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Living with Sudeck's syndrome in Health · May 30, 2013

jadegull13 said:hey everyone

About three years ago, I had a sesamoid bone removed from my foot. Ever since then, it’s been this constant, chronic pain—stinging, burning, and just hurting like hell whenever anything touches it. It burns the most right near the top of my big toe. Even though they actually cut a nerve during the procedure, it still hurts just as much. I've gone through five different surgeries now. Three of them were with Dr. Nemec, but honestly, nothing worked. I keep getting bounced around with all sorts of diagnoses, but none of them seem to hit the mark—Sudecko syndrome, phantom pain, you name it. The thing is, it hurts incredibly much when touched, yet I have absolutely zero surface sensation in one specific spot on my foot. If anyone out there is dealing with something similar, please reach out; I'd love to chat and see if we can make sense of this together. My main issues are the stinging, the burning, and the sensitivity to touch, and man, it just hasn't let up for three years straight.🙂

You really need to go see a neurologist or an anesthesiologist who specializes specifically in pain management.
Since you've been dealing with this for three years already, it's pretty unlikely you'll get relief without some serious, long-term pharmacological intervention—we're talking things like anticonvulsants or maybe tricyclic antidepressants...
The catch, given how long this has been dragging on, is that the meds aren't going to work overnight. In plain English: you're going to need a massive amount of patience and persistence. You'll likely have to tweak and adjust your prescription multiple times before finding the sweet spot.🤷
Once you finally hit a period of remission—you know, when the pain starts to dial back—I'd suggest looking into a psychologist or therapist who specializes in pain management techniques. They can help you learn how to mentally "unhook" from that pain loop.

Feeling under the weather: Headaches, toothache, low fever, cough... what's going on? in Health · May 30, 2013

Carol White44 said:I’m 39 and dealing with symptoms that even my doctor is scratching her head over.

It all kicked off about ten days ago with typical cold stuff—hoarseness, a runny nose, headaches, you know the drill. I was taking some over-the-counter stuff for the pain and fever, so I didn't even realize I was running a temperature. Honestly, I just figured it would pass like any other bug. But it hasn't. In fact, things have taken a pretty weird turn. The hoarseness and sniffing stopped, but this headache has kind of migrated and expanded; it's hitting my sinuses, the bridge of my nose, my temples, my right cheekbone, the back of my neck, and I've got this sharp stabbing feeling in my ears. The strangest part, which even my doctor finds bizarre, is this dull toothache that keeps jumping from one side of my jaw to the other. And the pain isn't constant; it hits in waves, lasts for a few hours, and then just vanishes. I also get these sudden choking sensations followed by a dry cough. Now that I've stopped the fever reducers, I can see my temp is hovering around 99.7.

Since I wasn't getting any better, I went back to the doctor a few days ago. From what she can see, my lungs are clear and there's no sign of infection in my throat or ears. Since she couldn't pin it down, she put me on an Amoxicillin-based antibiotic (Augmentin, 1g twice a day), but after three days of taking it, nothing has changed.

My husband is perfectly healthy, but my cat actually got sick around the same time—she's on antibiotics too and seems to be doing better. On a separate note, I had surgery a few months back to remove part of my thyroid due to cancer.

Does anyone have a clue what this could be, or at least which specialist I should go see or what tests I should ask for? Any advice is appreciated because this pain is driving me absolutely insane.

Go see a neurologist. Like, ASAP. There are way too many possibilities floating around here, and trying to guess without actual lab work or imaging would be totally irresponsible.
If the neurologist comes up empty, it might make sense to check in with an infectious disease specialist, maybe an ENT if they find something, or even a dentist.
Just get it checked out quickly.

Hearing loss from loud noise in Health · May 23, 2013

They definitely will.
Just let us know what they say when you hear back.

If you don't get a response within a week, go ahead and hit them up again. Honestly, you just have to be persistent with these things.

Hearing loss from loud noise in Health · May 18, 2013

Alexander Rivera20 said:So I hit up the local Cinemark today to catch "Star Trek: Into Darkness," and honestly, my ears started throbbing during the trailers before the movie even kicked off. (I mean, I probably only make it to a theater once every five years...)

The bass levels were so insanely high that I’m pretty sure they're actually hazardous to anyone with normal hearing.

