Medical Triage as Pairwise Ranking
Collection
A Benchmark for Urgency in Patient
Portal Messages
•
7 items
•
Updated
•
2
text
stringlengths 86
5.4k
| level
float64 1
6
| expert_comments
stringlengths 29
5.49k
|
|---|---|---|
I keep getting massive headaches “doing the deed”
Im 18m. A bit tmi but whenever me and my girlfriend are doing the deed I get massive headaches in the back of my head. I was wondering if anyone had info to help me and some solutions to prevent it.
| 4
|
**Physician**: Sounds like orgasmic headaches and they respond very well to indomethacin.
Need to see a doctor for final diagnosis and treatment tho
|
28F Severe anxiety and depression after anesthesia
I have general anxiety with frequent panic attacks, and medical anxiety. I had to have a root canal on Wednesday and decided that being under anesthesia was the only way to get through it. I was extremely anxious before the procedure and woke up from the anesthesia crying and have felt intense anxiety and depression since. Everything feels so sad and scary and I’m barely functioning. Is this a normal response? Is it going to get better?
| 4
|
**Physician**: Sounds like a worsening of your underlying conditions due to the overall stressful situation, not necessarily the anesthesic drugs. I recommend making an appointment with the provider who's managing your anxiety to see if medications need to be titrated
**Physician - Psychiatry**: Some anesthesia affects how your body metabolizes psych meds. If your body is metabolizing the meds out faster due to the anesthesia, you may lose the medication benefits for a short while until your body’s medication levels build back up again. Keep taking your meds as usual and monitor yourself over the next week. You should start to feel better but if you don’t, go see your doctor.
|
How likely is it that I have a carotid artery dissection? Should I see medical attention?
20M. No medications. Yesterday I coughed quite hard while my neck was in this turned position and this hurt a little bit in the area where the left carotid artery is located. Now, every time I swallow or yawn, it hurts in that area in the left side of my throat right under the jaw. It could also be a nerve issue or something. Also, I've had laryngitis during the weekend after a friday out where I lost my voice and still have some issues with my throat, so that might cause some pain as well. I just feel like the discomfort started after the situation from yesterday. I'm really worried since I know carotid artery dissection can eventually cause a stroke, which makes me really anxious. What should I do?
| 6
|
**Physician**: You are alive and haven’t had a stroke. You haven’t had a dissection.
If healthy 20-somethings only needed to turn their head and cough to dissect their carotids, the world would be a scary place.
|
Can pregnancy cause a drop in sp02 while sleeping?
35 years old ftm, normal weight. 34 weeks gestation. For the past few nights I have found it increasingly harder to catch my breath while lying down. I’m waking up multiple times per night with what feels like gasping for air. My sp02 on my smartwatch has decreased from 97/98 to around 95 while sleeping. Is this a cause for concern?
| 5.5
|
**Nurse Practitioner**: By lying down, are you lying flat on your back?
**Respiratory therapist**: So, not really a cause for concern. Also, not a doctor.
Pregnancy is a restrictive lung disorder! As the growing being expands their uterine real-estate they begin to impact how much your diaphragm can move. This impact is more profound when lying down. You don't have the muscular leverage to take deep breaths.
95% SpO2 while sleeping isn't anything I would worry about, though. Everyone relatively hypoventilates when snoring away. If you rebound quickly when you wake up, that's perfect.
You can try sleeping with your head elevated for a spell. But, as you come into the gestational home stretch you can interpret all of these signs and sensations and uncomfortable moments as an indicator that your body is getting ready to push the baby out soon.
Just a few more weeks! You've got this.
**Physician - Pediatrics**: No. Those are both normal.
|
paracetamol overdose?
hi i’m 18F type one diabetic, i’ve got a really bad ear infection and have been taking paracetamol to help with the pain. i thought i was taking the 200mg tablets but i have jsut checked and i have been taking the 500mg tablets. i’ve had about 10-14 tablets today. do i need to go to the hospital or will i be ok?
| 1
|
**Pharmacist**: call poison control. you will likely have to go to the ED. the maximum daily dose is 4g
|
I (26f) have been experiencing almost non-stop menstrual bleeding and clots since October and I’m freaking out
Info: 26F, diagnosed with PCOS, Visual Snow Syndrome and ADHD. Currently taking Ritalin. Average 1-2 drinks a week, no drug use or tobacco use.
I have been bleeding consistently since October. Sometimes very heavily, sometimes lighter but always way more than usual spotting. I’m also passing thick jelly like clots consistently. It’s like my period started in October and just hasn’t stopped yet. As well as this, constant severe period pain and cramping is always cropping up (to the point where it is happening up to 2-3 times in a week where standing is a major struggle). Period pain relief medications do nothing for this.
Today’s flow is heavy to the point where I’ve gone through 2 tampons in the past 3 hours, and I’m getting severely concerned- I have asked about this in the past to this sub but have been reassured it’s normal for PCOS, but now I am really worried- how concerned should I be and how urgent should any action I take be? This is affecting my work life, my personal life and every aspect of my social life and I’m sick of being in constant pain.
Thanks!
| 3
|
**Physician**: It is not normal to have heavy or prolonged bleeding for months, regardless of a diagnosis of PCOS. It is important to see a doctor as soon as possible for an evaluation and to determine the cause of the symptoms. Your doctor may recommend a pelvic exam, ultrasound, or other tests to diagnose the underlying issue and provide appropriate treatment. It is also important to consider other conditions that could be causing these symptoms, such as endometrial hyperplasia or uterine fibroids. If left untreated, these conditions can have serious health consequences.
|
Ongoing belly button infection
I (43F) have a ongoing bacterial infection in my belly button. Had abdominal surgery in November 2021. Umbilicus was operated on and since then I have had nonstop belly button infections. My primary care physician is over booked and someone who is also mentally checked out. I have an upcoming appointment at the end of this month that I scheduled in early June. I have been seen at local urgent care centers. I have been prescribed multiple rounds of antibiotics. As soon as I finish the antibiotics within days my belly button infection starts all over again. I have yellow to brown discharge from my belly button. Area is raw and red. Area is very moist with a foul smell before going back into urgent care. I was seen at urgent care on 8/23/22. I just finished my last rounds of antibiotics on 9/03/22. My infection returned yesterday on 9/05/22.
I am a healthy weight for my height. I keep the area clean and bathe regularly. I eat a very healthy diet. I’m convinced this is a fungal infection and unsure about what to do or how to get help. I live in one of the poorest areas of the nation with very low quality of care and overwhelmed health care providers. I’m receiving Medicaid. Any advice is appreciated.
A little background on me
I worked in areas with a lot of mold. Think New Orleans clean up six months after Katrina.
I am a caver. Think cavernous areas outside of Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Lots of mold and bats.
Long history of antibiotic treatments for early childhood ear infections (1980’s).
| 3
|
**Registered Nurse**: Have you had any swabs taken for bacterial/fungal culture? If not, I would request them to be done. You might need some kind of surgery/debridement to fix the cavity that keeps getting infected. A fistula resulting from a poorly healed surgical woubd is also possible.
At any rate, you need more consistent care. It can be so hard to get continuity of care when your primary doc is difficult to access. I'd make an appointment with your primary and seek urgent care services in the meantime while you wait for the appointment. Ask for wound cultures to be taken. You might also need imaging done to determine wound character, but that's not really my area of expertise. If you develop fever, increasing pain/swelling/redness/fever or flu-like symptoms seek care urgently (these are signs of spreading infection. Good luck.
**Physician**: The wound should be cultured, imaging might be needed to look for a possible abscess or focus. Change your physician.
**Physician**: In addition to what others have said, have you reached out to your surgeon? This is something he/she would be interested in, especially if it’s a reoccurring problem following abdominal surgery.
Based on your post, it sounds like you have kept going to the primary or urgent care for antibiotics. However, the person you need to see is the surgeon.
Deep abscesses or fistulas can occur post-op. It doesn’t mean your surgeon screwed up. It just can happen. If one is there, then your surgeon can order imaging to find it and they’ll also be the one most willing to fix it.
You need to call your surgeon’s office and tell them that’ve you’ve been having reoccurring wound infections since your surgery. They should get you on the schedule soon. If they give you a date weeks or months out, then ask to speak directly to his/her nurse and detail the problem and ask that the message be shared directly with the surgeon. The surgeon will realize the connection and either call you directly or get you on the schedule much sooner.
|
Is something wrong with my colon or stomach?
I'm trying to determine if my pain is from my colon or from my stomach. Is part of the lower stomach uncovered by the ribs? I thought I have colon cancer but i'm wondering if I have an ulcer or peritonitis.
**Me:** Female, 28, 5'5, 108lbs, Canada, Cipralex. Daily zantac during my teen years.
**Problem:** Below my left ribs I have a searing burn, stabbing or dull ache for over 9 weeks that worsens with standing and eases up with laying down. It radiates into my back. I have some constipation and burning feeling in stomach. I'm a stomach sleeper and I can feel a bulge in that area sometimes where it is slightly uncomfortable. I don't have morning stomach aches but later in the day do if I don't eat for a while. There were times in the past few months I felt like something was going to tear. On a large meal day I would have pain below ribs with every step. Also stool is often yellow-ish
**How it started:** This all started around the time I had suspected endo pain and was alternating diahrea and constipation. I took probiotics for 4 days and had widespread stabbing pain that worsened that lasted a month. Eating lazanga and salad would reignite the pain. I stopped taking the probiotics after day 4 because I thought it was the cause. The pain turned into left sided pain and now for the last 3 months, the pain has stayed below the left ribs.
**Testing so far:** Ultrasound showed nothing but debris in gallbladder and calcification of upper right kidney. I had a morning ultrasound and the lady thought I had eaten when I only had a gulp of water. X-Ray showed nothing and bloodwork showed nothing. What should I do next?
I have no family doctor, he told me to leave him because I wanted more tests to determine this change in bowel movements and would not accept his diagnosis of constipation.
| 5
|
**Physician - Gastroenterology**: PPI daily. surprised your doctor hasn't tried this yet
|
Extremely soar throat, tested positive.
30M Just tested positive for covid and I've been having an extremely soar throat to the point where I can hardly swallow my own saliva, and I just wanted to know is this possibly part of covid or something else? No existing medical issues I know of, I drink and vape.
| 5.5
|
**Army Healthcare Specialist**: Severe sore throat is one of the indicators of covid.
**Rheumatology Research Fellow**: Yes, a sore throat is expected during covid. Take some acetaminophen/paracetamol, keep hydrated and get some rest
|
Keep having almost liquid diarrhea
20F, 5’7, 126.2 lbs
Yesterday I started having a almost liquid consistency diarrhea. It was pouring out like green baby food rather than being kinda chunky. Gross I know. I started an antibiotic called Amoxicillin/Clavulanate Potassium 875 mg/ 125mg for sinus infection. I was prescribed this on Thursday and never had an issue with it then. I take other medications as well: Escitalopram 20 mg, Lamotrigine 100 mg, Lorazepam 0.5 mg, and Propranolol 10 mg. We have been in Hawaii since Wednesday and I had to beg my parents to take me to urgent care in the first place and they won’t take me again to at least get a covid test. I’m concerned because I want to know what’s going on. It definitely can’t be from the supposed sinus infection right?
Since then I’ve been drinking Powerade, ginger ale, and water. I’ve heard Powerade isn’t a great option because of all the sugar
| 6
|
**Physician - Gastroenterology**: Antibiotics can give you diarrhea. It should get better with time and after you finish your course.
The other possibility is that you may got an infection that's giving you diarrhea. Unlikely to be most bacteria because you're on antibiotics. A virus, for example, would make you sick and antibiotics would have no effect. Lastly, there is a bacterial infection that can occur with antibiotics but I wouldn't worry about that unless your diarrhea doesn't get better after a week or so.
|
[37/f, 5”5, 135 pounds] Bright yellow poop for almost 3 weeks, recent severe abdominal pain.
[37/f 5”5 135 pounds, Caucasian no drugs or medications, drink about half a bottle of wine on Friday nights, no other alcohol, exercise 90 minutes 5x/ week. ] So, about 3 weeks ago, I started having a lot of gas that was difficult to pass, and was very constipated. I started noticing that the stool I was passing was yellow sometimes, and like pebbles. Four days ago, I woke up with lower abdominal pain, that got worse throughout the day and localized to the lower left side, and somewhat on my left flank. It hurt so much I almost went to the hospital, but it went away suddenly so I didn’t. The next day, the constipation disappeared, and all of my bowel movements since then have been literally mustard yellow and very soft. I don’t feel well after I eat either. I know this is gross, but I’m getting a little worried. Thank you guys!!!
| 4
|
**Respiratory therapist**: So, not a doctor and the abdomen is a bit below my area of expertise... But, I would stop drinking and get in with your doctor for this.
Concerning for gallbladder and/or liver and/or pancreatic stuff.
Your symptoms sound similar to a "gallbladder sludge" issue I had years ago. Despite being active I had regular bouts of this deep burning abdominal pain and funky yellow stools. Worse after oily salty meals.
But, I would play it safe and get a look-see.
|
Bloodbath during sex
31F 115lbs 5’5 Caucasian, Canada
No medication, no other health conditions. No drugs or alcohol.
Lately when having sex with my husband I bleed profusely. I’m talking - he’s covered in blood, I’m covered in blood, the bed is covered it blood, it’s all over my hands and dripping down my legs but I’m not on my period (currently in luteal phase). I would even go as far as to say the amount of blood is more than a days worth of period blood during my heavier days. The bleeding stops after the event with no spotting the next day and I have no pain during or after.
This isn’t from lack of lubrication or foreplay. The sex is gentle and would be considered very vanilla. Is this something I should be concerned about? Could this be just a hormonal imbalance side effect? How much bleeding is considered normal and when should I see a doctor. My last Pap test was a year and a half ago and everything was normal.
Thanks!
| 3.5
|
**Physician**: I would recommend seeing an OBGYN as soon as possible
**Physician, OB-GYN**: See a gyn. Can’t make a comment without an exam. Expect evaluation for infection at minimum.
|
is it ok to use Salbutamol with alcohol? (prescribed inhaler)
Female, 21, vaping, anxiety disorder. No asthma (currently).
I have drank and this is my first day with an inhaler. I haven't used it yet, however, I am experiencing some breathing issues, currently. Am I most likely safe to use this while drinking?
