Achy congestion sore throat

I have POTS, CFS & suspected SFN since 2023 January. My condition fluctuates, it improved quite a bit last autumn and then due to an infection I relapsed again. I’m housebound and get infections quite often. Main symptoms were Pots symptoms, fatigue, muscle pain and sore throat. I was able to increase movement very gradually and have not experienced PEM’s. In April after an infection I reached my baseline again. I think I paced well, I didn’t do anything special that I haven’t done before.
Suddenly last week I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a bus, extreme exhaustion and flu-like symptoms. Since then it has only gotten worse, I can only sleep, I feel strong muscle pain, I have sound &light sensitivity. I haven’t had such a strong PEM since I’ve been sick.
I’m desperate because I feel like I’ve been getting worse and worse. What could this be? I don’t think it’s an infection now. Have you guys experienced this suddenly when you were pacing well? It’ll pass with time or this is my baseline now?

Day 0!
5/13, total lap, took uterus, cervix, tubes, and did a bladder check. Edit: both ovaries intact.
I checked in about 840, surgery about 1040. One final pregnancy test. The staff was amazing (except the anaesthesiologist was a bit of a dick to one of the nurses, I didn’t like that-I think I might be reporting that… but he was fine to me). Even my gyno who I wasn’t a fan of during our appointments, I could tell surgery is where she was meant to be. I met my OR nurse, anaesthesiologist, and my gyno/surgeon in pre-op where every single person (plus surgical day care nurse) went over everything with me again and again, and ensured I was comfortable with what we were planning to do, and confirmed that barring any issues, my catheter would be removed during surgery, and then a camera check up the urethra and into the bladder. There was a slight hiccup in something in the lab with my pre op blood work where they listed me as a c section (ABSOLUTELY NOT) and something in the test regarding transfusion expired within 3 days and I did my pre op Thursday. I was worried it was going to delay things but since I have been fortunate and never had a transfusion (and the surgeon believed me and didn’t want her day messed up, plus they had the Thursday results) they called the lab, they were there super quick, and it was drawn up then I was wheeled in to the OR. Once in the OR they had me transfer onto the table, got me situated, introduced the surgical team, and my surgeon went over everything one last time while I was still conscious and made sure everyone was on the same page and ready to go. I was given oxygen and told to take a few deep breaths, and then they started pumping meds into my IV and I was out.
From what I hear (my surgeon called my mom/pickup person) it all went like clockwork. I was out in under two hours, into recovery to wake up and when I came to, three nurses (or health care workers, whatever their role, but I think RNs) were chatting about me near my bedside on how I had a lack of requirements before I could be discharged. I don’t think they realised or expected me to be awake so quickly but I said I had been told that as soon as I could walk to the bathroom and pee on my own, I could leave. They looked a little shocked. Not sure if because I was awake or because I knew what I needed to do.
I did say in recovery to my nurse that I felt like I needed to pee, but they wanted me to wait until the hour was up in recovery and I was transferred back to surgical day care.
Once I was in day care I was given juice, digestive cookies and my phone and started texting my mom, who was right outside, and said I was back to where she could come see me. The person at the desk at the front tried not to let her in and said I wasn’t back yet (not sure if there was a lack of communication or no) but mom insisted I was texting her and telling her I was back, and the woman from the desk had to come in and check for herself that I was back… and asked my nurse-who was again nearby-and I heard the front desk woman muttering and said something about “her mom”. I piped up and said don’t try to stop her from coming in, she won’t go away and she would get in either way, I’m texting with her now. The woman didn’t like that much, but my nurse laughed and okay’d her coming in.
Nurse back in day care listened to me pretty quick, did her checks and made she I could sit/stand and disconnected my IV line. She walked me to the bathroom to make sure I was okay. I peed without issue-it was a bit tender coming out but no burning… but man. Maybe bring your own toilet paper. That rough stuff is even rougher when you’re sensitive😳
I felt immediately better cause now I knew they could let me out once my final hour in recovery was complete. Another glass of juice, some more post op checks done, and I was able to get my IV out. (I know most people wouldn’t like IVs but it was a huge hang up for me… my veins suck and it was tender and once they confirmed I could leave I wanted it GONE.
Passed the rest of the time chatting, going over discharge paperwork/instructions, then I was given the official go ahead to change and leave. Slow going, changing, and man the hospital pads are atrocious (and no wings?!). I peed once more, hating the toilet paper but loved the mesh ish shorts they gave me and asked for a couple more, and they gave me two or three more. I was allowed to leave just after 230pm.
I was able to walk out of the hospital on my own two feet. Slowly, but walking and being upright felt much better than sitting. The nurse said it was allowed as long as mom was right there (which she obviously was) in case I got dizzy. We walked out to the front entrance (elevator, no stairs of course), and I stood at a safe spot where I could sit if I needed to, while she went and got the car from the far side of the lot. I probably could have walked it, but it was slow and didn’t want to chance anything.
The ride home was a bit rough-I forgot my pillow and I think that would have helped. Held my hands/palms onto my lower belly for some support. It was manageable, I wasn’t crying out in pain or anything, but definitely internally felt every little bump despite mom trying her best to avoid them.
I’m staying in my own apartment, (parent’s offered me to stay at theirs but I’m far more comfy in my own place, and no stairs) my dad’s sleeping on the couch while my pup is at the house with my mom and their two dogs. So far I’ve been able to manage on my own but it’s nice knowing he’s here incase I need something. When I got home, much to my dad’s chagrin (he wanted to do it for me), I made myself buttered toast, had an ice cream sandwich, some arrowroot cookies, a Tylenol and after eating upright and walking in circles a bit, I went to my bed with my heating pad, pregnancy pillow and about 8462619 other pillows I adjusted as needed. I’m very happy I had a pregnancy pillow. I was debating getting the wedges but decided with the option of Amazon same day/next day delivery, if I changed my mind it wouldn’t be long without it.
Obviously there’s more internal room now, but a heads up-I’ve peed a few times since getting home (it’s near 1am) I have noticed that “hmm I need to pee” turns quickly into “YUP GOTTA GO” when I stand up. I think that little bit extra gravity assist hits when I stand. No burning, still just a bit sensitive, but I bought a peri care bottle with a nozzle on it and is it a game changer. The hospital gave me one but it didn’t have an angled nozzle, which to me is useless unless I want to climb in my shower every time or end up with water all over my floor. First time I used it, I just rinsed with cool water multiple times as it was soothing (not going into the vagina).
There’s been very little blood so far-some spotting but not much.
The pain? Feels like a concentrated day 2 of my usual bad periods, with low back pain (helped greatly with heating pad). Like most of us here… we’re used to heavy pain so it’s not all that unbearable.
I was given tramadol, and didn’t take my first one until 9pm. Didn’t love the feeling. And my limbs started tingling which was weird. That’s supposed to be a withdrawal effect. But my body doesn’t handle drugs well so could just be me. I’ll see what happens later in the night if I need something else, I’ll take it. But so far the pain/discomfort is reminding me not to sleep how i normally do-on my side with my leg up toward my abdomen.
I’ve got my naproxen and Tylenol that the pharmacy okay’d me to take instead of Advil and Tylenol.
Forgot to mention-my throat is a bit sore, but not nearly what I expected. Feels like I just spent some time around a campfire where the smoke randomly followed me. One Halls seemed to help, and of course, ice cream sandwiches 😂.
And now to wait for meeting the real me after 20+ years of being on oral birth control… should be some definite hormonal swings during recovery plus that, but can’t wait😂🤦🏻‍♀️
Edit: one thing I did that I haven’t seen posted otherwise in this subreddit is that I put a cooling cloth, soaked in water, in a ziplock bag, and stuck it laying down flat in my freezer before surgery. I don’t think I really needed to, but I had that laying (with clothing on and a tea towel wrapped around it) on my lower belly and it molded perfectly as it melted a tad, and felt great. I wasn’t told not to ice it, I wasn’t told to ice it, but I figure as long as it feels good, it’s not damaging anything or getting anything wet. Might be something for others to consider! I wouldn’t want the weight of a large ice pack or anything on me right now, but just that in the ziplock with a light pillow overtop was perfect.

