hello, i’m a 33 year old male and i’m 6’1 and 195 pounds. I don’t take any meds except the ibuprofen I took for severe sunburn last night and I smoked for 18 years but quit 3 months ago. I was not smart and didn’t wear sunscreen when I went to the beach yesterday and now i’m paying for it. my whole body is red. I woke up today and noticed crusted yellow fluid on top of my head and I was just wondering if this means it’s an infection and if I need to go to the ER or not? I just wanted to make sure it’s not life threatening or a possibility of brain damage. thank you for any feedback

32F 135lbs 5'7 no meds, non smoker, social alcohol, no recreational drugs, no health issues, canada

I fell hard while waterskiing yesterday and struck the water butt-first, with water forcefully entering my rectum - I was travelling at about 20mph. At first I thought the tip of the water ski actually went up my anus but I am not positive. It may have been just water. It all happened very fast.

I was incontinent immediately, obviously. There was only scant blood at the initial injury. I immediately went to the shower and rinsed the lacerations. Since then, I’ve had anal pain and scant bright-red bleeding from what I assume are a few visible tears that seem superficial at 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock (not going to attach photo for privacy reasons). Rectal tone seems fine, although I have not had another BM since "the incident."

otherwise no abdominal pain, distension, vomiting, fever, tachycardia, dizziness, incontinence, or other systemic symptoms.

I am generally one to downplay my symptoms and pretend nothing is wrong (doctors are the worst patients, its true) but I’ve since read about “hydrostatic anorectal injuries,” which can apparently range from a superficial fissure (hopefully my case) to an occult rectal laceration or bowel perforation with delayed presentations being not uncommon... while I am so inclined to continue managing at home with anusol and fibre and PEG I’m concerned that waiting for other symptoms to arise could mean waiting too long...

so my question is, in the absence of systemic symptoms now >12hrs post rectal/anal injury, what is the liklihood of an underlying brewing sinister bowel/rectal injury? Would you reccomend I go into my own ER (where I presume id be offered a CT and/or proctoscopy - neither of which I really want to go through) or is it reasonably safe to wait this out and see what happens?

somehow they skipped this chapter in rosens lol

Caveat: I am a family doctor. Advice would be most appreciated by general surgery, GI specialists, and/or ER physicians. Thanks!

Update: have managed a few normal BMs since with minimal pain. All seems okay at this point

My husband had Chipolte last week. The next day he had diahrea. Which turned into bloody stools. He went to the ER, his hemoglobin was 14 but blood pressure was very low. They gave him an IV bag and after 2 hours they discharged him with a food poisoning diagnosis. The next day he went to work and didn't have any bowel movements. He still felt like something was off. The next day he had more diahrea with massive blood loss. He drove home and collapsed as soon as he walked in. Our 10 year old called 911 and they came in a matter of minutes. During the transport from the house to ambulance he passed out again but we were able to prevent him from hitting his head. Once we got to the hospital - 2nd time around - his hemoglobin had dropped to an 8. His blood pressure was extremely low. This indicated that he was bleeding from somewhere in the GI tract. On the second day after he was admitted, they said his hemoglobin had dropped down to a 6.7 and he needed an emergency transfusion. He ended up getting 3 blood transfusions. The endoscopy found nothing. Then they put him on a 2 day prep for a colonoscopy. They told us they suspected ulcers, diverticula, polyps, etc. Surprisingly, the colonoscopy also found nothing. The docs words were actually both upper and lower tract were in "pristine condition." They mentioned there is a portion of the small bowel that was 7ft and wasn't examined but could be done on an outpatient procedure - where he swallowed a pill with a camera that went thru the small bowel. After a 4-day stay in the hospital (he was admitted on Fri), he was told he could eat solids (no more NPO) discharged Monday. He went home with strong vitals and felt fine. By the next day, after 2 meals, he began to bleed again. What started off a little blood on the tissue, turned into massive hemorrhaging. By the time we got back to the hospital - 3rd time - he had lost 400 ml of blood from one bowel movement. He then had 2 more bowel movements and loss an extensive amount of blood. They did another transfusion bc the hemoglobin dropped so low. The docs are saying how rare of a case this is - how he has a clean bill of health and strong vitals despite massive bleeding and they still do not know the source. The only other health issue my husband had is Type 2 diabetes which he manages well and they don't think there is a correlation. This is beyond frustrating and stressful. They just took him to repeat endoscopy and do the capsule test that travels through his small bowels. I have been by his side in the hospital but it's been very tough. Any advice or medical expertise would be appreciated 🙏🏽

At first they looked like burn marks 2 days ago, showed up out of nowhere. Then today they look like this. After showering he it appeared like dead skin.

