Posts by ambermason822
11 posts shown.
Hey everyone. Sorry in advance for the long one. I’m a mom to a little girl who isn't quite six yet. She needs to have all three tonsils out because they're basically trashed and causing major issues like constant ear infections and temporary hearing loss—whenever she catches a cold, her hearing goes way down. She also has an innocent heart murmur, so we're waiting on an EKG and an echocardiogram, which isn't scheduled until June 1st. Of course, I'm stressed. Between the heart stuff and the anesthesia, my nerves are shot. To make matters worse, my son had a routine circumcision two years ago, and during the procedure, the doctors said he actually stopped breathing and had to be intubated through his... well, either nose or mouth, honestly I'm not sure. Thank God everything turned out fine. Please, tell me if I should be terrified that something similar might happen to my daughter under anesthesia, and just how risky this really is? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Hey everyone, just popping back in to give you all a little update..
My period finally arrived, and honestly, I feel a bit better—it’s probably mostly mental. I actually went to see a psychiatrist, and it was a really solid experience. The guy was so incredibly kind and chill that I ended up opening up like an open book; I even shed a few tears. He basically told me that I’m a perfectly healthy woman, but that everything I’ve been through since having the baby has just been way too much stress on my system. Between obsessing over potential illnesses and jumping from CT scans to MRIs, checking my thyroid, seeing gynecologists, and hitting up cardiologists... it’s been a lot. He actually told me to take his word for it and stop all the extra testing already. He wants me to just relax and start focusing on things other than being sick.
He pointed out that I have this massive fear of things going wrong and that I’m dealing with some mild panic attacks. So, he prescribed Oxazepam 10 mg three times a day to help with the anxiety, plus half a pill of Dell 20 mg daily as an antidepressant. He even swore on his gray beard that I'll be totally fine within two months. Well, I took my first dose of Oxazepam and half a Dell this morning, and I gotta tell you, I’m feeling a little "lost at sea." I'm super groggy and everything feels a bit trippy right now. 😲😲 Maybe it’s just how it is at the start, though. I’ll probably get used to it..
I’m honestly pretty freaked out right now and feeling totally lost. I'm scheduling a thyroid ultrasound and a gyno appointment for tomorrow, then I'll grab a referral for some hormone testing. Once I get those results back, I'm heading straight to a psychiatrist.
I feel absolutely terrible. Honestly, whatever the diagnosis turns out to be, I just can't wait to start some kind of treatment so I can finally start feeling like myself again.
Thanks everyone for all the advice
Samuel Morgan40 said:Yes, it’s all done through blood panels.
I would also—just to be safe, much like I suggested to Angela Wright—strongly advise you to have your thyroid checked once more.
I’m speaking from my own experience here; a shift in my circumstances, stress, and general lifestyle led me to roughly the same set of symptoms. It first started manifesting in my cycle—honestly, we women don't always realize just how much our hormones can mess with everything, and it's quite easy to mistake hormonal imbalances for entirely different medical issues.
So, the specific hormones you should probably look into are: FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), LH (luteinizing hormone), testosterone, total testosterone, estradiol, prolactin, DHEAS, and androstenedione. Additionally, you really ought to re-check your TSH (thyroid) along with T3 and T4 levels.
If any of those values come back elevated or low—or if certain hormones aren't balancing correctly for your specific cycle phase—then a doctor will likely suggest some form of therapy or other treatment. You can get the necessary referral from either a gynecologist or an endocrinologist.
If everything comes back normal, then the next step would likely involve more detailed testing—perhaps even an MRI of the pituitary gland right after.
Edit: I forgot to mention that you'll need to have your blood drawn on a very specific day of your cycle—either day 3 or perhaps around day 21 or 22. It really depends on what your gynecologist or endocrinologist tells you to do.
I already had a brain MRI and everything was fine, so hopefully I don't need to redo a pituitary MRI?
And regarding those specific days for blood work—how am I supposed to figure out which days they are if I haven't even gotten my period yet?
Samuel Morgan40 said:Have you actually gone through the rest of your hormone panel yet? I'm asking because—given that your cycle seems to be running late—it’s entirely possible there's some sort of underlying imbalance at play here.
Your OB-GYN could have easily written you a referral for a full hormonal workup, and depending on what those labs actually show, you might even need to follow up with an endocrinologist.
How does that blood test actually work? And which specific hormones are we talking about?
Nathan Baker said:Initially, I suspected my cervical spine because you described those exact same aches and pains I'm dealing with, though you did mention your X-ray came back within normal limits. But honestly, what does "within normal limits" even mean in this context? 🙂 There aren't really any standard reference values for an X-ray like that. What did they actually give you as a diagnosis? Or did they just leave you hanging with nothing?
