't get erection like this time, it's always been extremely easy. A week ago I could get it rock hard just by thinking, now i cannot do that with the help of pornography.
I cannot get erection anymore, it just feel that blood doesn't go into the penis. Also it feels that I cannot squeeze muscles around my anus as hard as I could, the same goes for the stoping stream while peeing, could do that but it feels very weak.
It feels like something happened to the that vein between scrotum and anus, vein that supports penis with blood. Like it's leaking inside or something, i feel this coldish thing inside that vein hard to explain.
I am sure it is 100% physiological and not psychoogical I still have libido and am arroused mentally by watching pornography, and could ejaculate but without getting fully erected.
Worth to mention that, on new years evening I take drugs : cocaine and the 75mg of viagra which I know could go hard on heart.
Also worth to menion: lumps around anus ring appeared, feels like hemmoroids, not sure if its true.
EDIT:
Two weeks later seems to go back to normal, some people DM me saying they have same exact symptoms. I cured it by doing malasana squats (stretching muscles that surrounds pelvic floor) so to all the people stressing out about ED for life here’s the routine:
Malasana squat for 6 minutes, 3 times in a span of an hour in the morning and 6 minutes 3 times in a span of an hour in the evening.
also relax and let your anus loose as if you are letting a fart out. And breath normally it's totally fine.
Malasana squat will cure ED in 3 to 5 weeks.
Don't worry about your back and arm shape while doing it; most important is the stretch down there.
DM if you have any questions or just want to talk about ED, i know how depressing it can be.
Thank me later :)
| 413 |
It appears that COVID has been associated with ED. It seems like there's probably both a vascular and endocrine etiology. As to whether it is reversible... nobody knows for sure. The lower testosterone seen in some patients probably will come back and the vascular damage will likely be repaired. I'd definitely recommend abstaining from cocaine and talking to your doctor if this is something that's really concerning to you. They'll have a better idea of the overall picture of your health. Good luck!
[Link between ED and COVID from the Journal of Endocrinology.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7355084/)
| 367 |
AskDocs
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Are gynecologists supposed to tell you what they’re doing if you ask? She inserted two tools and her fingers and ignored my questions.
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Gender: female, race: white, age: 20
I just went to the gynecologist for irregular bleeding. The gynecologist inserted a speculum without lubricant and two sticks. She didn’t tell me what this was for. I assume it’s a pap smear but I don’t even know; she didn’t tell me a single thing. The stick was covered from bottom to top with blood. I thought that with a pap smear it was only supposed to be bloody where it touches the back of you. She threw the speculum into the sink, not placed. I asked what she was doing before she put it in and she didn’t reply other than “it’ll hurt”.
She then stuck 1-2 fingers inside of me (without warning) and kept pressing on my stomach while wiggling her fingers and I was screaming and crying out because it hurt so bad. She just ripped her fingers out when she was done (not gently at all) and told me there’s blood go pee and then she walked out and left.
She’s aware that I was sexually assaulted numerous times by my abuser and that I have massive trauma. She also knows that the only “exam” I’ve ever had was a rape kit at the hospital, and have never have one done at a gynecologist.
I’ve been crying for over an hour. Is this normal? I never want to go to the gynecologist again. I feel so god damn violated. She inserted 4 things so roughly and ignored my questions. She didn’t even tell me the procedure name that she was doing.
| 1,652 |
Not normal or ethical.
| 1,794 |
AskDocs
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It's getting a lot worse and I'm terrified. Follow up of my dad going to the hospital and they have no idea what's happening.
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Update: he isn't any better but also isn't any worse minus his legs: http://imgur.com/a/rVLTuQM
50M
Unknown weight
Unknown height
This is my original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/kqb4k9/help_me_figure_out_whats_wrong_with_my_dad_the/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Today we got news that his legs are dying from blood clots and my mum said the doctor said he is slowly dying they can't figure out where the infection is coming from.
They can't find out where the blood clots are coming from.
They are doing a camera down the throat hopefully tomorrow to look at the back of his throat to see if it's making blood clots?
