Bad cough foamy mucus

Since I caught a stomach bug in December, this is what has been happening to me:
-lost of weight from 130 to 119 lbs -increase in the frequency and urgency of bowel movements, especially in the afternoon after lunch -BMs sometimes solid, sometimes in little chunks, often with mucus, sometimes only mucus, sometimes only expelling transparent liquid. For the first time, I saw a big drop of red blood in the middle of mucus yesterday evening, which absolutely freaked me out -When I have very frequent BMs, sometimes I will get cramps and pain, which give me nausea, cut off my appetite and prevents me from eating. This happened maybe 4 times in the past month. -Increased level of anxiety -Appetite went really down in the past two weeks, especially in the past week -Since I saw that blood yesterday, full on very intense anxiety, whole butterfly in the stomach. I can't eat.
I saw a doctor today. She ordered a stool sample and a colonoscopy in semi-urgent priority, so in the next two months.
The prep terrifies me. My stomach gets upset very easily. And if I don't eat well enough in a day, I get dizzy and full of stomach acid, so I feel very bad, and after, it's very difficult to restart eating.
I told the doctor I was extremely worried and that all that made me anxious. I asked about cancer and IBD. She said it was possibilities and that's why she was ordering the tests. I've asked if it could be only my IBS acting out. She said usually no blood with IBS.
I'm a 40 yo male, weighting now only 119 lbs.
I am absolutely freaking out, completely terrified.

This is my first official post. I have never been compelled to post anything but feel so passionately about the subject. I’ve been a smoker most of my life. I started smoking when I was 25 and the constant struggle of wanting to smoke and at the same time not cough was just insane. I loved the stress melting affect my cigs had on me that I almost become so dependable on them that I couldn’t go a day without smoking 1 pack a day. Of course, my lips became brown, teeth got stained and my Indian family just hated how I always smelled and no amount of gum and Spray would help the tainted smell.
My Canadian friend who was just as bad as me told me about his recent obsession with nicotine pouches and I became intrigued. He told me how better they were for him because nicotine pouches had better nicotine hit than an actual cigarette & vape combined. It didn’t stain his teeth or affected his lungs or any body part which led him improve his lifestyle and get fit. I was trying to find a nicotine pouch brand here in India when i came across Vitamin X. I hope this helps my fellow smokers who love their cigarettes just as much as me and but at the same time want that nicotine kick that doesn’t affect their health. Their website is www.vitaminx.in Instagram @vitaminX_club
I hope this is just life changing for you as it has been for me.

My pharmacy coworkers hate me :
I can tell they don’t like me. When I returned back from my “training store”(which didn’t even know I was being trained there, and I didn’t have a trainer, everyday I had to go out ajd find ppl to help me but I didn’t really get anything hands on & my training was my responsibility to learn) they expected me to come back & know what to do, I came back at shift 11 module & my pharmacist had me on drive thru for the full 8 hours & she didn’t know I still had modules & like no actual experience working. So I had yo ask A LOT of questions & I could tell they didn’t like me.
It’s been like 3 or 4 weeks at my home store & I’m pretty confident in doing most stuff alone now. But I only got to do production like 2xs when other ppl called out & the rest of the day I spent as a cashier or drive thru person :(
I think they hired me thinking I was 20 something but when they found out I have kids & am 32 they started acting a little different.
My pharmacist favors one of the younger girls and if she does anything so small she’s like good job! Yay! But if I do anything she’s always like giving me criticisms, which is fine but it feels bad when I feel like I’m treated different.
To top it all off the lady who scheduled me to work in the other store was suppose to come to our store today just to evaluate me. I asked what she would do and they said idk she’s never done that for anyone. She never showed up but to me I’m like this job pays me 18 an hour, my last job was 23 and hour but I took the pay drop to step into the medical field.
Also. Today whenever I went toward my coworkers they all start sneezing /coughing acting like so I smell bad or something? I don’t wear perfume but obviously I shower every morning. And wear deodorant etc & I don’t wear perfume and it could totally not be from me but I just find it a weird coincidence.
My jobs been fine up until yestdsy & today it’s starting to effect my mental health pretty bad & im starting to consider to quit. My plan was to just stay till like august bc I wanna go back to school anyway but idk if I even wnaa make kt that far. I’m on my break now & im legit crying. I just don’t feeel good at all.

