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Received 2nd Moderna shot. Weird side effect?
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35 Female. 5'5, 135lbs.
By 12 hours after I received it I spiked a fever of 102+, body aches so bad that I couldn't lay still because my bones hurt even, migraine, and chills. My arm is the size of my thigh and I can't move it. But all those are common side effects of the second shot.
Now, here's the weird part that I have been freaked out about, when my fever was at its highest I began to involuntarily stretch. Over and over my body would just stretch. I couldn't control it.
i can't find anything about it online. I can't imagine I'm the only one who has gone through this. Did it have something to do with my fever, dehydration, or what?
| 498 |
Stretch, spasm, lock up, etc. Culd you describe that a bit more? Is it 10-15 seconds, is it 1 second, does it repeat, etc. painful, painless? Arms and legs, legs? You get my gist.
Stretch means a lot of different things to different people.
| 353 |
AskDocs
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Tentacle growing out of the middle of the bottom of my tongue help identifying!
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[https://i.imgur.com/yLOcd6w.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/yLOcd6w.jpg)
[https://i.redd.it/0jdfdd4kgmr61.jpg](https://i.redd.it/0jdfdd4kgmr61.jpg)
34M, 5'8 160lb non smoker, no meds.
There is a growth underneath my tongue that is a couple months old. It goes through different cycles of being swollen, usually with water or possibly mucus? After my run today it got elongated and hardened like how it is now. I've been trying to get into see an ENT with no success as bookings are far out. I see a surgeon tomorrow for an unrelated issue, I'm going to ask him just to see if he's ever seen something like it. I see a GP in a week as well. I'm wondering if I should schedule a dentist? It's very annoying and i'm not liking how it has progressed a little bit.
| 455 |
Plica fimbriata. Just normal skin projections. Nothing to worry about.
| 425 |
AskDocs
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50, Male - My Father in law was sent home on hospice and was told that he most likely won’t survive the transport home. He made it and is still alive and in good spirits 6 days later. Can someone help me understand?
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Hi all. My father in law has been sick recently and was sent home on hospice. He has diabetes and about a month ago had a leg amputated above the knee. He has osteomyelitis, pneumonia, MDRO, UTI, and 50% injection rate after a mild heart attack (2 months ago). Last week he was transferred to the ICU from a rehab facility. He was on a ventilator and receiving dialysis daily. He was on a few blood pressure medications and 2-3 antibiotics for his multiple infections. They told us that the prognosis was not good and recommended hospice. Our goal was to get him home to pass with family surrounding him. They doctors had told us that they tried to take him off of the vent the day before and he couldn’t tolerate it longer than an hour. They were saying that there was a good chance that he would not be able to make it through the transport home because he couldn’t be transported without the vent. So on Friday they took him off of the vent and he made it home. Once home they took him off of IV Levophed. They were expecting him to pass shortly after. However this didn’t happen.
Now, 6 days later, he is still alive and in good spirits. He has refused any pain medication and says he doesn’t have any pain. His lungs still sound really bad and he’s requiring frequent suction because he’s coughing up a lot. His o2 saturation has been in the upper 90s. His BP and heart rate are low (couldn’t give you exact readings).
I’m just confused about all of this. They weren’t expecting him to even make it home. He made it and he’s still alive 6 days later. I understand that he is most likely going to pass soon. I’m not in denial about that. I’m just confused as to why he has lasted this long. He was requiring dialysis daily. I figured after a few days he would have passed. I feel almost guilty like we should have waited before making the choice to take him home on hospice. I feel like he might have had a chance for even a slight improvement to give him more time. I guess what I’m trying to understand is, they told us he was in critical condition and was going to die very very soon, as in most likely the same day he gets home. Is the fact that he’s still alive indicative of any improvement or proof that he wasn’t as sick as they thought he was? This has all thrown us on a rollercoaster of emotions and I think the guilt is setting in for all of us.
| 550 |
I'm sorry to hear your father in law and family are dealing with such a difficult experience. I would reach out to the hospital that cared for him and ask to speak with a physician who was involved in his care, as what has been going on with him is likely too complicated for us to be able to reliably guess.
| 369 |
AskDocs
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Constant hunger, eating 24 fillets of salmon a day for two years.
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28M 5'8" 270lbs No current drug use/smoking No current medications
So everyday since April 2019 I've been dealing with this constant nagging hunger/gnawing sensation that would feel like my body is eating itself. The only thing that alleviates it is eating ALOT of protein, mostly salmon. I got an endoscope and CT scan that both came back clean. Endocrinologists have ruled out mercury poisoning, thyroid issues, vitamin d deficiency and ulcers.
This all started after I stopped smoking excessive amounts of weed April 2019. I know for a fact THC increases ghrelin and I'm almost positive ghrelin is somehow causing this issue. I think I somehow caused my ghrelin levels to spike up. 6 months after this started my insulin was high and taking metformin immediately helped with the gnawing but stopped doing anything after a week. My insulin went back to normal.
I still need salmon to feel full and can't sleep until I eat my usual 24 fillets (3 fillets x 8 meals). It's been going on for two years. I've been perfectly healthy my whole and have always been around 140-150 lbs until this. Is there any explanation for this? I seriously suspect ghrelin is the culprit. Are there any more tests you guys would recommend that I have done? Currently I'm considering bariatric embolization, a leptin shot such as Mylept or possibly gastric banding or something reversible. Any help on the matter would be much appreciated.
| 629 |
Like another commenter said, this sounds really too specific that it should be salmon and 24. Why 24? Why salmon? If it was just general hunger caused by ghrelin, it won't be fixated at salmon. Regular hunger shouldn't care if you didn't eat your 24 salmon fillet if you replaced with with like 4 whole chickens.
Does it actually have to be 24 salmon? Can't it not be some meat source like chicken or beef or pork as long as it meets the same amount? Or you just never tried replacing salmon? What happens if you ate only 22 salmon and added 2 chicken legs?
| 375 |
AskDocs
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Brushed off - What To do next?
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Hey - posting because I am out of ideas and it’s getting to the point of desperation. I apologize for the length.
I’m a fresh 30F from Ontario, Canada and have been on a steady decline health wise for the past 6ish months. I have had a few lumps in my breasts and neck for a few years, with gradual additions to my right armpit and groin in the past 8 months. I lost about 20ish lbs (I’m 5’7 and was about 135 before the loss) in two months and have been experiencing night sweats about 3x a week. I’ve also been having daily headaches, lack of appetite, and have also been short of breath for the past 4 months. This was my condition when I contacted my doctor in early January. We booked some ultrasounds and got some blood work.
Before I made it to either of those appointments, my shortness of breath took a steep turn for the worse. I went to urgent care and peak flow tests before and after 12 rounds of inhalers identified that I could exhale a little less than half my lung capacity (2500ml). They sent me home with inhalers and said later days.
Two days later, I was having intense stabbing pain in my left flank. After sitting with it for about 6 hours, I went back to emerg. They were concerned about the shortness of breath as well as potential kidney stones. A CT scan with IV contrast revealed bilateral plueroparenchymal scarring in the apices of my lungs and urine sample found blood. Blood work also showed decreased kidney function. No blood clots in my lungs. The ultrasounds also revealed lymphadenopathy, but no identifications were made beyond “may be reactive” with one in my neck stating “palpable abnormality” and all requiring clinical correlation. Most stated hypoechoic and various other terminology, it was a bit of a mixed bag.
At this point, I’ve become lethargic, can’t speak more than a few sentences at a time without being out of breath. I wheeze cough all the time and have a headache morning until night. I’ve also had new lumps develop in my other armpit, the back of my head in the occipital lobe area, and on my chest, just to the right of my sternum, about 2 ribs down. These have all been present for about 6 weeks. I haven’t been sick or had any antibiotics or vaccines. I have no appetite and feel full from a cup of coffee. The lump on my chest hurts if my breathing gets too gasp-y and radiates to my back. My feet have started turning blue/purple/black just while sitting and I have insane hypotension when I move from laying to sitting or sitting to standing. I saw an internist today, and even though the resident fully evaluated me and noted that there was something seriously wrong, the internist said, “okay, we’ll give you a puffer”, ran her fingers over my right arm pit and said “I don’t feel anything,” despite the ultrasounds and four other physicians nothing that they existed, and then left.
That appointment was this morning and I feel so defeated. I can barely walk without feeling like I’m gasping for air, I’m dizzy and just exhausted. I have had more weight loss everywhere except in abdomen, which is insanely bloated despite the fact I am eating as I normally do. This doc blew me off so hard and up until meeting her, I had heard great things. Even the resident said, “something is really wrong here,” but the internist just ordered some more blood work and a script for the same puffer I got at my first visit to the ER, which proved completely ineffective.
What do I do next? I am speaking to my primary care doc on Tuesday but don’t know what to do now. Private health care? Throw a tantrum in Emerg(Kidding, I would never)? My husband and family are so angry, because they’ve seen me deteriorate so much. I just need someone who can make moves listen to me. I guess any advice or suggestion of possible pursuits is appreciated.
TL;DR - I’m sick and not getting anywhere. The end.
Edit - Wowza, I did NOT expect this kind of response! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has given advice or suggestions and empathized with me. It gives me a little hope that people care and want to see this resolved too. I should mention - none of the lymph nodes hurt. They’re all quite hard and some have a bit of a rubbery texture to them. They’re also affixed somewhat, I can’t move them around. The only one that sometimes aches is my sternum one, and happens when I’ve been over exerting myself (aka talking too much or walking for more than 5 mins). The lumps in my breasts are also hard and you can tangibly manipulate them, but they aren’t rigidly affixed, if that makes any sense.
Edit 2 - if anyone wants to see, here are some photos of my armpit lumps (as best as I could get photos), my chest lump, and my feet turning blue
[sickness pics](https://imgur.com/a/ZyBz71f)
| 276 |
I think a second try in the ER is appropriate. Has anyone checked your blood counts for anemia? The night sweats, weight loss, and lymph node swelling in particular paint a concerning picture.
| 222 |
AskDocs
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Kind of a weird question....
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39 female....
Is it possible for me to be tested to see if I am being poisoned?
It is too long of a story to go into detail. But my marriage has been rocky for the past couple of years... and my husband made a weird comment about posioning the other day. So I googled of course the symptoms, and I have been having some of those symptoms since things have gotten rocky... I have had diarrhea every day for the past year and a half, stomach pains everyday, headaches every day. I probably wouldnt have thought of it until he made a comment... but now it has me worried.
| 576 |
There isn't some kind of broad 'poison test', but you can share your concerns with a doctor.
| 451 |
AskDocs
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F23 Heavy period for the past 30 days. Why am I not running out of period blood?
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Height: 5ft7
Weight: 88kg
As far as I know, period blood is the shedding of the lining of the uterus. Surely I should have run out of that lining by now? Where is the extra blood coming from?
Edit: I had an ultrasound that came back clear. I have a blood test scheduled to check for thyroid issues.
Edit: I fainted today and experienced heart palpitations. Currently in A&E waiting to receive a blood transfusion and another ultrasound. I’ve been told my haemoglobin level is below 7. Also waiting on blood work to come back and rule out thyroid problems and bleeding disorders.
| 463 |
If you've been bleeding for a month, you need to see a doctor ASAP. You're probably anemic due to it.
| 563 |
AskDocs
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I was told I had oral thrush by my doctor, but the anti-fungal they gave me did not work
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White F21 Height 5’7 Weight 155 lbs
(Graphic picture of under my tongue attached, Don’t look if you get grossed out easily)
I started to get rashes on my arm and neck, as well as cuts in the corners of my lips (which burned a lot) and about four weeks ago.
However, 2 weeks later, now my tongue has been swelling up. I have white patches all under my tongue and in my cheeks, and bleeding under my tongue from no apparent cause. Under my tongue is burning! https://imgur.com/a/3Yrlakz
I have had a lot of light headedness and dizziness, fatigue and no appetite (which is rare for me) for the past two weeks.
I was given anti-fugal medication, last week, for oral thrush by my doctor. I took it until I finished the bottle, but under my tongue has only gotten worse.
Does anyone have any idea of what’s going on?!
| 263 |
You need to contact your doctor and go another round, possibly a different medication. You don’t really clearly state that the medication helped, but I’m inferring that it did? That it just didn’t help underneath your tongue and that has gotten even worse since stopping?
There are different strains of yeast, some are more resistant to the commonly prescribed medications. This is likely still oral thrush, you just need to treat it longer, and possibly with something different.
It’s important to avoid alcohol, sugar, carbs etc. when treating yeast. It feeds on those things. But definitely call your provider back and let them know you’re still having problems.
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AskDocs
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I (27F) am looking for advice on *down there*
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Not sure if this counts as NSFW but I thought I’d tag is as that just to be on the safe side.
On Christmas Day of 2020 I (27F) came on my period. After a month of heavy non-stop bleeding I experienced extreme abdominal cramps and I was very concerned with how much blood I had lost. I called the non emergency health line and was told that they would get back to me. In the end they basically said to speak to my GP, which I did.
They took some blood tests, everything came back fine. I currently have the contraceptive implant, but they gave me the contraceptive pill in top of that to stop the bleeding. They told me only take it until the bleeding stops, so that’s what I did but then the bleeding just came back.
I carried on bleeding until last week when I had arranged to see a doctor to remove the implant and change to the contraceptive injection. Except when I arrived, the nurse told me she wasn’t going to take my implant out and that she was going to put me on the pill again. She was incredibly rude, but that’s another story.
I had a vaginal exam whilst I was there, and I’m still waiting for results. Since I’ve been on the pill the bleeding has stopped, but I still feel like something isn’t right.
Two days ago I felt really dizzy and I actually fainted, something I’ve never done before in my life. Last night, after sex with my partner, I experienced the worst abdominal pains... like, this was the most pain I’d ever experienced. It actually made me vomit because it was too much, I was sobbing and screaming because I felt like my body was on fire.
I’m really at a loss. I feel that the doctors aren’t listening to me seeing as they went back on what we’d arranged. I would have objected but I’m not a doctor so I follow whatever advice I’m given by professionals because they know their shit! I just feel like something really isn’t right with me. Any thoughts on what it could be? Or what I can do to make all of this stop? Should I get the implant taken out and switch to another form of contraception, or should I carry on with the implant and the pill combined?
Any advice is welcome, thank you so much for reading this!
Edit: thank you for all of the responses and shares of similar experiences, I really appreciate all of the advice. I am calling my doctors surgery first thing in the morning in hopes that I can talk to someone/get an appointment. I’m going to ask to get the implant removed again and stand firm this time saying I really do want it out. Hopefully my results will be back tomorrow too so fingers crossed this gets sorted! Hope you all have had a good weekend, thanks again! X
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Sorry you had such a bad experience thus far. Let me see if I can help in anyway. Let’s go back to 2 days ago when you said you had abdominal pain, are you able to describe more about it to me , where exactly it is , what’s the character of the pain , how long did it last for ? Tell me more about your periods (regularity , how much do you bleed normally for how long , pain?) . Was an intra uterine device such a mirena coil ever proposed as a solution to you?
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AskDocs
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20 month old daughter had a tick in her bellybutton 4 days ago and has developed a fever.
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UPDATE: Just returned from the pediatrician. The rash has now spread to her cheeks and while he couldn’t rule out a tick borne illness, he felt the rash looked viral (like Slapped Cheek). He felt we should continue the Doxycycline for the full course and bring her back Wednesday if she is still feverish with a rash. He also ran a strep test, that was negative. Thank you all so much for your help. This community is amazing!
20 month old, female, 31 lbs, 3ft tall, no underlying health conditions.
I found a tick lodged deep in my toddler’s bellybutton 4 days ago. I do not know much about ticks but it did not seem very swollen. I don’t think it had been there more than a day but I can’t be certain. When I removed it, there was a little bit of brown blood that escaped. I put it in a bag and popped it in the freezer, just to be safe.
On day 2/3 she became very fussy, had trouble sleeping, and spiked a fever of 103. She had no other symptoms, no sign of a rash anywhere and the site of the bite was not red.
To be safe, I took her to the ER last night and took the tick with me. The doctor was unsure of what kind of a tick it could be. Because we couldn’t say with certainty which day the tick attached, she was unsure whether the fever was related to the tick or not. All of her labs were normal and Covid test was negative. She is not in daycare and has been at home.
The doctor said it’s tough to know how to treat her because blood work for tick related diseases takes a week or so to come back and we wouldn’t want to wait that long to start antibiotics in the rare case the symptoms are related to the tick. She prescribed her 25mg of Doxycycline 2x daily for a week but said to follow up with a family doctor tomorrow and that they may have me stop the Doxycycline.
When I went to fill the script today, I had to go to several pharmacies and the pharmacist said it is because it is rarely prescribed to children. Her temp was down without meds until this evening when it went up to 101. We are planning to give her the first dose shortly.
I have 2 questions:
1. The doctor mentioned that Doxy has a risk of causing gray/yellow/brown discoloration in adult teeth when taken by children. However, the recommendation is to prescribe it if benefits outweigh risks. Obviously, tick borne illnesses are far scarier than discolored teeth but the superficial question I have is, is discoloration of teeth pretty much a given if she takes this, or rare?
2. Unless she developed other symptoms or her symptoms worsen, what more info could our pediatrician be able to give us tomorrow that we don’t already have and how/why would they decide to stop the Doxycycline?
Thanks for any info you may be able to give. Here are pics of the tick, if it is helpful. We live in Louisville, KY. [Tick](https://imgur.com/a/BcHqYBV)
**EDIT: Thank you so much for the responses. Reading them has been so helpful. As of tonight, we have started her on Doxy. A rash suddenly appeared on one side of her bum, away from the tick bite. Still no rash around the tick bite. She has a fever of 103.7. I’m hoping this is just an unrelated virus but the train of symptoms is so anxiety inducing. [PICTURE OF RASH](https://imgur.com/a/IyFNa8F)
| 440 |
ques 1: "is discoloration of teeth pretty much a given if she takes this, or rare?" it is rare and the association is in question
ques 2: " how/why would they decide to stop the Doxycycline?" Most docs wouldn't... unless they could find an alternate explanation for the fever. Most would complete the previously prescribed treatment course. If there is any question of a tick-borne illness, doxy is indeed the best treatment. A week of doxy is pretty benign. She is under 2 and is at risk for a UTI. Has her urine been checked?
hope she feels better soon!
| 307 |
AskDocs
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M 29 usa, a couple of people pointed out that my nails look weird and I also was very self conscious about them, should I be worried?
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After googling finger clubbing on the internet, it seems that that maybe the case for me, im male 29, 5’8” about 175 lbs. should I go see a physician or am I panicking for no reason?
I dont vividly remember if they always were this clubbed but im sure they always looked weird to me.
https://ibb.co/SBgnBrf
https://ibb.co/5LzzsCH
https://ibb.co/SnG0NKy
| 393 |
Yes looks like it. Many different causes including idiopathic (no underlying cause). Worth running past your GP, at least a listen to your heart and lungs and a set of basic bloods including thyroid, coeliac etc would be what I would do
| 560 |
AskDocs
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I coughed and went blind for a solid minute
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So I'm a male, 24, no health issues as of yet, HOWEVER I'm out driving for work and I had a tickle in my throat, I coughed a couple times just to try and scratch it. Immediately I felt a sharp pain in my forehead and my vision literally just blurred. It wasn't black it was like every light was just cranked up to 10 and was directly pointed into my eyes. Everything else was just visual noise I couldn't process, like static through a fogged window. My friend is in the passenger seat and I was so panicked all I could say was "I can't see" cutting her off mid sentence. I've never had this happen and I was legitimately scared my vision just broke until everything came back into focus leaving just a dull throbbing pain behind my eyes, I am no longer driving and we did not crash, but Im rattled.
| 775 |
Could be a lot of things but you'll need to go to the hospital as soon as possible to outrule the bad ones.
No point in going through the scary diagnoses here because there's no point worrying about them when a few scans can tell you what you really need to know.
| 509 |
AskDocs
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Why can I drink 7 oz of vodka in 45 min and not have a BAC over 0.03?
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Throwaway because it’s very personal.
36F
107 lbs
European - 97%, native Canadian - 3%
Meds: none
Conditions: herniated disks, insomnia
I eat a balanced, healthy diet, moderate exercise 3-4 times a week. GP was very happy with my labs last month, said everything was perfect. I vape low nicotine, drink one cup of coffee every 2-3 days and drink alcohol 1-3 oz in a week.
Please don’t turn this into a lecture - I was young and dumb at the time and it scared me so bad (still eats at me), even with my crazy superpower, I abide faithfully by the 1/hr rule because what if.
Many years ago I had 7 - 1.5oz drinks in a few hours. (My drinks were not shorted, I know where I was and what I was drinking - vodka). I felt fine so I drove home. Got pulled over. I blew a ZERO!
Fast forward to a few years ago and I stumbled upon BAC tracker. I buy one for a laugh. A close friend had a blow box/dui and therefore had a good idea of what this thing should blow for what he drank and the tracker performed accurately as the company claims and also as per my friend. It also checked out with other friends that had blown on police breathalyzers (“oh I had 3 beer got pulled over, blew 0.03, used your bac tracker had 3 beer blow 0.032”).
I was told by a police officer well versed in this area you need a good 6-8 drinks in an hour to get to 0.08 and beyond. Amongst other factors like weight and stomach contents.
Enter me. 107lbs. On an empty stomach, I drank 7 vodka in 45 min (at home!!) Giving it 15 min I blew 0.038. 15 min later 0.032, 15 min after that 0.01. A couple hours later I grabbed it and it’s a zero. After the 7 vodkas in 45 min, I feel a bit relaxed, calmer, happier but nothing extreme. Balance is fine. It’s like this every time I try to drink.
When I was in my teens, I think I could get drunk. But I had to drink more than I care to admit in a few hours and even then by the end of the night before bed I’d get the hangover (headache, body aches, sometimes vomiting). I would go to sleep and wake up like I hadn’t gone out at all.
I could care less if I drink and more often than not just have a single drink or water. I never drink at home alone and pre Covid - I had to make a giant effort to remember drink when we had house parties. Being drunk is supposed to be fun right?
My personal mantra always has been “sober is just a state of mind”.
It’s like the opposite of leaky gut and I can’t find a single thing out about it.
My genetics lend themselves to a very bland “normal risk factors for alcoholism” and there was nothing remarkable in the ALDH2/ADH.
My 105lb mother could drink men twice her size under the table. Her drink was chivas regal. I’ve never seen my mother drunk. My dad seldom drinks but all the normal rules apply to him.
Please help me solve my mystery.
Why can’t I seemingly get drunk?
| 511 |
It sounds like you are a hyper-metabolizer of alcohol.
I know you mention “there was nothing remarkable in the ALDH2/ADH alleles,” but there are specific mutations that do not show up on routine testing.
Currently, our studies focus on ADH1B, 1C, and H2, but there are more alleles that haven’t been sequenced and we haven’t been able to get to a mutation specific level yet.
We know that the alcohol flush reaction (sometimes called Asian flush reaction) is due to a deficiency of ALDH2- and I believe hundreds of different but similar mutations have been found.
You are metabolizing ethanol to acetylaldehyde much faster than most people. Keep in mind while that you will be less prone to feeling intoxicated, unless your aldehyde dehydrogenase works as fast, your body may be exposed to higher levels of acetaldehyde than other people. Acetaldehyde is a known carcinogen- it may be why we see increased rates of colon, esophageal, and bladder cancer in alcoholics. This isn’t meant to scare you, just to point out there’s so much we don’t know, and drinking responsibly is always a good idea!
| 479 |
AskDocs
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Pregnant...with a period?
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27F / 5'8 / 158 lb / 50 mg sertraline / Non-Smoker
I had originally shared this in the November bumpers subreddit, but someone suggested I move it over here for more insight. :)
I have uterus didelphys - 1 vagina, 2 uteri, 2 cervixes. I menstruate out of both uteri, but my left uteri is too small to host a pregnancy full term. I’ve seen a few different OB’s, ranging from zero experience to moderate experience with UD. I’ve heard a lot of conflicting information about my condition, conceiving, pregnancy, etc.
I started spotting on Thursday. It was really really light - the faintest pink. Given my condition, I panicked (is it ectopic, is it implanted in my left uterus?), so I called my OB and they got me in for an ultrasound. Husband and I were stoked to see that bb was implanted in my right uterus and was measuring exactly as it should. We saw the flicker of a heartbeat, but it was too early to measure or hear it. Doctor assured me that the spotting was totally normal, bb looked totally healthy, and to expect mild cramping and spotting as a result of the double pap I got during that visit.
The next day, I woke up more relaxed and excited than I’ve felt since getting pregnant. I didn’t think twice when I had coffee-ground discharge.
On Sunday morning, I woke up to bright red fresh blood with lots and lots of cramping. I assumed that was it - I was miscarrying. I crawled into bed and told my husband and we spent the day crying and sleeping. Husband called the after hours care line who told him to take me to the ER if I soaked through multiple pads throughout the day.
Even though I bled A LOT every time I used the restroom (like day 1 of period bleeding), I barely bled on the pads at all.
On Monday, my OB got me in for another ultrasound. I was still bleeding and cramping a lot, but the ultrasound showed that the blood wasn’t near the embryo. Additionally, I hadn’t lost the embryo, the sac or the yolk. Bb even grew appropriately since our last ultrasound only 4 days prior! Baby was still too small to measure heartbeat.
My doctor seemed dumbfounded. He told me that they couldn’t positively identify the source of the blood, but they suspect it’s coming from my left (non-pregnant) uterus. He said it may still be contracting, hence the cramping. Sort of like a period? But not?? I’m sure there’s a better explanation for what’s going on...we just haven’t gotten it yet.
Basically, he said it’s looking like good news. He wants me to come back in for another ultrasound in 9 days. Then we can confirm whether I’ve miscarried - or - detect the heartbeat of my baby.
Husband was stoked with this answer, but honestly not knowing one way or the other is basically my nightmare. I can’t focus on anything else, and I know these will be the longest 9 days of my life. It doesn't help that I'm still bleeding and cramping quite a bit.
I’m only putting this here because I’ve searched high and low for pregnancy experiences with UD, and there’s really not much. Maybe my experience will help someone else in the future. I also haven’t told many of my friends yet, so this is kind of an isolating experience and I’d love to share with this community so my brain/heart doesn’t spontaneously combust.
Any questions/suggestions are encouraged! I’m an open book when it comes to this sort of thing (really, anything). So feel free to ask me anything - I know my situation is unique and I’m happy to help satisfy any curiosity!
| 311 |
I'm a sonographer for maternal fetal medicine (high risk pregnancies). We have seen several pregnancies with uterine didelphys and other uterine anomalies before and just like other pregnancies, you are not supposed to be bleeding.
However, early in pregnancy, many people will get a subchorionic hemorrhage, where part of the gestational sac detaches from the uterus and bleeds a bit. With time, most of these heal. It's possible that it's just difficult to see on ultrasound with your anatomy.
If feasible, you should look into seeing a high risk practice. The doctors will be able to go through all of conditions that are more common in pregnancies with uterine anomalies (preterm delivery, small baby, etc) and their sonographers are usually more experienced. It's a little weird to me that they still couldn't get a heartbeat on the second ultrasound despite it's growth. Diagnostically, if the crown rump length measures 7 mm or larger and there's still no heartbeat, it is a miscarriage.
Completely separate, have your kidneys been checked before? Uterine and renal anomalies can go hand in hand because they develop together. If you only have one kidney or have a pelvic kidney, this would also be relevant to your obstetric care.
| 123 |
AskDocs
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Infant with multiple medical conditions and CPS involvement.
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This case involves my daughter and granddaughter. This case is very complicated, so this will be an extensive post.
We found out that granddaughter had bilateral clubfoot during my daughters 2nd trimester scans. Within the next week we went to OU Children’s hospital for additional scans and consultation with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon to get the diagnosis confirmed. Which it was. We immediately went into research mode and started gathering as much information as possible, and we joined a support group. We started putting together a treatment plan with recommendations from our support group as well as information from the our Dr’s.
Now, this is where everything gets complicated. My daughters OB called a couple of weeks later with some upsetting news. My daughter is Rh negative, which the OB knew about and this was her 2nd pregnancy, also something she knew, but she had failed to give her the rohgam shot, so she became sensitized. This condition obviously took precedence. We had to go weekly appointments to make sure baby wasn’t developing hydrops, which thankfully she did not. However, when she was born she developed hemolytic disease/hemolysis hyperbilirubinemia and she was admitted into the NICU for 3 weeks and had 5 blood transfusions. Her highest billi level was 23, but they held off on doing the blood tranfer/exchange because of the significant risk of brain damage that occurs with that procedure. However, we were informed of the damage already caused by her high billi levels as well as the damaged caused by the RH disease. This list included Cerebral Palsy. Of course this realization that there were going to be some cognitive and/or developmental disabilities was devastating news for all of us, but we did what we do and went into research mode.