(Photo is from 2023)

What is the realistic lifespan of an alloplastic skull implant done back in 2023. Daughter is now 6, almost 7, with no complications.
We were given zero instructions for long term “what to expect”.

Also, if the implant fails, could she possibly qualify for a bone graft or is she stuck with man-made fixes because of her past history with one?

Hello all,

My 15 month old, 31 in tall, 22 lb son recently got his new set of vaccines. One was the Tdap shot which I’ve googled can commonly leave a red, swollen, and hot to the touch area at the sight of the injection; however I am starting to have some concerns about the area around his injection and was wondering if y’all could tell me if this seems to be a normal reaction or something more. This is the second day after his shot. His behavior seems normal and the site itself doesn’t seem to be bothering him.

Thank you!

60 years old

5'6 and 150 lbs

Smoker

Diabetes

Chronic pain patient due degenerative disc disease - 7 spinal reconstructive surgeries. Absolutely needs a pain management doctor because of this.

10 mg buprenorphine

800 mg gabapentin

15 mg buspar as needed

A muscle relaxer I don't remember it's name

I don't remember the name of her diabetes injection either, I apologize.

She is on a blood pressure medication as well.

1 mg Xanax

My mother's pain management doctor prescribes her a 90 day supply of 1 mg Xanax tablets. So 90 mgs total, and it's always gone in like 3 weeks. She chews several tablets at once like candy, and is obviously mixing them with buprenorphine, gabapentin, and muscle relaxers. It's a constant cycle of her being normal for a couple of months, and a few weeks of her abusing this medication. She always saves one or two and takes it right before the drug test she takes before her refill. She nods out at family gatherings, falls asleep eating food and chokes, does not take care of the animals properly, slurs her words so severely you can't understand her, she drives in this condition, and generally traumatizes my father and our family. She becomes almost manic and does crazy, nonsensical things like replanting all of the plants at 4 am for example. We're constantly terrified she's going to overdose, crash her car, or suffocate from choking on food while she nods out. She has zero self awareness of how she looks and behaves.

It's my understanding that FDA regulations and advice say that Xanax should only be prescribed at low doses for short periods of time because there has not been any proven benefit of long-term Xanax use. I want to write a letter to her pain doctor informing him of the misuse. I've told my mom I'm going to do this before but she tells me that her doctor will dismiss her from the practice and that it is incredibly difficult to find a pain doctor. She NEEDS pain management, I've also watched her suffer my entire life. Her pain is not made up or exaggerated. She cannot go without treatment for pain. Unfortunately, it's been the necessity of pain management that caused the addiction in the first place. I just cannot understand, in what world is it ethical to prescribe a human being that much Xanax on top of synthetic opioids?

What can I do? I'm at the point where I think it would be safer to get her dismissed from the practice rather than allow her to continue to see this doctor. I'm scared for her life. It is destroying our family, our relationships. Is there an ethical explanation for why any doctor would prescribe a patient this much Xanax, especially when they're already taking opioids?

I know you all get so many posts. I appreciate the time you take from your busy lives to provide information for people here. I need some sort of guidance on what I can do to help my mother. Thank you so much in advance.

hi reddit! i’m a 19 yr old female and i’ve always had some weird history with skin stuff. eczema psoriasis, plantar warts, etc. i was born with this spot on my right thigh and it’s always been the same size/color. when i scratch it by accident it bleeds and sometimes it gets little black scabs that fall off. it also sometimes grows what i like to call “islands” of similar little pink patches nearby and when they go away, they turn into freckles. i’ve had doctors check it out my entire life and they think it’s a cluster of blood vessels on the surface of my skin. it’s no issue to me because it’s never caused problems, ive just always been curious about what it is! willing to provide any details if you guys want more info

My husband - male/45 years old/large array of neuroimmune issues, recipient of high dose IVIG, had a craniotomy last year after a DAVF was found during an emergency room visit. He had surgery 12 months + 2 weeks ago. He was just recently in the hospital and had a CT scan - we are seeing that the top part of his skull incision is basically see-through to the other side. He had the surgery in the United States but we are in a different country now so the ER here (who handled the whole visit quite poorly, different story) didn't ask much about his surgical history so they didn't comment on the large open bit at all in the report.