If I hadn't improvised some earplugs out of a paper napkin, there's no way I could've sat through the ads, let alone the actual flick.

Is anyone actually monitoring the decibel levels for these screenings? Because this feels like straight-up negligence.

Or maybe today's kids just have such fried eardrums from all those loud political parties and early MP3 players that nobody even notices anymore?

That's a solid point.
You should shoot them an email and demand they list their maximum allowable decibels during a screening, along with the specific documents or guidelines they used to set their own little "standards," plus whatever other details you want to dig up.
In the US, health inspectors handle stuff like that.
Personally, I’d reach out to Cinemark first. Then let their response dictate whatever moves you want to make next 😉

It's just my subjective take, but I feel like a lot of these screenings are getting painfully loud lately.

Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips? in Health · May 15, 2013

HealthForum is basically our little corner of the internet meant for helpful and genuinely supportive advice and sharing what we've been through.
Being toxic or just straight-up destructive isn't what this community is about.
We've seen enough of that lately.

No organs, no cancer? in Health · May 15, 2013

Jamie Rivera78 said:Look, there are plenty of ways to stay healthy, but hacking away perfectly good organs? That’s probably the absolute worst way to go about it.
If we followed that kind of twisted logic, smokers could just cut out half their lungs and assume they’re safe because cancer won't hit the side they tossed in the trash. There was a time when preventative hysterectomies were all the rage, but nowadays, most doctors will tell you straight up that it's just nonsense.
There isn't even solid proof that ripping out healthy breasts actually adds years to your life. Honestly, you might just be opening the door for cancer to pop up somewhere else entirely.
The real secret to prevention is sticking to a decent diet and living a healthy lifestyle—that’s where you actually slash your risks. I don't see any "bravery" in cutting out healthy organs, no matter what they are. It doesn't make you healthier; it just makes you more broken.

If it’s actually true that what the media reported—this 87% probability of a highly aggressive type of breast cancer—is accurate, then what specifically would you suggest to bring that risk down to 5%?
The rest of the US, and honestly the whole world, is eagerly waiting for your answer, provided it's backed by actual scientific evidence. 🙂

Giving an answer along the lines of "I'd just let Mother Nature take her course and leave it to fate" wouldn't strike me as being honest; it would just seem incredibly harsh, inhumane, and selfish, especially since we aren't talking about you, but someone else.

We aren't responsible for our genetics (which is exactly what we're talking about here), but we are *extremely* responsible for certain behaviors (specifically smoking cigarettes)—or more accurately, it's incredibly irresponsible not to be.
So, that little analogy of yours about smokers and lung removal is completely misplaced; there isn't a shred of logical connection between that and the actual situation we're discussing.

Feel free to drop a link to a peer-reviewed study from a reputable medical journal that supports your idea—you know, based on evidence-based medicine—showing how a decent diet and a healthy lifestyle can have a clinically significant impact when dealing with the specific reality of BRCA 1 and 2 and breast cancer. And besides, how would you even know if she's eating healthy or not?

Current consensus within the scientific community is that this approach isn't some fringe idea; they actually consider it to make sense.
Maybe it'll become outdated in a few years once gene therapy proves to be effective, but hey, only time will tell.

By the way, has anyone else noticed how Angelina Jolie has looked extremely underweight in recent photos, almost cachectic?
Was that intentional, or could something else be going on?

Lab results - looking for opinions [PLEASE READ 1ST POST] in Health · May 13, 2013

slysurfer14 said:Back at it again with the nagging...
So, they’ve been running some tests because of this suspicious eosinophilic granuloma, and they finally went ahead with a bone biopsy.
I’ve been staring at this biopsy report for a while now, and honestly, I’m pretty lost. It’s all just a massive wall of medical jargon that makes zero sense to me.

So, I was looking over the histology and immunohistochemistry results from the biopsy they just pulled, and honestly, it’s one of those "maybe this, maybe that" situations. On paper, the findings could definitely point toward an aneurysmal bone cyst, which would be one thing, but we can't exactly rule out a giant cell tumor just yet either. It's a bit of a toss-up right now, so we're basically sitting in that gray area where the pathology is giving us two very different possibilities to weigh.

So, does this actually back up what we were talking about before, or are we looking at a whole new set of problems entirely?

Thanks a bunch!

It’s not exactly a simple question to answer.