I am aware this can cause more anxiety but I'd rather breathe than experinece the side effects. Would I most likely be OK if I took a dose? I most likely won't take a dose unless I get a fast comment explaining what is RECOMMENDED. I am new to this and I am getting mixed results when used directly with alcohol.
Please help.
| 6
|
**Pharmacist**: I would say you are most likely safe. There are no interactions between salbutamol (Albuterol) and alcohol and I have never counseled avoidance of alcohol with Albuterol inhalers.
Just know that albuterol can cause your heart rate to increase momentarily due to its mechanism of action and that is normal.
|
Should I worry about a spinal infection from an epidural steroid injection if I’m feverish and coughing but no redness at injection site?
Hi I am a 25 year old female and I had a spinal injection done January 10th. Shortly after the shot I started to have intense pain and a very bad headache, I started to develop a cough later that night. The next day I started to feel a bit worse with the cough, but the headache and pain got a bit better. today I felt very feverish with chills and a worse cough and have been experiencing increased sweating. But when I look at the injection site it doesn’t appear to be red or infected, would this just be a common side effect of the steroid or should I go to the doctor for it? Thank you!
| 1
|
**Physician**: I’m actually concerned enough about the timing of your headache and fever that you might consider a trip to the emergency department. Because you have a cough, maybe you contracted a respiratory illness at the same time as your injection, but one cannot make assumptions here. The absence of discomfort at the injection site doesn’t eliminate the possibility of an infection introduced by the shot.
EDIT: I’ll add that if you have sensitivity to light or sound, and/or stiffness of the neck, then you absolutely need to be evaluated emergently
|
Can I get frostbite around my anus?
19M/53 kgs/Non smoker/Non drinker
Okay so I've been suffering from mild hemorrhoids and anal itching since 3-4 days. And today I was rubbing a pack of ice cubes down there for around 15 mins to alleviate the pain and itching, it helped a lot but I think I may damage my skin if I keep doing that. I googled frostbite after that and some really gross and scary images came up. It even said that severe frostbite can give you gangrene. So now I am a little concerned about the damage I may have done there unknowingly. I know this sounds stupid. Should I see a doctor to get it checked out? Should I be concerned about frostbite right now?
| 5.5
|
**Physician**: Is part of your anus going black and rotting off? Otherwise I wouldn’t worry about it at all
**Registered Nurse**: It is highly unlikely you have damaged the skin from this. Just so you know, there are over the counter medications you can buy to provide relief that won’t damage your skin and will last longer than ice cubes.
**Physician - Pediatrics**: But of course. It is the way.
|
Really unsure if this is an emergency?
Vitamin D toxicity do I need the ER?
Do I need to go to the ER vitamin D toxicity?
Male 26yo got a shot of 50,000IU Vitamin D on 9/13
About 72 hours after, I suddenly felt sick — nausea, headache, fatigue, might throw up feeling.
Male 26YO 185 LBS
I feel awful — is this vitamin D toxicity?
| 6
|
**Neonatal Nurse Practitioner**: Unlikely. You might have caught a bug.
**Physician**: Doesn't sound like it. I'm uncertain though why you got a shot of vitamin D
|
Can oxycodone cause post nasal drip / sore throat? Or did I pick up something while in surgery?
40 male. 230 lbs. 6’6”. Oxycodone, ibuprofen, and stool softener.
Had an emergency appendectomy and vet the weekend. Doc gave me oxycodone for the pain.
I never liked opiates much, they always made me feel groggy and stomach achey. So on all my past surgeries, I usually take them for the first couple of days, then stop. But this surgery, probably because it’s my abdominal area, but was different. The pain is immense. I’ve been on them four days so far, primarily to help with sleep.
And almost every night so far, I’ve woken with nasal drip, a tummy ache that is not from surgery, and a slight sore throat. My voice sounds awful.
Could this be the oxycodone? Does it have this side effect? Or did I pick up something in the hospital?
| 5
|
**Physician - Family Medicine**: Usually not, but oxycodone can dry you out a bit and that could theoretically make your throat sore. I would run a humidifier at night and see if that improves the issue. Even if you are just sick it's not a bad idea.
Edit to agree with the other not-a-doctor post about intubation. But that doesn't cause runny nose and as you said, is unlikely to last so long. Definitely wouldn't be worsening.
|
Thought of having ascites is killing me
Hey everyone, 25 Male, used to be a heavy drinker but not anymore, non smoker. 1.95m tall.
So basically, long story short, I had bad liver results from a blood draw a couple of months ago (probably from drinking 3 weeks straight) The doctors have told me that they are not suspecting a dangerous liver disease, just don't drink. I am not drinking, but I am sure I have ascites and that I am just waiting to hear it from a doctor. I am sure they are missing something. I have basically shut down everything in life, every feeling, every emotion, just because I don't want to start feeling good mentally if I am dying anyways...
I can't get around this and I am too scared of getting the correct information to be sure of it. I can't focus on anything, I am just preparing to get the acknowledgement of me dying. I am too scared of getting a ultrasound test, I am just not sure how I should handle the fact if I got ascites. I don't think this is normal, I have completely shut down and I can't think of anything positive.
| 6
|
**Physician Assistant**: Hi there. Ascites in and of itself isn’t even concerning it’s just one of many symptoms of liver failure. If you have no symptoms of liver failure, and your liver labs are consistent with heavy recent drinking, you need to realize that this is an issue more related with anxiety than your actual liver. If the doctor was concerned they would have ordered the ultrasound.
|
extreme bad breath
Age 18
Sex F
Height 5”2
Weight 56kg
thought i had tonsil stones but been poking around for ages and can’t find any. this is actually ruining my life as soon as i brush my teeth it instantly smells repulsive. help.
| 4
|
**Registered Nurse**: Definitely see your doctor. It could be coming from your stomach, GERD or h. pylori can cause bad breath
|
OIL WENT DOWN WINDPIPE
42F 105LBS 5'3 No medical conditions.
Hopefully someone knows the answer to this, I was taking bee propolis which has vegetable glycerin in it. When I went to swallow it (1 ml) it slipped down my lung. I couldn't breathe for a second and then I started coughing. It's been about 30 mins and I'm still slightly coughing but am worried about developing lipid pneumonia. I am a bit of a worrier so I'm hoping someone can put my mind at ease. Does anyone have any insight on this? Thank you.
| 5
|
**Physician**: Most likely you'll have coughed it out, assuming otherwise normal lung function. Coughing can last for quite some time after an event and there's nothing to do for now. If symptoms persist for longer than a few days or you start to develop fever, difficulty breathing, etc; then I'd consider getting checked out
|
Problems with hands getting freezing cold even when wearing heavy clothes.
21M, 5'7", 140lb, with low blood pressure and asthma. My hands get freezing cold when I'm not wearing gloves or if the air temp isn't above 70 Fahrenheit. It's really frustrating because I work in food service, and regularly handle frozen and chilled foods, which exasperates the problem and causes genuine pain in my hands, especially my finger tips, and the problem won't alleviate itself naturally for at least 20-30 min, or if I don't rest my hands against a hot surface.
Any advice as to what this could be and any possible fixes would be excellent and super helpful.
| 4
|
**Physician - Vascular Surgery**: Sounds like Raynauds syndrome. Go find a vascular surgeon or rheumatologist to confirm. There are medication that can help your symptoms. I typically have seen excellent results with nifedipine in my patients
|
My period cramps are ruining my life but I'm told nothing can be done
20F 110lbs.
The pain is unbearable, I have cramps 3-5 days before my period and then I have them until the third day.
I get nosebleeds, migraines, diarrhea, nausea, breathing difficulties, I have a lot of flow, I vomit (sometimes), fever (sometimes), shivers and in the worst cases I've passed out. I can't walk normal during the first 2 days, I usually limp. The cramps are so bad they go down to my leg muscles, I can barely bend my knees it feels like someone stabbed my thighs, my back hurts, it's feels like I got kicked in the crotch, the breeze feels like needles on my skin. It's fucking hell.
Enanthyum doesn't work good enough but both gynecologists told me repeatedly since 7 years ago that it'll get better when I get older. I can't wait more years this is torture.
I can't have sex the week before my period because orgasms become painful. There's also no sex during and the day after my period.
I tried birth control but I'm allergic to it.
Don't smoke nor drink.
Sexually active (but had this issues all my life).
What can I do? it's killing me but nothing seems to work. None of my girl friends have it as bad as I do so they can't help me either.
| 4
|
**Physician - Neurosurgery**: How often do you get nosebleeds? Heavy menses and bleeding elsewhere might be a hematologic condition like vonWillebrand’s disease. But that requires a workup.
Painful menses and sex, may question further if you may have endometriosis- that requires some imaging like a sonogram.
Do clarify if you’re in the US or what country as well
**Physician**: What have you used in terms of birth control? Have you tried hormonal IUDs, implants, or oral contraceptive pills?
You mentioned that you take a prescription NSAID, but have you tried hormonal therapy to regulate your periods? This can go a long way towards reducing bleeding and painful periods.
I also agree that a workup for a mild bleeding disorder (such as von Willibrand) may be indicated. Have you been tested for anemia?
**Licensed Vocational Nurse (retired)**: One of the possibilities for the cramps is that you are producing too much prostaglandin due to the increase in thickness of the endometriosis (lining of the uterus). It can grow outside of the uterus, thus causing pain. You could try oral Process (progesterone) - it helps to shrink the tissue.
Also, have you tried ibuprofen (Advil®, others)? It stops the body from producing the prostaglandin.
And I would seek help from a gynecologist at a teaching hospital - they would be more informed than a private gynecologist.
**Physician**: This is absolutely not normal. You need a new gynecologist.
You probably should be investigated for endometriosis.
How were you allergic to the pill?
There are many other medical options out there to control the your period: heaps of different pills, Mirena, the implant, the injection etc
Please do not just suffer through this, get help. Also I would put in a complaint about that gynecologist. That is very much not OK!
**Physician - Ob/Gyn**: I'm just going to wade in to this, because there's been no offical gynae represention here, though everything said by others is correct.
What the hell are your gynaecologists on about, this is likely to worsen if it is endometriosis (which it sounds very much like).
Progesterone is what you need to start on, and if this isn't working a lapaoscopy would be warrented.
Also investigstions for bleeding disorders are worthwhile as one commenter has said.
|
I've had 3 separate colds in the last 5 weeks and am suddenly bruising very easily -- should I be concerned?
30F, white, 5'11 and 165 pounds. Currently diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, depression, anxiety. Have been taking an immunosuppressant medication (humira), fluvoxamine, and desvenlafaxine. No alcohol or drug use.
I've been taking humira for over a year now for my inflammatory arthritis and it's been very helpful with minimal side effects. Since the first week of October, I've now had 3 separate colds (each lasting about a week with a week or so of feeling okay in between). I also noticed since September having a lot of unexplained bruising (about 20-25 or so bruises on my legs at any given time). Prior to this, I have never had any issues with easy bruising. I also typically only get one or two colds per year, both before and since starting the humira. It's making me really anxious that I keep getting so sick, and I've been worried that there might be something more going on. Am I being irrational or should I look into scheduling an appointment with my rheumatologist or PCP?
Thank you!
| 4
|
**Physician**: I don't think it's irrational, I would go see your PCP.
|
26m, stepped on a rusty nail. It BARELY went in, but it did.
Edit: I keep saying my leg locked up but I guess I really mean my calf muscle.
Maybe the head of a pen length went in not even. It didn’t hurt when it happened, but it shocked me I guess. My leg immediately tensed up and I couldn’t move it for a minute.
My leg was sore if I moved it for the rest of the day. My foot was never in pain, isn’t in pain now, I cleaned it when it happened and cleaned it again today.
I guess I’m more or less worried about why my leg locked up like that. Can that happen from experience sudden pain and moving it a certain way? Causing a sort of muscle spasm?
My anxiety is screaming “the nail had so much tetanus in it that it coursed through my blood stream immediately” but that can’t happen, right?
I have really bad anxiety honestly. I’ve probably had a tetanus shot in the last ten years, but honestly I feel like it was 10 years ago this year. Should I go get another one?
I dont want this to end up in a discussion just over the shot though, I’m genuinely curious why my leg locked up and then hurt all night, still sore today.
| 2
|
**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: It was probably a spasm since you stepped on a nail. No, tetanus does not immediately kick in like that. If it has been 10 years, you should get another tetanus shot ASAP.
|
My burn is infected and i don’t know what to do
My burn is infected and I’m not sure what to do
I’m F18, around 5’8, weigh about 160 lbs, don’t take any meds besides adderall, I don’t smoke
Basically last week a drop of boiling sugar fell on my foot and the scar formed a bubble, however a couple days ago it popped and I didn’t cover it up until later so the scar has formed yellow pus and my foot it slightly swelled in the area. Google tells me to get it treated or else I might get amputated or die and other websites say to just use at home remedies. It’s night time right now so would I be safe to see the doctor the day after? Or is this an emergency
| 2
|
**Patient Care Assistant**: Seek care, urgent care is appropriate.
**Nurse Practitioner**: Wash the wound with warm water and mild/unscented soap or douse with saline solution (you can buy this in a spray can or google how to make normal saline). Dry gently with a clean paper towel (don’t scrub or pick at it) Keep the foot clean and dry; place a loose bandage over it to prevent it from rubbing. Make an appointment to see your PCP or go to an urgent care in the morning. Unless you have big red streaks on your skin and/or have already developed a fever, you’re fine to wait a few hours. Many burn wounds look nastier than they are.
|
Sweating profusely while sleeping all the sudden
I am 18M, 180lbs, 5’ 11”, I don’t drink, don’t do drugs, don’t smoke, and have no underlying medical conditions unless occasional migraines count as a condition. I have been sweating like all hell in bed for about a month and I’ve ignored it but now it really doesn’t make sense. I have not changed anything in my bed like sheets or what fan I have or anything. I was fine a couple months ago in similar temperatures if not hotter and for the past month I have been like dripping sweat when I wake up or wake up in the middle of the night profusely sweating like fully damp spots left on my sheets. I have even turned down my thermostat a lot to the point I’m freezing I use one small blanket for just my feet and I’ll still wake up sweating despite being freezing before I go to bed. I even tried no covers and I’ll still wake up with sweat albeit not nearly as bad but still somehow have lightly damp spots left on my sheets. This makes no sense to me considering I have never had this problem. Any help is appreciated.
| 4
|
**Physician - Dermatologist**: You need to see a doctor. Night sweats can be due to medications, infections, cancers (many things).
|
Need help. Worried about brain tumor or aneurysm, maybe symptoms are premeditated? Would prefer radiologists, neurologists, ENTs to respond. Thinking of going to the ER tonight.
