I need a little bit of help here. So, basically, I ended up at a private OB-GYN last night because my stomach was absolutely killing me. Since I was already on my period, they did an ultrasound right away and—boom—they spotted this massive cyst on my right ovary. It’s just fluid-filled, totally benign, the whole nine yards... but... man, my stomach is in total agony. Yesterday and today have both been brutal... plus, I have this constant, gnawing sensation like my entire insides are just falling apart. My bowels are hurting, my bladder is acting up... they sent me home with some Sumamed, followed by another antibiotic, and some vaginal suppositories. These gut pains, I don't know, they feel kind of weird. I've had two bowel movements so far—softer than usual, but not quite full-blown diarrhea... I don't know. Everything just feels off. Is it actually possible that all this pain is just coming from the cyst?
Look, I’m fully prepared to be judged as a total idiot here, but honestly, who cares? I’ve got a situation. This winter, I’m being pressured into this whole skiing trip thing—which, let’s be real, I absolutely loathe. I’ve never been skiing in my life because I can't stand snow or any of those freezing outdoor activities. But, there's this group of friends—they're great people, really—and they are relentlessly pushing me to join them. So now, before I know it, I'm supposed to be heading out to some mountain resort. First off, I have zero clue what to pack for clothes. Since I won't actually be hitting the slopes, I'll probably just be wandering around outside in the cold for a bit. Second, what’s the vibe for hanging out inside the hotel? What am I supposed to wear while lounging about? Third—and this is a big one—I cannot stand flat shoes. I’m basically living in heels constantly, so I need some sort of footwear for walking through the snow that doesn't look totally ridiculous or goofy. Is there such a thing as a decent snow boot that won't make me look like a clown while I'm stuck on this stupid ski trip? And back to the hotel question: can I just get away with wearing slippers, maybe like those Birkenstocks or something? Or is it strictly sweatpants territory? Also, do I actually need to pack anything "nice" for the evenings? Like, should I bring a dressier sweater or some cute boots, or is that totally overkill for these kinds of places? Help a girl out... I really don't want to look clueless (well, more than I already do)....
Thanks, Angela Wright... I’m gonna dive into all those searches I need to do—I've got stuff scattered all over the place—so... yeah... fingers crossed I finally get some actual momentum going.
I’ve been dealing with anxiety for a long, long time—it’s basically my shadow at this point. But lately, over the last few months, things have taken a really weird, uncomfortable turn. I keep having these recurring nightmares where I’m literally choking to death. It’s always the same setup—my mom, my sister, whoever is around—but nobody actually steps in to help me. I wake up gasping, feeling like there's a physical blockage in my throat, and I just can't swallow my own saliva... it’s like a total struggle to even get a swallow down. Last night was more of the same; I jolted awake from that exact dream feeling like I couldn't swallow anything. Even though I could swallow fine once I was actually awake, the sheer panic from the dream itself just hit me like a freight train. I don't have a cold, my sinuses seem totally fine, but I constantly deal with this thick, nasty mucus sitting right between my nose and my throat. Sometimes it feels so thick that trying to swallow it feels like an impossible task. One time I went to see an ENT about all this, and after checking me out, he basically just told me to "find a hobby" or something to distract myself... which is great, thanks doctor, super helpful. I mean, sometimes I can cough it up and spit it out, but still. So now I'm wondering about these dreams—why is this happening while I sleep? Could this be tied back to stress or some deep-seated fear? Because honestly, when I wake up from these episodes, I am straight-up fighting for air.
Look, I’ve got this massive mental block—it's purely psychological at this point—where I just cannot bring myself to face these medical exams and all the anxiety that comes with them. Honestly, I’m already 40 years old and I have a perfectly healthy kid (no hepatitis in the house)... plus my husband seems pretty solid too, so I really don't believe I'm carrying hepatitis... I'm heading in to get bloodwork done again in a few days, and if those numbers come back elevated again, then I guess I'll have to deal with whatever comes next... I guess...😕
So, I had some elevated levels—specifically ALT and AST. My ultrasound came back looking fine, but my doctor told me I need to get tested for Hepatitis C. Honestly, part of me thinks there’s no way I caught it through sex, but then again... you could easily pick it up at the dentist's office. I'm actually pretty terrified to go in for the screening. Now I’m heading back in to get those blood tests done all over again. To make matters worse, I used to be super thin, but then out of nowhere, I gained about 20 pounds in just six months. I can't help but wonder if my liver is freaking out because of that sudden weight gain, especially since I was so skinny for years... anyway, I guess I'm just scared of whatever diagnosis might come my way.