Before I even explain, I’m bringing my boy to the vet on Thursday for a check up since it doesn’t seem like an emergency (to me), but I would love input from fellow cat lovers!
My cat Zuko (3yrs old male) has been throwing up frequently. So, last Tuesday, I took 3 of my kittens to get fixed, and when we arrived home, not even 5 mins after we arrived, Zuko began throwing up. He threw up about 6 different times within a span of 20 ish mins. With each throw up it became more and more clear liquid-y and eventually was foamy. I did quick google search and said it potentially from empty stomach. I have automatic feeder for him and was filled, so I know he had eaten while I was gone. He stopped throwing up and I kept an eye on him for the rest of the day/night. When I woke up the next day every cat we have (5) had thrown up over night. I figured it was bc 3 of them had just gotten fixed and coming off the meds but the two older males cats weren’t on meds. Eventually when food time came around NONE of the cats wanted to do anything with it. So, I went and got new food, and all have been eating and no throw up since. We have also been feeding all of them wet food to rehydrate them. So we came to a conclusion that the food batch was bad and threw it out. However, Zuko threw up in his carrier on the way to my parents house on Sunday, he never gets car sick. It was chunky and mostly food, so I assumed it was just his stomach adjusting to the new food. Yesterday (Monday) I went back to my parents to do hair and when I went outside later in the day, Zuko had puked again, I will post pic in comments.
His behavior has been normal, maybe more “lazy” as he is a very lazy cat lol, but nothing too concerning in my opinion, but I would love to hear a non bias opinion from yall and if I should take him to the vet sooner! He also has been eating and drinking just fine.

I can tell they don’t like me. When I returned back from my “training store”(which didn’t even know I was being trained there, and I didn’t have a trainer, everyday I had to go out ajd find ppl to help me but I didn’t really get anything hands on & my training was my responsibility to learn) they expected me to come back & know what to do, I came back at shift 11 module & my pharmacist had me on drive thru for the full 8 hours & she didn’t know I still had modules & like no actual experience working. So I had yo ask A LOT of questions & I could tell they didn’t like me.
It’s been like 3 or 4 weeks at my home store & I’m pretty confident in doing most stuff alone now. But I only got to do production like 2xs when other ppl called out & the rest of the day I spent as a cashier or drive thru person :(
I think they hired me thinking I was 20 something but when they found out I have kids & am 32 they started acting a little different.
My pharmacist favors one of the younger girls and if she does anything so small she’s like good job! Yay! But if I do anything she’s always like giving me criticisms, which is fine but it feels bad when I feel like I’m treated different.
To top it all off the lady who scheduled me to work in the other store was suppose to come to our store today just to evaluate me. I asked what she would do and they said idk she’s never done that for anyone. She never showed up but to me I’m like this job pays me 18 an hour, my last job was 23 and hour but I took the pay drop to step into the medical field.
Also. Today whenever I went toward my coworkers they all start sneezing /coughing acting like so I smell bad or something? I don’t wear perfume but obviously I shower every morning. And wear deodorant etc & I don’t wear perfume and it could totally not be from me but I just find it a weird coincidence.
My jobs been fine up until yestdsy & today it’s starting to effect my mental health pretty bad & im starting to consider to quit. My plan was to just stay till like august bc I wanna go back to school anyway but idk if I even wnaa make kt that far. I’m on my break now & im legit crying. I just don’t feeel good at all.

Conditions- ankylosing spondylitits, crohns
I have ulcers in my illuem they found in a colonoscopy.
I started on aajonus diet, I thought it was critical to get loads of fat in. Even though I don’t digest fat well.
I overloaded on cream and kept drinking the fermented milk. I think I aggravated my ulcer.
So for the past 3 days I’ve been doing eggs only and cabbage juice I did last night.
I can’t sleep due to urgency every 30 minutes. I have been having yellow diarrhea from hell, so much mucus in my diarrhea. And stomach pains. Sometimes the diarrhea is so bad I start sweating and get a fever. Some blood too.
The cabbage juice felt Like it did help but hard to tell.
Is there something else I should be doing for my situation?