Hi
So I am a 21-aged F, 5’5. My weight is 123 pounds. I have no current physical medical issues (that the doctors have been able to find) but I have anxiety + depression. Not currently smoking (I did moderately w friends (in a blue moon) but have completely stopped. Also completely stopped alcohol. Am currently sexual active.
Symptoms the past week I’ve been experiencing
- tension/tightness on the back of my head and neck (it honestly feels heavy for me to hold up my head); I’ve touched the back of my neck (left side) and there’s a lump, when I press down it aches/hurts
- headache traveled across the front of my head but stopped
- tiredness/the morning I felt fatigue and my body felt exhausted, like difficult to move my body
- left ear feels filled up w a liquid, right ear also
- throat sometimes hurt randomly, but would stop
- GI related stuff, been taking meds and it’s been fine. Had a panic attack yesterday though and it felt tight
-left + right arm yesterday hurt randomly at times, but stopped
- left breast/chest gets tender sometimes. Maybe itchy?
Habits / things I’ve been doing
- watching YouTube/Netflix - with my neck held up by my hand, body crouched, I’d also look down at my phone with my neck curved, also sleeping with elevated pillows
- have been stationary past few days
- sleep had been very very bad* - went to bed at 6am 2 days ago woke up at 12pm. Today I slept at 3:30am, woke up at 10pm. For 2 months I’ve been sleeping with my night lamp on.
-poor to little to no excercise
Current moment
Neck/back of headache has gotten worse and I’m lying down when typing this out. What should I do? I’m thinking of getting an MRI to rule out anything dangerous and want to talk to the PCP about it, but also thinking of going to the ER and getting on there also.
What should I do? I’m literally scared of sleeping at this point.
Edit: body is feeling heavy and ears are more and more filled up
| 5
|
**Physician**: I'm confused by what you mean with "symptoms are premeditated". Unless I've missed something, nothing here sounds worse than a bad cold/upper respiratory infection. Most of what you've described could be also applied to COVID. If you are tolerating oral intake/liquids, can probably manage symptoms. There's not a reason to think, based on your description, that this is a brain tumor or aneurysm.
|
Negative rapid, positive PCR
39F
Basically the title. I tested positive one week ago exactly, waited the 5 days (recommended by HR) and took PCR and rapid at same time, both performed by RI Dept of Health testing site. I am def symptomatic but have been slowly feeling better. I don’t think 5 days is long enough to really recover. Anyway - rapid was negative but PCR came back positive. Am I still contagious? Is that unusual? Should I go back to work tomorrow? I work with a lot of non-vaxxed humans.
I’m triple vaxxed, Pfizer. Covid was/is mild but still sucky. Never had fever just bad headcold.
| 5
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: PCR can be positive for up to ~90 days afterward. We don’t recommend retesting after infection in the US. Wear a well-fitting mask whenever around people and follow the guidelines for your workplace.
**B.S., Medical Lab Sciences**: I've heard multiple people say that the rapid test with just a nasal swab doesn't pick up omicron as well as it did delta.
Stay home until you have no more symptoms.
|
HFMD in parent with an 8 day old at home NEED HELP
I must have picked up HFMD from my toddler, though they have no symptoms. I had a sudden onset of a high fever on Friday gone by Saturday afternoon. My hands and feet started to feel tight and prickly and by Sunday night I had spots covering my hands and feet. My feet are so painful I can barely walk. I have an 8 day old newborn at home and a wife recovering from a c section. I need to be able to help out but walking is excruciating. Is there anything I can do besides Tylenol/Advil? How long will this pain last? Will my hands be this painful next?
Please also confirm my understanding that it's transmitted through respiratory droplets and open sores (I have none yet) so as long as I'm not coughing/sneezing on my newborn and washing my hands I'm ok to hold her?
| 5
|
**Physician**: Worst part is over. Pain should last for a bout a week. You could try putting some lidocaine spray on your feet but numb feet are still hard to walk on. HFMD is spread though respiratory, oral secretions and fecal matter. Wash your hands thoroughly and wipe down anything that you touch or used surface for the next week. It will be near impossible for your newborn to have no exposure but you can minimize risks.
|
Is it normal to not see your baby in an ultrasound at 5-8 weeks ?
Age 28
Sex f
Height 5’4
Race W
Non smoker
F(28) I went for my first ultrasound today and I was (according to my last period) 8 weeks. When the tech did the ultrasound she could not see any baby just the gestational sac. We kept trying and finally found a little bean with a flicker as the heart beat. She told me she measured the heartbeat and it was 99 which was a normal heart beat for 5 weeks. She was just worried that since my last period was sept 3rd I should be around 8 weeks that maybe the baby isn’t growing properly like it should be or is it that I just could’ve gotten my dates wrong and I’m really not that far along ??
| 6
|
**Neonatal Nurse Practitioner**: Most likely if they saw a heartbeat, you just aren't as far along as you thought. It could be that you ovulated at a different time, that the first period you "missed" wasn't because of pregnancy or a whole host of reasons
|
21M. 5’11, 70kg. How bad of an idea would it be to go to work tomorrow with a 39 degree temperature.
Day 3 of fever, don’t feel great, cold sweats at night, really bad sore throat making it quite difficult to eat and loss of appetite in general, general fatigue too. Paracetamol helps every 5-6 hours, but start to feel bad again at the end of the period.
Boss wants me to go to work tomorrow, I told him I feel ok enough for work but kinda got pressured to turn up too.
How bad of an idea would it be to go? It’s not the most labour intensive job but requires waking up early (slept like 11-12 hours last night and difficulty getting out of bed in the morning). I can power through a day just don’t want to make it worse.
Thanks!
| 5
|
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: Don't go. You're liable to make others sick and prolong your own illness. Suggest you get COVID tested if you haven't yet.
|
Hello, I wanna know if this is a case of liver cirrhosis or cancer ‽
In my 20s. Was diagnosed as morbidly obese. Although not diabetic was asked to watch sugar levels and warned I could become diabetic in near future if I don't keep it in check.
I tried losing weight recently. Took up some weight loss pills. The side effects include nausea, reduction of appetite. Recently I developed an allergy and had been feeling rather sick for the past few days.
I have been throwing up cough and food and saw a loss of appetite.
Recently my urine has been light yellow - golden in color.
Also my mouth feels bitter all the time.
Should I get screened for liver cirrhosis or cancer‽
| 4
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: Neither cirrhosis nor cancer would be on my top 5 potential causes of your symptoms. I'd be more worried about a side effect of these weight loss pills. What are they?
Please see your primary care doctor.
|
Abruptly very weak on legs, even fell 2 times, 82 year old male
Hi everyone,
Since yesterday my grandpa is very weak on legs. He can't get up on his on anymore, or only with a lot of effort. This happened abruptly, the day before he was still working in his garden.
Thn he woke up and couldn't get on his legs anymore. Over the day it went a little better but in the evening it became worse. He fell 2 times and was shaky on his legs.
I didn't know this until today.
He didn't go to the hospital. Don't ask me why.
He is still shaky on his legs and when I saw him today I made the tests whether he has a stroke. Be could do all those things (smile normally, both arms up and turn, and speak normally)
I'm super mad because is still too stubborn to go to the hospital. They called their doc, and he said he *might* make a home visit today - if he finds the time. Otherwise it will be tomorrow, another day. Of course they didn't mention the fact that he fell 2 times.
As said he is still shaky, today he could get up on his own - but only with a lot of effort. I saw him eating today I think that his hands were shaky too - at least a bit.
He is an 82year old male, about 75kg and 178cm.
Any idea what this is? I don't know when the doc will show up and I'm getting crazy now.
| 1
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: He should go to the hospital immediately. There are too many possibilities and he can’t get treatment at home.
|
19F - What’s wrong with my jaw?
I was getting on a rollercoaster and the little protector seat thingies locked. But mine was too high for my shoulders. Like 2 inches too high. I waved the lady over to tell her, and she told me “it’s fine, you need extra room” rather than looking at it. I questioned her but didn’t say anything. I then proceeded to get jostled at all the sharp turns, and on one of them, my head slammed into the side of the protector thing and it hurt. Not hard enough to break a bone or dislocate anything, but it did hurt and even knocked some spit out of my mouth onto my shirt. I never got on that ride again.
Anyways, I just woke up (it’s like 3 AM) and the left side of my jaw is sore, especially when I push on the bit towards the back. My first thought was “did I dislocate it??” but the left side doesn’t feel any different from the right when I feel around both with my hands, and it also doesn’t look any different. I can open my mouth all the way and move my jaw side to side and in circles. So why is it sore? Is it possible to bruise a bone? I don’t know anything about this kind of thing so any help would be much appreciated ❤️
| 5
|
**Physician**: Sounds like it's probably just bruised and sore from hitting it. If you can open and close just fine, it is not dislocated. Ice, Motrin, Tylenol, if you aren't improving in a couple days you should see your doctor.
|
cat got the best of me
I am a 21f with a really mad cat. Last night i fell on top of my cat and she made a perfect puncture wound right into my pinky knuckle. for it being a tiny hole, i was pouring blood for about 3 minutes while applying pressure… woke up this morning with swelling and a perfect circle bruise around the knuckle. I have limited range of motion, pretty consistent 7/10 pain (worse with movement) and numbness. last night it was warm to the touch, now it is cold and a bit cyanotic at the proximal end but i have a normal cap refill… should i go into to see a doctor or take some pain meds and brush it off.
| 4
|
**Physician**: It sounds as if you have an infected hand, something that is very common with cat bites. You need to see someone who can start you on an antibiotic (probably augmentin).
|
I have scar tissue pressing against my spinal cord but doctors won't offer me any pain relief.
15 yrs ago, I had a faulty epidural & spinal block & endured a CSF leak for a week before a blood patch remedied this. Two MRIs 2 yrs later revealed "acquired" tonsillar ectopia & scar tissue from those spinal procedures pressing against my spinal cord. I was referred to some neurologists but couldn't afford to see one so my doctor simply put me on 600mg/3x daily Gabapentin. I drank .5 gallon of black tea a day to counter the sleepiness & this combo worked wonders for the pain, got me back on my feet, unexpectantly obliterated my sciatica, & helped me actually sleep through the night, as well.
Eventually, I couldn't afford any healthcare ($400/visit internal med doc) &, therefore, couldn't be prescribed more refills. After several yrs, I've obtained coverage again but although I never caused problems, never sued, & flatly turned down opiates, no docs will put me back on that med that gave me my life back for a time. I deal w/ stomach ulcers & they keep insisting on high-dose Ibuprofen - even though i kill over on that stuff. Can someone please explain what the *stigma* is around Gabapentin? I was given it for multiple reasons. I swear to them it works like magic but they're not heeding my experience. I don't understand this.
| 4
|
**Physician - Pediatrics**: Strange experience. Most people hand out gabapentin like candy. I feel like there is something else missing from this story if people don't want to give you gabapentin for neuropathic pain.
Have you seen a pain specialist?
|
Expired antibiotics for a UTI (Kinda desperate here)
Hello! I am a 26F, I have a UTI (Had so many in the past, when you know you know). I have a post-coital antibiotic (Macrobid) and it is 1 year past expiration. I dont really have the ability to go to the doctor right now. Its 50mg, can I just take 2 capsules twice a day for 5 days even though its expired? My main concern is that its expired really.
| 5
|
**Physician - Anesthesiology**: If it was me, I would. They're more than likely still very safe and effective, it's an appropriate use for them, and it's how you were prescribed to use them.
|
Please help.
Unsure if I should go to urgent care Monday or wait out until February for the doctor. 20F, 140lbs, 5’5”, celiac disease, fibromyalgia, and (apparently) CFS.
About a month ago I woke up with awful fatigue and brain fog, despite having slept fine. Since that day it has been every day and constant, and getting worse. I have difficulties driving because I can’t think clearly. My head feels like it’s full of cotton balls and I can’t focus, I’m always exhausted despite sleeping 10+ hours most nights. It’s never-ending. I get aches and pains in my whole body, which I’ve chalked up to the fibromyalgia, but my back and neck are especially bad. I can always crack them. Started to get occasional tingles in my fingers and feet, as well as a strange numb/tight sensation in my left knee. No idea why.
It’s debilitating. It causes me a great deal of anxiety. I do already have generalized anxiety and health anxiety, but this is not the cause. I was doing pretty well managing until this suddenly started. I am very scared that there is something seriously wrong with me. 4 months ago I had routine bloodwork and vitamin levels checked, nothing was off except for my vitamin D, which I take regularly now. Could something have changed since then?
| 4
|
**Physician - Gastroenterology**: You should wait or move up your appointment. Urgent care won't do anything for you.
**Physician - Pediatrics**: This is a chronic issue best managed in continuity with your PCP or subspecialist if applicable.
An urgent care is extremely unlikely to give you useful information.
|
I’ve been off morphine almost two days. Is it ok to bave a beer?
I was prescribed morphine after a surgery but I’ve stopped feeling the need to rely on it since 4 am yesterday. Now at 5 pm the day after, it’s hot out and I want a drink. Should I wait?
29M, 5f8, 130lbs
| 6
|
**Physician - Anesthesiology**: Yes it's fine
|
Stepped on a nail from the steps in the house, had tetanus shot last July, do I need another?
\[22\] \[Male\], 5'6, 160lbs, white, and curious if I should? I think I remember hearing it's 5-10 years for another shot but I can't recall and I'm not a doctor. Is this something I should concern myself with? It was a very small nail and a very small wound (barely any blood, just drops) I cleaned it w/ antibacterial hand soap and then put a bandaid w/ neosporin over it. I'm not sure if having the shot again so soon can cause any issues or if it's even needed.
My last shot was July of 2021, not 2022.