I had one upper wisdom tooth removed. Two weeks after I had a lot of congestion and blew my nose pretty vigorously. (Was never told in post op directions not to blow nose) That was 4 days ago and I have had multiple bloody noses per day since then. Now is to the point where I have multiple times a day where I have bloody nasal drainage in the back of my throat and large clots that I either end up swallowing or gagging on and spitting out. I called the oral surgeon and since I don’t have a fever or facial swelling and only mild pain they told me to not blow my nose, use a straw and try not to sneeze for two weeks and see if it gets better. I am to the point where I can’t sleep because I have so much blood and blood clots draining down my throat. Do I keep waiting to see if this gets better on my own or should I either request to be seen or get a second opinion.

I’d gotten a bad cold many many months ago (possibly near to a year ago at this point? idk) and mixed up some tang in my water bottle to help soothe my very sore throat. after I got better I ended up really busy, and forgot to clean out the bottle, and by the time I remembered to it’d started to mold. executive dysfunction took over to make the task insurmountable and now it’s pretty gross :( there’d still been some tang in it and looks like the water separated out and the tang powder clumped together as mold. there’s no visible mold climbing the sides or anything, it seems all contained in the water, but I’m still concerned I cant sanitize it :(
I’d just buy a new bottle but I’d really liked it, and they dont make it anymore :( I even looked on sites like ebay and mercari, but they dont come in the same size or color
would soaking the bottle in a peroxide or vinegar solution work (after dumping out the contents obvi)?? would bleach be better??? should I just give up and mourn the loss of my bottle ;-;