For 3 days my dog has been doing this breathy cough/ gagging but only after eating his dinner. His food has been settling so it’s not like he has been very sick, but something isn’t right.
When he does finally throw up after gagging it’s white mucus rather than any food. It only happens after he eats and he’s absolutely fine the rest of the time. He doesn’t seem in pain and is as chipper as always, otherwise.
Any ideas what might be the matter? Vet trip?

My older brother recently got married and my grandfather on my mother's side, who has a long history of heart disease, visited from overseas on a 6-month visa. My mother, for some reason, decided not to buy him health insurance.
My father has repeatedly told him to take it easy and just rest, but he refuses to and we've caught him working in the garden. Last night, he started experiencing bad chest pain and congestion, and started having a really bad coughing fit that lasted through the night. He takes medication for his heart disease and it usually helps him, but this time it did nothing and he continued experiencing symptoms.
My parents are stuck on what to do at this point. They're taking him to the hospital today because they don't want to risk anything else, but we would have to pay completely out of pocket. If a procedure is required, we will probably have to pay millions of dollars out of pocket which would guarantee bankruptcy. My father told me it's too late to get him insurance now, because insurance companies usually have policies that prevent last-minute coverage like this.
Is there anything we can do to avoid paying a huge amount of money out of pocket??

So I quit smoking 3 weeks ago after drastically reducing how much I smoke. At the moment it feels like I have something at the top of my throat, almost like mucus but when I cough nothing comes up. My voice is a bit hoarse as well, I have a very deep voice and it doesn't feel to be resonating like it used to.
Any idea what this is and how long it's gonna last? Thanks.

Female, 40s - In pain while waiting to hear next steps from PCP. I received test results last night (see end of post), but PCP has not actually viewed them yet. Feel like I should be doing something but no idea what.
Summary of pain: Friday night felt achey gnawing pain under left ribs that radiated to left shoulder and down left arm. Assumed it was trapped gas after very heavy meal.
The pain was unchanged in the morning so took Gas-X. Eventually maxed out the recommend daily dose. Did lots of burping, but never experienced any relief of pain.
By Saturday afternoon pain was more focused under left rib cage, with flank pain and some tenderness to left of belly button. Periods of INTENSE spasms in upper left abdomen began. Felt like a squeezing and releasing in intestine but no idea what was actually happening. Painful spasms overwhelmed me with every attempt to get a good breath. The pain was SEVERE, the worst I’ve ever felt. I was screaming and begging for help during these episodes, which lasted about 5 minutes each.
This happened three times over a few hours, and each time I seriously considered calling an ambulance but didn’t because of fear of cost and that it would be determined to be “just gas.”
The underlying pain through all of this was constant. By Sunday morning I could no longer take a deep breath due to the severity of constant pain under left ribs, but the spasms didn’t return.
No appetite since Friday, but tried eating a bland meal Sunday evening. Drinking water after meal produced sudden intense pain and feeling of food moving in upper left abdomen. Thought maybe there was a blockage that was clearing. Wondering now if something was just inflamed. Pain only lasted a few seconds and was enough to make me gasp.
Bowel movements small and poorly formed throughout all this. Frequent urgent watery diarrhea started 3am Monday. I went to the doctor on Monday.
It’s now Tuesday, and I am still in terrible pain under my left ribs and into my left side. Cramping sensation with every shallow breath. Sneezing feels like something is tearing. I can’t even complete the sneeze without shouting from the pain. I can’t get a deep breath or cough without triggering sharp pain.
Experiencing occasional involuntary gasps, much like when you take shaky breaths while crying.
Blood oxygen is normal.
Possibly relevant: Two days before this began, I felt intense pulling and cramping in bladder. This came and went along with frequent urination (which exacerbated pain) for a few hours and then it was gone.
No fever. No vomiting. No history of health anxiety or emetephobia, but if I were to need to vomit at this point, I don’t know how I could with current pain level and the way it intensifies with deep breath or exertion. I am frightened.
Summary of doctor’s visit and tests:
Saw primary care doctor yesterday for physical exam. They ordered a urine test, upper left abdominal x-ray, and left lung x-ray.
Results:
ABDOMEN RADIOGRAPHY CLINICAL HISTORY: Acute onset LUQ pain 5/10, still persistant with loose stools, but no fever or vomiting. TECHNIQUE: 1 view. FINDINGS: Bowel Gas Pattern: Within normal limits. No dilated loops.
CHEST RADIOGRAPHY CLINICAL HISTORY: LUQ pain and decreased breath sounds at L lung base Left upper quadrant pain Other abnormalities of breathing. TECHNIQUE: 2 views. FINDINGS: Lungs/Pleura: Minimal left basilar parenchymal opacity. No pneumothorax or significant effusion. Mediastinum: Heart and mediastinal contours are unremarkable.
Urine (Urine, Clean Catch)
Color value: orange Clarity value: turbid pH: 5.5 Specific gravity: 1.019 Protein value: trace Blood value: 2+ Red blood cells value: 3-5 Bacteria value: few Mucus value: 2+ Amorphous crystals value: 2