Thank you
| 6
|
**Rheumatology Research Fellow**: Nope, tetanus protection lasts for 8-10 years
**Registered Nurse**: I think you should be okay. Tetanus shots are every 10 years. However, When I slit my hand open with a box cutter and needed stitches, the PA gave me a tetanus shot and said that if you cut yourself, you’ll need the shot if you’re over the 5 year mark. Since you just had it last year, you are fine.
|
(22M) I have a spot on my lower abdomen that hurts like hell when I press it
I’m 22 5’11 Male, no medication, no history of serious disease. Quit smoking
It’s a very small spot the size of a penny. If I press down it hurts so badly. If I don’t it’s fine.
It’s 1 inch beneath and 4 inches to the right of my belly button
What the hell is this?
| 4
|
**Physician - Critical and Intensive Care**: That’s roughly where your appendix is. Is this a new pain? Was it vague and now focused there? Is it a lump? Does it hurt when you jump around or driving? Are you having fevers? Are you eating? Using bowels and urinating ok?
Almost impossible to tell over the internet.
A doc needs to examine you.
|
Can anyone please help me get answers? my doctors arent helping me and ive been struggling since i was 15
I am female, 19, 5'6, 136 pounds
(2019)
One week when I was 15 In the fall I began having issues pooping, this was weird because id NEVER had issues pooping before and always had a big healthy poop every 1/2 days. I was being late to school because id spend so much time straining in the morning. I told my parents that week that i hadnt been able to poop all week and they made me a black coffee with coconut oil. it kind of helped, but the constipation continued despite no change in my life style.
I was taken to the doctor around december and even though i was drinking plenty of water, i had a smoothie before the appointment so my pee was more yellow than usual, and the doctor just rubbed it off as me needing to drink more water.
(2020)
I continued for about a year only pooping once a week, and needing a laxative to do so. I started getting extremely bloated and not wanting to eat or even drink water because i felt so full and it hurt.
I ended up waking up one day extremely nauceous and threw up, and i threw everything since my lunch from the previous day completely undigested.
This cycle continued where id be constipated all week, get sick and throw up undigested food at the end and use a laxative as an emergency.
I was taken to the doctor again and she told me I need to eat more (even though I was eating a normal amount, a pretty equal and balanced diet actually)
I was at my massage therapist and told her about my issues and that it hurt to lay on my stomach, she started feeling my stomach and gut and told me that she felt some sort of mass in my gut and tried to gently massage it, but told me to go to the doctor and demand answers.
(2021)
I was taken to the doctor and this one actually listened, she had me do an x ray and they found that I was full of poop, pushing on my organs, making me llook bigger, and pushing on my lungs as well, all the way up to my lungs was poop build up. The doctor was extremely bothered that none of the doctors before me paid attention to my complaints and said this was extremely dangerous. They said it seemed like my digestive system wasnt working properly/failed
They planned another visit for me to have testing done, but till then had me to a colonoscopy prep(for 7 days) to empty my bowls so that the medical risk went down. I was so excited to finally get relief
Nothing happened
About 3 days in of taking 7 laxatives a day i got a little but of diareah, but it was like it was leaking around it and not actually emptying it out. It was a normal amount.
When i finally got the test done, they said that my bowel muscles seemed to be working fine and that they wernt sure what was wrong, they told me to not eat much and try to drink mainly liquids till they could figure out the problem, but they just never followed up?? So eventually i started eating normal again.
Ive since moved and am not with my parents doctor anymore, but the constipation has only gotten worse. Everytime i poop i need to strain so hard and almost always bleed feel my anus tearing no matter how small it is. Sometimes 1 tiny circle poop comes out and abunch of blood and blood clots/clumps is a majority of whats in the toilet and it gets everywhere.
Another thing i noticed is that the non tiny poops/normal ones are extremely too big for the hole, and almost flat, so the hole cant gradually expand to let it out, like a cone shape. If the hole is 1 inch open the base of the poop is 2 1/2 inches or more.
pooping makes my body so sore and shakey and it covers the toilet and my hands in blood. I tried to get help with medicaid but they said because i was moving states soon they couldnt help me.
Does anyone know what this might be?
| 4
|
**Physician - Dermatology**: Get all your previous medical records and find a gastroenterologist.
|
Can you benefit from magnesium if levels are okay to begin with?
25 Female
My magnesium levels are always normal when tested, never close to, always on the higher end of the spectrum.
But wondering if i could still benefit from taking magnesium? Have PAC, PVCs, and extreme anxiety
| 4
|
**Physician - Anesthesiologist**: Short answer: yes, magnesium has NMDA antagonism effects, and at least in Anesthesia literature is a useful adjunct for controlling perioperative pain. It may have anxiolytic effects as well, but that is less established. It can definitely cause CNS depression at high levels.
However, if your magnesium levels are on the high side, don't be taking magnesium supplements unless specifically ordered to do so by a physician and with regular lab checks. You can absolutely die from magnesium toxicity.
|
Swollen lymph node for 5 years, 30lb lost in a month, night sweats. Help please!!
29F
My left neck lymph node has been swollen for 5 years. Approximately 2 inches long by 1.25-1.5 wide. 2 years ago I started having an increased heart rate continuously until now with no found cause. I have night sweats and soak my pajamas and lost 30lbs in a month. Since that weight loss I have lost another 17lbs and can't put weight on no matter what I try.
I've had positive ANA test and told I had lupus... Then had all the more specific tests come up negative and told it wasn't lupus. I'm also VERY low in iron but my wbc and rbc are within range, lower end but in range.
I suffer from debilitating migraines and my tonsils are chronically swollen from the same timeline where the lymph node showed up.
All the doctor did was touch my lymph node after it had been there three years and said it was unlikely to be a problem. They didn't run a single test. The lymph node just grew again a bit and is becoming harder/isn't moving.
I would just like to have a test done on it. Anything to have some kind of indication of what's going on with it. I also don't want to be that pain in the butt patient that pushes. I don't want them to think I'm a hypochondriac. So much so that when they asked if I had night sweats before I said no 😔 I've been dismissed by so many doctors and just didn't want to deal with the "you're a female experiencing your period" look of doubt.
Should I push for a test? How do I go about doing this? What is reasonable to ask for? (I'm in Canada if this helps)
| 4
|
**Physician - Dermatologist**: 20% of people have a positive ANA and it does not mean anything… if the follow up tests (ENA) were negative, it is extremely unlikely that you have lupus.
You should start with an ultrasound of the area in question. It is a cheap and easy test that can give information about the inflamed lymph node- if it appears suspicious or not, etc.
**Family Medicine Physician**: While it’s true that a mass being there for years without growing is unlikely to be a serious issue, it would still be reasonable to get an ultrasound of the area. The things that seem more concerning that most doctors would want to investigate are the unintentional weight loss, rapid heart rate, and night sweats. I would start with thyroid blood tests if not already done. Generally speaking, “unintended weight loss” will make doctors think “I need to rule out cancer.” “Night sweats” make doctors think “I need to rule out cancer and tuberculosis.” It would be reasonable to request a chest x-ray given the night sweats and unintended weight loss. The debilitating migraines and chronically swollen tonsils sound very unpleasant but they don’t point to an obvious life threatening issue.
(Although your doc should ask some questions about the nature of the headaches and do an in person neurological exam to make sure there are no red flag symptoms that would make them want to order brain imaging)
Sometimes it helps to focus on something specific during a doctor visit so the doctor can’t brush off that thing. Then make a separate appointment for a different thing. It sucks but doctors usually have a fuckton of patients and it can be difficult to impossible to do a good job eliciting and integrating large amounts of information at once under time pressure. Like if you came to see me, I wouldn’t be able to address all of your issues in one visit and I would definitely want to see you back in a shorter period of time because you have several issues, which probably aren’t related but could possibly be all related.
|
My partner has Chlamydia and I just noticed small bumps on my penis. Will the doctor ask to examine the effected area?
29 white male 5’11 180lbs non smoker no medical issues
Will the doctor have to look at my private parts or is there another way to test for this disease?
| 4
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: Chlamydia doesn't generally cause bumps on the penis, so it'd be prudent to have it examined to make sure it isn't another STI. You should probably get empiric treatment for chlamydia given your partner is positive.
|
ozempic dosing urgent!
I'm 24f and on ozempic for PCOS. I ran out of my 1mg dose pens and my endocrinologist went out of business. I have. 25 and .5mg dose pens. Can I do two .5mg doses to reach my 1mg dose at the same time?
| 4
|
**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Yes. Call your PCP, explain that your endocrinologist is out of business, and see if they can give you another refill(s) until they refer you to another endocrinologist.
|
worried I have gbs after flu vaccine
34 yo f, 165 lbs. Had flu vaccine 1/1 like I do every year. Monday neck hurt and Tuesday noticeable tingling in my hands. Did telehealth and was told as long as it didn't start in the feet no need to worry. As of today, 1/7 hand tingling still there and a little worse plus strange feeling in throat. Was told by Dr if i had GBS it'd be much worse by now based on when tingling started. Should I go to ER pr is my dr right since it's a progressive disease?
| 6
|
**Physician - Gastroenterology**: It doesn't sound like GBS so agree with the doctors
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: Symptoms are not typical for GBS.
|
No pulse in fingers, am I dying?
21F
Hi. I woke up at around early this morning because I felt something happen within my fingers and I suddenly felt like my heart was going to stop beating, so I freaked out and panic.
However, I checked and saw that my heart and brain pulse were doing great, but when I checked with my fingers on the pulse oximeter, **there was no pulse** coming out from it, at all.
So I am wondering about if it means that I'll die and not make it or my nerves got completely damaged. Should also note that it's cold inside of my house.
| 6
|
**Physician - Cardiology **: Cold fingers. Happens all the time.
**Physician**: Pics?
Given your age, having an ischemic digit (much less multiple) is not likely. Much more likely to be Raynaud phenomenon, especially if it was cold in your house and it was only a few digits.
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care - Moderator**: I generally recommend that nobody use a pulse oximeter at home (with rare, specific exceptions). The most likely reason for your finding is that you’re using the pulse oximeter wrong. If you have any symptoms go see your doctor, but stop checking your pulse ox.
|
I am constantly tired throughout the day, and probably sleep more than 12 hours a day.
I, 20F, often take short naps during the day. If I have some spare time and am unmotivated, I will take a 15-minute to 1-hour nap, but no longer than that. But recently, it has been getting worse to the point where I cannot control my sleep. I would always feel tired during the day, no matter what I did. I would either wake up super late or wake up just to sleep again. This is bad because I have stomach issues and I have to eat on time, so I force myself out of bed to eat, only to find that after eating my body feels so heavy and then I go back to sleep. I tried many things to solve this, like changing my sleeping habits and even trying to do my hobbies like reading and cooking, but I still sleep a lot. I tried to sleep early too, but I found myself just laying there with my eyes closed but still awake for 1-2 hours before I could finally sleep. I did turn off the lights and turn off my phone. I don't know what I am suffering from. People will say I'm just lazy, but I'm not. I am suffering a lot from this because I cannot even enjoy the things I like doing, and every day I can only wake up to do the bare minimum. In the worst case, I wake up only 4 hours that day to cook and eat 2 meals. Any doctor or whoever can help me? I'm scared to go to the doctor alone, and I don't think Google can help me either.
If this information will help, my height is 153 cm and I weigh about 51 kg. I have a GERD problem, and my gout is also quite high. I don't take a lot of meds, except for my GERD and vitamin tablets.
| 3.5
|
**Physician**: There are many many causes for being tired. I would recommend going to your doctor to get bloods done and then go from there
If you haven't already I would look into sleep hygeine
**Physician - Pediatrics**: I recommend getting evaluated by your physician as soon as you can. I understand the fear of going by yourself, but at 20 years old it’s important to start taking charge of your health and getting used to going on your own. Your doctors are just here to help.
There are some details missing here that your doctor could help fill in the gaps to point a little more in the right direction. Abnormal sleep patterns can sometimes be a symptom of something else, or can be a primary problem that can affect other areas of your life. Many people also downplay the interrelation between mental health and sleep. Do you have any history of anxiety or depression? Depression can cause you to sleep too much (or too little), so an evaluation by your physician would be a good place to start. Also, sleep apnea can cause you to have poor quality sleep at night which will make you feel tired despite sleeping adequate amounts. This would require a sleep study to diagnose.
Finally, I’m not sure exactly what “stomach problems” you have that mean you have to eat on a set schedule. Have you seen a gastroenterologist, or even talked to your physician about these GI issues? I can’t necessarily venture to guess if it’s related to your sleep without more information, but it’s definitely worth exploring.
Bottom line, sleeping up to 20 hours a day (as you suggested above) is definitely not normal and it sounds like it’s causing you a lot of distress. This is not something you should have to suffer through on your own. Talk to your doctor; I’m sure they’ll be able to help.
|
[59 M] Is it safe to take azithromycin?
Asian. 65 kg. Long term smoker.
He is hypertensive. And he's taking anti-hypertensive medications.
He has Mitral Valve Prolapse.
​
My father (59 M) has fever 38C. He has a toothache, headache, and swollen knee from slipping in our kitchen. Now that he has fever, my sisters want to give him antibiotics like azithromycin that is commonly used to treat COVID patients even though my father has not been tested yet. Is it safe to give him azithromycin even though he's already taking paracetamol to lower his fever? Just worried because he's been taking a lot of medications now and might counteract with them most especially with his heart condition. Thank you.
| 4
|
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: No, do not give him azithromycin. Specifically for the reasons you suggest (medication interactions) and others, recommend against giving him any medication that is not specifically prescribed to him. Azithromycin has no role in treating COVID. There are many reasons for his symptoms, recommend COVID testing and contacting his physician for further workup.
|
[35M] [6’4 / 94KG] Sudden bouts of tachycardia with breathlessness and fear of death. Existing valve disorder, but checked out at hospital.
I’m losing my mind.
I found out last year that I have a bicuspid valve. It’s been on my mind since. Also in the past year, I’ve lost a child, my wife’s country is at war / family has been drafted, and I’ve now lost a job this week, among other stressors.
I’ve been getting bouts of sudden tachycardia, dizziness, breathlessness, fear of death, lasting approx. 30 to 60 seconds at a time. It’s usually in the car (4 times) but just happened once this morning at home - funnily enough right as I started to create this post.
