33 F 5’6” 240 pounds, on Effexor and spirinalactone and a bunch of vitamins.
Idk what is going on but it seems as it gets older, I have the opposite problems of what I’m used to. I used to poo wayyy too much, now I keep having constipation. Used to have wayyy too oily skin, now it’s sometimes dry, etc.

I have tried prunes, caffeine, fiber, kombucha, sodium carbonate or whatever the hell it’s called, milk of magnesium, nothing really seems to work. It’s so painful and uncomfortable. What is even a diabolical way to fix this??

From the time I was 16 I’ve had these issues, but they’re getting worse and additional symptoms are developing over time. I am 29, 5’4, do not and have never smoked, no diagnosis outside of low iron levels and a high likelihood of having Factor IV.

When I was 16, I was having episodes of syncope. This got brushed off as being period related with no other explanation. As I got into my late teens, I started noticing heart palpitations and tachycardia, with my heart rate regularly getting to 150-200 at rest. I was put on a heart monitor and was told that outside of a higher than normal resting heart rate everything was fine. They advised that I eliminated caffeine intake to manage symptoms. From then until now, I learned to live with it.

Now at 29, new symptoms are developing. The front of my left thigh had gone predominately numb for about 6 months. This week feeling returned, but is painful, sort of like an electrocuting feeling. When I had discussed this with my PCP, he advised that I try losing weight as it sounded like my weight was causing pressure on a nerve. (I went from around 120 lbs to 150 lbs in about two years). Additionally, I randomly feel pins and needles in both legs when laying or sitting down. Another new symptom that has drastically reduced my quality of life is intense itching, almost like stinging, on my legs when I try to sleep, anytime I change my clothes, and when I shower. I believe that the trigger is temperature. Anytime my skins temperature changes, this feeling occurs for anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours. Finally, I’ve began to have feelings of doom when I try to sleep. My heart beat feels weird, I feel as though my breathing isn’t deep enough to be satiating, and I get restless and anxious as a result. I’ve been exhausted because I haven’t been able to fall asleep for weeks now.

I’ve seen neurologists, allergists, cardiologists, and a few others. I’ve had basic bloodwork (CBC, thyroid, metabolic) run probably 100 times, coming back normal or mostly normal everytime. I’ve had CT scans of my brain and a chest x ray. I have a lymph node in my neck that has been swollen on and off for a few years and we have done an ultrasound on that as well. Everyone seems to be at a loss and I keep getting referred back to anxiety medicine. I could see my sleep problems being anxiety related, but I don’t believe that everything else is. Does anyone have any ideas of where I can direct attention next? Anything I can request in the way of tests? I would do next to anything to get the itching and nerve pain figured out.

Female, 29, 5’7, 145lbs, non smoker

Hi there! So I was involved in a workplace violence situation w a pediatric patient who punched me square in the nose and fractured it, though non-displaced and no other facial fractures. PA I saw in the ED said to just wait until swelling and bruising go down and assess from there. Since then, I have been waking up with almost a post-nasal drip feel, and feeling as though when I breathe through my nose, I’m not getting as much air as previously. Is it worth seeing an ENT and getting their opinion?
Thank you so much!

Female, 24, 5,3”, 180lbs, light smoker. Pain in foot, was told nothing is wrong, but these are the x-rays. Is this a bone spur? or.

29 yr old white female, 5ft, 165lbs. No existing medical issues. Have been taking a once a week vitamin d 1.25 mg since my levels were low on my blood work. I have about 3 drinks a week and vape on and off.

Since about mid July of this year, I have had a bitter taste in my mouth. Went to the dentist first and they said there were no issues. I use an electric toothbrush on a 2 min timer, tongue scraper, and floss every night with expanding floss . Had blood work done at my ob/gyn and the only notable thing was the vitamin d deficiency. I'm not on any medication that could cause the bitter taste. I have reflux, but it hasn't even been that bad recently. I feel fine otherwise. This whole thing has just made me insecure and is negatively affecting my sex life (because I'm paranoid about bad breath and just don't feel fresh).