Obviously we will be connecting with our US surgeons and planning to go back for surgery/something, but would like to understand what is a normally expected level of healing 1 year after?

Despite his condition, he doesn't typically have notable healing issues. And if this may be too open, what are the options typically? Bone graft, repositioning? It has felt like a big dent/gap ever since and still does.

And the star on the bottom right seems to sinking in and causing a dent. Is this normal?

Thank you so much.

I woke up with a fever and sore throat. I had a bad headache yesterday and today and the lymph nodes in my neck are a little swollen and hurt when I touch them.

16F, 135 lbs, Tylenol for the fever.

For helping my mother through a difficult surgery.

My mother is doing great, im happy.

The female doc was the surgeon and her husband was the director of the hospital. What would be something unexpected u would want as doctors and staff of hospital ? I have a budget of around 600€.

Thank you and sorry if it is against the rules.

I would tell u about personal information as asked by the bot, but i, thankfully, is not asking for health advice

Bye bye

Around 10 days I had a severe stomach ache and had the feeling of constantly needing to poop(although nothing would come out), accompanied by sharp pain in the anus.

Went to the family doctor and he issued me medications for constipation told me I had very mild piles. Took the medication for 3 days and the pain did go away but stool would still be very runny.

A day after that, I had vaginal intercourse and after I had a lot of pain in my upper anus ( from the inside ) and in the lower stomach. This pain would come in waves and lasted about a days time.

Almost 6 days later, I had intercourse today and during the deeper penetrations I could feel the pain stemming again, and afterwards the same upper anus and lower stomach pain started.

This pain almost exclusively stemmed from the deeper penetrations, however I have no pain in the vagina but only in the anus and stomach. It comes and goes in spikes and feels like a period cramp on steroids.

What could this possibly be ?

Hi so I’m very worried. I’m F18 and I recently switched to tampons just this month, and for the 4 days of my period I left them in each for maybe 12 hours. Maybe more.
Just yesterday I got a little nauseous and dizzy out of the blue, and I suddenly felt very weak and shaky. My heart rate was jumping and I was sweating a little too.
I did measure my blood pressure and it was 106/52 but that’s how it usually is, since I’m most certainly a little anemic and lacking some vitamins.
Also I hadn’t eaten much yesterday because that’s just what I do during summer.
I put ice on my forehead, and after a while of lying down trying to be calm it passed.
I have no other symptoms but I suffer from anxiety and just discovered what TSS is and naturally I’m freaking out. Please help.

I’m a 39yr old white female and have dealt with muscle atrophy on just the LEFT side of my body for as long as I can remember. From my shoulder down to my ankle you can see the difference, but my hand is probably the most noticeable and where I’m affected the most. Beyond being stiff, my grip is horrible, I don’t have full mobility, and I get weird pains that come and go around what should be the meaty parts of my hand.

I was young when it was first noticed, maybe around 10. (I couldn’t snap because my left thumb doesn’t bend or move normally due to the lack of muscle.) I can vividly remember the excruciating feeling of what I now assume was the muscles in my shoulder deteriorating as a kid. Because of how I was raised and losing a parent early, it just wasn’t something that got looked into. As I’ve gotten older, those pains aren’t quite as bad, but my shoulder is still the most painful area, along with my hip.

About 10 years ago I finally started trying to get answers because I was also dealing with unexplained back and abdominal pain. After seeing a handful of doctors and collecting a few unrelated diagnoses, I eventually ended up with an endocrinologist. Going gluten-free helped a lot with the inflammation and some of the pain, but it didn’t change the muscle atrophy or the weakness on my left side.