So, here's the deal with giant cell tumors: they’re usually benign, which sounds like good news on paper, but there's a bit of a catch. They don't typically go off and metastasize like some other aggressive cancers, but they can definitely be locally invasive—meaning they like to mess with the area right around them. Honestly, I've seen cases where they just sit there, totally unnoticed, for years without causing any drama at all. It’s one of those things that can be surprisingly chill or a bit of a nuisance depending on how it behaves.

If those eosinophilic cells had actually shown up in the sample we looked at, they would've popped like crazy under the microscope. Honestly, you wouldn't have even needed to squint; they'd have been staring right back at us.

So, I’ve been looking over the sample we analyzed. It could honestly be a massive part of the whole story—I mean, usually, the doctor or the surgeon who’s actually the one taking the sample is...It’s basically that classic "stuck between a rock and a hard place" situation. You know, when you're caught in the middle of two equally messy options and there's no easy way out.
When you're out there grabbing a biopsy, you really have to watch your step. It’s a delicate balancing act—you don't want to go bulldozing through the surrounding tissue and accidentally wrecking nerves or blood vessels that were perfectly fine a second ago. There's also this tricky bit where if you're dealing with something potentially cancerous, you have to be incredibly careful not to basically "mash" the tumor cells into the healthy tissue with your tools; you don't want to inadvertently help the cancer spread just by being too aggressive with the sampling. At the same time, you can't be too timid. You need to pull a sample that's actually substantial enough—what we call a representative sample—of both the diseased area and the healthy stuff nearby. Getting that exact border where the sickness meets the healthy tissue is everything, because once that slide hits the pathologist's desk, that transition zone is where they find all the real answers under the microscope.

So, at the end of the day, it’s really going to be up to the attending physician—I’m assuming an orthopedic specialist—to call the shots on what comes next. They'll look at the whole clinical picture, weigh it against whatever the test results turn out to be, and then decide on the specific diagnostic steps or treatment plans we need to move forward with.
Look, based on what’s been laid out here, I really can't be any more specific than that. 🤷
Let us know what the medical board ends up deciding once they’ve had a chance to huddle up. 😉

Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips? in Health · May 13, 2013

Huge thanks to everyone for playing by the rules and keeping things civil here in the Wellness PDF section, especially when it comes to keeping the insults out of the mix. It really makes a difference.

Light Therapy Device reviews? in Health · May 13, 2013

electricranger39 said:Does anyone here actually know if this Light Therapy Device can help heal open wounds after surgery—specifically when there's a staph infection involved?

thanks

It’s not a cure.

Look, while you follow every single treatment plan recommended by your doctor, this thing might—but definitely doesn't have to—give the wound a little extra help during the healing process.

It’s hard to give a straight answer without more context, though. If I were looking at this properly, I'd need to know things like the patient's actual health profile, what kind of surgery we're talking about here, any underlying conditions or current meds, the specific culture results from the swab, the antibiotic sensitivity report, and basically everything else the medical team has done so far.

What's the secret to rapid growth? in Health · May 11, 2013

hollowsailor19 said:Anyone actually tried this?

I’m scrolling through the web and it’s a total toss-up—half the people swear by it, while the other half say it’s just a massive money pit...
So I was wondering if anyone on here has actually messed around with it and seen any results...

Supposedly, you can "grow" about 4 inches in a year if it works...

If that’s even remotely true, might be worth a shot... I mean, you only live once, right?🤷

Here’s the link:
http://myheight.wordpress.com/2012/1...prirodni-rast/

6 MONTHS - $419

Alright, let's hear what you guys think.

Just another classic way to fleece people out of their hard-earned cash.
There isn't a single shred of info in that ad regarding the ingredients, how the active components actually function, potential side effects, or any kind of contraindications.
Once you find some actual evidence-based articles proving this "supplement" is both effective for its claims and safe, published in a legitimate medical journal (like the New England Journal of Medicine or Nature Medicine), send them over via PM. Only then will we consider reopening this thread based on the provided data.
Until then, there is absolutely zero basis to view this as anything other than a product promoting health or helping anyone stay healthy.
Period.