Before that happens i had a worse sore throat/strep throat every morning.
Sneezing a lot everyday and runny nose everyday and itchy nose,eyes,ears
heart palpitations
heart racing whenever i do some chores

This weekend, Ajax Budokan invited Kodokan 9th dan and former head of the Tokyo Police dojo, Michio Fukushima Sensei, to conduct a 4 hour clinic for Kodokan Goshin Jutsu. It was open to yellow belt and higher, though the majority consisted of Yudansha. My senseis had the honour of demoing the kata, as Fukushima Sensei's health did not permit presenting each technique multiple times, though he did show some of the finer details, demo mechanics, and gave comments as to what was good and displayed what could be fixed. He also talked about older versions of the techniques and how/ why they have been changed. Regretfully, it totally slipped my mind to film during the seminar, as there was a lot of good information, translated (and left untranslated) by the interpreter.
Some General Notes on Fukushima Sensei Fukushima Sensei on multiple occasions mentioned how one should carry themselves and move, more specifically he talked about how he usually sees toris get away with bad shisei as uke's attacks are generally to kind or passive, and that if they genuinely attacked, most toris would be off balance. Additionally he mentioned that a lot of IFJ competition now is power judo, where the technical aspects are replaced for brute force and speed.
The main note he makes is to keep the knees alive (slightly bent and bouncy like a spring), and that most novices have a tendency to straight leg their kata. He also made it a great point to explain the logic of the waza in the kata and how the kuzushi is created. Other important details he talked about were that uke shouldn't be a limp noodle once his attack is over, that tori should keep good sabaki (unclear if sabaki was short hand for tai sabaki as he also stated tai sabaki on different occasions (the details were paraphrased by the translator)), and the usage of rotation from the hips to maintain proper balance (tai sabaki). Additionally, he talked about things relating to karada (the body) and some anecdotes (such as stories about judoka such as Michigami, Isao Okano, and Nagaoka if I was hearing correctly, though I don't speak Japanese, only somewhat familiar with it), which were left untranslated or paraphrased sadly.
Emphasised details in the kata (not explanations or descriptions of how to do a technique) and my experiences (FYI Sensei mostly used the Tomiki names for the waza Tori applied)
Attacks when held

1. Ryote dori - my partner and I (both new to this kata for the most part) went in on this one and struggled as we didn't see the detail of thumb in hand for the lock (blind leading the blind, though we later worked near a kind pair after this who helped check more closely as they were experienced in the kata)
   1. Yahazu (hook shape for hand) is very important to direct uke's arm
   2. You aren't pulling the arm away to free it, you are pushing your elbow forward which pressures uke's arm
   3. Te gatana to the uto (point between uke's eyes)
   4. When applying the lock (te gatame), make sure to rotate uke's hand such that the fingers are pointing up
   5. When applying the lock, take the uke's arm in the direction perpendicular to the line made by his feet
2. Hidari eri dori - I particularly liked this one, though my uke was confused the first few times as he kept trying to apply waki gatame.
   1. Tori must grab underneath uke's hand on the lapel when stepping back
   2. When grabbing uke's hand to break the grip and apply the lock (kote hineri), tori should have his thumb in between uke's thumb and fingers, and to take the uke's arm in the direction perpendicular to the line made by his feet
   3. Uke should try to maintain jigo tai rather than lean so the lock is applied cleanly
   4. Tori's hand should not be limp when delivering the strike
3. Migi eri dori - I couldn't get kote gaeshi to work properly, will have to practice and ask my sensei about it later, same with my partner
   1. Tori should maintain a upright posture as uke pulls him forward, and use the landing of his foot to drive his hand for the uppercut to uke
   2. Tori should try to keep uke's hand attached to his centerline as he makes tai sabaki
4. Kata ude dori - My uke was very stiff, so applying the initial lock to him proved difficult, though he claims he felt it. I found this kata easy to remember as the legs go left right left right (step, step, tai sabaki, kick, then lead with the right for the lock)
   1. You are kicking with the side of the foot
   2. The step before the kick pivot around so your feet are almost parallel
   3. For waki gatame, you should be standing inside his feet, near parallel to the line perpendicular to his feet
5. Ushiro eri dori - I had experience with this one as sensei had taught during some free time a while back
   1. The parry with the arm was stated to also be the preferred way to receive punches, though take that as you will (though it is a common method in karate as well)
   2. The strike should be to the suigetsu (solar plexus)
   3. Trap uke's hand with your head so that it can't wiggle all over the place when applying the lock
6. Ushiro jime - My partner and I both had a tendency to lift the shoulder off after spinning out, will have to work on that. I will be honest, had I known this escape, I probably would have come out of an incident a few years back (before I started Judo) rather unscathed as I was jumped and then kicked on the ground by a person who was quite a pain.
   1. The attack and initial defence are identical to that of katame no kata, following which tori rotates out
   2. Keep pressure with your shoulder until your grip has been changed
7. Kakae dori - We didn't have enough mat space to finish the throw without running into other groups, but the technique is surprisingly effective. Though I couldn't initially find out how to do the armlock and had to ask my sensei about it, now it's pretty easy.
   1. Rotate the arm away from you (clockwise from your perspective) and pull uke's arm into you
   2. During the initial stomp, straighten up and raise your arms to loosen uke's grip

