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What would cause a 65 year old diabetic (on Metformin) to suddenly start saying the wrong words after drinking?
A 64 year old diabetic white male, probably 220, out of nowhere starts saying the wrong words after drinking. Wrong words like, "I was in the car and put on my facebelt" instead of seatbelt. Or "When we were at learning" instead of school. It only happens after drinking, though, and resolves pretty quickly. It reminds me of the early stage of a migraine, but there's no headache and it resolves quickly. Is it a mini stroke? Why does it only happen after drinking alcohol?
| 6
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: It's likely..the alcohol. Directly from the alcohol.
|
I saw women's face change into a totally different person, please explain. [22, 30 female]
Two instances that happened:
one girl my friend for a few months. we sleep together and during a good sex session (first one) i look at her face and she looks COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. Like a different person, a sweet kind girl. I was like whoa who is this. So some time later we slow down and she starts opening her eyes and i literally see it fade and her eyes change into my more serious friend. I was very confused how a person's appearance (to me at least) change so drastically. I thought maybe trauma?
Then few days ago I meet another girl. And this one has 3! faces and not during sex. Ok so one is her like a super sweet young girl. (22ish?) One is her like a woman maybe 25-26. And one is like a simple woman type girl i dont know how old really probably same 26 hard to tell, but ok she didnt have makeup at this point and lets say more genuine her but it was VERY different from the 22 year old looking. and guess what, start having sex again the 22 one comes out. This girl DOES have issues, I think overly jumping into feelings mixed with some conniving defense mechanisms.
So please tell me I'm not crazy and there is an explanation. And no "she was just enjoying sex" isnt it. Ive had sex before.. people don't change THAT much during it.
Cheers
| 6
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**Physician**: Sounds like you're experiencing the effect of neurotransmitters + emotions on your brain which can change your perceptions. Our brains are highly wired to detecting and perceiving other people's faces because it is really important from an evolutionary perspective (threat detection, mate profiling).
Ultimately everything we 'see' is a construct of our brain (as anyone who has taken psychedelics can attest). What you're describing sounds like that, you're just experiencing it at lower thresholds. Nothing to be too concerned about unless you were to start experiencing more concerning symptoms
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Mass found in right thyroid
Hi there. I had gone in for a CT scan for other issues and wound up having a solid mass found in my right thyroid. I’m currently freaking out and wondering how common it is for cancer.
My current symptoms include
Chronic migraine 3+ months. weight gain, trouble breathing( a constant crackle at night when I’m trying to sleep over 6 months of this ) last year until now troubles swallowing, choking on food. Neck pain starting from my ear down to my shoulder on my right side. Anxiety, sweating, erratic heart beat.
Here’s my ct results.
NON-VASCULAR
There is a solid mass in the right thyroid which should be assessed sonographically.
IMPRESSION:
1. No intracranial aneurysm
2. 6 solid right thyroid mass should be characterized sonographically
| 4
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**Physician**: You need an ultrasound and likely a biopsy based on what features are found on ultrasound. Your symptoms sound consistent with thyroid issues. Wait and see what additional imaging and biopsy shows. Thyroid cancer isn’t super common but is very very treatable, especially if localized.
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Should I [29m] stay on St. John’s wort since it works or switch to prescription ssri?
Using St. John’s wort for anxiety and minor depression and it works well for me. As a healthcare professional would you recommend sticking to this because it works or would switching to a prescription medication be a better choice? Thanks for the help!
| 4
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**Pharmacist**: I would 100% switch to a SSRI because you can control the dose, your provider will be aware you’re on it so will know to check for interactions (SSRIs and st jons wort have a ton), and keep in mind supplements like that aren’t regulated. They can be sugar pills for all we know, and there is zero way to verify they contain what they say they do because they aren’t regulated.
|
Feeling baby move from the inside?
26F, 5’6”, 143lbs. Third pregnancy, 29 weeks along, experiencing minor pelvic prolapse where my vaginal wall and cervix protrude while sitting on the toilet. When inserting my fingers to “tuck” everything back in I can feel my baby’s head moving? I never experienced this with past pregnancies so it was just a bit shocking. I’m concerned about what risks it might pose (if any). I haven’t had a BM in a week or so due to the fear of bearing down. Is it normal for baby to be so low? Would you normally be able to feel a baby moving against your cervix by inserting your fingers? I’m probably overreacting but I need some sort of reassurance so I can sleep… and poop.
| 1
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**Neonatal Nurse Practitioner**: You need to go immediately to the closest labor and delivery to be evaluated
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Will a pain-reliever help relieve physical symptoms of emotional pain (chest, stomach etc)?
23F 140 lbs 5’6
| 5
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**Neonatal Nurse Practitioner**: It will, just be careful with dosages and take with food
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(22M) Bullied by A&E Staff - Bone pain
Guys. I need some help please.
I'm 22M, for the past 3-4 days I've been feeling a bit ill after going out in rain one day. My stomach felt inflamed (previous sufferer of GERD issues), my ribs were aching (flareup - initial ache some form of injury on the right side 8 months ago- appears normal on all conducted tests CT scans etc & ECG), I had a sore throat and felt quite warm but don't believe I had a crazy fever.
But the weird thing is I was experiencing like pain in the bones of my legs, elbows and wrists. It was quite absurd and was quite burny and persistent. It went on and is still going on. My D-dimer was previously 612 a week ago and is now 642. It was at the point I noticed a swelling above the wrist of my left hand that I called A&E slightly concerned. My right leg was clicking quite a bit when I'd stretch and the pains felt like aches which would feel like bruising for a few seconds if touched.
At A&E, they were quite dismissive of my symptoms because of my age. A chest X-ray (which I've had 7 times now to show nothing) was conducted. Nothing was found. I asked if the legs/arms could be checked out which I've desperately wanted for months and they said no. I suspected it might be osteoarthritis or something sinister but they said it was highly unlikely as there was no swelling and nothing could be found visibly on the surface. They told me to see a physiotherapist and to take Naproxen for two weeks (anti inflammatory) to see if the suspected inflammation in my body comes down.
I just feel like my claim were invalidated. One doctor told the other behind my back that I was ridiculous and an exaggerator and to send me home because of the other patients waiting to be seen. I heard them laughing and say kids these age think they have it though. It was quite invalidating and hurtful. I do get I have some form of anxiety but the fact my blood tests are quite concerning and I was now experiencing these very real leg bone and arm symptoms. Any advice on what to do now? Does this sound serious?
| 4
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: Recommend following up with your primary care doctor / GP. The ER/A&E is to diagnose and treat life-threatening conditions. It looks like they have thoroughly ruled that out in your case. It’s certainly not the role of emergency services to assess chronic joint pain or work up osteoarthritis.
Joint and bone pain is a common manifestation of viral infections. It sounds to me like you have a self-limiting and not dangerous viral infection. I assume you were tested for COVID and influenza.
|
what could this be?
Male 23 USA every night lately i am woken up moments later from a bad headache and shortness of breath at first i thought it was from not taking my meds for depression too late or not at all but it still happens and is affecting my quality of life i have high blood pressure my dr told me when i last saw him idk if that is related? Any insight is helpful I also feel head pressure during the day.
| 4
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**Physician**: Sleep apnea or Obesity hypoventilation syndrome causing secondary hypertension. Head pressure is concerning and might be indicating very high BP. How high was your last reading?
Get a sleep study done, CPAPs get pretty good coverage and would resolve the underlying cause if it is that.
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Dramatically increased resting heart rate
58F, 5’6”, 116 lbs, white, increased resting heart rate, one week, no current medical issues, no prescription medications, do not drink, do not smoke, do not use recreational drugs.
My husband and I are going to be traveling 9 time zones to the East in the not too distant future, so we decided to slowly adjust our sleep/wake schedule ahead of time. We’ve been slowly shifting back for more than a week now. Last night, I went to bed around 8pm and this morning I woke up at 2:50am. I rarely drink coffee, but decided to go ahead and have a little each morning to help me with the early rising. (We are also shifting our meals back). Everything else in our life has been the same…
I have noticed that my resting heart rate (as measured by my Apple Watch) has been ***much*** higher than it usually is. It is usually somewhere between 59 and 63 pbm. Ever since starting shifting our schedule, my average resting heart rate has been between 69 and 74bpm. Today, my Apple Watch says it is 74bpm.
Could simply adjusting one’s sleep schedule (and starting a coffee routine) like this cause such a large rise in average resting heart rate? Or does this suggest there might be something else brewing?
**22CommentsShare**
| 6
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: There's nothing dramatic about that. You're trying to draw conclusions from noisy data.
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dog has rabies - could this interaction cause transmission?
age: 22
sex: male
height: 5 foot 3
race: white
primary complaint: I let some food out for a stray dog. They then at some of the food but not all of it. I grabbed it with plastic wrap and dropped it in the trash can. Found out later the dog had rabies. Happened yesterday. Only one piece of food remained when I grabbed it with plastic wrap and then after I dropped the food in a trash can with the plastic wrap (so the plastic wrap was never reused). I did not physically touch the food, only the plastic wrap.
​
EDIT: Sorry I forget to mention this in the original post, but I poured water into a bowl for the dog and then it drank from it. I came back 20 minutes later to pour some more water and some of the water splashed off the bowl and onto my hand leg. I then touched my face doing things like rubbing my eyes as well as eating food. I did not wash my hands until hours afterwards.
​
Should I get a rabies shot?
| 6
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**Neonatal Nurse Practitioner**: No, that would not be an indication for the rabies shot. Rabies is not that easy to transmit, thankfully
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How annoying (for the ER ppl) would it be to show up at the ER for contact dermatitis?
19M, 5’7”, 130lbs, white
I’ve been using Hydrocortisone and it’s not helping the itching, I feel like I’m losing my mind. The only thing that’s helped is holding an ice cube to it for a few minutes, which isn’t pleasant but slightly better than the itching. If it helps I’m pretty sure it’s from my wheelchair. Its right where my hands brush agains the wheel/push rims.
Honestly I could probably stick it out until it goes away if I’d be wasting their time, I’ve just peeled some of the skin off because it itches so bad (yeah ik I shouldn’t scratch it but I’m only human) “Emergency Room” means emergencies and this isn’t that obv, so I figured I’d ask before making the trek.
Last time this happened I just took the L and sliced open the sides of my palms and treated the cuts which fixes the problem but isn’t like, ideal.
I can’t see a doctor, so it’s ER or suffer and wait lol
EDIT: Nearest Urgent Care is 1hr 14min by foot, presumably more for a wheelchair user. It’s just not possible, I’d injure myself before getting there.
EDIT 2: Thanks for the advice /gen I’ll just take the L and wait it out
| 2
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: Pretty annoying, given that it's not an emergency at all. Not even in the slightest. Better problem to go to a walk in clinic for
**Physician Assistant**: The last time this happened you sliced your hands open?
Doing that did not help your contact dermatitis, and it will not help your current situation. There are no skin conditions that should be treated that way. Do not cut your skin in an attempt to treat this.
An urgent care clinic would be a great option for this. If not possible consider talking to a pharmacist. I hope you can find some relief.
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Foot injury, is it ok to take expired painkillers
Hi,
I'm 24M, 60kg, 5'5", European
Yesterday, I fell while running an bruised my foot. It's swollen now and hurts when walking or generally putting pressure on it. I was at the ER last night and they did an Xray and it wasn't broken. I didn't wanna wait another 3h for a doc so I left. Now, I need to go outside or my mental health is gonna kill me (not literally, but emotionally)! I have some expired 600mg Ibuprofen (06/21) would it help taking one of those? Should I get something else to help with the swelling and the pain? Or should I just 'walk though it'.. it's not terrible but I don't want to risk it getting worse
| 5
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**Physician**: Don’t take expired medications, they are expired
Edit: I stand by what I said, it’s ibuprofen, it’s OTC. Get a new bottle from the pharmacy. Rule of thumb, don’t take expired medications that are prescribed. They are prescribed a certain way and for a certain duration for a reason. This whole “medications are fine to take after expired” as a blanket statement is not appropriate for prescribed medications. As a physician I prescribe for a duration for a reason. One should never get use to taking prescribed medications as need unless they’re prescribed as needed. never start taking them again unless instructed - a shorter course than prescribed of an important medication can be dangerous.
**Physician - Anesthesiology**: You can take ibuprofen past its expiry date, continue to follow the same dose instructions on the bottle. It may not be as effective (active ingredient decays over time), but is safe to use until you can see a doctor.
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How to differentiate between dental and sinus related aches?
Had a tough bout of some kind of viral infection 12 days ago.Since then I've been really stuffy and experiencing post nasal drip.About 2 days ago one particular upper tooth on my right side started to hurt bad(no cold/hot sensitivity but I could feel the pain when I was pressing/chewing on it).
Today,the pain has been overall less intense but feeling it all over my face(right side in particular) with less focus on my tooth this time(still painful when chewing).Also spitting out yellowish/greenish phlegm.
So my question is based on the info given:Is it more likely sinus or dental related?
31 male 6'3 280 lbs
| 4
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**Physician**: Can be both. The maxillary sinuses (cheek sinuses) are in very close proximity to the upper teeth, and often will push into the floor of that sinus. Dental infections at the tooth roots can cause sinusitis, and bad sinus infections can cause tooth pain.
It sounds like you started with nasal congestion and nasal symptoms then developed tooth pain; so I think it'd be reasonable to think the sinus infection came first. If you're 12 days into the infection and it's not getting better or worsening, you should start to consider seeing a doctor as that would meet criteria for bacterial sinusitis and antibiotics may be of benefit.
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Recovered from covid, but now I can smell? I lost most of the ability to smell correctly when I was young. 27f smokes weight na
When I was young I had alot of trauma to my nose and I always thought I must have messed it up from accentlly bashing my nose agenst a hard object. Since age 4, I could only smell extremely strong orders.After recovering from covid, I had 2 medium nose bleeds, and now I can smell very well. Will it go away again it's very overwhelming.
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**Physician**: Unlikely to go away, but we're still learning the long term effects.
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Did I take too much paracetamol in last 24 hours?
