Posts by Scott Davis32

It’s the exact same story over here—I’ve got Gilbert, and man, I am hitting a wall so fast. I feel totally drained and just completely unmotivated, but honestly? I don't even think that's the main culprit. Maybe you should dig a little deeper into what else might be going on? Could there be something else hiding under the surface?

Amy Turner22 said:[/B]

it... happened, but he wasn't endangering himself or anyone else

there's still a ton of nonsense going on
for instance, if someone goes on a hunger strike, you can't legally force them to eat even when their vitals are crashing
well, it's kind of the same thing—you aren't allowed to step in until they become a direct threat to others

But honestly, that's just nonsense; we’re hitting that massive gray area of morality here. When we called 911 and the paramedics, my brother was in a really dark place. He had completely checked out, wouldn't talk to anyone, and was barely eating—just enough to stay alive—while playing the same song on repeat on his CD player all day long. So, I have to ask: is it actually "humane" to just sit there and watch someone spiral deeper into hell right in front of us? 😢
And those geniuses who pushed this law through? If they think they can force someone into necessary medical treatment and then just shrug when that person sues them later, they clearly haven't spent a single second dealing with schizophrenia or anything similar. There absolutely has to be an exception clause! How can someone with schizophrenia be expected to have full agency over their own actions when their grasp on reality is totally broken?
Sorry if that sounded like I was coming for you personally—I'm not! I'm just incredibly frustrated by such a brainless law...

Honestly, I don't think there’s much of a choice in the matter... I've been through this firsthand with my brother, who lives with schizophrenia. We really only ever called for help when things reached a breaking point—you know, during those intense crises where the fighting becomes unbearable or he starts making threats. But what are you supposed to do when he's just a potential danger? I feel like it mostly comes down to how the hospital staff decides to handle it. But here's the catch: how do you actually get someone to comply? When the paramedics show up, he fights back, and they don't always have the tools to manage him alone. We went through this exact nightmare with my brother; he completely shut everyone out, retreated into his own world, and we were totally lost on what to do. Eventually, the police arrived with an ambulance crew, and somehow they managed to get him into the vehicle and off to the hospital, but man, it was absolute chaos... 🙄

steelhawk132 said:Everything I’ve shared comes straight from my own life. Honestly, I was dealing with these exact same sensations for years BEFORE my very first panic attack hit. Back then, I had absolutely no clue what was happening to me. It kept coming back even after the attacks started—but once I finally understood what I was actually facing, things gradually began to space out. Don't laugh, but I remember being so desperate that I stumbled upon some advice saying meditation and yoga could help. (Keep in mind, we didn't have the internet at my fingertips back then).
I still remember how my whole family would tease me whenever I tried to sit in that "lotus" position; but for me, it actually worked.
In my opinion, this is a clear precursor to anxiety. If it were a neurological disorder, there would be a whole different set of symptoms involved.
The real struggle, though, is actually finding a decent psychiatrist. I finally sought help after one particular attack—which was absolutely TERRIBLE—because I was gripped by this intense fear that I was losing my mind. I saw this psychologist who told me, quite literally, "Oh, those are just war traumas; you're such a wonderful, intelligent young woman, it's nothing to worry about." She clearly had no idea what she was talking about.

See, I’ve always been fascinated by how our own consciousness can just slip out of our control; it was such a cool concept to me until I actually started experiencing it myself. It especially intrigued me because my brother deals with schizophrenia, and I used to wonder what it must be like inside his head when he has an episode and his thoughts start racing and tangling together. Since I’m pretty big into science, I found the whole thing incredibly interesting. I even tried running some "tests" on myself—it sounds kind of cliché, but I practiced thinking in parallel, almost like operating on three levels at once. I was actually pretty good at it and could even use it while hanging out with friends, but then suddenly, that boundary between those parallel thought streams just vanished, and everything collapsed into one giant mess. It started getting really depressing because I used to have such a sharp, analytical mind; I live for logic and my brain usually works like a dream, but now I’m struggling to handle even the simplest tasks. Over time, when I realized I couldn't fix it, I started pushing it down into my subconscious. Now, for the last year, I’ve been living in this state of "dosed consciousness" (yes, I'm making up terms here, folks 😁). In conversations, I function at a very basic level; I don't have much of a mental range, everything feels sort of cramped. Then, when I finally calm down and lie in bed at night, those thoughts from my subconscious start bubbling up, and since they aren't "active," it leaves me with this heavy, dull sensation in my head... Anyway, I hope that gives you a decent idea of what I'm going through. I think I explained it pretty well there—I don't remember ever describing it so vividly! 🙂
As for the exercises, like yoga—it's the real deal, it definitely helps me! But honestly, my biggest struggle right now is that I’m a bit of a shut-in. I’ve been trying to be more social lately (mostly because of college, since I have a mountain of exams and my tuition waiver expires this year 😢), so when I am out socializing and having fun, and then I come home to work out, I get such a rush of energy that by the time I hit the pillow, I don't even have time to feel that dull heaviness before I pass out cold...
Can you tell me more about your panic attack? Was there a specific trigger, like a certain "spark," or does it just hit you out of nowhere? And do you manage to push through it on your own, or do you rely on medication? Also, how much do you think luck plays into all this? You know, that raw, fundamental luck? Because you can practice and work on yourself as much as you want, but if life keeps throwing curveballs at you—and I'm mostly talking about family, relationships, and work stuff—it isn't easy.
I’ve gone off the deep end and started rambling again 😛