If you need more info, I'm happy to provide it. Would like some answers so I can maybe fix the issue! Thank you in advance.

Hi this is my first ever post on Reddit ever so please forgive me. im a 20F, I’m 5’4, I am not proscribed to take any medication, ai just take pain killers for my headaches (ibuprofen or Tylenol), this showed up about 2 weeks ago as just small holes on my finger, but now it has swollen into blisters that tear. On the red areas, my skin is super itchy, dry, and flakey. It had just started on my left ring finger, which is still the worst finger by far, but it has slowly spread to other fingers, only starting with small bumps. There are no blisters or flakey skin on any of the other fingers. My boyfriend looked it up a couple days ago, and he said that it was just some type of eczema that happens in allergy season and not a lot of people go to the doctor for it because it goes away in a couple weeks, but that was from the AI overview so I wanted to ask real people. Thanks so much :)

age: 20
height: 5’10
male
no medication
no smoking/alcohol history

i have been constantly waking up in the middle of the night to pee for as long as I can remember. I had a grade 3 kidney hematoma back in December of 2025 so I don’t know if that has anything to do with my circumstances but thought it was relevant to add.

I restrict liquid intake prior to bed and my daily caffeine intake is around 200-400 mg. Thoughts on how I should approach addressing this?

F31.

HX: epilepsy, blood clots, currently breastfeeding
Meds: Keppra, Lamictal, Zoloft, IUD, prenatals, lovenox (no recent changes)

I can’t pinpoint exactly when this started, but I’ll estimate it as 2 months ago.

Every single day I’ve been encountering tasting soap when eating food. Some days it’s more subtle than other days. It usually happens more in the morning/early afternoon compared to closer to night. It could be home cooked, packaged, restaurant, anywhere/anything. It tastes like fucking soap. It’s ruining my appetite. There is no specific food that does it more than the other. I have no recent med changes, my blood work is near perfect (I have to go every three months to my hematologist and just went last week), no changes to diet, no changes to my body soap/lotion, no changes to my oral health or toothpaste. I’m losing my mind and I’ve kept it to myself because I feel crazy.

54 year old female.

Hi,

I received the flu shot this morning at the clinic pharmacy. The shot was administered, felt the poke, then as needle was coming out my arm felt slightly wet. I never asked the pharmacist what that was. Is it possible I didn’t receive the full dose if that was vaccine solution?

I already have a lump on my arm, which I guess would indicate at least some solution got in there. LOL.

Thanks!

Hi everyone. I’m 21F, currently in college, and I’m honestly feeling scared, frustrated, and unsure what to do anymore. I’m posting because I’m hoping to hear from other women who have experienced unexplained health problems or struggled to get medical professionals to take their symptoms seriously.

Everything started around August 28. Before this, I was active, functioning normally, and able to manage my everyday responsibilities. During my first week back at college, I suddenly developed extreme fatigue that was completely unlike anything I’d experienced before.

I started sleeping 10–15 hours a day, sometimes even longer, and would still wake up completely exhausted. My parents would call me repeatedly, multiple alarms would go off, and I still couldn’t wake up. I began missing classes because I physically couldn’t get myself out of bed. I also started struggling to concentrate and think clearly.

My symptoms include:
\- Extreme fatigue and excessive sleeping (10–15+ hours daily, sometimes with additional naps)
\- Night sweats
\- Random nosebleeds
\- Persistent itching without a visible rash on legs.
\- Poor appetite and feeling full unusually quickly
\- Nausea
\- Shortness of breath with minimal physical activity
\- Middle back pain, sometimes worsening when breathing or standing
\- Headaches
\- Chills and episodes of feeling unusually hot or cold
\- Difficulty concentrating and brain fog
\- Episodes of my hands and arms turning bright red or purple, accompanied by burning and swelling
\- General weakness and difficulty completing normal daily activities

These symptoms have significantly affected my ability to attend college, socialize, and function normally.
My recent experiences with doctors: Last week, I went to urgent care after experiencing concerning changes in the color of my hands and arms. A provider mentioned possible Raynaud’s phenomenon. Then I went to the emergency room because I was concerned about my worsening symptoms.