They have to amputate both of his legs above knee asap so it doesn't reach his liver or kidneys otherwise that's it there's no coming back.
They can't amputate his legs until they check his heart so time is very tight.
I'm so scared. Just on the 6th they said his heart and liver were all healthy. Everything was fine and now we are being told that there is a chance he will die within the next few days if it isn't sorted.
The drs are stumped and don't know what's happening
Can anyone please let me know if they know what's going on . Has anyone seen this before ? My whole world has turned upside down
They said he may die before surgery if they don't get it in time
He can die during amputation surgery
And even after the surgery there's about a 30 day time period where there's a 50/50 chance he could die
Has anyone seen this before. Can anyone shed some insight. I'm so distraught.
Photo of feet and legs here[here](http://imgur.com/a/86BC0nL)
| 748 |
The camera down the throat can be two things. It can be an actual camera to check his stomach, but I think it's more likely they're going to do a sonogram of his heart to check for bacteria on his valves (it's called endocarditis and causes blood clots in the legs and other places, it is very dangerous). You can get better pictures if they put the probe in the esophagus compared to on his chest.
I'm sorry you're going through this, and I hope the imaging will find the root cause.
| 534 |
AskDocs
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Diagnosed with MS at 12 - Neurologist says I don't have MS at 20. Won't give me advice on where to go next.
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20F, 5"2, 160lbs.
Please forgive me if I am missing any pertinent information. I'm not very familiar medically, but will be happy to answer and questions I can!
Current medication: Prozac 40mg, Lamotrigine 200mg, baby aspirin.
Stretching/walking/strength training 5x a week.
Health History: Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar 2 with mixed episodes, PTSD, optic neuritis, brain delay, heart murmur. Military neck. Insomnia.
I do not drink or smoke tobacco but I do smoke weed
I've never taken any hard drugs.
First day of last period: 12/28/20
No surgeries
Amoxicilin Allergy
Family Health History:
Mom: Heart attack at 38, TIA at 48. High blood pressure. Water retention, Alcohol Abuse. I'm positive there is more but we aren't in contact. Obesity. Macular degeneration, kidney stones. Gout
Grandfather: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diabetes, Chronic Migraines, drug and alcohol abuse. Glaucoma, Macualr degeneration, kidney stones.
Grandmother: Hypertension, Thyroid issues, Depression, Bipolar 1, Liver Failure, Diabetes, Heart Murmur, Fibromyalgia, Obesity, Metal implants, blood clots, asthma, sleep apnea, anxiety, kidney stones, gout, IBS. She had a severe drug problem.
I don't know my father and my siblings and I don't communicate.
Backstory: When I was younger I had a really bad problem with fainting, losing feeling and strength in my arms, muscle aches, fatigue, disorientation, numbness and tingling in fingertips, face, and toes.
Went to Phoenix hospital for 1 month, at the end they diagnosed me with MS but expressed that they weren't positive. Fast forward to now, I'm 20. I went and got my MRI for my brain and there were no signs of MS according to the doctor. I did not get an MRI for my neck or spine. He said stress could be a diagnosis but I've felt like this since I was a kid and I don't understand how it could effect my vision. That might just be my lack of knowledge though.
All of my symptoms are not constant, but they are reoccurring frequently throughout the day.
Here's my common symptoms:
Fainting: I've completely blacked out 3 times since mid-December.
Muscle Aches: These are present almost constantly but to varying degrees. Intensify at night, especially in my shoulders, calves and feet. I've noticed that my joints often end up hurting quite a bit.
Cramping: or at least what I assume is cramping. I get these slow on-coming seizes in my calves. They have an odd sensation between pain and almost like my nerves itch, if that makes any sense.
Strength: My hands and forearms strength is affected and changes dailt. Sometimes they completely give out. For example, I was lifting a 20lbs bag of dog food and pouring it into a container. I could feel pain in my arms, almost like my muscles were tearing and my hands felt bruised and achey holding up the bag. They ended up 'giving out ' and the bag fell straight into the container.