I’m sure it’s probably anxiety and panic attacks. But I’m convinced I’m going to die. Yesterday, I went to the ED. They checked:
* ECG - sinus rhythm / sinus arrhythmia
* Bloods - WBC fine, no other issues
* Specifically bloods for heart - no cardiac markers, electrolytes fine
* Chest X-ray - clear
* Palpated my abdomen, aorta seems fine
I’m back at home now, but I have this constant fear of death and just experienced the symptoms again briefly. My full heart workup is due within the month (ultrasound to check valve etc).
I’m sure this is anxiety, and if it is, I would love to be able to believe myself and get past it. I’ve had mild ish anxiety my whole life. Recently, I’ve been indoors 95% of the time while WFH.
But I’m still terrified. I guess I’m curious whether any reassurance can be offered here? Does this sound like anxiety?
The extra details (many of which I’m ashamed of):
* Recent travel - came back from Africa Sep 5. All of these symptoms have started since
* I do not drink more than one or two drinks a month at best
* I’ve been using mild edibles almost every night for a year to handle the trauma
* I vape (never smoked) but trying to quit
| 4
|
**Physician**: Almost certainly panic disorder from all the stress in your life. You need to see a doctor and get some help cause you’re suffering
|
Extremely swollen tonsils a month after getting over mononucleosis, should I be scared?
In December 2021, I was diagnosed with mononucleosis via a blood monospot test. I went through hell with every symptom including the swollen, white spots on tonsils and terrible sore throat. I got over mono after about a month. Coincidentally I got covid last week, 1/10. I have been monitoring my tonsils since mono and covid and they are extremely enlarged. I haven’t had a sore throat since Mono, so I am just wondering how I get my tonsils to go back down. Any advice is helpful. I am a 18 year old female. she/her
| 5.5
|
**Laboratory Technician**: Mono can last a long, long time for some people. My friend was sick for 10 months with it. You just unfortunately have to wait it out. In the meantime, something like Tylenol should help with inflammation as long as you can take it.
**Physician**: Yes your tonsils might take months to decrease in size although the infection is over , if it is causing you issues with breathing or swallowing and it wont shrink back they can offer you a tonsillectomy , still too early for that though, mostly it will slowly shrink
|
insight if you don’t mind
edit// possible hiv exposure scare//
I originally made a my first post on here but the comments were mean, but that’s life so i’ve decided to post again with updates because I don’t have anyone to talk to about it. i’m waiting for the appropriate time to get tested
i’m a female, I had sex with a guy. I had sex on the 16th of june, Condoms were used and we had two rounds, I make sure that the condom was put on and that it’s intact and on still once he ejaculates. the first round the condom was fine. the second condom for the second round i’m not so sure, it was dark in the room and when i looked i saw the sperm at the tip of the condom but have a fear it could’ve been a leak or some sort because my vagina was very moist and it just felt different than what I’m used to. since then i’ve had a 10 day long period, my lymph node on my neck is swollen, i had a red sore on the roof of my mouth but it went away within a day or two, and I just overall feel unwell. I normally always ask about testing and results but I didn’t with him. I’m aware i have to wait atleast 28 days before I test for it so until then i just needed to vent and hopefully have advice or insight on this.
| 4
|
**Physician**: May I ask what you mean by waiting 28 days to test for…? I feel that if you are feeling unwell, you should still see a doctor to make sure they can make the right recommendations for you. I don’t have a very clear diagnosis for you (especially without knowing what your mouth sore looked like) but lymph node swelling is an indication for infection/inflammation, so your doctor will be able to tell you wether they are concerned about STIs or an unrelated condition.
|
can a 19 year old female get cancer?
Two weeks ago I(19F)(51 kg 161cm) got 3 strong punches on the right side of my chest just around the base of my right breast, other than choking for air for a few minutes and caughing for 1 day, it had no other visible effect on me.
Yesterday's and today's night sleep were interrupted by waking because of tightness on the right side of my chest but it doesn't hurt me during the day.
Today in the shower I noticed a little bump on the base of my right breast only noticable by touching, not even visible, even the skin above it is not miscolored, it only hurts a little when I touch it or when I use my right arm's muscles. it feels like a small half olive under the skin on the base of my breast.
As soon as I felt it, posters of breast cancer awareness flashed through my mind because of how insisting they were about the shape or texture changes of the breast, especially the little bumps!
Then again I had 3 5-fingered punches from an adult on the area.
Could a 19 year old female get breast cancer from being hit? With no family history of cancer nor health issues, nor drinking or smoking. Could this be only some tense muscles in my chest reacting to receiving harm? Is it a clot is it a hormonal thing? What exactly is this???!!!!!
And what kind of doctor should I seek?
Thanks for listening, and always be kind to your sisters :)
| 5.5
|
**Physician**: Probably inflammation from trauma. Ice it, take painkillers if needed.
**Physician**: To answer your question, no you cannot get breast cancer from getting punched. It's probably just inflammation like the other doc said
|
I think my water broke?
I am 22F, 37w 3 days pregnant. I was diagnosed a couple weeks ago with gestational hypertension. I am scheduled to go in tomorrow night to be induced. This morning, I woke up having leaked a little clear fluid, a went to the bathroom to clean myself up and then pee, and as I peed more leaked out. This happened every time I used the restroom today, and a few times once in a while almost similar to a menstrual cycle in terms of how it felt. I’m currently at work and it seems like I’m leaking a bit more every time it happens at this point. Could this possibly be my water? I thought it was discharge at first but it’s never been this much in this time window throughout my entire pregnancy.
| 2
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: It's possible that this was your water breaking. I'd suggest giving your OB/GYN office a call - you may need to go in to get checked out. Having your water broken for a prolonged amount of time can be a risk for infection, so it's good to know.
|
Severe unintentional weight loss.
41
Male
6'1
170 lbs.
I'm 6'1 and about 3 month ago I was about 184lbs.
During my last annual checkup my doctor said my cholesterols were too high and that I had to either take statins or completely change my diet. Besides the high cholesterol all other blood work was completely normal.
So from then, I completely cut out fried/fatty foods. I didn't even consume that much carbs back then but I truly minimized my carb intake now.
My diet nowadays consists primarily of fruits/veggies, oatmeal in the morning, and fish/chicken breast.
My overall exercising has been the same (weight lifting 3x a week and some mild cardio on the off days).
I'm getting concerned in that I've been seeing my weight drop rapidly. I was 184 3 months ago and now I'm at 170 and it keeps dropping.
The amount of food Im eating has been pretty much the same but the only difference is that I've cut out fried/fatty foods.
Is this related to my extreme diet or is there something else going on?
| 5.5
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: This sounds a lot like you were getting many more calories from fried/fatty foods than you realized. Remember that for each gram of fat, you get 9 calories, whereas from a gram of veggies you would get fewer than 4 calories. Keep an eye on your food (and consider keeping a food diary for a week to estimate your true caloric intake) but this doesn't concern me at this point.
**Physician - Pediatrics**: This is a healthy rate of weight loss. 12 pounds in 14 weeks. Your BMI has decreased from 24 to 22, both of which are within the normal range. Your diet is not extreme and you certainly don’t need to gain weight. You don’t need to change anything you’re doing right now. Your weight loss will slow and your weight will settle at a new normal now that all the fried foods are out of your diet.
|
Mixed bactrim and alcohol without knowing the interactions - please help!
21F, 5’3”, 115 pounds. yesterday morning around 9, i completed my 10 day
course of bactrim for a kidney infection. last night
sometime after 10, i drank a 9% beer, and had a few
sips of my friend's when i was finished with mine. i
felt completely fine/normal all last night, aside from
the ability to get drunk off of much less alcohol than
usual. i drank a decent amount of water before
going to bed. this morning, i woke up feeling sick to
my stomach, and i still feel woozy/a little bit drunk,
and my heart rate is faster than usual. I've had
hangovers before so i know what that's like and
everything, but i only drank a little more than one
beer along with a good amount of water. i don't
know why i feel like this. this might sound paranoid,
but i'm worried something neurological is going on
because of the drunk feeling i still have. i was
completely stupid last night. i didn't think to look up
the interactions, because my course was over 12 hrs
before i drank. am i going to be okay?? i'm
genuinely very worried. please help.
| 5
|
**Physician**: Hi. You will be fine. It should not last long, a few hours I'd say. Drink plenty of fluids and you will get better. Nothing neurologic about it, and it will pass soon.
|
rabies concern. please answer
Female
19 year old
59KG
Asian
19 Hello pls i am really panicking rn. i have a lot of health anxiety. I also posted on reddit a few days back when my adopted stray kitten scratched my dad like 9 days ago. I fear it also scratched me since there is a mark on my right thumb. It is also becoming vvv hyper active day by day, bites and scratchs us and inedible objects (the latter v aggresively) Should I wait 10 days before getting a rabies shot? I am in a position where I can't easily get one.
| 6
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: The cat would almost certainly have died within 2 weeks if it had rabies. Kittens are active and playful. Gently teach ot not to scratch
|
What is usually going on when you have residual cold symptoms after you are better?
32 Male 5’9” 185 lb. Recently recovered (so I thought) from a URI that began as a dry throat and turned into a cold with congestion and dry sore throat last Tues. Covid negative, symptoms peaked Thursday and gradually dwindled Friday and Saturday, pretty much slept the entire time and felt mostly recovered by Saturday evening so I went out and had a few beers, same Sunday.
This week I still feel fine but have some persistent ear congestion and a very mild hint of that dryness in my throat. Could I have triggered a relapse or are these just aftershocks and of no concern? Wondering if I need to lay off the alcohol again for a week or so.
| 6
|
**Physician**: This is normal.
|
Advice on Why I’m Always Sick But Only at College
So for some background I (f20), go to an Ivy League university. The workload is pretty intense and I have a roommate that works with the lights on until 4 am then wakes both of us up at 7 (on average I’d say I get 5 hours of sleep). Last year, I had a single room and this wasn’t a problem. However since I started here (it’s only sophomore fall), I have had so many illnesses and nothing that seems to be physically wrong is causing them. I never am sick at home and in the years before college can think of twice that I’ve been sick. But here I’ve had: Multi-antibiotic resistant kidney infection (hospitalized for 5 days), mystery sinus illness that lasted five months, covid so bad I was in the hospital, strep B (also hospitalized for three days), the flu, bronchitis that developed into pneumonia, and now a flu/stomach virus preventing me from flying home. So basically I haven’t spent more than a week in the last year and a half being well, but when I’m home or when I studied abroad I was totally fine. My blood work has come up with nothing and I have been allergy tested and have no allergies to the area. The only issue is a slight deviated septum but my doctor said that wouldn’t cause my sinus issues. They also said there was remote fat necrosis on my liver but that that wasn’t a problem either.
I’m tired of going to student health all the time and having to miss out on my whole life from being sick. I lost thirty plus pounds in the first semester last year because of being so sick and all my antibiotics really messed with my appetite.
Any advice for how I can get healthier or even if there’s something causing this that I just haven’t figured out yet? Thank you!
| 5
|
**Respiratory Therapist**: Poor sleep, close quarters, other sick people etc your dorm may have mold or something that’s also causing an increase of symptoms
**Certified Nursing Assistant**: I would do as much of the following as possible : mask, wash your hands frequently, not eat out of the student kitchen you’ve been going to, change roommates.
**Registered Nurse**: Hydration and adequate sleep are key. I use a sleep mask from mantra sleep to cut out light, which was very useful working night shift. Like others have said, close quarters living is a much higher risk for infection, and sanitation of hands and door handles are important. Avoid touching your face and eating until you've done hand washing. Try to use their gym 30m 3 times a week if you can fit it into your schedule.
|
PLEASE HELP ME HERE I DON'T WANT TO SEE A DOCTOR
I have a sore on my vagina that don't heal. Is painless, but it hurts all the time I try intercourse. Tell me some cream, anything that could help please, thanks.
I have 22 years, female, 51kg, 1,59cm, and the medication I take: fluoxetina and elontril.
I'm also vegetarian
| 4
|
**Physician**: You need to see a doctor.
This could be literally anything and can’t be diagnosed without an examination and/or testing.
|
Can I ask for an epidural or nerve block for period pain in the ER?
30F. PCOS, endometriosis, miscarriage last year, D&C surgery, I take hydrocodone 5/325 and klonopin 1mg as needed for other issues.
I’m having a severe period, clotting, heavy bleeding, and unbearable pain. I’m considering going to the ER to ask for an epidural just to get me out of pain as my hydrocodone isn’t helping and NSAIDS flare up my chronic pancreatitis.
Need advice on what I could do for the night. (2nd night of cycle)
| 4
|
**Physician - Pediatric Emergency Medicine**: You can ask for whatever you want, but they aren’t going to do that. As a pediatric EM, I was trained in the nerve blocks I use, not the epidural ones. And if the ER calls anesthesia to do it in the ER, they will say “pound sound.” You probably need to see outpatient pain clinic for those things. ER docs aren’t trained in that.
|
Ate 15oz of tuna in 2 days.
Female 5’4 194lbs
Fatty liver (inflamed normal enzymes)
Anxiety
Silver teeth fillings
Hello, I didn’t realize how much skip jack tuna fish I had consumed the last two days. I thought they were smaller cans, but I noticed each can was 5oz and I had eaten 5oz yesterday and 10oz today. This is the first time in a long time I’ve eating tuna, but I had imitation crab California rolls last week. Should I be concerned about mercury poisoning and see my doctor? I also have amalgam fillings on 6 teeth. The only symptoms I had after eating the tuna today was some nausea and I had a slight headache which I assume is from the salt.
| 6
|
**Physician**: You’ll be fine
|
When should i take pregnancy test(the 2 line one)? How many days after sex? And also what are the disadvantages of morning-after pill(a.k.a ulipristal acetate) should i use it?
Age 18
Sex female
Height 1.75
Weight 77
Any existing relevant medical issues irregular periods
| 5
|
**Emergency Medical Technician**: I’m assuming you had unprotected sex recently which is why you are asking these questions.
The morning after pill / emergency contraception is most effective 72 hrs following unprotected sex. Any amount of time after that the efficacy drops significantly over time. Obviously, the closer you take it to the time of the encounter the better but there is still >90% efficacy up to 72 hrs. Side effects of emergency contraceptive are irregular/breakthrough bleeding and other period-like symptoms. It should not be taken regularly as a contraceptive but is safe to take for emergencies. And, to always note, emergency contraception does not work on an already fertilized egg, it only prevents ovulation or fertilization.