How to speed up bone healing? in Health · May 10, 2013

Honestly, you’re asking the right question here.
It’s a totally valid point, and frankly, it’s one of those things that comes up way more often than people realize.
The truth is, there isn't a simple answer; it's pretty complicated stuff that really requires someone with actual medical training to weigh in—someone who can look at the full clinical picture, including everything from current symptoms to a patient's entire medical history.
Even when you're looking at something that seems super mild or harmless, if you dig deep enough into a person's charts and medical records, you can almost always find a few relative—if not absolute—contraindications.
Now, dairy products like cottage cheese or Greek yogurt are great ways to get some calcium in, but if you want to actually push that calcium into your bones, the real secret is active movement against resistance. Unfortunately, there are always going to be hurdles or limitations to work around along the way.🤷
Even if you pick what seems like the perfect supplement right out of the gate, you often end up having to pivot mid-treatment because the results aren't hitting the mark or the side effects just aren't worth it.

When we're talking about an older patient, choosing the right medication becomes a whole balancing act involving their specific level of osteoporosis, whether they deal with kidney stones, their gastric health, how mobile they were before any injuries, and their overall baseline functionality, not to mention any other existing conditions or meds they're already on.

As for recovery, it’s all about finding that sweet spot between necessary rest and moving into passive then active rehab, making sure to hit those prescribed exercises several times a day as much as their body allows.

Your primary care physician—maybe looping in a physiatrist or an endocrinologist if needed—is really the only one equipped to figure out which specific supplement makes the most sense for the situation.

Given how layered and complex these issues are, I wouldn't feel right suggesting any particular product here; it just wouldn't be responsible.

Botox injection info? in Health · May 9, 2013

fadedlynx96 said:So, I’ve been thinking about diving into the whole Allergan thing lately, but I wanted to pick your brains first. Specifically, I'm looking to hear from anyone who’s been doing this for a few years now—you know, people who actually have some real-world experience under their belts. What's the deal? Has it actually held up for you over the long haul, or did it just feel like a temporary fix that ended up being a massive headache later on?

I’m currently doing the whole Allergan routine for my entire face. I head in every three months to get a fresh dose, and honestly, everything seems to be going pretty smoothly so far.

The only thing I'm still scratching my head over is whether that part of my face is just going to stay frozen like that forever, or if I'll be stuck on a constant loop of Allergan treatments just to keep things looking normal.

My doctor basically gave me the whole "we'll just have to wait and see" routine instead of actually telling me what's going on. It was super vague, honestly—more like a shrug than an actual medical opinion. Just one of those situations where you're left hanging without any real clarity.

The whole point of going for permanent freezing is that you don't have to deal with constant injections anymore, but honestly, if you overdo it with the Allergan in too many spots, you just end up looking totally frozen—not even being dramatic, it actually looks kind of dead.

So, I was thinking about whether people actually use Allergan for stuff beyond just smoothing out forehead wrinkles. It’s funny how we all jump to the most obvious answer, but there's so much more to it when you start digging into how it's actually applied in different settings. So, I was thinking about that whole "temporary measure" thing we were discussing earlier. It’s funny how often we lean on those quick fixes when things start getting messy, isn't it? It reminds me of this one time back in Chicago when my car's transmission started acting up right before a huge storm hit. Instead of just biting the bullet and taking it to a proper mechanic, I grabbed some cheap additive from an auto shop near Navy Pier, thinking it would just hold things over for a week or two. Obviously, that wasn't exactly a permanent solution, but in the moment, it felt like enough to get me home. It's kind of the same vibe with these kinds of decisions—you know deep down it's just a band-aid, a way to buy yourself some breathing room while you figure out the real move, but there's a certain comfort in having *something* in place, even if it's just a stopgap. You're basically just stalling for time, hoping the actual problem doesn't blow up in your face before you can deal with it properly. Just something to chew on, I guess. So, I was sitting here thinking about this—basically, is there an upper limit to how much Allergan you can pump into your face before things get weird, or can you just keep going indefinitely while you're waiting to scrape together enough cash for the heavy-duty stuff? It’s that classic dilemma, right? You’re either playing the long game, saving up your pennies for a major overhaul, or you’re just riding the wave of micro-adjustments. Honestly, I feel like everyone's in that same boat, just trying to decide if they should go big or stay steady with the small fixes until they can actually afford the real deal.

