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Scared I'm going to use my central line to hurt myself.
28F, 5 four, 220 pounds, suicidal ideations, have central line (port) for 4x month IVIG for an autoimmune disease and hypogammaglobulinemia, don't drink, don't smoke, other meds are cetirizine 10mg 3 times a day. Don't drink, smoke, or do recreational drugs. Throwaway bc I'm scared people in real life will know it's me.
I have been having intense suicidal ideations for a few months, but especially the last week. I get my port accessed for IVIG (2 days every 2 weeks) and they usually leave it accessed the night in between. In the last week I've progressed to self-harming, in the last 48 hours I've dug my nails into my hair so much that I'd say 1/3 of my scalp is bleeding and I've cut (not deeply) with both sticks and knives all four extremities. In between episodes (which last a few hours) I am largely normal. I'm not sure what's going on. I am having a hard time adjusting to stressful situations in my life, but I've been through worse. I guess I should seek psychiatric help, but that's slow-moving and ironically when I'm working my 9-5 job I feel fine; I just struggle on nights and the weekends mostly. Probably explanatory but I'm writing this in one of my more normal moments.
Is there anything I can do to make sure I don't use my port to hurt myself the next time I go in? They don't usually like de-accessing it in between days because sometimes it needs cathflo. I'm thinking taping it up heavily or something, but I'm not really sure of the specifics? I don't know how to access it or deaccess it by myself. Once the medicine is up and running I'm usually left alone and am worried I might have another episode. I am very worried I will try and purposely induce a line infection, and I know those are really really bad.
I am very sorry if I sound crazy or anything. I'm really not sure what's going on and I'm scared and I'm worried if I tell my doctors about this they'll think I"m crazy and everything will get even worse.
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: I know it's not what you want to hear, but with what sounds like the level of risk you are to yourself I think you should go to the nearest emergency room. The risks are high, and you need some aggressive intervention to ensure your safety. I don't think heavy taping or other little tricks will be enough to keep you safe.
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f27 I just hit my head and clear fluid started pouring from my left nostril. it stopped after a few seconds. Am I okay?
I was playing with my dog and our skulls collided. I was already on the floor and I laid my head down. When I sat up, this snot or something poured like water out of my left nostril. I haven't been stuffy and my eyes were not watering. What's going on?
| 1
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**Physician**: Neurosurgeon here.
Sounds like CSF rhinorrhea, can happen when the skull is fractured AND the dura is torn causing CSF to leak out the nose or ears. We need a CT scan to confirm the fracture and there are methods (not 100% accurate though) to check if the fluid is actually CSF. What we do in these cases are admission and bed rest, administer 3rd gen cepha antibiotics (usually ceftriaxone) for a few days to prevent CNS infection (and by that time it usually heals itself). Considering that CNS infections are potentially quite dangerous I would advise you to visit an ER and get checked, make sure to describe as you mentioned here (clear water pouring out of nostril).
Edit: DId not expect this many replies, so just some additional tidbits as the original reply was done on mobile and I left out some details.
First, I wouldn't worry too much about not being able to get a CT scan of your skull, as a) the r/o CSF rhinorrhea did not persist or repeat which means if there even was a dural tear, it was so small that after the initial leak happened and the pressure decreased, it stopped and could heal itself. I would be worried if the symptom repeated though. When there is a serious leak, the CSF rhinorrhea or otorrhea happens almost every time the patient moves his/her head and we have to tell them to not move their head at all until it stops, it's miserable. If the leak is procedure-related (like after a TSA) a revision may be necessary. b) CNS infections via something like a temporal bone fracture where the fracture is subtle (may not even be visible on CT, but sometimes can be deducted by other signs like hemotympanium) is actually quite rare, but we still give preventative antibiotics anyway because we want to be safe. Still, the human immune system is pretty reliable.
The headaches OP has may be a result of lowered intracranial pressure due to losing some CSF (hence worsening on head elevation) but it shouldn't last too long. Max 1-2 days (kinda depends on the amount of CSF loss though) and OP should feel better, but symptoms of concussion can last quite a while and sometimes it's tricky to differentiate between them.
I also want to mention that where I live (South Korea), the medical system is vastly different to where I assume OP lives (the US). Here, it's relatively easy to get something like a brain CT scan done via visiting a random ER and should cost about $100~200. And usually ER docs just let the patient get the exam they want unless maybe when the patient is a foreigner because just the idea that relatively minor medical bills like this can have a significant financial impact on the patient simply doesn't exist. Hence I also tend to not think too much about whether the test I ordered would actually give me useful positive results and instead lean towards being as safe as possible. Especially when the ordered exam is something simple like a non-contrast CT scan.
I hope OP is feeling better now and really hope the rhinorrhea did not happen again. You should be OK.
**Registered Nurse**: So glad you went to the hospital, please keep us updated.
**Physician**: I know it’s tempting but OP I advise you not to leave the ER before you’re seen. Even if it takes a few hours
**Physician**: Are you still having any nasal discharge? Or do you have any napkins/etc that have the clear discharge?
You could probably go to a lab and have them check for Beta-2 transferrin, which is exclusively found in CSF. It’s extremely sensitive and specific to a CSF leak. You can pay yourself without a doctor’s order for a lot of tests nowadays.
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Can I use the Flonase for a runny nose or congestion? I woke up this morning with a runny nose and green mucus
A month ago I had rushed to the urgent care for an ear infection that was traveling to my cheek. They said it was just allergies even though I, a 29 year old man, have never had allergies and actually crying to the doctors how bad the pain was. The next day I went to the ER because the pain traveled to my jawline and temple. They did ct scans and found that I had acute sinusitis that was very severe. So then they prescribed me amoxicillin. I’m better now but for about a week, part of my gums felt numb where the pain had been. I thought there was permanent damage but everything is back to normal now.
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: Yes, you can use Flonase for this.
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I keep blacking out in the shower?
24M In the past I’d say 6 weeks I’ve passed out 6 times in the shower, all of them soon after waking up once in the afternoon the rest were early morning. I can feel it coming for about 5 seconds so I have time to sit down so I don’t just fall over and I’m only out for a couple of seconds. Anyone have any ideas?
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**Public Health Epidemiology**: NAD. Sounds like vasovagal syncope. I would definitely see a doctor about it if you haven’t already. What is the MRI for?
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How low can I allow my BP to be post surgery before going back to the hospital for intervention? Was my hospital in the wrong for sending me home with low BP?
I (27F, 138lbs, 5’3”) had extensive robotic abdominal surgery on Thursday for endometriosis where they had to physically cut out scar tissue that fused my organs to my abdominal wall. I have been in absolutely tremendous pain and while I was admitted to the hospital, my blood pressure was low 90s/low 60s-high 50s in which the hospital staff at this very poorly rated hospital said was normal.
I’ve been on chronic opioid medication (regulated extremely well) for nine years for this issue and have never had low BP or anything other than perfect honestly. The hospital staff was horrendous and despite my BP dropping like it was, I never received any fluids or blood work after asking repeatedly. Their solution was to stop all pain medications while I was there and send me home instead of even attempting to bring my pressure back to normal. They said, “if you’re that concerned about your blood pressure, talk to your PCP after the holiday weekend about going on BP medication.”
Since I have been on this medication for as long as I have and just had the surgery that I did, I was extremely uncomfortable with this and did everything I could to advocate for myself to no such luck. I decided to just go home since it was safer for me to at least control and receive my medications at home instead of suffering at the level I was with no pain meds for hours upon hours there.
Well, I’m home now and taking my medications as prescribed and my BP has dropped even lower to 90/53 and the nurse warned me post surgery that could be a sign of infection or something that needs to be looked into, even though my BP was still around this when they sent me home with no treatment. I’m not too familiar with the science of blood pressure but all I know is I’m shaking from the inside out and can only get it up for a few moments after walking because I’m off the chart in pain. I am also drinking liquid iv and pedialyte but to no avail.
I have my hospital (different from the surgeons hospital) that’s fantastic and I’m debating going in to make sure everything is okay.
So my question is, is this something I need to take seriously and go back in or is this something I might be able to ride out if I just keep drinking electrolytes? Also, can anyone please help me to understand why they thought removing pain medications from a case like mine was a better solution than giving me fluids??
I apologize for all the details, I just wanted to paint a picture of what we’re dealing with when it comes to the differing opinions of my care. Thanks in advance!
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: That blood pressure can be entirely normal for someone your age. Is it markedly different from your normal blood pressure?
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What happens if you keep losing weight without trying?
I’m constantly loosing weight for the last three months combined with high blood pressure and stomach problems, stooling and nausea.
Please I’m worried about the weight loss, what will happen if I keep loosing weight like this?? I’m so skinny now I can’t believe my eyes
What will happen?? Please I need to know
Anyone??
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**Registered Nurse**: Unintended weight loss is a reason to see your doctor sooner rather than later. Many problems can cause this and some of them are very serious. Go get checked out as soon as you can.
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Dropped a metal folding chair on my toe. Do I need to go to the ER or can I wait until tomorrow and go to Urgent Care?
48F. Levothyroxine, lamotrigine, sertraline, vitamin d3, telmisartan. It’s Christmas Day here, so, the only medical facility that’s open is the ER. I dropped a metal folding chair on my big toe a little over an hour ago. It still hurts/throbs/almost feels a little numb. I have dark nail polish on the toe so I can’t see if it’s bleeding under the nail—though if it is bleeding it’s not leaking out. I don’t have any nail polish remover. I can move my toe but it’s not comfortable to put my weight on it, as the weight pushes into my nail. The mail doesn’t appear to be detached. Do I need to go to the ER? Or is this something that can wait until an urgent care opens in the morning (will be 17 hrs until it opens)? Thanks for your advice.
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: No need for ER based on what you're saying. Sounds like you may have a hematoma (collection of blood) under the nail, but it's not an emergency. Stay home, ice it and take some ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
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Am i pregnant
Is this spotting?
Me (18F) and my bf (18M) have had protected sex twice since my last period, both times with him clearly pulling out well before hand. A few days ago I began noticing brown discharge even though it is well away from my period. Today this was joined with a little blood. I’m 90% sure the brown was old blood. I’m scared out of my mind. Is this spotting or something else? Help
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: Sorry, but only a pregnancy test can answer your question.
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Can a brain hemorrhage occur in the back of the head?
I (22m 5’10” 170 lbs) squat failed 275 then 245 and dumped both forward over my head. This was two days ago. Still have a bump at the center of the back of my head and a sore neck. Should I be concerned? Medical care is expensive in the US and I don’t want to go if I don’t have to. Thanks.
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**Physician, Emergency Medicine | Moderator**: if no numbness, tingling, weakness, change in vision, vomiting, altered mentation, blood thinners then unlikely to need in person evaluation
**Physician - Pediatrics**: You're fine.
Squat in the cage with safeties adjusted correctly.
Learn to fail correctly and stop dumping over your head.
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I ate 10 vitamin gummies. Will I be okay?
5’4, 18F, 140lbs
The recommended serving size for adults is 2 gummies and I ate 5x that!!! Im scared
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**Physician - Pediatrics**: Yeah, probably. Stop overdosing on gummy vitamins. You're an adult.
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pregnancy maybe possible with me [21m] and my girlfriend [20f]
I had unprotected sex with my girlfriend last Sunday, even though it is quite a dumb decision it usually isn't harmful due to the fact I have never came from anyone else other than myself, I think it might be from masturbating a lot in my teenage years. On that note(lol) the reason for my concern is the fact that 2 hours before she came over I masturbated and finished, in the time in between then and when she came over I urinated and wiped any pee off. An hour and a half later, before we put it in, I spit on it and rubbed it, being paranoid that there was something on it, not even semen, maybe a fuzzy particle from my boxers that I didn't want inside of her. And now I've been pretty anxious that any residue could've got her pregnant. That's the situation and up to now nothing's happened, it's currently Friday and as I said it was Sunday when it happened. Is there a large chance she's pregnant? I don't have much information on her ovulation, I do know that in March her period started around the 22nd, and last month somewhere in the range of 9th-14th. That's all I know, Thank you.
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**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Chances are really slim, buddy.
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what should i tell my doctor
Im a 19 yo male ,i dont drink or smoke, had anal sex once 2 weeks ago and i think i got an infection (there is slight pain and some white liquid coming from my bum and the paun is kinda getting worse) but i cant tell this to my doctor since unfortunately i live in a homophobic country .
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**Physician**: Can you buy antibiotics over the counter at a pharmacy where you live? Might be we could tell you what to get. Same infections in heterosexual/ homosexual transmission generally.
Also, I bet you wouldn’t be the first homosexual patient your doctor has quietly treated- most would prefer you were healthy rather than report you.
**Registered Nurse**: Is there a sexual health clinic you could attend? You could google your city or town name and sexual health clinic. They will specialise in this and will be very discreet.
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Attempted weight loss is making me feel like there’s something seriously wrong with me. Is my life in danger?
Female, 5’4”, 195 lbs. Only on Viibryd and trazodone.
I weighed 185 two months ago. It’s been a long struggle. I got a gym membership through work and started doing what I thought was healthy eating, only to find that k has gained ten pounds.
I started counting calories. My fitness app suggested that I stick to 1440 calories a day for a pound a week of weight loss. No problem.
For the past couple of days, I worked out meal plans that emphasized high protein, high-nutrient foods, volume rating and trying to feel full, and I’ve been regularly taking a fiber supplement for over a year. The meal plans backfired.
I have never been so *starving*. No, I don’t mean “Gee, I really wanna eat, I wish I could eat a burger again.” I mean, getting dizzy. My heart went into tachycardia this evening. I was *over* my caloric limit for the day, and had eaten well, but I still felt like I was absolutely, literally starving. I started to shake and feel clammy before the tachycardia, and I’d eaten a good meal with filling vegetables and protein just two and a half hours before. When I do eat it always feels like it’s the first time in days. I’m not even tasting the food, I just gobble it down because I’m so desperately *hungry*. Not appetite. *Hunger*.
I feel like I’m between a rock and a hard place, especially with the tachycardia. I have two options, to overeat or to starve. I don’t know any my body is reacting this way - especially since my roommate had the car, so I couldn’t go to the gym and thus did not work out.
The all-encompassing hunger has been an issue with me and food for a while, I eat any time, any items and I feel extremely hungry no longer than two and a half hours later. After the weight gain I went to the loseit sub, but I had to delete my post after bullying. Basically they believed I’d gained weight, but didn’t seem to understand how extreme the hunger has been *no matter what I eat.* (also got poor-shamed for not being able to buy a food scale rn, but that’s not here nor there). Now tonight it seems to send me into actual physical starvation mode. After a full day of eating. I can post a screenshot of my food diary for today if necessary.
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**Physician - Emergency Medicine**: I don't know how much you were eating before you started this diet, but 1440 calories is not very much at all, especially if you were overeating before. You're doing the right things eating high-protein foods and lots of vegetables, but it may just be too much of a shell-shock for you to start off with. For comparison, the average person needs 2000 calories just to maintain their weight. You may find even an additional 200-400 calories a day makes a world of difference, and then you can slowly work yourself down from there.