Disorientation: I forget what I'm saying sometimes during saying it. My speech can come out jumbled up on days where my symptoms are acting up. Many moments where I'll forget where I am entirely or where I'm going. I've forgotten how to get home before within a 1-mile radius that I travel frequently. I was able to get to a doctor's last time it was really bad. I had a lack of coordination, couldn't walk straight without severe drifting during neurological test, left side preformed much weaker during test, she also did this thing where she had me fill my mouth with air and she pressed on my cheeks, and was unhappy with the result.
Other things I'm not sure how to categorize: loss of appetite, irrability, restlessness in limbs, radiating neck pain, muscle tightness. Occasional complete loss of vision in Left eye. Numbness/Tingling/Pain in extremities, Always feel cold but like it's beneath my skin, depth perception issues, Radiating and aching pain in arms. I also get red patches on my cheeks occasionally, they're very dry, sensitive and warm. The only way to calm them down is a long skincare routine, even water touching it hurts though.
I'm not sure if it's important but, I've suffered a lot of physical abuse as well. My fiance and I have also noticed that I get sick very often and extremely easily. It's usually a cold or a stomach bug. I'm not very good at resting either. I prefer to work through the pain because I feel like that's my only choice, even if I am hurting I still have to pay my bills. But, I still run myself ragged and don't slow down.
I do have insurance and just got a PCP. I just don't know what to do and need some type of guidance. It seems like nobody can give me any and its very discouraging.
Thanks Docs.
| 592 |
That's a tough nut to crack. It sounds like you've had a hell of a time, and you certainly didn't win the lottery with your medical history. I'm not qualified to diagnose such a complicated history without testing, but here's some general advice.
1) The neurologist is a great first step. If you or your PCP don't trust that first impression, you can get a second opinion from a different one.
2) A rheumatologist might be the next step. Rheumatologic disorders can have a lot of whacky symptoms that are hard to pin down, and should be ruled out. That can take time and testing is rarely cut-and-dry.
3) Lastly, your symptoms absolutely could be psychosomatic - in other words, they *could* be a manifestation of stress, depression, anxiety, or the like. People typically fight this suggestion tooth and nail as if it's an accusation that it's "all in their head" or that they're faking. The mind is an incredibly powerful organ. While the rest of your body is mostly levers and sensors, your mind is what interprets all those signals and makes them meaningful. It can produce meaning even in the absence of those signals, which is how amputees can feel pain in a limb they no longer have, or how you can feel like you're falling in a dream.
I've had several patients who had shitty lives full of abuse and trauma, and the way their subconscious minds dealt with it was essentially by shutting down when life felt overwhelming: pain, pseudo-seizures, fainting. These symptoms were real - they weren't faking them - but they also had no physical cause or anything you'd find on a scan or test. And they did improve with time, therapy, love, and support.
It took a long time to get the families to understand that. It's appropriate to get thorough testing by specialists. However at the end of the day, if nothing is found or they do suggest a psychological cause, understand that isn't any less possible or important of a diagnosis.
| 648 |
AskDocs
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Can someone help me decode the MRI of my brain, my experience, and if I should get a second opinion?
|
Last MRI Results Photo: [MRI](https://ibb.co/T1tKcHJ)
Results: Bright T2 and flair signal present within the perventricular white matter measuring approximately 3mm, possibly from migraines.
ER Results/tests done from today: Migraines, follow up with neurologist. No blood test was given and he said he didn’t think it was meningitis.
CT Head w/o contrast: Normal/Non-Contrast. The Ventricles are normal size and midline in position. Normal white-grey matter differentiation. No intra or extra-axial hemotoma.
CT Max Facial w/o contrast: No acute fracture or temporomandibular joint dislocation is present. No destructive bone lesions are present.
They couldn’t see the white matter but I’ve had a cat scan done on my head prior to the MRI and it didn’t show up that time either.