Attacks when at a distance - I got less time to try these in general as I wanted my partner to get a feel for them as they are a bit more complicated and he is less experienced

1. Naname uchi - this was a fun situation, it shows how a little bit of atemi can be used to setup a randori waza, and Fukushima Sensei complimented my senseis' performance saying that it was better than the current text book
   1. Te gatana is used to redirect the strike
   2. Osoto otoshi is performed
   3. Pushing the arm through is important to create the kuzushi necessary for the waza
2. Ago tsuki - I didn't actually get a chance to try this one more than once as my partner struggled with it, he kept applying a shoulder lock by pushing on the elbow without the redirect with the thumb up (shoulder is still sore)
   1. when directing uke's attack up and away, do not lean back as then you are unstable
   2. Use yahazu to direct uke's elbow toward his ear
   3. As uke will not like this use the moment after releasing the elbow lock to throw him forward in the direction perpendicular to his feet.
3. Gammen Tsuki - My partner really liked this one, I can see the uses as I've used similar entries when messing around with strikes + judo with this partner as I have a bit of karate experience
   1. Uke is meant to do a break fall, thus tori needs to get out of the way after releasing the choke
   2. Uke should realistically be aiming for where tori's uto would be if he did not evade
4. Mae Geri - this was a relatively easy one to grasp, but quite a bit of practice is needed before a full force kick can be considered
   1. Rotate ukes foot outwards so that it is not easy for him to rotate in to escape
   2. In the original, tori would lift uke's leg high but many ukes ended up injured from hitting their heads, so now tori just pushes back
5. Yoko geri - My sensei has introduced this one at the dojo before as well, though he prefaced it with about a minute of just practicing a side kick. My partner (who suffers from light knee pain) couldn't kneel during the finish
   1. The use of the te gatana to redirect the kick in the direction it is going, very similar to karates low block
   2. During the finish tori creates a void for uke to be thrown but in real life tori would throw uke onto his knee

Attacks with weapons - I understand people dislike these (reasonably in some cases), but I've found them to be useful points to explore
Attacks with a knife - Sensei Fukushima mentioned how despite my senseis making it look easy
Both my partner and I have practiced these quite a lot (I was the only one who was taught it by sensei but we practiced it on our own time), so not as many personal notes. Though I don't have a good experience so my brain switches to serious and my heart rate increases despite the fact that I know these are fake weapons.

1. Tsukkake
   1. The elbow should be pushed forward (I've actually experimented with this in the past by asking uke to try to stab me as I applied the defence, and we've found after the initial push and strike, tori is in a relatively good position, be it to run away or finish the kata)
   2. Push the locked up arm up and towards uke, then guide him to the ground
2. Choku zuki - I struggled to apply the waki gatame, I'm guessing it was control of the wrist that was the problem, this form is relatively straight forward and makes sense
   1. The strike should not be a boxer style punch, but more like the first punch in szkt
   2. uke should not go limp
   3. when moving away from uke, take him perpendicular to the line between his feet
3. Naname Zuki - Personally I think this form is cutting it close in many regards, but the control tori has is quite surprising
   1. Don't grab the blade from the sharp edge

Attacks with a jo - PSA, no matter how much you trust your uke, mistakes happen (especially with such a solid weapon) so remain vigilant to mitigate damage

1. Furi age - this was a relatively easy technique to grasp as it is an application of O soto gari setup with a palm strike to the chind
   1. Tori should enter as soon as uke begins to raise his arm, almost a preemptive entry
   2. Tori strikes at the ago (chin) with a palm strike, then places his hand on the throat for the throw
2. Furi oroshi - My partner leant into the swing and wacked me on the forehead, it could've been worse but it just grazed the outer layer as I saw the jo come closer after my initial retreat and attempted to turn out of the way. Both a PSA for tori and uke. Tori do not keep your eyes off uke, and uke please don't lean into a swing, you are horribly off balance, and you make it harder for tori to read. Also uke don't speed up when you 2 are learning (I don't know why my partner chose too...)
   1. Do not hop back onto one leg and then towards uke with the other, it leads you to have bad posture
   2. Better to make a big retreat than get hit
   3. 2 strike, one ura ken (back fist), followed by knife hand push
   4. Uke's swing should be at a diagonal
3. Morote zuki - I didn't get to practice this one as my partner was taken a bit aback after the previous incident and couldn't get the steps right for this one. Fukushima Sensei mentioned something along the lines of how a judoka was faced with a juken and couldn't figure out what to do, and thus this form was created to address that.
   1. Tori shouldn't be rowing the jow away to shake throw uke
   2. The arm puts pressure on uke's arm forward
   3. Tori should be trying to angle the jo down towards himself after the initial grab

