Posts by Jack Lopez95

So, here’s how it went for me...

I had to have my spleen removed due to a rupture, and honestly, the whole ordeal—the surgery itself, the fear, all of it—left me dealing with some intense anxiety. It feels like I can't catch my breath; I struggle to take a full, deep breath, and then the panic sets in because I feel like I'm suffocating. My heart starts racing, and I turn pale (though, looking back, most of it was happening in my head). At first, I was convinced something was wrong with my lungs. I actually went to see some top-tier specialists who ran scans on my lungs, did blood work, checked my blood pressure, and everything came back perfectly clear. They told me straight up that everything is physically fine and that what I'm experiencing is just the lingering fear following such a major surgery—basically PTSD—and that it should pass with time. They suggested seeing a psychologist, but I think I'll hold off for a bit and see if it settles down on its own first.
It’s been a few days since that doctor's visit, and I'm actually feeling a little better every day. The panic attacks aren't hitting as hard, and I've been trying to stay busy with other things to keep my mind from spiraling.

The bottom line is, if you're feeling symptoms like this, it's very possible you're dealing with PTSD. I'd strongly suggest that anyone going through this goes to see a doctor.

I felt like I had to revive this thread just to share my own story with you guys:

So, I'm a fifteen-year-old kid who ended up having my spleen removed, on top of already having had my appendix out previously.

It all kicked off two Saturdays ago when I was hanging out with some friends. I had no idea I was dealing with mononucleosis at the time, which meant my spleen, liver, and a lymph node in my neck were all swollen. Everything seemed fine until a friend and I—both feeling a little buzzed—started messing around and getting physical over some stupid joke. He was the first one to "roll up his sleeves" and landed a punch right in my upper abdomen. At the moment, I didn't think much of it; I figured it was just a hit and nothing serious, totally unaware that that single blow had actually damaged my spleen. We just kept walking like nothing happened. Sunday and Monday passed by, and I didn't feel any pain at all. Then Tuesday afternoon rolled around. I was at school during third period (around 4:00 PM), and I started feeling this dull ache in my left shoulder. By the end of the break and the start of fourth period, the pain in my stomach became intense, and I started breaking out in a cold sweat. What I didn't realize then was that I was bleeding internally—instead of staying inside the spleen, blood was spilling into my abdominal cavity. I called my dad on my cell and told him I wasn't feeling well and needed him to pick me up from school. I barely made it home through the pain and went straight to bed, trying to sleep it off. But then I had to use the bathroom, and I actually collapsed unconscious in the hallway. That’s when I knew things were getting serious. My dad rushed me to the Mayo Clinic. I even blacked out again while we were getting out of the car. Once I finally made it to the ICU, they ran every test imaginable—blood work, urine tests, and eventually an ultrasound. The ultrasound confirmed my spleen had ruptured and that there was a lot of free blood in my abdomen, so they immediately prepped me for surgery.
The surgery went well. I spent a week in the ICU hooked up to every possible catheter and IV drip you can imagine, followed by another week on the surgical floor. I finally got discharged yesterday. I'm feeling better every day, though I tire easily and have to be careful about standing or sitting for too long; mostly, I just need to lie down. The doctors told me I'll lead a perfectly normal life, provided I stay up to date on certain vaccinations and take it easy for a month or two while everything heals properly. The only thing bugging me is that everyone keeps telling me I can't smoke a cigarette for quite a while after the surgery. I don't really get why—it feels like they're just saying it to get me to quit altogether. My grandfather smoked after his bowel surgery and he was totally fine...

So now I'm wondering, if I were to have just one or two cigarettes a day, would it actually make things worse or not?

Thanks!

Even back when I was just a kid in elementary school, I was a huge fan of horror movies. For me, watching them was never about being traumatized or feeling like it would incite any kind of violent behavior...
Honestly, horror was just my go-to whenever I needed a quick adrenaline rush or was simply bored out of my mind.
The only movie that actually managed to scare me as a kid was Candyman, even though I’ve seen hundreds of others, including the Friday the 13th series and Freddy Krueger flicks. These days, most modern horror feels pretty lazy—just the same old tired tropes like zombies, The Witch, ghosts, and all that junk...
In my opinion, there's really no point in trying to ban kids from watching horror movies. Even if you could, they'd find a way around it anyway. In this day and age, if you have high-speed internet and know your way around a torrent site—which most kids today definitely do—it's incredibly easy to track down any horror flick and share it with a friend. They'll just stream it together at home...
When it comes to public venues like an AMC Theatres, obviously the owners just want to maximize their profits, whether it's at the theater or a local convenience store. You'll see those signs at the corner store saying "We do not sell tobacco products to anyone under 18," yet I still see kids buying cigarettes all the time. At the end of the day, the shop owner wants that money, plain and simple...