Thanks, Pete. I’ll give them a ring and get myself on the schedule, but honestly, I’d really love to hear from any medical pros hanging out on this forum. What’s the move here? Like, where should I actually go, which specialists should I be hunting down, and what kind of tests am I looking at? Just to give you some context—I’ve been dealing with this level of pain since I was fifteen. That’s basically twenty years of just... existing with it. At this point, I’ve sort of normalized being in constant discomfort, but man, I am getting so incredibly tired of having to explain to everyone why I’m totally wiped out or why even moving around feels like such a massive chore sometimes. On a side note, I used to hover around 105 or 110 pounds for years, but I’ve finally put on some weight and hit about 120, so at least I’m not losing weight or anything—that part is fine...
So, I'm back—I was away on vacation and totally blanked on the fact that I even post here... Anyway, my blood sugar is looking fine, everything's cool there, but my liver enzymes are elevated. It’s nothing crazy, but they aren't where they should be. On top of that, I have this constant, nagging ache all over my body; it feels like I hit the gym harder than I ever have just yesterday, like my muscles are perpetually inflamed—especially around my shoulders and shoulder blades. And yeah, obviously, I'm exhausted. I've been dealing with anxiety for years now, plus the occasional panic attack. I've got that HLB-27 thing and some kind of diagnosis for non-specific ankylosing spondylitis. I recently had some immunology tests done, and everything came back normal, except for those pesky liver enzymes. My doctor wants me to get tested for hepatitis, because if that comes back clear, she thinks the issue might actually be muscle-related. Honestly, I've been stuck in this constant state of tension for years. I feel terrible all the time, and I can't even tell you which came first—the chicken or the egg—like, did the muscle issues trigger the anxiety, or did the anxiety start the physical breakdown? Everything I read points toward fibromyalgia, but even though I've mentioned it to a few different doctors, nobody seems to give a damn when I suggest it. Even when I press on those specific tender points you see in the fibromyalgia diagrams, the pain is absolutely brutal. I just feel constantly broken and run down, and I keep spiraling into this guilt, thinking it's somehow my fault that I feel this way. What am I supposed to do? Is there anywhere I can go to get testing done faster that might actually lead to a real diagnosis? I've been struggling like this for five years straight—it's either I don't make the appointment, or by the time they finally fit me in, I've lost the will to even show up. Does anyone have a recommendation for a solid private rheumatology clinic?
I’m trying to figure out if anyone here actually knows what the hell is going on with my body. Honestly, it feels like my system has just completely given up on me. I’ve been dealing with this brutal muscle pain for years now—like, constant, deep-seated aching everywhere—and it’s gotten so bad that I’m starting to worry it might be something like ankylosing spondylitis, even though the muscle issues are the main culprit. On top of that, my skin is bone-dry, my digestion is a total mess, and there’s this persistent, sour taste in my mouth that I just can't shake, no matter what I do. To make matters even weirder, I get these sudden, insane cravings for sugar; I'll hit this wall of extreme weakness where I feel like I have to wolf down a massive amount of food just to stay upright. What the heck causes this constant acidity, and is there any way to actually fix it? Please, let me know if you guys have dealt with anything similar.
Honestly, I’m way more terrified of these constant doom-and-gloom news cycles than anything else—it’s just straight-up disrespectful at this point. Look, sure, you gotta give people a heads-up about stuff, but freaking everyone out on a daily basis? That’s just low. I deal with panic attacks and my own set of nasty issues, and honestly, these last few days have been brutal because of the fear-mongering. It makes me want to sue every single one of those journalists who thrive on spreading panic. Just tell us it’s going to be hot, okay? Tell us not to overexert ourselves, to take breaks, and remind us that—well, it’s summer, for crying out loud. So what if it hits 100 degrees? I'd much rather deal with a heatwave than a freezing 50-degree summer. Seriously, this panic-baiting news is just pure garbage!