Attacks with a gun - I struggled with all of these, but I think the principles are relatively sound. Though in real life, I'd most likely give up my valuables. Fukushima Sensei emphasised hip rotation in these movements, as he says that you want to direct the gun away without moving your feet, which is what uke would be seeing when looking at your pocket.
Always make sure to begin your defence after uke is clearly focused on checking your pockets, never when his focus is directly on you

1. Shomen Zuke
   1. Grab the barrel of the gun thumb up
   2. During the disarm, push the gun's muzzle to face towards him
2. Koshi Gamae - I kept getting the second hand wrong and thus the barallel was pointed towards me in the final attack, will need to work on that
   1. Grab the barrel of gun initially with the thumb down with your right hand, and push the gun so that it is horizontal after turning left, then grab the gun from below with your right
   2. make sure to not point the gun at yourself when hitting with the butt
3. Haimen Zuke - this is quite a dangerous move in theory, but also one of the more likely ones
   1. Wrap uke's arm with your arm, but make sure to direct the muzzle up with the free arm
   2. [uke] should let go of gun, as this is a hard breakfall

Overarching and repeated themes in the kata

• The use of yahazu to direct the arm rather than grips
• Keeping uke's hand connected to your centerline when applying kansetsu waza
• te gatana is a useful tool to redirect and or strike the opponent quickly
• During the gun portion, always rotate the gun off your centerline, so that even if it does fire, it doesn't penetrate too deep
• Control the gun by the muzzle
• most finishes are done by guiding uke perpendicular to the line in between his feet
• Do not directly oppose an opponents force
• Maintanence of balance at all times and moving from the hips is key
• Uke should attack meaningfully
• Action reaction is used quite a lot to first lock uke up towards his face, so that when he pushes back he is easily lead away

Overall, it was quite a good event, and I learned a lot. This kata isn't the most realistic with the attacks (though apparently a few people I know have used the ryote dori attack shockingly), but what I've learned so far is relatively sound, hopefully some time soon I can convince my partner to do some live resistance sparring with some gear on (which I have done with the knife portion with a plastic knife). Fukushima Sensei had a lot to say, as he was actively discussing his experiences and koshiki no kata after the seminar with another Japanese speaker, and I hope to be able to attend another one of his classes again someday.
Here are some videos featuring Michio Fukushima from a few years back, both where he was actively demoing, and where he had a slightly more corrective position.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1253474818155243
https://youtu.be/VKgdMJS9eck?si=bGMemLfG9aquAHr1

Age: 34 Gender: Female Height: 5’2 Weight: 164lbs
No known health issues. Non smoker.
I feel dumb posting this. Last week (5 days ago) I was eating very hot food. While taking a bite I sucked in, kind of taken aback from the heat. When this happened, a peanut from the curry got sucked back. Immediately I felt like my lungs were on fire and there was not much choking or coughing when it happened.
I went to urgent care per my nurse friends advice and they didn’t even see me. They came out and told me in the waiting room that basically it was either ER for a bronchoscopy or wait and see if I develop a lung infection which feels like a sick joke.
All week I feel like I’m constantly clearing my throat trying to move something, like when you do recovering on the tail end of a cold. No wheezing. Chest is a tiny bit tight but that could be anxiety. It just feels like light congestion and inflammation on the right side of my chest. No fever. O sat 98-99.
How long am I supposed to give this? Is it really until my body potentially breaks out into a full on infection? Could it be days? Weeks? Can I try to cough it up? What are even the odds it’s down there? I think what really has me convinced is how my lungs felt immediately. Like my lungs were slowly coated in curry for about 30-60 seconds.

A while ago I saw a video of this girl who got sepsis from a sore throat and got all of her limbs amputated. Since then (this was months ago) I have such a fear of sepsis and it is causing me not to sleep at night, and the fact that it is so common and can develop quickly does not ease my anxiety one bit.