I'm not even a registered user here, so I think I'll just sit this one out instead of getting bogged into a massive back-and-forth debate. 😉
Honestly, I think your doctor gave you a super diplomatic and pretty straight-up answer, especially considering everything we actually know right now about using Allergan for stuff like that over the long haul.
People love to call Allergan this "miracle cure," and honestly, the way they put "cure" in air quotes tells you everything you need to know. We’re basically playing field medic with ourselves here, and it’s going to take quite a while before we actually have enough real-world data to understand what the long-term fallout looks like.

Pierced ear cartilage: advice and help needed in Health · May 9, 2013

Sam Hernandez18 said:Hey 🙂
Just a heads up right off the bat—I’ve got a ton of questions about this, and I’d really appreciate it if you guys didn't just dump links to old threads on me. I’ve already combed through them, and honestly, they're ancient. I'm pretty sure a lot has changed regarding products and everything else over the last couple of years.

I've been mulling over getting my ear cartilage pierced for quite a while now, and I was wondering if it's actually okay to get it done at a jewelry store, or if using a piercing gun is going to cause issues 🙂 .
Also, is the pain actually as bad as everyone makes it out to be, or is that just some urban legend?
And should I be "cleaning" the wound with alcohol, or is that actually the last thing I should be doing?
Is there any way to protect myself from an infection? Like, is there a specific product that would clean everything out properly (I feel so silly even asking this stuff 😂)

Anyway, I'm dying to hear about your experiences. Looking forward to your replies 🙄

Technical questions like these should really be directed toward the specific shop where you're planning to get the procedure done.

HealthHub is a space meant for well-intentioned, constructive discussions where we swap experiences and tips on how to stay healthy.

Deliberately breaking the skin and piercing your ear cartilage isn't exactly a move that promotes health in any capacity; in fact, it can pose significant risks to a person, both aesthetically and functionally

Getting straight to the point:
ADVICE: Leave your ears alone and keep them intact.
SUGGESTION: Find a more constructive way to express yourself (maybe through education, sports, music, or volunteering...).
HELP: Refer back to the ADVICE and SUGGESTION above.

Lab results - looking for opinions [PLEASE READ 1ST POST] in Health · May 8, 2013

Ashley Morris84 said:They haven't even bothered to run the kidney and urinary tract tests yet, and there’s no urinalysis on file either.
Just got back from seeing the surgeon to go over everything, and honestly, the results were pretty clean—well, except for... So, I was thinking about this earlier—you know how sometimes you're just going through life, totally unbothered, and then you notice something small? Like, I was checking myself the other day and noticed some lumps on my testicle. It’s one of those things that immediately sends your brain into a bit of a tailspin, even if you try to play it cool. You start wondering if it’s nothing, or if you need to go see someone at the Mayo Clinic right this second. Honestly, it's just one of those weirdly unsettling things that happens, and you're left sitting there trying to figure out if you should be worried or if it's just a random glitch in the system. It’s one of those situations where you’re basically just waiting on an operation that isn't even causing any actual issues right now—it's more about getting it over with than dealing with some massive crisis.
So, things have finally started to normalize—I’m actually seeing formed stools now. At the very start of this whole illness, it was just constant, watery diarrhea (that weird, foamy ochre color), and there wasn't really a gradual transition period at all. It went from liquid straight to being quite hard. To be fair, my kid has always had on the firmer side; it’s definitely not a daily thing, but that's just how they've been since birth. I’ve brought this up with our pediatrician several times over the years, but the response is always pretty much the same: as long as everything comes out in one solid piece—you know, like a little "sausage"—they tell me there's nothing to worry about.
No cough or anything like that. They haven't even run an X-ray on the heart or lungs yet, either.
So, we’ve got a water turtle at home, and while she doesn't really interact with us much, she does have her moments where she'll toss some food into her tank. We don't have any dogs or cats hanging around the house, but there's this local park nearby where she likes to play, and since we usually head there when the kids aren't running around, it's pretty safe to assume some local dogs might be doing their business nearby. We're actually sitting tight right now waiting on an appointment with a gastroenterologist to figure out what's going on. Our pediatrician keeps pointing out that eosinophilia is usually triggered by either parasites or allergies, but honestly, we haven't seen any sign of parasites, and we haven't noticed any allergic reactions either. It's one of those situations where you're left scratching your head because everything seems to rule out the usual suspects.
You guys think this needs more fine-tuning, or should we just let it ride?
So, for the last two nights straight, right after he eats a raw apple, he ends up throwing up. I’m honestly not sure if there’s actually anything to it, since he hasn't really reacted like this to any other food we've given him so far. Just feels a little weird, you know?