I work as a casual at a retail job selling sunglasses. I had been put under probation to be promoted as the assistant manager, which I’m sure was bullcrap anyway, but I was getting the hours for an assistant managers position. My manager (been 2 months since she started) has very incompetent and still doesnt know how to work the POS system still, vapes in the back room, gives discounts to customers like free candy, calls one of the team members a fucking bitch, whenever she sees her, cash has gone missing.. and many other problems which I and the whole team have highlighted to the regional manager, with no solutions. I had basically been running the whole store at this point as we can’t work like that with her.
I had been sick from the flu (which I got from her cuz doesn’t want to wear a mask to work), it was pretty bad, I had fevers up to 101.5, chills and tonsillitis, cold cough and all. So I’ve been calling off work for the last week. I have been giving notice that I can’t work the next day with a cover to my manager. The last time I did it, apparently the cover I sought for worked too much and wasn’t allowed to work. There is no way for me to know this, all I can do is ask if they can work, and they said they could. So I informed my manager at 5:43 pm that I found a cover and my manager said the cover can’t work as it’s over her hours. She still managed to give the cover my shift not sure how. Either way the next day she asked me 2 times if I’m able to come to my next shift I said yes, but then she said, I can’t keep having late notice, people are planning their day, and I obviously need notice to give them notice. Now my problem is how am I supposed to know if I’m upto working the next day or not. In my opinion I still gave her plenty notice. I never once misled her and she herself has left shifts midday cuz she felt sick with no cover. Technically it’s not even my job to search for covers, it’s hers, but I still try to find someone so it’s easy on her. At this point I’m not even allowed to get sick.
After this, she started cutting my hours and even removed some of my shifts all together. I asked her why and she said oh I got an email saying the hours have been reduced, which is bull shit cuz when I went to work, her email is always open to download documents and there was no such email. I called the regional manager and apparently they’ve removed the assistant manager position all together, which they had basically put me on probation for.
Anywho, I know I need to find new work now, but it is just irritating how the management doesn’t see how much money they are losing employing such a person as a manager. I’m not even sure how she was hired as a manager in the first place.