I am ill for 2 days already and my fever tends to be uncontrollable (that's what it used to be in my childhood). It's very hard to beat it, temperature raises really quickly.
Today I panicked a bit that I was shivering (that's always when temperature is raising happens to me) and my fever was raising, and had 2x 500mg pills at once and another 500mg pill in 20 minutes.
And now I am not sure what to do, I calculated that in the last 24 hours I had either 4500mg or 5500mg in total during 2 days. (can't really tell, most likely 4500mg from 5pm yesterday to 5pm today, because I actually forgot if I had taken ).
Yesterday I had:
1000mg around 4pm
1000mg around 2am (tonight)
Today:
1000mg 12pm
1000mg 17pm
500mg 17:20pm
My temperature was raising rapidly so took a bit too much, thought it would help me.
Actually it did, lowered temperature to around 37.6 celsius
Oh, and after about an hour after that I took a few activated charcoal pills, they won't do any harm but was hoping it would still be on time to soak in a bit of paracetamol.
I am just wondering if I need to seek any emergency care.
19 Male
177cm
80kg
White
Drink a few beers twice or three times a month.
Not smoking
No known chronic diseases
| 5
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: No you didn't. Limit to 4000mg in 24 hrs.
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A child with lobar pneumonia coughed in my face.
Hey, i’m 24 Male, medical student, i was seeing a case, child with lobar pneumonia and he basically coughed right into my face.
I have been paranoid since then lol, doctors, nurses, and even the patients families all seem okay.
It’s been 3 days and i have normal cold, i don’t know if this is related.
Do i need to do anything?
| 5
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care - Moderator**: Probably not. Typical bacterial pneumonia (which I assume this lobar pneumonia is, knowing the patient you would be a better judge of that) is not contagious. If it was a viral pneumonia (influenza, RSV, COVID, etc), which spread via droplet or airborne, you would certainly be at risk. If the patient has influenza there is some benefit for taking oseltamivir for post-exposure prophylaxis. Also if pt has a viral pneumonia you should monitor yourself for symptoms and isolate if you develop any symptoms to avoid spread.
Overall, your supervising physician is your best resource. If he/she said your fine, you’re probably fine.
Are you not masking while seeing patients? I plan to wear a kn95 for the foreseeable future when seeing patients (to protect myself, my family, and my patients). You should consider the same.
**Physician**: I strongly suggest masking up in the future. Otherwise, stay hydrated and hope for the best. And don’t go into work when you are sick, as not to infect vulnerable patients / others in general.
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lymph nodes
hello, my father 43 yrs old have noticed 1 swollen lymph node around his posterior cervical part. I think it's between 1.5 cm and 2cm in diameter. I touched it and feel it like shaped of kidney or bean. He has small rash in his bicep area but he applied a cream and he said it is effective to the rash (the rash is gone now). He experience in the last month (August) a strep throat and cold, and sometimes cough. I tried to search on the google which always shows lymphoma. He haven't experience night sweats and loss of appetite and weight. He is skinny too which the swollen lymph nodes is easy to observe. Should we worry about it? It is movable now and currently taking multivitamins.
| 5
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**Physician**: He had wo recent infections recently which may result in lymph node swelling. If they persist for longer than 2-4 weeks after the most recent infection or continue to grow would get checked out.
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My wife and I are on day three of a ten day quarentine with what we highly suspect to be Omicron. We are both vaccinated but neither of us have gotten the booster. Should we still get the booster?
My wife (32 Female, 5,4 inches and weighs 142LBS) and I (32 Male, 5,7inch, and I weight 190LBS) tested positive for covid. Joy.
So, the booster is supposed to defend against this right? Since we have already gotten the variant, doesn't that mean our bodies will produce a similar defense for the same reason the booster works?
My ultimate question is, should we get the booster still?
Thanks all!
| 5
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**Physician**: Yes, you should still get the booster. Although the infection may have boosted your immune response, the immunity you get from an infection will be less effective than the immunity you get from a booster shot.
If it has been more than 6 months since your second shot, you can go for the booster shot 14 days after testing positive or start of symptoms.
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18M when do I go to the doctor for a head injury?
I hit my head pretty hard on a cabinet and have a bump with some pain but no other symptoms. I am worried about a subdural hematoma as I read that they can be present without any major symptoms. Is it worth going to the doctor?
| 6
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**Physician, Neurologist | Moderator**: Bumping your head without any neurological symptoms like loss of consciousness, nausea or vomiting in a young adult doesn’t warrant further investigation.
**Physician - Pediatrics**: No.
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Elevated lead levels after one-time exposure. Where should we go from here?
To make a long story short, my partner and I visited Mexico and brought back a pestle and mortar. We purchased it in a cooking class that used the same tools to make a fresh salsa.
When we returned home and made the fresh salsa, we realized that when we got to the bottom of the bowl, a lot of the green glaze and even clay had chipped off into our salsa. Basically, we ingested lead in powder form due to the grinding of the tools.
We knew this wasn’t good and after a quick Google search realized that Mexico is known for lead-based pottery. After testing the bowl with an EPA certified test, it immediately turned red for lead.
My partner and I got our lead levels drawn and received the results yesterday morning. I (30F) have a lead level of 19.1 mcg/dL and my partner (28M) has a level of 8 mcg/dL.
In terms of symptoms, I am experiencing fatigue, weakness, sometimes dizziness, abdominal pain, and really bad headaches. His symptoms are less but mostly some fatigue and abdominal pain for him.
Where do we go from here? How do you recommend we monitor our levels to ensure they go down? Any treatment options at these levels? Finally, are there any long-term risks that are possible with these levels?
For further context, feel free to check out my previous posts on my profile in the pottery sub.
Thank you in advance 🙏
| 4
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**Physician**: Lead levels above 5 mcg/dL are considered elevated, so both you and your partner have elevated lead levels. To monitor your levels, your doctor may recommend repeated lead tests at regular intervals.
In terms of treatment options, chelation therapy is an option if lead levels are high enough to cause significant symptoms or health problems. However, this is typically reserved for severe cases, and your doctor will be able to determine whether it's necessary for you and your partner.
Long-term risks of elevated lead levels include decreased IQ, developmental and behavioral problems, decreased growth and hearing, and reproductive problems in both men and women. It's also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, and other health problems.
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24M, 5 foot 9, white, 150lbs, no medications, duration 2 times, Can't maintain an erection during sex
24M, 5 foot 9, 150lbs, healthy, run every week, white, no medications, drink a few times a week, don't smoke cigs ever or weed anymore (I was a heavy user until a few months ago).
I met a girl I'm into and can't maintain an erection. If we are laying on a couch hooking up I have an erection, if we aren't together and I think about the time we spend together I can get an erection, but as soon as I start to penetrate I lose it. Prior to this relationship I haven't had sex in a very long time and this is the first time I've been sexual since then. So far we've hooked up twice, the first time we hooked up it happened initially then we stopped and later on that night I was hard enough to have sex, the second time we hooked up I was hard and literally lost an erection inside of her. I don't understand why its happening and it's devastating. Wherever I look online about ED its always men over 40 and I can barley find anything with 24 year olds. I talked to my therapist about it after the first incident and felt pretty good about it but it just happened again. She's blaming herself which is making me feel even worse because she's doing everything right.
| 5
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**MD - Peds GI | Top Contributor**: So so so common man. Happens to all of us. If you can have an erection at other times then your penis works fine.
Just take it slow. Don’t be in a hurry to have penetrative sex. Do tons of foreplay. If she cares about you she’ll be supportive.
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Please help - I’m in so much pain
27F, never smoked, never drank. 170 cm, around 70kg, black and in the UK. Pretty healthy apart from Asthma (which is controlled). I had horrific gum pain last week, and upon seeing an emergency dentist I was diagnosed with ANUG. Prescribed Metronidazole and Difflam mouth wash. I’m on day 3 of antibiotics and I don’t see much of a difference. I am also taking paracetamol every four hours. I haven’t eaten in days and I can barely open my mouth due to the pain. I am also coughing, have swollen jaw and neck, have a fever and have blood in my urine. My GP finally agreed (over the phone) to send me for blood tests, but the pain is unbearable and I suspect something else is going on. Seriously, my throat feels like it has closed up. Should I call emergency services?
| 1
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**Physician - Anaesthesiology**: If you are systemically unwell and are having difficulties swallowing and breathing with neck swelling then you should go to the emergency department. Your GP is neither a dentist nor an emergency service so is not the best route here.
**Nurse Practitioner**: Of to A&E you go! If you’ve been on the correct antibiotics for 72 hrs, you should be improving, not declining. Something is off here; either the antibiotics are not correct for your infection, you don’t have the correct diagnosis, or you have multiple issues present. Given your description, it seems like it may be all of the above. If you are doing as poorly as you say, this needs addressed on an emergent basis.
So, off you go! Hope you feel better soon!
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Gf [25, f] bit by a monkey now experiencing symptoms
Two weeks ago we went into the Amazon Rainforest and a wild monkey bit my gf [25, biological female] when she tried petting it. We didn’t think much of it and kept going with our lives. Last monday she started feeling discomfort in her jaw which soon evolved into pain when she tried opening it. Now she has a headache and feels tension and electricity in her trapezius muscle and her neck. I think she might have tetanus but her jaw pain may also be caused by a bad movement. Should we be worried?
She doesn’t smoke, she's about 5”5’, weights 154 pounds, doesn’t take any medication and probably hasn’t had a TDAP shot in the last 10 years.
| 1
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**Physician**: Please go to your nearest emergency department right away.
**Respiratory Therapist**: Why did you not go to the ER????????? Go NOW
**Physician - Dermatology**: Go to the ER, Needs to be accessed for tetanus, amongst other things.
**Physician - IM/ID/Peds**: What kind of monkey, if you happen to know? She needs to be seen ASAP (i.e. ED), and probably by an infectious diseases physician sooner than later.
**Physician**: I really hope this is a troll…
**Physician**: Seek emergency medical treatment now.
Have a very low threshold to be repatriated.
**Physician - Pediatrics**: Adding my professional voice to the chorus.
1. Hope this is a troll.
2. Get to an emergency department right now.
**Physician**: I really hope this is a joke. If not, for the love of god go to an ER. Monkey bites contain more than just tetanus, they also carry herpes B and several other neurologically devastating infections.
In the business, we’d say she “needs all the things”…aka line, labs, aggressive treatment, and consultation with multiple subspecialists.
-EM
**Physician - Pediatric Emergency Medicine**: I love this sub sometimes.
You should have bit it back.
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care - Moderator**: Question thoroughly answered by medical professionals, comments now locked.
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Long term ankle sprain
Male 25 years old.
Training for triathlons and endurance.
An ankle sprain from about 10 years ago is starting to cause pain and limping after I have been rubbing recently. I have been running long distances and working out harder.
Pain along the outside of my ankle and the lower part of my leg, no higher than my shin. This only happens as I recover from endurance runs.
I have noticed when I try to run on back to back days I will start limping as the pain becomes more intense.
Should I shy away from long distance runs or push through the pain.
What are the common reasons why an injury from so many years ago will cause lasting pain?
The only aid to the pain is ice on the area. Will I need to do this after every run?
Any advice?
| 4
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**Physician - Orthopedic Surgeon**: I would not assume the current pain has any relation to an old ankle sprain until proven otherwise. You need and exam and xrays at a minimum. Xrays could show a stress fracture, which would be a more likely diagnosis associated with marathon running. Treatment would be predicated on exam and xray findings, but backing off activities that cause pain currently makes prudent sense.
**Physician - Orthopedic Surgeon**: Sports medicine or foot and ankle specialist first.
|
had sex with a prostitute
Hey I am a 22 male had sex with a sex worker 10 days ago, and the condom broke during the intercourse
I am afraid of having an STD specifically chlamydia/gonorrhea
I had a few (3-4) pimples developed around my body a week ago I am not sure if it has anything to do with this, or maybe I am just overreacting, I’ll try to post a few pics of them
anyway, is it okay to take antibiotics specifically I.M ceftriaxone and oral doxycycline
(I have access to those in my country without prescription)
without taking any std test to confirm if I have any bug
| 2
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**Physician - Radiology**: What’s done is done. First, get an std check now and another in a few months. Don’t just take antibiotics because you can.
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27F not sure if having a miscarriage
27F, 5'3" 250lb
No current medications except prenatal vitamins
Currently 9w3d pregnant, and I have my first prenatal appointment on Thursday. I've had some slight spotting and small clots over the past two days on and off. I have some super mild cramping today. Two of my friends had a period during their first trimester, and I'm not sure if this is one of those super weird things or if I need to get to an ER since it's a holiday and my doctor's office is closed.
Thanks in advance. I'm a first time mom and currently at a job where I get guilt tripped if I take sick days for anything less than an amputation.
| 1
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**Emergency Medical Technician**: Bleeding and cramping are not normal during pregnancy. Since you haven't had your first appointment yet I'm assuming you have had a positive test and no ultrasound. I would advise you to go to the ER to ensure you don't have an ectopic pregnancy.
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Enlarged spleen and platelet count’s keeps going down
29M, middle eastern
Cigarettes smoker since 14 year’s never had cough except when i had covid!
enlarged spleen of 14cm last checked two month’s ago
cipro 500mg antibiotics for suspected non infection epididymis
naproxen (taken occasionally when there’s pain)
Anemia when i was 15 due to iron deficiency.
I’m currently worried about my spleen enlargement as I’m recently having abdominal constant pain on my left ribs cage side (more on the end of it) especially when laying down which i do also having slight shortness of breath.
I’ve done blood test CBC two month’s ago and my platelet count was 195 (minimum 150)
hemoglobin was at 154
Now two month’s after i did a second CBC which came as 152 platelet count’s and 150 hemoglobin.
Now i know for a fact those aren’t really dangerous but since my spleen is already enlarged isn’t the decrease of my platelet count’s an indicator that the spleen is getting larger?
Also I’ve woke up in the middle of the night to pee and i suddenly felt dizzy and throw up straight away with mild pain on my left side (spleen side)
Please advice should i go to the ER?
I had covid in July and struggled with the cough for about two month’s after but that cough came mainly when smoking cigarettes but then disappeared on it’s own.
| 4
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: No you shouldn't go to ER. Follow up with your doctor.