At the ER:
\- My EKG was normal.
\- My mono test was negative.
\- My CBC Diff had some flagged results.
\- The doctor told me my bloodwork was essentially normal but also claimed I’d had anemia for two years, something nobody had previously explained to me.
\- I was diagnosed with a UTI based on a urine sample, although that diagnosis has since been questioned. I wasn’t experiencing typical urinary symptoms, and it didn’t explain the broader symptoms I’d been experiencing for weeks.
What frustrated me was that I didn’t receive a thorough physical examination.

The doctor didn’t listen to my heart or lungs with a stethoscope, examine my abdomen, or perform the neurological checks I expected given my symptoms. The next day the ER nurse sent me a note and also told me that they misdiagnosed me with a UTI, and to stop taking antibiotics..

When I asked about additional bloodwork, I felt discouraged from pursuing further testing. I left feeling like my concerns hadn’t been properly addressed. My family has also been dismissing my concerns. My parents have repeatedly suggested that everything I’m experiencing is simply stress or low iron. Other people have made similar comments.

I understand that stress and iron deficiency can cause symptoms, but I’m frustrated that these explanations keep being offered without a more thorough investigation.
I’ve been taking multivitamins, although I understand that doesn’t necessarily rule out deficiencies. What concerns me most is how suddenly everything changed. I went from being active and functioning normally to sleeping most of the day, missing classes, and struggling with everyday activities.

I also didn’t initially document my symptoms or take pictures because I genuinely didn’t realize how abnormal everything was. Being repeatedly told that nothing serious was happening made me question whether I was overreacting.

Where things stand now: My parents have picked me up from college, and I’m currently trying to arrange an appointment with my primary care provider as soon as possible.

I’m not trying to convince myself that I have a particular illness, and I’m certainly not hoping for something serious to be wrong. I just want to understand why my health has changed so drastically and make sure something important isn’t being overlooked.

My questions for this community:
1. Has anyone experienced a similar combination of symptoms, particularly extreme fatigue, night sweats, itching, and unexplained nosebleeds?
2. Have you ever had doctors repeatedly attribute your symptoms to stress or iron deficiency before receiving a clearer explanation?
3. How did you advocate for yourself when your initial testing didn’t explain your symptoms?
4. Were there any particular specialists or follow-up evaluations that helped you get answers?
I’m not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit. I’m hoping to hear about other women’s experiences and how they navigated situations where they knew something had changed with their health but struggled to get answers.
I’m only 21, and it’s frightening to feel like my health has deteriorated this much in such a short period of time.
Thank you🫂💙

​

I'm a 50-year-old male, recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and interested in how GPs would approach my treatment.

My situation:

- BMI approximately 42 (153 kg, 191 cm)

- HbA1c 51 mmol/mol

- Hypertension and high cholesterol

- Coronary artery disease confirmed by a cardiologist following a CT scan

- Raised liver ALT (127) and urine ACR (8.85), both being investigated

- Suspected sleep apnoea

I've recently restarted ramipril for my blood pressure.

I've successfully lost significant weight in the past and used to run marathons but COVID kind of stopped everything and I never got back to it, and I'm finding it much harder to do it again now. Before I even went to my GP or knew I had diabetes, I'd already started making changes to my diet and exercising regularly, which I've now been doing for around a month.

I recognise that I've neglected my health in the past and, to some extent, given up on myself. I'm genuinely trying to change that. My worry is that if I put in the effort but don't see meaningful results, I'll lose motivation and slip back into old habits. I don't want that to happen.

I'm absolutely willing to put the work in. I'm not looking for medication to replace lifestyle changes, but something that could help make those changes sustainable and successful.

From what I've read, I appear to meet the NHS Cohort 1 criteria for Mounjaro under the obesity pathway (BMI ≥40 plus four qualifying conditions).