I can say with certainty, though, however much water you're drinking every day, multiply it by an additional 50%. When it comes to feeling hungry and having a rapid heart rate, keeping your "fluid tank" full will help tremendously. Don't get discouraged; you're doing the right thing, and your body will adjust eventually. It just takes time, and it's important that you don't push it too hard initially. Pain doesn't always equal gain; listen to your body and help it help you.
**Psychoeducator (MSc)**: 1440 calories is really not a lot especially if you have recently started training.
And it’s a large deficit compared to what you were eating before. Add to that that women should never eat below 1200 calories a day (and that’s for small, petite, inactive women), it doesn’t give you much room to adjust your meal plan if needed (if you eat a plateau for example).
What you want to do is find the maximum amount of calories you can eat per day while style losing weight in a healthy manner (so around 1 pound a week). This will insure that you feel less hunger since you are eating more than 1400 cal, which will probably translate to feeling more energized too. It will also help you follow your meal plan and not fall of the wagon because you’re too hungry.
Eating more calories also allow you to slowly lower your amount if you hit a weight loss plateau.
My suggestion, especially since you feel so bad: start with eating 2000 calories per day, high protein. Monitor your food intake everyday for two weeks, and measure your weight and take measurements (waist, bicep, hips, etc.) every Sunday (or any day that works best). Also monitor how you are feeling.
If after 2 weeks, you have lost weight (even if less than 2lbs), continue eating your 2000 calories a day. If your weight has absolutely not budged and has increased, lower your meal plan to 1800. Stay at this for at least 2-3 weeks, then reassess. As long as you are losing weight, do not decrease your calories. Also be sure to drink plenty of water. This meal plan succession, if you want, makes adjusting to lower calories easier (if needed) since you cut back only by 100-200 calories each time you need to, instead of the 500-1000 cal cut your just did.
That said, if you continue to feel as bad even after increasing your calories, I would make an appointment with your gp.
**Physician**: You did not mention if you’ve talked to your primary care physician about this or any lab work you’ve had done? I’d start there. Always rule out thyroid to start.
Also are you weighing food or just guessing? It’s not a great idea for everyone to weigh food, for instance if you have a history of disordered eating, but i find it helpful in some as it can teach you what X amount of calories worth of Y food looks like. Packages are usually not super accurate even when it’s like 1 bar = 200 cal. You weigh it and it turns out it’s 1/4th larger than it says on the package.
Gaining weight almost always means you’re eating more than you think, barring no medical condition to account for weight gain. I know you say you’re hungry but exercising will make you hungry, and it’s really easy to binge in those moments and overshoot.
Make sure you’re not drinking your calories.
Make sure you’re accounting for condiments (ketchup, mayo, creamer, etc) - they add up and people don’t count them a lot of times.
Also take into account signs of fluid retention (leg swelling), bloating, constipation - all things that can make you “gain” non fat lbs.
How long have you been on trazodone? It can cause weight gain.
I always recommend increasing protein intake, fiber intake (as much in food and non supplement as possible) to at least 25g per day, and try to get a large amount of protein in the morning / first half of the day. It keeps you fuller throughout the day.
I recommend calculating your macros to figure out how much protein you should be eating. Play around with MFP to put in your meals and configure a way to eat things that you like in a way that fits your macros. Consistently eating the same things is a common thread amongst those who lose and keep off weight.
Make sure you are doing resistance training and not just cardio. It’s important to maintain muscle mass. More muscle leads to higher metabolism, and it’s easier to keep weight off the more muscle you have. It doesn’t need to be anything crazy, can be just bands or 2lb hand weights. There’s free work outs on you tube and lots of for pay platforms.
Edit: I’m and internal medicine physician who does obesity medicine and also have a strong personal interest in exercise/weight lifting/fitness. I’ve always been into exercise but still was overweight. Through years and years of reading, research, following the emerging research on these topics, discussing with colleagues etc I personally found my groove and lost 30 lbs. a few years ago finally reaching a normal BMI.
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Positive for Influenza A
24M, Hispanic, 170lbs, 5’9”
Symptoms right now: Slight fever, constant runny nose, occasional sneezing, some ear pain, back hurts a little
I just got a positive test for Influenza A, negative for covid and mycoplasma.
My question is, should I go to the hospital to receive treatment? I understand there’s no medication to kill it exactly so my body has to get rid of it on its own.
Also, for how long should i stay isolated?
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**Physician**: No you don't need hospital treatment and you don't need to isolate (but be careful around others like you'd normally do with the flu). Look up supportive treatment for flu and stick to that (OTC).
**Physician - Pediatrics**: No. If you have mild symptoms, you should not go to the hospital or anywhere else.
There are antivirals like Tamiflu available. They can shorten the duration of illness by like 1 day or so, but can cause nausea, belly pain, diarrhea. If you're more than 48 hours into symptoms, they don't really do much at all. I typically only recommend them for people that have higher risk of complications. The juice is sometimes not the worth the squeeze otherwise.
Drink fluids and use Tylenol or Motrin.
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Which doctor to visit for a fingertip pain that’s been for a week
I’m 21, female college-working student with healthy weight and no major medical history (as what I’ve known from my medical school exams requirements). Has no vices either. I have no injury or some sort that happened.
Atfirst, it was a little on & off prick on my point finger until the pain felt for hours. After a day or two, my thumb tip joined too and sometimes the palm area below thumb when I press something. I describe the pain like my skin is burning or like having a painful puss and it makes me cry sometimes when it’s too much. Ice pack makes it less painful when I sleep. The pain gets longer as the days passed by. My right pointy finger and thumb are my dominant parts. But they totally look normal like my left fingers are. Idk what caused this can someone tell me which to visit since i’m a student trying to save. I went to a pharmacy to give me some kind of relief for it til I can visit on schedule, still it’s painful and it is warmer compared to my other fingers. I can’t press it or any or fold my point finger and thumb. The pain is more painful on the tip area. It’s worse when I hold warm things like when I’m trying to have coffee etc. I can’t hold a spoon right due to pain or open zippers. Help.
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: Primary care / GP
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I am having extreme allergic reactions and everyone is stumped
Age 39
Sex M
Height 6
Weight 210
Race white
Duration of complaint 3 weeks
Location
Any existing relevant medical issues
Current medications
Alright, I am completely lost and desperate. 3 weeks ago, while on a work trip, I had this random allergic reaction. This reaction was my body Turing red, itchy, hives. Over the next 2 weeks it started including horrible diarrhea, massive amounts of swelling, hives. Etc. It seems to get much worse after I eat anything. My doctor's have tested me for tons and tons of allergies. All negative. Ige is only 20. Last week, I ended up at the ER as my throat was starting to close up. Then that happened again few days ago. I ate dinner about 5 hours ago and now my entire body is all red and swollen everywhere. I can't get any relief. I've taken so much Benadryl that my heart palpitates heavily. Hospitals just give me a shot and send me out.
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**Physician - Dermatologist | Top Contributor**: Consider visiting an allergist for evaluation. EDs help to get people through the next 2-3 days and are not there to guide long term management.
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Feeling faint when I go in a lab (I’m a 22F biomed student)
I’ve been having this problem since I started studying biomed last semester.
I’ve had a few laboratory sessions, and I had 2 fainting spells in 2 different labs, and felt a bit sick another time in a lab too. I don’t understand what triggers this blood pressure drop. I become very pale, I start feeling warm, my vision gets blurry, I feel nauseous, my hearing gets muffled, and I can’t stand up anymore. My teachers told me to go out both times.
The labs we work on are not graphic, there was no blood or anything like that.
I don’t understand what triggers it. I’ve had a few others “feeling faint” moments in the past 6 months, once at my work (in a restaurant) and a few times in shops. But it is worse in labs. The times I didn’t feel very faint, I still felt uncomfortable and took sugar to feel better.
I had a similar experience when I was a teenager, whenever I’d go to a certain pharmacy I’d have a fainting spell. But I haven’t had that in pharmacies in years.
It’s quite problematic for me that it happens during labs as they are very important for my degree :(.
Would anyone have a suggestion for the reason behind this ?
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**General Practitioner**: This is vasovagal syncope which is quite common. It is known by other names also, reflex syncope, neurocardiogenic syncope, or just fainting. Probably check you have nothing else contributing first, e.g. iron deficiency, anaemia, etc, then otherwise you could try things such as leaving the room at the first sign of an episode and lay down when necessary, drink some water, try some counterpressure manoeuvres (tensing of muscles such as crossing your legs while tensing the legs, abs, butt), and if all that fails, there have been studies showing practising yoga could help to raise your fainting threshold.
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Pain on face! Need help!
22 female, 9 1/2 weeks pregnant, no medications, no current health issues.
Around two days ago I woke up with a feeling of being punched in the face on my left side. Among further inspection I found that it’s extremely tender around my zygomatic bone (i looked up that term to really specify location, but my upper cheek below my eye socket on that bone from temple to about halfway to the nose). This is a very hot and bruise like pain-but there is no bruise, bug bite, acne, or anything that I can find that caused this. I am nervous this is a sign of stroke or bell’s palsy-both which run in my family. The area is noticeably hot to the touch, and somewhat swollen-making me feel like I can’t move my face correctly. I also feel like I’m beginning to get a fever, but my temperature is normal. Any idea on what this could be? Should I be concerned for my baby?
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**Physician**: Would get checked out to make sure there's no infection, especially since you are pregnant. Bell's palsy is typically painless and solely paralysis of the face, so that would be lower on the list. You can have shingles but that should present with a rash which it seems like you also don't have.
Either way, consider an in person evaluation.
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(M31) I am incredibly frustrated with my high blood pressure. I feel like I am doing everything I should and nothing works.
Hello,
I am a male (African American, athletic build, not overweight) in my early thirties (31 to be exact) and in my late 20s I found out that I have high blood pressure. After that I began to make changes to my lifestyle. For some backstory I was a very chubby kid growing up, but after that I began work hard at losing weight and have been a very diligent diet and exercise person for the rest of my life.
Even though I have been the type of person who exercises several times a week my whole life I began to make more changes, less fried food, watching my salt intake, cutting out sugary drinks and coffee, I am even in the process of moving to a vegetarian diet. I only eat chicken, and once per day at the very most.
With all of those things considered, my blood pressure is still pretty high. I am talking like 150/90 pretty regularly. I am visiting my parents for the holidays and just this morning actually they were taking their BP and I decided to take mine as well and it was so high that they were super alarmed and worried.
I feel fine, I have never had any sort of episode relating to my BP or heart rate, I am starting to become so frustrated and frankly scared because my BP is always high and it feels like nothing I do to combat it is helping.
| 4
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care - Moderator**: Unfortunately it's a common problem. You're doing the right things with the positive lifestyle changes, but there are many people that still need medications to lower their blood pressure. It's good that you're addressing it early in life, as elevated blood pressure does cumulative damage over time, and since you're young it's reasonable to think that you are at high risk of kidney, heart, etc problems in the long run without blood pressure control.
I'd recommend keeping a good blood pressure log and making an appointment to see your doctor. I suspect he/she will start you on medication(s) to help lower your blood pressure.
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Inverted Nipples
25F 175 lbs, Is it normal for nipples to invert when you raise your arm? Both sides do it but one more than the other. I swear they’ve never done this before. My mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and both grandmothers had it also (I don’t know if it goes back any further)
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**Physician**: You basically sum up every risk factor there is. Talk to your gynecologist ASAP, not only for urgent consultation but also genetic testing regarding genomic analysis for BRCA 1/2.
Good luck!
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Why does it pain in my testicles?
The full context is. I'm a male 19 running 20. From few months, i don't know how many, but a few months, may be a year too. It's been paining in my testicles. In the beginning It feels like an urge for poo, but it's not, when i examine my lower body i always find that my right testicle is in pain. I can feel the veins or scrotum bulging.
My left testicle, as a typical normal testicle is of full shape like a ball, but my right one has been lately ( i don't know how to describe) but it feels like 2 testicles in the right excluding the left one (Yes you read that right, it feels like 2 on right and 1 on left; 3 in total ) [ it's from around 1½ year time only, before that everything was normal. I don't know if it's 2 on right or just one testicle broken into 2. It clearly does not feel like 2 but not 1 either, it feels like 1 testicle broken into 1½ or 2, and not fully, feels like an egg yolk, broken and beaten but not into 2 full balls, like 1 sausage where outerends are hard and middle soft saggy. And it looks bigger too ( right one ) Oh man it feels soo much pain as I'm typing now.
I informed my parents and they it's just hanging down and streching nothing more... But i feel 2 egg yolk like things down there... I have done some research on Google and it's not good. Can you please explain what could be the problem and which type of doctors should i consult ( like surgeon, gastroenterologist, pediatrician.. ) Thank you in advance.
TL;DR: Unbearable pain in balls without reason, right testicle feels like 2.
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**Registered Nurse**: You need to have a physical examination by a doctor
**Physician - Pediatrics**: Just go to your PCP. This is literally what they're there for.
If this is testicular cancer, and you catch it early, it can treated pretty well. If you ignore testicular cancer, it will kill you.
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thoat cancer screening
Male
30
5'11 145lbs
Disabled veteran.
I chocke on this bone thing behind my throat. I have to push it out the way when i drink.somtimes turning my head is difficult have to adjust it.
How do i go to the doctor and get a appointment for cancer screening? Unless i should be looking at another cause?
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**Physician - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery**: Is the bone thing still there? Was it something you swallowed? Just make an appointment with your GP and tell them you are worried you may have cancer. An ENT surgeon could have a look inside your throat with a small camera (easily in clinic).
**Physician - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery**: You don’t need to know medical terms, don’t worry. Did you actually swallow a bone? Or do you mean the bone that moves when you swallow?
Some people can get what we call ‘feeling of sensation in throat’ when they feel there is something but there isn’t anything when you look.
Having an ear, nose and throat surgeon have a look is probably the best.
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I cant have a BM and now passing blood
For 3 years now I’ve (F18) had issues with passing stools. It started around the time I reached the height of my eating disorder. My bowel movements have been noticeably slow, it takes me 2 weeks before I pass a stool and the few days leading up to it I’m in intense pain. Over the course of the last 4 or 5 months my bowel movement pains have been getting worse, last month I had intense sharp pains in my butt and when trying to push it felt like razors being shoved down my stomach and to my butt, as well as only passing blood and not poop. I figured it was anal fissures and I took some laxatives and after a day or 2 I had a very painful bowel movement but nonetheless, still a bowel movement. I felt better after that. Now, 3 weeks later (I got the urge last week and the pains started last week but I still haven’t passed it) it’s time for another bowel movement- but it’s gotten worse than last time. More blood(a lot more), more razor sharp pains, more abdomen pains, but now it’s from my lower back all the way to my butt, my legs go numb when I try to push and I get cold sweats but feel very hot, and get tunnel vision like I’m gonna pass out. I also have the urge to pass a stool every 5-10 minutes and with that urge is again more pain down my back to my butt. I’ve been taking laxatives for 3 days now and still no bowel movement. I am in such intense pain I can barely get up and my stomach feels very full and bloated, I’ve also been vomiting a lot even when there is nothing to vomit. I don’t know what’s wrong or why this keeps getting worse. I can’t go to a hospital it’s too expensive and I’m not an American citizen so I don’t have a doctor here. Please help, any advice is good advice.
