u/Economy-Anybody-9921

25F My symptoms began in early May of this year while I was on a work break. I yawned, felt a distinct "pop" in my neck/throat area, and immediately developed a lump-like sensation in my throat that was so intense I could not eat solid foods for a month. The very next day, while sitting down, my entire right side suddenly felt completely heavy, accompanied by significant stiffness on the right side of my face (though with no facial drooping, weakness, or visible asymmetry). I initially went to urgent care, where I focused on the severe throat symptoms; they suggested a sore throat and sent me home without antibiotics. Two days later, as symptoms worsened, I went to the ER, where they noted my throat looked slightly red, diagnosed a sore throat, and prescribed steroids for a presumed infection. After multiple subsequent urgent care visits, I went to a different ER where they performed blood work to check for infection and ran a CT scan with contrast of my neck to rule out a deep neck abscess—which came back completely clear.
Following the ER visits, I was referred to outpatient care and evaluated by two separate ENTs. Both specialists performed visual exams, saw no physical abnormalities, and referred me for a Video Fluoroscopic Swallow Study, which came back completely normal. Because the right-sided heaviness and stiffness persisted, I sought evaluation from a neurologist. My in-office neurological exam (checking cranial nerves, motor strength, reflexes, and sensation) was entirely normal, as were the comprehensive blood panels ordered (including Myasthenia Gravis antibody panels for Acetylcholine Receptor, MuSK, and LRP4, muscle breakdown markers CK and Aldolase, inflammatory markers CRP and ANCA, and vascular blood flow studies).
To investigate further, my neurologist ordered a 3T MRI of my brain and cervical spine, as well as a needle EMG and nerve conduction study of my right neck and right arm/hand. My brain MRI came back completely clean. My cervical spine MRI showed a straightening of the normal cervical curvature along with minor disc bulges at C4–C5 and C5–C6, with no spinal cord compression, severe nerve root impingement, or stenosis. The straightening was noted as a functional outcome of severe muscle spasms and muscle guarding rather than structural damage. Furthermore, my right-sided EMG/NCS and swallow studies all came back completely normal with zero signs of motor neuron disease, denervation, or active fasciculations.
During this same timeline, I also discovered that tooth #4 had a severe infection from a failed root canal. Following the extraction of tooth #4, the extreme facial stiffness improved noticeably, though I still experience muscle tensing and tightness on the right side. Additionally, through this medical journey since May, I was diagnosed with Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) and started HRT last week, as well as hypothyroidism (which had gone untreated for 5 years), for which I began thyroid medication two weeks ago.
Currently, I am struggling with severe health anxiety and hyper-awareness, constantly worrying about conditions like ALS or MS. I find myself continuously checking and self-testing my right side for weakness. When testing my right hand with a grip strengthener, my right arm fatigues much faster than my left and develops a fine tremor when tired. I also feel like my speech is slurring or stuttering when I hyper-focus on talking, though my voice sounds normal to others. Lately, I constantly feel like my jaw is going to lock while chewing and like I'm going to choke, and I feel like my chewing is getting weaker. However, when I actually do eat meals, I am able to eat the whole thing without choking or coughing. When I swallow, it feels like something big is forcing itself down my throat, causing discomfort, but I don't have to use large amounts of water to swallow anymore—I can basically eat without a beverage most of the time.
I do not wish to offend anyone who truly suffers from this disease; I am just genuinely looking for advice and insight from anyone who may have experienced something similar. I have my follow-up appointment with my neurologist next Friday to discuss all my diagnostic results and determine next steps.

I am a 25-year-old female dealing with lingering right-sided physical symptoms that started over two specific days in May. On May 4th while working, I was feeling very tired and took a few deep yawns; during the last yawn, it felt like something pulled or popped in my throat, leaving a continuous tight, lump-like sensation. This lump sensation was so intense that I was unable to eat solid food for a whole month, relying entirely on liquids. After about a month, I was slowly able to start eating solids again and can eat solid foods now. However, I hyperfixate on my throat so much that I get discouraged while eating, often feeling like my jaw function is about to stop working mid-chew and making me panic that I am going to choke. The very next day after the throat event, May 5th, while sitting in my car, things cascaded into a sudden wave of heaviness, density, and fatigue down the right side of my neck, shoulder, and arm.
Leading up to this, I had been engaging in intense daily strength training before and after work, taking 5 to 10 grams of creatine daily with heavy water intake. My health baseline includes uncontrolled high cholesterol for about five years, along with hypothyroidism that went untreated for five years and a recent diagnosis of Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI), both of which I have just recently started treating with levothyroxine and an estradiol patch. I also had a major right-sided dental issue: tooth #4 had an old root canal with an infection and fracture that eventually required a deep cleaning, extraction, and bone graft on July 18th. I noticed that my right-sided facial stiffness flared up severely right before my dental visits and actually improved notably after the tooth was extracted.
The sudden onset on May 5th triggered severe fear that I was experiencing a stroke or TIA. I deal with very bad health anxiety, so I know that my right-sided facial differences feel completely real and authentic to me. However, when it comes to my right leg and arm, I feel a bit iffy because there are days when I can go through my routine, focus on things only lightly, and not really notice anything at all. Because of the constant fear, I find myself compulsively checking and testing the right side of my body throughout the day.
To investigate the throat and neck issues, I saw an ENT who put a camera down my nose and found nothing abnormal. A CT scan of my neck was completely fine, and both my Modified Barium Swallow study and Barium Esophagram came back entirely normal, showing clear swallowing mechanics, no aspiration, and normal esophageal motility. On July 28th, I also had non-contrast 3-Tesla MRI scans of my brain and cervical spine. The 3T Brain MRI was unremarkable, showing normal brain tissue with no evidence of stroke, old ischemic scars, or demyelination. My Cervical Spine MRI revealed a straightening of the normal cervical curvature with no subluxation, indicating severe muscle spasms pulling my neck straight. The spinal cord was normal, but the scan identified disc bulges at C4-C5 and C5-C6 without central spinal canal or foraminal stenosis, meaning the discs are bulged but not causing severe, dangerous nerve root compression.
I am preparing for an upcoming neurology appointment to review these results. Since my brain MRI confirmed no structural damage, I am planning to ask my doctor about objective electrical and nerve tests—such as a Facial Nerve Conduction Study, Blink Reflex test, or EMG—to directly measure nerve signaling on my right side. Has anyone here dealt with something similar, known anyone who has gone through this, or can offer any advice on managing these physical symptoms alongside severe health anxiety?

I’m a 24yr female who just recently decided to start taking investing seriously. I decided to open up a Roth IRA and I’ve been contributing to it slowly and I might try to pull some OT so I could max it out quickly so I could throw the extra income into a regular investing portfolio. I had a RH account since 18 and I threw money into here and there and forgot about it but some time last year I stopped the random contributions because I was trying to clean up my budget because I was trying to pay off a loan. I tried day trading with prop firms and I was just trading thinking Ima become a millionaire overnight I decided to stop and step back from that and focus on my investment portfolio. But I’ve been reading financial books and taking time to understand things. I’m slowly about to start learning chart analysis to further my knowledge. I find myself struggling to understand the whole world of trading and investing if anyone have any advice to share with me I will truly appreciate it.

Side note not to be rude to anyone but if you genuinely going to say sideway comments just save it because to be kind in this world of evil don’t hurt you but yet blessed you thank you to anyone who offers advice ahead of time I greatly appreciate it.