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Worried about my first trimester bloodwork results
I (26F) am 9.5 weeks pregnant with my first child. I have a hx of iron deficiency anemia, induced by diet (I have ARFID) but has since been supplemented. I’m 5’2” and 122 pounds.
My WBC and ABS neutrophils came back abnormally high, but everything else came back normal.
WBC- 13.6 (normal range 3.8 - 10.8)
ABS Neutrophils- 11,682 (normal range 1,500 - 7,800)
Should I be concerned? Could this just be the result of a yeast infection, or could numbers this high be indicative of something more that I should go seek additional testing for?
| 6
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: Totally normal in pregnancy - the normal white count is generally a bit higher than for a non-pregnant person. Remember that the lab "normal" doesn't take into account special conditions such as pregnancy, so things may be marked as outside the range but are totally fine for you.
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(24F) can I exercise with nerve entrapment?
Can I exercise with nerve entrapment?
Hi everyone, I’m a 24 year old female. I weight around 54kg and 5’4 in height, I am Arab, I’m not sure if it’s relevant to the question. I don’t drink or do drugs recreationally. I don’t smoke, I don’t have pre-existing medical conditions that I know of.
I did a difficult cardio exercise the other day and the following two days I felt extremely sore but then it went away. Yesterday, I felt a weird sensation at the back of my leg underneath my knee and I put my hand there and it feels swollen. It felt like a swollen nerve, it was hard and popping out a bit. The nerve was right next to the bone of my leg, the bone close to mg other leg. Anyway, I ask my doctor friend about this and he says it seems like nerve entrapment “possibly perineal or femoral”. He told me to put off exercise for a week then see my GP. I’m scared of seeing my GP since other family members were made to feel like nuisances when they had nerve entrapment etc, it doesn’t seem like it’s seen as a big deal. So I’m wondering, when can I exercise again? Exercise is really helping my mental health and I don’t want to give it up :(
| 4
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**Physician**: Just see your doctor. It does not sound like nerve entrapment though, from preliminarily hearing your symptoms. Maybe a calf strain.
**Physician**: Just see your doctor. It does not sound like nerve entrapment though, from preliminarily hearing your symptoms. Maybe a calf strain.
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(AA, 61 M) Major drop in blood pressure. Go to the ER or wait?
My father (61 year old, African-American Male) has a history of extreme hypertension and stoke. He takes multiple blood pressure medications daily. When measuring his blood pressure last night, it read 179/120 and he was feeling drowsy. This morning, he was feeling better and decided to go to work. However, at work, he felt sick again and measured a blood pressure reading of 107/79. This is abnormally low for him, who typically has extremely high blood pressure, even with medication. I really think he should go to the ER, but he says he’s fine. What might have happened? What should he do?
TLDR: AA male with hypertension drops from 179/120 to 107/79 over the course of 12 hours. What’s wrong? Go to the ER or wait?
| 4
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**Physician**: Based on the fact his BP was high last night and low this morning, I’m guessing he took his BP meds this morning?
In the absence of any other symptoms, this doesn’t warrant an ER visit. But it certainly warrants a GP visit to optimise his anti-hypertensive meds and timings. It may be that he needs split doses to maintain his BP at somewhere between those two numbers consistently, as opposed to high once they’ve worn off and low once they’ve been taken.
A BP diary might be helpful to pick up daily patterns.
If his HR remains that low consistently, it also warrants a review to ensure there aren’t cardiac issues contributing to an intermittently low BP.
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Why Are Burn Wounds Appearing Now? (M22)
I was circumcised on the 9th of Dicember. Operation went smooth with no big issue and now I am fine, I take no medication whatsoever.
However...
I had had sex with my Gf before being cut and everything was fine.
After being cut, we waited the whole 8 weeks before starting doing it again.
However, she is rougher than me when using hands.
Before, it was no problem. After the operation, whenever she goes too rough burn marks appear.
I noriced that, even if she is careful, when we actually have sex I still have burn wounds, even if we always use a condom (which is lubrificated).
I mean, the only thing that changed was the glans, but now the shaft needs to be treated with more care? What's up with that?
Mind you: I still have the swollen ring all around the incision line after 3 whole months from the operation (repeat: on the 9th of Dicember). I am not sure if this is related though.
Now, I told her to go easy on it since we can't buy lube (we still live with parents and got nowhere to hide it). Still, it is really weird to me.
Anyone can explain why or how to avoid it?
We do it only once a week and before we do it everything seems fine. But when we finish I notice these wounds always in the same spots (just a little bit before the incision line).
It seems weird.
Anyway, thanks in advance for any reply.
| 5
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**Laboratory Technician**: That’s kind of typical of circumcised penises. You have to be more gentle in a sense since the skin is more taught, it’s prone to tears and abrasions. May have to try to find a way to get more lubricant. The ring you’re referencing may just be scar tissue. Should reduce a little with time but usually never fully disappears.
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Can i ask for an early refill if the pharmacy gave me a “substitute” medication?
Okay i’m not sure if this is a stupid question but i’m 18F (167cm, 70kg, asian, history of depression/anxiety) and i have severe ADHD, i’ve been taking Amphetamine Salts (15mg) and it works wonders for me, last time i picked up my medication i was in a hurry and didn’t check my medication and it turns out they gave me another “Dextroamp-Amphetamin” (15mg) instead of the normal one, i called and the woman said it was a “certified substitute” since they were out of stock (they didn’t tell me anything when i called for a refill or when i picked it up) and seemed very annoyed with me so i apologized and hung up, (i have pretty bad anxiety and got scared to ask more questions)
the issue is that the side effects have been way different, this new medication makes me feel EXTREMELY depressed, dazed, tired, and there’s a noticeable “crash” after it wears off at night where i get so unmotivated, depressed and generally out of it (granted there is a small crash with my regular one but it’s nowhere near as bad) and i don’t know what to do, i thought maybe i was just imagining it but it’s getting to the point that i space out when driving. if there’s nothing i can do i would rather just not take it at all and live with it again for a few weeks but i’m worried it will affect my performance at work and school but i wanted to see if i could get answer here before i called and possibly get talked down to like last time, i would appreciate if someone could help an anxious girl out!
| 4
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**Physician - Rheumatology**: Call your prescriber. The only way you can get a replacement for a controlled prescription is via a new prescription being written. Tell them what you wrote here and see what they can do for you.
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Do I have covid?
I am a 20F, 5'6, \~100 lbs, have no medical issues, and don't take any meds.
​
Last Friday night I downed a pint of ice cream along with a few cookies. Without drinking much water I went straight to bed. The next day I woke up feeling fine but started to get a huge headache and extreme fatigue around noon. By the end of the day I was shivering and had almost no energy to move. Thinking that I had severe dehydration, on Sunday I stayed in bed and drank as much water as I could to get the headache to go away. My neck and shoulder muscles were aching and I started spitting out a lot of yellow mucus. This may be TMI, but I also got my period that day. On Monday, I felt a bit better and decided to go out to celebrate the 4th. While ordering Cava, the server started coughing as she was preparing my food and had to step out. I ate all of it, not thinking much of it. The next day (yesterday), my headache was barely there, but I started to notice that my mouth and throat were very dry, and no matter how much water I drank it was still dry. My throat also started getting itchy. My mouth and throat are still very dry today and I'm starting to cough a little due to the itchiness. I'm not sure if I got COVID from the server or if it's some weird case of severe dehydration. Any input would be great!
| 5
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**Nurse Practitioner**: No one on this sub can tell you if you have COVID without testing you for COVID.
My advice? Go get tested.
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Lost taste and smell after recovering from viral infection. Normal?
Hi all, I am 24 male, 6 feet, 230 LB with no known medical issues. I do have severe anxiety.
I got a viral infection with flu like symptoms 6 days ago. Body aches, chills, sore throat, skin sensitivity, cough, headache. I tested negative day 2 for covid. Over the past two days I’ve been feeling better, but yesterday I got very tired out of no where. I then go on that night to have no taste or smell. I still do today. I barely can smell. Like a hint of scent.
Of course anxiety me… googles and it says kidney/liver failure… and other terrible stuff associated to lost of taste and smell. is that happening to me? (sorry if I sound silly)
Is this lost of taste and smell related to the infection I got last week or is this something new?
Should I take a covid test again? Anything else can you help me with?
UPDATE: I just tested positive for covid. Is this new or old? I was just sick but feeling Better.
| 6
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: Seems like this viral infection was in fact COVID, with a false negative test early on. The loss of taste/smell can be brief (a week or so) to long-term (months). No way to predict, unfortunately.
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[22][Female] What are the chances I have tetanus?
I [22 Female 5”4 and 120 pounds] work as a dishwasher and the past few days I have been getting cuts and burns and handling filthy materials. I handle spoiled food, molds, dirt, and bacteria on a daily basis and have been touching them while my wounds are exposed. I was raised by antivaxxers so I am NOT protected. The only vaccines I have gotten are 3 Moderna vaccines.
I constantly wash my hands but today I had a lot of exposed wounds. When I got home I sanitized and put antibiotic ointment on them. I have been using this technique to avoid normal bacterial infections since I was a kid. However I think this is different and more serious than when I usually get wounds as the materials I handled were very filthy and I worked for 8 hours before using my antibiotic ointment at home.
I’m very worried and I’m going to make an appointment at a walk in clinic when they open today. Can I still get the tetanus vaccine even if I’m infected? What are the chances that it could be deadly?
Also I live in Canada and not a developing country if that helps. Thank you.
| 5
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**Physician**: The answer to the question in your title is ... zero! You wouldn't be casually posting on Reddit if you had tetanus.
It should be understood that tetanus isn't just a bad skin infection, it's the painful and incapacitating effect of a toxin that causes your muscles to contract continuously, for weeks, without the ability to relax them! I've seen tetanus overseas and it's utterly miserable, often deadly. In contrast, the vaccine is extremely safe and effective, and also offers protection against two other miserable diseases caused by toxins, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough). There's just no reason to not get it. Your antibiotic ointment carries more risk of adverse reaction than the vaccine!
North America is not free of tetanus in the same way we are free of malaria, cholera, and yellow fever - you have lots of potential to get tetanus. The disease is only rare because the vaccine and the cleansing of wounds are both so prevalent.
Yes, get the vaccine regardless of what kind of skin infection you might have. Good handwashing is often sufficient to avoid infections without using an antibiotic, but understand that excessive handwashing can break down the ability of the skin to resist infection.
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(24F) (105Lbs) Concerned I might have Rabies.
I'm (24F), (105Lbs), White, I'm (5ft), Don't smoke, rarely drink, and rarely eat Cannabis. I'm not taking any current medications, and I'm autistic, ADHD, and suffer from depression and anxiety.
My symptoms I had been having were:
Pain, itching, prickling feeling at bite site, itchiness in different parts of my body, feeling tired, headaches, feeling like I have brain fog, clumsiness. The pain, itchiness, and prickling feeling at the bite site have happened pretty much everyday, but kinda feel like it comes and goes, instead of it being constant.
These symptoms have came and went: Brain Fog, headaches, feeling tired, itchiness in different parts of the body, and clumsiness.
16 days ago I was out taking a walk in my mobile home park, and while I was walking I heard a "Watch out!" Soon as I know it, I see what looked to be a black lab puppy coming up to greet me. She didn't appear agressive, and she wasn't barking or growling at me. She seemed really friendly, so I was greeting her. (I have never seen this dog before and have no clue who she belongs to.) She from what I could remember had a collar and what looked to be a bone shaped license, but I can't 100% remember her having a license since my memory is a bit spotty. She was playing with I assume her owners, two preteen boys, before she came and greeted me. She had no leash. Anyways, she jumped up on me, and was trying to be playful. I had my hoodie on, but her jaw had hit up against my elbow when she tried to nip at me. I wasn't angry with her, since she seemed like a friendly puppy. Her owners caught up to her, and called her name, so I knew she wasn't a stray. I told them that she was cute and they said, "yeah and she likes to bite." Hearing that made me nervous, but they grabbed her and I continued on my walk.
When I got home, I went to see the damage. I didn't really find much of anything, but I went and rinsed it off with soap and warm water. I assumed I just had an ingrown acne spot, which was what it looked at. Well the next day, I noticed two spots (the ingrown acne looking spot, and a little spot next to it where there was a very little bit of blood, not a lot, very minor and my wound wasn't deep. It looked like a little superficial blood spot, and an ingrown acne spot. I figured it was minor and I overlooked it the night before, when the puppy nipped at me.
I began to be nervous about possible rabies risk, since I found it kinda odd that she just ran away from her owners like that and had jumped up on me and nipped at me. But then again, she looked to be a puppy, and I thought labs especially, are a hyper breed, so maybe it was just normal puppy behavior.
I'm really hoping it is just anxiety, because I want be wrong so I can move on with my life. After the bite I showed my Grandparents, but they didn't think I needed to see the doctor to get rabies shots since the bite looked minor and not too bad. I can't drive since I don't have my drivers license. I heard that with anxiety, that symptoms can feel very real.
Sorry this was kinda long, I tried to be detailed in explaining my situation. I appreciate the advice.
| 4
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**Physician**: Hi, was this in the United States? Rabies is SUPER rare here and I want to say it was just a nippy puppy. The only thing I would say is see your primary for possible antibiotics but even that is just for *high* risk wounds and from your description it seems to be on the minor side. current recommendations are also to observe the animal itself for clinical signs of rabies to judge whether post exposure prophylaxis is needed. do you know the owners that you can contact to see if their dog has had any signs? again, highly doubt rabies.
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This is not an STI, right?
19M, 160 lb
So I had unprotected oral sex for the first time with a girl I met on a hookup app and 3 days later I now am having slight urethra pain (kinda like a swelling and burning pain) and the frequent urge to urinate. I was looking up symptoms for STIs that can be spread through saliva and don't meet any other symptoms. For instance, it doesn't burn when I urinate, no visual abnormalities, no discharge, etc. Therefore, I think this is just a UTI and will wait two weeks to see if the uncomfortableness resolves itself. Does this make sense, since I don't meet most of the symptoms of any common STIs?
| 4.5
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**Physician**: If there is any visible lesions a picture will be helpful.