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**Registered Nurse**: You need to go to a hospital. You could have a bowel obstruction or other major problem with your GI tract. This could be life threatening. You can't deal with this on your own.
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today I woke up finding myself attacking my brother.
I am 21M and with bad sleeping habits but nothing like this has ever happened before. I slept that day very late and woke up finding myself standing and pushing my brother almost a meter away from my bed.
I remember the first thought when I woke up is that I knew I was pushing my brother but there was this idea in my head that he was trying to kill me, and I totally felt it was real until my parents came and separated me, I then realized I am doing something weird.
I didn't have any kind of nightmares, does anyone know if there is a reason for this happening?
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**Physician**: The story sounds like a non-REM parasomnia. This includes things like sleepwalking and sleep terrors.
Basically there’s pathways in your brain that regulate the states of being awake and being asleep, but they’re not completely separate, so you may feel and act as though you’re awake, even when you’re asleep.
The best things you can do: (1) you mentioned poor sleep habits. Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule and good sleep hygiene. That’ll reduce the risk of this happening again. (2) avoid alcohol, sleep deprivation, and shift work if you can. (3) take precautionary steps to keep yourself and others safe, eg. make sure there are no sharp items or weapons near your bed, padding if you’re walking into things, etc.
I would see your family doctor about this, they can take a more detailed history and determine if you need a sleep study. Based on the frequency/severity of your symptoms, sometimes medications can help too. Best of luck!
Side note- I’m assuming you’re not having any thoughts of hurting your brother or suspicious thoughts about him when you’re awake during the day. If you are then please speak to a doctor immediately
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My cat had scratched me while giving him a bath. Now there’s a tiny blister, it’s not serious enough to be Cat Scratch Fever, is it?
I (19F) had recently given my cat a bath 20 hours after he had slipped out, where we ended up finding him in a hole, locates in a corn field. He smelled like a mix of musk and chemicals. This prompted me to give him a bath while at home. During this bath, however, showed how much he hated water, by flailing around and grabbing on to anything he can, including me. He left me with a puncture wound (it’s not a bad one), which was also a scratch and was bleeding. I had washed it with some warm water, put Mupirocin on it, and bandages it up.
This was a day ago, and now when I take the bandages off, I spotted a little tiny blister, like it’s very tiny and it’s not on the scratches, just close by. I happen to look up blisters and cat scratches, and immediately directs me to Cat Scratch Fever. I know you don’t look up symptoms, but I was hoping for some answer. One source says to get a blood test at a doctors office, but my mom told me to just put more Mupirocin on it, because it was what she was prescribed for MRSA. Will Mupirocin help me any, or is this worse than I thought?
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**Physician**: If he was in the bath at the time, it is reasonable to assume that his paws were probably cleaner than they've been for some time. I'd wait and see what, if anything, happens. Clean the site with soap and water and just keep clean. Mupirocin is fine.
**Paramedic**: With just a scratch like that, Soap Water and a Antibiotic Ointment - Mirpuricin, Neopsporin, Bacitracin...etc. is all it should need. The big one to be concerned about is Cat Bites as they host a boat load of bacteria in their mouths and can be the start of a serious infection requiring IV Antibiotics or I&D (surgical cleaning of wound).
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Womanly Issues
Hello, I am a 30 year old female that recently got an IUD. At this appointment I also got a pap smear done. I got a phone call a few days ago saying I have atypical cells.
Since getting the IUD I have had a period for the last 15 days as well. So of course I went to doctor google. When I searched atypical cells they listed everything from infection to cancer. So cool I may have a yeast infection, other bacterial infection or cancer. The cancer got my brain going and I have been crying and praying since.
Today I decided to do a bit of research with doctor google again because of this annoying period I have. I searched can a yeast infection cause irregular periods. It said yes. So I refined my search to can a yeast infection cause bleeding and I got a yes. So now I cant help but feel I have a yeast infection and this is causing all the issues.
So now here I am on Reddit posting all of my vaginal issues and worries. Can anyone tell me if my theory could be correct? I don't trust doctor google but it's what I do when I am scared.
I am beyond scared. I like my vagina. It's been good to me. Brought my wonderful kids into this world and I don't want anything to be wrong with it. I am hoping others have had this issue too.
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**Physician**: Bleeding is common with IUDs.
Atypical cells are not as uncommon as one would think and are very likely due to some small infection, that could be cleared in a month or so. Stop reading the internet. There are no real answers here, only ideas that will get your mind going to bad places. The chances are that everything will be just fine. Talk to your doctor as soon as possible so they can calm your mind for real ;)
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Vagina tastes sweet, concerningly sweet
I’m 19F, 215lbs , 5’4. Generally active, and in good health. No medications. No drugs. No alcohol.
A few months ago my boyfriend pointed out while going down on me that my vagina wetness was tasting super sweet, I ended up tasting it, and it was REALLY sweet, like candy. I’ve been monitoring it now and for the most part it’s pretty normal, slightly sweet and acidic. I’ve noticed after I drink diet soda, at least two cans, I start to taste really really sweet. It’s like licking a lollipop.
Is this normal? I can’t find anything online about it! Does this bring health concerns? It’s only really when I drink high amounts of diet soda.
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**Physician**: The environment in the vagina is naturally acidic this is stop bacterial overgrowth, acid is sweet in taste, if no additional symptoms, don’t think about it.. Cheers..
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Strep throat on Christmas Day
I am a 36 year old male. About 165 pounds if it’s relevant.
I have been sick since last Tuesday. Chills, highish fever (102.5), runny nose, sore throat. It felt like the flu. I keep thinking it will get better but it’s not.
My fever seems to have “broke” unless I cover up a lot. Then it comes right back.
Yesterday my throat pain sky rocketed. Today I am sure its strep throat, I have had it several times and nothing else compares to how sharp this pain is.
There are basically no pharmacies open. I can use a digital doc app for a prescription.
I however have a full bottle of doxycycline hyclate. Like 50 100mg capsules.
Can I just take this for strep? From what I read It works and I would take two 100 mg the first day (12 hours apart) and then one every day for ten days.
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**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Doxycycline isn't the best treatment for strep. Each category of antibiotics work differently. They are not all the same. You also don't want to take antibiotics if this isn't 100% strep. If you take antibiotics when there is no need for them, it will increase the chances of antibiotic resistance.
I'd recommend going to urgent care and getting assessed. They can administer a rapid strep test that will give you results in 10ish minutes. You should also get tested for covid and influenza, as you could have both. If you're *really* unlucky, you could have all 3. Highly unlikely though.
You can go to urgent care tomorrow, as no pharmacies in your area are open now anyways.
What is your current temperature now?
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Brain tumors
Hello for a little over a year I’ve developed head tingling and constant light headedness. It feels sometime like I have additional pressure building up in my face and head. Last night especially I was laying in my bed and could feel multiple episodes of surges and light headedness. Not complete episodes of vertigo but a similar feeling.
My main question is how much does a scan of the brain usually cost a patient with state insurance in washington state? Im perfectly ready to die given the quality of our society. I honestly just wanted to know if it would be worth looking to get it checked out, or if the cost would be detrimental to my family and I should take myself off to the woods to give myself some brain surgery? I have regular state funded insurance (apple care) I’m 28 year old male. My moms father died from brain tumors in his 40s. My grandfather recently has been having multiple strokes with blood pressure issues.
thanks
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**Physician - Internal Medicine**: You don't need to have a CT scan, or to go to the forest to off yourself as I think your post is suggesting. There are lots of causes of lightheadedness not due to terminal brain cancers.
All you need is a primary care visit to get evaluated. I'd suggest starting there.
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Was taking 500mg of tylenol a bad idea after a night of drinking?
18M 5’6 117 pounds
I drank kind of heavily last night, finishing about 12 hours ago. I woke up with a really bad headache and took a tylenol, but forgot that acetaminophen and alcohol can be dangerous. Is 500mg of tylenol dangerous 11-12 hours after my last drink? Am i at risk of any liver issues?
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: No, that's not a particularly high dose of tylenol, and it was quite a while after your last drink.
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Cannabinoid Hypermesis Syndrome
36M , 6'1", 260lbs, non smoker, currently have a crushed disc in my back and PTSD I deal with using gabapentin, mirtazapine, and cannabis.
My question has nothing to do with any of that, but the automod forced me to put a bunch of personal info on the internet so I can ask a question about CHS.
I've seen that people die from organ failure, typically kidney failure as a result of dehydration cause by vomiting. My question is, is it only dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea that cause organs to fail with CHS? I've been hypermetic once before and I will never let that happen again, I do however continue to lightly use cannabis for extreme pain in my back and it helps with PTSD. Once I begin to feel the beginning symptoms of CHS (nausea in the morning, IBS) I stop for 2-3 weeks.
Can you use in moderation, and stop If you feel the oncoming effects of CHS to let ur CB receptors clear out? With this cause any other issues? Basically I'd like to continue using until my back fusion, because I can't find anything else that works, but I don't wanna die.
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**Physician - Pediatrics**: You're not going to die from kidney failure from CHS.
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Is it normal to pee out sand??
Warning, TMI...
Im a 25 year old, 5'7 female
I went to the beach in Hawaii twice, 4 days apart. I take a shower every time im done in the beach, yet ive been peeing out a huge bunch of sand lately. The first 4 days, ive been peeing out sand that covered half the toliet bowl. Its been 9 days, and im still peeing out sand, except just 1/2 teaspoon of sand. My bottom has been feeling swollen, itchy with a fowl, fishy odor despite showering every day, and keep finding sand on my underwear. It doesnt burn or hurt when i urinate, but just very irritating... is this normal??? Did anyone ever experience this??? I googled everywhere on the internet and havent found a single person saying they have this happen to them.....
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**Registered Nurse**: No. This is not normal. There is no way for you to get that amount of beach sand in your urethra unintentionally. You need to see a doctor. It sounds like you have some kind of infection. The 'sand' is likely some kind of vaginal/urethral discharge.
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Why am i only getting migraines only on my days off of work? Can skipping coffee really cause this??
19M 6'3 155pounds I work the morning shifts at my warehouse job. recently i've been noticing i've been getting terrible headaches but only on my days off of work. They'd usually be only in one spot, sometimes they'd be so bad i'll have trouble walking and bad nausea.
I ruled out all the usual suspects of getting headaches(too little sleep,too little water, too much time on computer)but i've heard that not drinking coffee can cause headaches, but can it really lead to headaches that bad? I have a cup of coffee every day at work for 4-5 days a week, and i almost never drink it on my days off.
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**Registered Nurse**: Yep! There is such a thing as caffeine withdrawal. Interestingly enough, caffeine is also used to treat migraines as well.
**Registered Nurse**: The easy to figure this out is to have a cup of coffee on a day off from work and if you don’t get a headache, you can be pretty sure that’s the cause
**Physician**: Caffeine withdrawal can certainly cause a bad headache, but migraines have been classically referred to as "weekend headaches" because this is a common phenomenon. In my and my family's anecdotal experience, they tend to come just *after* the end of a stressful period, so often on the day you're off of work.
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ER now or Doctor in the Morning?
27F, NOT pregnant
It is 1am and I’m trying to decide if I should go to the ER nots or visit my GP in the morning. For over 24 hours now i’ve experienced abdominal pain that has slowly transformed into probably the worst pain i’ve ever experienced.
It’s mostly in my right side and it’s an extremely sharp pain, like a knife twisting into my stomach. I can’t press on the area without the pain flaring to an almost unbearable level.
I have a low fever, around 100.4 last I checked. I’m nauseous but I haven’t vomited. I have absolutely no appetite.
Does anyone know what this might? i’m kind of getting really worried because of how much it hurts. Ideally visiting my GP in the am is ideal but i’m scared the pain will get worse. What should I do?
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**Operating Theatre Assistant**: ER now would be appropriate I think.
**Physician**: You should visit the ER.
**Physician - Pediatrics**: Yes, go to the ED.
Nausea, true fever (100.4), sharp stabbing pain in right abdomen, exquisite tenderness to touch at right abdomen. You need to be assessed ASAP.
When it's all sorted, please check back in, okay? We'll be worried about you.
**Physician**: Sometimes with appendicitis, for example, the pain subsides after it has burst. Then sepsis sets in. The thing is you don’t know what is going on unless you are evaluated properly. Abdominal pain is not to be trifled with.
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My vision in my right eye is deteriorating sort of fast. It was mostly fine just a couple months ago, and now I’m always closing it to read because everything is blurry.
F28, 5’4” 115 lbs, Canadian, Caucasian, drink a little on the weekends, rarely smoke weed, no cigarettes or any other drug, escitalopram and doxycycline.
I had an eye test about two months ago for work, and while my right eye was a little weaker, it was barely significant to be of any concern. However since then, I’ve noticed that I keep my right eye closed very very often because it’s must easier to read with just my left but I think I’m making it worse. It’s become quite blurry and makes it hard to stay focused. I even have more wrinkles around my right eye from keeping it shut so much. I just find it odd how quickly this happened. My far sight is definitely impacted as well, it’s just a bit easier to counteract the blurriness with my left eyes abilities.
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**Physician, Neurology | Moderator**: Sounds like you need an appointment with an ophthalmologist.
**Physician - Ophthalmology**: Agree with u/Ulsenius.
Sometimes people close one eye to avoid double vision (diplopia). Others get too much glare in one eye. And some, perhaps you, close one eye just due to blurriness.
I recommend seeing the ophthalmologist right away.
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Accidentally or stupidly had paracetamol overdose please help!
Okay i had 10 pills of 650mg (6.5g). Age -19, weight 55kg and 6ft height. Should i be worried? Please reply asap…….
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**Physician**: Uh yeah you should be worried. Go to the hospital and get NAC. Acetaminophen overdose is one of the most miserable ways to go and can cause permanent liver failure. Hospital, now…
**Physician - Pediatrics**: Over what time frame? All in one go? If you took 6.5 grams in one go, that's a problem. The minimal toxic dose of Tylenol for adults is usually listed as 7.5-10 g. But you only weigh 55 kg, and have a smaller "distribution pool" than most adults.
Yeah, you should go to the ED.
Were you trying to harm yourself? If so, that needs to be addressed.
**Physician - Emergency Medicine**: Go to the ED to get evaluated for possible NAC infusion. Depends on when you took it, in what quantity over how long, and what your blood levels are. You’re probably going to be okay, but would still recommend get evaluated in the ED.
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Is it normal to almost entirely lose your appetite when under stress?