Melissa Booth56 said:Hmm, I think I’ve read a bit about that, though I don't feel like it quite applies to my situation. I suppose I do experience those specific sensations—where everything feels surreal and I feel somewhat lost—but I haven't noticed any of the other typical anxiety symptoms. I'm a little worried that what I'm going through might actually be something else entirely, unfortunately.
My head still feels this way; it’s been about two weeks now. Even though I had four days where things felt calm, it feels like I'm right back at square one. At times I feel okay, but then suddenly there's this total fog and pressure, almost as if my head doesn't even belong to me.
I'm not quite sure what else to say, other than I should probably go see a doctor... 😢

Ugh, I know that feeling all too well! 🙄

jadesailor14 said:I'm sorry, but what on earth does that even have to do with anything?😕

The woman was seriously ill, she’s still dealing with heavy health issues, and now her condition is critical.
Does nobody in the entire family know anyone who could drive her to the hospital?
Don't you guys have taxis where you live?
Or just call 911? Instead of asking for an injection, maybe just explain everything clearly (and hey, feel free to exaggerate a little 😉 ) so they actually take her to the ER.
How about having a serious talk with her primary care physician?

Honestly, my mom can be so incredibly stubborn sometimes! Do you really think we aren't trying our absolute hardest to convince her to go to the hospital? Blood in her urine at her age is absolutely no joke—we all realize how serious this is, it's just that she doesn't! She just brushes it off like, "Oh, whatever," because she just wants to avoid pain in the moment, pop a pill, lie down, and move on with her day. I swear, I don't know how to make her listen... The thing is, she's been dealing with these issues for years now, and she's developed this mindset that none of it really matters. And get this—she hasn't seen a gynecologist in 15 years! I literally found that out for the first time just yesterday when she mentioned it. I was just sitting there like, 😲 Mom, seriously?
During the most high-risk years, through menopause and everything, how can she just look at it and do nothing? As for her doctor, things got a little messy because her regular doctor retired recently, and now she's seeing this young girl who looks like she just graduated from med school last week. It feels like she's just making stuff up; she's like, "What am I supposed to give her? I don't know anything," blah blah blah. I really hope she gets her act together soon. We need to sit down and have another heart-to-heart with her, because whenever she starts feeling a little something, she just refuses to 😢
Anyway, thanks for the advice!

I’ve been dealing with this brain fog since back in 2000, and honestly, I just live with it now because I’ve basically thrown in the towel. I’ve hit up every specialist under the sun, gone through endless testing, and even had an MRI of my brain done—everything comes back "normal." But man, it is obvious something is wrong because I’m experiencing these bizarre physical symptoms and nobody can tell me why.
First off, there were the sinus issues. I went through the whole nine yards there too, even had surgery to fix my septum, but after that, the fog just stayed. I used to get these sharp tingles in my head, and then out of nowhere, a massive wave of dizziness hits me so hard I have to close my eyes just to ride it out. I still remember one specific dizzy spell that was so intense it felt like it happened just yesterday; everything was spinning uncontrollably. I closed my eyes, but it felt like my actual brain was spinning inside my skull! You just can't stop it. I ended up in the ER, they ran all sorts of blood work and blah blah blah, but they never actually found the root cause. 🤷
Then there’s Gilbert’s syndrome, so my bilirubin levels are constantly elevated. My blood pressure also stays stuck right between 130 and 140. On top of that, about two years ago, I stumbled upon some hormone testing and found out my cortisol was spiking over 1000 when it should be around 700. But the absolute most traumatic thing? Finding out I have Sertoli cell syndrome. That was confirmed after a testicular biopsy—one side has no spermatogenesis and the other is severely reduced. Even my urologist couldn't believe it when he saw the results! And once I finally landed in the endocrinology department, the doctor looked at this mountain of conflicting test results and concluded that something is seriously, fundamentally wrong. So, yeah... I don't go to doctors anymore. I just deal with it. 🙄
It’s tough, really. I graduated from a super demanding university, but my grades have been tanking lately because my concentration is absolutely shot. It's all because of this weird sensation in my head—this constant fog, like all my thoughts are floating around in some thick liquid. It’s gross.
Could it be psychological? Maybe. But honestly, I have a massive phobia of psychiatrists. My brother has schizophrenia, so the whole mental health side of things just scares the life out of me.