A pregnancy test will likely not show results until 2 weeks following fertilization or after a missed period. Pregnancy tests work by reading the levels of Hcg in the urine, a hormone that begins to be produced following fertilization.
|
23M nervous about heart failure
Info: 23M, height: 5 feet 11 inches, weight: 180, pounds, no meds, don’t smoke or drink or use drugs. Race:white hispanic 23 year old male. Duration: 4 months on and off chest pain.
No medical issues other than cardiac. And anxiety.
Recently had an echo done and the results showed a mildly thickened left side of heart and globally reduced wall motion. As well as a severely hypokinetic distal anterolateral wall. My ef is 40-45%. Everything else on echo came back normal and normal sizes. I have had troponin levels, chest x ray, chest ct, and EKG’s all come back normal. I’m constantly in the low heart rates 50’s resting and 45 when sleeping. I get some shortness of breath and have cramp like chest pains every now and then. I’m fairly young with a baby on the way and I just want to live and be here for my family. Could I please get some advice how to raise my ef and make my heart stronger. I have normal bp and am not obese.
| 4
|
**Physician - Cardiology **: Wait that’s really abnormal for your age. You need a cardiologist. And probably an MRI of your heart to figure out why you have heart failure.
|
My dad (59M) claims his vision does not update.
My dad is a type 2 diabetic and today he disclosed that sometimes his vision does not update even though his head moves. It's my first time hearing anything like this and I'm unable to find anything about it online.
He said that this has happened three times. One of those time was when he was looking at the mirror in the bathroom then turned around to leave and the mirror followed him. Kinda like his vision did not change even though his back was facing the mirror. Another time was when he was going downstairs but was unable to see the stairs because his vision of the wall stayed even though he was facing the stairs.
It's really worrying me and not sure what could be the reason and we won't be able to see the doctor about it until Monday. If there is something else you want to know I can always ask him.
Thanks
| 4
|
**Physician**: This is a very strange symptom and not one that I encounter frequently.
He should first schedule a visit with an ophthalmologist (or at least an optometrist) and have a dilated retinal exam. If the retina is intact and there is no retinopathy, then the other workup can follow.
However, this honestly sounds like something neurological. And MRI of the brain would be warranted.
|
Feeling weird after bender
So me 23m 160 lbs 6’0 and my buds had a crazy bender and on the rare days we weren’t drinking we were road-tripping with not much sleep. Got absolutely obliterated in Arizona where i was so drunk I forgot my phone number in which I than couldn’t give to a girl. Puked like crazy the next day and than 2 days later had a crazy bender in Vegas. I was drunk from morning till night on that trip. The last night I was so trashed that a guy bought me Gatorade and I did a lot of bad things. Having tons of sex while I was drunk. Since the bender I’ve been drinking every day since new years not too much but definitely a decent amount, at least over 6 drinks throughout the day maybe more sometimes and today I started feeling really strange. Do you think I messed up my liver? Trying to eat healthy just worried cause I feel strange, tired, randomly get bad anxiety and just feel strange in general. I wore condoms in Vegas so not afraid of stds
| 4
|
**Physician**: Sounds like you might be addicted to alcohol and should seek some help from your pcp
|
nurse gave me painful IV a week ago
nurse gave me painful IV a week ago
23 F 120 pounds 5’4
the bruise has barely healed. now today i woke up with an aching pain where it is. it’s been a whole week. i’ll link a pic of it on day 2 and now day 6
should i go see someone? it’s painful now and there’s red lines
| 6
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: Looks fine, just some bruising that will take time to go away.
|
TRIGGER WARNING: did I just have a miscarriage?
(F23) So I just had a very strange experience, I thought was just having my period but am still regularly taking the pill. I used the restroom just now to change tampons and after taking it out, this super thick and long piece came out but was more fleshy than clotty. I do have pictures of it but don't necessarily think I should post them here. What should I do, can anyone help out?
| 6
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: If you're on a method of contraception, unlikely to be having a miscarriage. This may be a decidual cast.
|
am i a hypochondriac or just shut luck?
i’m 27F, 170lb with a history. i take Insulin Humalog&Tesiba, omeprazole, hydroxychloroquine, atenolol and NDAIDS if needed for muscles but i’ve opted to CBD oils.
I never used to worry about my health until 2015. i ended up getting h pylori, someone in my dads office tested positive and i had all the same symptoms but my dr. refused to test me, in her words “we don’t have that in Canada” after 8 months of her telling me my symptoms are “just anxiety” i ended up in the ER from dehydration from throwing up/not being able to eat. testing showed it was h pylori , endoscopy showed it totally destroyed my stomach lining with 2 ulcers and bleeding. h pylori was treated. stomach issues treated with omeprazole. (still take them daily)
2016- my parents started to notice my eyes are bulging from my head more, i do bloodwork- i’m diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism, treated with methimazole. que heart problems and high blood pressure . i’m admitted for 2 weeks to be watched, hyperthyroidism & high blood pressure managed with atenolol and constant bloodwork/readings.
2017- February after some weird symptoms and lots of bloodwork im diagnosed with Lupus. given hydroxychloroquine . April i wake up looking like I had a stroke half my face paralyzed, unable to walk/talk. my mom calls 911 and i’m admitted to the ICU - diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, the very first in my family on both sides. fucking earth shattering. first time something good happens my blood work comes back my thyroid function is low so i stop the meds and it manages to maintain itself without burning out.
for years ive managed fine.
2021- Sept i started getting this constant achy pain on my right just in my ribs, that gets worse when i eat and lay down. i assume muscle/skeletal problems so i wait.
Nov - i make appointment, dr presses around, tells me i’m constipated gives me laxatives for a month. i shit my life away for a month. weeks later pain still there, now with bloating and nauseous constantly.
Jan 2022 at this point i’m throwing up every 3rd day all symptoms still there. bloodwork is okay and ultrasound rules out kidney stones and gallstones, dr. retreats me for h pylori. i do triple therapy w/ probiotics.
Mar - still pain, throwing up daily and have 0 appetite, i force myself to eat despite the pain bc i’m diabetic. dr tells me he no longer knows what to look for as my blood work is okay and i don’t have stones and he thinks i should speak to a psychiatrist.
any suggestions what it could be? or could i seriously be making myself sick?
| 4
|
**Physician**: If you have one autoimmune disease (such as type 1 diabetes, hyperthyroidism, lupus) you are at an increased risk of acquiring new autoimmune diseases. So yeah, you got bad luck.
Regarding the abdominal pain and vomiting, I think it would be reasonable to investigate further given your history. There are a bunch of autoimmune diseases that I know nothing about, as well as GI issues. Specialist workup by a GI or rheumatology specialist (or both) seems reasonable, unless you already have.
Two possibilities that come to mind:
1. Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome. Long term cannabinoid use can lead vomiting, nausea and stomach cramps. It can be quite debilitating. Fortunately stopping the CBD oil should cure this within a few weeks. It's rare, but it's an easy thing to stop while waiting for further workup.
2. Coeliac disease should probably be worked up and excluded.
|
(M/24) Passed out from abdominal pain on toilet
24yo male, above average health, healthy weight, no known chronic illness.
I was sitting on the toilet having some mild stomach pain. Pain kept going away and coming back stronger (was not pushing). Got so bad I blacked out, fell forward and slammed right side of my face into the bath tub. My face is tore up pretty bad and right eye is a little bloody.
Woke up ~30 secs later having defected all over myself and the wall. Horrible, unusual (rancid-like) smell.
I have occasional stomach pains and difficulty using the bathroom, but this is nothing like anything I’ve ever experienced. Easily the worst pain I’ve ever felt, and I’ve had some nasty injuries.
I’m absolutely terrified now. Any advice? Likely seeing my doc tomorrow if I can get in.
| 4
|
**Neonatal Nurse Practitioner**: It's a vasovagal response. It's not rare to happen just as you described. It feels horrific but it's harmless, as long as you don't fall.
If you start to feel like that, lay down on the floor, I recommend face down, the pressure seems to help for me. I have disposable pads in case of emergency and I think I can't make it between the toilet and floor. Prioritize the floor.
Definitely see your doctor since it's your first time, but most likely that's what your doctor will say. I have this, it's miserable. Doesn't happen with every time I get cramps or sick or even take a laxative, but when it happens, it sucks hard.
|
Low Heartrate First Day of Cycle
42 Caucasian Female, 118 lbs, 5'9" slim build, moderately active. Just started Lexapro 10 days ago, no other medications or medical history aside from recent developments. Non-smoker, no drugs, was a social drinker but haven't had a drink in 7 weeks (thanks Covid). Had depressed STs on 2 recent EKGs, but normal cat scans and echocardiograms.
I'm new to watching my heart rate, due to a lingering case of Covid that has given me palpitations (and new extreme anxiety, so fun) and I generally hang around 63-73 BPM while resting and up to 105 when doing chores or on longer walks. 55-65 sleeping.
Today I noticed my resting heart rate was often in the mid-to-high 50s (hit 50 in my sleep last night) and has fallen back down several times today, which also happens to be the first day of my menstrual cycle. Should I be concerned?
| 6
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: Nope, nothing here is concerning. Honestly, there's no reason to watch your heart rate unless you've been specifically told to by a doctor.
|
Acetaminophen Poisoning? No adverse signs after 24ish hours
Age 23
Sex F
Height 5’4
Weight ~225
Race W
Duration of complaint 24 hours
Any existing relevant medical issues GASTRIC SLEEVE SURGERY
I took 30 500mg acetaminophen tablets last night. I haven’t felt anything since taking them. However, I’m looking online and seeing different bits of information. Am I still in danger or because nothing has happened in the last 24 hours regarding side effects, should I be fine?
| 1
|
**Physician**: Go to the ER, now.
**Physician - Pulmonary and Critical Care**: Agree with everyone else, you absolutely need to go to the nearest ER now. If you wait for symptoms it's already very late in the course of toxicity. You have a VERY painful road ahead of you unless you seek help immediately.
|
I can feel the entire right side of my body more than the left.
M18, I'm really healthy both physically and mentally, height and weight at 172cm and 65kg. I exercise (mostly walks) regularly.
So, It doesn't matter if im exercising or just laying down, it's like I'm more aware of the right part of my body and I have more control of it.
When I meditate I can feel this tension in the right big back muscle, well, I can always feel it more or less, but sitting upp straight causes it to happen most.
Leg, arm, back, shoulder, feet, stomach, my nerves are just more compatible with my right side, but that also means more pain and the issue of not getting it out of my mind.
So, does anyone know what's up with this?
Is there anyway to treat it? Could it be a mental issue?
Common? I'm thankful for any help I just want to understand it.
| 6
|
**Physician - Pediatric Emergency Medicine**: There is unlikely to be a medical cause for this.
|
A myriad of strange issues after chiropractor that are getting worse...
Age: 24
Sex: male
Height: 6ft 2
Weight: 160lbs
Race: mixed
Duration of complaint: 10 weeks
I've been having some really strange issues. I was wondering if anybody had any ideas about what on heavens name is going on.
About 10 weeks ago I went to a chiropractor for some TMJ issues. They did a couple neck adjustments and since then it's caused a whole heap of really strange issues. Pretty much the next day followed the worst vertigo and throwing up. I'd have these episodes that I thought were strokes at the time. It'd become hard to speak and everything would spin. Breathing would become extremely difficult and it feels like my brain shuts down, I don't really understand what's happening around me and it feels like my body goes into shock accompanied by this extreme sense of doom. It also becomes really hard to walk. These episodes are still continuing.
As the weeks have gone by it feels like my cognitive function is deteriorating, I can't even concentrate on watching TV. My body feels heavier and my vision seems to get a bit darker every day. I feel like I'm in pure survival mode. Doctors are just throwing stronger and stronger painkillers my way and not doing too much in the way of investigating. Was wondering If anyone here had any ideas?
| 1
|
**Physician - Pediatrics**: Are you having actual bouts of aphasia? Like you actually can't speak?
You may have a cervicocephalic artery dissection from chiropractic manipulation. This is a well known issue, and why most physicians advise against seeing these goons for any C-spine issue.
"Stroke like" symptoms after chiropractic manipulation deserves a CTA looking for cervicocephalic artery dissection.
A friend of mine from med school almost died from this. He was having headaches, vision changes, etc. They were TIAs. He was flicking off little clots to his brain and having stroke symptoms. Eventually he threw a huge clot to his MCA and almost died. If he hadn't been on campus when it happened, he would be dead or neurologically devastated. He's a successful internist now, though with decreased vision in one eye.
Most of these are diagnosed sooner than 10 weeks. That's the only thing that would give me pause about doing a CTA.
Another possibility is BPV. I don't think that typically makes it "hard to speak" or changes in vision.
**Physician - Internal Medicine**: You need to head to the ED immediately to get a work up up cva. A dissection has to be ruled out. Agree with everything the first physician state.
Please, please never let anyone do manipulations on your neck, no matter how experienced. It sucks to see patients esp young ones who had their neck manipulated and now are paralyzed.
You vision changes, vertigo, etc are all sign of intracranial pathology and needs to be looked at.
**Physician - Pediatrics**: Did you ever get evaluated for this?
|
21F, pretty bad tailbone pain that started today, can’t walk and i peed myself last night
21-year-old female, 140 pounds, 5’8, medications include lithium 450 and sequel 400
I have a history of spinal fusion (T4-L2). Last night I peed myself a little and could not help it. It was a transparent substance, not my regular pee. Today I am having severe tailbone and hip pain on the left side. I can't get out of bed. It is sharp and aching. This developed pretty quickly overnight. Should I go to urgent care?
| 2
|
**Physician - Emergency Medicine**: Yes, I would definitely go get evaluated right away if you are having back pain and new urinary incontinence.
|
itchy butthole!!!! SO itchy can’t deal
23 y/o female 120 pounds 5’3” i take oral contraception and usually take sertraline but took the week off (bad, i know. just started taking it again today). dont smoke weed cigs vape or anything. no recreational drugs. occasional drinker
my butthole is itchy. so itchy. i missed work today because it was so itchy i couldn’t fathom having to sit at a desk while my butthole was so itchy. and i have no idea why. i thought it was hemorrhoids, but preparation h has done nothing for me and my butthole looks normal. i have never seen a worm or anything even remotely worm looking so i don’t think it’s that. i have a theory that i wipe too much down there (shoutout my ocd) and the small cuts have finally caught up to me and created one big itchy problem.
regardless of the origin of this itchy issue… how can i lessen this itch? i just want to go to work and not be brought to tears by how itchy i am downstairs. thanks friends
| 4.25
|
**Physician**: You need to go see your primary care physician. I don't know the process for this where you are, but you should get tested for pinworms. You won't see them as they are not active during the times you would be awake. Depending on where you live or what you do for work, it can be very easy to be exposed to the eggs and subsequently infected.