Back to the clubfoot. Normally babies with clubfoot are evaluated and treated within the first few days of birth, but that wasn’t an option for us. She didn’t get her first evaluation until she was 6 weeks old. She was referred to Scottish Rite in Frisco TX. We took her there for her first 6 castings. We decided to seek a second opinion when the Dr wanted to do the tendonectomy and we just didn’t think her feet looked right. When then went to Shriners in Shreveport. One Dr at Shriners examined her feet and agreed that she was not ready for the tendonectomy and she needed more casting. Another Dr also evaluated her and wanted a neurological referral because she thought that her clubfoot could be cause by a neurological condition. So, the first Dr said that he suggested that we continue casting until we went to the neurologist, so we complied and she got 4 more casts with them. After the last casting, which was Dec 28, she started having uncontrolled spasms and stiffness in her joints and muscles. This cause her casts to slip so far that you could no longer see her toes, since it was a holiday weekend and they were closed, we were told to soak the casts off in the tub. This was her last set of casts.
In the next few weeks her spasms and stiffness were becoming more worrisome so went back to the children’s hospital for an MRI to rule out seizures or brain malformation that could be causing these issues. While they said her brain was “clear” they did find a cyst at the base of her spine, but they just said we need to keep an eye on it. They gave a diagnosis of hypertonic dystonia and we made an appointment to follow up with neurology. With this diagnosis we were concerned with casting causing more harm than good, so we asked if delaying casting until we could figure out how to control her spasms was a good idea and the hospital pediatrician agreed that would be prudent. We contacted Shriners to let them know that we would be delaying her casting and the nurse my daughter spoke with seemed to be in agreement.
She also has GI issues and vomits constantly, however they did rule out reflux and sandifers syndrome, but told us to follow up with a gastro specialist, which we are. This brings us to February when the baby started spiting up blood in her vomit, so we took her to the local podunk ER, and they told us not to worry because they thought it was just burst capillaries from excessive vomiting. The next day she started gushing blood from her mouth and was air flighted to the children’s hospital. This is where shit starts to hit the fan. The bleeding had stopped by the time they had arrived and her mouth and lips were swollen. They got a CAT scan to rule out a GI bleed, which they did. However, during this scan they noticed something odd in her femur, so they did some more X-rays of just her upper legs and knees. They found what appeared to be healed fractures in both of her femurs, but there was no definite fracture line, and what appeared to be buckle fractures in both knees. This, of course, got CPS involved. The blood from her mouth turned out to be a clump of blood vessels under her tongue that had burst. She did have a tongue tie and lip tie clipped before she went to the NICU and they think it may have had something to do with that. The fractures were a mystery, but we thought that maybe improper casting could have something to do with it. She had a follow up with radiology at the children’s hospital where X-rays were taken. Then about a week later we went back to Shriners to get an evaluation and more X-rays. During this visit we asked for X-rays of her lower legs as well because one of them seemed to be bothering her. They found that she had a fracture in one of her tibias. Since she had not had casting in two months we didn’t think that what was causing this fracture, but they said they we needed to test for metabolic bone disorders and osteogenesis imperfecta. We have an appointment for genetic testing in July. But we remembered that when she got her X-rays done at the children’s hospital the tech took the leg with the fracture and pulled really hard to straighten out her foot and pushed it between two blocks for the X-ray. We had to tell the tech that she had clubfoot and couldn’t be straightened out. Of course the baby was upset the whole time, but after she did that she began screaming and was inconsolable. But there were no X-rays of her lower legs before she did this, so we don’t have anything to compare. We mentioned this to the dr at Shriners and the pediatrician, but they both discounted this and said that they were sure that she knew how to do her job.
After CPS became involved it seemed as if the care dramatically changed, how we were treated not only by the hospital, but also by our pediatrician. They also started to focus on her growth and weight and diagnosed her with failure to thrive because she is in the 1st percentile. However, this was never an issue or brought up by the pediatrician before CPS got involved. She looks healthy and chubby, just very small. She does have feeding issues which is why we are seeing a specialist. Now we have weekly weigh ins to make sure she’s gaining weight, which she is. She’s been gaining around 3-4 ounces a week, however her length hasn’t changed much since she was born.
On to the CPS investigation. There was absolutely no evidence to support abuse, so they changed their investigation to medical neglect. We found this ridiculous with as many appointments as we go to on a weekly basis, how could we possibly be neglecting this child’s medical needs? Not only does she see her pediatrician weekly, but she also goes to physical therapy weekly. We have specialist appointments set, but they are several months out because that’s just par for the course. After several, extremely tense, conference calls with CPS investigators they substantiated the medical neglect claim based on the opinion of the DHS nurse. When asked what constituted medical neglect for this case was 1. She had switched PCP’s too often. Which we gave valid reasons for each. 2. She was not getting her clubfoot treatment. (We had decided to delay, but we were still planning on treatment) 3. We failed to take her to a follow up appointment. (Only because the Dr had not sent a referral). 4. We failed to pick up medication after her hospitalization. Not only had she be given her dose for that day at the hospital, it was a compound that needed refrigeration and we had a 4 1/2 hour drive home, so we picked it up the following day at our local pharmacy. 5. She wasn’t confidant we knew how to mix formula properly. She’s a breast fed baby, but since the drs wanted her to gain weight we were giving her 2oz of formula every 2 hours for extra calories. There was some confusion with how we were mixing because the pediatrician relayed information wrong to the nurse. But that was her made her decision it was medical neglect. None of the investigators agreed with her decision, but the supervisor said that since she was the only medical professional he defaulted to her decision. We have told by the social workers that we need to appeal.
On to today, we had our weekly appointment with the pediatrician, which has very tense since the CPS investigation. Both of the children were there because we have been very sick the past few weeks and my grandson started throwing up this morning and we wanted him seen at the same time, so we rescheduled for an afternoon appointment because she only sees sick patients in the afternoon. Right off the bat she comes in and starts ranting about how she’s frustrated with us because we haven’t taken the baby back to get casted and that we’re not taking care of her needs and how she feels like we’re DR shopping and we reiterated that she’s had 10 castings, so it’s not like we’ve been neglecting her feet. She tells us that she doesn’t have those records so she can’t be sure we’ve done those castings. We said well you should have them because we signed a waiver for you to get them, so you should have them. She said it was our responsibility to get those records for her. Then she tells us that she got the records from my daughters OB, which are pursing a lawsuit against, and she did not give her permission to get those records. So how could she records from a dr that we did not give permission for, but not have the we did. Things got heated and we called the social worker in to mediate. She changed her demeanor when the social worker was there, but she was giving her inaccurate information and every time we would rebuff what she said, she said we were being argumentative and basically saying we were acting like know it all’s because we were questioning her and correcting wrong information. There were several times she flat out lied to her. We’ve been sick and she has treated the kids for it, giving them antibiotics, so we couldn’t go back to Shriners because they would turn us away if any of us had a temp. But she lied to the social worker and said they don’t screen before appointments. We have also made plans to see Dr. Dobbs in Florida because he’s the leading expert for clubfoot in the states, and comes highly recommended by people in our support group. She does not like this at all and contends he’s a quack because he doesn’t accept Medicaid. So, now she has convinced the social worker that if we don’t get her casting right away we are neglecting her feet and causing more problems for her. We can’t get out to Florida until the end of May because we have appointments for specialists between now and then. But the pediatrician is adamant that we get her casted at Shriners. We were at that appointment for 3 1/2 hours, yet she never examined the sick child or even asked about his well being.
We are at a loss. Our entire life is wrapped around getting baby adequate medical attention, but it just seems like we’re being persecuted from every angle. I’m sorry it was such a loooooong post, but I’m just trying to give all of the info I can. I also feel like the records don’t do this case justice either, because they’re either too vague, incorrect or simply inaccurate, but every time I question the records I get blow back. Please, please, please someone help us navigate this complicated road. We’re drowning here.
| 639 |
I am really sorry this is happening to your family. I would recommend getting legal advice/representation to assist with the CPS case. With the many different appointments and specialists, there is bound to be miscommunication, misunderstanding, and delays in getting information to the correct people - none of which is your fault, but it can *look* that way. It can be very difficult to fight through this system on your own.
| 404 |
AskDocs
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Let’s get to the bottom of MOUTH BREATHING !!
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18m
Ok I would really like to hear everyone’s input. Does mouth breathing actually effect facial development. The internet claims yes but every doctor I have spoke to says it’s complete nonsense. Reply and tell me what you think......
| 301 |
Pulmonologist here. It's nonsense. The data is exclusively retrospective, and the conclusions that are drawn from it are inappropriate. It's a classic situation of correlation not being causation -- the data does not demonstrate if facial structure leads to mouth breathing, or mouth breathing leads to different facial structures.
Breath how its feels natural.
| 469 |
AskDocs
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Urgent: My 2 year old is running 104 fever for the past 10 days, I am linking reports. Doctor has refused to take up the case and has referred to a state hospital. Plz help me understand what's going on
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https://imgur.com/gallery/FcrssHb
Edit: I am taking him to the hospital, will update once a reason is found out. Thanks for answers
Edit: A lot of people are assuming that I am being careless or didn't get the child treated, he is being treated since day one by a specialist. The doctor ordered some tests and the reports came back just a few minutes before I posted here. The doctor refused to take the case that created panic. I posted here not to look for reasons that I shouldn't go to ANOTHER hospital, I posted here just to understand what was going on and to lessen my panic.
[Update](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/mtejnk/update_yesterday_i_posted_about_my_2_years_old/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
| 555 |
Your doctor has not "refused to take up the case".
Your doctor correctly recognizes that your child is very ill and appropriately directed you to the hospital.
Go to the hospital.
Now.
| 1,001 |
AskDocs
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Update: Yesterday, I posted about my 2 years old kid (link to the previous post in description) Tests were repeated, Covid-19 test came back negative, but the Pediatrician insists it's a Covid case
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[Previous Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/msuq59/urgent_my_2_year_old_is_running_104_fever_for_the/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
[Latest Report](http://imgur.com/gallery/VVHPOAr)
He's been stable since yesternight, no fever or any other symptoms at all. According to the pediatrician, his covid has gone undetected in the test but the chances are it will be detected by test after a couple of days. The doctor gave following medicines:
Calamox syrup
Panadol syrup
Vi-daylin syrup
Que-plus syrup (anti-diarrhoeal)
Two other syrups I am forgetting, I will update once I see the prescription again
| 359 |
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| 1 |
AskDocs
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Friend passed away last night
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40/F 5'8" 170/lbs
I had a friend pass away last night and I am really shocked because it was so sudden. Nobody knew she was sick. She had just turned forty a week ago. From what her husband told me, she woke up in the middle of the night and was coughing really bad. He started patting her on the back and he realized she wasn't breathing anymore. They called an ambulance and performed CPR. She was eventually taken to the hospital where the doctor said she had been gone since (probably) right after the coughing fit.
They suspect it was cardiac arrest from liver failure (this is all speculation, I guess they don't know for sure yet). She was very yellow. Her husband also said she had been feeling lousy for awhile but she wouldn't go to the doctor. She was, unfortunately, a very heavy drinker. I think she drank heavy liquor every night for at least 10 years.
I guess my question is, would she have suffered? Would she have known she was dying? I just keep thinking of her last moments and how she might have felt. Would she have been feeling lousy for a while or can liver failure sneak up on you? I have a feeling she was hiding the way she felt because she didn't want to go to the doctor.
Thank you for reading.
| 667 |
I am very sorry for your loss. It sounds like she went quickly which means it probably was less painful of a death than what many others suffer from liver failure. If she was a daily drinker she also was not likely to be sober during it which may have influenced her perception of the event (ie. Less pain). I agree with your assessment - she was likely feeling unwell for quite some time. But this is not on you at all. Addiction is a terrible disease and she probably knew what the doctors would tell her and maybe she was not ready to face that. I hope you can find some solace that she is hopefully in a better place now.
| 490 |
AskDocs
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Vaginal Nerve Damage After Rape?
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22 female, 4'11", 120 lb, white, prior medical issues: chronic migraines, OCD, Social Anxiety, Autism. Meds: migraine meds (I've tried gabapentin with bad side effects so that would not be an option for the vaginal pain), zoloft, clonopin, trintellix. I drink casually, and I dont smoke or use recreational drugs.
​
TW: Sexual Assault
Hi, I have a lot of pain with sex after being raped. I was told I have vaginismus and a short vaginal canal, and while this is true, it doesn't explain all the pain I have with sex. Prior to being raped, I had pain from deep penetration, and pain with the muscles, so I assume that's just the length of my canal and the vaginismus. But with a little wine and patient partners, I'd be able to relax enough to tolerate it. But after I was raped, I started having way sharper, more extreme, intolerable burning pain. And this was already after I'd done a ton of trauma work to make sure that sex was not something scary any longer. This has been going on for two years now. I finally figured out that there is a part on the left side of my vagina, near the opening to the canal, in which a simple light touch by own fingers causes extreme burning "raw" feeling pain. I assume this is a nerve problem since it certainly has nothing to do with "stress," and I've never had an STD. I also sometimes get numbness in the area when sitting, but I haven't found that to be anything more than a minor annoyance. I just thought it might be helpful to mention. From what I can tell on the internet, the symptoms are most consistent with vulvodynia or pudenal neuralgia. I have only seen one gynecologist, and he wasn't trauma informed and dismissed my pain as nothing more than psychosomatic vaginismus, so I won't be going back. I am hoping to go to a new one, but it might be a few months because I'm doing college virtually, and I am not having sex right now anyway, so it's not exactly a pressing issue.
My questions are:
Is it possible to have actual nerve damage from sexual assault that's not psychosomatic? I was not wet at all when it happened, and it went on for nearly two hours.
Are there certain questions I should ask when I'm shopping for gynecologists?
Is it possible I could have one of these disorders?
I already use dilators, and I have the "ohnut" for my short canal, but I have not used it yet. What should I try for the ? The internet said I should talk a new gyno about a nerve block, but they also suggested numbing creams for the specific area, and I'd like to try that before a nerve block. Is it safe? Also, I read on blogs that CBD lube is helpful for relieving vaginal pain with sex, but there is nothing about it on medical sites. Is this safe/effective?
Is it likely that I'll need to see a pelvic floor OT or can I work this out on my own? I really don't know if I can afford an OT.
Is there anything I should avoid when trying to have sex? (ie hot/cold lube?)
| 526 |
Just here to say that I am sorry for what you endured, and in turn I find it extremely admirable how you’ve since worked through your trauma and taken your body back. There definitely are trauma informed GYNs out there- although others on this sub may be able to better advise you how exactly to go about finding one.
| 419 |
AskDocs
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Elder Abuse(?) [Arixtra]
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Hi,
Asking on behalf of grandmother who's currently admitted to an LTAC on a vent. The other day I went to visit her and she had some pretty scary acute bruising to her hands (knuckles) and her left forearm: https://imgur.com/a/eOK08oV
The nurse said it was due to restraints she'd had on her because she was trying to get out of bed and some of the other bruising was due to IV application. The Director of the Nurses said that nurse was wrong and it was more due to the fact that she was on *Arixtra* and that this was a natural side effect. Grandma can't speak currently and trying to assess if she's being mistreated.
Do any folks have experience with Arixtra -- does this look like what it usually causes?
She is 70 yrs old, 150lb, this only happened in the last couple of days (saw her last week), she had a history of stroke, currently has some Arixtra, Gabapentin. Thanks.
| 355 |
Arixtra (fondaparinux) is a blood thinner medication (probably being used given her history of stroke). It's normal for people to bruise and bleed more easily on these medications, so that's why her bruising looks so extreme. I can't say for sure that she isn't being mistreated at this LTAC, but the easy bruising is normal given her medication.
| 434 |
AskDocs
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My wife is incapable of losing weight.
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My wife (f, 31, 299lbs, 5’4”, API, USA, type 2 diabetes) has been completely unable to lose weight despite taking drastic measures. None of her doctors have taken her seriously, so i beg of you to hear me out and believe me.
My wife has always struggled with her weight, but has never acted like a fat person—her eating habits are better than the average American. In fact, she and I (m, 27, 150lbs, 5’11”, Caucasian, USA, no medical issues) eat almost entirely identically since we’re never apart.
To help her on her weight loss journey, we decided to go keto in 2020, we were keto from Jan 202 thru September to no avail. We were completely faithful to the diet, we increased our exercise, I enjoyed tangible results, she lost roughly 10lbs in 9 months (around 310lbs, down from 320lbs). It was at this point that we decided to start the insurance process to get her approved for vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG).
In October, however, and although none of her doctors are 100% sure what she suffered from, she fell ill. They believe it to have been gastroparesis. She was regularly admitted to the hospital for the next few months. During this time, her weight peaked at nearly 340lbs, despite throwing up more than 20 times per day. This experience lasted through January 2021. I can’t speak to her experience, but it was the worst experience of my life since I was powerless to help.
Finally, by February, her episodes seemed to have been subsiding; we were thrilled to finally be getting her VSG through UCI.
At the start of her pre-op diet, she weighed 300lbs. She began the pre-op diet of exclusively Premiere Protein shakes for the first 14 day of March 2021. She was consuming less than 500 calories per day. She didn’t even lose 5lbs. For the first two weeks post-op, she was similarly constrained to 3 premiere protein shakes per day (500 calories). After 4 weeks of only drinking 3 protein shakes per day, she had dropped 10lbs down to 290. At 2 weeks post-op, her nutritionist told her the weight would eventually fall so long as she adhered to the diet. They suggested she press forward with the recommended diet—moving to soft foods—because eventually her body would start rejecting the protein shakes. She has remained faithful to eating soft foods and drinking protein shakes since. There is no way my wife is consuming more than an average of 1,000 calories per day. Additionally, we walk 5,000+ steps every day at the nutritionist’s behest.
She has scheduled appointments with endocrinologists, but they’re not immediate. Her thyroid has been tested and is fine. The UCI bariatric doctors have not responded to her. The nurses defer her calls to the nutritionists. The nutritionists clearly don’t believe she’s been faithful to her diet. They keep moving the goalposts: “if 5,000 steps a day isn’t working, do 10,000.”
What could possibly be wrong with her that she is incapable of losing weight?
I’m so tired and frustrated of hearing, “calories in, calories out.” It’s bullshit. Something is missing. My wife isn’t fat because she over-eats; she barely eats at all. She’s losing it and we’re pretty desperate to find answers. Thank you.
Edit: wanted to thank everyone who has put forth a thoughtful post or suggestion I really appreciate it. You’ve given us a lot of things to look into or bring up with the doctors.
I also wanted to address something that maybe wasn’t clear in my original post. Four weeks ago, my wife did in fact have VSG, vertical sleeve gastrectomy. They removed 85% of her stomach, her cheating or sneaking food while not impossible is highly unlikely given that she has a very hard time with the three protein shakes a day she has been having. Everything hurts going down.
Moreover I wanted to copy paste more information for the people who think she must be cheating, which again, while not impossible would be very difficult.
My wife and I work from home, we wake up, go to our office in the house, eat our meals together, run errands together, and go to sleep.
We are rarely apart because of the fact that we both work from home.
She also doesn’t drive because of issues with vertigo. I drive everywhere and have to take her to all her appointments and errands. I either grocery shop alone or we do it together. She can’t drive out to get food to cheat.
We also have security cameras at our front door, our gate, and In our kitchen because of the entry points to our house our whole kitchen is covered by the views of the cameras from the inside. We checked the cameras to see if she was sleep walking or sleep eating, she isn’t.
She isn’t getting food delivered (again cameras in the front of the house), plus we have dogs that go nuts any time someone comes over, and a guard gate who calls and has an entry log when someone who isn’t a resident comes through the gate.
And last but not least, she had vertical sleeve gastrectomy. They cut out 85% of her stomach. For the 4 weeks since the surgery she has been consuming 3 premier protein shakes a day plus multivitamins. She can literally only have a tablespoon at a time of liquids.
I hope people understand. I wouldn’t have posted here if I thought my wife being dishonest about what she was consuming was a legitimate option. She is absolutely despondent because she is doing everything the doctors have told her to no avail.
| 358 |
Obesity is a very complex process. Calories in and calories out is an oversimplification though fundamentally this is true.
In terms of the trajectory of her weight loss, she actually seems to be responding appropriately. For example, losing 5 pounds in 14 days is about expected assuming she burns a net negative of ~1750 calories daily . By 4 weeks, she lost 10 pounds which again is exactly expected if she is burning a net negative of 1750 calories per day.
Now, the counter argument you probably have is that there is no way she is only net negative 2000 calories daily when she's 300 pounds and she does 5000 steps daily. The reason is a phenomenon that she is mostly unable to control. As you begin a negative caloric deficit, your body will make subtle changes to counter that effect. This can be something as obvious as slowing your metabolism to something as subtle as behavioral changes such as reducing the amount of movement/activity the individual does. As far as the body is concerned, if you are at a negative deficit, you are starving and so the body will make changes to conserve calories.
As long as she continues to have negative caloric balance, she will continue to lose weight. However, it is physiologically extremely difficult (borderline impossible) to lose significantly more than the rate she is losing now. To give you an example, to lose 10 pounds every 2 weeks, you would need to burn in excess of 2500 calories daily. If you eat 500 calories a day only, then it would be 3000 calories daily. This would border on the upper limit of what is plausible even for a severely obese individual (and would be impossible for someone lighter without heavy exercise). On that of that, you would need to put in additional effort to counter the compensatory metabolic and behavioral changes to "starving".
TLDR: She is losing weight appropriately. Losing about 1 pound every 3 days is completely appropriate. That's 10 pounds every month, 30 pounds in 3 months or 60 pounds in half a year. At some point, she will not be able to burn enough net calories due to her lighter weight even with just a low caloric diet.
| 341 |
AskDocs
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Is it reasonable to seek a new surgeon only because I think he’s kind of a dick?
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I (37F)blew out my knee in early March (ACL, MCL, and meniscus). I’m currently in PT working on healing my MCL with the goal of an eventual ACL reconstruction.
I’ve never particularly liked my ortho, though I have no reason to distrust his medical advice. I’ve just never felt particularly heard during my appointments, and I feel the risks of the various treatment options haven’t really been explained to me.
Is it wise to dump your doc only because you don’t like his bedside manner?
| 622 |
I had a orth doc tell me at 45 I was "getting old" And my torn meniscus was something I probably would have to live with. One week later my new ortho had me in surgery 2 days later and I was back hiking and biking 2 months later. Go at least for a 2nd opinion. Don't settle for less.
| 814 |
AskDocs
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Um...everytime I orgasm, my period starts? (I think)
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Throwaway for obvious reasons. I'm super super embarassed.
First of all, I've already scheduled a doctor's appointment, and also this has been happening for a few months? I have lean PCOS (I'm normal weight and otherwise healthy) and my periods are very irregular so I never really paid too much attention to it.
I've never been sexually active and I never masturbate \* internally\*, but every time I do orgasm my period starts and it's not just a little spotting, but like a proper period that lasts like a week. My last period just ended 10 days ago so this is WAY too early! This has happened three times now and I'm super scared.
| 500 |
I’m glad you have an appointment scheduled, however I’d like to encourage you not to panic. Not being a doctor myself, I cannot give you any definite answers, however understanding generally how the uterus works I’d like you to think of a few things. When we orgasm, as females, the pelvic floor muscles and uterus itself contract. Your uterine lining may already be on the heavier side due to PCOS. It could be worth asking your provider if your uterus is simply releasing some of the lining at this time due to those contractions. Providers on this sub may be able to add to or correct me on that, which I absolutely welcome. And also know that masturbation is absolutely normal, healthy, and acceptable.
Edit- autocorrect; fixed a sentence.
| 410 |
AskDocs
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Mom [66F] with advanced cancer in the ICU
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Hi, this post is for my mom. She is 66, Female, around 5'2", I'm sorry I do not know her weight but is average weight, non-smoker. She did not take medications prior to ICU. She is currently admitted to the ICU being medically monitored. She was admitted this past Sunday and was intubated that same night. She developed a cough and weakness these past few months but kept on refusing to see a doctor. This past Sunday my family all got her to the hospital and she had a hard time breathing. She was found have advanced stage 4 breast cancer that went untreated (discovered when admitted)--she did not tell anyone about the nodule and when it showed on the skin she continued to hide it. It has metastasized to her lungs among other places, and her lungs were found to be filled with fluid (drained out already at the ICU). They said one of her lungs is filled with cancer, the other has a blood clot so she was breathing with less than one lung. This has been really heartbreaking for all of us.
Today is the 5th day she has been at the ICU and I just wanted to check with this community if she is receiving the best possible care. Monday she had scans to determine metastases in several areas, fluid was drawn out of lungs (2.5 L total), thoracic surgery put in something to automatically draw fluid out of lungs, and lung fluid was sent for cytology. Tuesday we did not receive an update from the ICU.
Wednesday they tried to wake her up but she did not wake up. In the process she had "seizure like" behavior where she wasn't shaking but her eyes rolled back a bit. The skin on her face also turned dark and purplish. They decide to do a brain MRI to see if there is something there that might have caused this reaction. I asked if it could be hypoxia or not getting enough oxygen but they said that most likely is not the case because her labs are coming back fine.
Today we still haven't heard from the hospital yet. Cytology still has not returned yet. They are saying they cannot do a breast biopsy until the cytology comes back. They are also not sure if they can do the biopsy at their location and she might need to be transferred. They're saying the priority is to get her to wake up, and then they can discuss treatment for her cancer and getting a biopsy as well.
To us it feels like it has been 5 days and not much has happened besides scans confirming possible metastases. Is there anything I should be asking the hospital? Is it normal for the cytology report to take this long? I think they should go ahead and do the breast biopsy and not wait since that report will take a few days to come back as well (and it can tell us more about ER/PR and HER2 status), but is there reasoning behind waiting? Are there possible explanations for her reaction to having sedation cut off and her skin changing color? I appreciate any help or info you can provide.
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Priority needs to be waking her up and then getting her off the ventilator. While it seems like a very important thing to you, diagnosis of her cancer or biopsies are very low priority as she will not be eligible for any cancer treatment until she's out of the ICU. Repeat pleural fluid sampling would be prefered before any sort of biopsy, even if initial fluid is negative (and pleural fluid cytology can take 5 business days to return).
​
Sorry you're going through this, it must be terrible.
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heavily pro-vaccination 35F experiencing frightening progressive muscle weakness following pfizer vaccine - is this normal, or am I in danger?
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35F, overweight, Midwest USA, smoker, rare drinker, no drugs. Presently treated for depression, anxiety, and ADHD (conditions and meds have been stable for years, likely not relevant to this acute issue I'm facing).
I was stoked to get the pfizer vaccine last Friday afternoon, and was even more happy when I woke the following day with no ill effects, not even a sore arm.
On Sunday, I was doing a little light gardening when I noticed that tasks that normally would not even phase me were causing me significant exhaustion, shortness of breath, and were accompanied by a sudden overwhelming sense of muscle fatigue/weakness in my calves. I could only spend about 10 minutes on this not-at-all physically demanding task before I needed to go inside and rest. I attributed it to my immune system working hard following the vaccine and my body just not having a ton of energy as a result (not a medical provider, obviously, but that seemed like a comforting and somewhat reasonable assessment at the time).
Since that time, the muscle stiffness/weakness/fatigue has gotten slightly more intense each day and is now affecting the muscles above my knees, as well. Even at rest, I'm plagued with the sensation in my muscles as though I just finished a marathon and my legs are all noodle-y. As of today, my fingers are tingly and my shoulders are experiencing the same strange sensation of being weak/overworked despite my lack of physical exertion. I don't feel as though I'm having physical difficulty walking, but it does feel like I'm having to really concentrate and direct my body to walk properly in a way that I've never needed before.
I know that side effects following vaccines are fairly routine, but I'm not sure that I should be expecting to feel them a week out and in greater severity than they were initially. As a person with a history of anxiety, I rarely seek medical attention because I fear that physical complaints are dismissed as being artifacts of panic/anxiety. To be clear, I have never had health-related anxiety, moreso social anxiety and on rare occasions, panic attacks, but those can present in a way that mimic or complicate health conditions, obviously.
I'm hoping that someone with medical knowledge can help me determine if what I am experiencing is simply anxiety about normal post-vaccine side effects, or if this is unusual and indicative of something requiring medical attention--and if so, the general degree of urgency with which I should approach this. I have a sinking feeling that something is very wrong, but that's basically the definition of anxiety, so I'm looking for help figuring out if I should ignore this and remain calm until it passes or address it before it becomes serious. I welcome any insights you can offer.
Edit: thank you for your replies, genuinely. although I've now gone from mildly anxious to completely terrified, I will be heading to urgent care after what is likely to be a very unsuccessful attempt at a decent night's sleep. I'm glad I asked, better safe than sorry and all that.
And sorry that people keep posting dumb anti-vax comments that mods are having to deal with; I wrestled with posting this at all because I didn't want to provide fodder for that idiocy. I don't regret getting vaccinated at all, and even if something autoimmune is going on, VIRUSES ALSO CAUSE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM TO DO STUPID SHIT and COVID-19 is vastly more risky than whatever the f this is. I'll happily update once I have been seen by a doctor.
Edit #2: I unfortunately did not see the later comments discouraging urgent care before visiting urgent care. They could do nothing for me, but the weakness in my legs seems to have lessened a little bit today, and knowing that my only other option is a trip to the ER, I've decided to hold off on that while I see if things continue to improve--with the understanding that ANY progression in my symptoms (or lack of improvement over time) could signal this is hella serious and warrants an ER visit immediately.