I’m really looking for some insight on what could be causing lower abdominal pain combined with blood in the urine. My mom hasn't been doing well at all over the last two weeks; she’s dealing with constant pain, and lately, there's been blood in her urine. She’s had bladder pains before, but she always brushed them off since they were just short bursts, but this is different. It actually got so bad recently that we had to call 911. The paramedics came out and gave her an injection, which seemed to help for about two hours, but then the agony just started right back up again. She’s 66 now, and back when she was 31, she fought through a spinal tumor, which she thankfully beat, but she's been dealing with lingering issues ever since—mostly minor bladder incontinence, some pretty rough digestive issues (constipation is a real struggle for her), and she walks a bit slowly. Honestly, if you saw her walking down the street, you’d never guess her age or everything she’s been through. She’s such a fighter. On top of the physical stuff, our family has always dealt with a lot of stress because my brother struggles with schizophrenia, and she’s had a super strained relationship with my dad, so she’s basically carried all that emotional weight on her shoulders for years. Anyway, getting back to the crisis at hand... as much as she hates being a burden, things are getting really tough. She’s resistant to going to the doctor, and since we don't have a car right now, it’s just making everything harder. So, my main question is: what could these symptoms point to? What are we looking at here? If anyone has any advice on how to handle this or what to watch out for, I would seriously appreciate it. I’m feeling totally torn right now, trying to juggle my own health issues and keeping up with my college coursework while also trying to figure out how to take care of her. There are seven of us living under one roof—me, my brother, my sister, her kids, and my parents—so things are always busy.
Thanks in advance...

Are you sure you’re talking about cortisone and not cortisol? Because when I went in for my hormone panel, they checked my cortisol levels along with everything else, but there was no mention of cortisone...
To actually get a clear picture of what's going on with your body, you really need to do repeated testing and even a 24-hour urine cortisol test.
For me, the big red flag was seeing a cortisol level of 1064 on one of my tests, when the normal range for guys should be somewhere between 260 and 720—so yeah, way over the limit! But then, when I went back and did every single test possible, including bloodwork and urine samples, everything came back totally normal.
I'm definitely someone who tends to stress out easily, so it's pretty likely that first reading was just spiked because of some outside stressors acting up at the time.

I have a brother who struggles with this awful illness. I’ve been living in this heavy environment since I was five years old, and no matter how much I try to brush it off because of the stigmas people attach to these cases, the truth is that it has left a massive mark on me too...
He’s really gone through a mountain of those paranoid phases—everything from religious delusions to completely cutting himself off from the rest of the world, not to mention those manic episodes where he just blasts music constantly. Right now, you could say he’s in a slightly longer lull, but the thing is, someone like that always seems to carry this negative energy around them. I don't know, maybe it’s just because I’ve dealt with so much that I can’t tune out those negative vibes anymore; there's always that gap between us, so our relationship basically boils down to a quick "hey" and a couple of words.
TO Edward Evans8: Can you tell me what it’s like inside your head when it comes to processing everyday situations or logic? For instance, I’ve personally struggled quite a bit; I’m tackling a super intense college major right now, and toward the end, I feel like I’m having trouble concentrating, connecting the dots, and stuff like that...
On top of that, I feel this constant exhaustion and lethargy. When I wake up in the morning, I get this feeling where I could just stare at a single spot for hours... it's awful! But I’m still trying to fight through it. I read a ton, I push my brain to work non-stop, and I try to boost my social life and even my diet as much as possible. So, yeah, I'm curious about your situation... How did you actually end up seeing a doctor, and what kind of symptoms were you dealing with?