Other that that the symptoms are towards UTI.
Drink enough water and just give it 3-4 days.
Don't get anxious about STI and relax.
**Physician**: Men very rarely get UTIs. They do get urethritis from GC and Chlamydia. Best to get checked for these problems.
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Waiting on endoscopy, normal abdominal ultrasound, can’t stop regurgitating blood.
F25, history of alcohol and drug use but not for the past year.
I’ve been experiencing bouts of vomiting blood for almost 3 years now. At first it happened when I did cocaine, so I stopped doing cocaine. Then it happened when I drank too much, so I stopped drinking. Now it’s been happening off and on with seemingly no cause, usually about once a month. I don’t really vomit anymore but I do have rumination syndrome so bring up undigested food frequently. I can occasionally taste and see blood in this, and it seems to be getting more and more frequent. I was admitted to the ER about three months ago because I wanted answers but was only put on a course of PPIs, tested for h.pylori (negative), referred for an endoscopy (three months later and no appointment), and sent on my way. I saw another doctor and received an abdominal ultrasound that came back clear, but I have no idea what could be going on. I have no other symptoms, no pain, no indigestion, and am at a loss for what to do. I’m worried that something is seriously wrong and I won’t know because my endoscopy will take too long. What should I do???
| 1
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**MD - Peds GI | Top Contributor**: I can't believe you didn't get scoped earlier. This is an absolute, if not urgent, indication for an upper scope. For all anyone knows, you've had something going on that could be managed endoscopically for years. Hard to know (other than staying on a PPI) until you get a scope. If they can't do it sooner, go to the ED.
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23M neck popped 15 mins ago and I can't move my head around
I'm 175.26 centimetres recreational pot smoker and ex-smoker 83kg. I woke up this morning and moved my head up I felt a pop and sharp pain ran down my back and onto my shoulder blades. And any slight movement is extremely painful even laying still I'm having really bas pain
| 4
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**Physician**: Probably pinched a nerve, but you would need some heavy painkillers and muscle relaxants for a few days, so go to the doctors.
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Pregnant and possible chickenpox exposure (30F)
Hello, I’m 30(F), I’m 14 weeks pregnant. I’ve had chickenpox as a child (age 2) and had titres done many years ago (2014) which still showed immunity…however that was 8 years ago.
A young family member will be at my house this weekend (there are no other options for accommodation for her) and we’re pretty certain she has active chickenpox.
Are there any necessary precautions to take? Should I be out of the house?
(Edit) want to add, I’ve been trying to call my family doctor’s office all morning to I ask about this but I haven’t been able to get through.
| 6
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**Physician - Rheumatology**: You had chickenpox. You had evidence of immunity a few years ago. You are not at risk and your pregnancy should not be affected.
However, that sick child should not be leaving her home or visiting anyone. Chickenpox is highly contagious to anyone who has not had it or who has not yet been vaccinated against it.
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I have not pooped in 10 days
I am a
36 year old Male
I currently take suboxone, and Propranalol.
My height is 5’-11” weight is 190lbs
I am wanting to take care of this at home. I bought some Glyc. Suppositories, I have not used because I do not know if I have a impacted stool. Is it safe to try this before going to the ER the thought of manual decompaction mortifies me. Not super bloated, constant urge to use bathroom but im terrified to just push as hard as I can because I have recently had a anal tear and is extremely painful, please help
| 5
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**Patient Care Assistant**: Miralax + stool softener + lots and lots of water.
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How realistic is permanent mental health damage from finasteride?
Male. 40. 183cm. 82kg.
Taking fin and min in tablet form daily for over a year
GAD and depression.
I’ve read horror stories that finasteride induces crippling anxiety and deep depression. I’ve been on finasteride for over a year now, and my anxiety is through the roof.
I’m wondering if there’s any proof of the claims? And if I stop taking the medication, I can heal, or the damage to my mental health is permanent?
| 6
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**Physician**: >I’ve read horror stories that finasteride induces crippling anxiety and deep depression. I’ve been on finasteride for over a year now, and my anxiety is through the roof.
Is it possible that reading these anecdotal 'horror stories' has propelled your anxiety rather than the finasteride?
As far as I am aware, there is no formally established link. Happy to be corrected on this with new data.
Either way, finasteride's psychiatric effects are not likely to be permanent.
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Does pus always mean my cut is infected? Male 21 years old 5'5 180 lbs
So I have 5 different cuts with stitches and I removing my stitches myself because there is always a way too long of a wait period at the ER and when I cut the little stitches and pull them out I see a little bit of pus. I don't have any other symptoms of them being infected so I'm not sure if they are infected ? So I'm kind of confused
I'm a male, 21 years old, 5'5 and 180 pounds.
| 4
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**Physician**: > I removing my stitches myself because there is always a way too long of a wait period at the ER
This is why you f/u with your PCP.
Anyways, refer to rule #1. Not enough info.
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Just developed flu-like symptoms 7 hours ago. What should I do to prevent myself from dying?
M24, 6 feet 2 inches, 225 lbs, Caucasian, flu-like symptoms (body aches, low grade fever of 99.6, chills), 7-hour duration, no existing medical issues, currently on Lexapro 10mg for OCD, drink 1 or 2x per week, smoke a cigar once monthly, no recreational drugs. Blood pressure generally reads 116/56. I do intense exercise (boxing, running, weightlifting) 4x per week.
I have a low-grade fever (99.6), body aches, and chills. I am fully vaccinated and boosted for COVID and had a very mild case back at the end of May.
Wondering what my next steps should be to safely and effectively test for/get over these symptoms? Should I go to urgent care? As mentioned, I have OCD and I am slightly afraid of dying from the flu, covid, or any illness really. Would love to know what I can do to shrink my odds.
Thanks in advance!
**EDIT** 8:29, now having some slightly sharp pains in my upper back when I inhale. Are those just aches?
| 5
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: You are almost certainly not going to die of whatever this is. Reasonable to do a home COVID test, otherwise just stay home, treat your symptoms, and wait to get better. Unless you have something specific to be investigated, an urgent care is not going to be able to do anything for a presumed viral infection.
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My back is KILLING me
What do doctors want me (45F) to do in this situation - call my primary? Go to urgent care? It's horrible horrible pain, and I am guessing I'll need PT to resolve.
This seems like a stupid question as I'm typing it. But when I ruptured a disk in my neck, the urgent care people were clearly worried I was seeking meds. And frankly, I was/am.
I don't want to put them or me in an awkward position; is the ideal situation that I just eat Advil until I get into PT?
| 5
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: Tylenol, advil, begin PT at home if you remember the types of exercises given to you before.
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I’ve got into the habit of manually emptying my rectum. Am I likely to be causing long term harm?
This is really embarrassing but here goes.
26F, UK, non smoker/drinker. 170cm, 75kg. Taking antidepressants and mood stabilisers. Diagnosed MDD, BPD, and IBS.
Relevant info: was diagnosed with IBS in early 2017, predominately diarrhoea. Bloods were normal, doctor recommended dietary changes. I identified wheat/gluten as the trigger for diarrhoea (coeliac screen was negative), cut out all gluten, and diarrhoea was resolved (with the exception of the occasional “flare”).
Since my dietary changes my bowel habits started leaning towards constipation/general irregularity. In late 2017 I became badly impacted and decided to manually remove the stool with my fingers. Ever since then, when I got constipated I would occasionally insert a finger into my vagina and “push” the stool out by pressing the inside of my vaginal wall which rested against my rectum.
This was only an occasional thing, but over the years it’s developed into a habit. Now, every time I go to the bathroom to pee, I check to see if i can feel stool through the vaginal wall, even if i have no urge to open my bowels at all. If I can feel anything, I try to push it out with my finger. Even more recently I started to manually remove stool from my rectum by putting my finger straight in there and pulling it out.
This has become normal for me but i feel so disgusting knowing that this really isn’t normal. I don’t even know what my “normal” bowel habits should be. I’m too embarrassed to talk to a doctor about it because i feel like i’ll just sound absolutely deranged. I do wonder if it’s become more of a mental health issue now, since if i do feel stool i feel like i HAVE to get it out else it’s in the back of my mind.
Every time i try to break the habit I end up going days without passing anything, or having to strain a lot, and I get frustrated and just revert back to this habit. I have a constant feeling of incomplete evacuation and rarely feel relief from going to the toilet.
I’m worried this will cause long term problems like incontinence or something. And of course it’s incredibly unhygienic, although i clean up vigorously every time.
Can anyone advise?
| 4
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**Medical Assistant**: I work GI. I hear this sometimes, not to your extent, however. I suggest going to a gastro to get checked out. You will not be judged. We see and hear everything, trust me. We just want to fix patients. PFT does seem like the way to go at this point as well as some medication possibly, but I'm not the dr... just from treatments I've seen in the past.
I also have BPD (:)
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My mom (60F) has sudden loss of short term memory and keeps asking the same questions over and over.
So, I tried googling whether I should take my mom to the ER or not. All I could find is that if someone has forgotten all events leading up to the present, they should go to the ER. That isn’t the case here. She remembers select things from the present. This started probably last Friday, but didn’t seem like anything serious at the time. However on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I realized we were having the same conversation we had the day before. Then I went to visit her on Friday and she was doing much worse. She will ask the same questions several times in the same conversation. She doesn’t remember my previous answers. She had Covid in January and will ask, “I had Covid, right?” 5 times within a 10-15 minute conversation after I repeatedly say “yes.” Should we go to the ER? I made an appointment with her primary care doctor on Monday, and her neurologist couldn’t see her till May. However I’m hoping her doctor can help either help with getting her in sooner or recommend us to someone else. I’m wondering if she should go to the ER though as I spoke with her today and she seems the exact same. Asking the same 10 questions. Over and over. It came out of nowhere and I’m really concerned. She does have Lupus. Not sure if that could have something to do with it.
| 1
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**Physician**: Lupus cerebritis is a thing. I've seen one case of it. She should get a set of routine labs and at least a CT head if not also an MRI. I'm guessing her primary care doctor isn't open on Sundays and even if you were able to get her in on Monday, it may take some time to get the blood tests and scan arranged. Fastest way is to take her to the ER.
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What kind of doctor should I see for this?
18F, Hispanic/Asian, joint pain, PCOS, stomach issues, hashimotos, ankle issues, possible Graves’ disease and possible POTS, taking levothyroxine 50 micrograms I think is the unit
I’ve been having a lot of joint pain recently after starting a new job. Specifically my left side of my hip, left knee, and left ankle. It’s like an achy pain and is about a 3/10 but sometimes my knee pain gets really bad and I can’t bend it or walk on it. When that happens it’s a shape pain about 5/10. My right ankle also has some thinning cartilage (it’s from injuries tho) and is painful however I just got a cortisone shot in it a week ago and has been feeling okay but I’ve never had my other joints checked out. My wrists have also been hurting a lot. Im just wondering if maybe there’s an underlying condition or if I’d just be wasting my time going to a different doctor. Also if there is possibly something what could I bring up to my doctor?
| 4
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**Physician - Pediatric Emergency Medicine**: I always recommend starting with your PCP and they can direct you from there.
**Physician - Pediatric Emergency Medicine**: You probably need to see either an internal medicine doctor or a family practioner.
You can ask around for your family or friends for a recommendation.
Also, if you have insurance, on the back of your care there is a 1800 number you can call to find a doc.
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[20m] drank unfiltered water
I’ve just moved in to this new flat. Usually tap water is clean in this area but this water tastes really really odd. Despite my landlord saying it is clean. I took 2 sips and then went and bought a filter. Apparently I didn’t install the filter how you’re supposed to do it and so I have drunk about 3 cups from it now. I’m noticing I’m struggling to swallow things like croissants lately but I don’t know if it’s because of the water. I’ve had general sickness the past week with sore throat, cough and slightly sore neck every now and then. Am I overthinking it all?
| 6
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**Physician**: Yes, overthinking it.
Water filters aren’t magical devices that turn tap water into purified water. Any bacteria that were in there before filtration are largely still in there after. In most developed countries, tap water is safe to drink and any difference in taste is from differences in mineral content.
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Paracetamol Overdose?
so 30M - 6ft, 190kg -- for the past around 5 days I've had some significant dental pain, I managed to get it extracted yesterday and today I've been mostly pain free. I suffer for significant anxiety and I've now convinced myself that I've overdosed on paracetamol and because my stomach is hurting (I've been on erythromycin for the past 3 days) that I've overdosed on paracetamol -- this is despite speaking with 2 seperate pharmacists who have said it's fine.
I have T2 diabetes / high blood pressure and am on medication for that and anxiety. I also have a little bit of a fatty liver, last bloods were an improvement on previous.
I've written down to the best of my knowledge / memory each time I've taken medication (this doesn't include some 15mg codeine I was prescribed for the pain, nor does it include the antibiotic)
I was told no more than 1200mg (1.2g) ibuprofen a day and no more than 4000mg paracetamol a day, obviously anxiety got the best of me and I started researching and its like per day, doesn't reset at midnight etc etc.
I feel fine other than nausea and upset stomach BUT day 3/4 of erythromycin is im guessing the probable cause, that and maybe the fact I've not been able to eat properly for multiple days and stuffed my face last night / this morning.
Hopefully you can help. thanks
12/1/23
**2 x 500mg paracetamol**, 1 400mg ibuprofen - 7am
**2 x 500mg paracetamol**, 600mg ibuprofen - 1pm
**2 x 500mg paracetamol** at 6pm
​
13/1/23
400mg ibuprofen 7:30am
**2 x 500mg paracetamol** \- 11;20am
400mg ibuprofen 2:10pm
**2 x 500mg paracetamol** 5:45pm
**2 x 500mg paracetamol,** 400mg ibuprofen 9pm
​
14/1/23
400mg ibuprofen - 10am
**2 x 500mg paracetamol** \- 5pm
400mg ibuprofen - 7pm
**2 x 500mg paracetamol** 10:20pm
​
15/1/23
400mg ibuprofen - 3:40am
**2 x 500mg paracetamol** \- 9:30am
400mg ibuprofen - 2pm
**2 x 500mg paracetamol** \- 5:30pm
**2 x 500mg paracetamol**, 400mg ibuprofen - 11:50pm
​
16/1/23
**2 x 500mg paracetamol**, 400mg ibuprofen - 9am
400mg ibuprofen - 1pm
**2 x 500mg paracetamol** \- 2:30pm
**2 x 500mg paracetamol** \- 6:20pm
400mg ibuprofen - 9:30pm
​
17/1/22
**2 x 500mg paracetamol** \- 4:30am
400mg ibuprofen 8am
| 6
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**Physician**: This is fine.