Hello, reddit doctors, I need your advice on what I should do
Background: 41 years old, physically fit male, first got sick late april (27-28th with severe flu like symptoms. Around May 4, I went to urgent care, got covid flu test done (all negative), had conjunctivitis in eyes (got antibiotic cream) and also did throat swab. Doctor at urgent care wouldnt give me oral antibiotics until throat culture came back. Next few days i was running low grade fever and I wanted antibiotics so I called telehealth and convinced a doctor to give me amoxicillin (500mg x 3 x 10 days). The throat culture ended up negative but i continued on the amoxicillin anyways as my symptoms drastically improved.
So i screwed up. On friday May 10th i was feeling much better so I decided to go out and have a few drinks. Later that night, the Aurora borealis was out, and i made a poor life decision. So I have adhd and for years I was taking adderall and dexedrine. I completely quit these drugs 2.5 years ago, but still had some left. So on friday night, I took some dexedrine, and having no tolerance anymore, I ended up on a weekend bender not sleeping, being high, not eating well, and just not taking care of myself. I kept using until sunday afternoon
Sunday night I started coughing a bit again. Fast forward to today (monday), i managed to sleep 6.5 hours, but I feel shitty and I keep bringing up bright yellow phlegm or sputum, my throat is kinda sore (probably from dry mouth), and now Im worried i might have ruined my amoxicillin treatment. Im obviously in withdrawal from my adhd meds and im tired, but I also i have a weird tingly metallic taste in my mouth.
I have two days left of amoxicillin, and im worried my infection will come back with a vengeance and be resistant to antibiotics once it is done. What should I do? Stop worrying, or should i get more antibiotics?
Sorry this ran a bit long.

Hi everyone!
I am 25F, Caucasian, 127 lbs, 5’2”, non-smoking. I am currently on levothyroxine for suspected subclinical hypothyroidism. Previous blood tests did reveal that I have high lipoprotein a.
I recently contracted a bug and started having symptoms on May 9, 2024. It consisted of a fever for the first few days, extreme fatigue, sore throat and cough. Jump to today, May 13, 2024, I still have the fatigue, and wet cough. I had to return to work today, and I actually felt ok this morning, so I wore a mask and I was good for about 2 hours, then I began to have what my doctor has described in the past as a Vasovagal reaction (without losing consciousness, as I know it’s coming and can sit down ASAP). The past reaction was completely unrelated and random. I had 3 “reactions” in the span of 5-10 minutes today, and ultimately left work. I have never had this when healing from sickness prior. I have been taking cold meds and muscle and joint pills to help aid my symptoms since the 9th.
I am likely going to take tomorrow off as well, however, I’m not sure what to do so this does not happen again. My job requires you to be on your feet. My doctor is hard to get into on such short notice! Any help is appreciated!

28f 5”6 160lbs active
I started feeling a sore throat two weeks ago. Painful to swallow, most painful I’ve ever felt. Hacking cough. No other cold symptoms at all except being extremely fatigued and run down. Eyes bloodshot and painful.
I went to urgent care after a week and they looked at my throat and said “I’d be extremely surprised if you didn’t have strep” after examining.
Both rapid and lab strep test were negative.
Now, only my left lymph node is swollen. I struggle to eat because it hurts to open my mouth and hard to swallow. Pain is much more localized in this one lymph node than the throat now.
Lymph node is large, fairly hard. I’m dying for relief, no meds I have taken are touching the discomfort and pain. I’ve been taking dual action pain relievers, I tried mucinex, robitussen.
Thank you

Do any of you guys have trouble with this and are there natural remedies for it? I hate taking actual prescriptions. If I talk for more than a about 30 seconds my throat gets so much phlegm that I have to cough. My sinuses are congested and I’ve blown my nose so much it just bleeds. I’ve tried using a nebulizer to help clear my nasals but at night about every hour I’m switching sides because I can’t breathe from whatever nostril is lower and have to keep rotating to open it again and then the same thing happens with the lower one. Just feel like I have a never ending cold since getting pregnant. Will it go away after my twins are here?

Sorry, big vent incoming. Just want to get it out somewhere.
Our house got the stomach bug last week. My daughter picked it up at a local mom get together (why do you go to those if you are/were just sick??? UGH) So it was 5 days of me, my husband and my toddler girl being sick with all the gross stuff. Luckily my husband and I got over the stomach things, but the diarrhea is lingering in my toddler (to my understanding this is relatively normal, but it still makes me anxious).
I hated those 5 days. I felt like crap, I felt bad for my sweet husband who felt like even worse crap and I still feel so bad for my little baby girl who is still dealing with stuff.
And just when my gut started feeling better I picked up a sore throat which luckily wasn’t strep, doc thought it was just something viral, but that quickly turned into laryngitis and now I’ve lost my voice and my nose is starting to get stuffed and I’m worried I have a sinus infection coming on. And oh yeah I’m 20 weeks pregnant 😭 (don’t worry I’ve been in touch with my medical provider this whole time and baby isn’t in any danger, it’s just a little icing on this cake of discomfort). And I’m only three days into this nose/throat thing, and it could easily last another week.
I just hate losing more sleep than I already am due to not being able to breathe + throat pain. I hate that I can’t communicate with my daughter or my husband. I hate not being able to swallow without pain. I hate that I feel like crap.
I realize I have a LOT to be thankful for, I just want to be back to my normal so I can be a happiebetter mom and wife.
So yeah, being sick with a sick toddler is definitely top 3 least favorite part about parenthood. It might take spot number one but I’m saving that for something worse that may come along 🙃

