Posts by Nathan Gonzalez6

Morgan Chase2 said:How does the thyroid even factor into this?

Who should I actually talk to—my primary care doctor, a therapist, or both? I can't tell if this is purely mental or something physical.
I haven't dealt with any major trauma—though, granted, there's plenty of life stress weighing on me right now and my mental health isn't exactly at its peak.

Even if your thyroid levels are perfect, it could still be the culprit here. Are you dealing with anxiety? Generalized anxiety disorder can mimic these symptoms perfectly. What you’re describing doesn't sound like simple forgetfulness—it sounds like a total lack of focus.

Either way, go see your GP first—they'll point you toward a specialist if needed.

Hope things turn around for you soon. Best,🙂

Nicole Diaz37 said:That’s a possibility—it could also be that lead exposure has been happening steadily for a while, and it just finally hit a breaking point last year...

But since lead leaves the bloodstream pretty quickly, finding it there suggests ongoing poisoning—basically, it's still being introduced to the system...

A follow-up test is necessary to compare against last year's results—and honestly, you need to sit down with a specialist about this.

p.s.
I’m no doctor—I don't deal in serology—but I'm drawing this from what I know, especially since my old apartment complex had those old lead pipes and we dealt with the whole potential poisoning nightmare ourselves...

So, how did you guys handle it? Did you have to haul water samples off to a lab? Swap out all the plumbing?

northerncobra27 said:Lead levels wouldn't just spike because of an immune issue—not enough to cause hair loss like that. It’s more likely the other way around—that lead poisoning triggered the disorder—though I can't say for sure. What might actually help is getting everyone tested for lead; you might spot a pattern once you see what the rest of the household is dealing with. You could probably take some dust samples to the local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—I assume they test for lead, though I'm not certain if they'll analyze dust specifically. Regardless, give them a call. If they can't help, they should at least point you toward someone who can. Honestly, I'd reach out to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention too (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 63a Main St, New York City, AT&T: 01 | 46 86 910, Fax: 01 | 46 41 368, E-mail: hzt@hzt.hr)—this falls right under their umbrella, and they'll have the best answers.

Thanks. We'll get on that.

Grace Thompson57 said:What kind of immune disorder are we talking about?

Is there any heavy industry near you?
Where did you get the red peppers you're eating—I know, sounds like a weird question, but still.

Any neurological issues? Or maybe some significant shifts in behavior?

Here’s an excerpt from my initial lab work last year:
LAB RESULTS
SE 6, CRP 0.2, L 5.0, seg 70, nes l, ly 25, mo 2, eo 2, E 4.2, Hgb 138, Htc 0.36, MCV 87, MCH 32,
Ptc 126.
GOT, GPT, GGT, LDH, AF, aldolase, CK, CKMB, GUK, urea, creatinine, total protein, electrolytes all within
normal limits.
ASL-O 359. RF 10, WR 6.
Fe 15, UIBC 34, TIBC 49, transferrin 2.55, ferritin 34.3.
fibrinogen 2,4, D-Dimers 1065, LAC negative, protein electrophoresis: A/G 1.62, normal result.
Peripheral blood smear: WBC: seg 52, ly 37, nes 2, mo 7, eo 1, bas 1. Neutrophilic granulocytes show toxic granulation.
E - normocytic, normochromic. Ptc +-K
ANF 1:100 - borderline. Anti dsDNA 7, ENA screen negative. Phosphatidyl screen negative. Cardiolipin screen:
borderline: IgG 16.30, IgM 3.76. CHQ 32, C3 1.0, C4 0.2, pANCA 8, cANCA 4.
EBV serology: IgM (A) 4, IgG (A) 1078, IgG (D) 49, IgG (EBNA) 151. CMV and
toxoplasmosis serology indicate a converted infection.
Urine: Sanford sterile, swab NF: normal flora.

The elevated numbers were corrected later on. We get our peppers at Walmart, and we don't eat much of them. There isn't much nearby besides a small shop that deals in tires or something similar—just on the adjacent lot. We live in a house that's been fully renovated, though it dates back to the 1920s; strangely, this one specific room collects a weird sort of dust—like fine lint—much more than the rest of the house, despite constant cleaning. I wonder if that dust, or even what the neighbor does, could have influenced the results. It could be anything at this point, right?

Nicole Diaz37 said:It depends.
Roughly 95% of lead binds to red blood cells—where it moves between the digestive system and vital organs like the heart, lungs, and brain—creating a quick equilibrium that allows the body to flush it out relatively fast.

The exchange is much slower for lead bound to muscle and skin tissue—it takes about 20 days to clear—or it gets stored as lead phosphate instead of calcium phosphate in the bones and teeth, where it can sit for anywhere from 5 to 20 years.

In adults, 90% of lead is found in the bones, whereas in children, it’s closer to 60%.

When bone density shifts—whether due to a calcium deficiency, high stress, steroid treatments, or even during pregnancy—lead levels in the blood can spike without any new exposure, potentially triggering lead poisoning. Lead also crosses the placenta during pregnancy, meaning it can be passed through the blood directly to the fetus.

Adults, unlike kids, only reabsorb about 10% of ingested lead through the digestive tract. For children between 2 months and 6 years old, however, the body absorbs about 50% of what they take in.

Thanks. My daughter is 16—she dealt with an immune disorder that eventually cleared up—so I wonder if that might have caused her lead levels to spike?

Carol Parker said:So, what led you to actually run lead tests on it?

She had already gone through every possible screening—it was all because of her hair loss.

Nicole Diaz37 said:there’s plenty of info out there online—assuming you can actually navigate more than just basic English...

here’s a starting point... lead levels in children (if you look at the very top of the page, there’s a link to a PDF; honestly, it's much easier on the eyes than this clunky HTML mess)

Thanks. But nowhere does it say whether that lead actually leaves the bloodstream or stays there for good.😢

My daughter's bloodwork just came back showing lead levels. I'm honestly terrified—my mind is racing. How does this even happen, and what am I looking at here?

Douglas Long2 said:It's known as the Electra complex—though, if we are looking at the broader psychological development, the term "Oedipal phase" is generally applied to both genders (which, I should note, was Freud's original concept).

Thanks, 🙂

Is a daughter’s relationship to her father also called an Oedipal complex—or is there a different term for that?

Since you all seem to have the answers, I might as well ask—if this turns out to be a positive test, am I actually obligated to tell my ex? We just split up, and he’s already moved on to someone else—he clearly doesn't want anything to do with me. Honestly, I’d much rather just keep him in the dark. What’s your take?

Dana Stewart2 said:If I were you, I’d just take it again. During my first pregnancy, I had two tests come back negative, then a week later—boom—the third one was a massive positive. Are you feeling anything else at all?

Should I just retake it right now, or wait a bit longer? I'm not feeling any other symptoms yet—nothing.

I took a pregnancy test just two days after my period was due—it came back negative. My cycle is usually clockwork, almost to the day—but now it’s been another seven days and still nothing. I'm wondering if I just jumped the gun by testing so early and how reliable those kits actually are at that stage... should I bother testing again?
thx