Both the pharmacists are correct. Trust them.
**Pharmacist**: As u/TessTickles89 said, this is fine.
Erythromycin consistently causes stomach side effects. It is so consistent at this that it can be used to treat gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying) by increasing the muscle activity in your stomach. It may be unpleasant, but it is not out of the ordinary or unexpected.
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Mildly sick for 10+ days with symptoms of flu or covid
23M 140 lbs (63 kg)
First of all hello. I have no diagnosed chronic disease (except for a loose idiopathic hypersomnia diagnosis). I've been sick since I interacted with someone who had sore throat and slight cough. It took 3-4 days for symptoms to appear. I don't want to take time of ER workers for something mild and it is next to impossible to get a regular appointment in my country. My symptoms are:
Sore throat (gone)
Low grade fever 37.5 Celsius degrees (gone)
Red rash on mouth roof (gone)
Sneezing (mostly gone)
Yellow phlegm (sometimes with black/deep red clots)
Very runny nose
Loss of smell and taste for one morning
Exhaustion/fatigue (on modafinil, it got worse last couple of days)
General headache
Meds I'm on: modafinil 100mg, sulpiride 50mg (for ibs), 3x vaccinated (biontech, last 4 months ago)
Should I be concerned? Uncle Google says I got covid, pneumonia or cold but I don't trust it. I have no cough or shortness of breath. But bright yellow snot, headache and fatigue really concerns me. I haven't got a covid test for a bunch of reasons and I am isolating myself anyways to be sure. Thanks in advance.
| 6
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: Not at all concerned. It's a cold. Or COVID.
|
Is it safe to take acyclovir pills to treat herpes when I suspect hepatitis?
21 male, 190 cm, 110 kg, non-smoker.
I experienced jaundice (eyes and skin), red dots all over my body, tea colored like pee and, dry and easily bleeding skin around three weeks ago. I also had my first herpes outbreak (mild) around that same time. I applied acyclovir ointment on my herpes and they seemed to heal. Today I had another herpes occurence. Is it safe for me to take acyclovir pills? Cause I heard your liver needs a few months to recover from hepatitis. Thank you in advance, any help is appreciated
| 4
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**Physician**: No, the only safe thing to do at this point would be to consult a physician.
|
Meth Daily functional user.
Hi I’m Alberto I’m from Mexico I have 26 years old and I have been using meth during two weeks helped With Clonazepam and Xanax, to stay Away from psychosis and quetiapine to help me sleep I also have been taking vitamins and supplements but I just don’t know the correct time to take it I eat maybe just an apple per day
But a take Ensure some parenteral nutrients for oldmand. I Got:
L-thyrosine
-pregnancy vitamins
-b complex
-biotin
- l arginine
-centrum
I know that I am making my body a mess I eventually will stop maybe in one week but till that day comes I just wanted you to help thank you docs
| 5
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: What’s your question? I wouldn’t expect the supplements to do much to help you. Far better to eat a balanced diet. As you say, the biggest thing you can do for your health is to stop meth immediately.
|
M 140 Lb, Teflon from non stick inhalation
I got some of the TFal non stick pans and probably had the heat too high because I started smelling a plastic chemical smell that I just assumed cause it was new. Pretty stupid but I kept taking whiffs to see if it went away, it didn’t after a few minutes do I just used a different one. Anyway, I have a headache now and i’m a little concerned about long term health, can a one time exposure like this cause something like cancer?
| 6
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**Physician**: Wouldn't necessarily worry about a one-off exposure.
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care - Moderator**: Unlikely.
|
Stye on my eye burst open from hot compress. Is this dangerous?
37F, nonsmoker, no known health problems. Developed a small, really tender, swollen stye on my lower lid. I’ve been applying hot compresses to it all day, and a ton of yellow pus came out. It says online not to pop styes, but the hot compress made it burst. How worried do I need to be?
| 5
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**Physician | Moderator**: It's a good thing if that happens, it's a step towards resolution. Keep up the heat.
|
Everytime I smoke a cigarette or vape, my upper back gets very tense and I sometimes get a full pain under my right shoulder blade. Should this be cause for concern?
As the title says. I’ve been an on again off again smoker for the past 16 years. I’m 35 years old. I used to smoke heavily but now I only smoke about once a week and I’ve been vaping lately. I grew up in a house full of second hand smoke and that kind of freaks me out too that perhaps that may have added to any lung problems I may have.
I’m not coughing up, I can do rigorous workouts without being completely winded. I can breathe deeply. It’s just that when I’m out for a night and I smoke a few, or lately I’ve been smoking the vape, my upper back has so much tension and the full pain under my shoulder blade returns.
Any advise would be much appreciated. I know I should just quit for good. But I’m wondering if there is a serious issue here.
| 5
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: Besides the obvious disclaimer that you should probably stop smoking/vaping, if this only occurs when you smoke/vape, it sounds more like a type of referred pain.
To put it simply, when you have a kind of minor pain in an internal organ (more commonly the GI tract) the pain is experienced as being in another part of the body. Like how you might've heard of people having heart problems who feel pain in the left arm, even though the pain is actually from their heart. As the disease and pain become more intense, the pain will be experienced closer to the actual origin of the pain. The reason for this has to do with how humans develop as embryos into fetuses into babies, and is probably outside the scope of what you're asking.
But most likely what is happening, is that nicotine affects the functioning of the GI tract, and smoking/vaping causes it to behave in some abnormal way which you are experiencing as discomfort. I would just hazard a guess that esophageal dysmotility is causing the back pain, and maybe stomach or duodenal dysmotility is causing the pain under the right shoulder blade.
And maybe just to add. Smoking doesn't just increase the risk of lung cancer, but a lot of other cancers. The lungs are essentially a "dead end" and so expel their waste into the GI tract (including carcinogenic material), which not only passes through the GI tract but can also be absorbed into the body. So, it increases the risk of not only lung cancer but also GI cancers, breast cancer, and bladder cancer, among others.
Not judging! I'm guessing what you're experiencing is a temporary effect of the nicotine, but just wanted to also mention the longer term effects of smoking/vaping to give you a broader perspective.
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Possible blood-clot in brain?
I'm F22, and have had a very mild, "passive" headache for the past 9 days. On Sunday the 18th I drank very heavily on an empty stomach, and developed a headache.
I had assumed I was just hungover, but it has not gotten better at all. The pain is very mild, and I really only feel it when I strain on the toilet, bend over, or when I lay down on my bed. I do not think I am having any other noticeable symptoms besides the mild headache. The headache is typically "in the background", however, I do occassionally feel slight pain above my left eye, but it goes away quickly. I also experienced a slight cheek-tingling on my left cheek last night, but that is the only time that has happened, and might have just been in my head.
It is relatively easy to ignore if I'm not doing any one of those things, but there is a little bit of pressure in the background, so to speak. I took 4 baby aspirin about an hour ago, and I'm hoping that helps.
I hesitate to go to the doctor, because along with the heavy drinking that one night, I have been eating about 800-1000 calories a day, so I'm also wondering if this headache could be caused by simple dehydration or lack of eating enough. If I had to guess, I drink maybe about 2 or 2 and a half cups of water a day. I am also in a very stressful period of my life, and I am not sure if this is just a stress headache.
I am very, very prone to extreme health anxiety, and have gone to the ER before when I thought I was having a heart attack, but it always turns out to be an anxiety attack. I do not have a PCP, so it's either go to a quick-care clinic, where they can't do much, or potentially waste my time and money and embarrass myself at the ER.
I just really need advice on what to do, as I'm not sure if I'm being pointlessly anxious or if there is something going on that I should be worried about. Thank you.
| 5
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**Physician**: 800-1000 calories a day is not enough. Increase your calorific intake and water intake. The headache will likely improve
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Too much paracetamol help !!
29(m)
height 5ft 9in
weight 252lb
Ex-smoker currently vape 0.3mg nicotine
Medical History OCD Bipolar Anxiety acid reflux/GERD
So IV been sick really bad from a switch in medication withdrawels headaches sweats aches so yesterday at 19:30 took 1000mg paracetamol then around 23:30 another 1000mg. Woke up at 9:00 dismorning feeling like crap so took another 1000mg. Next dose was around 12:30 of 1000mg then another 1000mg at 18:30 today and then another 1000mg at midnight so 6000mg in total in 29hours just realized it says don't exceed 4000mg in 24hours but I obviously did not realizing was just so focused on keeping the 4 to 6 hours apart and lost track by 2 doses will I be ok? I already know the damn answer to this question but got anxiety and need reassuring thanks in advance
| 5
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**Physician**: Unlikely to cause any problems. Just ease up on dosing, and do not exceed 4g in 24 hours going forward
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If you are starting to get sick, in pain and suspect you have cancer, has it very likely spread?
30 year old guy here who is 5'10, used to weight 192 lbs at the start of the year but weighed in today at 185 lbs. Throughout my 20s, I kind of ignored the symptoms that are easy to ignore.
With fatigue for example, I had a habit of sleeping in on weekends and found it more fun. I took up binge drinking on weekends (after being a dork in college that stayed in and studied, would have 10 drinks on some Saturdays but never drank on weekdays). At times, I may have felt my body feeling warmer than usual but never really felt ill to the point I needed to get to the hospital.
Blood tests came back all positive as well whenever I would go to the doctor (once a year was my goal). They usually did blood tests and urine samples, both came back with good results. However, never got a CT Scan done. If I ever got a flu, it sort of passed shortly but I did not get sick that often either.
I also started to notice that sometimes I would get diarrhea such as when the only thing I had in the morning was coffee but I never thought anything of it, didn't have blood in my stool or urine. Only thing I remember are dark stools when I had been drinking a lot the night before but those were rare.
This month though, I got sick at the start (first week of November) because I could not sleep at all and stayed indoors all day. Then a week ago, I notice that I started to get nausea that still hasn't gone away and very light (like I have to try to notice them) pains right above the navel that occasionally go to the right side of my abdomen, sometime to my left, and sometimes to my back.
It is barely noticeable but I know it is there, almost like a light sting every now and then. It just started last week too and it is the first time in my life I have felt this mixed in with nausea.
I am starting to wonder if I have a late stage cancer that has metastisized because I am feeling slight tingles this week here and there in my extremities.
| 4
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**Physician - Pathologist**: Sounds more like anxiety. It would be a good idea to speak with your primary care physicians about your concerns.
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19M How long can HIV go untreated?
About me:
Normal weight,
5”10
Irregular smoker,
19,
Male.
Hi everyone,
I 19m had protected anal sex with a man about 2 months ago and at the end, I wasn’t entirely sure that the condom had stopped all seminal fluid from entering me.
I am a bit of a hypochondriac I have had random pains since, which I have read is an early symptom
I am unable to get a test until September due to me not wanting my parents to know that i’m going to a clinic, nor do I want them finding any test that I order.
I know it is unlikely that I have it, but would this be okay to leave for that long (supposing I am positive) or is this something that I should bite the bullet and get checked ASAP to ensure treatment is effective?
Thanks in advance
| 2
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**Rheumatology Research Fellow**: If you think there’s a chance that you have HIV then don’t wait around for 6 weeks, find a way to get tested now
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21M Tonsil Abscess, should I go to an ER or wait for my family doctor appointment next week?
Currently in a lot of pain along with a swollen tonsil. Swallowing is painful. I don’t know how urgent this is, just how painful it is.
| 1
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**Physician - Emergency Medicine**: If it truly is a peritonsillar abscess, then you need to go to an ER. Preferably to mine, so that I can have all the fun draining it...Oh, and also because I'll give you good care, or whatever. That too. But, mostly just for the drainage.
Are you having any fever, a muffled voice, and/or trismus (diffulty opening your jaw)? Or just the throat pain?
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I’m 95% sure I developed an allergy to ibuprofen and I just want to fucking die
30F, 5’2, 145 lbs, white. I’ve been taking ibuprofen my entire life, it’s the only thing that works for my pain relief. I have excruciatingly painful periods, migraines, and sciatica and I’ve tried every medicine under the sun and 3 ibuprofen is the only thing that makes the pain go away. Tylenol doesn’t do shit, Advil doesn’t do shit, excederin, midol, etc. The more serious pain relievers such as Oxy or Vicodin make me throw up.
Last time I took ibuprofen I had a weird episode, but I thought it may have been from something I ate or due to my high blood pressure. I had horrible sciatica today so I took 3 ibuprofen tonight and had that same weird episode. Lips started tingling and swelling up, throat swoll up, eyes swollen, could hardly breathe at all, huge lump in the back of my throat, headache, mouth watering, feeling out of it.
It’s so damn frustrating, and I’d honestly rather die than not be able to take ibuprofen and have to deal with the painful sciatica I get. Is there any way I can still take ibuprofen with an allergy?
| 4
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**Physician - Rheumatology**: Please don't take another dose of that product of ibuprofen. It may not be the active ingredient that you reacted to, and it might not be that product that is the culprit, but it would be dangerous to test it on your own by taking anymore ibuprofen. Allergic reactions tend to get more severe with each exposure. Please check in with your doctor about your alarming symptoms. See if you can get a consultation with an allergist.
**MD - Peds GI | Top Contributor**: If you're determined to stay on a medication, then some allergists can do specific testing to see if you're truly allergic. It's quite rare to be allergic to ibuprofen though.
However, the weird thing to me is that ibuprofen (assuming the generic) works for your pain, but Advil and Midol don't. They are both also ibuprofen.
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M18 H6’1 Prozac Do I have cancer?