Sorry for this likely disappointing update, and I wish that money wasn't a consideration in my thought process, but this is the sort of balancing test I suppose many of us have to perform when faced with a situation of "likely nothing, but also could be a super rare thing that could kill you." If there are any further developments in the near future (which I sincerely hope there are not), I will update accordingly. Even though I'm not following your advice as precisely as I know you wish I would, I greatly appreciate your replies and am remaining vigilant to any changes, however slight, in the symptoms I've been experiencing.
| 459 |
This can be innocent, but the ascending weakness also made an alarm bell go off in my head. Very rarely, immune reactions can cause something called guillain-barré syndrome. It can't be diagnosed online so you'll need to see a doctor. It is treatable but it does need hospital care.
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My wife added 12g of dried yeast to a pasta dish that called for nutritional yeast, googling this the Internet seems to be doing its best to frighten us now that we are all about to suffer terrible wind or possibly much worse.
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My wife was making a new recipe and as she didn't have any nutritional yeast she added dried yeast instead. Only after having ate the meal she googled the difference and a lot of info online seems to suggest it's very dangerous to eat dried yeast. The dish was not cooked or heated further after the yeast was added. I would be happy to ride it out if it was just me but my wife is currently undergoing chemo and my 1 year old son also ate it and I'm wondering if there are some actions we should take or is this much panic about nothing? Thanks in advance
| 798 |
This is hilarious. You'll be fine, \*not likely to have much noticeable effect, maybe a little diarrhea or gas, but oh my goodness it's a fun story at least.
| 1,198 |
AskDocs
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I have a fingernail stuck in my nose, please help
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15F, 5'2", 120 lbs, white, no medications and no medical issues other than anxiety. I inhaled a fingernail and now it's stuck. As of 20 minutes ago.
Okay I know this is gross and I am an idiot, but I peeled my fingernail and stuck it in my nose to scratch a part of my nose that has been itchy and because it felt good. Then I accidentally inhaled and it's gone. I can feel it up there. I have tried to blow out of that nostril and breathe from my nose. But I am worried about the implications of it being stuck up there? Will it just get absorbed into the tissue and eventually deteriorate? Or do I need to go to the doctor? I read that eating fingernails don't get digested in stomach acid, so I assume the nose is much worse since I cannot poop it out. Please help me.
I just need to know if I have to tell my mom. She always gets so mad when I do dumb things, so I want to avoid that if I can.
​
Edit: Thank you for all your help! Im going try to rinse it with a neti pot before seeing a doctor because I'm in the US and our healthcare sucks
| 395 |
Hey. You mentioned that you can feel it up in your nose ? Are your able to physically see it ? Take a mirror and place it below your nose and cover one side and blow , checking if there is misting from either side. If it’s causing you pain and discomfort or bleeding in anyway, it’s important to get it checked out in the hospital for any possible soft tissue damage and if required to be removed as well. Was the nail that got stuck dirty in anyway?
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AskDocs
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M16 Lactating from both nipples
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For about 3 and a half weeks I have been lactating. We went to an endocrinologist who examined for testicular cancer and ruled out breast cancer because its both nipples. She said it was probably a prolactinoma and had me get an mri with contrast, blood test for prolactin with dilution, blood test for liver function, and a few others that I will know Monday. All came back well within healthy range and my head scan came back fine, no prolactinoma. I’m on adderall but the problem started before I started that, I smoke marijuana about twice a month and drink maybe like 5-6 drinks a year. 165 pounds 5’10”.
My doctor is stumped and asking her colleagues, thought reddit might have some useful suggestions.
Edit: also got ultra sound on breasts, small amount of tissue growth.
| 422 |
You're not stimulating them regularly are you?
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AskDocs
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rectovaginal fistula following childbirth. I'm begging for help.
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White woman, 33, 1M63, 64 kilos, non smoker, 12 months post partum.
UPDATE:
OK I've been totally overwhelmed with the amount of support and excellent advice I have received. I was in a very dark place when I typed this post, and you helped me get through the night and the day, helped me get up to go to work and take my baby boy to day care. I taught the whole day, supported students who needed help and told myself that even though this is rare, gross, horrible and nasty, it IS NOT cancer or life threatening and that I can get through this.
I'm getting a second opinion from a urogynecologist in the UK (she is a specialist on fistula I think). I think my CRS has been excellent so far, but it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion , even a third.
I've been referred to PFT since birth and was told my pelvic flood was in an excellent state, so that's a positive at least. No prolapse so far.
Thank you so much for everything. I feel like I can slowly come back from this very dark hole I was sitting in for the last few days.
I gave birth nearly 12 months ago to my baby boy (first time mum). Pregnancy went well except from some unexplained bleeding at the time. I had a forceps delivery birth which seemed to be going OK, but when the doctor checked me after he was born, she noticed that I had suffered a huge 6cm tear internally - nothing external. I think this is called a buttonhole tear. Basically 6cm of my wall between my vagina and my rectum was gone.
So I was sent off to emergency surgery which took over three hours. I understand they were confident about how it went but did warn me the repair could breakdown. I stayed 48 hours in hospital and got sent home. I was taking stool softener, had regular bowel movements, all was going OK. Then on day 4 noticed pain and air bubbles coming through my vagina. I was checked by the OB on day 5, and he did a digital exam which apparently showed that everything looked perfect. When he finished the exam, a bit of thread came out in my underwear- I was assured it was normal. Is it?
I came home and within an hour, had a bowel movement and noticed stool coming from the front. I cried and screamed and we went to the ER. Another digital exam then confirmed a 1cm defect in my sutures.
Needless to say this was the lowest point of my life , my partner's, my family's. I was told I would have to be booked in for a stoma (a colostomy bag) to be fitted as well as a secondary repair of my injury. I came back home a few days later, got prepped for surgery, all of this whilst desperately trying to breastfeed a newborn baby and my milk wasn't coming in ( not surprised about this). Within half an hour of the surgery I was told I would actually NOT be operated on and that I should go home and come back six weeks later as sometimes, fistulae heal by themselves.
6 weeks later I had an ultrasound done by a colorectal surgeon. He told me that the fistula was around 1cm and very low lying- it is right at the entrance of my vagina, by the bartholin glands. He told me that my sphincters had a good resting tone, but that there was some damage between the 10-3oclock position. He advised me that I would definitely need surgery on and that he would do a rectal flap to fix this, without a stoma as he thought we could try at least one repair without one.
​
I then developed major PTSD, PPA and PPD and felt like I was not at all in a place where I could get surgery. Then covid hit anyway.
So I saw the surgeon again on Thursday. I explained that my symptoms basically are leakage of stool after a bowel movement which can easily be cleaned with water. No pain, no infections, I can have sex, hold tampons in , hold gas in, I never have urgency or incontinence from the back, but yes some bits of stool can go through the fistula after I go for a poo.
He was MUCH more negative than the last time he saw me and described my injury as very nasty. He said that there wasn't much perineum left, which I did not quite get. I measured the space between my vagina and my anus and it is 2.5cm, which I understand is shorter than the average?
He straight away recommended me to get a stoma to give a better chance of healing, which came up as a big surprise as so far he had always told me he was willing to repair it without a colostomy and to give it a go.
I really DO NOT want a stoma. I feel like I've been trying hard to survive being a first time mum, with no support (I haven't seen my family since the summer), and a horrible birth injury, but a stoma is NOT something I can cope with right now.
He is recommending to do a sphincteroplasty , a RVF and a perineum repair. I understood that the sphincter repair could technically get rid of the fistula and make the surgery easier.
I am SO scared of getting my sphincters operated on as I am not incontinent right now. I can hold gas in fine, only the fistula causes me issues. He seemed to think there was no other way to fix the fistula.
I am aware I am dealing with something super rare, which pretty much doesn't exist in the western world. I'm not an English native speaker (originally French) and my whole family is in France, and all of my research indicates that there are very few specialists on fistula out there as it's so rare. I feel so hopeless, like this broken monster walking around desperately trying to be fixed but also trying to be a good mum and a good partner.
I understand I did not do anything wrong and the forceps punctured me. Shit happens I guess, but it just makes me so sad that I had tried to hard to prepare myself to welcome my baby into the world and I could not protect us from this.
He is doing absolutely fine and had no long lasting issues, thankfully. I know it could have been much worse. I was actually told we were lucky to be both alive by a surgeon, but then was told this was a lie and we could not have died. Who knows, we're here now!
I'd be so grateful if there was a CRS/ OB out there who could give me some insight and help me telling me what to do. I don't know who to trust anymore, and I only have one shot at this. If I walk out of this surgery incontinent because something went wrong, I know I will be suicidal.
I've been getting help with my PPA, but I feel like this is now turning into PTSD and am trying to find some help on this.
Thanks everyone- a broken (physically and mentally) mum :(
| 841 |
See another surgeon.
I don’t think you’ll probably need a diverting ostomy, but I give people ostomies frequently in unavoidable situations and an ostomy for 6 weeks is not nearly as bad as leaking stool into your abdomen. TRUST ME.
That being said, most of these fistulas are amenable to excision and closure without removing a section of your intestine and without an ostomy. There are subtleties to it, and I do not do this procedure as it would be one that we would send to a colorectal specialist. The location of the fistula is important. So I can’t speak directly to your situation and it would be inappropriate for me to set any sort of expectation for you. You can guess how much we love it when people say “well some guy on the internet says....”
Most surgeons are more than happy for their patients to get another opinion if they are unhappy. I never want to operate on somebody who isn’t happy with me or my plan. That’s a set up for problems. And it’s not uncommon for me to see patients who have seen another surgeon first and want to see if I have a different opinion. Usually I don’t. Or I have some minor variation of their plan, but essentially the same. But I’ve definitely had entirely other plans before.
But if you hear the same thing from two surgeons, then you would feel much more confident that whatever they are saying is the best route.
Rectovaginal fistulas are rare and even the sub specialist will see very few ever. Connections to bladder are much more common and are a different issue entirely.
Secondly,
Take a breath, and approach this like any other problem. Its almost guaranteed it can be fixed one way or another. If you are not incontinent then a permanent ostomy is very unlikely.
I’m not minimizing your issue, but you’ll get thru it. You will be fine and you’ll have a normal life. This is just a problem that needs to be solved. But it’s not a problem anybody would like, and I get that it’s a sensitive subject.
Good luck!
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AskDocs
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I want to figure out what disease my mother died from.
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I'm a doctor myself, a general surgery resident in training.
Here are details of her health.
She passed away at around the age of 55.
History of epilepsy, although she had no episodes of seizures for around 30ish years.
Family history of epilepsy positive, her brother and my elder brother.
She also had paranoid schizophrenia, which resulted in her living separately from us, and being extremely paranoid about us contacting her.
She also had history of ? Eczema? Dermatosclerosis (not proven).
Her skin was very sensitive to certain kinds of jewelry and clothes, she was very selective with what she wore.
I remember her developing severe eczematous patches over bilateral elbows, which persisted for several months and were resolved with treatment I don't recall.
From her last pictures, I could see she had moderate edema over her face and limbs.
She also developed multiple ecchymotic patches over her body and apparently some of them were infected ?purulent.
She died of respiratory distress around 2 years ago.
I'm trying to find out what she might have had, and I'm unable to reach a differential myself.
Edit: Just went through the images again. If anyone's interested I can share a few as well. She had multiple superficial ulcerations, ecchymotic as I previously mentioned including her limbs, particularly large ones over her medial and lateral thigh.
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Thanks for posting and sorry to hear about your mother's death. I also lost a parent during medical school, and can say from experience that its an awful experience to know just enough grasp what's going on, but still not be able to do anything about it. I realize its been two years since, but I just want to say I hope you're doing okay.
Now to your question, with this amount of information all anyone here will be able to offer is theories as nothing in this presentation is specific. That being said, the most likely culprits in a case of generalized edema would be heart, kidney, or liver failure. Given edema involving the face and the eventual respiratory failure, that would be most consistent with heart or kidney failure. As you already know, heart failure results in poor forward movement of blood through the circulation, causing venous congestion that can effect the periphery (extremities, face) and lungs (pulmonary edema). Kidney failure results in a general inability to remove water and waste products from the body, resulting in a gradual build up of fluid all over, eventually overwhelming the heart and resulting in very similar symptoms to heart failure described above. Regarding the unusual bruising, uremia from kidney failure causes platelet dysfunction which would lead to bruising, and heart failure resulting in liver congestion could cause generalized coagulopathy.
Most likely causes for either of these diseases would be poor health maintenance and chronic disease. Both kidney failure and heart failure are common end points for high blood pressure and diabetes. Given your mother's uncontrolled schizophrenia, its likely she was not seeking regular medical care, so either of these conditions could have easily gone undiagnosed and untreated for years, allowing them to cause serious organ damage. Additionally, assuming that your mother was a frequent smoker like many people suffering from schizophrenia, this would substantially increase the risk for these conditions.
Given what you provided, I think these would be the most likely guesses, common things being common. To suggest something less common, if the edema was most pronounced in her face/arms, this could suggest something like Superior Vena Cava Syndrome, which if she were a heavy smoker, would most likely be caused by lung cancer.
Finally, I would like to stress again that these are all only best guesses, and if you really want to get to the bottom of this, reaching out to the hospital where she was cared for or medical examiner to see how her death certificate was signed would be your best bet for a definitive answer. Hope this helps.
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AskDocs
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Mom (52F) died from positional asphyxiation. Did she suffer?
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My mom died a little over a month ago. She had a seizure in her sleep while face down. I'm struggling really hard right now to accept what's happened, but I just have to know... Would it have hurt? Would she have been aware of what was going on? How long does it take to die from lack of oxygen usually? It hurts so much to think about her in pain and I didn't know what was happening. I just hope she wasn't afraid or suffering.
Thanks to anyone that's able to help, even if it's not the answer I'm hoping for.
| 742 |
I am so, so sorry for your loss. If she experienced a seizure while asleep the likelihood of her being conscious or aware of what was happening is close to nothing. She would would have felt minimal to no pain/fear. It usually takes a few minutes for cardiac arrest to occur from asphyxia (it depends on what position the person was in, if they had preexisting pulmonary issues, etc.). And, it takes 5-10 minutes for brain death to occur. Most people lose consciousness within \~45 seconds of the onset of asphyxia. So, even if your mother hypothetically regained or maintained some level of consciousness during her seizure, she would have been rendered unconscious within less than a minute due to the positional asphyxia. It is impossible to definitively say what your mother experienced in her final moments, but I want to reassure you that it is highly likely she was unconscious and unaware throughout the entire situation. Love to you and your family.
| 1,116 |
AskDocs
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What the heck just came out of my [21M] urethra???
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[Pictures of the fleshy thing](https://imgur.com/a/JUKQ7ST)
130 lbs, 5’5”, white
Meds- 300mg Bupropion XR, 30mg Adderall XR, 0.25ml 200mg/ml testosterone
Occasionally drink, no smoking or illicit drug use
Note- I’m intersex and have external female genitalia from surgery performed when I was an infant. In all other aspects (chromosomes, hormones, gender, etc) I am male and a man.
I sat down to pee and felt a mild burning sensation. After finishing it still felt like I had to go, then this thing suddenly popped out of my urethra. There was blood when I wiped again. Now the area is itchy and inflamed, but the burning sensation is gone. The urine itself looked normal. I have never experienced anything like this before and everything was fine this morning.
...What just happened?
Update:
I doubt anyone will see this, but I wanted to add a short update just in case if people were still curious. I saw my doctor, got some tests done, and she came to the same conclusion as u/gorilla_biscuit - it was most likely a benign polyp. No UTI or any other issues. If it happens again my doc asked me to keep it for testing, especially since I work with radiation which may give me a very tiny increased chance of developing cancer.
Thank you all for your help! I also want to thank the mods and people who reported some of the rude, intrusive, and unnecessary comments that were made, I really appreciated that.
| 689 |
I'm a radiologist and not a urologist or pathologist by any means, but I would guess that's a ureteral or bladder polyp. Not sure how it got shorn from its pedicle, but that'd explain the little bit of blood. It probably irritated your bladder causing the sensation of needing to void again. Rare but usually benign, I'd still follow up with a urologist. They might want to do a cystoscopy or CT urogram to be on the safe side. Best of luck.
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AskDocs
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Jaw locked shut - worst headache of my life
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29F - my jaw has been locked shut since yesterday and I’m not sure what to do. My entire face is on fire, and there has been a tightness and pressure feeling in my head all day long. My head feels like it is going to explode and nothing has touched the pain or lessened the “squeezing” sensation in my head.
| 481 |
You need to go to hospital.
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AskDocs
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I Randomly Smell Terrible (20M)
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Let me just start off by saying that I do shower properly and regularly. Also, I talk about suicide here, so if that does you no good, please don't read. Lastly, I'm from the UK, if that matters.
This is an issue that has taken centre stage in my life for the last 5 or so years. I find that randomly, I start to smell. Sometimes like urine, other times like feces and sometimes it resembles the smell of a bin on a very hot day. After doing some research at like 16 years old I was overwhelmed by the stories of people who'd suffered something similar. There were only a handful of medical terms for diseases discussed by them, and I feel as if I fit into none of them. After being rocked with such confusion, and after feeling so damn helpless, I just told myself it was in my head and instead, I consciously distanced myself from everyone. Friends would randomly ask "did you fart?" and "is there a bin around?" when it flared up, but they didn't completely abandon me, even though I'm sure they realised I was the one smelling. Even as naive as I was and as emotionally underdeveloped I was at 16, I couldn't help but hate myself. In under a 5 month span, I went from a very happy kid with a very healthy social life to whatever beast I am now.
Since then, it's only got worse. I was still telling myself it was in my head, though, as reality was just too scary for me. Now, I feel as though I smell terribly for the majority of the day. It's gotten to a point to where I can tell that my family don't want to be near me. Really, that, with the fact that I will be starting university soon, has made me realise that I must face this head on. After 6 years of losing connection and living like a zombie, I'm ready to hear of what I could be suffering from.
This problem has been the root of essentially all the problems I've faced since I was 15. From the anxiety, to the suicidal ideation, to the depression and even how awkward I've become. Some nights I find myself wandering of what could've been had I not had this problem, and other nights I think of very violent ways to go out. It's something that I've never wanted to admit was even real, but there's no doubt in my mind that it is real now. What still scares me, though, is the prospect of having to live with this for a long time pushing me to do something stupid. I just can't picture myself living like this for much longer, and to be frank, I think that ending it all is one very plausible conclusion for me.
Some things I've realised js that certain foods makes it flare up worse, and those foods are all either gassy or sugary. Still, though, it feels like no foods are fool-proof. I'm not sure why, but I feel as if it's linked in one way or another to my IBS.
If you're finding it hard to follow my ramblings, I'm sorry. I'm not doing very well mentally right now and it seems like it's having an effect on my ability to write.
Now, what I want to ask is if you guys know of anything I could be suffering from? If so, do you know of how I could get treatment? If not, how do I go about getting any form of help, especially during a pandemic? I feel as this is life or death for me, and I genuinely want to keep living.
Please let me know if you'd like me to elaborate on anything or if you know of any alternative options beside the ones mentioned above.
If you've taken your time to read through all of this, I appreciate it. It feels like a massive weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
| 426 |
Very sorry to read about this and how it has affected your confidence and mental health. It is a very stigmatising issue and I understand your reluctance to seek help
I’ll say as a GP it would not be a common reason for people to consult and might be tricky to investigate. I suspect it might need a bit of trial and error of possible treatments, assuming that initial examination and bloods would not flag an obvious cause in a otherwise healthy person.
This might sound gross but I would want to see a patient with this problem in person when they’re problem is flaring up so I could smell them. That is the only way I would be able to make sense of what the smell is and where it is coming from. (This will be tricky in the pandemic). This is to avoid misunderstanding over whether it is subjective or one or a variety of metabolic problems.
Unfortunately for some patients, what may have started as a minor issue results in their becoming highly attuned to odours which may not always be perceived by others.
It is important you speak to your GP about this and be honest about how it is affecting your mental health. It sounds like you need support for that too whilst further assessment of your body odour issue takes place.
In the meantime, is there a family member you can trust to be honest with you when you are worrying about your BO, who can tell you straight whether they are aware of something? That may help you clarify what others can smell and when, to perhaps make some sense of it.
Ironically, aggressive cleaning can make matters worse for some people as it alters the bacteria on the skin, so I suggest use a mild soap/shower gel. There are some suggestions for a particular condition on the link below. (This is not my diagnosis btw). You may also consider trying a crystal deodorant which prevents bacterial growth (Pitrok). Good luck!
https://dermnetnz.org/topics/bromhidrosis/
| 358 |
AskDocs
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My doctor has just diagnosed me with having two uteruses, two cervixes and two vaginas. Can I get an IUD, or will I need to get one in each uterus?
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I (25F) have just had a transvaginal scan which revealed I have either uterus didelphys or complete bicornate bicollis uterus (they don’t seem to be sure and I’m not quite sure what either term means).
But essentially they’ve said I have double of my uterus, cervix and vagina, and they said it’s like having a shitty version of the septum in your nose. (Great, sounds lovely, thanks doc).
But anyway, I’ve always wanted to get an IUD, because I heard they can be better for you than the pill and help with bad period pain, etc. I’ve always had longer periods (like 7 days long) with really bad pain - ‘taking full doses of ibuprofen and Panadol and still needing a heat pack’ type pain - and changing between pill brands didn’t help at all. (Oh, and I bled even with tampons in, so I thought I was just really bad at. . . Putting them in, I guess?? I had very bad self-confidence).
So I wanted to get the pain under control and knew the doc could possibly give me pain meds, or even better an IUD, which is part of the reason I went to see the doc in the first place. And, because. . . Well I had always known I was a bit different (I just had like, an extra path. I thought it was a pocket, I think? A surprise, like in a really cool dress?).
I told the doc and she said ‘look, it’s extremely unlikely, you probably have endo’ and sent me for an ultrasound. My mum said ‘you’re an idiot, I’ll buy you a bloody car if you have two vaginas’. I haven’t reminded her about that yet.
So anyway, I’ve been referred to see if I have both my kidneys (apparently sometimes people like me lose them?) and see a gynaecologist who will maybe know how the hell I deal with pregnancy if that ever happens. Or two pregnancies in two uteruses at once, if you’ve really done something to offend some fertility deity.
So in the short term, I’m still in pain, and is there any chance I could get an UID before I try to think about the horror of childbirth(s)? Or do I need two IUD’s? Or will that make me bleed out and kill me or something?
(Oh, and please tell me if you know of anyone like me. I would appreciate knowing they exist because at the moment it seems like they’re only in medical journals.)
| 1,109 |
I have seen a few patients with similar anomalies.
It’s more common to have two uteri, two cervixes but one vagina. I have seen several of those and I anticipate the management would be the same.
I would place two IUDs if after couseling on options that’s still what you are seeking.
If you have a pediatric gynecologist available, they have advanced training (in the US) on anomalies and surgical correction if indicated.
Lastly, I have delivered many pregnancies with two uteruses, and it’s very rare for twins in different uteri. But not impossible.
Hopefully this helps!
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Just found out my ex-wife has been feeding my kids turpentine.
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So for the last 4 or so weeks my kids (7m & 5f) have been ingesting a spoonful of turpentine everyday, and been using it topically to treat mosquito bites.
100% gum turpentine, my boy said the bottle read. Paint thinner. I've questioned them about it and I have zero doubt this was happening.
Now I've wanted to book in for a tox screen and bloodwork but would have to travel 2 hours to get it done, the only other option being police and CPS (both unfavourable options) or seeing a GP.
What am I in for here? What damage would chronic ingestion of turpentine cause a 7yo or 5yo child? What are the things I should look out for? Would turps even show up in a screen in such small volume?
And if theres anyone here from Victoria, Australia, would a GP be able to help initiate a tox screen?
| 1,078 |
You don't need a "tox screen" as such- and I doubt turps would even be something you could test for, especially at what sounds like a rural centre and this long after exposure. More important is an examination and probably blood tests for liver and kidney function as chronic exposure could have led to some damage- your GP can do this.
To be honest I imagine any of the options is going to lead to CPS being made aware as it's a child safety issue -not implying anyone is at fault (let's generously imagine your ex partner misunderstood how to use turpentine for bites), just there could be some education etc. which keeps the kids safe in the future.
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I have an 8 year old girl who is really interested in sex. HELP ME! Not sure if this would be help I need from a doctor but idk where else to ask for help with this.
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I have an 8 year old little girl who is interested in sex. A few months ago I was contacted by her school telling me that she had looked up stuff about sex on her school computer. I spoke with her about it, and tried to get her to talk to me reassuring her she was no way in trouble and if she had any questions she is always welcome to come and talk to me. We talked for about an hour that day, mainly me explain things about sex to her & what/what is not appropriate. She would not really open up to me and wouldn’t tell me anything besides one of her friends at school said the word sex.. I didn’t want to push her into talking to me or anything I didn’t want her to feel like I was shaming her or that she was in trouble so I wrapped up that conversation again letting her know she is always welcome to come to me with any questions or concerns. About a week or two later I received another call from her school saying she did it again.. & again I talked to her & again she wouldn’t talk to me. A couple months have gone by and I have caught her looking up love and kissing on YouTube on my tv, not that big of a deal to me but, then I get a call again from her school this morning telling me she looked up some pretty specific things on her school computer one being “sex with cheerleaders in a car”.. I don’t normally allow my children to use their school computers at all besides coming home and doing their homework but this past weekend they asked if they could play the educational games they have on there from school and I allowed them to do that for an hour and instead of playing games my 8 year old looked up sexual videos.. I don’t know what to do with her now. I don’t know what would be an appropriate way to deal with this behavior seeing as I have already tried to talk to her about it multiple times, or if this is something I should really be concerned about because right now i am very concerned!
| 1,010 |
Okay, first it is vital that you continue to approach this situation calmly and make sure that your daughter feels completely comfortable with talking to you about sex. The tone of your post is full of fear, which may or may not be warranted. So first, take a breath. You are a scared mom dealing with a scary situation, so you need to make sure you can be the steadfast rock your daughter needs right now.
She already knows what sex is, so you need to talk with her about sex in a non-confrontational way. Take her for a drive or to the park and spark the conversation on the car ride home. Ask her what she thinks about sex, what she knows about sex, etc.
If she shows any signs of fear (you know your own daughter), I do not think you would be overreacting to suspect abuse occurring.
If this is the case, take a full accounting of everyone in your life that has intimate access to your daughter.
Alternate possibilities:
\- Your daughter is 8 with access to the internet, when you are not around. Eight year old kids are not the same as they were even five years ago. They are curious and extremely technologically adept. If they have a question, they will google it, and google it again, and again, and again.
\- Your daughter has a female friend that is prematurely interested in sex and has brought it up in conversation. She could also be bullying your daughter and telling her she has to search for these things on school grounds
You will not know until you talk with her. Also, I suggest getting her a counselor because whatever is happening, it is not okay and it's hurting your daughter. Let her school know that you are handling the situation.
​
Love to you and your daughter.
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Questions about extremely sexually inappropriate behavior as a child
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EDIT- I'm completely overwhelmed with all of your responses, thank you to everyone that reached out. I have literally over 100 inboxes from people coming forward to share that they had similar experiences and have asked me to keep the post up so others may benefit. I'm sharing this because I think it is such a sensitive topic that you'd all benefit to know that this is more common than you think (I know I have).This is a general summary from what I have found
- Many experienced a cluster of all the symptoms minus the urination and defecation. Of these only a small amount were sure they were abused. Some had questioned it as well but most think what they experienced was just normal.
- Many who experienced the defecation and urination experience as well or in isolation were either confirmed sexually abused or neurodivergent (Autistic, Adhd). I'm yet to receive any inboxes from anyone else who experienced this but is neither neurodivergent or was abused.
This makes a lot of sense to me. I suspect I may be neurodivergent but I thought that these symptoms could be better explained by abuse more so. (I guess it is actually quite ableist of me to think like this, I had categorised this kind of symptom into "low functioning" and self identified as "high functioning" when the reality is that these terms are outdated and harmful at best. If you resonate with this then maybe hop on over to one of the many asd or adhd subs to see if you can relate.)
I still think abuse could also be a possibility so will explore this with my therapist.
I might get around to replying to comments and inboxes but if I'm being frank I'm quite daunted by how many there are.
Thank you so much to everyone that has helped, and I'm so grateful that many others have been helped by this post as well.
ORIGINAL POST
27F, 5'10, 200lbs, white
I have recently started unlocking/focusing on some memories from my childhood that are really concerning me. In short I exhibited a lot of behavior (that I hid very well as I knew it was taboo) that could only really indicate that I was possibly sexually abused as a child. The thing is, I really don't know if I was sexually abused.
I am currently in therapy, however I feel sick to my stomach even bringing this up with my therapist. I generally educate myself a lot on these kind of things before talking about them so I can better handle what the outcomes are and the meaning of everything, but I am at a loss because I can't quite find much information on this stuff, I keep going into dead ends here. I think I'm just looking for some preliminary answers before I talk about it properly with my therapist.
​
As a child I exhibited the following,
\- Hyper sexual behavior (I discover masturbation at about 4 or 5 years old and was obsessed, I would do it every night, multiple times a day) (family unaware)
\- I would find porn and porn themed online games and play these online, I think this was around ages 7-9 I started this (family unaware)
\- I only have one very vague memory of this, but I apparently used to poop in my wardrobe all the time after being toilet trained (ages 2-3?). I used to also urinate on the carpet as well but if questioned about it I would say that a pet did this. I also vividly remember pooping in the corner of the lounge room while everyone was watching TV at about may 5-7 years old and blaming it on the dog, everybody believed it, they always did (can confirm because I mentioned the loungeroom pooping with my parents a few years ago). As an older child I went through stages where I would pee on my carpet in my room- I'm talking even into early teen years- I literally have no idea why I would do this, but I would go out and get a cloth and clean it up myself when the toilet was right there???