(I can post a photo of the discharge papers as well if needed)
Age/Sex: 30F
Height/Weight: 5’2, 115-125lbs
New Symptoms:
Ice pick in right forehead and base of skull on/off
“Seeing stars” in my vision, sometimes for no reason at all, sometimes when I move too quickly, or when I use the restroom, accompanied by dizziness,
Confusion,
Right temple slightly swollen,
Increased memory loss,
Weight loss,
Overall feeling of being unwell,
Mystery itchy spots that almost look like little bug bites ( I have had the home treated for fleas before because I have cats, all of them have also been treated. I also have a regular pest service come in that’s included with my lease).
Head:
Shooting pain throughout,
Eye pain,
Light sensitively,
Nausea,
Vomiting,
(I assume the last two are what is causing my intestinal upset)
Migraine: onset is usually quick, within a few minutes my head begins to pound, the nausea sets in, vomiting has ranged anywhere from 1-6hrs.
Neck:
Swelling,
Tender,
Pressure,
Stiffness,
Constant throbbing pain
Other:
Jaw Pain,
Fatigue,
Itchy,
Night Sweats,
Heart palpitations (have had EKG, nothing),
Previous blood tests by my GP where high blood pressure, slightly high white cell.
Longevity: 3 days, started with a dull headaches and graduated into a full blown migraine on day two. But has been going on for years on/off. New symptoms have been appearing.
Current Medications:
Zoloft ~100mg once in the morning,
Adderall XR ~20mg once in the morning,
Prazosin ~1mg once at night
Added Today by ER:
Robaxin ~750mg,
Fioricet ~50-325-40,
Ibuprofen ~600mg
Other Medical Conditions:
3mm Kidney Cyst,
Ovarian Cysts,
Degenerative Disk Disease (Cervical)
Drug use:
Registered Medical Marijuana patient
After leaving the hospital I still have a dull headache. My neck and head pain was so severe that I didn’t know what to do by day 3. My neighbor is a nurse and she dropped me off at the ER after feeling my neck/temple when I told her my symptoms. Prior to today I’ve been seeing multiple doctors. One doctor told me I was “too young” to have these problems. My memory as of recent has been alarming me as it seems to be getting worse and worse. Ive become a lot more confused because of this. It’s gotten to the point where I avoid leaving my house in fear that I may embarrass myself by becoming confused by what’s going on randomly. The confusion comes without the migraine but when the migraine hits I have a minute or so where I completely forget what’s going on or where I am besides pain. My entire body becomes uncomfortable. Could this be something else besides or accompanied with the migraines?
| 264 |
This is more consistent with a migraine process but have you had a lumbar puncture done?
| 76 |
AskDocs
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Very embarrassing question relating to my butt crack (it’s gross)
|
Right above where my buttcrack ends at the small of my back, there’s this deep indent. Google search results tell me that this is a sacral dimple & is unconcerning to have (but yaknow, it’s google search results, so take that with a grain of salt). For a few months now, however, I’ve had some persisting issues in this area... it sometimes secretes a clear fluid. Sometimes it secretes blood. Lately, it’s been itchy. And sweet lord, no matter how often I am taking showers, wiping it clean, etc., I am CONSTANTLY finding little clumps of hair that have somehow found their way into it (I live with 3 shedding pets, so everything I own is covered in pet hair no matter how often I clean).
Here’s my questions:
1) what in gods name is this
2) what kind of doctor do I see for this? A dermatologist? A proctologist?
3) do I actually need to see a doctor, or can I just treat this at home somehow
Demographic info: 25 years old, female, 5’3”, 170lb
Edit: I can’t link a photo due to the area that this is in (tried posting on Imgur, it was removed right away). Taking a picture, however, was helpful, in that I just got an actual look at it for the first time. There’s a literal hole there...
| 564 |
Sounds like a pilonidal cyst. A genera surgeon should be able to take care of that in their office. You probably should see a doctor because they can get infected.
| 774 |
AskDocs
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Help Needed. What methods of care or what items would a person need to increase their odds of surviving a gunshot/stab wound until paramedics arrive? (F22)
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22F height: 5’0 weight 145lbs
BACKGROUND (Main point below if you wish to skip):
This is a throwaway and I can’t get into specifics as the person I am afraid of is on this platform.