For most of my (30F) life, I ate more and much less healthily when stressed — I would crave comfort in certain sweets and junk food. But recently, the opposite happened. After a budding rlationship fell apart in very upsetting circumstances, I started feeling very down and found myself having to force food down. I would eat only once a day, do not crave the foods I used to like and went from 145 to 130 pounds in a month.
I started regaining my appetite back to eating small portions twice a day very slowly but recently went almost 30 hours without eating — I was in an airport dealing with travel delays and other problems and kind of “forgot.” I did not feel hunger once and when I did eat it was more of “wow, it’s been a long time, I guess I should eat something.”
I was wondering if this is normal as I’ve always gotten a lot of enjoyment out of food and never had this happen before.
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**Physician**: This can be normal. It’s fight or flight, the body doesn’t want you stopping for pizza when you should be running from a bear. Provided no other symptoms such as change in bowel habit and you feel generally well otherwise
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Poppy seed test for fistula. Where to get urine analyzed
Recommended by a physician friend I was told to do a poppy seed test for a possible fistula and i noticed a couple black specs in my urine within about 8 hours after. Where can I bring my urine for analysis to confirm if they are poppy seeds or just some other debris?
Are there any lab tests for this?
32F, 5’4, 110lbs, no drink no smoke
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**Physician - Emergency Medicine**: _Usual disclaimer: no one can provide specific medical advice for a person or condition without an in-person interview and physical examination, and a review of the available medical records and recent and past testing. This comment is for general information purposes only, and not intended to provide medical advice. No physician-patient relationship is implied or established._
Generally speaking, people should not order lab tests for themselves, as they cannot interpret them.
If you are concerned about an enterovesicular fistula (abnormal connection between the gastrointestinal system and the urinary bladder), then you should see a doctor.
The proper test would be that the urine sediment (what's left after the urine was spun in a centrifuge) would have to be examined under s microscope by a pathologist to confirm the diagnosis.
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how long to monitor potential nut allergy?
hello! I (25F female) was referred to an allergist by my doctor after nausea and slight rash after I ate an exorbitant amount of nuts, and told to stop eating nuts until I got the testing done. Today I took a bite of chicken salad which did not say it had nuts in it, but in fact had almonds. I stopped eating it immediately and felt fine aside from some itching/mouth tickle which only lasted about five minutes. I took two benadryl and have felt fine. no rash or swelling or any other issues. i then was given ice cream with heath bars in it, which I googled after questioning the contents (i’m not used to having to look out for nuts) and realized heath bars have ground almonds in it, again, I did not eat much at all. I took two more benadryl as this was over 6 hours from the first benadryl I took. i feel itchy but I think it might be my own brain freaking myself out. how long should I worry about a severe reaction/ should I be worried at all? I’ve never had a history of anaphylaxis or severe allergic reaction. I’m supposed to go hiking tomorrow and I’ve freaked myself out with google and “delayed anaphylaxis” having visions of my throat closing in the middle of the Arizona desert. am I okay or should I delay my hiking trip? I just don’t know how long to be worried about a severe reaction. thank you in advance.
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**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: You ate an "exorbitant" amount of nuts before your allergy was confirmed. You are not at risk for delayed anaphylaxis. You have a minor nut alergy; it's fine.
You can continue on your trip without fear.
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37F took a double dose of Amoxicillin. Skip the next?
Amoxicillin - took double dose by mistake. Skip the next one?
Hello there,
My gf (37), was prescribed 500mg Amoxicillin for strep throat. Twice a day. She accidentally took a double dose as the first dose.
She’s 163cm, 57kg. No other medications.
Medical history: Had a stroke 10 years ago, and a stint put as a follow up.
Should she continue regularly, or skip the next dose?
The amount of pills is exact (20 for 10 days).
Thank you in advance!
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**Physician**: Unlikely to make a clinical difference. I’d just take it as prescribed from here on, no need to skip the next dose.
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Bruise after blood draw
I (22F, 5’10”, 230lb) got a blood draw on July 13th. I literally just now got a bruise at the exact spot the draw was, and today’s the 15th. It doesn’t look like a regular bruise either, like I could easily mistake this for a hickey. The woman that was doing my blood draw had to redirect a few times and she wasn’t able to draw from that arm so she switched to the other. It’s a somewhat big bruise for how small the site is, would this be something I should consult my doctor about?
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: Pretty normal to have some bruising after a blood draw.
**Medical Laboratory Tech**: This is completely normal with a difficult draw. It will go away.
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My fingers were crushed in a machine at work. Nothing “bad” happened at all, but…
Middle and index finger were crushed in a pressing machine, but they didn’t bleed, bruise, or swell. I couldn’t move them for like 30 minutes, and after a couple hours, I could freely move them. I could even bend them. My middle finger feels completely fine now, aside from some weakness when I make a fist. My index finger however feels completely numb on the tip, and when I press down on the tip and squeeze my nail it feels extremely awkward. It doesn’t hurt, it’s just very numb and pins & needles feeling. Will it heal eventually? Is it just nerve damage? Should I go to the hospital? They don’t look any different from my other fingers, but the numbness SUUUUUCKS, it feels so weird man.
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**Patient Care Assistant**: You need to get a full evaluation. Assuming you're in the US, it's free because it happened at work. Go to the ER; urgent cares don't have CTs or MRIs. I'm not sure if you'd need one of those types of scans, but the numbness is concerning.
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30F mild hsv encephalitis?
Is this possible? Experiencing lots of neurological symptoms after being diagnosed with oral and genital hsv1 at the same time. Most recently blurry vision in one eye. When closing affected eye the other eye is normal vision. Is optic neuritis possible? No pain in affected eye but I do have discomfort behind my eye.
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care - Moderator**: Unlikely. HSV encephalitis is a devastating illness. If you had it you’d already be in the hospital, not writing it a post on Reddit.
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Vitamin IV Infusion made me feel like i have dementia
27F, 115 lbs, suspected allergy to NSAIDS, asthma, and sinus issues but no other known medical conditions. My friend surprised us with IV “hangover” bags while on vacation, and after about 5 minutes of it in my arm, i noticed that someone was speaking to me but i had absolutely no idea what the sentence meant. I couldn’t reply or find the words to respond to them. My hands and arms were tingling as well. I started to feel also like i couldn’t control emotions that i felt, almost like i had the sudden urge to cry or that i couldn’t control laughing, it was truly the weirdest experience i’ve felt mentally. I told her i felt like i was going to faint because i just couldn’t even find the word to describe what it was but it was the scariest experience and i was panicking at that point in my head.
The nurse said that it could have been my body reacting to the vitamins and thinking i was hypoglycemic, so she told me to eat fruit but i literally could barely form words or understand what she meant by that. She took my blood pressure and heart rate and she said my heart was fast but everything else was normal, although i’m not sure how she would have known that since she never took my resting rate or any medical logging prior to giving the IV.
Eventually when i came to enough to understand what was happening i ditched the experience and laid in bed, where my body was literally twitching uncontrollably and then i felt my mind slowly come back to me.
I’ve looked everywhere online and haven’t heard anyone have this level of mental reaction so i’m curious if anyone here might know what it could have been, or if it was simply just anxiety or something.
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**Physician | Moderator**: Since there is no standard “hangover bag” we have no idea what you got or what you might have reacted to, or whether it was just having a hangover. It doesn’t sound like an allergic reaction.
For what it’s worth, there’s no evidence backing any hangover treatment. No vitamins, IV or oral; rehydration might help, and won’t hurt, but there’s no reason not to do that by drinking water instead of infusing saline.
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Embarrassing bathroom problem!
21M, 5’8’’, 130 lbs, no medication.
I’ll jump straight into it. There’s sharp pain and bloody stool when I poop. My stomach doesn’t hurt but my anus does hurt when I poop. It’s been a problem for maybe a month now? Maybe even longer. Is this cause for concern or will it pass naturally?
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**Physician - Family Medicine**: Sounds like a hemorrhoid or anal fissure (less likely, could be something more serious, such as inflammatory bowel disease or cancer). I would at least make sure you are not constipated and have soft stools, which you can do by eating a high fiber diet. Foods with fiber include vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains such as quinoa, barley, chia, and oatmeal. Drink plenty of water. If your symptoms do not resolve in a couple weeks, see a doctor.
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recommend wound care when changing gauze?
age 25, weight 140lb
Just got a pretty deep road rash and cleaned it out, disinfected with alcohol, and applied gauze with neosporin. Do I need to disinfect again with alcohol before applying neosporin and gauze again?
and should i take antibiotic pills along with applying neosporin?
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: Don't use alcohol on open wounds. Clean with soap and water.
Unless it's infected as determined by a doctor, antibiotic pills are not of use.
**Registered Nurse**: Don’t clean with alcohol, it hurts like heck and actually inhibits wound healing. Also, gauze isn’t great, it sticks and every time you remove it you tear off your nice healing cells.
get yourself some non-stick dressing (melolin and interpose are a couple of options) and when you go to change it, soak it off with water rather than removing it dry. As long as it’s not looking infected, just give it a bit of a dab with some gauze and cooled boiled water (add a bit of salt if you’re feeling fancy) and redress it.
change the dressing only as frequently as it really needs, don’t scrub anything, and learn the difference between slough (basically wet scab, looks gross but ok in moderation, part of the healing process) and pus (will wipe/wash away).
Don’t go crazy with lotions and potions - a moist wound heals best, a wet wound gets mucky. I dont know if neosporin adds moisture (is it a greasy feeling ointment?) but if not, and the wound is getting a bit dry and crispy, but still needs protection from the world, try something like jelonet (a paraffin mesh dressing) under the non-stick dressing.
|
My girlfriend (23F) was admitted to the hospital for a sudden liver problem and released 2 days ago. Today, she got bloodwork done and her LFT values have shot up. What should we do?
I’ll start with her basic information here (if I forgot anything, just ask):
**BASIC INFO:**
*Age:* 23
*Sex:* F
*Location:* Ontario, Canada
*Drinking:* Never
*Marijuana:* Never
*Sexually Active:* Never
*Family History:* Both parents have gallstone problems
*Medical History:* This was her first time being hospitalized. She did have COVID-19 two months ago.
—
**BACKGROUND:**
So about 6 days ago she went to the emergency room because she had been having severe abdominal pain and vomiting for the last 3 days, and that night her urine got darker (which is odd as she drinks a lot of water).
A couple hours into the wait at ER, her eyes and skin turned yellow abruptly. She was taken to urgent care and had blood and urine taken, and this time her urine was dark brown.
The results came back showing all her liver values and bilirubin were high, and she was admitted into the hospital. She got an ultrasound which showed she had gallstones, but none were stuck and there was no dilation of the bile duct. A specialist was called and she later got an MRI. It showed that again, no stones were trapped. Her pancreas also looked OK. Three more specialists were called that day and ultimately, nobody was totally sure what was causing her liver problems.
She stayed in hospital for about three days. They ran a lot of tests. They came back negative for all forms of viral hepatitis. Positive for smooth muscle antibodies. IgG was high. Her liver enzymes and bilirubin however were gradually lowering on their own, and so she was sent home. We never really learned what happened — they thought maybe a formerly blocked bile duct.
(Also, she had a LOT of tests done so if someone is wondering about a certain one just ask and I’ll see if they did it.)
Anyway, she’s been vomiting less now that she’s home and her pain has improved. However, she’s having a lot of diarrhea. Today, she went back to the hospital and got blood work done to test her liver values again. Surprisingly, the results came back MUCH higher than even her first day in the hospital. We’re worried. Nobody gave us info on who to contact if we have concerns. They just said to return to ER if symptoms worsen. We also haven’t gotten any calls yet.
—
**LIVER VALUES (LFTs):**
So, here are the liver values in question:
*means the day she was admitted
**means the day she left
**BILIRUBIN TOTAL:**
Day 1: 120 umol/L*
Day 2: 113 umol/L
Day 3: 100 umol/L**
Day 5: 97 umol/L
*(This one did improve.)*
**GAMMA GT:**
Day 1: 373 U/L*
Day 2: 349 U/L
Day 3: 288 U/L**
Day 5: 361 U/L
**AST:**
Day 1: 144 U/L*
Day 2: 104 U/L
Day 3: 125 U/L**
Day 5: 392 U/L
*(This one spiked a lot.)*
**ALT:**
Day 1: 400 U/L*
Day 2: 314 U/L
Day 3: 298 U/L**
Day 5: 677 U/L
*(This one went REALLY high compared to the first day.)*
**ALP:**
Day 1: 181 U/L*
Day 2: 179 U/L
Day 3: 153 U/L**
Day 5: 193 U/L
—
So, as you can see, some of her values went up a LOT compared to the day she was admitted. It’s so weird because it was trending downwards but has suddenly spiked? She isn’t vomiting or in too much pain today but her skin is still yellow and so are her eyes slightly.
We’re just wondering what to do, if anything. Nobody called so maybe it isn’t that big of a deal? We tried calling the hospital and talked to a lot of people, but we would always end up at the same voicemail bot that would hang up. I wasn’t sure who else to ask so I came here. She doesn’t have a family doctor really, since hers is in Alberta and they also retired recently so I’m not sure if she actually has one. The woman who drew her blood today said her family doctor would likely talk to her, but when we told her this information she wasn’t sure what to do either.
What should we do? Is it a problem? Does anybody have ideas on who else to call? Is it urgent?
Thanks everyone. Again, feel free to ask me anything about her or other test results. During her stay she had MANY tests done, so I can retrieve them if needed.
| 3
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**Physician - Gastroenterology**: She should see a doctor soon. Surprised they discharged her without figuring out a cause
What was her smooth muscle antibody and IgG level? Could be autoimmune hepatitis
Does she have gallstones? Could be more stones in her duct
|
BPM and Corona
22M. So i tested positive covid today and notice my BPM went up from 60-70 to 90-100 in rest. Is this something relatable to Corona virus? If so is it something to keep an eye on or is it just temporary with no harm?
Only medication i used is some paracetamol.
Thanks in advance
| 6
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**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Yes, when you are sick, your RHR usually increases. This is temporary and normal.
**Physician - Anesthesiology**: Fever, illness, etc can all cause this. On its own not too worrying
|
I'm not pregnant, but milk is coming from my breast
I’m 18, female. 112 pounds, 5.4 feet. Smoke. The only medicine I took were emergency contraceptives pills (took them frequently, in 2 months like 14 times)
My boyfriend very often massages my breasts, sucks them, etc. Recently, during the same activities, milk began to appear from my breasts. I am not pregnant, have already done 4 tests. What could be causing this, and is it normal?
| 4
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: Quite likely normal. This is physiologic nipple discharge, which is a normal nipple discharge when there's breast/nipple stimulation. It's certainly most common when pregnant or breastfeeding. When it happens outside of those circumstances it's still wise to see your doctor. Certain conditions are related with milky nipple discharge outside of pregnancy. It's not an urgent thing, but should be addressed.
|
Severe and random itching caused by Codeine?