I cum without realizing while taking a dump
So I recently found out what that white substance was I always found on my dick tip. At first i thought it was someone else’s that didn’t flush and it got on me from my dick touching the bowl (Big dick problems, ya know?) Anyways turns out it was mine. So I started paying attention every time I went to take a dump and low and behold I was unknowingly cumming. There wasn’t even any pleasure to make such a thing happen. My theory is that I just fucken push to hard, but I’m curious to see wether this has can be fixed and why it’s happening.
| 4.5
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: My first thought would be an STI. Suggest you avoid sexual contact and get tested.
**Physician**: I bet it’s residual semen from prior ejaculations or prostate discharge. You’d be absurdly young for prostate cancer and white discharge isn’t typically a symptom associated with it.
You absolutely need to start doing something for your chronic constipation. You shoukdn’t need to strain to push. Try taking a daily stool softener (such as Miralax) and drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day.
I imagine you’re so constipated that you’re actually milking the prostate.
Fiber is your friend.
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Orgasms too... intense?
I’m a 20 years old female. I’m a smoker and have a lot of panic attacks.
For a few weeks now, I realized that my orgasms, alone and with my partner, have increased in intensity. My whole body tense up really bad, I have big spasms that makes me move a lot and I just feel very weak after having one. Right after, I immediately get a tension headache and my ears tend to feel clogged. My arms also feel extremely heavy and I lose a little sensation in them. (even the one I didn’t use in the process...) They get so intense that it’s stressing me and stopping me from having intercourse.
Is that something I should bring up to my doctor? Could it be my anxiety playing tricks on me?
| 4
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**Physician**: This is something you should definitely bring up with your primary care provider. I’d comment more; but your provider knows you far better than we do and can provide you with the best next steps and assessment. Best of luck!
**Physician - Internist**: Are you on any medications? And what do you smoke?
**Physician**: How long does this abnormal sensation last for ? Notice any other changes in your daily activities ?
**Physician - Psychiatry**: Hello young girl you should go to your doc and ask for paroxetine /duloxetine and then ask for buspar 10mg 1tab in morning and 1tab evening. You will see effects in 6-8 weeks maybe earlier
**Registered Nurse**: I thought severe headache after orgasm could be a sign of brain aneurysm?
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why can i see my heart beating
i’ve (18F, 5’2, 135lbs-ish) noticed recently that, when i look down at my chest, i can sometimes see it moving with my heartbeat. my mom’s side of the family has a history of heart disturbances, but i’m not very clear on the details. i don’t know how long this has been happening; i only noticed it a couple days ago, and just realized like 20 minutes ago that it might be a problem. like, my heart is inside my ribcage, so how is it pushing my chest up and down like that?
is this normal? could it be a problem?
| 6
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: It’s normal to see your heartbeat through your chest.
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History of cancer - pain in right lower quadrant - worried.
hi all,
i am a 21 yo female with a history of neuroendocrine cancer of the jejunum and appendix. in May 2021, i had an appendectomy and small bowel resection to remove three tumours and scans have been “clear” since besides some lymph nodes that are being watched.
with this, i have also had a history of relatively large cysts on my ovaries (average of 5cm) that have caused immense pain; however, the pain i am experiencing now is different than a cyst.
i can describe the pain as 7/10, dull when voiding but sharp with movement, is located in my RLQ, particularly where my appendix used to be. it is similar to that of the pain i had when my appendix was necrotic before removal, but now i do not have an appendix as stated before. i have been experiencing this new pain for about 4 weeks now.
should i be worried about this and contact my oncologist or GP?
** i will add, before my cancer dx, i had a CT, an MRI, an XRay, and 2 ultrasounds that showed no tumours, nor barely any inflammation. my cancer is fairly insidious and they did not notice any tumours until they saw my gross anatomy when in surgery.
any advice or ideas would help. i could just be very anxious about this but it’s also interfering with my daily life and i have not told my family yet that i am experiencing this pain.
| 4
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**Physician**: Yes, 4 weeks of abdo pain certainly warrants following up with your doctors.
There are many things that could cause that pain that are not cancer related, but you should be assessed in person.
**Physician**: Yes, please go to the doctor. May be something simple like a cyst, but definitely need to rule out worse diagnoses.
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Help Please, Teeth-brushing Issue.
Hello! This is an odd one and pretty specific… I’m 28F and have been bulimic since I was 18, after 6 years of anorexia as a child. I’ve been in recovery for a year but I still cannot brush my teeth without involuntarily vomiting. I want to take care of my teeth after so much abuse but it’s basically exasperating the problem with stomach acid. How could I navigate this without further damage and help save my teeth moving forward?
| 5
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**Physician - Dermatologist**: Try breathing out audibly while you brush. Take a break from brushing while you inhale.
**Respiratory Therapist**: Take your left hand, left hand okay, make a fist but enclose your thumb in the first and press down a little - it doesn’t have to hurt but for some reason this helps a lot of people with gagging. For various things.
**Psychologist**: If these suggestions don’t work, you could consult a speech language pathologist or an occupational therapist who deals with feeding and hyper responsive gag reflexes. There are desensitization approaches. Kudos to you on your recovery. You can do this!
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19M Potential acute carbon monoxide poisoning?
Unfortunately, not only was I dumb enough to fall asleep with a candle (3 separate wicks) lit in my bedroom overnight (I had planned to only burn it for 15 minutes), but the door, vents, and window were all sealed shut - blocking all ventilation throughout the night. I woke up this morning with a mild headache and nausea which I am almost certain is due to CO buildup in my blood because my wall plug CO detector was at 103 ppm.
I can absolutely not afford to go to the ER today for oxygen treatment, but I can however, go to a wellness clinic for hyperbaric oxygen therapy after seeing my primary care physician on Monday.
Has this likely caused permanent brain damage?
If so, will the CO induced brain damage worsen by waiting 2 days before undergoing oxygen therapy? Would it be best to just shoulder the medical debt and go to the ER immediately?
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
| 6
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**Physician**: One burning candle is not going to cause CO poisoning. You’re fine.
|
Do I have penile cancer?
I am an 19-year-old, 5\`'9", 150 lbs, white, uncircumcised male. I am on no medications and do not drink or take any drugs. About four months ago, I noticed I was having difficulty retracting my foreskin. This became worse and worse, and I am now unable to pull it back almost at all. When I was looking at my penis today, I noticed a black lump, about a centimeter in diameter, inside my foreskin. It is not flat, but instead thick. I believe this lump is what is preventing me from retracting the foreskin. After doing some research, it appears my symptoms line up with those of penile cancer. Since I am so young, this seems improbable, but I could not find anything else that matches. Is it really cancer? If not, what could it be? I will try to get this checked out by a doctor as fast as possible.
| 4
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**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Go ahead and see your doctor. You may need to see a urologist. Odd spots are not always cancer.
|
Ativan and alcohol
32 female 140lbs 5’6
Taking Ativan 2mg
I took 2mg Ativan just over 6 hours ago now and had some moonshine a few minutes ago, my oxygen is down to 93 I feel buzzed but not drunk. Is this something to worry about? Or should it be fine?
Time between Ativan and alcohol is about 6 1/2 hours.
| 5
|
**Physician**: Ativan is definitely still in your system. Please consider consuming no more alcohol tonight. Moonshine is especially dangerous, as the higher alcohol content hits fast and hard. I would recommend drinking lots of water and calling it a night. If you’ve had more than a few ounces of pure moonshine, make sure you’re not alone.
|
I (23M) inhaled a piece of tissue from my asthma inhaler two nights ago. Should I be concerned?
Male, Age 23, 5'8, 200 lbs, caucasian, shortness of breath, two days, asthma, asthma inhaler, drink socially.
Two nights ago I was using my asthma inhaler foolishly without the cap on and checking to see if there was debris inside. I strongly inhaled what felt to be a small bit of tissue paper that went to the back of my throat and that I did not cough out. I definitely felt something go down though no idea if it was my airway or throat.
My shortness of breath has felt a bit worse since. I did not cough at the time and since have not developed a cough or wheeze. Should I be concerned and seek emergency medical care or am I fine?
| 6
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: You'll be just fine
**Physician**: You’d likely have a severe coughing fit if it was in your airway. You likely swallowed it.
It will pass.
|
Please help I’ve had no response from my gp
I've had a sore finger for around 3 months now I suspect it's a chilblain however wouldn't this go away after weeks ? It's progressively getting worse and I've filled a form for a doctor to have a look I seemed advice from the pharmacy and they said there was nothing they could do. However the pain is really bad it isn't surface pain it's more like a bone pain inside the joints I can't seem to find any advice online and have had no reply from doc. I've been sleeping with gloves on to keep it warm and wearing gloves constantly l'm so confused what it is please please help I'm desperate it's so painful. I can't really bend it at all without being in pain :( l'm right handed too so and doing an art degree so I have to use my hands and it hurts so much pls help see pics below I’m a 21 year old female
| 4
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**Physician - Rheumatologist**: It's a little hard to tell without an exam. Mostly I want to look at that middle joint on your pointer finger. Your description could be chillblains/pernio. Usually expect itchy violaceous patches that pop up. But also your joint itself looks like it may have swelling. This should be looked at in clinic. There's a lot of speculation that can be made but at the end of the day, this should be evaluated in clinic. Call the office, messages go missed.
Primary management of chillblains is keeping warm. Including any exposed body part as this can trigger chillblains. However, in some cases, it can persist despite no cold. You can try some over the counter steroid cream to see if it helps - at the very least it is unlikely to hurt anything as you wait for a response. Some patients have success.
|
dark red urine
Age 47
Sex M
Height 5'10"
Weight 170 lbs
Race white
Duration of complaint 4 days
Roughly four days ago I started emitting urine of a color like red wine. This only happens immediately after I exercise. It then returns to pale yellow promptly after that, and then turns red again the next time I exercise. I'm told strenuous exercise can cause this, but I'm not exercising any more than usual, which is a 6 mile run every day at roughly an 8-minute pace. (I've been taking it easy so I'm probably getting less exercise than usual.) I've been drinking plenty of fluids and my diet hasn't change at all from what I eat usually (oats, almonds, broccoli, fish, milk, green tea, and a bit of chili powder). I have slight discomfort urinating after exercise but otherwise no discomfort.
Location
I am in Zürich (although I'm a US citizen)
Any existing relevant medical issues (if any)
I feel fine otherwise, except that I tweaked my knee skiing about 10 days ago and it hasn't recovered completely. I plan to stop running for a few days at least.
Current medications (if any)
none
| 3
|
**Physician**: Because of your age and symptoms you should at least get a check-up with a urine sample and some simple blood tests. This to look for kidney, urinary tract og muscle disease.
Book an appointment semi urgently. Lets say within a couple of days and bring a clean container of morning urin with you to the Dr. Office.
|
How long is too long to maintain a fever ?
21F 180lbs white No medical Issues. No drugs, smoking. Social drinker.
Duration of complaint 4 days
Advil 800mg (4 200mg pills) every 6 hours
Last night I was in the ER where they told me I had a concussion from an accident I had Monday afternoon. No fractures or bleeding just a mild concussion. Thing is is that I’ve had a fever since yesterday(Wednesday) morning that won’t go away. It ranges from 101-103 and Advil helps but it never drops the fever lower than 100. I’m not sure what to do. ER doc said fever had nothing to do with the concussion & she doesn’t know why I have one. I’ve been taking 800mg of Advil every 6 hours but it isn’t getting rid of the fever or the persistent headache I’ve had since Monday. My doctor said to come back in 3-5 days if my symptoms continue but isn’t it dangerous to have such a high temp for so long ? Can that cause damage to my brain ?
Any advice would be appreciated. I can’t sleep and can hardly stand to have the lights on. My head absolutely kills me all the way down to my neck and in my eyes and nothing is helping it. I’m desperate
Thanks so much !
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**MD - Peds GI | Top Contributor**: Fever on its own doesn't hurt you (except in rare situations like febrile seizures in children - but even these are benign). It's more what the fever not going away represents. Traditionally, we think of a fever that doesn't improve as a sign of a bacterial infection that needs to be managed more aggressively - such as an ear infection or pneumonia that might need antibiotics. However, most cases of persistent fever are still just viral infections that are taking longer than usual to resolve.
Most PCPs will get some blood work and do a careful physical exam if fever hasn't gone away after 4-5 days. But, fever without localizing signs such as cough, dysuria, etc is very challenging to diagnose, and in most cases it simply goes away without us knowing why. Headache + fever is also associated with CNS infections like viral meningitis, but most people are pretty sick with that, and have other signs like light sensitivity, neck stiffness, vomiting, among other things. Get checked out before the weekend.
Also, go easy on the ibuprofen. Consider acetaminophen if you can. Even a few days of ibuprofen is enough to hurt your kidneys, GI tract, or blood clotting.
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Advise, not sure what is up with me
I (23m)Recently have been having very bad headaches at the back of my head and feel very exhausted physically out of nowhere. I have been trying to keep my lifestyle as healthy as possible by working out and eating healthy food and not skipping out on vitamins and fruits and vegetables. But occasionally I do get headaches and feel super exhausted as if I am going to faint and feel sick. On a side note, I just healed from Covid a month back and I’m really not sure what is up and what I can do currently with my current health situation. Looking for possible answers or advice here
| 4
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**Physician - Surgery**: See a doctor, get examined and then investigated. Tiredness is an extremely common and extremely vague symptom. Headaches are also quite non-specific. So you need someone to look at you in person, ask a load of questions and follow the signs. Doubt it's COVID related
**Community Nurse**: See a doctor, but something you could do in the meantime if you have a machine is check your blood pressure. Some of these symptoms sound a bit hypertensiony. Very possibly not, I just think worth suggesting as it's so easy to check.
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Could using a fan make my covid stay in my body longer?
Like could it be spreading my covid around my room which is keeping it in the air and in my system longer and longer?
House is hot and need a fan but wondering if the fan is causing me to keep testing positive?
I use a big desk fan and a ceiling fan.
I am 28 year old male who weights 117 and is 5'7.
| 6
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**Physician - Gastroenterology**: Negative
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: No.
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Concerned Individual
1 week ago I went into an adult dance club. I got a dance from a woman who placed her breasts into my face and pierced nipple into my mouth.