Link for all the chapters available here: Engines of Arachnea on Royal Road
He was back at Smiley’s taproom with a petite brunette dangling from his arm, the young signal operator whose acquaintance he’d made while assigned as a liaison officer with the Exploratory Corps. There he was, all big and stiff in his brand-new dress uniform, trying desperately to impress someone who was astronomically more attractive than him and making a priceless ass of himself.
“So,” she purred, eyeing him over the rim of her glass, “Tell me again about the surface. What’s it like wandering up there above all us wee mortals?”
“Erm,” Rene cleared his throat, feeling a hot flush creeping up his reddening neck, “It’s, uh, quite remarkable really. Simply fantastic.”
Having run out of things to say, Rene took a snootful of his drink in an attempt to sharpen his wits. It was so hard to focus with her hanging onto his every word like this.
“Ooh, you make it sound so exciting,” Deborah had tittered. Or was it Devorah? Her name had gotten lost in the fumes of fermented honeydew clouding up his brain. Perhaps another sip would jog his memory. Rene downed the horrid swill and coughed as it burned its way down his throat and up his nostrils.
“Would you look at the state of him!” someone guffawed, slapping Rene on the back, “Cool as cucumbers under fire when there’s a hundred dirty Amits breathing down our necks, but prop him up next to a lass and he goes completely to pieces.”
“Ah, piss off,” Rene said fondly. He turned to see Lethway sitting next to him flanked by two buxom blondes, an Amit axe buried deep in his neck.
“I’m only saying. You’ve got to keep your head on your shoulders, man,” Lethway said, as his own tumbled off sideways and hung on by a flap of gristle, “We’ve got a long night ahead of us with our fine lady friends here. It wouldn’t do for you to be sleeping on the job.’
“Why, Lethie my dearest. I’m sure Mr. Louvoture has the…stamina…to keep up,” the brunette said demurely, batting her eyelids at Rene, “Go on. You were telling me about how amazing it is up there.”
“Yes,” Rene puffed out his cheeks and marshalled his scattered thoughts, “It’s like this, see…how can I put it? Words can hardy do it justice.”
“Try me,” Deborah/Devorah said, tugging at his arm with her warm hands. The girl was practically throwing herself at him no matter how badly he was fumbling the ball. Rene my lad, if you don’t make it tonight you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life, Rene thought to himself.
“Alrighty then,” Rene said, deciding to risk everything by gaze deep into her eyes, which if the romance novels were to be believed, were windows into a woman’s soul. She had very pretty irises, all velvety and shining with something bordering on hero-worship.
“When you’re topside and the suns go down beyond the hills, and the clouds weep tears of crimson as the sky rolls over into a bowl of stars holding all the universe above you, it feels like…like…” Rene trailed off.
“What?” she whispered into the hush that had settled over the bar.
“Well, it feels a little like this,” Rene said softly, leaning in for a kiss. Her lips tasted his, the tip of her tongue quivering with longing. She drew him into her embrace, gripping him around the waist and pressing into him.
Awfully forward, these girls from Mound Sierra, Rene thought with some alarm. Not that he was complaining. They spent an eternity entwined like this, the whole taproom cheering and egging them on.
“Woof!” Rene broke away to catch his breath, “Is it me, or is it getting hard to breathe in here?”
“Shut up and kiss me again,” Devorah/Deborah said impatiently, wrapping a leg around his and holding him tight. Rene put a hand on her thigh and found that she was surprisingly hairy for a girl. Feeling a little repulsed at this he tried to peel himself away, but found that he couldn’t move any of his limbs.
“Mmph. Hmmgh!” he mumbled, his voice muffled by her insistent mouth. He cocked an eyebrow over her shoulder at Lethway, who’d just propped his head back up onto its stump.
“Cheers, big fellow!” Lethway tipped a glass in his direction and downed his glass in one gulp, the drink trickling out of him through a large bullet hole in his chest.
“I hate it when that happens,” Lethway said, staring sadly at it. He looked back up at Rene and said: “Oy! What did I tell you about falling asleep on the job. Isn’t it about time you got moving, trooper?”
“Not yet,” Devorah/Deborah sighed, kissing his neck, “First he has to tell me how much he likes my eyes. You do like my eyes, don’t you?”
“Why, of course darling—” Rene began. But then she pulled back to look him in face, and the words curdled and died on his lips.
Gone was the petite brunette in her oh-so-short skirt, replaced by a furry, many-eyed freak with quivering mouthparts. In an instant Smiley’s taproom was torn away to reveal the awful truth of his current circumstances: he was hanging upside down from a tree and caught in monster’s deadly embrace. He was trussed up by his legs which had gone completely numb, and his wrists were bound together by loops of silk that felt as strong as steel chains. Yelling incoherently, Rene started wriggling like a worm on a hook. The creature tightened its hold and pressed its fangs against his throat, delicately avoiding piercing the skin while looking at him through its row of eyes.
