Might be a silly question but I keep getting these really sore spots after they tape up my arms after cannulas/blood tests in here. 21F, 164cm 80kg. I’m on a lot of medications, sertraline, amitryptaline, iron tablets, antibiotics, aripiprazole and acetezolomide.
Age: 51
Sex: F
Height: 5'4
Weight: 165
Race: White
Duration of complaint: 2 weeks
Location: Orlando
Any existing relevant medical issues: High Blood Pressure
Current medications: A lot. I don't know the names of all the meds my mother is on.
I really wish I didn't have to be thinking about this, but basically, my mother had a rare reaction to one of her medications and suffered multiple hemorrhagic strokes all over her brain a few weeks ago while trying to recover from a craniotomy. She's been on life support ever since. They placed long term breathing and feeding tubes. She hasn't spoken since her second brain surgery on 5/5 and it is now 5/21. She unevenly opens her eyes for like 10-20 mins every once in a while, but we can tell she can't really see. They're usually really unfocused, sometimes even slightly walleyed, and she doesn't flinch or blink when a nurse checks her threat response. Sometimes she coughs, and it doesn't look comfortable. Sometimes she has her tongue out. I clean drool off her face. The nurses clean her when she has a bowel movement.
What I mean to say is, this is no way to live. From my perspective, its torture. I would never want to be in her situation. Being connected to tubes and machines and having no ability to clean yourself or speak for yourself, having no dignity, to me its a fate worse than death. Now— I truly am still hoping for a miracle. And I really wanna see if she can make some progress in the coming months. I spend hours in the ICU with her every day playing music she likes. I've been reading books out loud to her that she used to read with me when I was a kid. I talk to her about my life. I'm just hoping to stimulate her brain somehow. But...what if a year passes and she still doesn't make much progress? Do we just keep her like this forever? Is there a way for the family to elect to give her some type of drug that just makes her pass peacefully?
The hospital case worker gave us a packet of info on hospitals nearby for rehabilitation for people with "catastrophic illness" My heart hurts so bad thinking about moving her there, going back to work, and only spending time with her a few times a week. I know I'm going to zone out at work thinking about her alone in that room, connected to all the tubes.
I'm too afraid to ask this 'humane euthanasia' question to the case worker or any of the nurses because my mom is always in the room with us and I'm worried she can hear. I want to frame things positively when I'm around her to give her her best chance at healing. I always say things like "you're gonna keep getting better" to her, but the truth is, the doctors don't really seem to think so.
TLDR: If a person is totally incapacitated for over a year and does not show signs of progress, can the family elect to let them die with dignity instead of just being kept alive by machines but not really living life?
Hi everyone. I am posting out of absolute desperation. I am a female, and I have been dealing with a progressive medical mystery for nearly two years. I feel completely abandoned by the medical and veterinary systems, and I need advice from real doctors, dermatologists, or veterinarians on what this could be, or how to get a provider to take these physical symptoms and lab results seriously.
The Home Environment & Recent Renovation:
I live in a 2002 manufactured home in Ramona, California. During this two-year timeline, my house underwent renovations. My boyfriend ripped open the spare bedroom and left the insulation completely exposed. I am constantly cleaning aggressively every single day using HEPA vacuums and Honeywell air purifiers, and I have thrown away everything in my house three separate times to try and get rid of the source, but the environment still feels deeply contaminated.
The Exposure Timeline:
This started around November 2024. Around the same time as the home renovation, I was in nature walking my cat. I didn't see myself brush against a specific plant, but afterward, I looked down at my arm and found light yellow, spine-like structures embedded in my skin. Between the exposed insulation at home and the outdoor exposure, my health and my cat's health completely spiraled.
The Personal and Emotional Toll:
This has completely destroyed my life financially, physically, and emotionally. Out of sheer desperation to escape the physical sensations, I shaved my head. As a woman, my hair was my most precious asset, and losing it has completely destroyed my self-confidence. I am deeply embarrassed, isolated, and exhausted.
My Severe Physical Symptoms:
Intense, Debilitating Pain: I have severe, constant pain in my shoulders, my neck, and my lower spine.
10/10 Headaches: I suffer from constant, 10/10 headaches concentrated on my temples and the top of my head. The pain is so severe it keeps me awake for five days in a row sometimes. The resulting brain fog and fatigue are severe.
Swollen Lymph Nodes: The lymph nodes in my neck are very visibly swollen. I have shown them to multiple doctors who physically touch them, but they still don't say anything or order further testing.
The "Gritty" Texture & Mucus Membranes: I feel a highly distinct, sand-like or gritty texture all over my body hair, but it is especially severe on my scalp and my eyelashes. It is also actively affecting my mucus membranes, including my nose, my ears, and internally/vaginally.