Hello. I am a 22 year old female. Approximately 5’7” and 140lb.
I was prescribed Co-codamol (30mg codeine/500mg paracetamol) in the summer of 2021 to manage pain.
I never overuse it and only take it on my worst pain days. Co-codamol used to give me nausea so I was prescribed anti nausea pills in autumn 2021. I took this combination for months.
I realised in March 2022 that I don’t need the anti nausea pills any more because I can handle the Co-codamol without getting nauseous, even on an empty stomach.
In June 2022 I started a treatment plan for my pain. The pain is still bad but it has improved a bit, meaning I’ve been taking codeine less often over the past 3 months.
Today however, my pain was God awful so I took some codeine at 5:30pm. Totally normal, I continued with my day.
By 9:30pm (or so), the pain was awful again so I took another dose. I’m not sure of the exact time gap between doses because I didn’t write it down as I usually do. My estimate is 3 to 4 hours.
Within minutes I started to itch all over my body, severely. The itching went on for 2+ hours. It was agony. It’s 1:35am now, hours after my last dose and although the itching is mostly gone I’m now slightly nauseous.
I have NEVER in all my time taking Co-codamol experienced itching as a side effect. It also hasn’t made me nauseous in months. I have never gone over the prescribed dose - 2 pills. I just don’t understand this strange reaction. What could be the reason, and should I speak to my doctor?
Thankyou
| 6
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**Physician - Dermatologist | Top Contributor**: Itch is a normal and expected side effect of codeine.
**Physician**: Codeine can cause histamine release and itching. Seems likely that your dose increase might be responsible.
|
HIV risk possibility
Hey, I’m 19M cis and gave my 22M cis partner an unprotected blowjob. He claims he is negative but he tested a long time ago and hasn’t shown me a proof of test, so I can’t be too sure. We spit all over his dick, and I know saliva kills HIV. However, I have Barrett’s esophagus so I was wondering if my risk is elevated because of it. He also fingered my anus. If he’s positive, should I be worried?
| 6
|
**Physician**: HIV doesn’t tend to be transmitted through saliva, despite having Barrett’s. Your risk for this scenario seems low.
That being said, it’s always good to keep up to date with STD testing, including HIV, even for yourself, especially as you partake in sexual activity.
|
I’ve been getting sick every 3 weeks since contracting Covid
38F 190lbs no meds, I wear glasses, no other conditions. I’m vaxxed, boosted. Myself and my family caught Covid in January. From that point on, we’ve all been getting sick every 3 weeks. My work and the schools lifted the mask bans. Is this due to coming out of the “bubble” that was the last two years? Or should I mention it to my pcp?
| 6
|
**Physician**: Pretty much everyone has been getting continually sick as we all start to circulate again after nearly 2 years of minimising human contact. If all it is is cold after cold, you’re just experiencing what about 25% of the population are this year. It will pass once you’ve been exposed to most of the things you would have normally come into contact with again
|
Do ALL UTI’s require medical attention/antibiotics?
Backstory: I (23F/114lbs/sexually active), have had my fair share of UTI’s in the past (they used to be pretty chronic for me) - all of which were treated with antibiotics. There was even a specific UTI which landed me in the ER back in May of 2019: I had been on 2 different antibiotics for an entire month, none of which were helping. I had blood and blood clots gushing from my urethra. I ended up receiving two shots of Rocephin.
Today: I started showing signs of a UTI 2 nights ago. I suddenly had the burning urethral pain, the constant urgency of “needing” to go (even though I didn’t), cloudy/smelly urine. I drank about 34oz of water to try to flush it out… that made it worse.
I searched several gas stations at 2am for some AZO and cranberry juice with no avail. So when I got back home, I took 600mg ibuprofen and 2 garlic supplements and flushed it down with 16oz of water. That seemed to help.
I woke up yesterday, and felt totally fine. No pain, no urgency. But my urine was still telling me there’s an infection… I went to Walgreens, bought some AZO and cranberry juice…
The pain/urgency came back full force around 7pm last night so I took the AZO, which helped. I ended my night last night with tons of abdominal bloating, pain, and nausea.
I woke up this morning, and for the most part, I feel okayish. I’m bloated and slightly nauseated… my first pee of the day has been the most painful one this round, and there was definitely a decent amount of blood in it this time (the AZO I took last night was already worn off by around 3:00am, so it wasn’t the AZO) (it was urine color followed by a small gush of blood after the urine stopped flowing).
I’m normally not so against going to see a doctor for anything. Any time I showed the signs for a UTI, I always had myself in the doctor’s office that day getting sent home with antibiotics…
I’m just so hesitant this time around, because I no longer have health insurance. So I would just like to know - is it possible for UTI’s to go away on their own? Or do I need to suck it up and see a doctor?
| 4
|
**Physician Assistant**: Very minor UTIs can sometimes clear up on their own in a day or two with good hydration, but I recommend you see a doctor. If you're having any hint of blood in your urine or pelvic pain/nausea this is most likely too serious to go away on its own. It could spread to your kidneys and become much more serious. There are some cheap online telemedicine services you could start with if you can't afford an office visit. Feel better.
|
I just realized today after 2 years I’ve been poisoning myself… what do I do now?
Male, 26, US, 6’0, 200lb
2 years ago I ordered an air filter. I really liked it so I ordered 4 more, one for each room, then 2 in one small room where I worked every day, with the door closed, thinking I was doing good by cleaning my air. I began to get sick around with time with intense pain in my eyes upon waking, horrible shortness of breath, extreme air hunger, fatigue and migraines.
I went to the ER several times saw every specialist under the sun, everything always came back as normal and no one could figured it out.
Tonight something in my brain clicked to look into the air filters, considering I had checked every possible thing on me. Come to find out, the one I purchased releases small amounts of ozone.
Considering I was in a small space with with 4 air filters, then stuck in an ever smaller place with 2, that were running 24/7 since the time this all started . I am now extremely confident I have acute ozone poisoning.
What do I do now. I am kind of freaking out about this..
| 4.5
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: The only thing you can really do is stop the exposures
**Rheumatology Research Fellow**: First thing to do is to not use the filters of course, and reduce your exposure.
Secondly, I have no idea what would be done about acute O3 poisoning, but speak to your primary care doctor first. I can only guess that there would be some lung tests to run
**Physician - Emergency Medicine**: _Usual disclaimer: no one can provide specific medical advice for a person or condition without an in-person interview and physical examination, and a review of the available medical records and recent and past testing. This comment is for general information purposes only, and not intended to provide medical advice. No physician-patient relationship is implied or established._
>I am now extremely confident I have acute ozone poisoning.
For what it's worth, __acute__ is a word that means "recent" or "of short duration". Regardless of the cause of your symptoms, they are not _acute_, they are _chronic_. This is important for various reasons, including diagnostic (how to determine what is wrong) and prognostic (how to predict the future of the illness).
There is very good evidence that both short- and long-term exposure to ozone is harmful. Short-term, high level exposures produce mainly respiratory symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, long infections, and exacerbations of chronic lung diseases such as asthma.
Long-term exposure is more difficult to qualify: population studies suggest that it may cause increased risk of death from respiratory diseases such as asthma, but also early death from other causes such as cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart attacks) and that there may be neurologic issues as well.
However whether or not a single individuals symptoms can be ascribed to ozone exposure is unclear. Certainly, the evidence is strong enough that no one should have an ozone-generating device in their home.
Unfortunately, there is no clear diagnostic or therapeutic pathway beyond avoidance of exposure.
**Physician, Psychiatry**: Just piping in because nobody has said, I'd probably go see pulm, or at least get your PCP to do pulmonary function testing
I'm happy to talk about your mother if you want any further help from me
|
Needing reassuring
Needing reassuring
Female, 42yrs, 90kg
On thyroxine 250
Had a mri which showed a flair in august follow up one at Christmas came back as clear
I've had two gp's and a er dr say they are thinking my symptoms indicate ms but only a neurologist can diagnose.
I'm travelling 8 hrs each way and paying $580 to see one this week.
I'm worried he will brush me off since last one was clear and I will just continue to have no help or direction with my issues.
Currently I have limited use of my leg leg, it's gone heavy.
I've had 5 falls in last 12 mths from loosing my balance.
I suffer headaches
My fingers make sudden jerking moments
I'm constantly tried.
Would you still investigate even if last mri was clear?
| 4
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**Physician - Emergency Medicine**: ER doc here. Do you have your MRI reports with you, by chance? Although a neurologist is probably the best equipped for managing MS, a neurologist is not required for official diagnosis. I've diagnosed it in my ED several times. That said, with your symptoms, I would pursue this diagnosis despite your most recent MRI result. In medicine, imaging is only one piece of the puzzle; us physicians don't go through 10+ years of training just to have a single picture tell us what the answer is. We have to be able to connect the dots, and I presume the neurologist you're going to go see will understand that one MRI is not the end-all-be-all.
|
Fainted after constipation and think it will happen again (19F)
So I fainted a few minutes after it really really hurt pass stool, so bad that I was bent over in pain and I pushed pretty hard to make it happen faster which the net tells me caused the fainting. Fainting symptoms came in over the space of about 5-10 minutes I had cold sweats, feeling too warm, nauseous and eventually it all blacked out and I fell hard twice on the floor while walking. I didn’t pass out fully. Drank a lot of water then and slowly got better .
Now my body’s trying to pass it again but I am fucking terrified to go and it doesn’t feel like it’s gotten better when I try to go. Still feels hard and uncomfortable and I got cold all of a sudden when trying. Ive never taken laxatives or any softeners before so am worried about taking them, and I’ve been drinking lots of water for hours but it hasn’t made it much easier to pass the poop apparently.
What foods do I eat/ medicines I can buy to make sure I don’t pass out again like that? Just need something that will make it easier to poop and make it fully soft. I also feel so stupid for saying this but I feel like going to the doctors tomorrow (probably emergency because GP wouldn’t have appointments this early). I haven’t fainted in about 8 years and I get sick at the thought of even trying to use the bathroom again, because of how horrible the fainting was. I live in the Netherlands for context and am not even sure if emergency would look at me but I feel like if I don’t go then I will pass out again next time I poop.
| 4.5
|
**Physician**: You had a vasovagal response. Basically you pushing so hard cause the nerves in your body to tell your brain to shut off for a bit. It is not necessarily uncommon. It’s not dangerous (the passing out can be, hitting your head etc) but it’s not a pathological thing that you passed out.
You need to strain and push less which means treating your constipation. Can try fiber and over the counter laxatives, but considering youre constipated enough to pass out, you should probably go to your doctor or a GI to be treated for constipation
**Registered Nurse**: Talk to your pharmacist about what type of bowel protocol will help you
|
Vision went black
33M, 180cm (5'11), average weight, caucasian, UK-based, tee-total, vaper, non-drug user.
(I have a pre-existing stomach acid issue, since Summer 2020, for which I take omeprazole 20 mg daily. I also recovered from a very mild case of COVID-19 just over a week ago).
Yesterday, I hadn't taken omeprazole that morning for the first time in months as I'd run out, and it was about 6pm and I'd only eaten a late breakfast. I was on my way to get food but went into the pharmacy to get my omeprazole prescription first. I was standing still for a while waiting for a pharmacist to become available, and then continued to stand while she took a long time preparing my prescription. I guess between 5-10 minutes standing still in total. The room was kinda stuffy. As I continued to wait I began to feel flush, then quickly felt like I was going to be sick. My stomach acid started to rumble. I asked if they could please hurry up as I was feeling a little faint and wanted to get some air. I was still waiting and suddenly my peripheral vision started to go black. In a matter of seconds, my vision became completely black. I could still hear, talk, and move fine, but just couldn't see anything. I immediately excused myself and left the store, having to hold my hands out like walking in the dark to find the exit. When I got outside, I sat down on the street and just tried to breathe the fresher air. My vision came back within about 10 seconds, at first outlines of light then fully. Since then, I have maybe felt a little light-headed at times, but have been okay, and made sure I've eaten and had light snacks between meals. I was also able to take my omeprazole yesterday evening and again today like usual.
I should note I had a full optician health-check about three weeks ago and there was no issue with my eyes noticed.
I guess it was a low blood sugar issue because I hadn't eaten? I've always had generally below average blood pressure, but never extreme. I also sometimes skip meals but have never had an issue with feeling faint or any loss of vision before. I'm obviously concerned that I temporarily lost vision, and also whether it could have any connection to my stomach acid issue. I would appreciate any advice, especially as I'll be seeing my physician soon and so far with the stomach acid issue they've just told me to keep taking omeprazole. It took about a year before they let me do a H.Pylori test (which was negative) but otherwise there hasn't been much attempt to figure it out. I'm wondering how much I should try to push for them to do more, such as ask about an endoscopy. Thank you very much for any advice you have.
| 5
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: Sounds like orthostatic hypotension, caused by lack of food/hydration and standing for a long time. In the future, if you get that feeling, sit down immediately and put your legs up if you can, don't try to walk somewhere else.
|
Is this normal heart rate
I just noticed that my heart rate spiked to 157 in the middle of the day around the time i was sitting down with friends. I dont do hard excerise or run or anything. Should it be a concern?
I dont know what to do because lately every now and then it spikes and i have a smart watch but it isnt apple so i dont know how accurate it is. I have recently been getting pains in my shoulder and then my other shoulder, i had an electric sharp pain in the back of my left shoulder blade and spleen and it slightly went towards my chest, i have minor chest pain but all of this comes at random times and most of the time it is bearable. Some times it can be easy to ignore and sometimes it actually hurts. I have had tiredness problem, i have depression and i dont do enough exercise i am pretty sedentary, my legs have been feeling like it takes more effort to walk sometimes and i have been loosing my balance and feeling hazy. Edit [I can’t find the right word to describe it but i have been feeling like my arms and hands are weaker? I drop things and very clumsy. My arms are more floppy when i grab them and move them. I have been nearly been rolling ankle and tripping over, i have had problems where i felt completely out of breathe and thats gone on for two years now, it mostly came in episodes.
My mum and brother have asked me if i am drunk when im not I recently had an episode where i was seeming drunk because i was clumsy and laughing but i was sober. I have varicose veins if that might have anything to do with circulation in my legs and heart possibly? Because when I sit down my feet get pins and needles and when i stand for too long they can go purple and wjen i have Been sitting and stand up my legs ache badly.) my legs have aches before in the past for no reason behind my knees from tge varicose veins. Im getting tiny purple spider veins in my wrist and thigh and arms.]
Im 18 yrs old female
White
Sertraline
Non smoker
160 cm around 54 kg
| 4
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**Physician - Pediatrics**: It can be anything from nothing to a deadly arrhythmia. See your doctor.
|
HELP! Obsessive thoughts of harming myself or other people ( even tho I would never )
I'm 20y/o female, I've been recently diagnosed with GAD ( **Generalized anxiety disorder** )
The medicine I use: Bromazepam and Sertraline;
I've been taking my tablets for about 3 days now and randomly this one day when I went to make tea in the evening, I started having thoughts of harming my family and the thoughts would switch to harming myself, I would constantly tell my head to stop thinking such bullshit, because I would never ever in my life do such thing.. I'd get terrified so much from my thoughts which leads me to bigger anxiety
I manage to sometimes get myself off these thoughts, I've been thinking could the antidepressants be the cause? Or is it some sort of another mental health issue?