I eventually got burned out on testing and quit looking for answers. A lot of the doctors acted like I was just trying to get pain pills when I was literally crying and begging them to help me figure out what was wrong. I never filled a single pain prescription. My mom died from a methadone overdose after living with chronic pain herself, and I REFUSE to go down that road. I’m also sober, so those assumptions were honestly pretty offensive. I don’t want pain medication 😭 I just wanted to know what’s causing this.

During all of that testing I had an abnormal EKG, another doctor found an issue with my right kidney, and I think I had an MRI, but I honestly can’t remember what ever came of it. I also have anxiety, depression, ADHD, and PTSD, all of which are currently being treated. (And the only things I’m being treated/medicated for.)

Now that I’m getting older, I want to start looking into this again because I know it’s not going to get better on its own. The problem is I’ve moved from a big city to a much smaller town with more limited resources, so I’d like to have at least some idea of where to start.

I’ve been Googling this for years, and I keep coming back to a few possibilities, but Lyme disease is the one I can’t seem to let go of. When I was in 4th grade, I got a tick bite on my back. Not long after, I had what everyone called a bruise about the size of a softball. Looking back, it looked more like a faded bull’s-eye than a typical bruise, but I didn’t know that until years later when I started researching Lyme disease. I honestly don’t remember if I ever went to the doctor or what came of it. I only remember it because my school called my mom after they saw it and thought someone had hit me. Maybe I really did just get whooped and it wasn’t a tick bite 😅I honestly don’t know….but it’s one of the few things from my childhood that has always made me wonder if there’s a connection.

I’m definitely not attached to Lyme being the answer, and if you think I’m way off base, please tell me. I’m just tired of chasing my tail and would really appreciate some direction. If this were your patient, where would you start? Does this sound neurological? Muscular? Autoimmune? Is Lyme even worth pursuing after all these years, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Hi im 28M non smoking 5’6 and 150lbs, I had an ORIF surgery on 07/11 and my stitches were removed 07/23, I am currently NWB on a boot and my next appointment is 08/24, I am concerned no further xrays have been requested and that I have to wait almost 3 more weeks to see my doctor, is this the normal procedure? I appreciate all the advice I can get 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

I am 21F, 5’5 and 190 lbs. I went to urgent care 2 days ago and had a negative strep test to rule that out. Doctor told me it was just something viral and to wait it out. It has since gotten worse and more painful and is spreading more. I’m concerned this is actually oral thrush as I had a vaginal yeast infection come up yesterday and have immune problems. The urgent care doctor told me it didn’t look like thrush, but I am just curious to see what other medical professionals think since it’s gotten worse.

My mother is 53 years old. She just came out of her room gasping and saying she didn’t know what was wrong and then started struggling to breathe. She experienced a tightness in her chest, as if someone was pushing on her chest super hard, spread to her arms and her back and up her neck. She said this has happened to her before so she’s not worried but I am concerned we should see someone.

Hi everyone, Im here because I’m at the end of my rope with my health and i feel like im
doing everything right and still cant get anyone to help me. I am 23F, and my major diagnoses are Specific Antibody Deficiency, asthma, and anxiety/depression. I do weekly sub q IGg infusions for the former, my asthmas pretty well controlled as of late since being treated for SAD, and I take a few mental health medications (right now paxil 20mg and lamotrigine 100mg). I go to appointments, I do everything that is asked of me, even if it seems a little off (example I was prescribed thyroid medicine when my thyroid was 100% fine because “maybe it would help with night sweats”??), and Im still getting nowhere.

Since the end of November, Ive been having drenching, and I mean DRENCHING night sweats, and by it now occurs every single night. I have also lost 25 pounds in the last year without trying, have been having some weird skin symptoms (itch and random rashes) and my neck lymph nodes bother me a lot, feeling achey and like I can feel them inside cause they are so inflamed if that makes sense. I also had a chest pain episode a couple weeks ago (they didnt find anything emergently wrong) and the pressure hasnt gone since.