I started getting sick (sore throat, congestion, sneezing, coughing) and it’s been hell. Honestly I’d take an extra week with drains instead of being sick.
It’s also been hard because I’m on wellbutrin and I have negative interactions with typical cold medicine, particularly dextromethorphan (cough suppressant) so I have been relying on expectorant, decongestants, cough drops, teas, sleeping next to a humidifier, etc.
Luckily it’s not hurting too much to cough but sneezing hurts. It’s more annoying than anything as I’ve been sneezing like crazy. Also, I think my lymph nodes are swollen or something because my armpits hurt real bad, they feel sore and swollen.
I’m really worried getting sick is going to affect how my scars heal or just the healing process in general. On the other hand, should I not be too worried that I got sick now since my immune system is already focusing on healing myself? I’m just trying to think positively but also want to be realistic. Haven’t had a fever and I’ve been testing negative for covid.
I’m seeing my doctor tomorrow for my first post op appointment. I’m pretty sure I will be getting my drains out as the output has been less than 15ml for more than 3 days now. Fingers crossed being sick won’t change anything.
Anyone else experience getting sick shortly after getting top surgery? Was there anything you did that helped get through it?

I woke up this morning with an extremely sore throat. I haven’t had any pain beyond yawning since around 12-14 day PO.
It honestly feels like when you’re getting strep. Should I go get seen or give it a few days? Is this normal?! Unfortunately my doctor is out this week so no news from calling them.

I was with a guy until december, which was our last contact. Did not interact in any way with another man until about last month. He eventually got sick about a week and a half after we first kissed. He says he knows his body and he never “gets sick like this”. He has a spot in his throat which lead him to believe it was mono, but tested negative. He now things it could be chlamydia? The issue is, I have not had any symptoms other than a sore throat for 2 days, and then a few weeks later, a cough and stuffy nose. I get sick very often as I suspect I have had something wrong with my immune system my whole life. Is chlamydia even likely in this case? I only did oral with the guy in December, and have only kissed the current guy.

Two of my boomers relatives drove 3 hours to help me to and from the doctor. There is zero issues with and they are amazing for it.
The issue came when driving there that they literally complained about every little thing from what they didn't like about the dash GPS. A feature of a car they don't like that they've had for a while now. Things most people deal with with ease.
I didn't say anything because in the grand scheme of things it wasn't a big deal.
What really got me was after I had my two hernias patched I of course was and is still in pain and my throat was and is still sore from the tube in my throat.
One of the relatives got a break down of what was done and what I was dealing with afterwards.
This did not stop them from asking the most mundane questions. "Is that house being built?" "How far is your house from here?" "Why are you using the front door and not the garage?"
These in itself isn't that big of a deal, but I don't answer because im in pain and my throat feels like it's covered with with flaming sand.
But what was just crazy to me is my relatvie would ask the question again after I didn't answer, again. They'd call my name as if they are demanding an answer. Sure, they are worried and don't like that I'm on pain, but read the room.
As mentioned above, we get to my place I use the front door instead of the garage. I immediately get questioned twice after I don't answer so I snap bit and say I don't feel like talking because it hurts. The relative of course acts like I was so mean toward them. Disrespectful.
Again, I get they are worried, but they have no situational awareness. They could answer their own questions if they just thought about it for more than a second. But the kicker is the questions we're not important at all. Period.
I sent then a message later apologizing for my sanppin, but no reaction to the apology.

I’m so desperate for help, advice, answers, experiences (anything!) from someone/anyone who may have experienced or is going through the same as me!
In March 2024, I had a horrible sore throat so naturally I went to get tested for strep, Covid, and the flu. My rapid test came back negative for all 3 and the next day I was completely back to feeling great. 3 days later I get a call that my strep culture came back positive but I wasn’t prescribed any antibiotics because I was symptom free.
Early April 2024 I very suddenly came down with a high fever and body aches (with no warning signs or any other cold symptoms). Got tested again, everything was negative and I was fine within 24 hours.
**1 week later on the tail end of my period I developed horrible vaginal pain and sensitivity to the point I couldn’t sit down. My vulva was so irritated that it became raw and was bleeding light pink externally. I went to a woman’s clinic where they swabbed me. took a urine culture, and prescribed me bactrim while we waited for the test results. The test came back positive for strep 2 days later and a very high count of white blood cells (the untreated strep from march travelled through my system south!!! Didn’t even know this was possible). That same day I ended up in the hospital for a fainting spell, confusion, and nausea. After more testing the doctor found that the antibiotic wasn’t treating the infection so he prescribed Keflex 4X/day for 7 days. By day 2 I was feeling so much better (vaginal pain and all other irritations were fully resolved!)
5/1/2024 (5 days after finishing the keflex) I woke up with a severe sore/swollen throat and tested positive for Strep throat AGAIN. Here goes round 2 of antibiotics, now prescribed cefdinir 2x/day for 10 days. 2 days in once again, feeling great and took the 10 days finally felt better than I had in 2 months. I finished the cefdinir this past Friday (it’s now Monday) ….
I got my period yesterday (Sunday) and it was extremely heavy, much heavier than usual. Accompanied by severe cramps. Today mid morning I developed the same exact vaginal symptoms I had before testing positive for vaginal strep A!! The same rawness, tender, swollen feeling all external. Just a pad touching the area is excruciating pain and I can’t even fathom using a tampon.
What could this be? Strep again?! pH imbalance from the 2 rounds of antibiotics?! The blood from my period being such a high pH?! As I’m writing this all out I’m wondering if my period last month is what trigged the symptoms of the vaginal strep.. the month between my periods my vagina was completely healthy and feeling fine! HELP!
(Ive been tested for STDs which have all come back negative. I’m in a monogamous relationship (for 8 years). He was tested for strep orally and the results were negative)