Should I call my psychiatrist and tell her I started having such thoughts? Even tho I'm so scared of her thinking I'm psychopath and making me go into mental hospital smh.
I only told to my boyfriend I have such thoughts, never mentioned that to my family because I'm just simply scared!
ADDED! TYVM everyone who gave me advices, shared their experiences & provided me with information.
ALSO I Had " the balls " to talk to my mom about it and she told me to immediately call tommorow psychiatrist which I'll be doing!
| 5
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**Physician - Family Medicine**: Without a conversation, its hard to say exactly where these are coming from but if you truly and honestly would never hurt your family or self, then these could very well be intrusive thoughts. If so, these could be a symptom of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). OCD is an anxious disorder and often carries symptoms of rituals that decrease anxiety (counting, cleaning, etc.) and intrusive thoughts (thoughts that increase anxiety and are difficult to calm/change). Only you can decide what you tell your health providers, but if you want help (especially for such a distressing symptom) you will have to be honest with a mental health professional about these at some point. Best of luck to you.
**Physician**: Increased suicidal ideation is a known side effect of many antidepressants. You should stop the sertraline until you can speak with your psychiatrist.
**This user has not yet been verified.**: I too have suffered from such intrusive thoughts and am diagnosed GAD. You should look into ROCD, its common cause. The thing that helped me the most was not psyching myself up about it. If something pops into my head i just acknowledge, and let it pass. People who suffer from this often have a “thought-action” block confusion. Thoughts are just thoughts, they are very different from actions.
|
Very Ill with COVID - When to Go to ER?
40, female, history of CKD, hypertension, hyperparathyroidism, CAD, prior heart attack, autoimmune disorder, and spina bifida with neurogenic bladder.
I have had COVID since January 31. At first, it was quite mild (temp of 99.7, nasal congestion and mild cough). On February 5, I developed a high fever with flank pain and went to urgent care to be worked up for a kidney infection (due to my neurogenic bladder, I self-cath daily, so I am very susceptible to UTIs). The urine dip was positive, so they prescribed abx. My COVID symptoms did not become severe until 2/6. My cough worsened, I have a headache that won't go away with Tylenol, etc. Went back to urgent care and they arranged for me to have monoclonal antibodies this morning. I had no reaction during the observation period and felt okay when I came home. Now it's 11 p.m. and my O2 sat is bouncing between 84 and 89 depending on whether I am sitting or moving around. I really do not want to go to the ER, but I am worried that if I just sit here and hope for the best, I'll get even sicker.
When is it time to go to the ER if you have COVID and seem to be getting worse instead of better?
| 1
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**Physician - Rheumatology**: You need oxygen. Go to the hospital.
It would be best for you to be in the hospital, but in some areas people can get home oxygen therapy for Covid-19, prescribed by the ED or by PCP.
|
My bf thought he was dying, pls help?
My boyfriend (27m) doesn’t have a Reddit and we can’t get in to see a doctor for at least another week or two, so I’m asking here. Please, help.
This issue has been going on for a little over a year, and until recently my bf has refused to seek treatment due to not having health insurance. We did go to the hospital about a year ago, but said hospital is notoriously terrible (and the only one in my city.) They basically told him he was overreacting and sent him home. And then billed up a few thousand dollars.
Anyways.
He’s been having chest issues. Usually not painful, but when it is, it’s a quick sharp pain that goes away quickly. He said sometimes I can happen a few times, but it’s not a lasting pain. He describes it as a “weird feeling” usually. Like a type of fluttering almost.
He’s has two instances that were very bad. One was a year ago (right before we went to the hospital) and the other was last night. I managed to record his symptoms and they were as follows;
-lightheaded
-tunnel vision
-120bpm while resting
-numb/tingling feeling in feet and tongue
-shortness of breath
-very pale
-sweaty
-NO CHEST PAINS
Then, about 10 minutes later, he started to feel slightly better, I checked his heart rate again and it was bouncing back and forth between ~95 and ~115bpm. A few minutes later it was bouncing between ~83 and ~95bpm.
Also important to add, this was all about 15-30 minutes after he smoked some marijuana. He has smoked for over a decade, so I **promise** you, he was not just *too high.*
We’re scared. We will go get it checked out asap, but it he going to be okay until then?
| 4
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**Physician**: He should see a GP to get worked up. If he has had it for a year it isn't likely to cause imminent harm- or it would have done so by now
Random chest pains are actually really common and can be caused by numerous things- including anxiety
|
19M I think i have chickenpox - what to expect now?
Lately i've been feeling unwell and in the last few days i keep finding spots mostly on my head but one is on my thumb, they're slightly red and hurt to touch, is this chickenpox? if so what should i expect next? this is my first time in my life with this virus and i've heard it stays in you forever and can pop up again later as shingles and possibly kill you? all i know is that it's related to STI's but i have not had intercourse before let alone unprotected intercourse, can chickenpox be spread sexually? is this something i'd have to tell any future girlfriends?
​
Also how long does it take for the pox to go?
| 4
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**Physician - Rheumatology**: 1) See a doctor about the spots. Chickenpox has a distinct appearance and is not just on head & hands. Most people your age had varicella vaccine, so they don't get Chickenpox. If you had the usual childhood vaccines, you should not be vulnerable to varicella-zoster virus. It's probably something else.
2) Chickenpox is not a sexually transmitted disease. It's droplet spread and infectious to non-immune people without direct contact.
**Rheumatology Research Fellow**: Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease which is commonly associated with young children. It isn’t spread sexually at all, you may be confusing this with the current discussion around monkeypox
I would be surprised to hear that you are just having pustules on your head. There could be a few other conditions that you’re mistaking this for - I suggest that you speak to your doctor to clear up what’s happening
|
Cat bite on finger has become swollen, painful, and unable to move
Myself: 25, female, 142 ins, 5’2. No known medical conditions. No alcohol use. Nicotine vape.
My friends cat who is fully vaccinated, indoor (besides walks on a leash) punctured my finger yesterday evening around 4:30 pm. Two of the punters (not as deep as the worst on the side of my finger) got above and below between my proximal interphalangeal joint. Within a couple hours the finger become swollen and stiff to move. By 12 am, the finger was red and slightly purple from bruising, and noticeably swollen. I can’t bend the finger up or down, and it is very painful. I am not sure if this is a medical emergency
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**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care - Moderator**: Go see a doctor asap. It may be reasonable to go to urgent care first, but if you can’t get in quickly you should go to the ER. Cats have some nasty bugs in their mouths, and your description is concerning for a developing infection. An infection of the hand is something that should be urgently evaluated and treated. This is something that should be taken care of today.
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When is it appropriate to go to the doctor for hemorrhoids?
22F, 120 lbs, 5’4”, take concerta and Wellbutrin for adhd. I’ve always had hemorrhoids since I can remember. Occasionally they bleed. The past few days I’ve had some pain and itchiness but hadn’t really thought anything of it. Tried anal for the first time today and my ass is on FIRE. I have a hemorrhoid on the outside that I can’t push in. It’s like getting squeezed by my sphincter and I’m worried it’ll clot. It looks like it might be infected, there’s pus. I’m trying some OTC cream with no relief. Have pain lying on my side rn. Hard to walk. When is it appropriate to go to the doctor? Should I call my GP or go to urgent care tomorrow? TIA!
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**Physician**: Would consider going to the ER based on this as well as the fact you keep almost passing out.
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Possible rabies exposure?
I’m a male aged 22 years old.
I was petting a stray cat that I’ve seen in the neighborhood before, but I only noticed later that my thumb had a small cut from cutting vegetables that day. I went to the ER and they said that my small cut doesn’t qualify for the vaccine since I wasn’t “bitten nor scratched”. I decided to monitor the cat, it’s currently day 14 and the cat is eating and drinking without any change in behavior. Should I be off the hook? Thanks.
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**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: You can let the cat go unless you'd like to adopt it. If you wish to adopt it, please take it to a veterinarian.
Did the cat lick you on your scratch? According to the CDC, just 250 cats per year are affected with rabies in the US. Therefore, your chances of any rabies transmission is virtually nonexistent. That is why the ER did not recommend rabies PEP.
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Could this be a tumor? I’m really freaking out
I 20F 135lbs have had a lot of “random” issues/symptoms. About 2 months ago I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with anemia. A month later with iron pills my levels were much better (ferritin went to 21, iron went to 46, hemoglobin went to 11.9) so i don’t know if this would be because of that or not.
I have anxiety and just can’t stop worrying that something could be wrong. I’ll list out my symptoms below.
There is a grinding sound in my head sometimes when I turn my head. Other times it feels like popping.
I get headaches at least 4 times a week for hours. Sometimes the back of my head will feel numb. This is especially noticeable when I’m watching like a touching moment or something in a movie or I’m excited about something. I know people say they feel warm all over when that happens, but my head just feels weird/numb
Recently my tinnitus has gotten so much worse especially when I lay down. I’ve always had it somewhat, but normally it’d come up maybe once a week. Now it’s about 6 days a week. I went to the doctor about this one, and he thought it could be my iron pills. I switched to taking iron pills every other day for a bit. It did get slightly better, but on the days I didn’t take the iron pills I’d feel dizzy standing up to fast or getting out of the shower.
Sometimes I will be convinced I see something out of the corner of my eye, like a brown or black dot. When I turn my head in the direction it’s gone. It’s like a brief hallucination. It doesn’t always look like a dot.
About 3 months ago there were about 2 weeks where when I was blinking it’d take longer. I don’t know if I’m describing that right, but when I’d shut my eyes to blink instead of .5 seconds it’d take a full second or two. That has stopped, but really concerns me.
Recently this week my left eye has been twitching (?) at random times. I think that’s what it is. I can feel it underneath the eye. There have been like 2 times my right eye did the same.
I also get like 9 hours of sleep (though I normally get up at least once because of my loud roommates) but I still feel tired.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I really cannot afford another doctor’s trip right now until my next check up for anemia, but of course if you guys think I need to I’ll figure out a way. It just really scares me.
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**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Respectfully, you seem to have a lot of health anxiety. Where do you think you have a tumor?
Can you see your doctor about health anxiety sooner? Do you have any other history of anxiety?
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Do I need to go to urgent care? Infected finger.
59F/ 120lbs/ 5’5”/ Effexor XR
My finger has been sore for about a week. I thought it was a fire ant bite and it was only slightly reddened. Over the last two days, it has become quite painful to any pressure, raised, and there is now pus under the skin.
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**Physician**: Yup. There’s a small abscess there. It should be drained by a medical professional and treated with antibiotics.
**Paramedic**: Yes that merits a visit to a Urgent Care, or your Primary Care Physician if they can see you in the next 24-48 hours.
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My heart reaches 220bpm + while running, is this dangerous?
Hello,
I'm 27M, 175lbs, 5'11".
No other medical conditions.
I always knew my heart rate goes up easily. But recently I started measuring my heart rate when I am on the treadmill. Immediately after a sprint it was about 195bpm according to the device itself - apparently it turns out treadmills don't really show heart rates above 200bpm. Today I measured it myself by placing my finger on the carotid artery and counting for 15 seconds times 4 - it was 220bpm -immediately after the run, meaning it must have been even higher while running. Granted, I did have an energy drink just before. No symptoms at all today while running, probably due to the energy drink but on other times I do feel slightly lightheaded or dizzy while running but nothing that is too bothersome.
Is this dangerous? Should I see a doctor?
I was running up to 10mph (for like 2 min, then slowing down).
Thanks!
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**Physician - Infectious Disease**: No you’ll be fine, especially if it goes back to normal on rest. When a heart rate gets anywhere near that fast it’s very difficult to measure manually with any accuracy.
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Should I go to the hospital for chest tightness following an overdose?
27, Female, 5'6", 350 pounds, do not smoke, drink a few times a year at most. Not currently taking any meds besides oral birth control. Have been rarely eating or sleeping for 2 weeks.
Two nights ago I intentionally overdosed on alcohol, ambien (300mg), and valium (300mg). I had not eaten for 2 days prior hoping it would help. I had also planned to slit my wrist but I lost consciousness directly after finding my utensil.
I passed out about 1am and woke around 4pm for a bout a half an hour. I felt drunk and dizzy and passed out again until 10pm. I am staying with a friend and I seem fine for the most part. I just have a headache but the thing that concerns me is that my chest feels very tight, like someone is stepping on it.
The only medical conditions I have that I know of are POTs. I lost my beta blocker (nadolol 20mg) after the overdose so maybe that's why my chest hurts? Usually when I miss a couple of doses I start to shake and feel light headed but I've never had chest pain before.
I'm afraid to go to the hospital because I am not sure if they can admit you to a psych unit after the fact, but I really don't want to go. Any insight is appreciated.
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**Rheumatology Research Fellow**: If you have attempted an overdose you should go to hospital anyway so that they can get you the emergency help you need. The fact that you’re asking for advice here is a pretty good indication to me that you want to get some help.
You may also be suffering from some of the effects of interactions of those medicines, yes - some blood work will probably be needed
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At what point does excessive urination start to signal diabetes?
32m, 260 lbs, 6’0”, occasional alcohol, drug free as of Christmas
I’ve read anything beyond 8x urination/day is considered excessive. I always stay well hydrated, also drink coffee to get going in the morning and after heavier meals. I definitely urinate 15+ times a day. It is not cloudy. My blood tests show normal a1c. I have metabolic syndrome. What are some ways I can monitor this if I already excessively urinate? Thanks.
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**Registered Nurse**: You don't have to monitor it. Just maintain a decent diet, limit alcohol and smoking and see your doc for check ups as per their schedule. If you're unwell, seek medical care.
**B.S., Medical Lab Sciences**: Since a1c is normal, there is a very low likelyhood that you have diabetes. There are other illnesses that cause excessive urination, and all have one thing in common: More urine is going out than fluids are going in.
So what you can do is keep a record of how much fluids you take in, and measure your urine output. One 2L bottle of water, one empty 2L bottle to pee into. Start drinking after your first urination after waking up and pee into the bottle over the course of 24 hours. Only drink the water from this bottle during this 24 hour period and nothing else. If your urine bottle is overflowing before you've emptied your bottle of water, then something's up.
You could just have an overactive or small bladder, nothing wrong with peeing 15 times a day if that's the case.
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My boyfriend (m25) has been experiencing vertigo, loss of appetite, and has lost 40 pounds since February. What's going on?
We are kind of at a loss right now and confused on what to do. He has some doctors appointments coming up with an ENT and a primary care but they are not until the end of May/beginning on June.