The Hair Structures: Under close inspection, the affected hairs have a highly distinct look: they have a clear tip with a jagged hair shaft.
My Lab Work & History:
High Platelets: My blood work from multiple ERs and clinics consistently shows elevated/high platelets, but the doctors are completely ignoring it.
Abnormal Pap Smear: I recently received an abnormal Pap smear result. Given the other symptoms, I suspect this is connected to a localized or systemic fungal/yeast issue or severe chronic inflammation.
The Dermatologist Visit & Medications: I managed to see a dermatologist who claimed she didn't see anything and refused to perform a KOH prep (Potassium Hydroxide) smear or skin scraping. Despite refusing the test, she still prescribed me terbinafine. Because the doctors wouldn't run direct diagnostics, I eventually had to use TeleRX to obtain itraconazole and additional terbinafine myself.
Transmission/Shared Symptoms:
My Boyfriend: He caught this and is still actively experiencing the exact same symptoms. He moved out in February to Santa Isabel, but moving away did not stop the symptoms; he is still dealing with it there.
My Cat (Luna): Luna has developed circular, bald patches on her shoulders and behind her ears. She is actively losing weight and losing her strength, and I am terrified I am going to lose her. We paid nearly $200 for a standard ringworm culture at the vet, which came back negative. I also personally checked her with a UV blacklight / Wood's lamp, which didn't show anything.
What I need from the Reddit Community:
Given the combination of exposed insulation in a manufactured home, high platelets, swollen lymph nodes, 10/10 head/spine pain, the gritty texture, and my cat's hair/weight loss, I am trying to figure out what is happening to us.
If you are a medical professional, what does the combination of high platelets, swollen lymph nodes, severe cranial/spinal pain, and a chronic "gritty" texture suggest to you? Could chronic exposure to raw insulation/fiberglass mimic a systemic or fungal infection in the skin, mucus membranes, and lymph nodes?
Why would a dermatologist prescribe terbinafine but refuse to do a simple KOH prep to verify what they are treating?
How can I find an Infectious Disease Specialist, a toxicologist, or a provider who will take these physical symptoms and swollen lymph nodes seriously?
What steps can I take with a new vet to get Luna targeted treatment without relying on basic cultures or Wood's lamps that already failed?
Thank you so much for reading. Any direction could literally save my cat and my sanity
Apparu en une nuit, dure depuis 1 semaine, je n'arrive pas à comprendre.
33 ans
Femme
Europe
Pas d'antécédents
Pas de tabac
170cm et 60 kg
A few weeks ago i noticed the end of the middle toe on my left foot has swollen and the nail is growing in a curve around the top, and is basically impossible to trim. The middle toe's nail used to look like those either side of it, but really doesnt any more.
There is no significant pain just a barely noticable soreness.
I haven't stubbed it or banged it, and my shoes are not too tight.
M55 6' 2" 95Kg, non smoker, no medical issues
i don't know how to upload more than one image
Age: 26
Sex: Female
Height: 170 cm,
Weight: 61 kg
Medications: None
Smoking status: Non-smoker
Previous/Current medical issues: None
Duration/Location of complaint: Since always / Sternum area
Hi everyone,
Please be kind to me, as this is a topic that makes me feel incredibly insecure and gives me huge complexes.
I’ve noticed that the area where my collarbones meet (my sternum/sternoclavicular joint) sticks out quite a bit, especially when looking at it from the side. It creates a noticeable bump rather than a smooth transition from my neck to my chest. When I look at other women, their chests always look completely smooth and flat in that area.
To give you some context, most of my body fat is distributed in my lower body (legs and hips), which leaves my upper body and chest area very lean and bony. Because of this, the bone structure is extremely visible.
It has gotten to the point where I feel like I can never wear low-cut tops, low necklines, or even a bikini without constantly worrying about how it looks from the profile view. I just want to feel comfortable and confident in normal clothes like other women do.
I am planning to make an appointment with an orthopedist just to get a professional medical opinion and rule out any structural issues. However, I’ve tried searching online and haven't found much from other women experiencing this exact same thing.
Does anyone else have this type of anatomy? How do you deal with it, or is there anything (like specific exercises) that helped soften the look?
Thank you so much!
31m 5’5 150lb
Hello, I was on lisinopril for the last 1.5 years. I developed some tinnitus during that time and wasn’t sure if it was medication induced or just environmental. My doctor agreed to try telmisartan as a replacement to see if it improved. I’ve been taking it for a week and a half now and since day one I’ve had this nagging lower back pain. I’m an active individual, strength train 5 times per week and walk frequently. I didn’t do anything around the time of the pain occurrence to explain this. I see back pain listed as a rare side effect. It’s not excruciating but is persistent and annoying. Has anyone else experienced this?