I honestly feel like we need to ramp up the diagnostic workup as soon as possible. It just makes sense to get ahead of this, and I really think bringing a hematologist into the mix for a consultation would be a smart move at this stage. So, I've been looking into this whole situation regarding why the eosinophil levels are spiking and why those mesenteric lymph nodes are acting up. It’s one of those things where you really have to dig into the underlying cause to make sense of the connection between the two. Basically, we're trying to pinpoint exactly what's triggering that specific inflammatory response in the gut area.
You really need to keep a close eye on that hernia situation. Don't just ignore it; you’ve gotta stay on top of it and monitor how things are looking.

Neck injury / Whiplash symptoms in Health · May 8, 2013

The fallout from a whiplash injury can be a total wildcard depending on how hard you actually got hit. It’s one of those things where it might just flare up once in a while, but other times it sticks around for good, stays constant, or—and this is the part nobody wants to hear—actually gets worse over time.
You really shouldn't be playing doctor with yourself here; you need an actual physician to give you some self-care advice after they've actually looked you over. What helps one person could easily make things a whole lot worse for someone else.

Lab results - looking for opinions [PLEASE READ 1ST POST] in Health · May 8, 2013

Ashley Morris84 said:I’m just gonna circle back to my question here, if anyone feels like weighing in.
In the meantime, I got the stool analysis results back—it was negative, and the rectal swab also came back negative for parasites.
Abdominal ultrasound showed: distended intestines filled with cloudy content, but peristalsis looks normal. There's an increased number of mesenteric lymph nodes. Everything else looked fine.
Repeat CBC:

WBC 15.2
NE% 22
LY% 32.6
MO% 6.2
EO% 38.8
NE 3.3 %
BA% 0.4
LY 5.0
MO 0.9
EO 5.9
BA 0.1

RBC 5.23
HGB 118
HCT 0.370
MCV 70.6
MCH 22.6
MCHC 319
RDW 16.0

Maybe I missed some details:
-The kidney, bladder, and liver ultrasound findings (I'm not sure if they explicitly stated everything was normal in the main ultrasound report)
-Urinalysis
-A consultation with a surgeon
-Is their stool regular and formed?
-Chest X-ray (any coughing going on?)

Any pets in the house (dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, hamsters...), or has the kid been hanging out around any animals lately?

Lab results - looking for opinions [PLEASE READ 1ST POST] in Health · May 8, 2013

Taylor Hayes6 said:So, my dad is 87, and up until just a few months ago, he was honestly pretty much a rock—totally healthy, nothing to worry about. But lately, he’s been looking really washed out, just super pale and lacking his usual energy. We finally got some blood work back, and here’s what we’re looking at:

RBC 3.72
So, I just got my labs back and my hemoglobin is sitting at 75. Honestly, seeing that number pop up on the screen was a bit of a gut punch, even if I kind of saw it coming. It’s one of those things where you try to stay chill about it, but when the numbers dip that low, it’s hard not to feel a little wiped out. Currently just trying to wrap my head around what the next steps look like.
Hct 0.241
So, I was looking over my latest labs, and the MCV came back at 64.9. Honestly, seeing that number just sitting there feels a little weird, especially when you know it's on the lower side. It’s one of those things where you aren't exactly panicking, but it definitely makes you wonder what's going on under the hood. Just one of those small details to keep an eye on, I guess.
My MCH came back at 20.2.
So, I was looking over my latest labs, and I noticed my MCHC is sitting at 311. Honestly, I’m just staring at the number wondering if I should be worried or if it’s just one of those things where everything looks slightly off on paper even when you feel fine. Just one of those little details that makes you second-guess things.
So, I was looking over my latest labs, and my RDW came back at 17.3. Just sitting here wondering if that's something I should actually be sweating or if it's just one of those things where the doctors give you a number and then shrug their shoulders. Has anyone else dealt with a jump like this?
So, I just got my latest labs back, and it looks like my platelet count is sitting at 482. Not exactly the baseline I was hoping to see, but I'm trying to stay chill about it all.
So, I was looking over my latest labs, and my MPV came back at 6.1. Honestly, seeing numbers like that always makes me pause for a second, just wondering if I should be overthinking it or if it's just one of those things where everything else looks fine. It’s kind of funny how much we obsess over these tiny little metrics, isn't it? Anyway, just something on my mind.
WBC 5.9