I don't think this would be from over wiping unless you had a sensitivity to something in the toilet paper.
**Physician - Internist**: Go see your doc for an inspection. It’s probably hemorrhoids, you might be applying preparation H incorrectly?
Also, is it better after you shower and dry off?
**Physician**: As someone who takes craps and wiped my ass - before getting bidets installed - I too experienced the occasional itchiness for a day or so after a bad one.
How long has it itched? If we're talking consistently over days, and if you've had possible exposure, then a worm/hemorrhoid workup may be warranted. If it's lessening, occurred after meticulous wiping, and happened once, I'd wager it's probably not a big deal. Some things to look out for either way are GI troubles, bloating, trouble breathing, and coughing up traces of blood.
**Registered Nurse**: Until you can check in with your PCP, this is gonna sound weird…
Number one, how regular are your bowels and do you frequently or did you recently strain on the toilet? If yes to either or both questions, please proceed for my next “woo-woo” anecdotes. You still need to follow up with your PCP.
Green tea bag. Preferably decaffeinated but I guess caffeinated could do. Steep first, let cool, rest on anus. Yes, patience, too, if you are desperate before doctor visit.
Yep. If it is a mild external hemorrhoid or subtle inflammation down there, that worked best for me years ago. Also, I wasn’t making enough money to pay for a doctor visit for itchy anus (pruritus ani) at that point in life. Eventually I went to urgent care but I don’t recall them doing much for me, personally. It was quite a while ago.
Also get softer toilet paper and some wet wipes, regardless. Source: OCD? But mostly my life and bedside nursing experience.
Don’t quote me, please, if any of this works for you.
**Edit:** *If you’re wiping that excessively due to diarrhea,* you need to correct that diarrhea with either diet, mental state (aka self care), and/or a bulk forming laxative. But the bulk forming laxatives only work if you’re not drinking too much water. They are a dual-purpose oxymoron with various variables.
**Wipes + topical anti-inflammatory may still help until you get to the doctor.**
Don’t mess with the anus. I know this personally and professionally. It is more sensitive than your toilet paper. For the love of God at least try oral methods if you’re constipated before you stick a stimulant laxative up Uranus.
If you get to that point, lubricant, trim nails if no gloves, get it past the sphincter and wait as long as possible for best results. Be close to a toilet.
I hope I don’t have to mention that you should thoroughly wash your hands afterwards…
u/slp_bee - I made edits from my phone for you.
My very intelligent RN friend that makes more money than me has a bidet. I still live in a rental for now.
**Licensed Practical Nurse**: After you rule out pinworms maybe buy a bidet kit for your toilet and only rinse with water or pat dry.
**EMT**: NAD but I experienced something similar to this once. It turned out to be internal hemorrhoids.
|
23F can't finish colonoscopy prep
Female, 23, white, 135lbs, 5'0
I have a colonoscopy scheduled for tomorrow at 10 am. My prep included 2 dulcolax pills at noon along with a bottle of magnesium citrate 30 minutes after. Then repeat 4 hours later. So I got all the pills and a bottle of the magnesium citrate down, but I'm struggling with the second one. I had a few sips but not eating and thrn drinking this makes me feel so sick.
Would it cause a problem if I didn't finish the second bottle? I don't want to risk not being cleared out enough and having to redo this but I feel like I'm going to throw up if I keep going 😫
| 5
|
**Physician**: Bowel prep is really unpleasant, no doubt about it. Unfortunately there’s no easy answer here.
As you’ve already correctly said, not completing the prep increases the risk of the pictures obtained being non-diagnostic and having to repeat the investigation.
It will make you feel sick, but just do what you can. It’s too late to consider alternative prep, so you’ll just have to do your best and consider alternative prep next time if the test is unsuccessful.
|
Should I see a doctor?
I 22F have had a lymph node on the left side of my neck swollen for at least a year if not more. You can feel it and it moves when you push it, it doesn’t hurt I’m not sure if I should be worried since it’s been there so long? Lately I’ve been sweating randomly in the night when I didn’t before and I am quite itchy, I searched up these symptoms and lymphoma comes up and I am nervous.
| 4
|
**EMT**: I would see a doctor. Lymph nodes most commonly swell from infection.
|
dental treatment chemical burn
22F, 162 cm, 64kg. It happened when the dentist was "cleaning" my tooth I suppose? It smelled like chlorine and at a certain point I felt a burning sensation all over my gums, I've squeaked for a sec due to the pain and as doctor saw this reaction they've used something to wash away the compound.
However this chlorine-smelling thing dropped from my gums and into my throat. I've tried to explain my problem to the dentist, but they've said it's probably gonna go in an hour or so. It's been 10 hours since then, and I have an awful pain when I swallow.
I tried checking my throat myself, but there's no swelling or any other visible damage, only intense pain whilst swallowing. What should I do?
| 1
|
**Physician**: Reasonable to go to the ER if you are having intense throat pain in setting of either a reaction to whatever they used or if there is a chemical irritant. May be necessary to make sure there isn't further damage
|
30, male, 205 lbs, 6'1 Cbc normal?
I have no energy, stressed, stomach pains that doctors can't find any problems. I've noticed my nails have lost their iunula, im always thirsty. I get mild body and joint pains. I've been severely depressed and I don't know why. I'm just wondering if anything like anemia is adding to these symptoms. I'm sorry if this makes zero sense.
Here is my cbc chart
http://imgur.com/gallery/nKPqJyR
| 4
|
**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Your CBC is normal.
You should talk to your doctor about your mental health concerns. Mental health is very important, and depression is treatable!
|
Can I use ear drops (neomycin/polymyxin/hydrocortisone) for my ear if they expire this month?
18M 5’5 105 pounds.
My ear has begun to hurt a lot, and I think it could be because I’ve been scratching it a lot out of habit. I’m worried I can have an ear infection, so I want to use some antibiotic ear drops I have. I have ear drops from when I last had an ear infection, but the expiry date says Jan 2023; no specific date. I know I shouldnt use them without consulting a doc first and getting checked out but that is not possible right now. Could I use these drops since it is still January?
| 5
|
**Physician - Emergency Medicine**: Have they been opened previously? In general, most medications don't go "bad" past their expiration date persay, but rather they just lose some of their potency (no, this is not an all-encompassing statement, just a general rule of thumb). With that said, those eardrops are safe to use.
And just to be clear, I'm not recommending the use of them in this post, just answering that they won't cause you any harm.
|
Am I at risk for getting pregnant?
So about a week ago me [20] [female] [white] [260 lbs] [5’7] [non drinker] [non smoker], and my boyfriend [20] [male] [white] [lbs unknown] [5’11] [non drinker] [non smoker] had unprotected sex (September 16, 2022) where he finished inside of me.
But I am on the combination pill (aurovela fe 1/20) for birth control and have been for about 6 years. The thing that is making me anxious is that I take my pills at different times each day, ranging from noon, to 6 pm, to midnight, to 1 am basically whenever I remember to.
I’ve heard that you don’t have to take the combination pill at the same time for it to work, but I’m still anxious. Ive taken an at home test (I took it September 23, 2022) even tho I know it’s early and it says not pregnant but it’s only been a week since we’ve had sex. Do you think I should be ok and I was protected? Or do you think I should be concerned there’s a chance I could get pregnant?
| 5
|
**Physician**: You’re probably ok. Yes, you *could* be pregnant but combination pills don’t have the same strict time limit as progestin-only pills.
With perfect use (same time, every single day with never a missed dose), OCPs are >99% effective.
With typical use (which sounds like you), they’re 91% effective.
So, while it’s possible for you to be pregnant, it’s highly unlikely. Continue living your life as you do and if you’re period is late take a pregnancy test then. Home tests cannot detect levels of bHCG (the hormone that you test for in pregnancy) after one or two weeks so if you keep testing before you miss a period you’re just wasting money
|
There's scabs all over my scalp
I mean ALL OVER it is a lot. It can't heal because of the scabs, and im a male with long hair so it makes it even harder. All of what to do as of now my 2 options are get a buzzcut and clean it off painfully, or clean it off painfully. Is there a easy way to do this? What type of doctor would I even see. Is there a treatment or anything? I looked it up and I can't see any solutions to fix it after it gets really really bad. I mean it is like all over my entire scalp, and my hair is almost growing out of it in some places. I'm pulling out 60% hair and 40% scab and it hurts. I took a bath in coconut oil and hot water to try to make it soft, it helped but only to a certain extent. It is covering my entire scalp and I don't know what direction to go from here. I dident stop it before it got worse.
| 3.666667
|
**Physician - Dermatology**: See a dermatologist.
**Physician - Dermatology**: I thought this was obvious but apparently not: there is no way to diagnose your skin/scalp condition based on the limited information you provided. A dermatologist is the correct physician to see for this.
**Registered Nurse**: Dermatologist will help you. Impress upon them you need an urgent appointment for a very painful problem and that this is not a beauty treatment issue. If you don't have a dermatologist, you could start with a university affiliated one. They specialize. Some are generalists, some do more surgical procedures, some work more with skin cancers, some with skin diseases, some with cosmetic dermatology. They all have the same underlying training though so just ensure you are seeing a board certified dermatologist. Ask to have a nurse from the practice call you if it will be a long wait for an appointment. Sometimes after hearing what is going on, they can get you in faster. This happened for me.
Don't scrub your scalp, pick or pull, or do anything other than keep it clean. If you are willing to cut your hair, that is fine, but it could traumatize your scalp if you do a buzz cut now. You could try a T-gel or T-sal shampoo and see if you get some relief. Follow the instructions.
It could be a folliculitis, a dermatitis, an autoimmune issue like psoriasis, or even lice etc. Is there itching? Do you see little white eggs attached to any of the hairs around the ears or nape of the neck? Edit to add, that until you can be seen, we do not have enough to go on to help you more, but wish you the best.
|
Vomited after taking my medication. Should I take another pill?
Hi everyone. First time posting. I’m a 5’5 male weighing ~110LBS. I’ve recently been in an emotional rut and haven’t eaten or taken my medicine in about 3 days. I of course am feeling super shitty due to this. The only thing I’m currently taking that’s important to this situation is 60MG of Cymbalta every 24 hours.
Anyways, I decided to pull myself out of bed and eat for the first time today at about 3PM EST (an hour ago.) I wolf down my food, a bad decision, and go back to bed due to sudden hot flashes, dizzyness and nausea. I recognize this as my withdrawal symptoms of Cymbalta, and decide to take my pills a bit earlier than usual at around 3:50PM EST. Fast forward ten minutes, I vomit and notice something blue in it… the same shade of blue that’s on my fucking Cymbalta capsule. Go figure.
Do I bear through another day of withdrawal or should I take another capsule? What would be the risks of taking more medication? Thank you for the help.
| 5
|
**Physician, Emergency Medicine | Moderator**: if you vomited within 30 minutes of taking the cymbalta its okay to redose.
|
Breast cancer and alcoholism
I was recently diagnosed with Ductal carcinoma in situ and I’m having a lumpectomy this coming Thursday. Followed by radiation. I’m going to be fine by all accounts but what no one knows is that after 11 years of sobriety I’ve been drinking 2 bottles of wine every night for 2 years. I’ve gained 70 pounds, I get winded walking more than 20 steps and I can’t pick myself up when I sit on the floor, I need a solid object to prop myself up. I’m disgusted with myself, as my previous highest weight was 135. I haven’t had a drink since yesterday and I don’t plan to, but let’s be honest I have AUD and all bets are off the table, I do the opposite of what I want to do most of the time. Am I going to survive the operation based on that information? Or maybe scare me into sobriety. I had it for 11 years, the best years of my life and I want it back but I’m finding it really difficult this time around.
Edit to add I’m a white 43 y female with absolutely no physical health problems, no family history of breast cancer and my genetic testing came back clear.
| 4
|
**Physician - Cardiology **: I would ask for a heart evaluation. That much alcohol could affect the heart which would affect your risks during lumpectomy.
**Physician**: Winded with 20 steps, cant get up off the floor? You are a big risk for surgery. Alcohol withdrawal aside, your lack of cardiac fitness puts you at big risk. Some talented anesthesiologist may be able to do some blocks and sedation and get you through this but the breast is tough to block adequately. I’d like to see a few numbers first, an echocardiogram, maybe stress test, PFTs. Good luck.
**Physician - Psychiatrist**: Addiction psychiatrist here - whats your plan on getting off alcohol but more importantly keeping off alcohol?
Edit just noticed you abruptly stopped from 2 bottles of wine a day - I wouldn't really recommend this due to withdrawal risks. I'd be seeking advice from your doc just in case it's medically too risky for you to do that.
|
Is this an emergency?
Odds I’m deficient in Thiamine?
Male 26 6’00” 185LBS
Drink 4-6 beers every night for 4-5 years all my blood work are good heart is healthy etc. physical is normal. I have some heartburn.
What are the odds I am thiamine deficient? I twitch a lot.
Is it easy to correct thiamine?
Some say thiamine deficiency is very very rare/ unheard of these days.
| 5
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: That amount of alcohol will cause lots of problems (ones that won’t necessarily be picked up in your physical). Thiamine deficiency may be one. While you are dealing with alcoholism, you should take a daily multivitamin containing thiamine
|
Is it ok to take Omeprazole and Augmentin?
Pcp prescribed Augmentin, an ENT prescribed Omeprazole. PCP knows of the Omeprazole prescription. However, having pretty bad stomach pains for 3 days now and online I’m seeing it isn’t safe to take the two together?