(f20) after going in the sea i get this squiggly red mark around my scar, which is directly under my belly button. it’s always the exact same shape & doesn’t feel irritated, just visually looks strange. the first photo was taken after being in the ocean for about 20 minutes. the reason i find it weird is that the scar which you can see in the photo on my left (right in this pic) is totally normal, same with the other scars on my body. it wont let me upload more than one photo but usually you can barely even see the scar under my belly button & the skin is just like anywhere else on my body. anyone know why this might be?? i have ehlers danlos syndrome (H) which often affects the skin but im fairly on top of that- i used aloe vera on my scars for a few years & they’re fairly unnoticeable unless in direct light like this pic lol. i’d find it more normal if it was on every scar, or a different shape each time. it’s literally identical every time, doesn’t seem to change depending on the length of time in the water either, could be 10 minutes could be 40 & it always looks like this. scar is from an appendectomy btw.
Hello. I am a 16 year old girl (174 centimeters, 55 kilograms)
I recently noticed these weird brown, bruise-looking spots on my feet. They don’t hurt, and i don’t think they are regular bruises.
Some other information about me, I take fluoxetine, concerta, and birth contro. I do not smoke or vape, I have never had any major health problems in the past.
what could be the cause of this? when should I seek help?
28F, 5'3", 180ish lbs, daily nicotine vape, prozac daily & hydroxyzine as needed. I've been bleeding heavily since May 2nd, before that my last period was Feb 18.
I've already suspected I was having a miscarriage, I did some research about two weeks ago and it seemed like as long as I felt okay I wouldn't need medical attention. Well, I'm not feeling okay, so I assume I need medical attention, I'm just not sure who I need to go to. There haven't been breaks in the bleeding, and the last couple days it's been brighter red. There are large clots, the biggest have been the size of my palm. Today I'm feeling extremely faint and noticing pain around my c-section scar (c-section performed 5/16/2025 with no complications). I feel nauseous and keep getting cold sweats. I don't know what my temperature is because I don't have a thermometer handy right now. I did take a pregnancy test on 5/6 and it was negative, I hadn't taken one before then but I definitely felt pregnant until around 4/27 when I stopped feeling morning sickness and my breasts stopped hurting.
I hope this is enough information. I'm sorry if this isn't coherent, I'm having a really hard time focusing. I'll give other info as needed.
Bit long but bear with me
This is a photo of a big flare i had last year, now its a bit better but i still have on my palms and something side of my feet, been to 5 differents dermstologist, did allergy test came negative. It starts as pimples with dots inside, i use depending on wich doctor i was but started with and sorry im from Portugal so some names might be weird (dermovate) then (diprosine) then (elocom) now some dermstologist told me to do (lepicortinolo) and now im back to elocon since the pills are super agreesive
None of them manage to understand what it was, one said its ezcema, one said looked like psiorasis, the other said its now of ‘me’ so kinda chronical, all gave up on me been to 2 private and 2 public health care medics
Im a cook, and no i dont touch products and i wash my hands and dry them and use cream and let them dry, i use nitril gloves and most the times cotton gloves inside, blood tests came almost all ok besides colestrol, i noticed my hands where a bit better after beiing away of my job for 3 months but where i live tourism is main jobs and i tried to get out of beiing a cook but couldnt find a proper job had to go back beiing a cook i notice stress and heat doesnt help, but ok what life doesnt have stress? Heat ok i understand my job doesnt help
And sadly i dont have the funds to go to a good or renowed dermatologist around europe since all 5 doctors i want just gave me creams or pills and since nothing changed they kinda gave up
Its somewhat starting to take a tool on me and my mind its been 7/8 years of this and depending on how bad it is i cant even shower properlly or touch someone or even put shoes or button a shirt
So any help would be welcome
19 y/o woman, 176cm, 62 kgs, history of smoking, got skin cancer in the family (mother, aunt and grandma) non melanoma. I have had bad circulation in my arms and legs for years now (Raynaud's) and due to dexamphetamine for my ADHD. I have visible (spider?) veins throughout my legs and feet which have gotten worse in this period of time as well. I got this mole that appeared a little over 2 weeks ago and started with being just a tiny dot and now grew a little already, went to the gp and she said it's probably fine after looking at it for 2 seconds.
Does anyone know if there's any reason why you can have several new moles that suddenly come in a place where no sunlight is. Without it being skin cancer. GP can't help here but I'm just wondering if anyone knows if these look like normal moles or not, and if I should push to go to a dermatologist or if it's probably fine. Will post pictures of the other 2 moles under here.
This one is 1mm in diameter
Age 29 smoker yes 15 per day
Sudden weakness in legs and stuttering changed to slurring speech medications psych drugs
41 male, 5’11 155 lbs, no meds, non smoker, no current or past medical history
I woke up today feeling like I had something in my eye and saw this bump. Is this something I should be concerned about?