It was a warning. Rene wisely heeded it and stopped struggling. After a long moment the monster let him go, although they both continued to dangle upside down. Rene stared at its face in horrid fascination. He saw now that it had four eyes on its flat, squarish face, the centermost pair dwarfing the two ancillary ones on either side of them. In the place of a lower jaw it had four vertical mouthparts, the shorter ones in the middle tipped with curved fangs while the rest functioned like antennae, moving constantly with little taps and clicks, its grotesque head nodding along with them.
Rene thought the motion was reminiscent of a person’s lips as they mumbled, and he had a disturbing suspicion that the monster was trying to talk to him. The fact that he was still alive also lent credence to this theory. After all, if Amits were intelligent lifeforms, why couldn’t this one be as well? Hoping against hope, he stammered out:
“I—I don’t understand. I’m afraid I can’t speak your language. Haven’t got the equipment for it. See?”
Rene bared his teeth at it in a forced smile, tying show it what he meant. But the monster recoiled from him, pushing off the trunk behind him and leaping back some twenty meters away from him. It alighted on a tangle of creeper vines and hung there in all its awful majesty, eyeing Rene through its four unblinking orbs. It had ten appendages including its stubby antennae, each of them ending in a three-clawed hand. Its shoulder and thigh muscles were enormous, though its potbellied torso was as round as a wagon wheel, sporting a disgusting hump of flesh on its back. No doubt it contained even more musculature to support its powerful limbs, which at the moment were bunched up and ready to spring.
He had startled it, Rene realized. His own mouth was probably just as alien and repulsive to its sensibilities as its physiology was to him. Before he could derive some small satisfaction from that, more of the monsters emerged to join the first, darting out of the shadows with an unnatural, jittery motion. They moved in stops and starts, periods of immobility interrupted by burst of blinding speed, here one moment and gone the next.
“It shpeaksh…” Rene heard someone say in a voice somewhere between a dry croak and the gurgling of a water pipe. Rene looked around for the source of the voice and was shocked to find that it was issuing from the largest monster, the one reclining on the vines like some misshapen ape. He couldn’t believe his own ears. It was speaking Fleet cantish, mangling its way through the words somehow despite the total absence of a jawbone.
“Gallivant?” another queried with clearer pronunciation.
“No blade-wing, thish,” the leader clicked its palps thoughtfully, “Too shoft. Too schtupid. Came from the fire giant. Dropped a sheed pod, it did, like a tree in the wind. The sheed shpun a web and floated. Down, down, down.”
“Shoft like a grub,” agreed the smallest monster somewhat belatedly. A frothy substance with the consistency of saliva dripped from its fangs. It took a step towards Rene, stiffening all over. Before he could even blink it had launched itself through the air directly at him. In the same instant the leader also leapt, slamming bodily into its subordinate and throwing it to the ground.
“No,” the leader rasped, letting the other monster limp away having been suitably chastised, “Questions firshht. The fire giant. Are you itsh hatchling?”
It was staring at Rene when it said this. Rene thought quickly. It was a binary question and he felt that his life hung in the balance, the odds being even either way. Heads or tails? From what he’d heard it was clear that the only thing keeping him from lining the stomachs of these monsters was their abiding curiosity. They had witnessed the Divine Engine and his impromptu ejection from it, and they were under the impression that it had been a living thing and that he was its offspring. It followed that the best thing to do was to maintain their interest in him for as long as possible while he thought of an escape plan. Heads it was, then. Rene said:
“Yes. Yes, I am its ‘hatchling’.”
He glanced around until he found his sword where he had left it leaning against the buttress root, still in its sheathe next to the survival kit. If he could just reach down and grasp it in his hands…
“Good,” said the abomination, “And know you the secret of itsh power?”
“Of course,” Rene said, slowly and surreptitiously stretching out his arms, reaching for the sword hilt with all his might.
“Good, good,” the abomination crooned. There was a blur of motion and the leader materialized in front of him, their faces inches apart. It seized him by the hairs and yanked him close.
“Then I, too, will know its inner workingshh. Once I open your head and drink deep from your mind.”
Should have gone with tails, Rene thought as it lunged for him.
Link for all the chapters available here: Engines of Arachnea on Royal Road