However due to a recent decision a judge has made in my case against them, they are very angry.
They tried to kill me a short while ago using a knife and just found out though a third party they recently spoke about purchasing a gun.
I am highly concerned and unfortunately my concern doesn’t equal ‘enough evidence’ to put them in jail at the moment.
Side note: I already have a lawyer, family and friend support, and the police are aware. I also have a restraining order but let’s be real, that piece of paper isn’t stopping them from actually showing up to my house/work if they are angry enough.
I’ve done everything I can from a legal standpoint until they are either sentenced or they attack me, then get arrested.
MAIN POINT:
I am looking to purchase emergency kit/supplies to keep in my car/home in the event they decide to attack me again.
I understand I would need prompt medical attention.
Please, what items can I keep in my car/methods to control bleeding would help buy me those precious few moments until help arrives?
Simpler/most vital steps the better as I’m sure being shot/stabbed will make concentrating difficult.
I live in a hotter climate (USA) if that matters as to what I can keep in my vehicle.
Medical note: I am currently taking a 325mg aspirin, twice a day while an injury heals that has a chance of forming a blood clot.
Sorry for the novel. I’m almost in tears writing this because I don’t want to die and can’t shake the feeling this isn’t over yet.
| 970 |
I wasn't going to weigh in here, because this seems like a subject where even the best of intentions could have deleterious consequences. The kind of interventions being discussed can be difficult for people under "ordinary" circumstances, let alone when having to perform them on yourself while under duress, even when properly trained in them. Having a mix of half-baked ideas and faulty recommendations could be more dangerous to you, or just completely useless to you.
That said, if prevention can't be assured, and falling short of receiving proper medical intervention, there are a few things that should be voiced. I've seen a few recommendations for a tourniquet to stop bleeding. This is not an ideal intervention, for a number of reasons. While I will ultimately say it is always good to have handy, I'd like to first advocate the use of applying pressure first and foremost. A tourniquet requires adequate training for proper use, and if applied wrong, it can cause more harm. Here is why:
1. Having just been attacked, you will be shaken, quickly begin to succumb to the effects of adrenaline wearing off, and be dealing with the fatigue inherent with blood loss...if bleeding enough to warrant a tourniquet. The chances of you being able to apply it yourself, correctly, and with enough force, are slim. It is more likely that you end up losing valuable time to stop the bleeding, while you try to determine if it is working, and are tinkering.
2. Holding pressure on a wound, with gauze or clean material, is the fastest way to slow blood flow at a local site, and is often adequate. It requires very little medical inclination. All you need to know is to apply for no less than 15 minutes, and generally longer for more serious wounds, and to not keep checking the bleeding by lifting the bandage, as this will delay the intended effect. The material becomes saturated through with blood, you simply put another layer directly ontop of it, without removing the layer underneath.
3. Applying it too loosely will stop venous flow but not prevent it from bleeding.
4. Leaving a tourniquet on too long can do neurovascular damage. Nerve damage may be permanent, affecting sensation and motor functions. Tissue death would also occur if ischemic for long enough. Additionally, if released too soon or suddenly, the return of blood flow can damage compressed blood vessles.
5. As your blood pressure changes, the force applied needs to be adjusted, and this isn't something that is easily monitored by yourself.
There are other points, but I'm already running long here. With all of that noted, you may still wish to have one on hand, so keep those points above in mind. Additionally, it must be applied approximately 2 inches above the wound, between the wound and the heart, preferably not over clothing. It is only appropriate on limbs, and if pressure is not effectively stopping the bleeding, or you have multiple injuries that require pressure. It is a life over limb decision, understanding that improper use could cost the limb, but there is no other choice to save your life. The material used should also be only 1 to 2 inches thick; the thicker it is, and the larger the limb, the more force you will need.
Ideally, if it has come to you having to make this choice, it is because you have gotten yourself to safety, and are able to get help from someone near by, so it isn't left to you to apply. It should remain on for no more than 2 hours, and it should be noted when it was applied, to tell the EMT's. Now, imagine remembering all of this after having been attacked, and losing blood...this is why I want you to remember, PRESSURE, which also works on injuries elsewhere.
