Posts by Linda Gonzalez16

Nicole Gray47 said:Albuterol!!!!! the only way to go $10 at the drugstore.. they never even ask me for a prescription

you probably have asthma, duh, obviously.😉

Look, let’s stop throwing diagnoses and meds around like candy—don't play games with people's health like that.

There are tons of reasons why you might feel short of breath, ranging from totally harmless to actually scary, and that's why you need to see a doctor.
I am definitely not just grabbing Albuterol on my own. A doctor is the one who decides if a medication is right for you or if it'll cause issues.

You’re in the wrong sub. Check out "recreation and fitness"—there's tons of stuff about this there.
By the way, let's get real. You can build muscle in your core all you want, but those abs aren't showing up unless you burn off the fat covering them. That usually means hitting some cardio—running is probably your best bet.

Brandon Wells712 said:I could use some "help."
Last night, my husband just started shaking uncontrollably out of nowhere.
He was trembling hard—his hands were ice cold, almost like he had zero circulation in his fingers...
I gave him some Advil and a cup of tea, then tucked him in under three heavy blankets. He wasn't in any pain, but we were both pretty freaked out. He actually had a root canal yesterday—he’s always been terrified of the dentist—so I thought maybe it was just some kind of delayed shock from the procedure (it happened about five hours after he left the clinic).
The shaking eventually stopped after two hours, but he spent the rest of the night sweating through the sheets. He took an Aleve before trying to sleep, too.

Does anyone have any idea what might cause this??

Have him check his temperature (shivers and chills often happen when a fever spikes suddenly, followed by sweating) and get him to a doctor! You need to figure out why that happened. This doesn't sound like "shock." Is he dealing with anything else? Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, issues urinating, a cough, a rash, sore throat, runny nose, or a headache...?

Ethan Fisher20 said:Has anyone here dealt with a scaphoid fracture? If you’ve been through it, how bad was it actually? I'm looking for some real-world perspective.

It gets nasty if you don't catch it early. See, if a piece of the bone breaks off, it loses its blood supply and can basically die off—which is a huge deal because the scaphoid is vital for how your wrist moves. Once it's diagnosed, as long as the pieces haven't completely separated, a simple cast usually does the trick. You're looking at about 10-12 weeks for a full recovery. If things get complicated or the cast doesn't work, surgery is the fallback option.

neonheron12 said:Then I've just got two more questions: on average, how long does it take to actually nail down that "perfect" dose? And what are the odds my neck starts swelling up in the meantime—especially since this is labeled as subclinical, which apparently happens because of iodine deficiency or whatever. (I can't even describe how much THAT scares me. It’s right up there with public speaking and dealing with the IRS. 👎).

1. There's no way to give you a straight answer. Every patient is their own unique case. It could take two months, or it could take six.
2. "Subclinical" just means you aren't feeling symptoms yet, or they're pretty minor. Basically, your TSH is high, but T3 and T4 are still in the normal range. It doesn't actually tell you *why* your thyroid is acting up. Most cases of hypothyroidism are actually caused by Hashimoto's, which isn't about iodine levels at all. It's a chronic inflammation triggered by an autoimmune response—basically your body attacking itself—often kicked off by something as simple as a common virus. In those cases, you don't deal with goiters. Especially once you start treatment. People living with Hashimoto's lead totally normal lives. Don't sweat it.

neonheron12 said:Hey, if I’m not actually feeling anything right now (as far as I know, I'm fine), could symptoms pop up once I start medication, or am I looking at nasty side effects or something?

Hypothyroidism can be a slow burner. Your hormone levels fluctuate, and those early red flags—like feeling wiped out, lacking motivation, or just being "cranky"—often get blamed on something else entirely. You can even have subclinical hypothyroidism where you feel zero symptoms, or maybe just some minor stuff. Basically, your pituitary gland starts pumping out extra TSH to force a struggling thyroid to produce enough T4, just to keep your T3 and T4 levels in the normal range. It's actually a win if you catch it early before the heavy hitters kick in—things like feeling freezing all the time, constipation, dry skin, weight gain, muscle aches, or feeling depressed. Once you need treatment, the whole point is just to fix those low hormone levels and get them back into the healthy zone. It's mostly a game of fine-tuning to find that perfect dosage. Sure, there are side effects and precautions to keep in mind, but honestly, every medication has them—that doesn't mean everyone deals with them. Your doctor will walk you through all of that if it becomes necessary.

neonheron12 said:So, what can they actually do for hypothyroidism?