They sent me straight in for a transfusion right away. I ended up getting two doses—not entirely sure what exactly they were pumping into me—but after waiting around a week, my latest labs came back showing just a tiny bit of improvement:

Red blood cells: 4.25
So, I just got my labs back and my hemoglobin is sitting at 89. Honestly, looking at those numbers feels a little surreal, like I’m reading someone else's medical chart instead of my own. It’s definitely one of those moments where you just have to sit there for a second and process what the doctor is actually going to say when we finally sit down to talk about it.
Hct 0.300
So, I was looking over my latest labs, and my MCV came back at 71.1. It’s definitely sitting on the lower side, which honestly isn't a huge shocker given how much I've been running on caffeine and sheer willpower lately. Still, seeing those numbers makes me wonder if I should probably grab some more Feosol or actually start paying attention to my iron levels like my doctor keeps nagging me about. Not exactly the most thrilling news, but I guess it's just one more thing to keep an eye on.
So, I was looking over my latest labs, and my MCH came back at 21.0. Honestly, seeing that number just feels like another little piece of the puzzle, though it’s definitely on the lower side. It's one of those things where you start wondering if it's actually worth worrying about or if it's just part of the usual baseline for me. Still, it's got me thinking about how all these different markers tie together.
So, I was looking over my latest labs, and the MCHC came back at 295. Honestly, seeing numbers like that pop up on a lab report always gives me that tiny moment of "wait, what does this actually mean?" before I can really wrap my head around it. It’s one of those things where you just stare at the screen for a second, wondering if it's worth a call to the doctor or if it's just another little quirk in my biology. Still processing everything, but figured I'd toss it out there.
So, I was looking over my latest labs, and that RDW is sitting at 19.0. Honestly, seeing a number like that just makes you stare at the screen for a second, wondering if it’s actually something to worry about or just one of those little quirks in the data. It feels a bit high, doesn't it? Just enough to make you wonder what's going on under the hood.
So, I just got my latest labs back, and it looks like my platelet count is sitting at 413. Nothing to lose sleep over, I guess, but definitely worth keeping an eye on.
So, I was looking over my latest labs, and my MPV came back at 6.7. Just one of those little numbers that makes you pause for a second, you know? Nothing crazy, but definitely worth keeping an eye on.
WBC 6.7

So, he went ahead and got an abdominal ultrasound done, which came back clear, but the doctors aren't taking any chances—they’ve already sent him off to get a gastroscopy and a colonoscopy just to be safe. To top it all off, his GP put him on some iron supplements, specifically Feosol at 350mg twice a day.

He’s been running a bit of a low-grade fever every now and then—nothing crazy, just hovering around that 98.6°F mark—but honestly, he doesn't seem to be feeling any better at all.

Looking at these results, can we actually pin down what kind of anemia we're dealing with here? I'm wondering if taking iron is even the right move, or if this might actually be more of a B12 or folate deficiency issue instead.

Since my gastroscopy and colonoscopy aren't scheduled for another two months, I’m wondering if I should go ahead and get some other tests done in the meantime? I mean, I haven't really seen any improvement since I started taking the Feosol, so I'm thinking about seeing a specialist. Who should I reach out to, and what kind of follow-ups would actually be worth doing while I wait?

Given my age and dealing with this microcytic anemia, it honestly feels like a colonoscopy and a gastroscopy are just the logical next steps on the diagnostic checklist. It’s all starting to make sense, really. The only thing I feel is missing from the standard routine right now is an occult blood test to round out the investigation.
Look, I don't have the full clinical picture here or any of the patient's medical history to work with, so I can only give you some rough ideas. If I were in their shoes, I’d probably start by getting a basic chest X-ray just to check on the heart and lungs, and maybe run some standard prostate function markers too.
We don't even have a look at the metabolic panels or the urinalysis, so there's really no way for us to make even a basic call on how the liver or kidneys are actually holding up.
So, what kind of numbers are we looking at when it comes to iron and ferritin?
Has he been dropping any weight lately? Like, noticeably losing pounds without trying? Also, check if his lower legs are looking swollen or puffy, and see if he’s getting winded or just feeling wiped out way faster than usual.
You probably won't feel any real improvement from the Feosol for at least a few weeks. Even though starting out with two capsules is pretty standard according to most protocols, just a heads-up that you might deal with some annoying GI issues first—think stomach cramps, diarrhea, or just feeling generally unsettled.
If they’re already taking Feosol, then they probably missed the window to get a fecal occult blood test done... 😕