Hello,
Since a few days ago, I've been having intense pain in my lower left side stomach, near my pelvis. It really only hurts super bad when I'm sitting a certain way, and when I urinate, I have to clutch or press that part of my abdomen. If I don't, it hurts extremely bad and I can't empty my bladder properly.
Not too sure what it could be. I thought maybe a cyst since I have PCOS but I've never had anything like this before.
It'll be awhile till I see my PCP so I'm a little nervous. What could it be?
M 26 5ft 10. Type 1 diabetic on insulin. One of my thighs has this bump that the other thigh doesn’t. I can’t tell if it’s just an extremely developed muscle or something else.
I do diabetic shots in the same area of my thigh which is why I’m concerned.
I do use this leg to support weight while lifting things at my job a lot more than the other, but there’s almost no development of a similar bump on my other leg.
The bump is tender if I mess with it.
Is it a super developed muscle or possibly something else?
I am 45, male, 5'9. About 180lbs. I have full body eczema, dyshidrotic eczema on my hands, PLME, hypertension, COPD & asthma. Lifetime smoker, quit smoking but moved to vaping in 2009, I still vape. I take mdma recreationally, maybe twice a year.
Ok so my thumb nail has been growing in with this weird crack down the middle. When it grows out the upper nail layers are exposed and can be peeled away, I stopped peeling it because the whole nail was getting thinner & thinner. It has been since around November December since this started. Ive file it down a bit when the top layers get to flakey and start catching on everything and it has recently begun splitting up the middle.
It is a fungus? Is it trauma to the finger when the nail grows from?
It does not itch or hurt or anything, its just wierd and I am concerned the whole nail will just crack in half one day soon.
Thank you for your time, I do appreciate it.
Age: 20
Sex: Male
Weight: 88KG
Height: 185cm
Medications: 100mg flecainide twice a day, 80mg propranolol twice a day. Tapering off of 15mg Mirtazapine once a day (currently every other day)
Conditions: autism and atrial fibrillation
Non smoker and non drinker. I don’t take any illicit drugs either.
I know something is severely wrong with me. I can’t put my finger on it but I know I have this rot or malignancy inside of me like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.
I’ve had a really dry mouth for the last week but even before then I knew something is wrong but no one believes me.
I’ve called the hospital and they said it’s anxiety but I know they are wrong. I’ve been on 4 medications for anxiety and it never goes away. But I know this is different I just can’t explain why.
I’ve had blood tests, CT scans, physio checks, neurological checks but they don’t understand that something is still wrong. I’m having an ablation in a few weeks for my afib but this is unrelated to that.
I feel very alone as no one believes me. I feel like I go to the doctor and all they focus on is my mental health but don’t even give me help for that.
I know something is dying inside me or I am dying I just cannot prove it. I don’t care about anything else all I care about is doctors finding the rot I have. I feel upset most of the time and no one understands me.
I was laughed at by friends and family when I went to the doctor after I couldn’t yawn anymore. No one believed something was wrong and no one understand that I had lost the ability to yawn and what that meant for me. Then 2 weeks later (last November) I went into afib.
I just know there’s a seed of rot inside of me that is spreading. I keep on going to the doctor again and again and again but they never do anything and tell me it’s in my head.
But nobody understands the severity of what I feel. Life just feels like waiting for it to spread and ruin my life.
I don’t know how to get people to take me seriously and stop treating me like I’m insane.
It is very isolating and scary place to be in. I don’t have a support system and cannot afford therapy anymore but I know deep down I don’t need that. I just need tests and a doctor to actually hear what I’m saying instead of looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
I don’t feel like I’m on anyone’s page anymore. I don’t feel like I can relate to people and just know deep down that I am dying or the rot is spreading. I promise I’m not insane or stupid. Please believe me I just want to feel better again
Edit: I’m dumb I meant oz, 240 oz a day. RIP
Hi, my husband (32 male, 6’6, ~250 lbs, on montelukast 10 mg qd, omprazole 20 mg qd, Rx allergy drops, magnesium, coQ10, turmeric, diagnosed w/chronic migraines) drinks, at minimum, 240 oz of water a day. Honestly, he’s probably drinking quite a bit more than that.
I’ve asked if he’s thirsty all day, he says not really. He’s trying to stave off migraines and fatigue, but I’m concerned he’s overdoing it. He’s had basic panels done within the last year and everything was within normal limits. He is active and exercises 5 or so days a week, but always drinks a ton of water. He said, and I quote “if I don’t have to pee constantly, I’m not drinking enough”.
Is this safe? Thoughts? Thanks :)