You went into such detail about my symptoms—the dizziness, that sense of instability and all that—and the moment I showed my X-ray, they immediately labeled it cervicobrachial syndrome. Maybe your issues are just in the early stages, but to me, it all points back to the neck regardless. Plus, I struggle with high blood pressure too, so we have that in common. As for the stuff regarding menstrual cycles and things of that nature... I really wouldn't know.
RADIOLOGY REPORT AND FINDINGS - Cervical Spine
"Bone structure and mineralization appear normal. Vertebral body heights and intervertebral spaces are preserved. Flattening of the physiological lordosis with a formed dorsal gibbus at the level of C4 - C5. Posterior intercorporeal line is intact. Calcifications noted along the superior and inferior contours of the atlas."
Samuel Morgan40 said:Have you actually gone through the rest of your hormone panel yet? I'm asking because—given that your cycle seems to be running late—it’s entirely possible there's some sort of underlying imbalance at play here.
Your OB-GYN could have easily written you a referral for a full hormonal workup, and depending on what those labs actually show, you might even need to follow up with an endocrinologist.
Nah, haven't checked my hormones yet. I've got an appointment with my OBGYN this Monday, and... honestly, I'm planning to see a psychiatrist too.
Hey everyone! I might be rambling a bit here, but I’m honestly at my wit's end and really need some advice..
I'm 29 with two kids. Ever since my second baby arrived via C-section about eight months ago, my entire life has just become one endless cycle of doctors and medical tests. It started with high blood pressure, but once I saw a cardiologist and got on some meds, that leveled out. Since the birth, though, I've had this constant ringing in my ears—like static on an old TV when there's no signal. My head spins too, especially when I turn it, making me feel super unsteady. Lately, I've been getting these sudden episodes that feel like attacks: my heart starts racing, I can't catch my breath, I feel like I'm going to pass out, and my whole body just starts shaking. My palms get sweaty, and I deal with this intense panic and fear. My blood pressure stays fine, but honestly, all I look forward to is crawling into bed and sleeping. My hands are constantly clammy, and breathing feels heavy. I have zero motivation, nothing brings me joy, and I'm always living in fear of the next episode hitting. On top of all that, my period is late, though I know for sure I'm not pregnant. I've already cleared a CT scan to rule out a pulmonary embolism (all clear), an MRI of my brain (fine), blood work including iron levels and thyroid hormones (all good), an X-ray of my neck (normal), and a gynecological exam and Pap smear about six weeks ago (everything was fine). On paper, I look perfectly healthy, but something is seriously wrong. I don't even know if I'm losing it. I'm scared of everything. I just want things to be NORMAL again, like they used to be, but I feel like something is eating me alive from the inside. I'm actually pretty terrified to even think about seeing a psychiatrist.
Please, if anyone has gone through something similar, let me know. Is it actually possible to get back to feeling like myself? Thanks so much ahead of time..
Thanks for all the input, everyone! I’m gonna give my OB-GYN a call first thing in the morning, and I already scheduled an ultrasound at a private clinic for tomorrow. I'll check back in once I have some actual updates... thanks again!
Scott Allen10;27320558 said:😂..
I'm not totally following—did they actually diagnose you with a pulmonary embolism, or was that just a guess? A high CRP could be explained by inflammation from an embolism... or maybe some kind of infection near a wound, though I'm not really buying that part...
Nah, it wasn't a pulmonary embolism. All my test results came back fine. My CRP was just high while I was at the hospital, sitting around 40, especially since I was on Augmentin twice a day at 1g each time.
Hey everyone!
I gave birth via C-section about 40 days ago. This was my second baby and my second surgery. I actually got discharged from the hospital on day five, but literally the next day, I ended up back in the cardiology ward because my blood pressure spiked to 170/110 and my heart rate dropped down to the 40-45 range. After running through the whole gauntlet—blood work, eye pressure tests, an echo, and even a chest CT to rule out a pulmonary embolism—they stabilized me with Tertensif SR and Diovan 80. My numbers finally leveled out, and they sent me home on day eleven. The doctors basically chalked everything up to my body reacting to the delivery, the surgery, and the Bromergon I had to take for some nasty mastitis. I just redid my blood work yesterday, and aside from some mild anemia, everything looks fine except for my CRP being at 102 and ESR at 66. Since I didn't sleep at all the night before the draw, and since the pain around my incision was way more intense than usual during those first few days—plus the skin around the cut looked pretty red—I'm wondering if that could be driving these high numbers up. Honestly, I feel pretty good otherwise and haven't had any major issues. I haven't made it to my OBGYN yet because my period started right around the same time. Plus, my cardiologist warned me against getting an abdominal ultrasound right now; he said I shouldn't have anyone pressing on my stomach while things are still healing because of the risk of internal bleeding.
I ended up with orders for three different tests: a urine culture, a urine cytology, and a fecal occult blood test. I'm honestly feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. What do you guys think? Given that it'll take a while for my period to pass, then get the tests done, and then wait for results... how worried should I be? Could all of this just be inflammation from the tissue around my incision site?