Neck injury / Whiplash symptoms in Health · May 7, 2013

You should definitely mention those recurring tremors in your right hand to the doctors you're seeing, especially the neurologist and the physiatrist.
For now, I don't have anything specific to add to the treatment guidelines we already talked about.
At the end of the day, any real adjustments or tweaks can only come from actual physicians who have the full picture; I'm just making educated guesses based on what you've told me.
Otherwise, your primary care doctor could handle most of the stuff we discussed—or at least they could prescribe the medication side of things, which isn't anything out of the ordinary. Go see them, let them know how much this is messing with your day-to-day life, and I'm pretty sure they'll do whatever they can within their scope.
Keep me posted on how it goes 😉

Neck injury / Whiplash symptoms in Health · May 7, 2013

Mark Martin14 said:I'll try to keep this brief:

1. I got rear-ended while driving my car.

2. My neck X-rays didn't show anything out of the ordinary.

3. After feeling some weakness, I ended up getting a CT scan of my head and neck.
The diagnosis was S13 bulging in three spots (so, nothing too crazy, I guess)

4. During the Doppler, they found asymmetric vertebral artery flow—it's elevated at 45 on the left and 55 on the right.

5. Everything feels mostly fine until my neck starts tightening up and I get this wave of weakness; it’s like I’m about to pass out, followed by the shakes and turning pale—probably just from the anxiety of it all.

6. Since it’s been four months since the accident, I'm wondering what I should do about this weakness that hits whenever my neck muscles tighten up.

7. There are times when I won't feel any symptoms for a week, but then after, say, a long drive where I'm bracing through turns and dealing with the general "bumpy ride" of the car, those tightening sensations come crawling back.

And honestly, I'm terrified I might actually collapse...

Any advice, pointers, or similar experiences would be really appreciated...

Could this S13 be referring to C3?

-Does the neck tightness hit you out of nowhere, or does it build up gradually and get worse? Does it stop on its own after a bit, or do you have to do something specific to make it go away—what exactly works?
-Is it just tightness, or is there actual pain involved? If so, what kind of pain are we talking about—dull, sharp, stabbing, constant? How long does it last, what makes it worse, what helps, and does it wake you up at night?
-Do your arms ever go numb (or just one arm) during those periods of tightness?
-How's the dizziness—are you feeling unsteady on your feet, or does it feel more like the room is spinning?
-What are your blood pressure readings like? Do you check your BP and pulse when the tightness kicks in—what kind of numbers are you seeing?
-What kind of treatment plan have your doctors suggested so far?

Based on how you're describing it, you might be a good candidate for some targeted medical massage from someone properly trained, maybe paired with plenty of local NSAIDs (like using Luboreta during the session, or Voltaren afterward) for at least 5 to 10 days. It could also make sense to look into a low dose of a muscle relaxant for about 2 or 3 weeks (something like Normabel, maybe 2-4mg morning and night, adjusting based on how well it works and if you hit any side effects).
Of course, you'd need to run all of this by your doctor first, since they're the ones who actually know your full clinical picture and medical history.

Mosquitoes absolutely hate me... in Health · May 7, 2013

It’s not exactly an original deep dive, but you can definitely read between the lines here. Basically, the whole thing boils down to this idea that having a diverse mix of bacteria on your skin—think of it like a little microbial melting pot—is actually a good thing if you're looking for a natural mosquito repellent. The logic is that the more variety you have, the higher the odds that some random strain will end up pumping out something that keeps the bugs away.

Apparently, people who only carry one single type of bacteria on their skin are basically giant neon signs for mosquitoes.

So, I guess we should probably be looking to dustymarlin10 to see if he can farm some useful bacterial strains from his skin, and honestly, Jeffrey Garcia6 would be pretty useful too, just acting as live bait to draw them all away from us.😁