\- This is the most I am ashamed about- I think around the age of 7-11 (I really dont know, just going by the memory of the house I was in at the time) I performed sexual acts on pets. I remember trying to get a kitten to lick my nipples, humping a dog, stimulating a male dog and stimulating a female dog. This makes me feel absolutely sick thinking about it. (family unaware)
I know how this all sounds, it sounds absolutely messed up. I'm a really well functioning adult, I'm really quite self aware. I have healthy relationships and a healthy sex life, it doesnt appear as if any of this negative behaviours is currently effecting my life as is today. I'm currently seeing a therapist due to medical trauma (unexpected illness and operation and I feel like i have hospital PTSD). but this... its really concerning me. I know that whatever the reason was why I did this as a kid is likely some kind of abuse and not really my fault and just really want to find out why I did these things. I feel immense shame and guilt knowing that I did that last thing.
What I am wanting to know is-
\- How common are these kinds of experiences for these age frames? (for both abused and non-abused)
\- Logically this makes me think I may have been subject to sexual abuse, but is there any other kinds of life experiences that could have made me act in this way?
I would really appreciate some insight and advice on this right now. Please no judgements, this is incredibly hard for me to share.
| 568 |
Pediatrician here. I don't think this sounds totally abnormal for age. Masturbation at that age is normal. Curiosity about pornography is also totally normal. After exposure to pornography, acting out these things on animals is not totally surprising.
You didn't hurt anyone or anything. I'd give your younger self a break. You say you're living an otherwise normal life now. You're in therapy. I'd try to let it go. Take it from me, kids are weirdos!
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23F I’m starting to gradually lose my hearing after over 3 months of other mysterious, debilitating symptoms and no diagnosis.
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- 23F / white / 5ft 9in / 180lbs
- I drink alcohol 2-3 times per month / do not smoke or use recreational drugs
- My current medications are:
Wellbutrin - 300 mg/day
Concerta - 54 mg/day
Corlanor - 10 mg/day
Ajovy - 1 injection/month
Cimzia - 2 injections/month
Ketamine - weekly infusions (administered by doc for depression, unsure of dosing though)
- I have a medical history of anxiety, depression, Crohn’s disease (well under control), and inappropriate sinus tachycardia
I sincerely apologize for how long this post is, but I am at my wit’s end and I can’t think of anyone to turn to. My primary has literally given up trying to diagnose me and says there’s nothing she can do. There’s been a lot happening in terms of my health and I’m completely overwhelmed, but I’ll try and keep this as short as I can.
For context/background, approx. 3 months ago I quickly started to develop random symptoms that have left me completely unable to function or live my daily life. Things such as sudden onset of daily migraines, low platelets,
very high resting heart rate, chronic muscle pain, and relentless fatigue to name a few. I’ve had countless tests performed to try and figure out what’s wrong (MRI/CT of head, neck, and chest, bloodwork for autoimmune markers, bone marrow biopsy, lumbar puncture, Covid tests/antibody tests, echocardiogram) all with essentially normal results, aside from a recent diagnosis of sinus tachycardia (which is being treated and helping to lower my heart rate but not providing much relief to anything else). All of these symptoms have been concerning enough, but aren’t pointing to any solid diagnosis. However, that’s not my main concern at this point...
About 3 weeks ago I began to have soft tinnitus in one ear, which I didn’t think anything of. It slowly grew louder and spread to the other ear, becoming so loud that I’ve lost multiple nights of sleep in a row. Last Monday, as I was watching TV, I noticed the voices began to sound muffled or like a buzzing noise, almost like they were talking through a static radio on low volume. It went away the next day and I tried to ignore it. Since then, it has been becoming progressively worse. It seems to fluctuate pretty drastically. At times I feel like I can hear perfectly well, but sometimes it gets incredibly hard to hear. During these periods of time, I can’t understand what people are saying on TV (progressively more muffled/static sounding), I can’t hear my SO if we’re out in a loud public place, I can’t tell where sounds are coming from, and sometimes it seems there is even an echo between my two ears.
Of course, when I went to see an ENT, I was hearing fine and the tests returned normal. At first I thought maybe I was just imagining this, but the worse it gets the more I am convinced that something is genuinely wrong. The ENT was not taking me seriously, but I have never had hearing troubles in my life and I KNOW this is not normal. I’m not regularly exposed to loud noise and I haven’t had any sort of head injury.
I’m honestly terrified. At the rate this is progressing I am afraid I will lose a significant amount of my hearing before a doctor takes me seriously. I have no idea what to do or who to turn to at this point and I am desperate for any advice on a next step to take.
Is this something I should actually be concerned about? Am I overreacting? If not, how can I get doctors to take me seriously?
I would sincerely appreciate any and all input! Thanks in advance everyone :)
EDIT: Holy moly, I did not expect to get so much feedback so quickly! I sincerely appreciate the kind words, input, and advice from all of you :)
Based on your suggestions I think my loose plan moving forward will be:
- mention all of this to my neurologist at our follow up next week (I haven’t seen her in a month)
- Speak with my psychiatrist about the Wellbutrin. I will say that I’ve been talking this for almost 4 years with no prior issues, but it’s still worth a shot to mention!
- Start keeping a diary of my symptoms and see if I can make a correlation to the cause of the hearing loss episodes
Thanks again everyone! I truly appreciate the support more than I can say :)
| 407 |
Some medications can affect your ears. They are referred to as ototoxic. Some of your medications can be. I strongly suggest you get a medication review rather than trying to cease any of your medications yourself.
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22ftm accidentally had top surgery while on accutane
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Before anyone says it: I am going to call my dermatologist tomorrow, but I need this out of my system now
So I had a double mastectomy, or top surgery, about 5 days ago. Took the drains out the day after. Minimal pain. Worst part so far is the compression bindings. They suck
I also started accutane about 2 months ago, and I knew I was going to have surgery soon so I mentioned it to my dermatologist. She said to stop about three days before surgery and then ask my surgeon how to proceed.
Couldn't ask my actual surgeon (they are not available to ordinary mortals when not in a scheduled appointment) but I asked the surgeon on shift the day after and he didn't really know anything about the drug. But he didn't see the harm when I explained the side effects and said it was probably fine to proceed.
But it didn't sit quite right by me and so tonight I googled it and wouldn't you know it: accutane is associated with complications in healing and hypertrophic scars. It's generally recommended to stop 6 months to a year before any elective surgery.
I just need someone with some knowledge of surgery and accutane to tell me if I'm screwed or being dramatic.
No smoking, no drugs, semi regular alcohol.
No other medications
Norwegian
Update: Called my dermatologist this morning and told her what the surgeon told me and the standard in other countries because of the risk. She replied it would be overly cautious to worry about keloid formation and such but the dry skin could interfere with healing in the beginning. So I'm stopping accutane for 3-4 weeks and applying a local salve on my face instead while my incisions heal
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There are more recent studies that question its association with hypertrophic scarring so it may be less of a big deal than you might be worried. And, to be fair, the surgery already happened so there’s nothing you can change right now. If you do develop scars they could always be revised by a plastic surgeon in the future.
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Please help me. I am starving to death.
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My name is Michael and for the last three months I have been unable to reliably eat food or drink liquids. I will explain all the details in my post, but you might want to get comfortable, because this might end up being a lengthy post. The following message is a plead for help that I am broadcasting across the Internet with the hope that, eventually, a qualified doctor will see my post and reach out to me.
For several years prior to this incident, I had a nasty cough that I just could not get rid of. The cough did not really bother me, so I largely just ignored it hoping it would go away. Well, the cough persisted for a year or two and it showed no signs of going away. At around the same time I noticed I would choke on certain types of food occasionally. I honestly did not think much of this, because the food would pass within a few hours, so I just tried to be more careful and take smaller bites. As time progressed, I seemed to choke more frequently and easier on many different types of food and the choking sensation would last longer and longer. However, the choking was still a rare enough occurrence that I did not think it was a serious issue and I largely ignored the problem. Do you see a trend here? Before all of this happened, I largely ignored medical problems because I hated seeing a doctor. This was very dumb and irresponsible of me, but eventually problems would seem to sort themselves out and I did not see the point in wasting time or money.
Fast forward to the night of February 8th, 2021 and I am standing in the kitchen having a sandwich and some chips for a late dinner. While I am eating, I start feeling that choking sensation after eating a few bites, but I get my next bite down and everything seemed to pass. So, thinking everything is okay, I take another bite, but I end up spitting the food out because the choking sensation came back much stronger than usual. I did everything I could to simply calm myself down and get the food to pass, but none of my usual tricks were working. Sipping on water, putting my hands above my head, walking around outside to get fresh air, nothing worked. Thinking this was just another episode, I eventually calm down and get through the rest of the night until I fall asleep. Usually when I would wake up the next day, the choking feeling would completely subside. However, this time, I still felt like I was choking. Except now it felt more like a ball of mucus was stuck in my throat, so I tried taking allergy medication and cough suppressant that also dealt with mucus. None of that worked, so I was legitimately worried that I was choking on food from the night before and went to the emergency room.
My first emergency room visit was a total cluster. The doctor felt my throat and told me he did not think I was choking on anything since I was able to sip water sometimes and it would go down. He asked me to drink this mixture that contained lidocaine to numb my throat to see if the feeling went away. Once my throat was completely numb, the feeling that there was a ball of mucus stuck in my throat became much more pronounced and worse. It was like the numbness erased all the “noise” and now that choking sensation was all that was left. The doctor never came back to check on me after this, so I was never able to tell him about this, but the male nurse came back and listened as I explained that it made the problem worse. The male nurse tested me for strep throat, but my gag reflex is so sensitive that I would almost vomit every single time he put the tongue depressant in my mouth. After many failed attempts he eventually got a swab from the back of my throat and the test came back negative. After all of this they sent me home and told me it was probably just reflux. So, I went home and did my best to go to sleep. The next day I woke up feeling a little better, but as the day progressed that choking sensation came back with a vengeance, so I went right back to the emergency room.
The second emergency room visit was a little better than the first. This time they performed a barium swallow test but told me everything looked normal. I complained that while the liquid I swallowed during the test felt like it went down fine, I was having trouble even sipping on my water because it felt like of jagged and like it was not going down cleanly. This doctor was honest and just told me there was nothing he could do. He said it was probably reflux and prescribed me a PPI and told me to check up with my primary doctor.
A week has gone by and I am still feeling this choking sensation. I see my primary doctor to discuss the problem and she changed up the PPI I was taking and told me to continue taking it and see how things progressed. After taking the new PPI for a while, my symptoms went away, and I felt a lot better. However, I was still unable to eat much, and drinking was also difficult because it felt like stuff was getting stuck in the back of my throat. I made another appointment with my primary doctor and she referred me to a G.I. so I could get an endoscopy.
The G.I. scheduled my endoscopy and cut a small piece of my stomach to send to the lab for testing. The results came back normal, and he said everything looked good other than some slight irritation of my stomach lining. So, I go home, and I try to force food down, since he said there is no reason why I should not be able to eat, but things were still “getting suck” in my chest and the back of my throat. I made another appointment where I told his assistant who is a practitioner about the persistent issues with eating and she told me to take some over the counter Pepcid before bed at night and scheduled me to get a manometry.
Edit: I forgot to mention that my GI did say he found a small hiatal hernia during the endoscopy. I just wanted to add this information so I am as correct as possible in case a doctor does end up reading my post.
After adding the Pepcid to my list of medications, I start to generally feel better. I can consistently drink two nutritional drinks each day and even eat some Ritz crackers if I chewed them up into a liquid consistency, but it was better than nothing! I eventually get in and have a manometry performed and they called me back a week later saying it showed signs of “Esophageal Dysmotility”. The lady on the phone said they usually refer people to the Mayo Clinic for this type of issue, but my insurance refused to cover it, so they sent me to someone in my state located in Little Rock as UAMS. I begin to get excited and see light at the end of the tunnel, because I finally felt like we were getting closer to figuring this issue out. However, this could not be further from the truth.
At this point I am still able to mostly drink a few nutritional drinks each day and eat some crackers. After two months of struggling, I was at least able to consume about 550 – 600 calories every day. While this is not great, it was at least sustaining me for the most part. Keep this in mind as the story progresses, because from here on out, you will see this progress take a nosedive.
Okay, so UAMS calls me the next day and schedules an appointment for the very next business day. So, I call my sister and ask her to drive me 4 hours for the visit. I told them I was 4 hours away and this would be a difficult trip, but they told me to come on in, so I naturally thought they were going to hospitalize me and get to the bottom of the problem. Well, I get there, and the doctor is an hour late to the appointment, which is not a big deal, but an important part of the story since they did not even have enough time to answer my questions or address my concerns before kicking me out of the office. When the doctor arrives, she seems like she is in a hurry to leave, but she sits down and asks me to explain everything that has been going on. I told her everything that I told the readers of this post, and she tells me she needs to go get her supervisor for help. Her supervisor comes in and tells me we will need to redo all my previous tests because they must be performed by qualified technicians. I ask him to at least look at the test results because the manometry was so difficult on me physically and mentally due to my extremely sensitive gag reflex. I tried to tell him that I was dry heaving the entire time the test was performed, so if he could just look at the results and he cuts me off. After he cuts me off, he says: “Well, we can just stop everything right now and you will probably never get any type of surgery because no surgeon will touch you without these tests”. So, I submit to him and tell him that I am more than willing to do the test again, but I just wanted him to look at the results from the other doctor without dismissing them entirely. He tells me to go in the lobby and wait. The first doctor came out about sixty seconds later and simply said “the test results don’t make any sense.”. She then tells me to go home and wait until someone calls me to schedule both tests.
So, on the same day I arrive in Little Rock to see my doctor, I am turning around and going home with nothing to show for it. I go home and notice that I am starting to eat less than before, but I am still mostly eating decent enough. A week later UAMS calls me to schedule an endoscopy for July 1st, 2021. I then get an email telling me that they have scheduled a follow up appointment for mid-August of this year to discuss those results. No one ever called me to schedule a manometry, and to this day I still do not have an appointment to have one done, which he said was the most important test to have done because it could confirm if I have something called Achalasia or not.
I am now at home waiting for July 1st to roll around so I can drive another 4 hours and have a second endoscopy done. Who knows how long I must wait for the manometry I am thinking it will be sometime next year before I can even begin to address the problem? Meanwhile, over the last two weeks, I have been unable to consistently get down even one nutritional drink a day. I am no longer eating any crackers, and even that one nutritional drink is a real struggle to get down. On my best days I get 240 calories for the whole day, but for the last week I have been getting 100 calories or less per day.
Worried about the damage this is doing to my body, I contact my doctor through the UAMS portal not once, but twice, just for her to completely ignore me. Below are screenshots of both messages I have sent to her. I know she has read both messages, because when I first sent them a little piece of text would show up saying “the medical staff has not yet read this message” and that text is now gone from both messages. Please take a moment to read each message and you will see that I am basically pleading for help and she just ignores me.
\[ Images removed from the post because I was not able to attach them when adding my post here\]
When this all started on January 8th of 2021, I was morbidly obese weighing in at 263lbs at 5ft 8inches. Today I am down to 185lbs because I cannot eat. I am also extremely dehydrated because I can barely drink water. My weight is sinking like a rock even further because my eating is getting progressively worse. It is at the point where (as you can read in one of the messages) I ask about having a long-term feeding tube put in because of how malnourished and weak I am. However, since my doctor only ignores me, I have no idea what my options are.
My name is Michael, and I am living in the United States of America in the year 2021, but I am literally sitting at home and slowly starving to death because none of the doctors I have access to really have any idea what is going on with me. I believe the only reason why the new doctor is having the same exact tests done is because they honestly do not know what is wrong with me and they are just trying to start from scratch, assuming that my original GI and hospital were not competent enough to perform these tests. Don’t get me wrong, I FULLY understand the need to redo the manometry, especially since I had such a hard time with the first one, but I don’t understand why they are making me wait months for a endoscopy just to turn around and make me wait months for the manometry after that.
If you manage to read all of this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now, here is the reason I am sharing this with you: I am trying to get a qualified doctor to see this message and hopefully reach out to me. I know there are doctors out here who can deal with this type of problem. I just don’t have access to them. I am begging you, please share this post with anyone you feel comfortable sharing it with, because if I can get my story to circulate around the Internet, I feel like there is a real chance that a qualified doctor will read it and reach out to me to help!
At this point I am terrified that I am going to die from starvation in my own home due to my inability to eat and the fact that my doctor ignores me when I ask for help. I will never ask anyone for money or anything like that. This is not a scam. I am just desperately trying to find a doctor who is capable and willing to help me so I can go back to having a normal life again. I am truly a victim of our “advanced” and “modern” healthcare system. Because my insurance is not the best, I am slipping through the cracks, and told to sit at home and waste away while I get the bare minimum care they are required to legally put forth.
If you decide not to share this post with anyone, I fully understand and hold no ill-will toward you. I am at least happy you read my post and another soul in the world knows my story. At least this way if I end up dying from malnutrition, there will be people in the world who knew my story.
**Edited on May 7th, 2021:**
**I went to the hospital last night due to malnutrition and dehydration. The ER doctor gave me 2 liters of fluids, which helped with the dry mouth I was having. She sent me to an ENT that I talked to today. The ENT told me there was nothing they could do and they also told me they have researched this type of issue before and didn't think anyone in Arkansas could help me. She did give me the contact info of a hospital that could.**
**She also talked to me about my manometry results. I never knew this, but she said the results came back that only 18% of my swallows were successful. She went on to say that is really bad and I need to seek out help as soon as I can.**
**Now I am just waiting for other hospitals to get back in touch with me. Apparently, the "specialist" in Little Rock didn't even look at my test results after all, because they were not suppose to send someone in this condition home to wait months to be seen.**
| 1,284 |
Hello,
I specialize in swallowing/swallowing disorders. I am wondering if anyone has ever mentioned something called functional dysphagia? Have you seen a speech-language pathologist who specializes in dysphagia?
| 465 |
AskDocs
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How do I prove to my doctor I'm telling the truth?
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Age 31
Sex M
Height 6'1"
Weight 235
Race White
Duration of complaint The past 45ish days
Location Minnesota
Any existing relevant medical issues ADHD
Current medications Atomoxetine 40mg capsules
I've been prescribed various stimulants over the course of the last 4 years since I was diagnosed with ADHD. My most recent prescription was for methylphenidate 20mg tablets taken twice daily. About a month and a half ago I had a scheduled med check with my doctor and was required to take a urine test to ensure I'm actually taking my meds. Although I had never needed to do this, I wasn't worried as I had never missed a dose save for a couple of times when I requested a refill too late.
Much to my surprise, my results came back with a negative result. Puzzled and concerned, I reached out to my doctor to ask what the best course of action was. He suggested I schedule another test, which I immediately did. When the results for the second test came back negative I was devastated.
My doctor will no longer prescribe me any kind of stimulant because he feels this would put his medical license in jeopardy. I've been trying an alternative (atomoxetine) since and have found it ineffective, not to mention expensive. It really baffles me as to why anyone would think I would want to take a second test and then NOT take my medication...
I'm a bigger guy, 6'1" and about 235lbs. Could this have anything to do with my negative results? The idea of my doctor thinking I'm selling my medication is really upsetting and goes against my moral code. I really don't know if I have any kind of recourse I can take in this situation, but my work and personal lives have been suffering.
Please forgive any improper formatting, I am new to this. Any insight would be very much appreciated!
| 547 |
What type of urine drug screen was conducted, and what substances were actually tested? Standard drug screens often do not include methylphenidate, and it is a common misconception that methylphenidate will cause tests for amphetamines to become positive. I would not expect your doctor to make this type of mistake. However, its possible that they had this misconception. More detailed information would be helpful.
| 453 |
AskDocs
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Birth control caused masculinization?
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F21 I need advice because I don’t understand what’s happened to my body.
I’ve taken a strong antiandrogenic bc since August 18 until july 20 because I had some bodyhair on my stomach and a little bit on my face and my gyn prescribed me that. I have to note that i had absolutely no other issues ( no acne, maybe a bit oily skin, full hair, very feminine body shape, regular period).
Unfortunately I took it without having any hormones tested.
After a year maybe (end of 19/ early 20) I noticed that my hair was a bit thinner, my bodyshape changed (hips and Butt were flatter, waist got wider, boobs smaller) and my bodyhair increased. In June 20 i got diagnosed with hashimotos, so I decided to stop bc in July. Since approximately June I’ve had bad hairloss that increased 3 months after stopping bc. After stopping bc my bodyhair increased again, my bodyshape looks like it did when I was 11 maybe, no hips, no waist, nothing.
I went to an endo and she wants to put me back on bc, which I understand but I’m horrified about taking it again, because that started everything even being a strong antiandrogenic one. I am absolutely done mentally, I’m just crying, depressed and can’t get anything done, because I just want to be normal again, like I was pre- bc or even the first year of bc. I have no problem with taking medication as long as it helps me, I get that some woman experience these side effects when they’re taking bc with androgenic components. I hope someone has any advice. The birth control even lists virilization as a side effect, but I just don’t understand how it’s possible when antiandrogenic bc are supposed to block this kind of stuff.
Ps. I’m not a native speaker, so feel free to ask me anything, if you didn’t unterstand what I was saying. The name of my birth control is „maxim“ in Germany.
| 426 |
Sounds like the birth control pill actually delayed the virilization, since it was a slight problem before and while taking it, and then went haywire after stopping. Did your endo do the full hormonal work up for the underlying issue when you went to see them after stopping the pill? The treatment is indeed the birth control pill (and it takes a LONG time to have effect on the hair), and if necessary there are additional meds you can take.
| 13 |
AskDocs
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I want to get my vaccine but I am afraid.
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21F, 150 lbs, no diseases or medication.
I really want the Pfizer/Moderna vaccine but my family keeps trying to scare me saying it makes you infertile, sick, gives blood clots, can increase death, paralysis?, etc. I know this is all rumors but when the J&J vaccine got taken down I was a little paranoid. Can someone help me be more confident and feel safer to get this vaccine and not be worried about my health?
| 593 |
I’m a PA, have been for 3 years. These are the facts: 95% of Physicans who were offered the vaccine got it. On a society scale, the vaccine while not risk free, has less risk than that of getting Covid. [Here](https://www.newscentermaine.com/mobile/article/news/health/the-odds-of-dying-from-a-johnson-and-johnson-vaccine-related-blood-clot-vs-dying-from-covid-19/97-de75d270-1175-45af-8ce7-12de44f2d5e4) they break it down showing how much higher your risk is for death getting Covid vs the Vaccine. Now keeping all this in mind I’ll leave you with this: Vaccines are a public health intervention not necessarily an individual one. While it’s comforting to know we as individuals have protection we do it for the greater good.
| 731 |
AskDocs
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How do i accept that I'm going to die no matter what?
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14M
No health conditions
Severe fear of death
Everytime I think of the fact I'm going to die in the future always gets me super afraid and upset. Like I know it's gonna be a extremely long time but I'm scared about how I'm just going to be forgotten and that everything that was important to me is no longer special, and that everything that I did in life is going to lead up to nothing. Please help me
Edit: I'm also afraid of the fact that it's just going to be nothingness when I die, no consciousness, nothing
Not even joking I'm actually getting really upset while writing this
| 1,171 |
I think it's wonderful that you are arriving at this realization so young because then you can find your own meaning in life sooner than most people. This is a question that philosophers debate about all the time, what the meaning in life is and nobody really has an answer. You have to make that answer for yourself.
For myself, I'm humbled knowing that I can make positive impacts on peoples' lives and bring health and a peace of mind when I help them via healthcare. I can answer their questions, put their fears to rest, help them therapeutically, or just be the person that will give them the time of day to rant to.
And then before I die, I want to see all the beautiful things in this world. I want to see all those cool pictures you see on /r/earthporn and /r/spaceporn. I want to go travel and see different cultures and different people and be in awe of how different life is for them. I want to learn how to take beautiful photographs of stars and galaxies and be in awe that the same particles that made those stars also made me.
Both you and I are made of stars and stars aren't afraid of anything.
Unfortunately death is an eventuality that will happen to all of us, death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it. Thus, control what you can control and don't try to control what you cannot.
You don't find the meaning in life because there isn't any. But the superpower of us as human beings is that we are able to create meaning out of nothing. And your journey in life will be doing just that - like the rest of us.
Go explore philosophies of life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaDvRdLMkHs \\ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBRqu0YOH14
edit: Thank you for the awards and support. I enjoy all the comments below me as well. I hope you all have a lucky day.
| 1,002 |
AskDocs
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My wife sleeps 14-20 hours a day
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She is 23F. 5'4", maybe 190lb. She works a professional cleaning job, approx 30-35 hrs per week. I snore, but my sleep schedule is regular, (2-3AM - 10-11am). Hers is irregular. She went to bed at 10pm yesterday, awoke around 8am-ish, and was back under the covers by 2pm, asleep by 4pm. Woke up under duress at 3am.
We have a 7 month old, but this issue has persisted for a couple years, including when she didn't work. It is difficult for her to stay awake for more than 10 hours straight, and in the past, without interference, she's slept 14-16 hours regularly, 23 hours being a record before I woke her.
This is starting to affect our relationship. I am last to sleep, and first awake. I've feed our baby before leaving to work, only to come home at lunch with my wife sleeping through our baby's crying. I'm now a stay at home dad, partly because I am not sure I can trust my wife to watch our daughter.
| 632 |
She needs to have a sleep study done.
| 947 |
AskDocs
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Scary symptoms for 9 years
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BACKGROUND- I am a 23 year old female went from normal to sick overnight at 14 years old. NO achohol, drugs or anything like that. And now I am homeless
I’m diagnosed with a slew of things. It doesn’t necessarily feel right, pots, svt, m.e, epilepsy, migraines, pcos, optic nerve drusen, Anemia of chronic disease and FND. I was told it was an anxiety issue when I was a kid but docs have “confirmed”it’s not. Some of my symptoms include seizures, Tourette’s like ticks, fainting, heart racing into the 200s, difficulty breathing, vision blurring in and out, migraines, pseudo strokes, SVT attacks, high and low blood pressure, weak muscles difficulty moving my body parts randomly(temp paralysis), severe fatigue, blue toes, stomach problems, hand tremor, One side of my body being more prone to symptoms than the other, burning sensations, warm water dripping on my skin sensation, ol factory smells, Randomly going paralyzed throughout my full body, dizziness and Vertigo, Adrenaline rushes, chronic pain and severe temporary psychiatric distress(That is getting much worse)... severe back pain worse with movement, And now I intermittently have to use a cane and crutches My doctor says I have an undiagnosed autoimmune disease, I also am chronically anemic, I have a small tumor on my adrenal gland and kidney and stomach inflammation. I have had brain MRIs and brain CT scans which of come out clear. My stomach CT scan did not come out clear that’s where they found the tumors and inflammation.
My doctors basically don’t know what to do anymore, I’m at a point where I literally just feel like I’m dying. I often get turned away by the emergency room because they are unsure of what to do I react so poorly to most medications. I’m starting to kind of feel like a lost cause and I just really need support and maybe advice. I’m completely open to advice and opinions (be kind obviously tho) or even throw possible disorders at me, My current doctor is open to self research. I just feel like I’m losing myself and I’m scared that I might end up taking my own life because of the symptoms
EDIT- Also I have a high white blood cell count and I’m very frequently low on potassium. And I have a positive ANA and my doctor told me that’s why I am likely to have an undiagnosed auto immune disease
EDIT- Thank you so much for all the comments and messages I’ll get back to everybody as soon as I can, just know that I am reading stuff you guys are posting even if I don’t get back very quickly
| 367 |
This sounds really complicated. Probably too complicated for random people on the internet to tease out. A lot of your symptoms sounds related to seizure disorder and seem to mimic multiple sclerosis, but if the MRI was negative, that makes it less likely.
Another component I'm sensing is anxiety, which could be complicating some of the symptoms. Conversion disorder means the stress can trigger these random neurologic symptoms.
What you need is a good PCP and a neurologist. The ANA is positive in 10% of the population and can be a red herring but a rheumatology evaluation wouldn't hurt.
| 192 |
AskDocs
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Doctor ordered wrong test, now I'm out $400
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34m 6'4 210lbs don't drink, smoke or use drugs.
I went to the neurologist because I was experiencing numbness on the right side of my face.
The neurologist ordered several tests, eeg MRI etc.
He also ordered a drug test to get a baseline.
I told him I hadn't drank or used drugs in over 5 yrs (clean and sober) but he said he wanted to rule everything out. I understood, wanting to get to the bottom of this. I've got insurance.
I get a bill a month later and the test was $600. 11 panel test.
I get ahold of the neurologist, who says that's not right a 6 panel test should be no more than $150.
I tell him it was an 11 panel he ordered. I have written proof through MyChart that he meant to order a 6 panel.
To wrap this up, the doc's medical assistant referred me to customer relations (doc isn't responding himself now). Customer relations is telling me I need to work it out with Quest diagnostics, who filled the labs. Obviously quest has nothing to do with the error, they were just filling the request.