What are the chances that I could catch HIV from this experience?
I may be a little paranoid and anxious. With that being said I haven’t had much of an appetite since the day after the dance (guilt I would assume) and slight sore throat. What brings me to typing this today is because had diarrhea and lower back pain (7 days from the dance). I plan to go get a RNA test this week to hopefully calm my nerves.
Would anyone mind giving myself some input? I know that breast milk can transmit HIV which concerns me.
Thank you very much.
Edit: Took a HIV RNA test at day 9 and it was negative. Also took another HIV RNA test at day 16 and it was also negative. I have a noticed a rash that tends to go away with lotion (dry skin maybe?) Does anyone believe these tests are conclusive? I still plan to take a AG/AB test next. Thanks.
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**Physician - Pediatrics**: ~0%
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Alcohol withdrawals at 20
Hello , ive had this before , but not this bad , and it wasnt this long before.
Iam a smaller person , so i only weight like 120 , but ive been drinking hard liquor and and alot of carbonated alcohol drinks along with that , its been two weeks and ive kept myself a steady drunk. Ive just now again stopped , but i felt like i was fucking dying or something, and my stomach hurts really fucking bad and i cant drink or eat anything anymore , my heart beat is very speedy , and it feels like it’s pumping out of my chest , should i goto the er AGAIN? I dont want to go but fuck man I actually might die or something thats what scares me.
Ive been drinking a lot each day , probably more that 750ml mls of liquor and one or two carbonated beverages, depending on what i feel like drinking.
Please help me before i make any big decisions my stomach is killing me.
| 1
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**Registered Nurse**: Yes. Go to the ER. Tell them that you quit drinking abruptly, be honest about how much you were drinking. Alcohol withdrawl is nasty and can be fatal. You also might be suffering from pancreatitis/gastritis/vitamin deficiency. Please go get some help detoxing.
**Physician - Psychiatry**: Go to the ER. This can kill you.
**Physician**: Go to the ER.
As someone else mentioned, it could be e.g. alcohol-induced pancreatitis, which is possibly deadly.
**Physician - Internist**: These problems are very dangerous outside of the hospital but very treatable inside the hospital. I hope you are on your way. Be honest and forthcoming with any questions they ask.
**Physician - Anesthesiologist**: First, definitely go to the ER.
Second, if you tried to keep drinking but are only stopping because of the nausea and vomiting, you could have something else going on.
Acute pancreatitis is very high up on my differential.
Regardless, you need immediate medical attention.
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I’ve lost 26 pounds in a week but I was told it a new stomach virus.
So I always have had stomach problems from what easy getting food poisoning , ulcers, and stomach viruses. About 2 weeks ago I was noticing that my stomach was starting to feel like like it does when I usually have stomach virus and thought nothing just got me so liquid IV and waters to stay hydrated. It started to really concerns me when next day I became extremely dehydrated and there seems like nothing I can do to get rehydrate. So on about day 4 is when I knew I needed to got to doctor office because I had new symptoms that I usually don’t have with the stomach virus which were extreme lack and of energy, shaking, the feeling of like I’m about to faint, a numbing feeling kinda of pulsing in my body, and a I really noticed smell now. I went to the doctor the next day and when I they checked my weight I noticed I was at 205 which surprised me. The last weight I remember being at was 220s when I was still going to the gym trying to lose it and wasn’t able too. When the doctor saw me she told me it was just a new stomach virus and to drink plenty of water. Fast forward a week still all the symptoms ,that come in and out , I thought I needed to check my weight again and now I’m at 179. And and then again this Friday I checked again lost 3 more pounds. I have drink most of 2 of the 46 pack of waters and use 2 liquid iv a day (I stop at 2 because I’m not sure how many you can safely take a day) and I can’t fully hydrated. I usually don’t go to the doctors due to my lower income I can’t afford to really take off work because missing those couple hours hurt me. Also I’m not really sure if I should go back to the doctor again because I don’t want it to small and waste her time. I’m not sure honestly what to do could I have your opinion please.
Also the only thing I’m able to keep down is unseasoned chicken
| 4
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**MD - Peds GI | Top Contributor**: That's too long for a virus. Rarely, some people can have a prolonged course of gastroenteritis when the virus disrupts how the nerves work. But in general, more than a few days is usually the course of an infection like that.
It's time to get some more diagnostic workup. I usually start with some blood work and stool tests (for infection and inflammation). That much weight loss often ends up needing a scope to figure things out. Hopefully it's just a particularly prolonged infection that will resolve on its own, but other things like celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease also need to be ruled out.
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I think I have appendicitis but the hospital sent me home. What should I do?
I (18F, 125 lbs, 5'8) woke up monday morning at around 2am with a sharp basically debilitating pain in my lower right abdomen. I told my parents and they immediately took me to the hospital, but the hospital was full, so I waited about 3 hours to be seen. When I saw the doctor he just asked like 2 questions, felt my stomach and said I should go home I'm completely fine. I was in so much pain I fainted on my way out, but he still said I'm fine. The pain has only gotten worse and I've basically emptied our medicine cabinet to try to control the pain. The pain focused in my lower right abdomen but if I put pressure on it the pain shoots through my abdomen. I'm also on my period, but my cramps have never been this bad. Please help. What can I do?
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**Physician - Pediatric Emergency Medicine**: You should go back. If I see a triage complaint of right lower quadrant pain, I have to be convinced not to do labs and at least an ultrasound. I would also do a urine pregnancy no matter what you tell me about your sexually history. And I would probably discuss a pelvic US as well.
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Do I need rabies shots
Good day everyone! I'm having a bit of a meltdown after getting quite the scare at the dumpster. I tossed in my trash bag, as you do, and out jumps an adult stray cat. It was coming right at me and I took a small step back as I was so shocked. I'm 85% sure it didn't bite or scratch me but not 100. My husband keeps telling me to relax, as I would know if I got touched by a cat. Still I'm nervous about it.
So should seek medical treatment or will they laugh at me?
Age: 27
Height 5'2
Weight: 179
Not on any medication currently
Problem started tonight lol
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**Physician - Psychiatry**: If you don’t have any marks, it’s unlikely you got bit or scratched. You’re likely psyching yourself out.
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The nurse missed my (29M) vein while trying to give me an IV, she said it “burst” and that I was going to have a “nervous response”. What I felt seemed more like a bad DMT trip.
Age
29
Sex
Make
Height
6 foot 2 inches
Weight
69 kg
Race
White
Duration of complaint
I couldn’t hear or see, I started shaking and sweating, and I was so scared and felt like I might vomit . What was happening to me? I felt like I was tripping on bad drugs or something.
| 6
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**Physician**: Vasovagal response. Happens to a lot of people. They pass out when having an IV placed or during blood draws. You came close but didn’t actually pass out.
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I was almost hit by a car, I used my right arm to save myself
So I was almost hit by a car and I had to use my right arm to vault over its bonnet, my arm is now sore, and I was wondering what possible injury’s I might have. As my arm took my full weight and the force of the car
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care - Moderator**: Really can't narrow it down much over the internet without an examination. Could be a fracture, dislocation, ligamentous injury, muscular injury, bruising, or some combination.
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care - Moderator**: Really can't narrow it down much over the internet without an examination. Could be a fracture, dislocation, ligamentous injury, muscular injury, bruising, or some combination. I'd suggest getting it checked out in person.
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care - Moderator**: Really can't narrow it down much over the internet without an examination. Could be a fracture, dislocation, ligamentous injury, muscular injury, bruising, or some combination. I'd suggest getting it checked out in person.
**Physician**: pls see a doctor in person, you'll need an xray at the very least to rule out a fracture
**Physician**: pls see a doctor in person, you'll need an xray at the very least to rule out a fracture
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Ciprofloxacin induced insomnia
Hello! I took a course if Cirpo 500 mg 2 times a day for a week and it gave me severe insomnia that has been going on for 2 months now and getting worse. I read about a case where a man took Cipro and developed sporadic fatal insomnia. Is this possible? Is there a chance Cipro can cause SFI?
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**Physician**: No. SFI is a prion disease. Has nothing to do with medications. Talk to your PCP about your insomnia. There are plenty more common causes that are manageable.
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Is my pinky broken?
24F
Happened over a month ago. It was sensitive to touch, so I tried a splint. Then it just began bruising and once the bruising went away it swelled and hasn’t gone down. Can’t put pressure or use it. Does it need to be reset or something? or is that not a thing & it will just heal on it’s own?
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**Physician**: Probably either broken, dislocated, or you ruptured/stretched a tendon. Look up “mallet finger”. We usually splint these in a straight position for at least a few weeks. It’s too late to reset it in an ER at this point if it is broken/dislocated. If you are still having pain, you need to see an orthopedics surgeon for X-rays and evaluation!
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31M - Symptom checker said Aortic dissection? :/
WebMd symptoms checker said the two strongest matches were:
1: Aortic dissection
2: Alcohol intoxication
With that said, I haven't consumed any alcohol lol. I'm curious if dissection can or would definitely present with fatigue, diarrhea, overall weakness, sharp left chest pain (Goes away when I hold my breath) sensitivity to hot and cold outside temperatures, and pale looking face. I'm just super tired, mostly.
I do consume ALOT of energy drinks, and have for the last 15 years.
Also:
I did go to the ER a few months ago due to the chest pain, but they only did an EKG, said it was fine and sent me home. Curious how accurate these symptom checkers are before I take a shower and head up to the hospital :/
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**Physician - Emergency Medicine**: If it was an aortic dissection, you would be dead right now. Outside the setting of some rare genetic connective tissue disease, you're way too young to have significant enough vascular disease for you to have any sort of aortic pathology such as an aneurysm or dissection.
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Hyponatremia, dermatitis, difficulty regulating body temp, migraines, seizures, pale stools, sneeze attacks
Hello, I am a 27 year old male trying to figure out what is going on with my body. Any insight would be appreciated. I plan on seeing a doctor next week, but they have not been much help in the past and I am running out of ideas so I thought I’d try here too.
Prior to 2016, I had no real medical history other than having had Lyme disease as a child. 2016 I developed seborrheic dermatitis out of the blue. I was in college at the time, not sleeping enough, and just chalked it up to being stressed out all the time. It got progressively worse, and I started to notice my body loosing its ability to regulate its own temperature. 5 or so years later when it was probably at its worst, I was at a party- drinking and smoking- on a summer night and I passed out and fell to the ground. I came to a moment later and my friends said that it looked like I had a mild seizure. I was embarrassed, under the impression that I had just had too much, and felt much better actually (I remember feeling very hot but not sweating before and then sweating profusely when I woke up), so I did not seek medical attention and just went home. I graduated later that year, moved back home, got peace of mind and plenty of rest, my dermatitis died down, and I thought I was able to put it all behind me.
Last year, pretty much the exact same thing happened tailgating at a sporting event.
Soon after I started working as a mail carrier, and landed in the hospital my first week on the job. I was vomiting and under the impression that I had heat exhaustion, so I continued drinking water until I passed out. Two days later I woke up in the hospital and found that the opposite was true. Hyponatremia, or very very very low sodium, was the diagnosis. I will admit I am in idiot and did not know about the importance of electrolytes, I had just been drinking water. This was by far the scariest one and it really felt like I was checking out for good while it was happening. It’d been hot out all week, so the thought was I had sweat out all my sodium and not done anything to replenish it by only drinking water. Makes sense, and at least I know now going forward. I recovered, returned to work, and managed to avoid any other issues.
I did notice months later that I would periodically have pale stools. The other day I just had one as well. I will also have random sneeze attacks from time to time (dating back before these episodes)- usually after/during eating or drinking.
The summer is coming and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried. This past week was only mildly warm where I live/work and my head doesn’t feel right. It’s not a normal headache I don’t really know how to explain it other than it feels like my brain is short circuiting and I’m going to have a seizure. In addition the scanners we use at work make this loud beeping noise that feels like it’s going to send me over the edge sometimes. Yesterday hit 90, and it was my 3rd 10 hour day in a row. I’ve been drinking electrolytes all week and I still felt awful when I got home. I layed down in front of the ac vent and passed out at like 7:30 pm.
I love my job, and want it to work out so bad but I am worried about my health. My coworkers are much older than me and seem to manage, so I can’t help but think that everything I’ve explained is related in some kind of undiagnosed medical issue. I’ve been to general practitioners and dermatologists and neither can help me. My blood work always come back fine. Rereading this post sounds like I party a lot but I promise I do not. I have decided it would be in my best interest to quit drinking alcohol and coffee for the summer though. From what I’ve googled it sounds histamine related. What else can I do? What should I ask the doctor next week? I’m at a loss. Thank you
| 5
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**MD - Peds GI | Top Contributor**: Sounds like you’ve had several episodes of vasovagal syncope. This is common and not dangerous unless you hit your head. I wouldn’t count on your drunk friends to diagnose a seizure.
The hyponatremia was water intoxication from excessive water intake and sweating, as you’ve surmised.
The pale stools are unlikely to be related, but can happen after drinking alcohol sometimes if it disrupts bile flow temporarily. There are other causes but usually not worth exploring unless it’s happening consistently.
The sneezing attacks are probably unrelated to the other stuff.
1. Hydrate with an oral rehydration solution like Pedialyte or Rehydralyte rather than water or sports drinks.
2. Avoid excessive drinking, since alcohol can have an exaggerated effect on ADH (hormone that controls hydration), especially in those that already have vasovagal instability.
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I feel like I can get high from yoga
I'm 19 year old male with asthma. I used to smoke weed on daily basis but I've been clean for about a month now.
During yoga when I go from child pose to upward facing dog (heavy breath in while doing it). I hold my breath for a while in that position and when I start to feel like I'm going to pass out I go back to child pose and then I get for like 10 seconds the best feeling in the world. It works only once a day but honestly the feeling is incredible. I've tried weed and kratom but I swear nothing by far even compares to this feeling.
I can see my dreams become reality in split of a second and life out of nowhere seems so fun. I also feel this weird acknowledgement of death like I should die any given moment. Which is kinda scary but somehow also super exciting.