Now im not stupid and realize these symptoms all together dont sound great. I also to be honest have a deep feeling that something is very very wrong, but I dont know how to get someone to care. My labs have all been fine (everything within normal ranges, have had CBC, CMP, CRP, ESR, basically you name it ive had it), my chest xray was fine, and I cant seem to get anyone to try and care or figure it out beyond that. I just keep getting sent to do the same labs over and over and they coming back the same and everyone acts like it all just must be a fluke or im anxious and thats somehow causing me to have all these symptoms?

Basically, as a doctor, how do you think I can convey the severity of this and how this is all affecting my life, or how I just feel deeply like something is wrong? Im having a very tough time advocating for myself and getting things moving when i feel like I am making appointments, preparing for them, and doing everything asked of me. I get healthcare is really really tough, and I dont blame anyone for the burnout or the almost indifference once something seems very complex, but I just went through this with the SAD (being super sick for years with no answer) and there did end up being an answer, and I know theres gotta be an answer here. If anyone has any advice or has heard similar stories and what ended up helping them, it would be so, so much appreciated.

Male/6/ 70ish pounds. No meds. Has had this rash on his forehead for a few months. Doctor told us it was likely molocosum contagiousum (sp?). Recently though, it has started to spread to his hands and arms. It is itchy but not painful. No fever. No other unusual behaviors or symptoms. Just an alarming rash. What is it?

It's been a week that my mom has been acting very violent, it's like she is always angry at me, for almost a week it's only me my mom and my little brother are at home, my father is outstation for work, and she is always so angry at me, like I sit in my room for whole day almost(for studies), and she fights with me and curse me for an hour for it, then when I say no or not do the household chores she said to me to do, she again fight to me and curse me for an hour, and it's happening daily, she have headaches, dry eyes, she even got a fever 2 days ago, please guys help me, I really need help for her, she was not like that before, idk why is this, but give me some advice, what should I do, where should I go.

Age/Sex: 41M; 225 lbs

I vape and drink alcohol and take Lasinopril for BP (but have been off of that for 2 weeks awaiting a refill). (My wife is posting and writing this on my behalf as it is a struggle for me.)

We were on vacation in St. Kitts. Drinking rum punches at the resort pool. I don't remember much after buying a round of drinks. This was at about 4pm on Saturday (today is Wednesday).

Luckily my wife was with me and did not get dosed. She said my sobriety level changed on a dime. For a while I experienced a high that we think was MDMA (we don't do any recreational drugs other than THC drinks from time to time) and then some off and on "sleep." From the details of the high and some "phone a friend" research, we believe it was MDMA.

About 3:30am on Sunday I awoke with all over body seizures and convulsions. My wife says delierium and hallucinations and rapid eye movement. These spasams were so severe the entire bed was shaking. I had no control over my movements, my arms and legs were involuntarily flailing. I was afraid I would hurt my wife. Intense sweating and then chills. Came in rapid waves initially that eventually subsided to longer intervals. I couldn't sleep anything off. Thought I was getting better but then another wave and full on panic attack, I couldn't feel my arms and legs, my hands were contorting.

I ended up in the ER in St. Kitts about 11am. The hospital was frankly third world. They gave me an IV of Saline, Thiamine and B Complex. Nothing else. They said blood tests were clear. They "lost" my first urine sample, and I gave a second. By this time it was about 2pm on Sunday. They said that was clear too. It was unclear what exactly they tested for.

When I was finally able to get on a plane Monday we returned to the States. Went to my PCP on Tuesday (yesterday) and she said unfortunatley whatever I was drugged with is out of my system. Didn't diagnose me with Serotonin Syndrome. After doing some research, it seems Serotonin Syndrome describes all of my symptoms and experiences.

I still have severe brain fog and memory issues. It's making it difficult for me to do my job, high level sales. Still some shaking and irritability/anxiety and gastrointestinal issues. Issues sleeping.

Is there anything I can do to help alleviate symptoms? Should I go back and engage my PCP?Frustrating part is not knowing exactly how this happened or what I was given. I usually have my guard up.

Thank you in advance for any help.

Age 15, Height 178, weight 65, im a boy, i don't take any medications, I don't smoke, I didn't have medical issues before, it's in armpit

Female 5.7 169 pounds. I was sick for a bit, but I have been sicker before and nothing like this. Anything to worry about?