I'm not sure which is least effective, emergency based medical advice from strangers online, or self defense advice online from strangers...so, I'll keep my advice limited to what I've said, and wish you the best.
| 564 |
AskDocs
|
Brother died today need help clarifying something
|
Age 44
Sex M
Height 5'8
Weight. Slim to avg,
Race white British
Duration of complaint
Location uk
Any existing relevant medical issues recent possible tonsillitis
Current medications anti biotics
Forgive brevity this is raw.
He thought he had tonsillitis just after xmas.
Very painful, in bed exhausted. Very inflamed tonsils. Online local doc diagnosed tonsillitis via web cam.
Several days no food or water. Vomiting regularly. Anti biotics.
Started to feel well last Sunday 3rd and out of bed. Getting back to normal but out of breath with very little exercise.
Was booked covid test but refused as couldn't get swab near mouth and vomiting at the thought.
Got better. Finished anti biotics.
Monday 11th went to work feeling much better. Told workmate felt like someone was standing on his chest. Hard to breathe.
Tuesday yesterday texted work colleague to say he couldn't breathe.
Didn't tell his partner or me. Told her he had throat pain not breathing problem. She said he didn't seem out of breath.
Died in bed this morning between 7am and 12 midday.
Now I'm typing this, i really think we missed covid? He didn't tell anyone about breathing difficulty until Monday but no one saw him in trouble, or just assumed it was related to tonsillitis.
There will be a post mortem. It's sudden death of 44 year old.
But any thoughts appreciated.
Edit: amazing replies, love to all thank you. Had coroner on phone. Inconclusive but no obvious damage to heart. Heart has been removed and sent to pathologist and I've given her all the info i have including chest pain and breathing difficulty info. Four people have independently told me that he was complaining from Saturday and Sunday onwards but crucially never told any one person everything. Anyway, 4-6 week delay on pathology.
| 1,038 |
I'm sorry to hear what you're going through. Seek help if you need assistance processing your loss.
My answer might not be what you're looking for, but I do think it's the best advice. Stop guessing. Stop Googling. Wait for the autopsy, which will, hopefully, provide your answer. Anything else is just going to drive you crazy and make you feel like you or his partner missed something that could have been done to save him. Take time to grieve.
| 1,577 |
AskDocs
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Just binged around 15,000 calories and feel like my stomach is going to explode. Please help
|
I have bulimia.
Age: 22
Height: 5'8
Weight: 108
I am really trying to avoid calling my doctor or going to the ER. I have a lot of binges but this one was probably the worst. I just ate boxes of crackers and chips, as well as some other things. If I had to estimate I probably just ate around 15,000 worth of calories. I have literally been eating since 4am, I couldn't stop. My stomach feels like it's going to explode. I can't move--I'm currently on the ground crying in pain because it hurts so much. I can't even get it to come up, which I don't understand, as I'm basically conditioned to throw up on command. My chest is killing me, and I'm sweating so much. I took some pepto but I don't even know how long that'll take to work, or if it will even work. This is the worst pain I've ever felt in my life, at the risk of sounding dramatic. My stomach feels like its going to explode, please help me, I've heard this can actually happen and I don't know what else to do
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If you are experiencing this much pain you need to go to the ER. This much food intake, especially in someone who has restrictive eating patterns, is wildly dangerous to your health.
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17F I’m scared I’ll end up unable to walk. Please help.
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17F weight:55Kg Height:5’6” I live in the UK
I’m sorry this is such a long read but I’m desperate and truly grateful to anyone who reads.