Can I get some insight from the medical pros here—why on earth would liver enzymes spike if someone isn't dealing with hepatitis, isn't popping any pills, and doesn't touch alcohol? What else is out there that could drive up ALT and AST levels? For instance, could those enzymes be jumping because I’m knocking back about five cups of decaf a day? I heard this crazy rumor that decaf might actually be risky because they use some kind of nasty chemical solvents to strip the caffeine out. To make things even more confusing, I just had a full abdominal ultrasound and everything came back looking perfectly fine...
Look,😬 I honestly think our potential diagnoses might be heading in different directions—mainly because my bilirubin levels are totally fine and the doctors at the Mayo Clinic said my liver looked perfectly normal on the ultrasound. My main issue is actually those elevated liver enzymes, and if you ask me, having spiked enzymes feels way more sketchy than just dealing with high bilirubin. Fingers crossed your next set of results looks a lot better than this👍
Just wanted to throw one more thing into the ring—I’ve been diagnosed with seronegative spondyloarthritis... I can never remember the exact medical jargon, but I'm sure you guys know exactly what I'm talking about. Is there any chance those elevated enzyme levels are actually being triggered by this condition? Also, quick question: I don't take any actual medications, but if I'm honest, my "vice" is drinking about five or six cups of decaf coffee every single day. Could that be causing these issues too?
So, here’s what’s on my mind—has anyone else dealt with elevated liver enzymes? I'm looking at numbers like ALT at 80 and AST at 50, which feels a bit off, and I'm wondering what actually triggers that kind of spike. Like, what's the deal? Is it even possible to have been sitting on hepatitis for years without ever catching a single clue? I'm heading in this week to get tested for hepatitis markers, and honestly, I'm also trying to figure out where the best spots are to get those specific tests done—like, should I be looking at major hospitals or just sticking to a place like the Mayo Clinic?
So, I’ve been sitting on this diagnosis of seronegative spondyloarthritis—or some variation of that whole mess—for years now. Honestly, I haven't been exactly jumping at the chance to undergo intensive treatment, but I finally went to see my immunologist recently, and she dropped a bit of a bombshell: my AST and ALT levels are spiked. We’re looking at 50 and 80, respectively. I’m spiraling a little here, wondering what else could be driving these elevated liver enzymes. What kind of stuff causes that? And specifically, if you're dealing with fibromyalgia, can that also push those numbers up? Is there any actual link between fibro and seronegative spondyloarthritis when it comes to the liver? To be totally blunt—I am freaking out. My mind immediately jumped to hepatitis, and even though I know I’m not exactly in a high-risk group, I’ve read enough to know you can pick that up in ways you wouldn't even expect. Now I’m just stuck in this loop of anxiety about everything. Anyway, does anyone else here deal with elevated enzymes? What other conditions were you dealing with when your numbers climbed? Thanks...
So, I’ve been dealing with this diagnosis for about five or six years now. It’s a constant cycle—back pain here, back pain there—but mostly, I just feel completely wiped out, weak, and totally drained. There was a stretch where I actually tried to stick to a regular exercise routine, but then I just hit a wall and quit because, honestly, it felt freaking impossible. Right now, I’m seeing an immunologist over at the Mayo Clinic. I can’t tell if she’s actually any good or not, but she’s constantly ordering one new test after another. From what I can gather, my immunology panels have been fine, but my liver enzymes—AST and ALT—are running high. That’s the latest development, and now I have to go down the rabbit hole of investigating why those levels are spiked. I’m low-key terrified it might be a liver issue, though I’m not sure what else could be triggering it. This past month has been absolute hell; the spinal pain is brutal. I don't wake up feeling stiff per se, but I just feel like I've been physically torn apart. I don't have all the "textbook" symptoms, but my tissue typing showed I have that HL... whatever it is, some marker tied to this whole mess. For me, the muscle aches are way worse than the joint pain, and I honestly feel like I’ve got fibromyalgia too, since I check every single box: exhaustion, muscle pain, anxiety, heart palpitations, gut issues... the whole nine yards. I’ve tried talking sense into two different doctors about how this all connects, but nobody takes my suspicions seriously. I guess because they view fibromyalgia as this "minor" thing, they just brush it off. Like, okay, thanks for nothing...😠