My questions for GPs:

1. What treatment would you recommend for someone with this combination of conditions?

2. Would you consider Mounjaro from the outset alongside other diabetes treatments, rather than waiting for my diabetes to worsen?

3. If your practice doesn't participate in the NHS obesity prescribing programme, what options would I have?

I'm particularly concerned about my overall cardiovascular risk and feel that significant weight loss needs to be part of my treatment plan.

I'm already under GP care, so I'm not seeking a diagnosis just interested in what other GPs would do in this situation. Note I have a couple of tests booked in so I'm not even going to use answers here to help with discussions with GP.

Thanks!

Im 14, Female, 5'3 , 90kg, Black, and mildly anemic. I live in Britain, and for the past few months I've been constantly eating, even when im not hungry, and always extremely tired. Im always randomly falling asleep, and I dont even notice until I wake up. Everytime i go to the GP they just prescribe me ferrous sulfate or iron tablets, but they dont make a difference. For now, I'm not on any medication.

Hello,

My dad just turned 69 years old. All my life he has always been very mentally sharp and while he had his quirks he was a bright soul filled with life in his own special way. He spent his entire life as an educator / professor teaching at various institutions and universities such as Penn state university, USC, and Cal State University Northridge and had earned various degrees from universities around the world (including university of Frankfurt in Germany (my point being that I reguad him as incredibly intelligent and and intellectual overall else)

As of roughly 4 months ago and over the course of this time I have whitnessed the painful decline of him into not just a physical shell of his old self but recently a very concerning cognitive decline over all else. It started with him needing to have gone to the doctor due to him having an enlarged prostate. This than lead to what I could best describe as a domino effect of other medical issues. Next on the list was a UTI that he developed from the issues with the prostate as well as severe constipation with several days and up to 2 weeks going by at a time without him having a proper bowl movement. This UTI is for a putida bacterial strain and has now caused the need of a catheter (the amount of physical pain he describes to the family sounds horrible and not something I wish upon anyone). The frustrating part is the lack of consistency from doctors and specialists we have been visiting over the past 4 months with no clear path to the end of the tunnel still.

As of the last month to month and a half specifically I have noticed SIGNIFICANT cognitive decline which I find to be incredibly concerning. From him saying “coo-coo” things like him talking about North Korea trying to harm him, to him obsessively googling everything (such as ridiculous things like if it’s safe for him to eat multiple containers of apple sauce in one day given his condition), to him calling me up to 40x a day as I live in a different state to say non coherent things. He also seems to mislabel the issue and won’t advance with any medical advice given to him as he believes the doctors have it all wrong in his head.

He has also lost a significant amount of weight with him always being a heafty man my entire life with him now looking like skin and bones compared to what I’m used to (he’s about 6 foot 3 inches and 185lbs now from his previous weight of roughly 245lbs-250lbs) everything recently has been getting more rapid and sudden with his mental state being the fastest declining and most concerning to me as his son go from him being sharp my entire life to this old man that I see saying crazy incoherent things. (This as crazy as him talking about North Koreans trying to take advantage of him to him talking about people that aren’t there amongst other things)

This has all been communicated to his primary care doctor whom has referred him to multiple specialists that don’t seem to be able to identify the issue and how we solve it as a family. This has taken an immense mental toll on my whole family as he is unable to be alone and has essentially convinced himself that’s he’s helpless and spends all day in bed with little to no physical activity. He gets episodes where he believes he’s starting to asphyxiate and can’t breathe when there is no problem with his breathing to him being convinced he has bowel blockages although doctors have detected no blockages through cat scans and nothing to dissipate during disimpaction procedures)

Although there is a slew of issues on the table, what scares me most is watching his mental state turn into a completely unrecognizable man when speaking to him which has been incredibly painful for me as his son to watch happen in real time.

Any ideas or help with what’s going on here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I've had this line on my forehead for years. I have other pictures where it's substantially less noticeable (perhaps some auto touch up?) but it genuinely seems to ebb and flow with a trend to more and more noticable. I believe about 5 years ago it got a fair bit more noticeable, and I don't recall seeing it more than 10 years back but not positive.