Edit: I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read/upvoted/commented so far, you’ve been so supportive and I’m completely overwhelmed by your kindness. It helps so much just to be able to be listened to and all your advice so far has been amazing and I’m so grateful for it. I’ll continue to do my absolute best to reply to everyone even if it’s just to say thank you because you’ve all helped me, at least mentally, so so much 💙
November 2018 (I was then 15): I was sat on bar stool doing homework, then I got up and felt pins and needles in my left leg. I thought it was strange as I wasn’t sat weird but I brushed it off. I then went upstairs and my left leg felt very strange, almost bouncy but also weak. I then got changed and came back downstairs to sit on the bar stool. I began to get a sore ache pain in my ankle (almost how it feels when I feel like I need to crack my knuckle but much more painful). The pain got rapidly worse and I began crying, the pain spread up my shin, and to my knee. By this point my mum was running me a bath to help soothe the pain, I had to crawl upstairs as I could not move my lower leg. By the time I got up the stairs the pain had spread to my hip and lower back,my leg was so weak I couldn’t move it and the pain was unbearable, I dragged myself to the bath using my arms.
Between then and the next day I developed numbness on the right side of my left foot and a strip up my left leg to the left of my shin, I also had sharp prickly, almost itchy, burn pain in the same parts that were numb. Standing/sitting and walking made the pains and weakness much worse. I was off school for a number of days, lay flat on a sofa unable to move my left leg almost at all, the slightest movement just increased the debilitating pain. We had gone to A&E (hospital) where they treated me for a urine infection as I had one at the time. They hoped it might be a side effect and I was given antibiotics.
We went privately to a physiotherapist who suggested my symptoms were in line with a slip/herniated disc. The physio enabled me to ‘walk’ using crutches, I then came off the crutches after a while however I walked with a limp as my leg was weak (not strong enough to support my full weight) and in pain.
January 2019: I got an MRI in January to test if I did have a slipped disc as I still had symptoms. The MRI showed no sign of a slipped disc so they said, perhaps I had a slipped disc and it healed by January since I was so young. They said if they were right my symptoms should clear up and that I should continue with physio to be sure. I asked if my numbness would go away too and I was told if it was lasting nerve damage it may take up to 2 years to heal, but if it is permanent it will not heal.
I then had GCSEs to do and I began to, subconsciously, accept that I was in pain and I would always be in pain, with no real reason as to why.
August 2020: My relationship with my parents to do with medical issues has not been great previously, I have had a lot of things wrong with me in the past and numerous doctors appointments and different scans for various things. Coming back from appointments my mum would be in a bad mood, she’d say it’s because she’s frustrated for me which I now believe, but back then it felt as if she couldn’t be bothered helping me and gave next to 0 sympathy when I was the one going through this. It was more my father who made me feel I should keep my problems to myself (and still does now and then) he treated my issues like I was making them up, he was angry we had to go to hospital so much and didn’t see the point, he would say the only reason I’m lying down is to be lazy and that I should sit up. He treated me as if I made all this up just so I could lie on the sofa more often. This lead to me ignoring my symptoms and being in denial when they got worse, which I why I had said nothing in a year and a half, even though I was still in pain. It wasn’t all my parents fault that I said nothing, I will admit I just refused to think about what was happening to me. My parents did know I was still suffering as I would stand up in lessons and not go walking etc.
September 2020: I finally said to my mum that I want to see doctors again as I was approaching the 2 year mark and if anything I was getting worse. At this point in time my mum was working and my dad wasn’t so it was my dad who had to try and get an appointment while my mum was working and I was at college. We found out due to COVID normal appointments are taking 40+ weeks and urgent are taking 18+ weeks.
January 2021: From September to now my symptoms have gotten significantly worse, I have gained many more symptoms and my existing ones have gotten worse. I can’t sit down at all now without nerve pain. Lying down is the most comfortable but I now have constant pain no matter what I’ll go into more detail of my newer symptoms and my medication below.