I (27f) was brought up in a house with my brother (24m), my mum (47f) and dad (45m). When I was younger my parents decided to have 2 more children, 2 girls - now 12 and 10. I now also have my own children, 7f, 4m, and 2f, and am in a beautiful happy marriage.
A little back story, I was pretty much a scapegoat my whole life, my brother the golden child, let's just say none of us are on speaking terms with him anymore due to him always getting what he wanted when he was younger. As he grew and after the 2 younger of us were born, he started hearing more "no's", he didnt like that and after a lot of threats, holes in walls, drugs etc, I decided to cut all contact with him. He then decided to cut contact with our parents 🤷🏽‍♀️
Anyway, we recently found out that our 7yo has adhd, and our 4yo has adhd and asd. I also found symptoms in myself that made me question my brain, and got diagnosed with asd, adhd and cptsd (i dont remember my childhood from 5yo-13yo, but remember all the crap traumatic parts). Whilst we were getting our array of diagnoses my parents decided to go through their own processes with my sisters, still in the process, no diagnoses have been made. This is where it starts, the 12yo, I'll call her Stacy, she is me, I was her, she is the scapegoat, she gets the blame for everything, nothing she does is right, she doesn't get help, doesn't get hugs and kisses or love. I see the ptsd symptoms coming out in her and it hurts my heart, I want to take her, adopt her and run away with her. I give her the love she needs because i can see she doesnt get it from our parents, not gonna lie, she has her faults, we all do, we're only human, but compared to our sister and brother, she's amazing.
The 10yo, I'll call her Anna, she is horrible, she makes mean comments, she manipulates to get her own way, she falsely accuses people - and not of small things, she craves attention and loves to be in the centre, she hates when my 7yo has any sort of attention and will try her best to steal it, especially from our mum, it's like she knows how to hurt your feelings and will do it if you don't do what she wants, she's showed my 7yo inappropriate videos, one day I was looking after her because she was "sick" I was in the bathroom, heard my 4yo (who was also sick with whooping cough at the time), crying begging her to stop she didn't realise I had opened the door and caught her hitting him on the head with a pillow, I told her to stop and she did. Anyway she is always looking for approval especially from female adults, she is just mean, she doesnt do anything wrong, she gets coddled while Stacy gets the blame for everything, and gets punished for everything even if she didnt do anything. My parents do nothing, they don't explain to her what she's done is wrong or why it's wrong, they sit on their phones all day, everyday and just say "oh she just has autism", but it's not an excuse... we're really not dumb, you can teach us that it's not okay to do things. I know this is how they handle it because we live on the same property, in separate dwellings, and it's the same everyday pretty much, I try my best to keep separated from them, especially Anna because she is having a negative mental effect on our 7yo, but they come over uninvited and say "mum and dad are being boring, they're just on their phones like always". Everytime I go over they've either locked themselves in the room or are sitting on the couch looking at Facebook, and expect the kids to just watch TV all day, not doing anything. I just see the same cycle happening again, Anna turning out like our druggo brother, and Stacy ending up with CPTSD and wanting to run away.
Anna falsely accused myself of scratching her with a stick today, when I was nowhere near her, she put on a whole act, crying and everything. This isn't the first time this has happened, the first time was falsely accusing my husband of something similar, when I was with them and told the truth whilst my mum was on her side and was never there. Tonight, I got deathstared by my mum, usually its the silent treatment, but also got told "Anna feels like you treat Your son like he has autism but you don't treat her like she has autism", she hasn't been diagnosed either so we don't know if it really is autism, and I treat my son with respect because he treats me with respect, I treat him the way he treats me, with love and kindness (i told mum this in different words). There is no love, kindness or respect in Anna, and if there is you can't see it, it's like she demands respect but won't give it, to anyone at all. If she doesnt get her way, then all hell breaks loose.
So anyway I told my mum "i have autism too mum. you can't use autism as an excuse for the rest of her life. Females, especially where we live, will not tolerate these accusations and comments and she will get knocked out, instead of saying 'she has autistim' teach her what shes doing is wrong" all she said to that was "well, if that happens, that's a life lesson she has to learn" but I don't think it should get to that point? Just teach her while you can before you regret it?
Now i know no one is the same, i know no autistic brain is the same, i know we say inapproriate things and we dont know the meanings sometimes etc. But i dont think using it as an excuse is okay? Its as if they've got the idea of autism in their head and now they dont have to discipline or teach her whats right from wrong? Anyway, I'm always the bad guy according to my parents, or am I? You tell me, I dunno. I'm used to always getting the blame so I sometimes I wonder if I actually am the AH? 🤔
I love my siblings, all 3 of them. Regardless of what has happened between my brother and I, or my sisters and I, I will always love them. I miss my brother, when we wasn't intoxicated he was the best person ever, intoxication is his life now and he's not the person I used to know. I love my sisters dearly and I would do anything to save both from this cycle.