Anyone familiar with a situation like this, am I burnt like they are telling me?
I realize doctors are human, and make mistakes. But I'm out $400 (after insurance) because of an obvious clerical error that the doctor admitted to making.
Feels like they should correct it.
Hopefully this is the right sub, can't think of a more appropriate one.
| 611 |
This happens sometimes, and it's honestly not uncommon for a doctor to ignore this. They believe it gets sent to customer relations and they believe that the issue is solved. If it were me, I would reimburse the patient.
Did you talk to the lab? If you have not paid yet, it's possible that they may be able to help out. If you already paid, I find it hard for them to reimburse you since the doctor ordered an 11 panel test.
That is frustrating; I'm sorry for your troubles.
| 417 |
AskDocs
|
URGENT: new born with limbs bending in the wrong direction (knees, ankles, elbows and wrist joints) located in Iraq
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Age - few days old
Sex - M
Location - Kurdistan
Hello,
I'm trying to help a couple located in Kurdistan, Iraq, who just had a baby boy with limbs bending the wrong way. Due to their location, medical help is limited and probably not adequate. They've been told by local doctors that his limbs need to be broken and reconstructed, and they're absolutely terrified and dont know how much they can trust them.
I have a photograph of the baby, and am waiting for a translation of the diagnosis from the local language. I would just like to get some info from other doctors around the world what their opinion would be.
If there are any paediatricians, paediatric surgeons, orthopedic surgeons or other relevant specialists out there who could just take a look at the photo and give me some kind of opinion I would be very grateful.
I won't attach the photo here, but please DM me and I can send it to you.
Thank you in advance.
EDIT:
Thank you for the support I've gotten in terms of awards and to the people who reached out. So far I've determined a few new things:
The parents are not relatives (frequent question)
The only info from the doctors they have so far is that they think it might be "Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita" -
I am doing my research because I also am not sure I can completely trust the diagnosis. I have asked the parents to get some tests, genetic as well as MRIs or Xrays (not sure which one is safe for a baby but that should be easy to figure out there).
If anyone has any experience or can give me more info if i provide a photo, please let me know.
I'm currently looking at places they can get better help in neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Turkey and possibly Qatar.
Thank you all so much-
| 1,078 |
Sounds like Osteogenesis Imperfecta. "Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder that prevents the body from building strong bones. People with OI might have bones that break easily, which is why the condition is commonly called brittle bone disease."
| 333 |
AskDocs
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(24f) is it safe to be around someone with covid?????
|
i know how it sounds and short answer is No but hear me out; my mom got diagnosed with covid, got quarantined for about two weeks then said she doesn’t have it anymore.
few days ago got diagnosed again with covid but this time she won’t quarantine and she says she ‘heard’ that it’s ok and safe to sit with us without a mask on even tho she has it. i’m not vaccinated yet. is wearing a mask going to protect me even tho we live in the same house??
| 351 |
if the second test was just a few weeks after the first, ita likely just a persistent positive and not a new infection, ie ok to be out of quarantine if her symptoms have resolved.
not even sure why she'd be tested again so soon if thats the case
| 346 |
AskDocs
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Anti-vaccine dad wants to sue me for getting our child vaccinated.
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My child is 12, Female, 80 lb . USA
No drugs, alcohol, or smoking.
No meds, no illnesses
My daughter’s father and I split when our kid was 3 and we have had an amicable relationship since then, sharing time with our child and generally trying to minimize any emotional stress or damage the break up may cause her. But, I’m very excited to have our family fully vaccinated and done with the pandemic, while the dad thinks the COVID-19 vaccine will have our kid emitting 5-G and carrying a Bill Gates microchip. There is no convincing someone who is that deep into conspiracy theories that the vaccine is safe for our child. And while I speak with him regularly, this isn’t a man that I want to have deep, heartfelt convos with. Dad has said that he will sue me if I have our child vaccinated. She is well informed and wants the vaccine. The FDA approved it for her age group, and the CDC recommended it. Sooooo, my question is:
Can you help me weigh vaccine protection verses psychological damage? I will be asking my child to keep her vaccination a secret from her dad at least for the 21 days between the first two shots. If he questions us about it, the plan will be to try to change the subject or flat out lie to avoid conflict until the deed is fully completed at which time the truth can come out. My reason for this is that I don’t want him to try to interrupt the second dose somehow.
From an epidemiological standpoint, my daughter and I are excited for her to participate. We know that kids can be a force for getting to herd immunity and if they aren’t vaccinated, they can be a body in which the virus can mutate. We want to do this, I’m just worried about the relationship with her dad and what he will do. Is it worth it?
EDIT: I got some solid advice about secret keeping/lying that I very much appreciate. So I’ve scrapped that part of the plan. The plan would now be to have her vaccinated and to let her know that she doesn’t have to talk to her dad about it if she doesn’t want to, she doesn’t have to lie, and his feelings aren’t her responsibility. If he has a problem she can say, “call Mom and talk to her about it” and I will deal with any consequences, not her. If he tries to interrupt the second dose, I will make other arrangements.
| 890 |
I would talk to your daughter and her doctor about it. If your daughter has a therapist, talk to the therapist too.
The good news: there's zero chance that any lawsuit against you being successful.
The bad news: his bitterness/anger will be an issue.
I don't know how assholish he will be about it, so I don't know what the calculus will be for you.
While typically I would advise keeping the child completely out of the disagreement between parents, she is old enough to have a say in this since it affects her health and mobility and ability to do things. It would need to be approached with a lot of empathy (that you might not feel really) on your part. Like "Your dad is scared about vaccines for reasons that feel very real to him, even though they are not based in fact. If you get the vaccine, it could make him angry, which would not be fair to you, but you need to be aware of his feelings and how that could impact your relationship with him. I will support you either way. While the vaccine is very important, so is your relationship with your dad."
I don't know, that could be the wrong approach too. Part of me just wants to say for her to get vaxxed, deal with the fallout. Lying about it usually is not a good idea.
How severely is he going to react? If she gets shot one, is there worry he might hurt her or kidnap her? You definitely want to talk to lawyers about that if it is a concern, because that's a very dangerous situation for her to be in.
| 385 |
AskDocs
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Medical reason for seeing people that aren't physically there / people disappearing??
|
I posted earlier to /r/Glitch_In_The_Matrix about this, for fun, but someone suggested to me that it may be a medical issue so I'm now here to ask.
I don't know if this is still relevant for a mental health related question, but Im 17M about 120 lbs and 5'1".
I have been told by a doctor I may have ocd and general anxiety but have never been medicated. I have never done recreational drugs, never had alcohol. I've had some recurring issues with low blood sugar and low iron.
I would say this has been happening to me for about 6 months. From time to time, I will see a person who is not physically present. For example I will be walking and see a woman across the street, I will be absolutely sure she is there, and then she will walk behind a pillar or stop sign and just disappear.
I have had friends and family witness this happening too, but usually I have been able to reason with myself by saying the person just turned down a corner or went a different way.
Yesterday though, I saw a man walking directly towards me and then disappear. I know that I definitely saw him because I moved out of the way and stepped off the sidewalk in doing so. When I looked up after moving, he was no longer there. The only place he could have gone is the forest nearby, but there is a steep incline, the trees and bushes are thin and I would have seen / heard him. It was broad daylight around 2 pm, not dark or foggy at all.
Initially I remembered what this man looked like but I'm starting to forget, it feels almost "blurry" in my mind. This has been causing me to worry all day and I haven't slept. I usually feel sick when I'm anxious but, in addition to that, I have pain in my chest, a sinking sensation and the feeling that I'm in danger when I think about this incident.
If it matters, I have prescription glasses which I wasn't wearing at the time, but the man was about 5 metres away and I am absolutely sure that I saw him there. I think I was a bit dehydrated and hungry since I'd been walking for some time but I don't know if that can cause hallucinations. I don't have a family history of schizophrenia, psychosis or anything similar.
This started as a funny story for me but I'm now legitimately fearful because of this experience. I am constantly trying to rationalize it in my head but can't come up with anything.
I would appreciate if someone could throw in their two cents here and let me know if there's any possible medical explanation for this. Thank you
edit: I didn't expect this post to get any attention so I'm sorry if I forget to reply to any of your comments. I really appreciate the variety of advice and suggestions everyone has been giving me and I feel much better now.
| 509 |
This sounds really distressing. It could be a form of psychosis, but generally when people are floridly psychotic, they lose insight and believe that those hallucinations are real even if they don’t make any logical sense. They’re also more likely to experience auditory hallucinations (or both auditory and visual together) than pure visual ones. The fact that you retain insight and know those people aren’t real points away from psychosis somewhat.
How bad is your eyesight? There is something called Charles Bonnet syndrome where people with poor eyesight have visual hallucinations (often very vivid, and often of people), in which they’re usually aware that what they’re seeing isn’t real. I wouldn’t expect this to happen in someone whose eyesight is only slightly impaired, though. Similarly, if this also happens when you’re wearing glasses (assuming your prescription is the right one, and is correcting your vision well) then that may indicate an alternative cause.
Disease processes affecting the brainstem can also cause vivid visual hallucinations. This is on the more serious end of the spectrum, and I’m certainly not saying this is the cause of your problem, but I’d suggest you visit your GP and get assessed by them so they can decide if a neurology referral is warranted.
Best of luck.
| 406 |
AskDocs
|
My [M21] grandfather and all his 6 siblings on a remote island off Western Ireland were bipolar/schizophrenic, then all went on to develop dementia. (Virtually no access to medical care.) What could it have been, & are my siblings & I at risk of inheriting?
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I am wondering whether I should get tested for Huntington's disease, although I know that is not a decision to ever take lightly. I myself am schizophrenic & manic-depressive (official dx, schizoaffective d/o bipolar type) and was on various antipsychotics from ages 15 to 20. I received electroconvulsive therapy at 16.
Their personal trauma and tragedy haunts our family with sadness, and because they never really had access to any adequate care or testing (much less medication for their psychosis), we truly don't know if this is just a feak genetic loading for mental illness with a hefty precipitous dose of intergenerational trauma that resulted in dementia, or if there was something organic, neurological going on. It doesn't make sense that every single one would go on to end in dementia.
They grew up on an island off the coast of County Mayo in Western Ireland, all primarily Irish speaking, and despite intelligence and intellectual yearnings (my granddad read Greek and Latin, did translations, copied out Shakespeare, and when he was homeless basically lived in a chain bookstore after he'd come to America), literally no formal education beyond learning to read and write.
They were shepherds, basically. Sustained themselves on the island. The doctor had to (still today actually) come from the mainland to visit the families. Back then, they didn't have gas stoves or electricity or anything on this part of Ireland so you can imagine how dismal their healthcare was. Some came to America, some didn't. My grandad for all of my life lived with or near us here.
Working family theories are so far: "Something in their water... 🤔" so I'm trying to get a more empirical picture of what could have happened to my family, and whether myself or my siblings are at risk of something inherited. It just doesn't make sense that every one would develop dementia like clockwork. Is that possible? And they were completely antipsychotic naive too, so it's not like that's a possible culprit.
I really don't know. I didn't think much of it before except: "Everyone in my family before me went proper fucking mad and had all this horrible shit happen to them (trauma) so it makes sense to me that I went proper mad too I guess."
I think Huntington's disease sounds eerily congruent, but also deeply frightening. I have an identical twin. Idk. I seriously appreciate any help you may be able to offer me.
Edit: Also: lot of cousin marriage. It was normalized. And they all developed dementia fairly early: 50's and 60's.
Edit 2: Maternal side. My mom is in her 40's, alcoholic, but no dementia, schizophrenia, or other health problems.
| 562 |
It’s not unheard of to have somewhat early dementia in families, or mental health problems exacerbated by harsh medical treatments or nutritional deficiencies or even local toxins (like mercury) that cause dementia-like symptoms. It would be worth talking to a doctor about it, and if they agree with the concerns speaking to a geneticist about some testing options.
| 215 |
AskDocs
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How safe is the covid vaccine
|
I am a 30 year old man living in the U.S. I also have a high level of anxiety about getting the vaccine. I DO NOT think covid is a conspiracy, and I DO NOT think I will be microchipped. I am not right wing, I am not here to "blast the libs". I am a very liberal dude who was born and raised outside of Boston. Its because I inherently fear being herded with very little information. I worry about getting "the fastest vaccine ever produced" because I am being shamed by my friends and family. I worry that there could be side effects that they just haven't identified yet. And trust me. I want to get the damn thing and be done with it. If only to quiet the people around me. But I am nervous about these things because...simply that. Putting stuff I don't understand in my body because someone told me to makes me very anxious and will likely affect me psychologically for a long time. So please. Someone with a medical degree and an understanding of what is in that shot. Could you ease my mind as to what's in it and how safe it really is so I can get the damn thing and still be able to sleep at night? Or tell me that I shouldn't. Whichever is the truth.
| 1,086 |
mRNA technology is really interesting and a marvelous development in vaccinology.
Unlike vaccines we are used to, such as the annual flu shot, it does not contain any virus... No dead virus particles, no weakened or attenuated viral strains, and absolutely no risk of viral infection.
The mRNA vaccine, in short, gives your immune cells the information they need to recognize and attack the COVID-19 virus as soon as the body encounters it. It is a lesson that teaches your body to recognize a threat. Once the lesson is over the body breaks down the vaccine components naturally.
The great thing about this type of vaccine is that the delivery method remains the same but the type of virus (or even cancer cells) that the vaccine is for can change! Scientists just load a different lesson into the preparation and off we go! Development of new vaccines using this technology will continue to be safe and rapid.
Personally, and I guess clinically, my only concern with a lack of long-term data is how long the immune response remains effective. Pfizer is already on record saying that a 3rd "booster" may be necessary 3 months or so after the 2nd dose?
So far the worst outcome of any of the vaccines has been the odd blood clotting seen with the J&J single-dose. After 6 or 7 people out of 6-million suffered from this they halted administration to collect more data.
Literally 1 in a million and they paused for more information. THAT is how safe vaccine research is.
The AZ vaccine is also having recent and ongoing reports of abnormal blood clots as a reaction. Is it important to note that neither J&J nor AZ are mRNA vaccines.
TL;DR: I have concerns with such rapid development and deployment of a new vaccine, but that only relates to long-term data on ongoing effectiveness. Worst case scenario is another booster shot to remain immune. I have no history of allergic reactions to any vaccine and no reason not to get it. Protect your community and loved ones by protecting yourself.
EDIT: A word.
EDIT 2: Updated J&J phrasing.
EDIT 3: AZ vaccine information added.
| 1,158 |
AskDocs
|
I have concerns about my unusual vulvar anatomy and am afraid to go to a gynecologist.
|
21 year old female (no past sexual trauma or history)
No relevant medical history/medications
Hi there,
I have some questions about my body that I have never spoken to a medical professional about and was hoping y’all could lend some advice. I have never been able to achieve any type of vaginal penetration, with tampons or any other object. I have been trying since I began menstruating at the age of 12 with no success. I’ve tried studying my anatomy with a mirror and using different positions for hours on end and haven’t been able to even find a point of insertion. Though I first assumed this might be vaginismus caused by anxiety around penetration, I don’t think that’s the case; I don’t see a clear “opening” even when I’m fully relaxed and not attempting penetration. After comparing my anatomy with diagrams online, it seems that I have a very prominent urethral meatus and a hymen that covers almost the entirety of the vaginal opening. If I pull back the anterior commissure of the labia minora it seems like there may be some type of opening that is typically obscured, but if that is the vagina, it is too small to accommodate penetration (about the size of the head of a q-tip). I know that my hymen is perforate since I menstruate, but there is no obvious hole. I drew a simple diagram comparing what I see in the mirror to typical vulvar anatomy for reference: (NSFW) https://imgur.com/a/bJsSHdm
This has not been too much of an issue for me, since I have been able to use non-penetrative period products and am not sexually active. However, my periods have always been uncomfortable (no cramps, but lots of monthly vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea), so I have been thinking about seeing a doctor (if anyone knows what these symptoms mean, or if they’re common, please chime in as well). However, I’m extremely hesitant to get a pelvic exam, as that would almost certainly entail penetration, which I have never been able to do on my own and has always caused pain upon attempt.
Can anyone clear up what the heck’s going on with my vagina?
Edit: Thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time to comment. Before today I hadn’t told a soul about my wacky anatomy due to general embarrassment, and I’m amazed that so many internet strangers found the time to lend support. I just made an appointment with a gynecologist for later this week (the first doctor I’ve seen in years), and I’ll take all your guys’ advice with me into the exam room. I appreciate you, doctors of Reddit!
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I'm not a medical doctor, however I encourage you to advocate for yourself from the beginning of any communication with a gyn. Let them know you have anxiety about pelvic exams and you would like to meet your doctor in an office setting before going into an exam room to discuss your concerns and set a game-plan. If you don't feel comfortable with the doctor, you have every right to leave right then and there. At any point during an exam that you feel uncomfortable, you have ever right to tell the doctor to stop what they are doing. Finding the right doctor sounds like it will be key, so ask around with friends/ family, do some research, and interview some doctors to ensure that you have the right fit before you go up in the stirrups! Good luck!
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AskDocs
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1F, My infant daughter is 9 months old and is an enigma. Help us diagnose her.
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Hoping we can get some ideas as to what's wrong with our 1F daughter. We've seen her pediatrician and several specialists. Nothing has improved.
The problem became apparent when she was 4 weeks old. She developed belly pain, blood and mucous in her stool, diarrhea, thrashing/arching, screaming, rashy skin, eczema, hives, painful gas, and silent reflux. She is breastfed, and at 2 months old, her pediatrician recommended removing dairy from my wife’s diet. This change led to enough improvement around the clock that we were able to start to detect patterns of reactions from other foods.
Between the ages of 2.5-4.5 months, through detailed food journaling, my wife also eliminated oats, peanuts, wheat, tree nuts (almonds/cashews), and coconut from her diet, all of which produced some combination of the symptoms noted above.
Since initial diagnosis:
* At 5 months old, skin prick allergy testing for all known triggers was negative, and the allergist diagnosed her with Food Protein Induced Allergic Proctocolitis (FPIAP), an illness related to the more severe FPIES.
* At 5 months old, we introduced solids. Every. Single. Food. caused some combination of rashy skin, dark circles around her eye(s), diarrhea, screaming/thrashing in pain, perceived abdominal cramping, eczema outbreaks, painful gas, etc.
* Solids we tried and failed include: carrots, sweet potato, pear, broccoli, peanut butter.
* At 6.5 months old, gastroenterologist #1 recommended Nutramigen and Pepcid, which we introduced separately, and both caused reactions.
* GI #1 also recommended cutting soy from mom’s diet, which we did.
* At 7.5 months old, our immunologist thought it might be T-cell related, but thought it was a GI problem and didn’t have a clear answer, so referred us to GI #2.
* At 8 months old, GI #1 ordered labs: immunophenotyping, tryptase (to rule out MCAS), and CBC w/ differential.
* Results were mostly normal, except: minimally increased naive cytotoxic T cells, slightly elevated platelets, and slightly elevated neutrophils.
* GI #1 attributed these results to an acute infection like a cold. Problem is, the kid wasn’t sick. She wasn’t reacting either - she was totally at baseline at the time of the blood draw.
* By this time, her pediatrician and all specialists agreed we needed to push through skin reactions and mild gas or discomfort to get her acclimated to eating something - anything.
* Conditions for stopping food trials would 1) profuse diarrhea, 2) blood in stool, 3) inconsolable pain.
* At 8 months old, we successfully introduced avocado and banana by pushing through minor symptoms.
* At 8.5 months old, we introduced Puramino (elemental formula), and she had excessive diarrhea.
* At 8.5 months old, GI #2 diagnosed her with FPIAP, and recommended reintroducing allergens into mom’s diet, slowly, one at a time.
* At 9 months old, mom reintroduced wheat, starting with 1/4 slice of bread per day. The first two days went well enough, so mom increased to 1/2 slice per day. Within 30 minutes after nursing, baby was covered in hives. (Remember - allergy testing was negative.) Mom dropped back down to 1/4 slice for another 4 days. Baby was increasingly fussy, uncomfortable, gassy, rashy, worsening eczema, and just… out of it. So after day 7, we stopped. The next day, baby was perfect - happy, bubbly, giggly, wonderful.
Our symptoms of a failed introduction often begin with skin rashes within 1-3 hours after food consumption (sometimes a bit longer if via breastmilk), and other symptoms escalate over the course of the day, usually ending with the screaming/thrashing/cramping belly pain by the evening. The acute reaction which we see the same day as a fail usually resolve quickly (within 24 hours), but lingering symptoms like diarrhea, or blood/mucous in the stool can take up to two weeks to return to baseline.
To us, the diagnosis of FPIAP does not add up. Blood in the stool and mucousy/watery stool are classic FPIAP symptoms, sure. Most kids with FPIAP are sensitive to dairy and/or soy, typically react to no more than a couple of foods total, and outgrow their reactions between 9-12 months. Our daughter reacts to everything, even elemental formula and Pepcid, and her symptoms are more than just bloody poop.
TL;DR What condition would cause allergy-like reactions to 13 foods plus formulas, AND have elevated T cells/platelets/neutrophils?
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Edit: stop upvoting me and bring u/WreckedEmKilledEm ‘s comment to the top. They’re the thread’s expert on the topic, and I’m just an idiot medical student.
Hello!
It sounds like you've been having some GI and dermatologic symptoms which you (and two Pediatric Gastroenterologists) have attributed to food that baby and mom are eating.
Couple of thoughts:
First, **food does not cause eczema**. This is a really tough pill to swallow for parents, because this false information is *everywhere* on the internet. Here is a patient-friendly article on the subject by the American Academy of Dermatology:
[https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/eczema/childhood/treating/food-fix](https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/eczema/childhood/treating/food-fix)
I know you've kept a food diary, and I know every child is different. But the best, most thoughtful medicine would be to consider the GI symptoms and the rashes as separate entities. For this reason, **scratch/skin testing is notoriously terrible for diagnosing food intolerances.**
Second, you will find no answers in your white blood cell differential. Your GI doctor was referencing an acute stress reaction, which is one reason to have elevated T-cells, platelets, neutrophils, and a whole host of so-called "acute phase reactants." Another explanation is that it was a random sampling error, because that pattern on a blood count simply doesn't mean anything diagnostically valuable. It's such a benign pattern that even if you drew it again six months later and got the exact same results, you could chalk it up to that just is her "normal," because, statistically, 5% of normal, healthy people will live outside the reference range for *every* lab value.
​
Your poor girl sounds absolutely miserable, and I'm very sorry if I come off as dismissive. I hope you find answers and can figure out a way to get nutrition into her.
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AskDocs
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25F waking up multiple times a week screaming
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Hi everyone, I am posting for my sister who has disabilities. She is 25F and since around March 20 she has woken up about 11 times at night screaming at the top of her lungs and calling out either my name or my mom’s name, sometimes she also yells help. When she wakes up she has no memory of this happening. It has never happened before and all of a sudden she’s waking up multiple times a week.
I have tried googling it and did research on night terrors. It said if she had stress or trauma that could be causing it but she is adamant that nothing has happened. My other thought is sleep apnea. She isn’t diagnosed but we used to share a room and she had the most awful breathing, coughing, choking, slurping, swallowing, snoring etc. Could that be it?
It is very scary to hear and I don’t know how to help her. Every website says night terrors are common in young children but she is 25. Please help!
(She had a doctors appointment scheduled but the doctor canceled on her twice so now we are trying to find a new one).
Edit: the only medication she is on is birth control which she has taken for years and has never had problems.
2nd Edit: Thank you so much everyone! I really appreciate all of these responses. By disability I mean she was born with hydrocephalus and has some intellectual disabilities and muscle weakness in her legs. She also has a shunt from her head to her stomach.
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Hi there, she absolutely should be seen by a doctor, preferably a neurologist. These sorts of episodes can be challenging and caused by a few things. Nocturnal seizures can sometimes be bizarre and manifest like this. A sleep study and EEG are likely in her future.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3266329/
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AskDocs
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F18 sustained serious injuries in a car accident, how likely is she to recover?
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My brother and his girlfriend (18) lost control of the car on the highway a few days ago and rolled several times. She was ejected from the car and was pinned under it until emergency services arrived.
She has two collapsed lungs, a broken C3 vertebrae, and all of her ribs are broken. She’s currently in an induced coma on life support, though my brother said her heart rate increases when someone comes in her room and she was slightly squeezes his hand (3 days after accident).
I know each person and situation is different, but based on the injuries listed here what kind of prognosis would you give? How rare is it for someone to survive these injuries?
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It's really hard to say without knowing a lot more information, especially the potential for neurological damage, and the extent of the vertebral damage.
She survived the initial accident and has made it for a few days now, so I wouldn't dismiss the possibility of survival. Your and her family have my sympathies, it's never good to hear that someone was in an accident like this.
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AskDocs
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I found maggots/larvae in my eye (video included)
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Age 24
Sex Male
Duration of complaint Three days
**Context:**
Two days ago I was working in a field when an insect flew into my eye. I didn't get to see exactly what kind of insect it was, I just ran and washed my eye with water.
Later that day I felt movement under my eyelids, I looked at my eye in the mirror and found little white maggots crawling around it. They are really small (1mm or less).
My local clinic was closed that day due to a holiday, so I just took a q-tip and got five of them out myself. After those five I didn't feel any more of them in my eye.
Here are some videos:
On a q-tip: https://streamable.com/t1dmzf
On my finger and pants: https://streamable.com/7krpmh
Next day I went to an eye doctor and he examined my eye. He did a slit lamp exam and didn't find any more larvae. I don't really think he took my case seriously and treated it as if I just got a foreign body or some dirt in my eye. He gave me an anti-biotic cream and told me to apply to my eye for two days.
**As for symptoms;** my eye looks fine, no redness, no tears. However I do have a slight pain/sensitivity behind my eye and/or a slight headache around my eye.
If there are any experienced eye doctors here, how serious is this? Judging from the video, can these larvae/maggots be harmful and cause serious damage? Can they travel deeper into my eye socket or to other parts of my head? What should I tell my eye doctor so he can actually take this seriously and give me a full examination? How do you even examine this beyond just a quick check on the eye?
Any help will be appreciated.
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Where do you live and any recent travel?
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AskDocs
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[15f] I feel like there's urine stuck in my urethra and it burns, is this a sign of a UTI or something else?
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Hi, I think I (15f) have a chronic (untreated) UTI problem but this time I'm not sure. I don't have the constant urge to urinate like I usually do and it only hurts when I urinate at the end like there's something trapped in my urethra and it burns. I tried Googling the problem and apparently that last part is pretty common in men because their urethras are longer but I'm not a male. This has been happening for about four days now (it seemed to be a normal UTI at first where everything hurts/needing to urinate constantly but then went away after drinking water; until yesterday then it suddenly got worse). Also I woke up in pain both yesterday and today that's great.
My urine itself is normal (was cloudy earlier but not anymore). I don't know if it's related but yesterday I felt like my vagina was faintly tingling (it kind of stung but otherwise didn't bother me that much) but only when I was trying to stick a menstrual cup in and didn't sting after I stopped inserting it/touching it. I never had that happen before and it didn't happen after I tried taking it out/re-inserting it later so I'm not sure why.
I'm not sexually active and I don't have allergies or pre-existing medical conditions. My height is 5'3/160cm and my weight is 123lb/55.8kg. I'm sedentary/lightly active, a white American, and I don't take medications/drugs. I've been consistently getting UTI-like symptoms every few months - sometimes weeks or even within days - for about five years now.
Also I can't go see a doctor (my parents won't let me + last time I was told to suck it up after crying for hours because I kept pissing blood and my abdomen hurt lmao it was very painful) and usually these clear up in less than 3 days without treatment (not that one time though, took like a week holy fuck) and this hasn't happened before. And I don't have cranberry juice or AZO/similar medication. I tried drinking as much water as possible yet it still hurts despite that. :(
(also why my parents won't let me; >!they don't trust me when I say I'm ill because once when I had a cold, I went to the doctor and got on medications - then proceeded to get more ill - because I got misdiagnosed with something else instead of a cold that would have gone away on its own. I was also 11 and they're still mad over that. plus a few years ago, I told my doctor I wanted to get checked for allergies because I got sick nearly everyday at the same time of year and my parent cut me off because I was 'lying' about having them (I wasn't, was just wondering if I had allergies or not) and now anytime I get sick - including fevers - I have to wait for it to go away on its own. pain.!<)
Edit/update: okay so after having the cup in for last night/the entire day, perhaps the single drop of red liquid was not from my period... oh well. anyway i haven't noticed any discolouration since - plus it doesn't have too much discomfort anymore (still noticeable though) - so it's probably fine most likely probably. thank you for the comments they were really helpful! :D
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yes, most likely UTI. Drink LOTS of water for a few days, see if it gets any better. Very high dose vitamin C might help by making the urine more acidic. No need to worry about overdosing with vitamin C, since any excess will be filtered out by your kidneys.
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AskDocs
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Unexplained heavy rectal bleeding and stomach cramps attack. Image link attached. [24F]
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Hi there,
I am a 24 yr old female based in the UK, am of average height and weight (although weight fluctuates up and down regularly) and do not drink or smoke.