I'm late 30s, and in case relevant have been in a motorcycle accident and car crash in the last 10 years but easily walked away from both. (Motorcycle hurt my knee a fair bit. Car accident I was totally fine but the thing was an absolute write off so still wanted to share).

I would say I'm generally middle aged male health. A bit overweight but still fit medium clothes, work out 2-3 days a week, and Besides an unhealthy love of coffee and pasta I avoid most other awful habits (drinking, smoking, drugs, excessive sugar)

Not worried but super curious. It's now noticed outside of the house, in a recent board room meeting for example.

28M, 6’2”, 170lbs. I took a nap Saturday afternoon and woke up with uncomfortable neck near my left trap. Felt fine that night, but waking up Sunday morning I could immediately tell my balance was off.

I went to the ER, they performed EKG, bloodwork, and CT scan on my head and neck. I was told everything looked ok, prescribed meclizine for dizziness and naproxen for pain/inflammation, and discharged.

My dizziness is not much better today, maybe just a tiny bit. There is no “room spinning” and I can walk fine. I can just tell that my balance is slightly off. It gets easier to feel the balance issue sitting/standing or moving my head around.

No issues talking, no confusion, no numbness or tingling anywhere.

I use nicotine, but not any different method than I have for the past few years (same vape/eliquid). No alcohol or drugs. Does this warrant a return to the ER immediately?

I am a 30f (5’1, 145lbs) with a history of panic attacks, pots, PVCS and ocd. I recently went inpatient for my anxiety and while I was inpatient, I was put on a nightly 1mg Klonopin with another mg prn and 10mg Buspirone. I noticed symptom improvement and was released after 7 days. I was released with 20 1mg pills to last me to my appointment with my usual psychiatric provider. When I saw her, she agreed that continuing the daily klonopin would be best for my current predicament. I’ve taken 1mg nightly klonopin for 18 days now.

She never sent the med in but she sent in the buspar. I’ve messaged in the portal and received nothing back in 2 days.

Ive lost some trust in my provider, I have 4 single milligram pills remaining and 15 remaining 0.5mg tablets from an old PRN script.

Can I taper safely with that? Will my POTS or PVCS be aggravated? What can I expect?

I expect a resurgence in panic and some restlessness. I am on a beta blocker and was given permission by cardiology to increase the dose of that if needed for the PVCs (does not help my POTS, however. Bp runs 80’s/50’s anyhow)

M20

68kgs

6'1

Im 35 M, type 1 diabetic, I dont smoke, 135 lbs, 5' 8"

On last sunday i was coming home on an airplane, and my foot started to swell up a bit. I thought i just has too much salty foods and was retaining water or something, and mix that with the cramp airline space. Monday it started to get worse and a little red. Tuesdays i went to the doctor and it was swollen, nothing like the photo, and some red. She asked me what happened and i honestly dont know. She gave me so amoxacillian for my spider bite, different wound, and then had me do a follow up. I thought it also might have been a spider bite, but my foot has got worse since then.

The photo makes the swelling looks worse because of its angle. It is now swelling, but my foot looks way bigger in the photo. It is redder now and bruise in the middle look just a bit worse.

It only hurts when I first put my feet down in the morning as the blood rushes to it. If i have to step on it I feel a small amount of pain for the first step, but then it pretty much goes away with momentum.

I have been sleeping with it elevated, at which the swelling goes down but not away completely. I ice it periodically.

What do you think? A sprain, how do i treat it? I have a follow up in a week and just want to see if my concerns can be addressed before. Ut hasnt been hurting worse, but the red is getting brighter a bit.