Look, first thing's first: you need to get your T3 and T4 levels checked, then hit up an endocrinologist or a specialist for a thyroid ultrasound. They’ll likely run some blood work to look for specific antibodies to pin down the cause—usually it turns out to be Hashimoto. Based on those hormone levels, if you need it (and with a TSH over 20 and the symptoms you're describing, you probably will), they'll prescribe replacement therapy like levothyroxine. It usually takes a few months to dial in the perfect dose, but once that's set and you're doing regular checkups, life goes right back to normal.
There's a massive thread on thyroid issues further down in the 🙂 subforum, so it might be worth tossing your other questions and concerns over there.

EDIT: Let's wait until we see the actual T3 and T4 results. Until then, we're all just guessing. And seriously, don't sweat it 😉 😁 .

neonheron12 said:So, yeah, Doc. She was checking my CBC😍 and iron levels since I've been feeling totally wiped out, plus she ran a TSH just to be safe. Turns out I'm also anemic, which makes sense given how much my hormones are acting like a moth in a bag of flour right now.
Heading in tomorrow to get blood drawn for all three tests.

Anemia often goes hand-in-hand with hypothyroidism. I'd suggest getting your cholesterol checked too.

Scott Allen10 said:I honestly don't get why anyone would tell you to just check your TSH without also ordering FT3 and FT4. It makes zero sense. TSH, FT3, and FT4 are basically the holy trinity here—you always test them together. At least that's how my endocrinologists handle it.

Just speaking from what I've seen in San Francisco... they usually just run the TSH. If that comes back out of range, then they'll bother with the T3 and T4. From a purely clinical or even a budget standpoint, I guess there's some logic to it. But for the patient? It’s just an extra trip to the lab if they end up needing those other tests anyway.

Laura Mendoza said:I honestly don't understand how none of you have your own primary care physicians to provide referrals, or even the ability to ask them questions when you pick up your test results. It’s like you just don't get it.

Life would be a whole lot easier if everyone just got along 👍. We’re all wired differently—gotta accept that...

ASO is basically just an antibody that reacts to Group A strep. If your levels are high but everything else looks totally fine and you aren't actually feeling sick, it usually just means you dealt with a strep infection—like a nasty sore throat—a few weeks or even months back.
So, what was the point of running the test in the first place?

neonheron12 said:So why isn't everyone else seeing low, normal, or slightly elevated TSH levels?
I mean, unless I've got some random pituitary tumor hiding somewhere. 😕

It's hypothyroidism 99.9% of the time. Cases where the body just pumps out TSH on its own—causing secondary hyperthyroidism—are incredibly rare (in those cases, TSH stays high, sometimes by insane amounts). Sure, TSH can spike due to other conditions, but honestly, that’s mostly academic stuff at this point. Don't sweat it.

neonheron12 said:Probably hypothyroidism?

Most likely, but you can't know for sure without seeing the actual clinical results. It could just as easily be secondary hyperthyroidism.

restlessgull82 said:They were hinting at Mad Cow Disease, and of course, they just swept it all under the rug like they always do...

That is such an incredibly pretentious take 👎. Come on, people...

redhound2 said:Is there actually a cure for this disease?

Nope, no cure. Doctors try treating symptoms with pentosan polysulfate, but honestly, it doesn't really do much.

There are a few different versions of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease:
- Sporadic (we don't know why it happens)
- Familial, meaning it's hereditary
- A newer variant (first seen back in '96, similar to "mad cow disease")
Then you've got other prion diseases out there too, like Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease, fatal familial insomnia, Kuru (from those ritualistic cannibalism practices), and scrapie in sheep.

With the classic types, the symptoms aren't super specific and the incubation period is long. You see rapid-onset dementia, personality shifts, issues with coordination and balance (ataxia), hallucinations, muscle stiffness, myoclonic jerks—which is pretty characteristic—speech problems, and so on.
The newer variant usually hits younger people and starts with psychological changes or behavioral issues before the neurological stuff kicks in later.