Since October 2018 I have experienced a variety of gastrointestinal issues which include: severe nausea (particularly after beginning to eat), feeling overly full very quickly after a few small bits of a meal, vomiting 2-3 times a week randomly but normally after trying to eat a meal, bloating, intense stomach cramps in my lower right abdomen which travels towards lower left side during an attack, odd bowel movements believed to be overflow diarrhoea (can only go once every 7 ish days and the first bowel movement can be difficult to pass but the rest is very watery with undigested food and a lot of mucus) and rectal bleeding with blood clots. Whilst the nausea and feeling full quickly is ongoing, the intense stomach cramps/diarrhoea/vomiting/bleeding are more of an attack that happens every 5-7 days.
With each attack is a definitive pattern that I have come to recognise over time. The day before an attack begins I am extremely exhausted and struggle to stay awake longer than an hour at a time and begin to get stomach cramps in my lower right abdomen which feel similar to period cramps but in the wrong place at the beginning of the attack. The next day, usually towards late afternoon/early evening, the stomach cramps begin to travel to my lower left side and increase in pain level intensity and the nausea becomes unbearable. At this point I head to the toilet. I usually have explosive vomit first and then a bowel movement. During this time I will become very pale and clammy, with heat radiating off my chest and back as well as literally dripping with sweat everywhere, but I will also feel cold and have chills at the same time. I come very close to passing out when this happens, as the pain is so intense and I get lightheaded, and I have passed out numerous times when I couldn’t make it too the floor quick enough. I’m sure from the outside looking in it’s probably quite humorous watching someone juggle throwing up, passing bloody diarrhoea and having to dart to the floor with legs in the air! I will usually be stuck in the bathroom for 45-60 minutes the first time and will continuously be back and forth to the toilet for the rest of the night. After the attack has finished my stomach feels very bruised and sore to touch the next day, like it has been trampled over by a large animal.
Since October 2018 the attacks have gradually increased in frequency, it used to be 1-2 times a month but now it is 1-2 times a week. Equally the blood loss has increased from a lightly pink toilet water to a deep, opaque red that takes multiple flushes to get rid of. I have measured the blood loss randomly over the last two months and it is between 50-80ml blood loss per bowel movement (which is usually 7-10 times during an attack). At least 4 of the bowel movements is passing just blood, blood clots and mucus with no stool.
[Link to Photos](https://imgur.com/a/oob3Idv)
**Things I have tried and tests done so far:**
I have tried all elimination diets suggested to me including FODMAP, gluten-free, dairy free, low fat, high fibre etc. I have also tried various meal schedules and did see a small improvement nausea wise with eating light-weight foods little and often rather than 1/2 heavy meals a day.
I have had both an endoscopy and colonoscopy (twice for colonoscopy), with nothing coming back other than some small patches of inflammation. No hemorrhoids have been found.
I have had a gastric emptying study drinking a barium soda can and that came back as normal.
I have had a 24hr urine test for porphyria and this came back positive but has been listed as a false positive (with no discussion as to why and no obvious food/medication usage that could produce a false positive).
I have had two faecal calprotectin count which came back at 694 and 637.
I was under the care of a gastroenterologist, however they passed me over to colorectal and discharged me from their clinic as they didn’t feel they could provide any further help. Colorectal hasn’t been particularly helpful or proactive so far, the tests above were all done under gastroenterology.
**Other potentially relevant information:**
I have a diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, M.E., C.O.P.D and rheumatoid arthritis. The COPD is from having a weak immune system that causes cold to turn into chest infections, which has in turn caused extensive scaring and narrowing.
My blood tests consistently come back as anaemic with low folate and b12, this continues to drop despite taking supplements and usually ends up having to be given as an IV infusion. My renal function has a tendency to drop suddenly every few months with no obvious cause. I have no eosinophils or basophils in my blood count and my monocyte count is low at 0.11.
There is a family history of endometriosis (I have had a pelvic scan which came back clear bar a few ovary cysts), heart failure and kidney failure. I began taking the birth pill desogestrel aged 14 due to severe long heavy periods and cramps.
*Current medication includes:* Tapentadol 150mg x2, Ivabradine 5mg x2, cerazette .75mcg x1, montelukast 10mg x1, folic acid .5mcg x1 and Fostair steroid inhaler 100/6 2 puffs x3 a day.
I regularly have to go on a cycle of antihistamines (cetirizine), steroids (prednisone) and omalizumab/xolair injections after I began experiencing chronic hives and facial/mouth swelling. I have no idea what I am reacting to and am waiting for an allergy test. I do see a small improvement with my stomach issues when I am on steroids, the bleeding isn’t as heavy and the pain isn’t as intense. I am allergic to penicillin and shellfish.
Please, any help or advice would be massively appreciated. I feel like I’ve been left in limbo to deal with this on my own, despite the consultants and my gp being aware it’s getting worse rather than improving. My gp is frustrated as she feels it’s way over her head but is aware of the knock on effect this is having on my health and daily living. I do try to chase up trying to speak to someone from colorectal and they say they’ll get back to me but have so far failed to do so.
*Thank you for reading and potentially trying to help either way*
**ETA** thank you to those that have responded/reached out, I will be going through them properly tomorrow and I really appreciate people taking the time to respond.
I am completely open to anything that may help, whilst I feel like it’s not causing the bleeding I am aware that the GI tract and the mind can do weird things to each other, but even without this my other conditions and the impact they have on my life can be challenging, so I am on the waiting list for mental health counselling and have been for 14 months. Unfortunately the UK health system has become a very over-stretched service the last few years and this has had a massive impact on the care they provide. I do not come from a wealthy background but I have looked into saving up money for private healthcare, but they won’t take me on due to the other ongoing health problems. Equally private counselling has the same waiting time as the nhs in my area.
To those who have private messaged me calling me disgusting and those who see “red flags” in this story and so avoid giving advice;
that’s fine you are entitled to your opinion and this is exactly why I made a throwaway account. Yes the pictures are gross and yes I have had the usual tests with no conclusive result, I agree that this has been going on for a long time and is strange. With the bleeding and pain growing in frequency and hitting a wall trying to find something that may help, I felt that it couldn’t hurt to see if anyone else has some advice.
All of this is EXACTLY why I posted here.
I just want to change something about this all and improve my life, even if that means never getting a definitive answer but finding better ways to cope and manage the symptoms. I hope this clears some things up. Thanks.
| 453 |
Try asking for a pill cam to check your small intestines for Crohn's (they can't be seen on a colonoscopy or endoscopy). I hope you can get some proper treatment soon.
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AskDocs
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Please help. I’ve been very sick for 5 years and it’s just getting worse. Feels like I’m dying and scared to fall asleep
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39 year old female. Caucasian. Doesn’t drink, smoke or do drugs.
I’ve been sick for 5 years and it’s just getting worse. I feel so sick all the time and always in severe pain in my upper back and neck. It’s debilitating. I can’t stand for long. Sitting I get very uncomfortable after a little bit. I’m constantly clearing my chest of thick rust colour sputum, mucus plugs. Shortness of breath very easily. Can’t walk around or be active like I use to years ago. Walking up stairs is hard. Rashes on my eyebrows that seem to be symmetrical and the hair falls out, sometimes entire eyebrows fall out. Hands and feet become very itchy and then after itching a clear fluid filled boil forms on top layer of skin that bursts and then turns into a rash that hurts to the bone. Sores all over face. Please any help is so appreciated, I’m afraid to fall asleep at night because of how sick I feel. Testing and specialists seen in the past:
Lung specialist: did ct scan of chest in Jan 2018 and said it was clear
Rheumatologist: seen two, one dismissed me after looking at my fingers, the other one did Ana which was negative, they dismissed me after that
Cardiologist: heart tests didn’t show anything wrong
Neurologist: didn’t find anything
Sputum tests weren’t done properly so asked for a bronchoscopy so they could take a culture but they didn’t agree to it.
Ent specialist: did endoscopy and didn’t find anything
Asked for a biopsy of my rash but wasn’t given one.
When given antibiotics I seem to feel a little bit better not fully but a little better but once they are done I feel much worse again.
Went to hospital, was given and X-ray only and then told it’s clear to go home.
Sputum started as thick black but after different antibiotics it’s now always a brownish tanned thick sputum plugs
Rashes on the hands and feet stopped after many doses of various antibiotics. But still get the rashes on eyebrows and face. Deep breaths I feel the wheezing. Short of breath very easily. The clearing of thick dark sputum is constant to the point I can’t be out in public due to embarrassment of having to cough out sputum. Upper back pain is severe and constant. Tried nerve blocks but did not help. Pain is in my neck and it’s severe and stiff.
Sputum plugs it’s like I have to clear my chest and when I clear it with my throat these dark mucus plugs of sputum come out. Sometimes throat hurts and effects how I speak and sound.
| 272 |
What kind of testing has been done? What has been ruled out?
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AskDocs
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(17F) i was skateboarding and fell pretty badly against the asphalt.. need advice
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I've fallen many times before but this was quite bad... i was skating down a hill but it was slippery and i started zigzagging and fell. I rolled/flew/slid against the asphalt down the rest of the hill. nothing's broken but my skin on the hip is really scratched. my question - can it stay dirty? since the hill was wet it had mud n stuff. i showered and most came off, then i cleaned it with H2O2 (omg it hurt like a bitch) but i can't seem to get everything out. is it even dirt? it's not coming off so i was wondering what should i do? there's not much left so can i leave it like that?
-also english isn't my 1st language so i hope you can understand what i said lol
UPDATE: it's the next morning, it doesn't hurt as much but it's still red. and i don't think that's durt that i see, it looks like brown skin? lol idk.. mby someone can quickly add me on snap for the pic? im dumb ikd how to add a pic here
| 361 |
Wash it well (but gently) with soap and a lot of water and try to get all the dirt/debris out that you can. Put some antibiotic ointment on it and some big bandages. If it's really deep, if there's a lot of stuff in there that won't come out, or you notice the area around it getting red/hot/swollen, go to urgent care to have them take a look.
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AskDocs
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(33F) could you help me understand my stillbirth?
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I had a stillbirth at 33 weeks in 2017. One minute things were fine, and he did a big strange movement and he never moved again.
An autopsy was done and he was perfect. They studied the placenta and found that most likely a blood clot had appeared on the placenta, and because he did not have any sort of growth restriction, they assume that it was very sudden.
I am not very clear on this. The death happened as I was traveling to another country, and gave birth there but did not have follow on discussions with doctors. An amazing midwife shared the reports with me but as they are not in English - they are in French- my obstetrian did not really analyse them ( I am in the UK).
I was tested for blot clotting disorders, which came back clear.
I had a live birth in 2018, my "Triumph over my mental health" baby was born at 37 weeks, very small (2.4kg) and jaundiced but perfect.
I had another live birth in 2020, my "I am done after this" baby was born at 37+5 weeks. During this pregnancy was diagnosed with gestational diabetes ( first time I was tested) so was hospitalised for steroid shots prior to induction.
At that point I noticed reduced movement, and eventually they spotted that the baby was struggling through Braxon Hicks (heart decelerations and stopping) so they took her out. She was born also very small (2.5kg) but perfect.
I know most stillbirth are unexplained, but I wonder if the struggles that my 3rd baby went through were linked or caused by the issue that my first baby faced?
Could there be a link?
We are not planning on having another child so this is really to help me process everything that we went through. I can't help feel that I manage to save her (3rd baby) but failed him.
I appreciate that this information is all very vague, as you can probably guess I am not a health professional!
Many thanks in advance
Edit to add information :
Summary of baby autopsy:
CONCLUSION :
Foetus de sexe masculin eutrophe ne présentant pas de malformation viscérale.
L’examen histologique montre des lésions d’ischémie viscérales (reins, foie, surrénales, testicules, rate) des remaniements oedémateux et congestifs pulmonaires.
Au niveau encephalique, il existe une congestion méningée et un oedème cérébral .
Un trouble de l’hémodynamique foetal est à évoquer en priorité (hypoperfusion d’origine funiculaire ?)
A compléter par les données de l’examen placentaire 17t053788 ( lésions d’hypoxie ischémie villositaire avec lésions de réseau vasculaire foetal).
Link to placenta study: [placenta](https://imgur.com/a/kdY1VOw)
| 572 |
There are quite a few different issues to go through with this.
The first thing is that you appear to grow quite small babies. We know that those in the bottom 10 percent for growth are higher risk during the pregnancy. Obviously this doesn't mean they are all at risk in that bottom 10 percent, but some may be small for reasons to do with the placenta. It also means they are more likely to find physiological stress difficult (labour).
It may all be linked but it may not. There are other things to know, such as;
Do you smoke?
If so how many a day?
What is your BMI?
What is your and your partners heights?
Any blood pressure problems in the family?
Any blood pressure problems in your pregnancies?
Have you been on Aspirin in any of your pregnancies?
Any evidence of an autoimmune disease like Lupus?
Did you get gestational diabetes in the third pregnancy?
How is the growth of your children since delivery?
The post mortem from France may give further evidence as you can sometimes see issues with the placenta's formation and application in to the uterus that can cause an increased risk of still birth.
Abruptions are relatively freak events. They are higher in smokers and people with blood pressure issues, but sometimes they just occur out of the blue. It may be linked to your small babies, but it also might not be, it's difficult to say without further information, though I have an suspicion that there may be an element of pre-eclampisa there, but I am not able to prove anything further than this.
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I vomit everytime I sneeze
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29F, 5'7, 200 lbs, 115 mg methadone for seven years now, had high blood pressure since 13 but stopped taking medication for it 10 years ago and have had normal blood pressure since, I have always had issues with swallowing rice and bread and have noticed it's gotten much worse to the point of having to spit the food back out.
The sneezing has been going on for almost a year now. I don't sneeze a lot but everytime I do I gag and either I swallow the vomit down or I end up throwing it up right then and there. No time for toilet. The worst was after one of my sneezes I started throwing up so much that I couldn't breathe or talk but was fine after dramatically blowing my nose onto the floor while my friend had phone in hand too call 911.
I would love to see any opinions on what might be going on
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Not a doctor and not even close to qualified to speculate on the cause. I will say that a general rule of thumb is that once you need to change your lifestyle due to a medical issue, you really do need to see a physician. The difficulty swallowing rice/bread could be any number of things and the progression indicates that whatever the problem is, it's not resolving. Start with your PCP for a general exam and they could likely refer you to an ENT doc.
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Diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
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I am 41 male. Couple of week back I had a routine bloodwork done and it should I have high lymphocytes. My GP referred me to a hematologist and also to an intensive care doctors. Both did blood work again and both said I have chronic lymphocytic leukemia. I do not have any symptoms. My doc said that she would wait for another 6months and do a blood test to see how bad it might be.
Due to this I am becoming restless. Any advices??
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If you have to have a leukemia, this is the best one to have.
People live for a long time without much functional impairment. Many, like you, have no symptoms and it is found on bloodwork.
I think the best thing right now is to put it out of your mind. Live your life and take care of yourself for the next 6 months.
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Docs keep diagnosing me "overweight" for the symptoms I come in with. I'm 125 lbs. Can I get some reliable help over here?
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Female/ 23/ 5'4
Hey, so, the docs over here are absolutely pissing me off. I am having some serious issues and every time I come in, they keep writing it off as me being overweight.
The kicker? I only fluctuate between 120-130 lbs. My doctors have all been male. I'm not sure what else I am supposed to do so I thought I'd come here to see either what people think is wrong with me, ways to handle my symptoms, or both.
I'm not really sure how to go about this, but I guess I'll start with what I already know and was diagnosed with before recent situations. I've got ovarian cysts, anemia when on periods or three days before, I have mono relapses at least once every two years, have had a concussion within the last two years, am lactose intolerant, and I used to take medicine for hypo(hyper? Can't remember which)thyroid until bloodwork came back with it gone. I'm also diagnosed with depression, ADD, and PTSD. There's a possibility of any of my symptoms having to do with either of those, but I'm positive "overweight" isn't the issue.
Within the past year and a half (started before COVID), I've been dealing with dizzy spells and fainting spells, each one with terrible nausea that almost always ends up with me throwing up. I get a sharp pain behind my left eye right before each and I get a hot wash over me and my ears ring like crazy. If I am even slightly warmer than comfortable, I feel like I am going to pass out. A friend said that during this, even though my vision is black to me, she said my eyes sometimes stay open and my skin gets cold and clammy. The fainting spells can last anywhere from 1-6 minutes and then I throw up and feel a bit better.
Not as often but generally in the same time frame, I get abdominal pain on my left side not unlike a cyst popping but it's too high for the ovary. It can get hard to breathe at times and sometimes I feel like, when I'm about to faint, my heart flutters and it forces me to cough.
I have a swollen lymph node under my right arm that keeps getting brushed off as a byproduct of my frequent cases of mono, but it hurts even when I'm not ill with it. I don't know if that's normal with mono.
My diet is pretty mixed, generally only eating fast food when I've had to stay late to work and wouldn't feel like cooking when I get home. I'm not the healthiest eater,, but I do love fruits and bellpeppers so I eat them pretty often. I prefer flavored water (not sparkling) and have a Moutain Dew maybe three times a week or when I'm out with friends.
Exercise wise, I mainly take walks but if it's hot outside or if I get too worked up, I pass out so I don't do it as often as I probably should.
I don't smoke but have had second hand since I was a baby. I only drink alcohol socially so at the most 3 times a month. I don't smoke weed, but I have had Delta 8/9 tinctures.
I don't know how much of this is connected, or if any of it is even connected, but I keep passing out at work and no doctor is listening to me. I'm really scared at this point and feel like I can't get any help.
Edit:// I was writing stream of thought and forgot to mention that I get extremely thirsty after throwing up. Also, I can feel there's a difference between anemia fainting and whatever this is. The anemia just feels more dizzy and tired, like I just need to sit down. Whatever this is feels like a build up of hot pressure in my skull.
2nd Edit:// To mass answer a couple of comments about weight, I am wide set bone wise. My shoulders and hips are wider than average for women and it's not fat, I have a hard time finding women's shirts that fit my shoulders. I'm also pretty sure a good chunk of my weight is literally just breast mass. I am planning on getting a reduction on that end. I don't think that is why they would call me overweight but it's a possibility?
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How often are these episodes occurring? And you describe your vision being black? You are conscious during the fainting? Or did you say that meaning you not conscious?
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Please help me, 25M and I think I destroyed my lungs and doctors can’t seem to help.
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Hello, to sum it up here I have had a full constant ache underneath (behind) my lower left rib cage for a bout 4 years now. The pain often feels like a massive bubble behind there, and if I fully exhale hard, I can hear a rattle in my lungs right where the pain is. When the pain first started I was smoking marijuana and tobacco heavily out of a water bong, taking very very large “rips”. Over the 4 years the pain has progressively gotten worse. I’ve never had a cough or noticed any shoetness of breath. I’ve also never vomited. My diet has been bad my entire life, and the pain is nearly doubled if I attempt to drink alcohol... anyone have any ideas? I’ve seen around 12 doctors in 4 years having around 13 X-rays and two CT scans. They all say I’m normal and should stop worrying as I am healthy. Meanwhile most nights I’m crying in bed due to the pain. It is definitely worse when lying down. Please help..... anyone.
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You can indeed have consequences in your lungs of heavy marijuana use. Especially if you cough / Increase lung pressure.
BUT, as you’ve said, you have had a metric shit ton of radiologic exams that are normal. So, you should feel absolutely confident you didn’t fuck up your lungs.
The sensation you’re feeling is likely in your chest wall, and probably has nothing to do with being on the pot.
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How likely is it that a triplet is missed on an ultrasound?
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34f, 140 lbs, 5'7. No meds. No health issues. 1 prior pregnancy.
At my dating ultrasound I had nausea and vomiting and was unable to drink the required water to fill my bladder. To my surprise the ultrasound tech found two babies with strong heartbeats in separate sacs. Babies measuring 7w3d. The lady scanned around for a bit and took some photos. In a few of my photos, there appears to be a third sac to one side but not focused enough to see.
Today I'm 11 weeks. I have a home doppler and have found heartbeats. However one sounds weird like it's faster and overlapping/echoing with a quieter fast heartbeat? Now I'm paranoid that perhaps one baby was hiding behind the other during my early scan. Could not having a full bladder make it harder for her to see properly? I'll probably find out either way at my next scan in a few weeks but I'm impatient.
Also noticed my uterus seems to settle higher after lying down overnight. I can feel it at my belly button. Is this normal? While upright it settles much lower just above my groin.
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Quite unlikely, but it does happen from time to time. The US tech is trained to find all the anatomic parts that indicate an amniotic sac and a fetus. It's easier to miss things early on, but missing an entire fetus when it sounds like she was being quite thorough is pretty unlikely.
If I were you, I'd hold off on doing home Dopplers unless instructed to do so by your doctor. It will probably just stress you out. Without proper training, it's very hard to know what you're hearing. If you have any concern at all, it's very easy to get another US.
Even if you do have a third baby in there, it wouldn't change much that you should be doing now anyway.
Congratulations! Very exciting.
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How do I (29M) convince myself I’m not dead
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Right. I know how this sounds, I do. I was very depressed in 2018 and attempted suicide. I saw myself die, and my body being found before I came round twitching on the floor. Ever since then nothing has felt right, I’ve had this weird feeling that I’m dead, the world doesn’t feel real, things seem too coincidental to add up, things even look different in a way. Now I’m not crazy or daft, I know I’m alive, I know I’m here etc but I just can’t shake this feeling and it’s been years now. Obviously it’s not something I can tell anyone so I just keep it to myself and when I’ve looked it up I’ve only found a condition that has other symptoms that I don’t have so it’s not that. What’s wrong with me? How can I fix it?
EDIT: I’m well aware of the hypocrisy of this, which makes it all the more infuriating. The fact I’m even asking this PROVES not only am I not dead but I know I’m not. I can see this but despite that I’m absolutely convinced of it.
EDIT2: wow I didn’t expect such a response, thank you to everyone who replied. The general advice seems to be go to the doctor and see so I’m gonna try do that this week and maybe just show them this thread. It’s an overwhelming thought since everything just feels so unreal that I just doubt absolutely everything now and it’s messing my life up a bit, but the replies are right if I don’t seek help I’ll not get better.
| 737 |
Hi, I'm glad that you're still around. If you haven't done it yet, I suggest talking to a therapist/counselor/psychiatrist about feeling detached from reality/yourself. Depression does not simply go away, and this may yet be another facette... it's really nothing you are doing wrong, but rather some trick your brain chemistry may be playing. If your arm was broken, you'd see a doctor, and you deserve just the same care with any mental issue. A good evaluation to see if you would benefit from therapy with or without medication and for example ergo- or sports therapy would be a start. Wishing you the best!
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(53F) Physician-assisted suicide in the US for my aunt with Stage IV cancer
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My aunt has stage 4 metastatic cancer that has spread to her liver, kidneys, kinda everywhere except the brain is my understanding.
We are in Texas, USA. There is some kind of shortage of morphine here or something and we are not able to get outpatient hospice. She refuses to do inpatient.
She is wasting away and is in a lot of pain and it's hard to watch. She has fentanyl patches but they aren't cutting it and we are burning through her hydrocodone at an unsustainable rate. She has expressed interest in physician-assisted suicide and I would like to know what the quickest route would be to proceed legally.
My understanding is that the states that do allow it require residency. I don't know what that means in the literal sense (does she just need to rent a place and then she's ready to go, or does she need to be a resident for a period of time?). Any advice would be appreciated so I can at least give her options. She does have a bit of money and could travel to other countries if needed though I suspect she would prefer to be here in the USA.
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There is no route for physician assisted suicide in the most states in the United States, including Texas. There are a few states that have laws protecting limited types of cases, but in general, it's not something you are able to request. States that do allow it don't generally allow someone to move there and take advantage of the laws, although they aren't really what you're thinking.
The state I'm most familiar with is California, which I believe is one of the more liberal death with dignity laws. In CA, there is a two week waiting period before you can do anything (although there are efforts to get this to change). Similar restrictions exist in other states.
However, what you are describing is inadequate outpatient hospice pain management, not the need for physician assisted suicide (that's more for progressive disorders that do not result in death quickly). Cancer does not usually fall into this category.
Your aunt needs more pain medicine, and better control of her symptoms. If the outpatient hospice she is currently using is inadequate (sounds like it is), then you need to aggressively advocate for better care with her doctor. If that doesn't work, your only option is inpatient hospice.
What you're hoping for - a state or country that will just let her visit, receive a lethal dose of a medication, and be done with it - doesn't really exist. Trying to travel in the hopes of getting something different is very likely to result in more suffering.
I know it's hard to watch someone you love go through this. It sucks that our system doesn't make it easier to die comfortably and on your own terms.
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How do I convince my husband to bathe?
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My husband (36m) had a mental breakdown and got hospitalized. The doctors diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. The first few days after he was discharged from the hospital he seemed abnormally quiet. He didn’t speak much and he spend most days in bed. I’d bring him food in bed, give him his medication etc. After a week he started walking around the house and sometimes he’d have a visible boner (which bothers me because our daughter is 9 and I don’t want her exposed to that). After two weeks I asked him if he wanted to take a shower and change his clothes (he smells pretty bad). He nod his head “yes” but didn’t shower. The next morning I asked him again but he ignored me. I asked him again in the evening and out of nowhere he started crying and told me that his “mom” told him not to shower (his mom passed away years ago). I called his doctor and told him that he’s not bathing and he hears/sees his mom and they said there’s nothing they can do about that since he’s already taking his meds. How do I convince him to bathe or shower?! And how do I nicely tell him to hide his erections when he’s around our daughter without triggering him??
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He still sounds very unwell - this must be really tough for you, him, and your daughter. Where I work, we have community psych outreach teams who we could ask to do a home visit - do you have anything like that where you are? I would say this degree of poor functioning warrants medical input; I’d try to keep him from being readmitted if I could (with the aid of strong community input), but as a last resort I’d say readmission was better than having him at home without any medical support at all. It sounds like you’re doing such a compassionate job, but you need help to manage this.
I really hope you can get some support soon.
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Help! My doctor wants to take me off a medication I need to walk.
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I am at a loss as to what to do. About a year ago, I (M26) suddenly felt severe pain in between my legs (as if doing a split) that left me unable to walk. After doing every scan and test known to humankind, I started physical therapy a few months ago, which is helping, but slowly.
Two years ago I was diagnosed with very high prolactin, for which I am taking Cabergoline three times a week. I also have insomnia recently which I am aware can raise prolactin even more. One thing I have noticed for months is that some days my pain is so severe that I cannot get out of bed. I am in so much pain those days I cannot walk, I cannot concentrate even working from home, and I cannot do my physical therapy. These things in turn make me depressed and also make my sleep even worse. Other days my pain is much more manageable and I not only can I do my physical therapy but can often walk with a cane a block or more, and can do a fair amount of movement. I finally realized that the days I have more movement are the same days I take the Cabergoline when I wake up. The difference was very noticeable as soon as I figured this out.
I have never experienced any side effects from this medication but when I went to the doctor, not only does she not want to prescribe a higher dose, but wants me to go off the medication because it can sometimes cause heart problems after longtime use, at much higher doses. I am at a loss at what to do. She is concerned, understandably, about a small-medium chance of heart problems in the future, but without this medication that doesn't matter to me. If I can't walk, can't do physical therapy, and am in so much pain I can't exercise at all, the damage to both my physical and mental health would be severe.
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You didn’t mention the cause of the increased prolactin but i’m assuming it’s either a prolactinoma or pituitary adenoma. In either case, these are not known to cause excruciating pain. Vision problems, ED, gynecomastia, and headaches are the main side effects seen in men.
If you want an honest opinion, the physician probably has no idea what’s causing the pain, especially since all other tests are negative. That doesn’t mean they don’t believe you’re in pain. This is just a difficult case. My advice is asking your PCP what they think
about Gabapentin or an SNRI like Venlafaxine. Both can be used to treat chronic pain and SNRIs can also help with depressive symptoms. Sorry to hear about all this, wishing you the best.
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Had cervical smear last year. Found on my patient record, today, that I tested positive for HPV, but was never told.
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31F, 155cm tall, about 136lb, UK, non-smoker, drink occasionally
So as the title says, I went for my cervical smear last year. Got a letter a few weeks after saying everything was fine and normal, come back in 3 years yada yada yada.
Anyhoo I get my COVID jab at the weekend and in the UK they’ve now started telling people to download the nhs app to keep track of their vaccines, but on there also is your patient record.
So today I look through and I find that in my smear last year I tested positive for human papilloma virus (despite having the vaccine for it- I get it, it can still happen). But no one told me. No letter, no phone call- nothing.
I look it up. According to sites like cancer research uk, if you have a normal smear but show as positive for HPV, it’s considered high risk HPV and I should have another smear in a years time rather than the usual 3.
I called the doctors office. I’m currently waiting for a call back for my GP but I’m slightly freaked out. Is this normal? Shouldn’t I have been told? I’m worried because docs missed something with my dad and his cancer was delayed in getting treatment so I know errors like that can happen. I know I need to wait for my doctor to call me back but I suppose I just need a little reassurance.
EDIT: for some reason I’m not seeing comments, only ones on the auto post. Please don’t think I’m ignoring you. I promise I’m not.