I’m so desperate for help, advice, answers, experiences (anything!) from someone/anyone who may have experienced or is going through the same as me!
In March 2024, I had a horrible sore throat so naturally I went to get tested for strep, Covid, and the flu. My rapid test came back negative for all 3 and the next day I was completely back to feeling great. 3 days later I get a call that my strep culture came back positive but I wasn’t prescribed any antibiotics because I was symptom free.
Early April 2024 I very suddenly came down with a high fever and body aches (with no warning signs or any other cold symptoms). Got tested again, everything was negative and I was fine within 24 hours.
**1 week later on the tail end of my period I developed horrible vaginal pain and sensitivity to the point I couldn’t sit down. My vulva was so irritated that it became raw and was bleeding light pink externally. I went to a woman’s clinic where they swabbed me. took a urine culture, and prescribed me bactrim while we waited for the test results. The test came back positive for strep 2 days later and a very high count of white blood cells (the untreated strep from march travelled through my system south!!! Didn’t even know this was possible). That same day I ended up in the hospital for a fainting spell, confusion, and nausea. After more testing the doctor found that the antibiotic wasn’t treating the infection so he prescribed Keflex 4X/day for 7 days. By day 2 I was feeling so much better (vaginal pain and all other irritations were fully resolved!)
5/1/2024 (5 days after finishing the keflex) I woke up with a severe sore/swollen throat and tested positive for Strep throat AGAIN. Here goes round 2 of antibiotics, now prescribed cefdinir 2x/day for 10 days. 2 days in once again, feeling great and took the 10 days finally felt better than I had in 2 months. I finished the cefdinir this past Friday (it’s now Monday) ….
I got my period yesterday (Sunday) and it was extremely heavy, much heavier than usual. Accompanied by severe cramps. Today mid morning I developed the same exact vaginal symptoms I had before testing positive for vaginal strep A!! The same rawness, tender, swollen feeling all external. Just a pad touching the area is excruciating pain and I can’t even fathom using a tampon.
What could this be? Strep again?! pH imbalance from the 2 rounds of antibiotics?! The blood from my period being such a high pH?! As I’m writing this all out I’m wondering if my period last month is what trigged the symptoms of the vaginal strep.. the month between my periods my vagina was completely healthy and feeling fine! HELP!
(Ive been tested for STDs which have all come back negative. I’m in a monogamous relationship (for 8 years). He was tested for strep orally and the results were negative)

75 female, Caucasian. 5'1, 165. Reddish sores, some bleeding, some scabbing and healing across neck and upper back, possibly from stress. Noticed from 3 months ago. Existing medical issues - not much to speak of. Recovering from hip replacement surgery about a year ago. Hospitalized for COVID in 2022. Still get cough/sore throat.
Here is an image of what we're talking about with sores seen on cheek, neck, upper chest.
Haven't touched alcohol or tobacco in several years, although was regular with both. No recreational drugs, Meds: simivastin, atenol, biotin, D3, valium, another for blood pressure, and cholesterol. fiber powder. trazadone. Son is helping me with this post. Thank you for any and all input.

So, I maybe have fudged my resume a little bit. I told my employer I could speak Spanish.
I COULD speak and understand it, but it’s just not very well anymore. They expect me to talk to one of their clients in Spanish. I have mentioned I’m not as confident as I used to be. I’m freaking out!!
My co-workers who are a part of my small team are giving me shit, and saying “they only hired me bc they thought I could speak Spanish”. I definitely won’t lose my job, but I don’t want to come off as a liar.
To be VERY fair, I can do it if I think really hard. I just don’t like doing it in front of other people!! I find it embarrassing. My native language is Telugu (some Indian language). I can understand it 100%, but I just don’t speak it well. I could speak it fluently younger, but I grew up learning American. My entire family gives me shit, so it’s a sore spot. Whenever I tried to speak, I’d get made fun of.
So, how do I get out of it and play it off as a sore throat!?