For diagnosis, doctors look at an EEG (looking for those triphasic spikes), maybe an MRI showing thalamic changes in the brain, or checking for the 14-3-3 protein in spinal fluid.

Kimberly Murphy46 said:Does anyone know of a good cream that actually helps with healing lipomas and scars?

Sadly, no. Pharmacists haven't figured out how to bottle up TIME and turn it into a topical cream yet😁.

Richard Perez3 said:Hey y'all 😁

Can someone who actually knows their stuff about blood work please help me out? I'm looking at my results and wondering what it means when

- inorganic phosphates,
- MPV,
- neutrophils,
- basophils

aren't hitting those ideal levels, even though everything else looks totally fine.

Thanks a ton. 🙂

It doesn't mean a thing until you post the actual numbers—and honestly, even then, maybe not. 🙂 No one's going to play doctor based on guesswork.

driftingseal3 said:When I was just seven years old, doctors diagnosed me with a heart murmur—specifically 😛mitral valve prolapse and mild mitral valve insufficiency, grade 2. Since then, I’ve been under constant medical supervision with checkups every six months, and I take half a tablet of Atenolol every single morning. About five months ago, my partner and I decided to start trying for a baby, and since then, I’ve completely stopped taking my medication. It’s been far too long without any pills, and honestly, I feel terrible. My heart rate spikes up to 180 bpm, and on top of that, my blood pressure drops dangerously low—sometimes hitting 90/60, or even as low as 60/40. I really need to know if anyone else has dealt with this specific situation and whether this will cause major complications during pregnancy. Every time I ask my doctor for guidance, he just tells me to come back once I’m actually pregnant and we can discuss it then; all he says is that my pregnancy won't be "business as usual" and that I'll need to be extra cautious. But I'm asking: am I allowed to continue my medication even though I'm actively trying to conceive? Because without them, I feel absolutely awful. Thanks for any insight. 😉

Most of the time, if a woman has MVP prolapse, pregnancy goes through without a hitch. Honestly, symptoms often surprisingly ease up during that period. Regarding the Atenolol, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First off, it was prescribed for a good reason. Second—and this is huge—you can never just quit beta-blockers cold turkey. You have to taper off slowly over about two weeks under a doctor's supervision. Never try to DIY this without medical guidance, or you risk a dangerous "rebound" effect where your symptoms come back even worse. Third, traditionally, doctors have been cautious about using Atenolol during pregnancy because we don't fully know its long-term impact on the baby, especially since it does cross the placenta. Some newer studies in major medical journals suggest it might be perfectly fine, but you still have to play it safe. The general rule of thumb is that you take it if the risk to the mother from *not* taking it outweighs any potential risk to the baby.
Look, my two cents? Given those symptoms—especially that 180 BPM tachycardia, which is honestly pretty scary—you need to see a cardiologist ASAP. Seriously. They’re the only ones who can tell you exactly how to handle your meds and give you the straight answers you're looking for. You aren't expected to be an expert, and honestly, it's totally normal to feel overwhelmed right now. But your doctor is obligated to clear up any confusion so you don't end up panicking and messing with your prescription on your own. Don't just stop taking the Atenolol before you find out if you're pregnant; wait until you have the facts, then you and your doctor can figure out the best way forward.

dustyfalcon122 said:I’ve actually heard that cats basically vaporize the second they hit the water.
If I remember correctly, it’s all because of that insane temperature gap...

What really gets under my skin, though, is how movie heroes always kill some random extra holding an assault rifle—which they obviously don't have themselves—and then they just LEAVE the gun lying there on the ground. It's like they absolutely have to go bare-handed to settle things with the main villain (who, of course, usually spends that time delivering some long-winded monologue).
I've seen it so many times where they even pick up the gun from Mr. Anonymous, only to THROW it away for some totally idiotic reason.

Are you being for real right now?

bluefalcon15 said:Oh, I have, believe me. But please—enlighten me! Because if my brakes fail on the highway, my first (and maybe only?) instinct would be to slowly pull the emergency brake.

Heh. Typical textbook answer from a cheerleader. This is exactly what I’m talking about... acting like we're all just some group of naive idiots 🙂

The thing is, since we're talking about American movies, a lot of cars don't even have a traditional handbrake anymore. Most of them are automatics, so just throwing it into Park is plenty when you're trying to stay put on a steep hill.🙂 .