EDIT: I’ve now spoken to my doctor and he’s booking me in for another cervical smear so it’s all on track now. No doubt I was worrying for nothing. Thank you everyone for your help.
| 810 |
I believe guidelines suggest more frequent PAP after this, youre correct. I dont think you need to freak out about it as many many of these cases go back to normal on their own, but agree that this may have been mishandled
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My 10-year old son has constant abdominal pain and we are completely at a loss
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My 10-year old son (normal weight) has celiac disease and we've been gluten-free for a few years now. He's had severe and constant abdominal pain for 2-3 years and the past few months it's been getting worse. He often can't walk, and he's missed months of school because of the pain.
The diagnosis is that his brain is somehow over-processing the pain that normal brains just ignore. There is no inflammation or physically-detectable clues. The pain is especially intense at night, and the second he wakes up the pain is there again. There is no reprieve throughout the day.
Doctors have had him psychologically evaluated, tested for autism, and had a social worker visit us occasionally to monitor our domestic situation. We're just a normal family. He's bright and well-adjusted, and gets hugs 100 times a day. No visible causes or signs of anxiety. The pain is really bad, though. He is in utter despair and has talked a few times about just stabbing himself and ending it all. Edit: I should add that he has a lot of nausea, and often says that he feels "odd" or fears that he's going to die from the pain.
He had an esophagogastroduodenoscopy done last week and his stomach and duodenum are fine; the pain is around his navel area.
We've tried to eliminate all kinds of food, but there's no change.
I'll be really happy for just any suggestion or idea.
Edit: Thank you so much for all the comments so far! I managed to get some great info. My apologies if I don't respond to your comment, but I do appreciate it!
| 462 |
Have you had him seen by a pediatric GI specialist? Had a colonoscopy to rule out Crohns or Colitis? Perhaps an allergist for other food allergies?
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I'm very, very sick with intestinal problems but can't leave my home to see a doctor because I have OCD. I haven't been outside in 2 years. Any suggestions?
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I'm a man. 41.5 years old. I'm a light smoker. I have Ulcerative Colitis and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. No current medications. I'm posting this from a throwaway account because I need to talk about things that might be personally identifying.
I'll try to condense this for the sake of brevity but that may prove difficult. I suffer from severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Started when I was 7. It's treatment-resistant. Tried years of therapy and a decade of every medication they could throw at me. In 2016 I was granted access to experimental brain surgery performed by a Harvard neurosurgeon as a last resort. It was ineffective. Because of my condition I don't leave my apartment and haven't been outside in almost 2 years. Also, I no longer wear clothing and have been naked since 2019. Yes, for real.
I also have Ulcerative Colitis. Was diagnosed at 12, treated, and went into remission. It came back later and I just lived with it but in recent years it's been out of control.
These days I'm very sick. I had a flare-up around 6 months ago and went totally down the tubes since. Most days I feel like I just want to lay down and die.
My colon/rectum has stopped working. It won't push on its own. There's no urgency to get to the toilet, just maybe a suggestion. In the morning when I sit down to go, it feels like it wants to empty but it's hitting some barrier or structural problem.
I push out as much as I'm able, then I need to put gloves on and use toilet paper to go up there and dig it out best I can. When I do so, I get blazing pain that shoots through my spine and down my legs. I feel pressure pushing up into my throat and sometimes burp acid. Sometimes I swear I can TASTE the poop.
Then I get in the shower and, using some soap while standing, put my fingers up there to open it up and drain what's left. Usually it's lots of mucus, but today something came out that looked like a piece of my intestines. It was a whitish, rubbery tissue. Like cartilage.
Afterwards, I spend the rest of the day with fever chills, joint pain, muscle aches, blurry/spotted vision, muffled hearing, throbbing intestines, and a feeling like I'm going to fall over at any second. Later, for a portion of the night, my intestines are on fire with a feeling of my rectum being as big as a brick house. Joint pain/chills usually continue.
It will subside by morning at which point it's time to poop and rip it open again. The cycle starts all over.
There are other symptoms. It's affecting my urinary tract too and putting pressure. My prostate and testicles ache. Sometimes I can't pee or feel the urge to pee when I don't need to. Partial erectile dysfunction/loss of sensation in my penis some days or no shooting pressure behind ejaculation. It just dribbles out.
I worry that I might have cancer or something. My Great grandfather died from rectal cancer. My grandfather died from stomach cancer. It runs in the family.
I don't know what to do. I'm so sick but I can't get out. Physically I *could* but my brain won't let me. Do you have any suggestions for me? What is done for people like myself? Are there doctors that might come to my house to talk to me? Might it be possible to have me sedated or knocked out so I won't care and transported in an ambulance to a hospital or somewhere for treatment or a scan to see what's up there? I live on disability and get Medicare.
I'm getting desperate. PLEASE don't tell me "just go to the doctor." I CAN'T. The OCD demons won't let me. Yes, I know this sounds dangerous. Yes, I know whatever is going on might eventually kill me. Yes, I know it's important to be treated. My hands are tied psychologically.
**EDIT:** There are so many wonderful, supportive comments here from both the helpful average person and actual doctors. I want to reply to all of them but tonight I am, unsurprisingly, very unwell with chills and pain. I need sleep badly.
It seems that 911 is my only practical option. I want to do this, but will need to prepare, have my mother present, or maybe see if I can get a medical professional involved on my behalf. As one person pointed out, I'm concerned about the cops being involved and the situation getting out of control. You know, they see a mentally ill, strange, naked man acting irrationally and they might treat me like they would a violent addict or take it as a threat if I have an anxiety meltdown. This could be potentially disastrous. I must tread carefully.
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Obviously you really need to see a physician and have a colonoscopy performed. Unfortunately it’s an impossible situation. I think at minimum try to find a gastroenterologist that does telemedicine, should be a lot now with the pandemic. At least then they might be able to treat empirically for a flair but they’d be unable to assess for any complications of UC without a colonoscopy
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I have a light bulb stuck in my mouth.
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Update: On my way to hospital. I live in the middle of nowhere so it’ll be a while.
Update 2: Doctors have no fucking clue what to do. They gave me muscle relaxers and I think pain meds. Will be taking an ambulance to a better hospital. Fuck my life.
Update 3: Doctors decided what comes in must come out as the simplest solution. They injected shit into my face that made me numb, then forced my jaw open as wide as they could, and then propped it open. 2 nurses held my head as still as possible while the lightbulb was carefully removed. I will have a sore jaw for a couple days but I’ll be fine. Thank you for convincing me to go to the doctor, as I literally had planned to just yank it out and see what happens.
I’m a man, Hispanic, 17, 180 pounds, 5’8. It fit in all right but now I can’t pull it out, and I’m scared if I yank it hard it will break and I’ll cut myself. How do I get out of this one without going to a doctors office? My jaw is starting to hurt as I’m opening wide to prevent my mouth form crushing it.
| 1,875 |
Just go into the ER. They may be able to give you muscle relaxers and pain meds to relax your jaw before pulling it out without breaking it
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AskDocs
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Stuck Myself on a syringe someone left in my yard
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32M 5.5ft 135lbs
[https://imgur.com/a/tGUPr1z](https://imgur.com/a/tGUPr1z)
What is this? There is a little bit of clear fluid in it. I didn't see any blood on it. Why are there no markings on the syringe? I am having a panic attack. I have an appointment booked in a few hours at an urgent care. Should I bring the needle?
| 612 |
If you stuck yourself and had any bleeding, wash the area thoroughly. Don't scrub, just run soap and running water. You should go to an ER, not urgent care. Bring the needle in the hopes that they can test it, but the assumption before testing has to be that it *might* carry an infectious disease, and you need appropriate treatment.
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AskDocs
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Infection on my neck thats been there for years and apparently no one knows what it is.
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When I was sixteen I got a haircut and it started to form bumps around the lining of the back of my neck. It ended up evolving to become so bad I actually had to get admitted to the children's hospital and have surgery to drain the abscess. I went for a couple years to a dermatologist for check ups and they always said they didn't know what it was and why it's been there so long and just changed out my antibiotics which never seemed to work. I eventually stopped going because I didn't have insurance anymore and nothing worked and now here I am 22 years old and it's still here although no where near as bad. But I have a horrible scar and blood and pus still leak out from where the infection started. I really need help with this because I hate going out without a jacket to cover up my neck and can't even get a haircut because no one wants to cut the hair of someone with an infection on their head.
I'm 22M, 6'3", 220lbs, black, take no medication, nor do I smoke, drink, or do any illegal substances.
| 405 |
See a dermatologist. Sounds like there's a cyst back there that has been continually draining. Will likely require excision of some kind, but obviously can't say more without an examination of the area.
| 386 |
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What happened to my dad?
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I’ll try and keep this short without skipping too many details. My dad is a 56 year old man. Over 200lbs and 5’9.
Yesterday afternoon he was outside doing yard work. My sister noticed he started staring off, like he was confused or something. She asked him if he was ok. He didn’t respond. She sat him down and tried talking to him, he wouldn’t respond. She called 911 and he was taken to the hospital.
Now here’s where it gets weird .. he became violent. They couldn’t control him. He was screaming. Fighting them etc. Completely unlike him. When they got him to the hospital they had to get 3 security guards to hold him down. He kept ripping his IV out and screaming. He then began vomiting and moaning in pain. When they tried talking to him, he wouldn’t speak. When my mom got there he started swearing at her and wouldn’t talk to her either. He was still completely freaking out.
My dad had a few mini strokes a couple years back. They did a Scan and said it wasn’t a stroke.. however his neurologist apparently told him he may have cadasil syndrome. But the ER docs didn’t think so. They said he had higher levels of ammonia in his liver but not high enough to explain his behaviour. Fast forward to this morning, he was basically his normal self again. He has no memory of what happened yesterday. They released him today because he was stable and they told him to follow up with his family doctor and they can’t explain what happened to him. We’re all so confused and concerned. He takes Effexor and has for over 20 years. They did lots of blood work. No drugs or alcohol in his system. Thoughts ??
| 559 |
Did he get an MRI brain or just a CT? CVA (stroke) remains on the differential as CT cannot exclude the diagnosis and your fathers history is concerning.
They come up for a reason for his previous TIA/mini strokes?
| 214 |
AskDocs
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Update about my 13 year old with a concussion and neck injury.
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I had posted a few times asking questions about my 13 year old daughter that slammed the back of her head on the concrete floor and subsequently had stroke like symptoms and intermittent neurological issues back in January. All symptoms were post stroke symptoms.
I am sharing this in hopes no other child goes through what my daughter did. Believe your patients and children.
TL:DR. Her CTA from January 15th was read as normal. It actually shows some sort of malformation or artery tortuosity. After 6 months of being told her symptoms are psychological, we now have proof that she has artery compression as it is a “blob” of vessels surrounding her c1 and c2. We need to see a vascular specialist and get updated imaging next. Her neurologist believes her whiplash injury caused instability, which then caused compression on the vertebral artery because of how it’s passing through the c1 and c2. She also is suspected of LoeyDietz syndrome, waiting to see a geneticist.
She first developed a head twitch forcing her head left, neck pain, leg pain, blood pooling in her feet, nygstamus, extreme fatigue, intermittent pupil dilation, intermittent partial horners syndrome, now she has developed POTS symptoms.
Multiple doctors pediatric neurologist, orthopedic surgeon, pediatric cardiologist, rheumatologist, multiple ER doctors, all pegged her with conversion disorder. Even though I had video proof of her symptoms and many could be duplicated by holding her head in certain positions. I sat in the ER and begged them to closely check her neck, as she had so many signs of some sort of artery compression. I was flat out told no she is doing the twitching on purpose and a social worker was brought in and I was accused of MHBP. That’s the last time I took her to the ER.
Her first neurologist discharged us as a patient when I sent a video of her partial horners acting up and asked what might be the cause of this and that I understood her imaging was normal but I didn’t understand why this was happening 6 weeks post injury.
We were told “she’s a teenage girl, it’s common with them, she’s doing it for attention, she is faking, there is no physical reason for her issues and pain”. Told me to get off Google, nothing is wrong with her. Did a second opinion through our insurance and was told it’s “probably stress from school, put her on amitriptyline”. She now has extreme fear of doctors and lies about her pain and symptoms because no one believed her.
I found a PT to work with her neck, as she couldn’t hold her head up and was starting to have posture issues. As her neck got stronger, her symptoms decreased. I fell in the rabbit hole of Facebook groups. Bounced from concussion groups, to connective tissue disorder groups, craniocervical instability groups. A wonderful stranger read one of my post and asked to look at her imaging. He reviewed her CTA from January and asked me what they said about her abnormal arteries around her c1/c2.
| 685 |
Thanks for the update, OP. Best of luck for you and your daughter.
Locking in the absence of any further questions.
| 1 |
AskDocs
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Struck by lightning?
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15M, 6ft, 160. No allergies, no major medical history. Meds: vitamins
My son and his 3 friends were running to the car after football practice today. It has been raining all night and morning, so the parking lot was flooded.
Lightening struck the parking lot and all 3 of them were knocked over. He said it was very loud and he thinks it was maybe 5-10 yards away? He said just before it happened the hair on his arms and neck stood up. They all were knocked to the ground, he landed backwards on his back, and then he couldn’t hear for about 30 seconds afterwards.
He feels fine, and swears they weren’t struck by lightening. I’m not so sure..
Do I just monitor him for electric shock symptoms? Anything major to be worried about?
| 575 |
Highest risk would be them getting shocked and sent into v-fib, which obviously isn’t the case. Next up concerns would be neurological damage if electricity traveled along nerves, and then burns along any path that electricity might have traveled through the body (including internal pathways). Surface burns would have a Lichtenberg pattern. There’s also some risk in an indirect strike of electricity going up one leg and down the other if that is the path of least resistance. Hearing damage might be a concern too, but that’s outside my scope of knowledge. I’d guess nothing long term tho, maybe some tinnitus in the short term.
Doesn’t sound like they’ve got anything like this going on. I’d say they’re fine.
| 421 |
AskDocs
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Red splotchy skin around ankle. Started as a small dot and has grown a lot in the last few years. My doctor brushed it off, just want second opinions.
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I’m a 25/F. I’m 5’5” and weigh around 112lbs. I live in Canada. No health problems that I am aware of.
I’ve had this splotchy, red skin on my ankle for a few years. It started small and is now starting to wrap around my ankle. It doesn’t hurt, but you can definitely feel the difference in skin texture. It also feels thinner in that if I were to pinch it, it hurts a lot more than just doing that on regular skin.
I went to the doctor for it before and he brushed it off saying it was fine. Okay, cool. But I’d rather my whole leg not become a red splotchy mess.
Any ideas of what this could be?
https://imgur.com/a/MiFq2lO
| 262 |
Lichen planus
| 160 |
AskDocs
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[4M] Rare Chromosome Disorder… now what?
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I’m 31F, and my husband is 29M. We have a 4 year old son.
Our son is physically healthy other than the fact that he was born early at 34 weeks and was stuck in the NICU with jaundice for 2.5 weeks. He exhibited developmental delays with walking and talking. We had known for some time that something wasn’t right, but it took us nearly 3 years before we finally started getting answers. Our son was diagnosed with autism (level 2) and mixed receptive-expressive language disorder a bit over two months ago. His neurodevelopmental pediatrician also sent for genetic testing to determine whether his autism may be a result of genetic abnormalities.
The screen for Fragile X came back negative, but the chromosomal microarray showed what they believe is 15q13.3 microduplication syndrome.
I have looked all over the place and I’m seeing very little information about it. It seems that there is a lot of information out there on 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome, and his doctor said that sometimes duplications can behave like deletions, but otherwise I’m really struggling to find information. The doctor said that this syndrome is rare so there’s just not a lot of research out there on it.
This is a long shot, but I’m hoping that maybe someone here has heard of this and can help me understand what is happening, how rare this actually is, and what we can expect going forward. Because the tiny amount of information I HAVE found just basically says “we don’t know; all kinds of things can happen.” I’m honestly scared to death. As a mom, I want to do everything I can to take care of my child, but this is something I have no control over. We are supposed to be seeing a geneticist at some point but haven’t gotten the referral yet.
I don’t really know what I’m asking exactly. Just literally any information. Anything.
| 377 |
A referral to a boarded pediatric geneticist who can look at the individual mutations in the context of your sons medical history is really the only way you’re going to get the clear and appropriate answer here. Do you live anywhere near a big academic children’s hospital?
| 245 |
AskDocs
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I get physically sick if I eat healthy for too long and have to have junk food to feel better, what is this?
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**22, Female, Moderately Active, No Health Issues,:** This year I decided I was going to stop eating junk foods and eat clean. 6 days a week, I cook at home and have two vegetables and a meat for lunch/dinner and eggs, a banana and a avocado for breakfast. I don't use any salt, or butter on my food and I only drink water. (no coffee, gatorade, juice,) On Fridays, I'm more lenient with my intake. I might have a glass of wine or a hamburger and fries. I've been doing this for about five months now. I've noticed that around every 3-4 weeks, I'll get really nauseous one day, my head will start to ache and my body will just feel just blah. I've realized that if I'll get a burger and fries, my headache and stomach ache will go away and I'll feel 100x better. After that spell, I continue to eat my regular routine until another month or so when I'm feeling horrible again and will need to have burger and fries. Am I going through salt and sugar withdrawals? I don't understand why . Shouldn't my body be used to my eating habits by now?
TL;DR; I get physically sick when I eat healthy foods and have to eat junk foods to feel better
| 431 |
An absolutely salt free diet will not be sustainable, you need everything in moderation.
| 761 |
AskDocs
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Can anyone explain why once I see a GI doc, no other GI docs will see me?
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36M
My current GI isn't ideal for me. He made fun of me for being anxious. He dilated my esophagus so far (used maximum dilator) I couldn't eat for almost a month, they denied what they did had anything to do with it. I don't care for his ego. I hate that he won't explain anything to me and everything I ask is either "nope won't show anything" or "you need a colonoscopy".
I've tried to go to other GI's but nobody will see me. Been to three different GP's and they all say the same thing, once one GI see's you others won't.
WTF? Is there some kind of GI cult in the South Eastern US? I have no idea what to do.... I just want to know why this is even a thing.
| 399 |
I've never encountered this, and I work closely with quite a few GIs in the SE US. But interested in what others have to say!
(I'm always happy for my patients to get a second opinion and encourage it for serious matters if they are at all uneasy about a treatment plan!)
| 279 |
AskDocs
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Just got out of surgery and am worried, surgeon made at least one mistake, I don't know what to do
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I am a 38 yo male in Boston at a well known hospital. I just came out of my sphincter expansion pharyngoplasty looking like this:
https://i.ibb.co/9ysnV31/IMG-20210611-192039386-2.jpg
The nurses say they burned my lips with the cauterization tool by mistake, and have started me on a course of antibiotics because of it. I have no idea how serious an injury this even might be? Is it nothing to worry about or could it cause problems down the road? They aren't telling me anything meaningful.
On top of that, my doctor left after the surgery before I was out from under the effects of anesthesia, so I didnt get to follow up with him in person. I pushed for a while and they finally got him on the phone. But it talks to hurt so this really wasn't ideal. In addition to asking about the burn, I also brought up another issue:
Prior to the call, a nurse mentioned that he had removed my uvula (and visually checked to confirm so) and that was part of why I was having trouble swallowing water without it coming out my nose - except the doctor had specifically told me multiple times he would not be removing my uvula. I had asked when the surgery was first proposed, asked again later on, asked again when I realized the surgery was being recorded as a different surgical procedure including a uvulectomy (the doctor said this was normal and necessary for insurance purposes and I could ignore it, it wasn't going to happen) and then again immediately before the surgery. Every time he reassured me it would not be removed.
On the phone he said he had meant all those times that he wasnt going to remove the WHOLE thing, but removing a chunk of it had always been on the table and we must have miscommunicated somewhere. Which seems absurd to me, he could have easily answered that they would remove part of it, and nothing in the literature suggests ANY of it being removed, he always just denied it would be removed and said no more.
Overall, the experience has not been a good one, and I don't trust that there wasn't more accidental damage of some sort done. Is the chunk taken out of my tongue intentional? Are the bits in back even done in a way thats going to help with the underlying apnea? Were they supposed to remove part of my tongue? Should I follow this up by getting an examination by another doctor?
I am worried and scared and don't know what if anything I should be doing now.
To top it all off, as I was writing this the nurse just tried to give me the wrong dose (300mg instead of 450mg) of the wrong formulation (buproprion vs buproprion xl) of the wrong medication at the wrong time (I am supposed to take guanfacine, which he was unaware of, in the evening, and the buproprion in the morning)
I literally gave them a written prescription list with amounts and formulations and all that prior to the surgery, as it was one of their items to bring. I also went over the list with two different people. And they still managed to mess it up?
I am fucking terrified at this point.
| 660 |
I'm not a surgeon. But my understanding is that lip injuries that don't involve the Vermillion border (the part where your facial skin becomes lip) generally heal very well.
| 394 |
AskDocs
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Fingers, Toes turning black and rotting off. Desperate for answers! Also hematology and rheumatology blood results and symptoms that no doctors can explain.
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I can't embed images here, so I made a pdf with all text, pictures, and labs. [https://www.scribd.com/document/511582218/askdocs-pdf?secret\_password=VqmaLuJA0tGw5bGE5xYp](https://www.scribd.com/document/511582218/askdocs-pdf?secret_password=VqmaLuJA0tGw5bGE5xYp) It will be much easier to read the whole thing there, with the images embedded, but I will copy the text here.
&#x200B;
36F, 5’5, 115 lb, white. Primary complaint = fingers and toes turning black and rotten (pictures included).
Existing issues = random red cell destruction without cause, random platelet destruction without cause, swellings and rashes (labs and pictures included). Medications = iron supplement. Occasional Claritin, Advil, Prednisone. No medication right now. No recreational drugs or smoking. Rare/light alcohol (an occasional drink on holidays or weddings)
1. Rotten Fingers.
My left thumb got a blood blister so I put Neosporin and gauze on it. The pain became so intense that I went 72 hours without sleep. I went to urgent care, who removed the bandage. The thumb was very swollen and the top third was black and crusty.
(picture)
They sent me to the Emergency Room, where they removed the upper half of the thumb. The pain completely went away, it was just a little sore and itchy.
But a few days later, all the other fingers and 8 of the toes started turning black.
(pictures)
That’s the hand with the original bad thumb. The pinkie has a blood blister, the index and ring fingers are turning black and crusting at the very top under the nail, and the middle finger is just inky blue/black without any crustiness or blisters. The left picture was taken a day after the right one.
Right Hand: no crustiness or blisters. The fingers are just dark. The index finger is getting kind of gooey (last picture).
(pictures)
Toes look blacker than fingers but not crusty. All but the two smallest toes on right foot are turning black.
The ER doctors were very kind but nobody knew why my thumb turned black and rotten.
**Now here are all the other weird symptoms and bloodtests that doctors can’t explain. None of it seemed like a big deal untl fingers started rotting.**
**2.** **Rotting Blood**
For years my annual bloodwork showed I was anemic. For example
(picture)
But I had no symptoms of anemia other than feeling cold, so my NP said being anemic was just “my normal” and prescribed an iron supplement.
Two or three times a year, I would get symptoms of extreme exhaustion that would last a few weeks. Most of the time, I felt healthy. But for those weeks, I would sleep the entire weekend, wake up Monday, stumble brain dead through the workday, then get home and fall right back asleep. After a few weeks, I’d start to get better. For years, my NP said it was nothing, just a virus. But I never felt sick, just exhausted.
Then a doctor saw me while it was happening. As soon as she saw me, she took my vitals, looked at my eyes, and said, “this isn’t all in your head. We need to take your blood.”
Here were those blood results
(picture)
It turns out that the exhaustion is because my blood starts rotting a few times a year.
I went to hematology. They tested me for every possible cause of blood destruction. But everything was normal.
Tests included DAT/Coombs negative, PNH w/ FLAER “no flow cytometric evidence of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria” “No evidence of aberrant loss of GPI-linked markers tested in erythroid or leukocyte populations. Anti-CD45, glycophorin A, CD59, CD24, CD15, CD64, and FLAER tested.” Complement: C3C, C4C normal, CH50 high (>60). Cold hemagluttinins: “none detected”, G6PD - high (>21.00). No hereditary spherocytosis or elliptocytosis. Infections negative. Blood cultures normal.
I can post the tests if anyone needs to see them.
**3.** **Bruises and Rotting Platelets**
Normally I don’t bruise any more than most people. But once in a while, I get bruises everywhere. My bra, underwear, and socks all leave big bruises. They’re painless and go away in a couple weeks so I never worried about it. But when a doctor saw and tested, it turned out there were almost no platelets.
The picture shows the bruising left by a loose sock. My whole shins were just big bruises that followed the pattern of the sock elastic.
(picture)
In a few weeks they were back up to 40 and the bruises were gone.
Hematologist found no reason for platelets to suddenly drop like this.
They checked for cancers and even took bone marrow but no answers.
(picture)
All the bone marrow tests like fish and genetics were normal.
**4.** **Symptoms that Seem Autoimmune but Have No Rheumatologic Cause.**
Sometimes I get rashes and swellings that doctors think is autoimmune
(pictures)
Rheumatology has tested EVERYTHING again and again. Sedimentation rate, ferritin, and CRP are always high. But nothing else is usually abnormal.
(pictures)
They biopsied some of the rashes and purpuras (which I don’t have pictures of, they’re just little painless red spots that sometimes break out on my legs). They all showed the same thing, “leukocyto elastic vasculitis”. Here’s one.
(picture)
But every other type of test for vasculitis has been negative. Nobody has explained why someone healthy and pretty young like me should have ‘chronic venous insufficiency’ either.
I have only had one round of tests where there were any abnormal autoimmune results:
(picture)
But these things were only abnormal that ONE TIME. Rheumatology has re-tested them so many more times and they are always normal. They have tested for every other autoimmune disease and they are all normal.
The only rheumatology tests that are often abnormal are sediment rate, creactive, and ferritin being high. Ddimer and visc is sometimes high but not usually. PT, INR, and ptt are sometimes high too.
(picture)
They don’t think it’s cryoglobinemia because it was only positive once and negative a lot more times. Also, my C4 was always high or normal and my C3 was always normal, even in the test where there was cryoglobulin.
(picture)
The only other thing off on the bloodwork is subclinical hypothyroid. TSH is high, but T3 and 4 are low normal. I have no symptoms of hypothyroid other than being cold. And the cold could be from anemia.
**Please, does anybody know what this all means?**
I had accepted the lack of answers when it was just random blood rotting, swelling, and rashes. I know the doctors tried hard. I could live with all that stuff.
But these black fingers, I can’t live with it. It hurts too much.
It feels like someone as healthy as me shouldn’t have all these symptoms unless it’s connected somehow. But nobody knows how. Rheumatology thinks the rotten blood is not autoimmune because Coombs and other autoimmune tests are always normal. But hematology says if it’s not autoimmune, then there’s no other answers.
So far, I have no autoimmune diagnoses but doctors still act like I have something autoimmune.
Monday I will see my NP and can ask for any tests anybody recommends.
**IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO FOR THE FINGERS AND TOES? TO MAKE THE BLACK GO AWAY OR MAKE THEM STOP HURTING?**
I already tried asking a pain forum for tips, but I got a nasty message (“Your complaining about 2 weeks of hurt fingers! Do you understand that we have pain that is severe, intractable and forever*?* I have ddd and a herniated L5-S1 disc. I am in 10/10 agony beyond your imagination. Your hurty finger is a joke. Suck it up buttercup”) so I deleted it and won’t ask for help from patients again.
I hope doctors will be more understanding. *I get it*, that there are other people who have it much, much worse. But I don’t have chronic pain so I never developed a high pain tolerance. Typing this is killing me. I’ve had a broken bones, a vaginal delivery, wisdom tooth surgery, and swollen joints, but none of those hurt that bad. When I’ve broken a bone, it’s only been blindingly painful for ten or fifteen minutes, then it settles down. Then a few days of throbbing and aching that’s relieved with rest and Advil.
This is the first time I’ve had pain that Advil can’t relieve and that doesn’t settle down with time or rest. I know other people with bad backs or arthritis have it worse. I don’t need to be told that. But *for me*, this is too much.
**What can cause this?**
The doctors seem confident that it’s *not* just psychological.
But I can’t shake the fact that I get more symptoms when I’m sad or stressed. I don’t have any chronic mental illnesses, but I go through short periods of feeling down or anxious. At the hospital, I held it together when they took off the black thumb. I told myself that it was ok, that the pain was finally gone, that half a thumb isn’t that important, that it’s my non-dominant hand, that I don’t need a full left thumb to type or do most activities. When I got home, I was so happy to be pain free and I had so much to catch up on, I just didn’t think about it. But then I looked at the discharge paperwork and saw that under “Reason For Visit,” they wrote “GANGRENE, WET”. I knew that the thumb wasn’t good, but seeing it called “GANGRENE” made me feel so repulsive and sad. I spent 10 or 15 minutes just crying.
It was right after that little breakdown that all the other fingers started hurting and turning black. Could all that crying have caused it?
There’s also an odd discrepancy. My black fingers hurt so much but my black toes don’t hurt at all. How is that possible unless the pain is all in my head?