Age: 38
Weight: 190lb
Height: 5’8”
Gender: Male
Smoker: No

Current medical issues: most of July I began suffering from various abdominal issues like cramping, days of little bowel movements and then a day where I couldn’t get off the toilet for hours as my body emptied itself leaving me exhausted, mucus and occasional blood in stool. I tried to ride out the issues figuring whatever was going on would resolve itself. In mid August I spiked a high fever and went to the ER where I told them what I had been experiencing. They ordered a contrast CT scan and diagnosed me with Diverticulitis with severe inflammation of the sigmoid colon. Scan showed a 4-5mm abscess with a micro perforation. They admitted me to the hospital and gave me IV antibiotics. I stayed there for four days before being released and given an 8 day course of oral antibiotics to take at home. They wanted to schedule a colonoscopy a month out to look around after the inflammation went down. I continued a low fodmap diet during this time starting with clear liquids and transitioning to soft food several days later. Eventually I was able to get up to eating white rice, white meat chicken and saltine crackers supplementing with some Ensure. I continued on this course for a couple weeks and met with a gastro and my GP where I expressed concern that I wasn’t feeling an improvement in my abdominal discomfort or bowel habits. Both doctors advised me that I needed more time to heal and that I shouldn’t be concerned.

I continued following a very low fodmap diet and resting as much as possible but continued to have the same abdominal and bathroom issues. At the end of September I spiked another fever and was readmitted to the hospital. Another contrast CT was performed with the radiologist noting no sign of the diverticulitis this time but noted the inflammation looked unchanged from the last CT. I was put back on IV antibiotics and specialists were brought this time. Infectious disease looked for infection and came up with nothing. Gastro took stool samples and noted very elevated calprotectin. A flexible sigmoidoscopy was performed and biopsies taken which ultimately showed no signs of anti-immune or infection.

At this point no one can put a label on what’s wrong with me other than Colitis nor can they answer why I’m not healing after all this time. The gastro at the hospital brought in the colorectal surgeon to consult and she recommended we remove the sigmoid colon to remove the problem area entirely since there was no indication the problem would resolve itself. She asked me to make an appointment to consult with colorectal surgery after I was released. Before leaving the hospital they put me on a month long course of prednisone hoping that might make a difference but two weeks later I still see no improvement in symptoms.

Unfortunately the surgeon that consulted in the hospital isn’t available to be seen for another month and I’m in agony every single day. I was able to get an appointment with another surgeon and met with her this morning and was met by the same response I’ve been getting from every doctor. They tell me we can’t cut out the sigmoid colon and reattach your colon while there is inflammation so I have to wait for the colitis to heal then get a colonoscopy then possibly have surgery. The issue is the colitis and inflammation haven’t healed in months and there is no sign of it stopping now. I feel like I’m in a loop of being told that time will heal the issue, it doesn’t heal then I get another infection, end up back in the hospital where they tell me they want to do a colonoscopy but need the inflammation to go down so give it time to heal, rinse and repeat. Tomorrow I go to meet with a different surgeon, this time at UofM for a second opinion. I just feel trapped in an endless loop of being told there’s nothing to be done meanwhile I’m in pain every single day with no relief on the horizon. I would appreciate any thoughts or input some of you might have on this situation. Thank you.

I (23F) have had eczema on the inner part of my arms since I was around 7yrs old. When I was about 18yrs old I started getting dry, peeling skin on my eyelids which I believe is eczema. It happens randomly and could maybe be stress?

I have a steroid cream for the eczema on my arms but I don’t know how to treat the potential eczema on my eyelids.

How do I get rid of this?? I have put so much unscented face moisturizer on my eyelids and nothing seems to help.

Hi.. Uh this is my first time posting and I'd like a professional opinion without it being weird?

I'm a 19F or well I go by she/they but I'm a biological female. But I struggle with chronic pain in my knees and ankles? It's like I'm having to move my ankles through molasses sometimes if I need to move them, other times they're fine. And my knees are a big one, they've been bugging me since I was maybe.. 15ish? But got extremely bad at 16, it felt like my knee cap was occasional scrapping against my actual bones, and then other times I'd have a sharp knife pain going through the under part of my knee. It got so bad that I had to actually drag my leg behind me as I walked, it's not as bad now but occasionally it's like my entire leg locks up or just is unable to bend properly without pain.