Symptoms:
- numb parts of leg and foot
- Sharp prickle itchy burn pain in numb parts sometimes
- Bubbly/fizz sensation in lower back sometimes (newer)
- Ache in ankle, to shin, to knee, to hip and sometimes back (similar to when I feel like I need to crack knuckles but worse)
- Weakness/pain in leg
- Walking/standing/sitting makes it worse
- Sharp pain in hip when sitting in same position for a while (newer)
- Sharp twinge pain in numb part of foot (very new)
- Constant ache in hip when sat(very new)
- Sharp pain down to base of back (very new)
- shooting nerve pain down other (right) leg (very new)
- Pins and needles but duller in right hand index finger tip (newest)
Possibly related:
- sore ache in joints in hands (same as ankle/knee/hip) every now and then, have to not move at all for ages for pain to ease
- Band around torso feels like I’m winded, painful compression
My mother has MS so that’s how I know some of these symptoms is nerve pain as she gets/has had the same sensation/pain.
Medication: I have been prescribed both co codamol and naproxen however neither noticeably alleviate the pain.
I’m asking if anyone has any idea what’s wrong with me since my pain has begun spreading to my other limbs I’m getting increasingly worried as it’s not affecting every aspect of my life. Thank you for reading.
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NAD but as someone with a pain disorder who has also just finished her GCSEs, I totally understand what you’re going through - I have had a pain disorder since 2015 and I have had similar symptoms to yours through the chronic pain syndrome. I don’t think anyone here will be able to help too much as you’ll need to see a specialist most likely, but I suggest looking into chronic pain or nerve disorders as that seems to be a possible explanation based on your symptoms.
If you need any support with this, please feel free to PM me, I know how hard it is to be going through this at 17 and I don’t want you to feel like you have to go through this alone. Sending big hugs 💕
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Dermatologists or podiatrists - please help, skin so cracked it hurts to bear weighr
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31F, BMI 24. Picture: https://imgur.com/a/qlP6wZa
Edit: thank you so, so much everyone! I did not expect to get much of a response, if any, and I am blown away by the advice and people with similar problem feet sharing their tips and tricks! I have ready every single comment and reply, and I am genuinely so grateful. I’ve ordered Amlactin, urea cream, a foot plane and some of those peel booties for when my feet have healed some and no longer have fissures and open cracks. I have started soaking them and slathering them in Vaseline which I had on hand - we will see how it goes!
For a couple of years I’ve had really dry, cracked feet. It affects both feet, and the balls of my feet aren’t great but the main problem are my heels - the left is the worst. At first, using moisturizer helped - OKeefes Healthy Feet, and a few other really thick creams. But then the creams stopped helping, and so I would use a pumice stone or other foot “sanding” tools to help. As it got worse, I adapted by putting foam under my heels, wearing thicker cushioning socks etc. I was so embarrassed by my feet I wouldn’t go barefoot anywhere, I even sleep with socks on, but it wasn’t unbearably painful.
But now nothing seems to work. The cracks are so deep I can fit my (not super long admittedly) fingernail in them. My feet look constantly dirty because even though I shower daily and pay particular attention to my feet, dirt gets in them and it’s just deep and gets stuck I guess. It’s gross. I wear cotton socks, supportive footwear my podiatrist recommended years ago after I broke my ankle, and avoid sandals and being barefoot. It’s so painful that I realized I was unconsciously avoiding walking, and walking on tiptoes or with a slight limp when I do.
I am a college student and mom, and don’t spend a lot of time on my feet like some professions do. What could be causing this and how can I fix it? I’ll try anything. Thank you!
Edited to add: the reason I haven’t gone to the doctor is because, well, I think they’ll probably blow me off “try cream” - but mostly because I am so so embarrassed. I would rather visit my ob/gyn, honestly. It’s irrational, and I should get over it I know, but I am too mortified to show anyone these feet in “real life”.
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Not a doctor (NAD), but having some bad, cracking eczema on my feet, I agree with the suggestions to try a greasy, occlusive product (Vaseline, Aquaphor), instead of cream(s)- for now. In my experience, it always seems like creams/lotions don’t do the job for healing cracked skin.
Also, if your cracks heal and you want to go back to a cream/lotion for maintenance- try to find one with Urea in it (e.g. Eucerin Urea Repair-Plus 10% urea lotion). Urea promotes exfoliation, so it may help to slow or prevent the build up of the thick, calloused skin. Good luck. 🙏🏼
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