I am desperate for answers or relief if anyone can help. **Thank you to anyone who has read this far.**
TL-DR: What causes rotting fingers, rotting blood, rotting platelets, leukocyto elastic vasculitis, swelling, rashes, purpuras, and maybe subclinical hypothyroidism but without showing up on normal blood tests for autoimmune or other diseases?
| 843 |
This is beyond the scope of all but the most seasoned hematologists and rheumatologists. It MUST be rheumatologic or a bone marrow disorder, nothing else fits all the symptoms. You should be referred out to Mayo Clinic or John’s Hopkins or something. I would say the rapid progressions warrants an inpatient workup until a cause or treatment can be found. If those fingers/toes get infected you could get septic pretty quick.
Some type of small vessel vasculitis fits best, but they’ve tested for all the obvious culprits so it’s hard to say why nothing has been found yet. It’s definitely not in your head, but it’s no surprise that stress makes the symptoms worse. Stress makes a lot of things worse.
I wish I could offer you more, but this definitely isn’t my field of practice. Hopefully someone else has some ideas.
| 806 |
AskDocs
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I can't control my pain, but doctors think I'm drug seeking?
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32 (ftm) 158 lbs. I've had escalating bladder and urethral pain for months. My doctors don't seem to be taking it seriously. I'm the one asking for further testing while they keep repeatedly doing UTI and STD tests over and over that come back negative every time. The pain was and is severe. It feels like a hot rusty BBQ skewer being jabbed up my urethra into my bladder. Even when it calms down, it feels like my bladder and Urethra are on fire. All I can think about it the pain. It makes me want to cry. I just see my bladder in my head all the time. It's like it's an image in front of everything I do. Some days I can't even get off the toilet because my urethra is only relieved if I'm pressing down like you would to expell urine.
I've changed my diet. I avoid anything spicy, acidic, carbonated etc. Anything that could irritate my bladder. I've tried Tylenol, ibuprofen and phenazopyridine and none of them do anything. I went to the ER a few weeks ago and they did a sonogram of my uterus and bladder and said it was normal. They prescribed me oxycodone/acetaminophen 5-325. Which barely took the edge off the pain. I'd get breakthrough pain a half hour after taking a pill.
I have a few leftover hydromorphone 2mg pills from a surgery. But I'm scared to use them unless my pain gets above a 7 or 8 because I'm terrified of being in that much pain again and doctors doing nothing. When I take one, I even cut it in half to ration it.
I saw a urologist on my own after my pcp was doing nothing for a month with my complaints. I demanded a kidney renal and a cystoscopy. She thought it was unnecessary but then blood came back in my urine and she changed her tune. My kidney renal came back normal.
She put me on amitriptyline. I haven't noticed any significant difference in my pain. I ran out of the oxycodone and I told my pcp office. The nurse there sounded angry and said I was seeking opioid instead of solutions. But my cystoscopy I DEMANDED is 3 months away and I'm in *agony* now.
I called the urologist office and she felt offended that I was saying her amitriptyline prescription wasn't good enough. I asked her how long it takes to work and she said two weeks. And I said what am I supposed to suffer in agony for two weeks? And she said are you saying you want to stop the amitriptyline? And I said no, I'm asking a urologist how to handle extreme bladder pain for 2 weeks while I wait for it to work. She told me to go on the interstitial cystitis diet and I said I already was. Then she told me to drink warm water and baking soda. So I went to the grocery store and bought some baking soda. I tried drinking it in warm water and literally gagged and choked and spat it out. And the amount that did make it down, gave me horrible sour stomach and I felt dizzy and had to lie down.
I also wanted to add that I asked the urologist to refer me to a surgeon for a laparoscopy to check for endometriosis. I hate so fucking bad that I'm the only one who seems to be working on getting a diagnosis. It makes me feel like a shit on the bottom of these doctors shoes. They don't believe my pain and they don't seem to care about my mystery illness.
Edit: I tried Marijuana I got from a friend, and while it helped the pain, I didn't like feeling high. And I also can not smoke while I'm working and the pain came right back when i came down so I'd literally have to be high all the time for it to control it.
| 473 |
Do you live in a large city that has a clinic specializing in transgender patients?
Your transition likely has nothing to do with your pain and I don't like to assume motives, but transgender patients historically run into barriers being seen and taken seriously by some physicians. It sucks and I can't imagine how frustrating it is to have to guess if your doctor is dismissive because they don't like who you are vs because they don't think you have a major issue. Specialty clinics will likely have a list of physicians they've vetted as trustworthy that can take that question out of the equation.
I'm nowhere near qualified to speculate on the cause. I'm so sorry you're going through this.
| 216 |
AskDocs
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Abnormal vaginal discharge. What is this?
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I [F23] had this large clump of abnormal discharge come out. Photos (NSFW/L): [Imgur](https://imgur.com/a/szOOwcD)
I’m not sure if it’s flesh but the texture doesn’t seem so. I was suffering a bad yeast infection which started last week so I decided to take a boric acid suppository 3 days ago. The symptoms have stopped since the day I took the suppository. I had smaller clumps of discharge yesterday but nothing that was worrying as I assume it is the yeast being purged. My period started today and this afternoon I could feel something strange had expelled, this is what I found (refer to photos). I’m in no pain, itching or discomfort, there’s no symptoms whatsoever. Currently I am curious as to what exactly this is, the size (biggest piece was about 6cm in length) and ridges of it has me confused although I’m still assuming it is just yeast. I would like to know your medical opinions regarding what it is and if I should seek further medical examination? Thanks in advance!
| 509 |
As others have said, it does appear most like a decidual cast (though drier than most). Are you on a hormonal birth control or recently start one? Sexually active?
I'd appreciate a weigh in from either Gynecology or Family Medicine though if one happens to come along (especially in regards to follow-up). In the ED I would send folks back to their PCP as it's no emergency...
| 316 |
AskDocs
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Was trying to piss with a boner, I slightly pushed down to adjust my aim and heard a pop/ snap noise then piss started coming out uncontrollably now my penis is very swore. I am 18 male 6'2 white trying to sleep with a very swore penis
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Age
Sex
Height
Weight
Race
Duration of complaint
Location
Any existing relevant medical issues
Current medications
Include a photo if relevant
| 373 |
Usual disclaimer: no one can provide specific medical advice for a person or condition without an in-person interview and physical examination, and a review of the available medical records and recent and past testing. This comment is for general information purposes only, and not intended to provide medical advice. No physician-patient relationship is implied or established.
This vignette is concerning for a penile fracture.
Penile fractures can lead to permanent disfigurement and inability to achieve an erection. Generally, they are treated with emergency surgery. An immediate evaluation by a physician is warranted.
| 452 |
AskDocs
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Missing vision spot appeared in my left eye
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I have a small missing spot in the vision of my left eye, that first appeared 22 hours ago. It reminds me of if you just saw a small but really bright thing, and then its silhouette is burned into your vision for a few minutes. If I hold my right eye shut and focus on some text on a computer screen, siting with my head 2 feet away, using 12 pt. font, and focus on a single letter:
* It's just enough to cover about a 4 letter word
* Location is a little off-center; about 3 letters to the left and 1 line down
I'll include a graphical representation of what it looks like to me. (I'm pretty decent with Photoshop)
* [https://imgur.com/a/31AXKP5](https://imgur.com/a/31AXKP5)
* If I focus on the red A in the picture with just my left eye, from \~2 feet away, I see the gray blotch where it is represented here. Color and shape are roughly accurate.
Any input on what this might be would be appreciated. Is this an emergency, or can I wait and see how it progresses over the next few days?
38, 6'1", 218 lbs, male, non-smoker, type 2 diabetic
UPDATE:
Thank you all for the advice.
I’ve so far talked to my daughter’s pediatric ophthalmologist who said it’s hard to tell over the phone, but it could be retinal damage, and should be looked at by a general ophthalmologist as soon as possible.
He also made mention that finding a late hours general ophthalmologist where I can squeeze in right now would be ideal, because a regular ER wouldn't have specialists or equipment immediately on hand to know how to check this out right away.
So I'm now calling around local ophthalmologists.
UPDATE 2:
Again, thanks for so much feedback.
I have made an emergency appointment with an ophthalmologist for early tomorrow morning.
I have not gone to the ER, But have talked to two ophthalmologists now (one directly as noted in the first update), and neither urged me to the ER. However both said it should absolutely not be ignored, reflecting what most of you have said. They did move around schedules to rush me in for the morning.
I will follow up here after the appointment.
UPDATE 3:
RESULTS! The eye situation was not so emergent that I needed to be rushed to surgery. (e.g., detached retina)
It is likely that I have a small macular hemorrhage and some related swelling. This is both not unheard of for a type 2 diabetic, but also likely nothing I could have prevented (I'm told). Diabetics are just prone to eye issues.
This type of condition is usually peripheral, but I'm a lucky duck that got one near center.
The ophthalmologist is referring me to Wills Eye, where I’ll need a non-invasive procedure to remove it. Depending on assessment, it’s usually addressed via laser or injection.
I don’t have an appointment yet, but the doc is trying to get me in for some time soon / over the next couple weeks.
One more time, sincere thanks to the near-overwhelming feedback I got from this community. You were informative, supportive, and reassuring, during one of my more scary moments in life. For those who care, I'll post a follow-up update #4 here, probably after the final procedure, and would be happy to answer any questions in the comments.
| 288 |
Go to the ER. You need to be evaluated for urgent retina problems.
| 230 |
AskDocs
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Sleeping 18 hours a day... need help
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Hi everyone,
I have a pretty vanilla lifestyle except i sleep 18 hours a day. I eat for like 15 min during my 4 hour shift.
I'm a 26yo, 5'9, 150 pounds woman, my worst fear is becoming addict to coffee and not being able to function without it... but currently i just don't function at all.
Wondering if taking coffee tabs could improve my lifestyle? I just can't stay awake.
| 332 |
You need to have a sleep study done. This can very well be a treatable condition. I'd also have your thyroid checked
| 561 |
AskDocs
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21F significant weight gain, despite diet, exercise and medical intervention, doctors can't figure out why and it's making me suicidal. Please help.
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Hi, I'm a caucasian 21F, I'm 172 cm and 110kg (242lbs?), Non-smoker, non-drinker and no drug use, Australian.
Medications: Sertraline (Zoloft) and Apixaban.
Primary Complaint: Weight gain and inability to lose weight despite exercise, diet and medical intervention.
Basically, I have gained 40kg in less than 2 years, my diet has improved in this time and I exercise regularly, have had diet and exercise approved by multiple doctors, PTs and dietitians. I have adhered to calorie deficit diets, intermittent fasting and VLED etc. for 6+ months each and has seen NO change literally my weight hasn't even dropped .5kg regardless of what I do or how well I eat.
I suffer from CPTSD, Depression and Anxiety, I went on escitalopram in 2018 for anxiety and I gained 15kg, after 6 months I stopped it and lost 5kg but I couldn't shift the other 10kg. I was then off of my antidepressants for over a year and I continued to gain weight and my doctor decided that my weight gain wasn't the antidepressants so I went on Sertraline and I continued to gain weight despite efforts to reduce and maintain weight loss. I am now sitting around 110kg. My appetite has not increased while on SSRIs and I have been monitoring my calories.
The thyroid is fine and has been checked multiple times, my total testosterone level is normal, free testosterone and DHEA are high, had an ultrasound to check for PCOS however results of the scan were inconclusive and I don't fit the diagnostic criteria for PCOS otherwise, periods are regular.
I have seen the endocrinologist today and he doesn't think it's PCOS and doesn't suspect any other hormone issue such as Cushing's etc. he thinks that starting antidepressants triggered weight gain and that even if I stopped taking them it wouldn't decrease my weight much and there is nothing we can do. He said I need to lose weight because I will be at high risk for other issues late in life but that the only thing I can do is have bariatric surgery and hope it works.
I'm 21 and I take care of my health, i do everything right, I shouldn't need Bariatric surgery, I should be able to control my weight. I feel incredibly suicidal and want to die and if I can't fix my weight and figure out what's wrong I'm scared I might actually do it. This has been going on for years and I cant cope anymore, all I want is to be a healthy weight and not suicidal is that too much to ask?
Please help me.
&#x200B;
Edit: Blood Test results as requested are as such.
TSH: 1.63 mIU/L (0.50-4.00)
Total Testosterone : 1.4 nmol/L (0.3-1.9)
Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulphate : 12.2 umol/L (4.0-10.0)
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin : 14 nmol/L (18-114)
Calculated Free Testosterone : 38 pmol/L (4-32)
Glucose(F) 4.8 mmol/L (4.0-6.0)
HbA1c (New SI units) 36 mmol/mol ( 20-47)
17 mIU/L Normal fasting serum insulin is between 3 and 25 mIU/L
Edit: a few of the comments were questioning if my calorie estimation was accurate and I'm 100% sure it is. I have calorie tracked and dieted with a lot of guidance from multiple dietitians, I have a background in Medical science so I understand the science behind if you cut calories you lose weight, I believed this, I constantly feel ashamed and like all this is my fault because I'm weak and useless but I truly am eating a calorie deficit. I was eating approximately 1,500 calories a day for 6+ months. Also for 3 months, I was on the VLED diet which was so low it actually made my period irregular so I had to stop that.
Edit: to the people in the comments I'm not part of the body positivity movement and if I'm honest I have a negative view of obesity due to my medical science degree I feel guilty enough I don't need to be shamed in the comments I am asking for compassionate medical advice.
Edit: I live in Australia, not the UK or US, why do all the comments assume that 😂
Edit: I am on SSRIs, not other drugs because weed or MNDA etc is illegal in Australia, I also have been in therapy for 5 years, seen 2 psychologists, a social worker and a psychiatrist nothing has helped besides the medication and despite my issues, I am the valedictorian for my faculty in university for my graduating year.
| 343 |
What blood clotting disorder do you have?
I have Protein S Deficiency and have struggled with weight gain as well. I don’t know if it’s the clotting disorder or the blood thinners, but I think it makes it harder for my body to metabolize bigger meals as well as larger amounts of carbs.
The only thing that has worked for me is eating 6 meals a day. 5 smaller meals of 100-150 cals each every 2-3 hours, and then a dinner with protein and vegetables. (Max of 1000 cals/day.) When I hit my goal weight, I bump it up until I start gaining weight. Usually to about 1500/day or 10,500 for the week.
If I have a longer way to go (like after quarantine.. I’ll do 2 weeks of low cal, and then 1 week of 1500 to give myself a break.)
I don’t work out at all, or if I do, just walking the dog or swimming a few laps.
For the morning meals, I try to have some protein since it keeps me full longer. Things like cottage cheese, a low cal protein shake (Premier Protein caramel is bomb), low cal bread with cream cheese, everything bagel seasoning, and fruit.. salad with a few rotisserie chicken pieces & low cal dressing.
Drink a ton of water too, like 60-100oz/day.
There may be something else going on and I’d definitely take any advice here about following up with a specialist, but I hope that helps in the meantime! But most importantly, you are beautiful and worthy of a beautiful life. Don’t cut that short by suicide or by being so hard on yourself that you can’t enjoy it. Start practicing quiet time with yourself every day: journaling, meditation, prayer. Get outside in the sun. Go swimming once or twice a week. Pamper yourself. And start taking a multivitamin as well if you aren’t already. And if you have a celebration, a birthday, anniversary, etc.. go celebrate and jump back into weight loss the next day. 💕
Editing to add: I have been able to reliably lose about 10lbs a month following that diet when I need to, even with eating out or cheating occasionally. Hoping it is just the blood thinners messing with our metabolism and that it works for you too!
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AskDocs
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A little help with my child's issues?
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My son is almost 9. For the last 18 months his ability to walk has been declining, hes become incontinent, and so far im left with a ton more questions than answers.
It started with his left leg turning inwards as he walked and got tired. Family doctor did a physical and noticed slight curvature in the spine and extra movement in his left hip, recommended ortho specialist. I took him to Shriners to check for scoliosis. First visit ruled that out, the curve was well within normal range. Xray reveled slightly less than 1cm difference in length and an enlarged hip joint. Doctor said all minor issues that shouldn't effect him long term and should even correct itself.
Over the next 6 months it got progressively worse, he constently drops to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Not tripping, his leg literally collapses on him. He started having poop in his underwear constently, I thought it was unrelated early on and just a behavior thing (boy wanting to play and not stop to poop). His fine motor skills also aren't developing. He struggling to hold shoe laces and tie his shoes, pencils, etc...
We go to the follow up visit and I mentioned everything, they seemed super concerned and did another set of x-rays. The leg difference got slightly larger (estimated a full cm now) and spine was still the same but they saw his walk was awkward and the left leg turning in. Ordered a Gait (spelling) study which confirmed there was issues with his walking but they weren't able to tell me why or even what corrective measures we could take. They recommended an MRI.
Due to covid it took almost 2 months to get an appointment for the full brain and spine mri, apparently looking for tethered cord, chiari malformation, etc. Today we got the MRI results and everything seems perfect where it supposed to be, no compression, no lesions, cranial opening is perfectly normal.
I was praying for a physical problem, like tethered cord. So it could be addressed.
Now I'm set to see neurologist is August, genetics and GI in October.
This rabbit hole is scary. Things like muscular dystrophy, MS, and other nerve problems all come to mind. Most of which cant even be treated.
I'm overwhelmed. I'm scared. I'm crying whenever hes not looking. I've raised him alone since he was 7 months old, my job is to protect him and I cant. I watch him try to play everyday woth friends, only to fall and be embarrassed, or unable to keep up because he cant run properly. He pops right back up when he falls, but I know deep down eventually even his spirit will break and I'm not ready.
Maybe I'm missing something? They told me not to do PT until we find a reason for everything. Are there things I can do? Literally, anything?
| 570 |
I’m so sorry you are having to go through this, and that you are doing it alone. I know how helpless you must feel and my heart really goes out to you.
There are no answers any of us will be able to provide to you regarding the diagnosis or prognosis as we are not part of the workup. From your post, I think you already realize this and are honestly just trying to find clarity.
It is hard to stay strong for your son. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that you are in a tough situation. Just keep your follow up appointments and stay on top of anything you’re told by his Physician. Try your best to stay away from Google as you will only find things that are scary and you will not find any comfort at all. There are so many things that could be going on ranging from not too bad to worst case scenario and the only one who will be able to figure it out is his personal doctor.
My recommendation is to just take care of him and love him like you have always done. Look for support groups so you can vent to others who have gone through similar things. Trust his doctors to figure things out and offer the best plans of action. It’s going to be hard but try not to assume the worst and maintain hope.
| 559 |
AskDocs
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My friend randomly died in the ER yesterday
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Her info
19F 125lbs 5,4 never smoked never Drank alcohol, but had undiagnosed stomach ulcer
She spent the first half of the day fine with no complaints but at night she developed a stomach ache and nausea which led to vomiting. We took her to the ER which we had to wait 4 hrs while she kept vomiting and with a lot of stomach pain. We finally went in they gave her an IV I believe and she settled down. Not even 10 minutes later her face started getting puffy and no nurses or doctors even noticed or did anything until we told them. They kicked us out the room for an hour with no answers and then they told us that she died. They said she had too much pressure in her heart and she died. I’m lost for words and super confused on how that even happened with so many trained medical professionals there and how we went for a stomach problem so simple and she ended up dying from her heart. If any doctor or anyone who has an idea on what happened pls respond. Her family is planning on suing the hospital and the staff as well.
| 1,456 |
Hi OP, first and foremost I am sorry for such a tragic loss at such a young age, and I can certainly understand why the family would be pursing legal options.
From what you describe, it sounds like a possible perforated peptic ulcer - ulceration of the stomach lining can lead to a rupture and this can cause extreme blood loss in a very short amount of time, however this is usually accompanied by haematemesis (vomiting of blood). Was there any sign of this?. If she was only having normal IV fluids without replacement of the blood, it could explain the facial swelling due to hypervolemia (if her BP was low they may have tried pumping more fluid in). The shock from bloodloss could have caused cardiac failure as her body would be trying to pump what blood it had left to supply her organs.
It seems like a fairly odd series of events and certainly shocking for an otherwise healthy female to die so suddenly. An underlying heart condition may also have contributed, but again I can only speculate based off the information provided.
Emergency trauma calls can get messy and they may not have conveyed exactly what had happened.
I do hope that the hospital provides clarity on how this occurred, and again my condolences to you and her family.
Edit - I agree with redshoeMD's assessment and after OP's clarification, that the swelling would in this case be more likely to be an allergic reaction to something given by IV.
Ultimately a terrible tragedy and I hope that you and her family get the answers you deserve.
| 750 |
AskDocs
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Anorectal concerns after being anally assaulted? Please help.
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23F. So I was raped and sodomised repeatedly 2 weeks ago. It had been for a consensual hookup with boundaries set. He wanted to start anally, and it was okay for maybe the first 2–5 mins — I know that my anal laceration was probably from when he first stuffed it in. But when he started going really deep (I think he was 8 inches in length, if he wasn’t lying, and his girth was quite huge too) and it started to hit a ‘wall’ of sorts somewhere deep inside my rectum / pelvic area, and I told him it hurt and tried to push him off and started to cry involuntarily from the pain, he held me down and penetrated me more forcefully, faster and deeper on purpose to make me cry even harder because it aroused him.
The entire ordeal lasted 2 hours, where he started vigorously and roughly sodomising me at the start for about 5–10 mins, and again a second time towards the end (also with force, he was also choking / strangling me but not enough to die, just enough to get extremely disoriented) for about what felt like 15–20 mins. There were other stuff in between, including really painful vaginal sex while I was completely restrained. At the end of everything, the bedsheets looked at least 35% stained by a bit of fresh blood, more dried and diluted blood, some pink-whitish clumps of squishy flesh, and some pale yellow-orange hued rectal discharge — [something like this (some hotel review pic)](https://images.app.goo.gl/kMhQanMyV9V3qjfM9) but with more colours and more coverage.
Anyway I did do a medical exam 8 days after the assault so not much injuries were seen. Just abrasions to the posterior fourchette, a 3–5mm anal laceration and abrasions, and I told them that I also had a neck sprain. I didn’t manage to ask them about this question here, so hope you guys can help.
My anus feels swollen, as if it’s almost (if not already) completely closed shut over multiple layers. I’ve tried to put lidocaine ointment along my anal canal for the laceration using a finger but that has been difficult, like it’s too tight and hard to navigate an opening. I’ve been having difficulties passing gas too, and also having bowel movements. It feels like an obstruction is blocking the exit. I was having rectal discharge (clear / milky / yellow-gold — probably his semen) alongside a bit of blood for the first few days, instead of passing gas or having bowel movements. I don’t have discharge anymore (I think) but passing gas and bowel movements are still an issue. I’m either only managing to poop pebbles, or awful diarrhea, but maybe that’s also just my chronic constipation and not eating enough. I just always feel like there’s something more to let out. Sometimes this causes issues with my bladder where I keep having remaining bits of pee after standing for a few minutes (not UTI).
One more comparably prominent issue is that I feel like I can’t feel or control my anal / bowel muscles anymore? I can push and strain from my lower abdomen, but I feel no strength in the rectal area. The closing/opening and pushing-out reflexes aren’t there anymore. Or at least, I just can’t feel it, which is really strange to me because I used to.
Does anyone know what’s up and can advise? I’m not sure if it’s just me mentally psyching myself out because I fear the sensation of pain deep in there again. But yeah, I will go get a physical examination done by a GP if you feel like it’s necessary. Thanks in advance.
*NB: if anyone is able to help clarify exactly what ‘wall’ in my rectum was probably being knocked and bruised during the assault, and why it hurt as much as it did where my body had been involuntarily wincing / flinching and i was feeling extremely nauseated, I would appreciate it a lot. I’ve been trying desperately to make sense of the worst parts of my rape, but I can’t seem to find any answers or research articles that talk about blunt rectal trauma resembling this. It’s always just anal sphincter damage or bowel perforations, which isn’t it.*
| 624 |
I’m terribly sorry this happened to you and I hope you’re able to get the emotional support you need; I’ll answer the physical questions as best I can, feel free to ask follow up questions.
The trauma to the anus itself is going to take longer to recover from - the pain, the lack of sensation, the lack of control - those are all things that should improve as time goes on but I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes a few more weeks at least based on your description of events. The ‘wall’ you mention was probably the back of your rectum. There’s a turn, where your rectum meets or turns into your sigmoid colon, and the rectum is typically about 8in deep.
| 590 |
AskDocs
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UPDATE ON ROTTEN FINGERS MYSTERY
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My wife posted her hands and feet last week. [https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/nymmhr/fingers\_toes\_turning\_black\_and\_rotting\_off/?sort=new](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/comments/nymmhr/fingers_toes_turning_black_and_rotting_off/?sort=new)
She asked me to write an update.
Monday her mother watched our children and I drove her five hours to a top ranked hospital. She was in a lot of pain and we had to make some stops to get her air. At the hospital there were other people waiting. But she had a fever so the triage nurse took her right back.
I am thankful for doctors using humor to put her at ease. The doctor who walked in said, "Wow. You are one hot mess!" And made everyone laugh. Her anemia number was 2.4. The hospitalist who had to see her before they could move her upstairs said "Most people at 6 can't get out of bed. How are you walking around almost 2? Are you sure you're really human?" It's true what they say about humor being the best medicine.
They took her upstairs to the medicine ward. She is linked to all the machines. They are cleaning her blood and trying to get more to her hands and feet. They are fighting the infections and ordered special transfusions from a different hospital just for her, Some toes were too far gone but they promised to save what they can, All the different doctors came to see her.
Right away they diagnosed her with raynaud disease with digital ulceration, pancytopenia, and connected tissue disease undifferentiated.
There are people she still wants to write back to. But she can't access this account from her phone. She made it as a throwaway with a temp email and can't remember the password. She'll write a better update when she gets home. We are hopeful she will be home soon.
I am thankful for the doctors here who convinced her to take this more seriously. She never thinks she is sick even when she looks like death warmed over.
This got automod deleted the first time for not including demographics. So, for the Reddit Automods, demographics are
36F, 5’5, 115 lb, white. Primary complaint = fingers and toes turning black and rotten (pictures included). Existing issues = random red cell destruction without cause, random platelet destruction without cause, swellings and rashes (labs and pictures included). Medications = iron supplement. Occasional Claritin, Advil, Prednisone. No medication right now. No recreational drugs or smoking. Rare/light alcohol
| 1,596 |
Thank you so much for the update!! All the best to your wife and your family, I am so so glad you two took such good care of your wife’s problem!
By driving her to the hospital you most likely saved her life.
It sounds as if she is in the right place now, which is really, really good news. Not only do you have some answers already (partial diagnoses) but the doctors are taking it seriously and will get to the bottom of it!
From what you are describing, the treatment she is receiving is very well thought trough. I don’t have the information, but I am assuming they are clearing her blood from proteins that are causing some of the problems, so they are dealing with a cause. Further, I am assuming they ordered special multi-negative blood transfusions to get her Hb up and to treat some of the symptoms; the less these cells are positive for certain surface proteins, the likelihood of further “attacks” on her blood cells can be reduced. The antibiotics will fend off the infections, as well as some surgical cleaning of the wounds.
There are various options to treat Raynaud. Pancytopenia it sounds like is already being treated. And the tissue disease will be figured out.
You and your wife are incredibly strong, and you can be proud of yourself for taking such good care!
| 432 |
AskDocs
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Does this nasogastric tube placement seem like it went into the lungs and could have been the reason my grandmother died minutes later?
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[Xray of placement](https://i.imgur.com/SvDmRmm.png)
My grandmother [90F] (5''2' 100lbs) was in the hospital recently, after being weak and not eating much for a few days they decided to put in a feeding tube. She agreed, she was fully conscious and talking and mentally sharp and doing ok.
As they put it in, she immediately started coughing and gagging and making weird noises. They xrayed her, and the doctor looked very nervous looking at the xray, and told us that the tube had looped onto itself inside the stomach so they need to remove it. The doctors were frantic and within a few minutes, some time during the removal/re-insertion she passed away.
The nurse told us she never saw someone so "with it" one minute and dead the next minute. The doctor told us that the tube had looped inside the stomach. My mom had a feeling they were lying so we requested to see the xray, and from what I can tell, I think the tube looks to have gone into the lung rather than stomach, which would mean they lied to us.
Since I'm just a lay person I wanted to ask for a more professional opinion: does this placement look to a doctor like it was misplaced? Could this cause a person to die immediately (perhaps from puncturing the lung)?
| 662 |
Hey OP. Sorry for your loss.
None of us can comment on how sick your grandmother was when she went in, what the possible outcomes were to the hospitalization, and the like.
However that NG is most certainly in the lungs. You should be able to confirm by reading the radiology report.
This is an unfortunate complication that is known to sometimes happen with NG tube placement. There are ways to test for the location once it's in, and this is the most common practice - insert, then confirm appropriate placement with an XR and other bedside tests.
So I guess what I'm saying is that 1) it's in the lung 2) it wasn't necessarily negligent care 3) it is a known accidental complication of the procedure. It honestly sounds like she wanted to pursue aggressive medical care and passed while receiving it. Again, I'm sorry.
The part of your story that concerns me is the bit about telling you it was in the stomach. This XR is enough to confirm it was inadvertently placed in the lung. Either they made a misinterpretation error, or they were not forthcoming with the facts. I imagine their notes (which are now instantaneously shared with her health portal due to data sharing laws) should reveal the answer.
Again the mortality rate of 90 year olds who are Ill enough to require hospitalization is unfortunately high and this story is unfortunate but not unusual. I wish you guys serenity and peace as you and your family grieve her loss.
| 388 |
AskDocs
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