For the last couple of months, my boyfriend has been experiencing vertigo, dizziness, nausea, light headedness, loss of appetite, and frequent diarrhea. Hes a big guy but has gone from 350 to 310 since the end of Jan, beginning of February of this year and has not been actively trying to lose weight. Just this past week, he has been unable to eat without feeling so nauseated he could throw up. He has only been able to drink a premier protein shake a day. Yesterday he managed to eat a few pieces of chicken but that is all that he has eaten since Sunday. We picked up a few pedialytes yesterday that he has been drinking. He says that he wakes up every morning feeling like he is hung over. He has had frequent diarrhea that he's described as "like bile"
He saw an urgent care last month who said he had vertigo but he has said the medication he was given is not helping improve his symptoms (meclizine and zofran)
We don't know whats going on. Could this just be vertigo coupled with being dehydrated/malnourished or something more? We tried going to the ER yesterday to try to get him an iv drip and maybe some answers but sadly after several hours of waiting he got frustrated and tired and wanted to go back home. What could be going on and what can we do?
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**Physician - Gastroenterology**: Needs to see his primary care doctor to start getting evaluated for various potential causes.
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Airplane ear 3 days after flight - can I fly again this weekend?
Hi all. I’m M24, 185cm, 90Kg, no medications, U.K. I flew home from a trip on Saturday night, and today (Wednesday) my left ear is still blocked and my hearing blurred. I’ve tried all the online methods to unblock my ear that I can find, and none work. I had a bit of a cold when flying (not covid, have tested) which has gotten worse since.
I am flying again on Sunday (4 days time) for work. Is there any way to clear my ear before this? Is it dangerous to fly if it’s not cleared? Thanks!
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**Rheumatology Research Fellow**: It’ll clear by itself. It’s probable that your cold is causing the hearing disruption. It’s not dangerous to fly
**Rheumatology Research Fellow**: It’ll clear by itself. It’s probable that your cold is causing the hearing disruption. It’s not dangerous to fly
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is Hypernatremia possible?
19 M 125 lbs, Asian
I have a question regarding my sodium levels, I did not pay attention to how salty some of the chicken nuggets I was eating were and I was eating them daily for like 5 days- I drink a lot of water so I suppose it went unnoticed but I started to feel my heart pound very loudly and fast and just remembered my sodium level is already almost borderline, sitting at 142 mEq/L when the blood test showed this in January 2nd. Since I have the symptoms of Hypernatremia already such as fast heart beat, do you think it is still reversible? Idk if Hypernatremia is curable, but would like to know- thank you.
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**Physician - Anesthesiology**: Hypernatremia is not at all a concern here. Not at all.
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31F Blood in mucous covid positive
Tested positive beginning of the week, other than a sore scratchy throat and a bit of nasal congestion I’ve felt fine and able to carry on with chores around the house as usual.
I’ve been blowing my nose a lot today to ease congestion, and just now I sniffed up hard and a big ball of snot collected in my throat so I spat it out and it had blood in the mucous. Should I be worried?
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**Laboratory Technician**: Nah, as long as it’s not pouring blood or you’re not vomiting up blood, it’s likely from irritation or a small raw patch in either your throat or nose.
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Heart rate 150-125 the last couple hours should I go to ER?
30 year old female, pressure/chest pain, dizzy, feel confused, hard to take deep breath, anxiety or more serious? I’m scared never felt this before. Pls & thank you
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**Paramedic**: 125 to 150 by itself is not normally super concerning, but when you add in duration, how long it's been that fast, and Chest Pain it becomes more concerning. If it started during vigorous exercise, perhaps more activity than you are use to doing. It should slow with rest and other symptoms resolve at the same time. If it started when you were already at rest, that is more concerning. I would say that it does merit an evaluation by a doctor sooner than later. You would not be wrong to activate 911/EMS, or if you didn't want to do that, having someone else drive you to the ER would be appropriate. Good chances it could be Anexiety related... however, since women frequently present with atypical symptoms for heart problems... I would want you to at least get a 12/15 Lead EKG, and Cardiac Enzymes drawn to be sure.
**Physician - Pediatrics**: Impossible to say.
It's usually anxiety or something not serious in young, otherwise healthy people.
But sometimes it's a PE, MI, pneumothorax, or something else serious.
No doctor would advise anything other being seen in the ED.
**Physician**: I mean, this is far too little info provided…
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immunocompromised COVID positive
Adult male 65, 5'11 170 pounds just tested positive for COVID. Kidney disease, diabetes, what should he do to prevent severeness?
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**Physician**: Should call his primary care doctor and see if he qualifies for any of the antibodies or antivirals (he does)
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I [30M] got my face beat in
I think I lost some time too. I'm super confused and it's hard to type. Idk what I'm asking for I think I just need some guidance
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**Physician**: I'd go to the ER and make sure you don't have a concussion, bleed, or fractures that need treatment.
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: Go to the nearest ER. Not much anybody can do for you over the internet.
**Physician**: You should get checked out. Call 911 (or in Europe 112, depending on where you are) and seek emergency service or get a taxi to the ER.
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Do we just have to put up with the prostate stuff or is there solutions?
Male, caucasian , 55, 6' 152Lbs. length of problems about 5 years, ex smoker 10y, ex alcohal 7yr. Mulit Vitamin/E/B/D/aspirin/Fish Oil 5X a week, Ingoinal hernia both sides, left stiched, right has the web/mesh thing. Good health overall, daily workout, eat well no processed or cured meats, last visit to MD 5yrs ago "you have the resting heartbeat of a marathon runner and if your BP was any lower, I was going to suggest adding more salt to your diet" was her words.
Symptoms are PEEING 5-7 TIMES A NIGHT. Good f-ing grief. I mean sometimes it hurts like I ain't gonna make it to the toilet, then once I put my stuff away, I gotta go again because there were a few drops left inside, so yeah, URGENCY, INCOMPLETE DARINAGE!!! I get my head on the pillow back in bed and I just get right back up and go back to the bathroom.
And then it stops halfway through ALL THE TIME and I still gotta pee, so I gotta "squirt" out about another 10oz of urine just doing the squirt method. You'd think my prostate would be in fantastic shape because of the constant squirting.
Look...I plan on living for at least another 25 years. I don't know what 25X365Xfive or six squirts everytime I go pee, but I don't think I like it.
They have commercials for stuff on TV and they say every one of my symptoms. But people tell me that's life just live with it.
This is like male menapause.
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**Mental Health Counselor**: Who is telling you to “just live with it”- doctors or friends/family? Either way you should seek an opinion (or second opinion) from a urologist.
**Physician - Anesthesiology**: There are treatments- both medications and surgeries. Talk to your doctor.
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I have Endometriosis, its ruined my life. My story is similar to every story you've ever read.
It took me 4 years of excruciating lower back pain, begging my doctor to please investigate.
After discussing the symptoms with my mom and 3 older sisters who all have endo.. Back pain for *us* is a primary and agonizing symptom.
I decided to ask my doc for a referral to a gyno because it hadn't occurred to me that's what my sister's experienced with endo.
Instead of referring me to a gyno, she wrote "patient is NOT following with a gyno" and sent me to see an endocrinologist who diagnosed me with beginning stage of hypothyroidism and did some biopsies on 3 or 4 nodules on the left side of my thyroid, nonmalignant and that was the end of that...
I ended up in the er over a dozen times due to lower back pain, it wasn't until an er doc insisted that it absolutely could not be related to my reproductive system because it would be felt in the front, and lower "here" and pressed on my uterus, to which I had no reaction.
He was certain it was kidney related and having been repeatedly told "it's not that bad" despite having broken a molar from clenching my jaw so tight from the intensity for so long. The tooth pain was a welcome distraction.
So, he did a CT scan on my lower abdomen, but I never saw him again.. instead a woman came in and told me she believed me, and that's when I got my gyno referral to a medical professional who has knowledge of endometriosis..
And it was a whirlwind of validation after fighting debilitating pain that's taken my life from me being ignored and dismissed by my doctor and er docs who saw me as a drug seeker. the surgery came very quickly, I felt PHENOMENAL. No back pain, I could walk again. I could ride in the car again.. I was so excited to be able to just go to the store where previously I couldn't even sit up.
I didnt need the pain meds so I didnt take them. Funny how having your guts cut open and held together by glue doesn't phase you when you felt like you have a slow hand cranked drill going against the inside of your S1-L5 everyday forever.
So, fast forward to today maybe 5 months later, its back.. and I know I'll just face the same problem. I'm in more pain than I've ever been at this moment. It's taken everything in me to lay here and focus long enough through the pain haze to beg doctors that read this to please just listen to us.
Im not able to live like this, and I'm out of the fight. I dont have the energy, I tried my hardest and it wasnt good enough and that's the same story as millions of other women face, the difference is that I give up. I'd rather die than feel this pain for another day.
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**Physician - Cardiology **: There does not seem to be a medical question here though there does seem to be a cry for help. OP please seek emergency treatment if you are contemplating suicide. While it is unfortunate and a failure of the medical system that you have suffered so much, now that you have been diagnosed with endometriosis I highly doubt that it will take the same length of time for you to be diagnosed and treated again. I would highly recommend finding a gynecologist that you can trust as well as a mental health provider to help with the very reasonable difficulty you are going through.
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High WBC and Lymphocyte
(28M) I’m 5’6 and 155 lbs.
I had blood work done and my WBC is at 14.6 and my Lymphocyte Cells/UL is at 6453.
Im currently on my last dose of Prednisone 20mg I was taking for a rib injury. The medication was tapered over the span of a week and a half.
Also sometime last week or so I had a soar throat for a few days. Never got fully sick just soar throat.
Should I be worried? I’m waiting to hear back from my doctor but Google has me petrified.
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: Common to have elevation in white count while on steroids, also could be due to a virus causing that sore throat. No need to be petrified.
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Hi, 24f. severe constipation after surgery
24f. I had spinal fusion surgery on the 23rd. Have been taking miralax since the day before. I got an enema done today and only had very little relief. It was still something, though. Also wondering if using an ice pack could delay movement since coldness contracts things. Going to start ducolax tomorrow and possibly have another enema. Idk. i’m just so bloated but also STARVING since i haven’t eaten since monday. I need to poop.
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**Registered Nurse**: You can take something like milk of magnesia. If you’re not really eating, there’s not going to be much to poo tho. Gas pains can happen after any surgery, and walking and Gas-X can be helpful. Ambulation is your best friend after surgery.
**Registered Nurse**: Are you taking opioid narcotics? Those will significantly stop you up. Miralax will help, but takes time and fluids. Ambulation is your friend, move as much as you can. Get something like colace and take that as well. If you want some instant relief, get some magnesium citrate. Key here is fiber and fluids to get you regular and keep you regular.
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Hair falling like crazy, problems & worrying.
Hello. I am 18 years old, 45 kg, that has a recurrent hair falling problem. It is a lot of it, everywhere, especially on the floor. I vacuum — is there. I even cut it because I believed it needed it and for a few days - it worked, now is falling much again.
I was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid in December 2021 (the cause of concern being hair falling), I took pills, but during summer heat and due my age I can’t take anything else now.
I haven’t been to check on it. I can’t go by myself and my mom doesn’t seem to believe me entirely even though my hair is falling like crazy, even on my clothes, floor, brush etc.
I am also a vegetarian (with a relatively poor diet though I am progressively getting better from my previous eating disorder I suffer of), and supposedly underweight (167 cm and 45 kg).
I know how many visible factors are there and could be the cause, but I am hypochondriac and I am worrying insanely that’s something very severe.
Any ideas or similar situations? Thank you.
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**Registered Nurse**: Thyroid issues and poor diet can certainly contribute to hair loss. You should definitely get your labs rechecked and improve diet.
**Physician**: There are a lot of things that are concerning about what you're saying. Having an untreated thyroid condition is top of the list, more than likely it explains the hair loss. The only thing anyone can say for sure about whatever is going on with you, and there is not enough information in your statement, or without seeing you in person to make any determination, is that if you do not see a Doctor you will get worse and have greater concerns in the future.
You're an Adult everywhere in the world, you can see a doctor by yourself - maybe you intend this to mean 'without transport, or some other form of access that your mum can give you', but even discarding that, you are old enough now to begin to take responsibility for your own health as well, and that includes advocating for yourself and accessing appropriate healthcare.
Best of luck
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My chest feels full when I eat and it hurts to swallow (I can feel the ‘swallow’ as it goes down). I constantly feel like I have to burp but can’t and when I do it hurts. Noticed blood in stool today also. Any ideas?
20M. Only prior medical condition is a first rib resection surgery last year. I started noticing this last week. It hurts to swallow/eat and I am constantly almost burping stomach acid into my throat. When I eat, my chest/esophagus feels ‘full’. Today I noticed a decent amount of blood in my stool. I am on doxycycline for acne. I’m a university student so I don’t really have a primary care doctor here but I could go to urgent care. Any ideas would be appreciated!
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**Physician**: A few thoughts here:
Your symptoms could be secondary to pill-esophagitis from the doxycycline which is a known culprit. It is known to irritate the esophagus. I would stop the doxy immediately. This could also be secondary to gastroesophageal reflux and you might require a short course of PPI or an evaluation from a GI.
If the blood in your stool is truly bright red, this likely indicates a lower source of GI bleeding (likely hemorrhoidal bleeding). For you to have bright red blood in your stool from an upper GI source would mean a very significant bleed and is unlikely unless you're very unwell (dizzy,feeling faint, etc).
Nevertheless for both of the above I do recommend you get evaluated in person by a physician.
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I experience severe cold symptoms whenever taking a multivitamin? Can someone explain why this may be occuring?
24M
180cm
150kg (currently losing, 36gk down)
Black
No meds
exercise 3-4x weekly.
It's literally any brand, any dosage, I'll take my first dose, and within 24 hours I start to develop a cold. I've "experimented" in as controlled of an environment as possible. I'm officially never taking a multivitamin again unless I can find some solution.
It's frustrating because I feel almost certain I'm missing things that I could supplement to maximize my nutrition and health, but every time I inquire about this issue (even with a Dr.) I get bullshit like "it's in your head" or "maybe the factory worker had a cold 🙃" but there's absolutely no fucking way that's the case across about 8 brands. I've even been told to keep taking them until I stop feeling sick, haven't done that one because it kinda feels stupid to do something that makes me physically unwell. I get the same issues no matter what and no one else in my family has this problem.
I eat a very diverse, whole food diet and try to eat a variety of fruits and veggies to make sure i get as many different micronutrients as possible, even if it's in tiny dosages.
Would it be possible that there's something I have too much of in my system that when i take the multivitamin I "overdose" and catch a cold? I'm sorry, this is just beyond confusing for me and it's been a thing for multiple years. Just looking for a bit of guidance in the right direction. I'm not so deficient in things that I'm dying or anything so this is not super detrimental, just a very odd reaction that I currently have no answer for.
Should i get some sort of nutrient test to see specifically what I'm missing (if anything) and supplement from there?