Now for the reason that I'm asking you all

I went to a clinic with my mother about this situation when the flair ups got at it's worst when I was 16? (I was literally having to pick up my leg and move it so I could get out of bed) and so first doctor we asked told me "could be bakers knee, elevate it, put some ice on it, use a brace to put some pressure on it and try not to do any Strenuous physical activity." so we did exactly that. For two weeks I kept the legs elevated, kept cold rags or ice packs at my knees and didn't participate in gym.

Well two weeks later it only helped a little so we went back, but we got a different doctor, and she barely gave me a look over (just did the physical testing and that's it) before proceeding to tell me and my mother. "It's just her hips growing out and occasionally that puts pressure on the joints. She's completely fine and it'll go away when she finishes growing" me and my mom where shocked to hell and back but when my mom demaned a x-ray just in case it was anything else the lady was basically saying that I didn't need it and she wouldn't give me one, took my mom arguing with her for twenty minutes before she let me have one, but I'm 19 now and we have never gotten to see those x-rays. But the chronic pain in my ankles and knees aren't going away and sometimes the flair ups are so bad I can't even rotate my leg, my ankle muscles are just a pain to try and walk normally.. I just want an opinion that isn't 'that's normal for women' or 'your too young for that kinda pain'

Thank you for reading and sorry it's so wordy, figured I'd give as much info/backstory as I could. Any suggestions would be nice

42M, 183 cm, 109 kg. Ex-smoker, quit around 4 years ago. No alcohol.

For the past few months I get sudden drowsiness/heavy tiredness around 3–4 times a month. It lasts a few hours. Between episodes I feel completely normal and active.

During episodes, BP, pulse and blood sugar are normal. I am not physically weak and can still walk/exercise normally.

ECG, Echo, TMT, brain scan and recent blood tests have been normal. I have sleep apnea and a history of fatty liver.

Current medications/supplements: no

What could cause this kind of intermittent drowsiness when I feel completely normal between episodes? What should I investigate next?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice because I've been getting increasingly worried about rabies and some symptoms I've been experiencing.

What happened:

• On October 9, I was scratched by a cat on the palm of my hand. I'm not entirely sure how much the skin was broken or whether there was any bleeding.
• The cat was unvaccinated, and I haven't received rabies post-exposure vaccination for this incident.
• Today is October 19, and the cat is still alive and appears completely healthy. It eats, moves around, grooms itself normally, and sleeps beside me every day. I've been able to observe it closely.
• I may have received rabies vaccinations when I was a child, but that was around 10 years ago, and I'm not sure how much protection that provides now.

My current symptoms:

• When I drink water, I sometimes feel as though I'm choking or becoming breathless, even though I can swallow the water relatively easily.
• A little while after drinking, I feel pressure in my chest, almost as though something is trying to come back up.
• The discomfort eventually goes away, and I feel normal again when I'm not eating or drinking.
• I previously experienced throat irritation or a burning sensation while eating rice after eating colocasia stems
• I don't notice the same breathless sensation when eating solid food; it seems to happen specifically when drinking water.
• After discussing rabies symptoms and hydrophobia, I became so anxious that even bringing a glass of water close to me started making me afraid.

I'm not sure whether this could be acid reflux, a swallowing-related problem, anxiety, or something more serious. I'm especially frightened because of the cat scratch.

My questions:

1. Since the cat has remained completely healthy for 10 days after the scratch, how reassuring is that regarding rabies?
2. Can anxiety cause this kind of breathless sensation when drinking water?
3. Could acid reflux or another swallowing problem explain the chest pressure and throat irritation?
4. Should I seek emergency medical care, and is rabies post-exposure treatment still necessary?

I'm looking for evidence-based advice, especially from people familiar with rabies exposure guidelines. I understand that online replies cannot replace a medical evaluation.

Thank you.

Hello,

Looking for a dermatologist to chime in. This birthmark was either not there a year ago, or just has grown within the last year. I am not one to really keep track of these types of things, but this is a bigger size birthmark that I noticed. It is located on my chest.

38m