32F 175lbs
| 5.5
|
**Physician**: Yes, perfectly fine
**Physician**: The Omeprazole should be protecting your stomach but antibiotics, especially Augmentin, can be hard on the stomach. So with your underlying GERD it's likely the antibiotic causing it. I would definitely continue the Omeprazole.
Edit: you could also try a probiotic while in the Augmentin. Maalox may help with the GERD and coat your stomach even more.
|
I'm positive that I have severe OCD (or some similar disorder). Is there any worth in getting diagnosed?
Age 26
Sex M
Height 5'7''
Weight 165lbs
Race Black
Duration of complaint 26 years
Location USA
The issues that OCD gave me was worse when I was younger, but I've been able to ignore some of the compulsions as I've aged. There are still times when it gets to me and it makes me hate how my brain works. Are there really any medications that could help it? I've learned to distrust going to the doctor for things that aren't life threatening and I feel that I could live the rest of my life continuing how I've been. I'm only making this post because of the small chance that there's something out there that can lead me to a normal life. Any help is appreciated and I'll gladly takes subreddit suggestions to post this in. Here are some of my symptoms for those interested (be aware that all of these have been happening to me for as long as I can remember):
* My biggest compulsion is this weird thing I have with "opposites". If I touch an object with my left hand, I feel a very strong compulsion to touch it with my right. Most of the time, when I succumb to the compulsion and touch it with my right, I feel the need to touch it with my left again - this leads to a viscous cycle. It's worse with itches because I'll scratch myself and relive the itch, but them I have to do it with the other hand as well which can sometimes be painful. If I cough, I feel like I need to take a gasp of air. If I wink with my right eye, I need to wink with my left eye. A dangerous compulsion that I've never done is while driving; if I turn or yank my wheel to the right, then I feel like I need to make the same movement the left.
* If I say a word or phrase out loud, I feel obligated to repeat the same thing backwards.. Eg "I like dogs" turns into "Sogd ekil I". Most of the time, I can just repeat it in my head and it'll be fine, but there are occasions where I *have* to say the backwards phrase out loud.
* If I touch something that I perceive as being dirty, there's a weird feeling on whichever body part that touched it that lasts until I either wash it, or fight through the compulsion - this can last for 5-10 minutes or shorter.
When I don't succumb to my compulsions, there's a strong feeling of pressure that builds up inside of me until I either do it, or fight it long enough that it goes away.
Now I know this all sounds very strange, but like I said, I've been living with this for more than 2 decades and I've gotten used to it.
| 4
|
**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Yes, you should absolutely see a doctor about this. We also treat patients with non-life-threatening conditions. Have more trust in us :)
There are medications available that treat OCD, like certain SSRIs. You can also try therapy. You can talk to your doctor about managing your OCD with medication and ask for a referral to see a therapist.
|
[25f] what would happen if i, a 120lb woman, took 7000mg of divalproex sodium
i am 5’5. i drink and smoke regularly as well as purge. is it deadly? from my calculations it would not be.
i know this is ridiculous i’m just considering it as an incredibly calculated suicide attempt bc i have underwent serious trauma, my family is ignoring me, i can’t maintain friendships and every time i contact mental health they pretty much brush me off. advice?
| 1
|
**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: **Please go to your nearest behavioral health hospital or ER immediately.**
|
Intubated during surgery now I have throat pain and unusual coughing weeks later
39 year old male. Non smoker.
I had abdominal surgery 12 weeks ago that was unrelated to my lungs/airways but had a breathing tube inserted during the general anesthesia. I’ve had a few unrelated surgeries in the past that I was intubated for as well.
When I was in the recovery room one of my earliest memories was thinking my throat hurt more than it had ever hurt after surgery before. I told my wife that the throat part hurt more than my large bicycle seat area incision haha.
I didn’t think too much of it but my throat was a little tender for about 2-3 weeks. Sometimes I’d feel it swallowing food, etc.
About a month ago (about two months post op) I started to get these strange spells where I would be talking and suddenly lose my voice and start coughing uncontrollably. Hard, aggressive and painful coughs that often cause me to gag. This type of coughing is not normal for me at all, and when it happens it feels entirely reflexive like I couldn’t stop it if I had to.
It feels like I have a half a toothpick jammed deep in my throat by my vocal cords or Adams apple. I’m pretty sure this is almost the same spot it hurt after my surgery.
When this happens if I don’t talk the coughing usually stops until I talk again. But if I give a little push on the base of my throat around where it is happening it triggers another coughing fit. Sometimes my instincts are to grab the skin of my throat and pull it away and take pressure off the area and it seemingly makes the coughing less severe.
This seems to be getting worse. I’ll go from speaking totally normal and fine to unable to talk at full volume to coughing in literally a single sentence. It’s happening almost daily and I’m trying to figure out exactly what is going on and I can’t find references to many of my symptoms online. If anyone can give any insight it would be appreciated. I assume an ENT doctor appointment may be in my future but I’m trying to be in a place to make informed decisions. I do not know if something could have gone wrong with the breathing tube causing long term injury or damage.
Thanks for any input you can give.
| 4
|
**Physician - Anesthesiology**: It's worthwhile to see an ENT for an opinion
**Physician**: Sounds like you should see an ENT who can take a look at your vocal cords and see what's happening.
|
Pls help, we’re scared. Took Escapelle 9 hrs after unprotected sex
Hello, me (M22) and my partner (F20) had unprotected sex on 14th Jan (4th day of cycle). Her period started on 10th Jan and her bleeding had stopped. I know we have made HUGE mistake and it's never going to happen but we need some opinions on this matter. I did not ejaculate inside (slight chance of precum inside) and we took Escapelle pill within 9 hours. Considering it was her 4th day of period and her cycle is regular (25-26 days), what are your thoughts on this? We have been taking ovulations tests these past 6 days and all negative so far. Today (19.01), she got a little discharge clear-white and we’re scared.
We are panicking. We are aware that we have blundered heavily and this was the first and last time. Thank you to anyone who replies! We really appreciate it.
| 6
|
**Physician**: If your partner's cycle is regular and you've had intercourse during her periods the chance of a conception is slim to none. And as you have also taken an emergency contraception, you can be relieved.
|
18M scared of colon cancer and dont know where to go
The past 4 1/2 weeks I have seen blood in my stool. It was never dark always bright red but enough to see and be worried. I have stages where I just have this decently dull pain in my stomach and no diet has seemingly change it. This past week i got solid stool with no blood except on the paper after. But now its back, I'm just scared and want to know how and if I should go to a doctor without my parents knowing as I'm in college. I should also mention ive always been healthy and healthy looking.
| 6
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: Your symptoms are not indicative of colon cancer. If you're mostly seeing bright red blood on the paper, you likely have hemorrhoids or an anal fissure.
|
Massaging out the haemorroid
I'm a 29M. Two weeks ago I felt a little numb in my anus and then over a week it grew the size off a large pea. It's external too.
Last night I spent 2 hrs in the shower trying to push it and felt it reduce in size. I kept going and it's reduced quite a lot. But somewhere in the middle of this work, it has burst. But there was minimal bleeding and a few blot clots. By the end the pile reduced to back to the size of a grain of rice.
This morning I woke up and there was a little blood but the size grew back to a small pea.
Question is do I continue to do this practice hoping it'll eventually go away or do I need to get surgery or some kind to permanently resolve this medical issue? I'm currently using rectogesic ointment.
| 4
|
**Physician**: You shouldn't do that. Leave it alone for now, and if it's still giving you problems in a few weeks time, go see a doctor who can remove it more safely.
|
My mother’s molar cracked directly in half and she swallowed it
My mom is 49F, 5’5
145lbs 5’4 Latina
She has diabetes, hypertension, and some sort of gallbladder condition.
She was eating multigrain crackers when the tooth suddenly cracked in half and she swallowed it.
She experienced no pain whatsoever and wasn’t aware that the tooth had cracked until she felt the sharpness of the tooth going down her esophagus.
She said it felt sharp going down, but she doesn’t have bleeding or pain in her throat. She is still concerned about the tooth potentially cutting her intestines or stomach.
On google I read that it would best if she ate a lot of fiber to help the tooth pass. But I found other articles claiming that it’s not even worth the risk and she should see the doctor immediately.
We are not well off financially, and we really don’t want to spend on a doctors visit right now. (We don’t have insurance, but we are registered with a program that helps with hospital bills for some reason [Christian Healthcare Ministry])
Personally, I think she will be okay since the tooth didn’t even cut her throat, but she is extremely panicked and worried.
Can anyone give me a more professional opinion that I can relay to her?
| 6
|
**Physician - Gastroenterology**: Nothing to do. Itll pass
|
Father too weak to make it to chemotherapy
My 71 year old father has prostate cancer. It has spread to some of his bones. He has had three chemotherapy treatments so far but now doesn’t have the strength to make it to his appointments. He has become very weak and needs help getting up and down. He has gotten out of bed and slipped down to the floor several times now and could not get up. My mother is unable to get help him by herself. I live five hours away. What can he do to get his strength back so he can resume treatment? He also has trouble sleeping. Please, I need some advice. I am generally in the dark about his prognosis as well.
| 4
|
**Rheumatology Research Fellow**: I’m not sure that there is an easy solution. If he’s this weakened and needs so much support, then one option would be him moving into a care home, perhaps temporarily.
Chemotherapy is an unpleasant experience. His oncologist should be giving him advice on how to keep his strength up, but it’ll be a real struggle for him.
I think you have to face the possibility that he may not be able to recover. At the moment your post seems to be very optimistic, but the truth of the matter (from how you’ve written it here) is that he’s very unwell.
You should try to speak to his oncologist who may be able to provide more clarity
|
Azithromycin for covid
Patient aged 30 years, Male, weight 90 kg height 5"7' just had covid test positive and been having a fever of 100.7 F since two days. Should he be on Azithromycin 500 mg and Acetaminophen to reduce symptoms until he goes to the doctor? What other meds would you suggest?
| 5
|
**Physician | Top Contributor**: He should treat his symptoms - if he's having fever and is uncomfortable, then taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen (or both if needed) is a good idea. No need for azithromycin. Otherwise, no need to see the doctor unless there are specific concerns (please don't go out and expose other people!), just stay home, get some rest, and call the doctor if anything worrisome (low O2 saturation, fever >5 days, difficulty breathing, etc).
|
I just passed a terrifyingly large blood clot while peeing... Kinda tripping out.
Male, 30, 265lbs, 5'9
Just a bit of background, not sure if it's important to know or not. I'm a truck driver of about 7 years now so for a large majority of the day I'm sedentary though I do stretch my legs whenever possible. Diet could be better but I'm not eating fast food (I bring my own food), I don't drink sugary drinks or sodas (zero sugar alternatives), etc. I do smoke, wouldn't imagine that would be the cause but I'll throw it in anyways.
Woke up about an hour ago, everything seemed normal, no weird pains or aches or anything. Went to use the restroom and made no progress. Despite having to go, nothing was coming out. I didn't push or force it or anything like that. After a moment, I noticed a small, slow stream of cherry-red blood, no urine at all though. I made several attempts to go, no urine, just blood. Just when I was about to pack it in and look into an Uber to the nearest hospital, I passed what appeared to be a large blood clot, same cherry-red color, maybe a half-inch long. Once it was passed, the urine followed like a firehose.
Now obviously this is concerning and I've contacted my significant other to make plans to go to the hospital. Only issue is that I'm currently 800 miles from home and I'm not planned to be back until Friday evening or Saturday morning. So my question is actually two questions. First, am I gonna thrash a kidney or something waiting for my scheduled hometime? And second, what the hell could cause this? Like I said, I'm not in pain, no aches. My urine smelled like... normal urine I guess, no foul odor. I just figured asking a real doctor (while obviously not a be-all-end-all) would be better than perusing WebMD and hoping that I don't have stage-37 kidney cancer. Thanks in advance for any replies.
| 4
|
**Physician**: Stage 37 cancer is the worst lmao. First thing to rule out is infection, then bladder/kidney stones/cysts, prostate issues and rarely the big C. Go see ur doc but i dont think, if u remain well, and its not a recurring or worsening issue u can wait a little. If its persistent get it checked sooner. Hope u get better soon.
|
I worry I might get cancer after I had a CT Scan
Hello,I am 26M and a few days ago I had my first ever CT scan after I hit my head while inebriated. The next day I googled if there are any dangers for a CT head scand and I found out I might have a 1 in 15,000 chance of getting a cancerous tumor in the next 5-15 years. I have always been a bit paranoid about my health but ever since I found out I can't help but feel like I got a death sentence, I lost all my apetite, I feel constant anxiety and can barely sleep.
Should I get a MRI scan in a few months to see if I have a tumor growing or am I just worrying over nothing?
| 6
|
**Physician | Moderator | Top Contributor**: Oncologist here. No, you should **not** get an MRI to see if you have cancer in a few months. The dose of radiation emitted by a CT scan is *minuscule*. I order CT scans for patients who have cancer all the time.
You have literally nothing to worry about. If CT scans were dangerous, we would not order them on a daily basis.
|
Bleeding while pregnant? Is this an immediate concern?
I’ll start off my saying I saw my OB on Wednesday, got blood work to check my HCG levels on Thursday, and went again this morning to get a 2nd round done to see if my numbers doubled. I’m about 6-8 weeks pregnant right now. When I woke up for my appointment, I noticed my underwear were fairly soaked in blood and it’s a pure blood red color. Not really brown or pink. I put a pad on and throughout the last 12 or so hours I’ve had a couple drops here and there, but not nearly as much as when I woke up from maybe 7 hours of sleep. I’ve had light cramping for the last 2 days but it hasn’t really gotten worse today. Does anyone know if this is an immediate cause for a Dr visit (my OB was closed today and opens again Monday) or should I be okay to wait for my blood work and see if things are okay? Thanks in advance for any help, I’ve been a little stressed about it all day.
| 2
|
**Operating Theatre Assistant**: If you haven’t already; please go get seen. Every chance it all turns out to be okay, but any bleeding at any stage in pregnancy needs checking out to be sure of that. Things can change quickly.
**Physician - Obstetrics and Gynecology**: Immediate visit.
|
End of preview. Expand
in Data Studio
README.md exists but content is empty.
- Downloads last month
- -
Size of downloaded dataset files:
751 kB
Size of the auto-converted Parquet files:
751 kB
Number of rows:
859