EDIT: phrasing
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**Physician - Cardiology **: Stop taking multivitamins then. There’s no data to suggest they benefit anything
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does marijuana use at age 14-15 stunt genital development
I started smoking weed at age 14 and was a frequency user by 15 and onward. I'm 29 and I dont use any drugs. When I smoked I didnt smoke a ton everyday but it was daily use.
It was pretty common in my high school so I didnt think much of it.
Lately I have been worried that my testicles and penis didnt develop fully. The testicles are much smaller than most men and my penis is apparently above average in length at 6.4 bone pressed length but around average girth 4.6 mid shaft.
I also have been bodybuilding for 9 years and have pretty strong lifts under my belt so I assumed my testicles were fine but now I'm concerned about it especially because I had my testosterone checked and it came back at 13.7nmol which is low(however it was checked after a night of zero sleep and I didnt fast for the test)
I have been to a urologist who looked at me and told me I just have body dysmorphia and I'm normal but I've read that a lot of the time urologists will tell you that you are normal even when you arent.
I thought that I stunted my genital development is giving me major panic attacks daily and I'm trying to get more information to know if my development is just normal genetic variation or was something stunted.
Any information or opinions would be appreciated.
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**Physician**: I'm actually confused by this. You say your penis is longer than normal and of normal girth. Doesn't that mean that the growth couldn't have been stunted?
There is no such thing as a "normal" penis size or shape, literally everybodys is different.
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cat bite
19F, living in new zealand. my cat bit & scratched my leg an hour or two ago. he pierced my skin in at least 5 different places (with bleeding).
ive been scratched/bitten by my cat many times before, and ive never done anything about it. but this time im a little worried as it was incredibly painful (he latched onto my leg and i had to grab his neck and rip him off of me). i have cleaned the wounds with cold water and applied antiseptic cream, and covered them with bandaids.
im planning to just keep an eye on them and seek medical care if needed (if pain gets worse, redness, pus, swelling) is there anything else i should do? or anything else i should look out for? thank you:]
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**Neonatal Nurse Practitioner**: You should make an urgent appt to get antibiotics. Cat bites notoriously get infected.
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Tetanus anxiety
Good evening,
I am a 30 year old male, height is 5'5 and I weigh about 60 kg. About 12 days ago I got cut on the finger with a potato peeler. The peeler was clean and I had rinsed the potatoes but the cut was pretty ugly, bled a bit and I washed it and cleaned it with soap before putting on a band aid. It stopped bleeding fairly quick. I've had tetanus scares before and I initially promised myself I wouldn't worry but it's been about 5 days that I've been paying attention to stuff like back/shoulder pain, muscle stiffness, eyebrows twitching, or face/ jaw muscles feeling stiff. Nothing too dramatic so far apart from existential agony. I might be deliberately overworking them but I would like to know if there was initially a reason to worry about a tetanus infection by such incident.
Also, I had my vaccine in July, 2015, so about 6.5 years ago and I do have a history of health anxiety but better safe than sorry..
​
Thank you for taking the time to read this,
Nate
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**Physician | Top Contributor**: Tetanus spores live in dirt. A potato peeler is very unlikely to transmit tetanus, especially with what I assume is not a deep puncture wound. Also, you're vaccinated.
**Physician - Pediatrics**: You have a higher chance of dying in your sleep tonight from a housefire than you do of getting tetanus from a clean potato peeler cut while up to date on your tetanus shot.
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Could the neuroradiologist have missed a brain tumor?
32 year old female.
I went to see a neurologist in June 2021 with continual light-headedness and loss of peripheral vision, with flashing lights in my visual field.
​
The neurologist didn't seem concerned and ordered a head and orbit MRI WITHOUT contrast.
​
The neuroradiologist seems to be highly regarded in their field.
​
The report came back 'Normal' but the light-headedness and vision has gotten worse... what are the possibility that a tumor has been missed back in June 2021?
| 4
|
**Physician - Neuroradiology**: Relatively unlikely, an MRI is pretty sensitive for brain tumors even without contrast agent. But if your symptoms got worse maybe you should consider a follow up visit at your neurologist's
|
Doctors please help me
33 Male. Was worrying about having an aneurysm and this lasted for a whole week, during this time I was constantly in a state of high stress and anxiety and also had trouble sleeping, averaged about 5 hours of sleep per night.
Could I have now acquired an autoimmune disease from this one week of stress + anxiety + insomnia?
I have had similar such episodes before. Could the accumulation of it cause the autoimmune disease I mentioned above? ( After a week of these episodes I start getting chest pains which then goes away once these episodes pass and I start sleeping properly and feeling relaxed again)
Help I'm getting so anxious and worried doctors please answer me?
Thankyou!!
| 5
|
**Physician**: You are talking to a community who spend our lives in high stress and anxiety situations with never ending poor sleep ;)
This will not have triggered an autoimmune disease, sounds like you’re just worn down- take some time to look after yourself and you’ll feel better.
|
Is this ED?
First time with my partner I had trouble getting hard.
Lube has helped me maintain an erection as well as I do get hard during fellatio. I’m able to penetrate and finish while using lube and once with just saliva.
I’ve been a porn user (once a day) for some years and have stopped once I got together with my GF. Would this play a factor as well?
I guess my question is if it’s considered ED even though I am able to perform with lube?
(Not sure if correct sub)
Male
23
217 lbs
Casual drinker
Non smoker
| 6
|
**Physician**: If you can get an erection, I wouldn't call it erectile dysfunction. Most common cause of this in males, particularly young males, is anxiety.
|
I was refused scan on breast (M27)
I have been refused scan on breast/aerola/nipple due to it not being considered anything abnormal.
So I have had painfull lump in armpit for 4 weeks then lump disappeared, pain remained.
Another painfull lump appeared inside my areola, stayed for a couple of days then lump died down, pain remained
Pain still remains in aerola and armpit while also getting breast pain.
Now I have a swollen neck gland, pain as well, so all lymph node areas on left side have been coming up and I'm not actually sick either.
I'm not sure what information I'm looking for but just want to know any possibilities on what it might be and if I should consider talking to health department into the reason as to why I've been denied a scan which I think is important to rule out anything serious regardless of how unserious it might seem.
Any thought or information would be greatly appreciate.
Thanks.
| 4
|
**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Your doctor did not deem an ultrasound, or any other radiology, medically necessary.
>should consider talking to health department into the reason as to why I've been denied a scan
That's not going to accomplish anything. Your local health department is *not* going to force your doctor to order a scan. Physicians are entitled to make their own decisions regarding patient care without interference from their local health department. Unless a physician makes a serious mistake or has a rap sheet of deviating from the standard of care, the health department will not step in. Health departments ask for evidence when you make an allegation against a doctor.
If you disagree with your doctor's choice, you are free to get a second opinion. That is your right as a patient.
|
How the hell do I find a good or even decent PCP?
30 y/o male here who is 5'11 and 182 lbs.
I live in Miami and I swear, it has been a pain in the ass to find a good doctor.
Went to one doctor who had an MD from a decent med school in the US and five star reviews all across Google. Arrive to his office and find that the guy has been using a fake face picture on his website. The office was also just him working and no one else. Then the whole time he just talked about himself, how he was taught by Fauci, how he has let patients die because they did not listen to him, how he is starting his own pharmacy in his own office, and how the way he does things will put so many Miami doctors out of business. Dude was batshit insane and I ran out of there fast!
Then I see another PCP who went to a really good med school and he ignored all of my symptoms. Did a blood test and told me all was normal despite my cholesterol levels being over 200. Then find that the blood test said it had let the specimens for glucose or whatever sit out for too long which may affect the results. Just told me to find a religion to believe in and practice NoFap if I am having issues with maintaining an erection.
Since I saw my last PCP (in June of this year), my symptoms have worsened.
I have had blurrier vision, intermittent stomach and back pain, nausea that would last a week, frequent urination, yellow stools, head tremors that stop me from sleeping, tingling in my extremities, and also occasional joint pain.
My new insurance does not kick in until January so for December I have been unable to see a doctor.
Fuck this shit man, it's scary to think how much most PCPs out there either don't give a shit or have no business being an MD anyways.
| 4
|
**Physician - Gastroenterology**: I made a guess this was gonna be Florida before I even saw that this was in Florida. You're looking in the wrong places (private practice) and falling for the (false) advertisement traps. I have a recent fellow who is starting a practice in Miami and they already have a manufactured website with something like "2000+" procedures performed and hundreds of five star reviews (4.9 stars to be technical) and I can guarantee that they neither of those are true. Just go to a hospital based practice and you'll be safe, especially the larger ones with good name.
|
[30M] Cause of extreme isolation and agression?
One of my friends has isolated himself completely from people and his large friend group, he is ocassionaly active on social media appearing extremely angry, treatening violence, hoping people cross his path etc (people he had been very close to him). Hes mentioned he wants to make everyone pay. This is very out of the blue, and has gotten extremely more pervasive in the last couple of months. He was very down to earth person in the past, everything seems to have begun at the beginning of the pendemic. Im looking at possible advice, possible causes of this behaviour. It really seems like another person in his body. I want to help but also scared for my safety.
| 4
|
**Physician**: Obviously I cannot know for sure, but as a psychiatrist I instinctly would have concerns about his mental health.
Hard to advise without knowing what services are available in your location and your local legislation.
I would start with contacting his family. Express your concerns, and if they share the same concerns, they can raise them with your friend's primary care doctor, who can assess your friend or at least signpost his family to the appropriate local service.
|
Just fell and hit my head, should I go to the ER to get it checked out?
32f. Fainted and definitely hit my head on the way down. Seen stories of people dying afterwards in similar cases so kind of scared. It’s Friday evening so my drs office is closed. Should I go to the er or somewhere else to get it scanned just in case? I’m in the US if that matters, might be expensive but I have health insurance.
| 1
|
**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Whenever someone falls and hits their head, I always recommend going to the ER to be on the safe side. **I recommend that you go to the ER right now.**
Please have a friend or family member drive you. Or you can Uber/Lyft.
|
exposed to mold in AC for weeks
Hey there, I'm a 21 male, 5'8 200lb white dude it's been really hot in Canada this year so I bought a window AC I cleaned out the filter all the time but unfortunately the drain got clogged and I didn't know. It ended up building mold and before I know it I had some hay fever. (I'm allergic to mold) I thought I may have just gotten the cold or maybe even covid so I just kinda brushed it off and treated it as such, but then I started developing asthma and my room started smelling like cat pee.
Now I do have 3 cats, but none of them ever enter my room as they sleep in my sister's, so I don't think it's them lol, anyways I check my AC and boom I see some mold growth and the air is blowing straight in my face, and so i turned it off. I've been living off anti histamines for about 2 weeks now and still have a cough.
I'm an extremely paranoid hypochondriac who thinks he's dying from a heart attack from the smallest beats of anxiety, so I've been panicking that I've been blowing toxins into my system that could negatively impact me forever. I plan on cleaning everything I can in my room although from what I know that doesn't really kill those mold spores entirely... fire does.
Am I panicking over nothing? Will this cough go away with due time and good cleaning? Or do I have reason to panic and should do something else?
Thanks everyone
| 6
|
**Registered Nurse**: You’re unlikely to develop fungal infection in lungs unless you’re immunocompromised.
|
22yo, M, help with SSRI withdrawal symptoms
I (22M) ran out of my meds (Sertraline 200mg & Quetiapine XR 200mg) a few days ago and I’m unable to get a refill for a week; I’m already experiencing withdrawal symptoms and from experience I know it’s going to get worse. Is there anything I can do to help withdrawal symptoms? (insomnia, headache, nausea, flu-like symptoms, etc)
| 5
|
**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Contact your pharmacy and ask to speak to the pharmacist. At the pharmacist's discretion, they may be able to provide you with a short supply of medication before your doctor can write you another refill. This request may be rejected. It's completely up to the pharmacist.
Why can't you get a refill for another week? Did you finish your medication early, lose your meds, or is your doctor unwilling to write you a new script until you see him or her for another appointment?
|
Why does the same guy (m21) I (f19) keep sleeping with give me a UTI?
In the beginning, everything was clean and fun, the sex was great too. As the weeks passed, the sex got less and less amusing, as each morning upon waking up after being intimate the night before, I discover to have developed a painful UTI. He is currently my only partner, and i only develop UTI's whenever we're intimate. I am unsure where the bacteria is coming from, but i assume it's because he has poor hygiene even after claiming to have showered prior to having sex with me. Why does this keep happening to me each time i'm intimate with him?
| 5
|
**Medical Laboratory Scientist**: As it was stated by a layperson, peeing after sex is important. Because everyone is so different, our microflora changes upon encounters. Intercourse increases the likelihood that bacteria are introduced into your urethra.
Enteric bacteria are the most common causes of UTIs.
Staphylococcus saprophyticus doesn’t occur as much as some people may think (most state that it is the second most common cause of UTIs, but i workup hundreds and hundreds, it’s really not lol).
Edit: I want to add that Staph saprophyticus is most commonly isolated in younger women who are sexually active and many cases are uncomplicated, and therefore, treated empirically. OPs case seems more complex, though.
**Licensed Genetic Counselor**: I agree with everyone saying to pee after sex, but you could also consider different positions that may be less likely to push bacteria into your urethra. (Similar to how we recommend you wipe front to back after you use the bathroom)
|
Capful of Pedialyte isn't going to overdose me on anything after i had an IV drip yesterday, is it?
\[29, 268 ibs, Trans woman, 5'11"\]
​
I must have been dehydrated, because I went to the ER yesterday, and the IV drip made me feel much better. No headache, no weakness, no clamminess. It has kind of come back today, even though I have been trying to drink a lot of water today (and feeling better for it). I had a half a capful of Pedialyte, that's not overdoing it, is it? I don't want to overdose on electrolytes.
| 5.5
|
**Pharm.D.**: No, normal amounts of Pedialyte would be fine.
**Physician**: You won't overdose on electrolytes by drinking pedialyte. I'm sure you can have more than a capful. I wouldn't go chugging it, but hydration is good.
|
Is it worth going to the doctor if ear keeps popping and loss of hearing
26 years old. Male. Lt ear issues.
Basically anytime I blow my nose, my lt ear pops for quite some time. I also have less hearing in that ear now because it always seems a little popped. But no itching, pain, swelling, discharge, or other complaints.
Can a PCP even do anything or is this just something that happens with age? I don’t have insurance so I don’t want to go if I don’t have to
| 5
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: Sounds like potential eustachian tube dysfunction. Have you tried a nasal steroid spray?
|
hiv?
27 male, 5'7, average health 75kg, smoker
I gave fellatio to a grindr hook up 2 months ago, for a couple of minutes. He didn't ejaculated, I stopped because I was worried about stis.
Now I've had a recurring sore throat, and tonsil stone. Been tested for chlamydia and ghonnerhea, waiting on results back for syphilis and hiv.
What is a likely cause, I've been freaking out. What are my chances of not having a sti?
| 6
|
**Laboratory Technician**: Your chances of having HIV from oral are basically 0% if that answers your question.
|
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