Posts by melloworca6

Maybe someone’s just sleepwalking 🤷. Does that only happen while they're out cold, or can it happen when they're awake too?

Arthur Palmer7 said:I have to tell you guys, my lymph node actually receded. It's gone from my neck entirely. Is that a good sign? Like, does it mean it's not that thing I've been terrified of?

That’s a good sign. It means the infection is clearing out 👍. Just so you know, those lymph nodes can take a long time to shrink back down. For instance, mine was swollen for a month straight recently, and it only just finally went down completely. It wasn't painful, it just slowly shrunk, so I didn't really worry about it.

Arthur Palmer7 said:And what if it's just a virus? What then, melloworca6? Thanks for the support.

If it's a virus, just drink plenty of tea, squeeze some lemon in there, rest up for a bit, and you'll be back on your feet in a few days. 🙂

Look, there’s no point in getting this worked up. I deal with my own health issues too, but I don't jump at every single little symptom or start imagining the worst-case scenario. If I panicked over every minor annoyance, I'd spend more time in the doctor's office than I would in my own house.

It’s good that you care about your health, but you really shouldn't spiral or blow things out of proportion. 😉

If your throat is sore and scratchy and swallowing feels rough, you probably just caught something. It's that time of year when viruses are everywhere; you might have just picked one up. If you went to get a swab tested, they'll be able to tell if it's actually a bacterial infection. If that comes back negative, then you're likely looking at a virus.

Drink plenty of tea with lemon and honey—that usually helps. And if that burning sensation in your throat doesn't let up, ask your doctor for a referral to a gastroenterologist. It could be acid reflux hitting your throat.

I think Arthur Palmer7 is pulling our leg. There’s no way someone who's 23 hasn't dealt with a sore throat at least once in their life.🙂

You guys are all here joking around and making fun of this, but honestly, there are people out there who actually demand things like CT scans for absolutely nothing 🙂. And they won't take no for an answer. They’re so relentless that they eventually force us to run every single test under the sun just to get them off our backs. Then, those of us who are actually sick end up fighting wars just to get a basic screening because the doctor already burned through the entire month's budget on useless referrals.

It’s possible that stomach acid is creeping back up into your throat; that’s usually what causes that burning sensation.

Hypochondriacs are basically people who turn minor inconveniences into full-blown catastrophes. It’s just not normal to assume you have cancer the second you get a scratchy throat.

And look, to the OP: if your throat hurts, it’s inflamed. Simple as that. Inflammation can be viral or bacterial. When your throat is flared up, your tonsils and lymph nodes in your neck can swell, which makes swallowing or breathing feel difficult.
Seriously though, quit stressing out over nothing. Constant panic isn't good for you.

Arthur Palmer7 said:I’m just stating my case here. I don't see why I’d need to go see a psychiatrist over this.

It's because you're panicking over nothing. Your throat hurts and suddenly you're convinced it's terminal cancer.

Here's a snippet from a medical site:

Hypochondria is a type of somatoform mental disorder where the sufferer feels they are plagued by one or more physical illnesses. These patients take perfectly normal, everyday bodily sensations—things most people wouldn't even blink at—and interpret them as abnormal, threatening, dangerous, or even fatal. This creates massive psychological strain and intense health anxiety. Usually, the perceived illness focuses on one or two specific organs, though occasionally it can spread across several systems.

Sure, thrombocytopenia is a possibility, but honestly, I feel like if that were the case, it would be showing up everywhere, not just right where the laundry hits the skin. 🤷 They really ought to run a full blood panel too, just to make sure the platelet count is actually within a normal range.

Well, you figured it out. Honestly, if things don't start looking better in two or three days, I’m heading straight back to the doctor to demand a referral for a dermatologist.

Go see a doctor.

It could be an allergy to the dye or maybe just the fabric in your underwear. If it were anything else, you wouldn't just have it localized where your clothes touch your skin—it would be all over your body.

It sounds like you might be dealing with some kind of rash. Have you tried picking up anything over-the-counter at a drugstore, or maybe eaten something lately that’s loaded with allergens—you know, things like nuts, peanuts, eggs, or fish?

My daughter actually ended up with similar little spots on her legs once. It didn't even itch, and it turned out to be nothing more than a reaction to those mussels that had dried strawberries and bananas mixed in. 🤷

She might just be allergic to the earrings. Honestly, my ears get irritated like that whenever I try wearing any jewelry, so I eventually just gave up on them altogether.

So, quick question: can you just swallow these chewable tablets instead of sucking on them?

I picked up some probiotic tablets meant to be sucked on, but honestly, the taste is pretty gross. I'm wondering if they'll still work the same way if I just gulp them down without all the sucking.

Maybe just try heading to your primary care doctor for now. Getting an appointment with an immunologist is a whole different story—you have to book ahead, and depending on how slammed they are, you could be looking at waiting a month or two.

feralharbor89 said:melloworca6, would you mind sharing a bit more about how you actually found out you were dealing with an autoimmune condition?
I’ve been running into you on a few different subforums lately—I tend to hang out in those spaces because of my own health journey—and it really feels like we have so much in common. I’ve reached a point where I feel it’s much more important for me to do my own research first, so that when I finally sit down with my doctor, I can approach them with actual knowledge and specific suspicions already in mind.
To circle back to what you mentioned—I’ve dealt with those sharp, stinging pains in the past too, and over the last couple of months, I’ve had some really nasty flare-ups in one elbow and then the other. It fluctuates quite a bit; some days are manageable, and others are just brutal. By the time I finally made it to a specialist after several months of searching, we had a very pleasant conversation where we basically concluded that I'm simply predisposed to this, even though modern medicine doesn't have a definitive "why" for it. It's worth noting that I've also dealt with tendonitis around my radial bone a few times before. Beyond just my elbows—which doctors usually call tennis or golfer's elbow—I deal with various joints in my hands and even occasional hip pain. To be honest, I truly empathize with the person who started this thread, as well as everyone else going through something similar.
I think I'm going to go hunt for some topical gel now. My left index finger joint is acting up quite a bit, probably from all this typing.

I started writing this post and then my computer totally froze on me. I'll send you a PM tomorrow because if I try to write a long post here, it'll just crash again.

What kind of symptoms and issues are you dealing with?

Edit: Miraculously, I managed to send you a long message without my computer locking up on me. 😁

Give topical pain gels a shot for those aching joints.

Right now, I’m using Devil's Claw—you can pick it up at any local pharmacy. I’ve also tried Propriumin, Deep Relief, and Reumoval balm. They aren't bad; they all have a cooling effect, which helps take the edge off the joint pain. When things get really intense, though, I resort to Voltaren gel.

Honestly, if it weren't for these creams—and I really don't want to be popping painkillers unless I absolutely have to—I wouldn't even be able to roll out of bed some days.

But seriously, when you're able to, make sure you see a doctor. If the inflammation keeps jumping from one joint to another, you might be looking at something autoimmune.

Just go see your doctor and have them give you a referral for immunology.

In my case, the pain kept jumping from one joint to another until it turned out I actually have an autoimmune connective tissue disease.

It was really just a matter of when this would finally hit the fan.

Besides, we've been dealing with MRSA—that antibiotic-resistant staph strain—for ages now, and I don't recall seeing nearly this much of a media circus over it.