It's not addictive or anything and I don't do it every day.
I kinda feel like it might be my brain doesn't get enough oxygen in that moment and so for it causes these euphoric stages
What's really causing this?
Is it bad for me?
Should I stop doing it?
| 6
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**MD - Peds GI | Top Contributor**: Sounds like a response to endorphins or brain hypoxia. Or both. I doubt you’d cause any permanent problem by holding your breath though.
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POCUS Ejection Fraction
Male 30 years old, 185 lbs.
I've been having some chest discomfort and have been feeling like I can't take a full satisfying breath when inhaling deeply. This is intermittent. I found out today that my 57 year old father has heart failure. I've been concerned about this for myself and am even more so now. I had a POCUS recently and the doctor said there was "decent gross EF noted". This definitely wasn't a full echo. But given a normal troponin on Saturday, normal x-ray and ECG and no swelling, can I cautiously rule out HF for now? Or do I need to get additonal work ups? The POCUS obviously doesn't give percentages so I'm wondering if the doctor's description is good or not so good. Decent to me doesn't sound good.
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: There is no indication for additional work up. I am not sure why you even had POCUS done but based on what you said I see no need for further cardiac workup.
|
how much co2 before your fucked?
so today my father made some steaks and burgers, and i was exposed to moderate levels of co2, more less for 20 minutes, until he started making burgers and the grill emitted far less smoke, how much co2 needs to be inhaled before youre fked? i do not feel nauseated, or confused, or coughing at all, but i do have a mild chest pain in the center, and i am sleepless, and my heart is racing, but i drank two bottles of wine today, too, what should i do to get it out of my system and sleep?
18m
non-smoker
no medical conditions
5'9
178
| 6
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**Neonatal Nurse Practitioner**: You're fine. You have plenty of oxygen now. It's just anxiety or the alcohol that is causing what you are feeling.
|
Can neurological symptoms be caused by stress?
I \[27F\] currently writing my PhD thesis and throughout the last month I've been having a lot of issues that are starting to worry me. Of course, I study the brain so I automatically go to "your neurons are degenerating". If they get more severe I'm going to see my PCP but I'm hoping the folks here can ease my worry by telling me these could be symptoms of stress and getting a few less hours of sleep (5-6 some nights).
Some of the things that have been happening: 1) My typing has become less fluent. I'm not super fast and I'm making a lot more mistakes then I used to. My fingers just go to the wrong place. 2) It has been difficult for me to review my work and make sure things make sense. No one else has complained about my writing though. 3) Saying the wrong word when I mean something else, and not realizing it is wrong until someone corrects me. Its normally a similar object, like "mustard" when I meant "mayonnaise". 4) I am mixing up the meaning of words when reading. I read “Fried Mozzarella” on a menu, and I knew the written word was mozzarella, but I was thinking mozzarella was a red sauce (that is actually marinara) and asked my husband how they got mozzarella into a fried ball. I didn't realize my mistake until I described what I thought mozzarella was and he corrected me. 5) generally not remembering words I want to use and also making up new words (like "effectiveless" rather than "noneffective"\[edit: is it uneffective?\]) 6) My concentration is shot. I have ADHD and I'm on stimulants but it feels like they aren't even doing anything.
The word mix-ups happen a couple times a week. The other stuff is kinda constant. Days where I'm sleep deprived it gets a lot worse, so I'm assuming it is just related to stress and being tired. I wouldn't say I'm in a constant state of "omg I'm not going to finish I'm not going to graduate", it is more of a "this is so much work and I am overwhelmed". A little bit tachycardia from it, my watch tells me.
6'2", 158lbs (I've lost a bit of weight recently due to stress and forgetting to eat lunch), I have ADHD and cyclothymia and mild POTS, and am on adderall 20ER and lamotrigine and also glycopyrrolate cuz I got sweaty hands. I did have a second cardiac ablation for AVNRT in June or July, but idk how that would be related. No smoking or drug use, not even alcohol as of late.
| 5
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**Physician**: (not my field but) As far as I can tell classical signs of burnout. Take care of your body and mind, and realize that your current work load is not sustainable in the long run. Familiarize yourself with these symptoms so you recognize them in the future - they may come back later in life, and they hit harder when your brain is not 27 anymore, sorry to say. Learn to deal with them and act upon them sooner rather than later. Good luck!
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(28 Female) I think I need a blood transfusion again, should I go straight to the hospital or go to urgent care first and get referred to the hospital?
So last year I had to get a blood transfusion because my hemoglobin was down to a 4 and I was getting pretty fainty. The same thing is happening to me now but it actually feels worse I’m dizzy almost instantly, my heart is racing randomly even when I’m laying down now. I fainted a little over a month ago because of this, I didn’t sit down soon enough. I’ve collapsed a few times this week, idk if that’s the right word but it feels like one step before passing out. My eyes are still open and I’m somewhat coherent but my ears ring really loud and my face and extremities and chest are numb and I just have to lay on the floor until my heart slows down. Since I know it’s the same issue and it feels a lot worse than it did last year can I just go straight to the hospital and ask for another transfusion? Or should I go to urgent care first have them do the blood work and then tell me to go to the hospital? The hospital is going to do blood work itself anyways so I feel like going straight there will cut out the middle man. Is that dumb?
Idk if you also need this information but the low hemoglobin is from my period. I have pcos, I’ve been dealing with it for years but not very effectively. I’ve been on my period since April it varies in heaviness but it’s usually extremely heavy for 3 weeks (blood clots the size of my palm 3-7x a day) then moderate then light then heavy again but hasn’t ended. I was seeing a pcp about all of this and an obgyn and an endocrinologist but it really didn’t result in anything. The only solution is birth control and the progesterone I have to take to stop my period has really bad side effects for my mental health, which is also why I don’t want to take birth control. I’ve recently reconsidered the idea of birth control but I need to do more research on it.
| 1
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**Medical Laboratory Tech**: If your hemoglobin is that low again, it would be an emergency. If it is difficult to get an appointment with your regular doctor, you could go to the ER and tell them your symptoms and history. They will do bloodwork to determine if you need a transfusion. If you have a history of severe anemia your PCP really should be getting regular bloodwork done to monitor your levels.
**Registered Nurse**: Given your history and the similarity of symptoms, I would say ER. Do not drive yourself. A hemoglobin of 4 is severely low, your PCP should be following that more closely
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Constant Fatigue and Lightheadedness
19F, 5’4, 145 lbs, white, don’t drink or use drugs, no medications, no existing medical issues.
So for the past month I’ve had severe fatigue, along with a slight low grade fever (98.7-99.2). I had a virus late last month that lasted for about 10 days. All of the symptoms went away, expect for the fatigue. I’ve been getting enough sleep and eating a healthy diet, but everyday I feel so exhausted. I don’t have any shortness of breath, or feel sick. There were a few times when I did go out and felt overly exhausted and lightheaded, like I was going to faint. I can still workout, but can’t really go out for too long. I tested negative for covid and mono. I had blood work done early this month, and everything was normal. I haven’t lost any weight, I actually gained a few pounds recently. I’m sort of concerned about this, but no one else seems to be. Does this sound worrisome at all?
| 4
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**Registered Nurse**: You tested negative for mono, but they probably just did a monospot - and didn’t test you for the common cause - EBV. In my anecdotal experience it feels like the Covid pendemic has caused a lot of symptomatic Epstein-Barr virus cases which can present like you’re describing.
You definitely need to follow up. It’s probably just the lingering effects of whatever virus you had but if you really want an answer I would highly suggest that you request EBV. Various testing methods can help determine how long ago the infection occurred for some clarity on your situation.
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can someone help me pls i chickened out
female, 22, U.S
I just downed 200 mg of hydroxyzine hcl and 9mg of melatonin. I chickened out and I am very sleepy. I tried doing research and a lot of people are saying there's no treatment and many were just sent home. Do I just sleep it off? I have bipolar , depression , and anxiety
| 1
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: Go to the nearest ER ASAP. Either get a ride or call and ambulance.
|
Wife (65f) has a migraine that is not responding to Sumatriptan 25MG. No urgent care can give her an injection. Is there anything else she can do?
My wife is a 65 year old white female, weight about 200 lb, height about 5' 8". She has migraine occasionally/rarely and takes Sumatriptan 25MG when she does. It works within an hour or two. Very very rarely she gets one that the meds don't help. The last bad one was about three years ago. We went to an emergency clinic near us and she received an injection that she thinks might have been Tramadol. That clinic is now closed and no urgent care in driving distance treats severe migraine. They recommend the ER which is a large city hospital and will mean hours of waiting to be seen.
She keeps throwing up so has no idea how much of the Sumatriptan she has retained. Right now she's laying in a dark room hoping it will go away. She is not experiencing any of the extreme symptoms, just pain and nausea. Any suggestions on how to help her would be appreciated.
| 1
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**Physician - Rheumatology**: Emergency department can give her IV fluids, IV antinausea and anti-migraine medications. They can also assess whether something other than a migraine is causing this episode. Take her to the ED.
|
Swallowed Budesonide capsule instead of inhaling it. What now
27F, 130lbs, 5,3ft.
Hello,
My girlfriend just swallowed a Budesonide 200mg capsule instead of using it in the inhaler, as she didn't notice it. She recently started coughing (not covid)and doctor prescribed her inhalation of Budesonide capsules.
Any side effects that we should be worried about? Can't really find anything on the web. Should she try to throw up?
She's taking regularly birth control pills (Atyvia), hormone pills (siofor) and for thyroid (euthyrox)
| 6
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**Physician - Gastroenterology**: Nothing will happen. Very little of the budesonide reaches your body when ingested
|
Possible appendicitis?
I’m a female 19, 110lb, 4’11, not on birth control.
The night before last I started having servere back pain mostly on the right side and then pain on the lower right abdomen. I vomited twice yesterday and have been nauseous. I’m constantly dehydrated and trying to drink pedialyte and water but I still seem to be dehydrated (dark pee). I’m eating a teensy bit here or there but getting full fast. I’m also sweating a bunch which might be part of the dehydration. I’m constantly cold and trying to warm up and also very sweaty. I checked my temperature a few times and it’s slightly higher than normal for me but still in the normal range. All symptoms seem to be coming and going atleast to some extent.
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**Physician**: My initial thoughts are kidney stone, kidney infection, appendicitis, constipation, ectopic pregnancy. Be seen by a doctor in person. I’d bet on a kidney stone from the story but you need an exam and more history taken. Not unreasonable to go to urgent care or ER tonight.
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Severe anxiety.
41 year old female. I feel like I'm going to die. Like giving up. My stomach won't stop acting up. It makes my heart skip beats. I haven't started zoloft yet. I have been on natural stuff. ( magnesium, calcium, l theanine) On Saturday, I started feeling like my skin was on fire. I took calcium, calmed down, and went to bed. Sunday to Monday, same thing. Didn't sleep at all. I feel like I can't stay still. Last night I felt ok. Until bed. Then, stomach acting up, palpitations, gas, and insomnia. I took hydroxyzine, and it made them worse. Slept 1 hour. Every time I would dose off, I would jolt awake. I'm so sick of this. I feel like I don't want to live. I'm scared to try zoloft because it may be worse. I have lost 15 pounds since September. I feel like I need to get admitted. I have never been like this. My insomnia is getting worse. I don't drink coffee. I try not to eat after 7 pm. I take prilosec to ease my stomach. I wake up jittery, and my head feels weird all day. Skin burns. I also noticed I can't yawn, and I don't get sleepy during the day either. I've never been on medications for insomnia or anxiety. I have suffered from anxiety on and off for years but never had a sleep problem. I had an endoscopy a few weeks ago, and they found a hiatal hernia. Very small. But when the doctor stretched my esophagus, he tore my esophagus. Could this aggravate the vagal nerve? I've gone to the hospital, and they all say my stomach had nothing to do with my heart. While I sit having pvs for hours. I feel like I'm going crazy.
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**Physician - Psychiatry**: If you’re already describing your situation as “I feel like I’m going to die” and considering hospitalization, you don’t have much to lose trying the Zoloft. If you go to the hospital they’ll just tell you to take the Zoloft. The “natural stuff” clearly is not working for you.
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Is there anything more I can do to increase sperm quality and count without medical intervention?
Throwaway. Apologies in advance if this does not follow the rules as it could be a bit anecdotal.
I am a male, 32 years old. My wife is a female aged 31. We are about to start trying for kids. I'm relatively healthy-ish, workout 2/3 days a week, try to avoid junk and processed foods but occasionally indulge, just trying to do what I can along side a 40hr office job. Wife is also the same in terms of trying to be healthy with similar work. Neither of us take any medications.
But despite trying to be somewhat healthy, I'm not particularly a Blastoise and I sometimes feel like its a bit embarrassing, unless I am actually fine and my perception is skewed due to porn...to put in it in some perspective, even after about 3 days of not ejaculating, my volume would be akin to 1 small/regular sip of water.
Is there anything I can do that's would help with sperm count and quality without medical intervention?
Or is this actually a stupid question to ask for anecdotal help, and I should go to the docs and simply get my sperm count checked and follow medical advise? I suppose I would do that after a few (or several) failed attempts of trying for kids. We have only just started.
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: Not worth asking at this point, since you don't actually know what your sperm count is (volume of ejaculate is not relevant) or if you're having trouble conceiving yet.
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Alcohol poisoning
Age 25
Sex F
Height 5ft7
Weight 195lbs
Race Caucasian
Duration of complaint- one day
Location uk
Current medications propanolol 40mg
Hi, l've posted here before and I'm really sorry to post again but I can't really find much info online. Last night I drank much more than usual (about 12 beers) and today I spent hours vomiting. I'm able to keep water down now but I feel dizzy and nauseous and my heart is racing. I'm scared I have alcohol poisoning, would it still be present at this time? I stopped drinking about 16 hours ago. Having palpitations and really scared I'm going to have a seizure or one of the other symptoms. Thank you for any advice
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: You don't have alcohol poisoning now, that would have happened earlier. You're probably dehydrated and hungover now. Do your best to hydrate with something that has electrolytes (Gatorade, Pedialyte, etc) and get some rest. Eat some plain foods.
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