42M, 5'9", 240lb, non-smoker, some history of sinus congestion but no previous eustachian tube issues. Got exposed Thursday at a concert (only time it could have happened), by Saturday night my throat was sore. Only mild sinus issues and not much of a cough, but last night my middle ear filled with mucus and won't drain. Took pseudoephedrine, diphenhydramine, acetaminophen and ibuprofen along with lisinopril, and pain subsided. This morning, naproxen, pseudoephedrine and acetaminophen plus adderall, vilazodone and gabapentin.
No pain to speak of now, and breathing clear through my nose with little pressure in other sinus areas. But pressure in the ear remains and hearing is greatly reduced, no high frequencies. Can hear it sloshing in there when I move my head. Have had hope a couple times that it was about to drain, but still stuck. Been running the humidifier since last night, several times have just stood around breathing in steam from the shower. Treatment recommendations at this point? And what duration or signs would send me to a urgent care or an ENT (I'm American so it'd be a considerable expense).

I have been nannying for this family for 2 years now. They are constantly getting me sick which is understandable to a certain extent when taking care of a toddler. I can’t miss work everytime she has a cold. But I just recently had covid I suspect from them. Toddler was sneezing then a few days later over the weekend I test positive, have to miss work, then when I return toddler has a nasty cough. They had it earlier this year as well and I somehow dodged it. They never will admit she’s sick. They always say it’s teething or allergies. Which makes no sense. When I was sick with covid I did the CDC recommended isolation for 5 days. The day Before testing positive I was sick and informed them and they told me to come in anyways. So I only missed 3 days of work. I get text on pay day telling me that they are only gonna pay me half of my pay for the week. Which bothers me a bit because I had covid what else was I supposed to do. The only other time I’ve missed work this year is when my mom was in the hospital and my nanny mom insisted that I go and be with her (this was only 1 1/2 days in total). Flash forward to a week after I have tested negative and I get a text this morning that my nanny kid has a 103 fever so I can stay away for the day. With a 103 fever I know it’s not the usual cold or “allergies”. I have a practical exam for a class I’m taking at the end of the week and am still recovering from a bad cough from covid. I can’t get sick again, especially with something more serious. I’m worried they will have me come tomorrow and claim she’s “fever free so she’s healed and not contagious” like they always do (even though she’s just been on ibuprofen most of the time) I just can’t afford to not have guaranteed pay anymore. I feel like because I’m in college they assume I don’t need the money but I’m 25 and pay rent and bills. I already had half pay this month from them, that I’m still recovering from. I don’t want to get sick but I also need the money. What do I do! I feel like I get walked all over by my nanny families and I’m exhausted from getting sick over the past 2 years.

[Previous] [First] [Patreon] [Royal Road]
"Festicus…"
Marcus stared down at the felled rat, watching as his great furrowed head lulled and fell to the side.
"Festicus!"
"He issss being gone, Ssssire," Verulex said behind him.
Marcus bent low and tried to rouse the great brute that had saved his life, denying that he was about to let another rat man die for him like Gatskeek had.
"Wake up, Marrow soldier!" he yelped in the creature's vacant eyes. "There's cavalry charges still to be led!"
No response. Sullen and vengeful, Marcus let the head drop.
I hesitated, he thought. I didn't act quick enough. If I had the damn foresight to grab that blade sooner…
"Be letting him be. He isss doing hisss duty to Clan and –"
"Oh, shut up, priest," Marcus spat, turning with fury to look upon the hooded cretin who was still managing to coax his anger even now. "Your Order might consider a single rat's life to be meaningless – something to just throw away in the service of your God, but this warrior deserved more than this."
The High Priest of Glumrot fixed Marcus with his puss-filled eyes. Those eyes spoke of toxic thoughts ruminating beneath them.
"Be turning your thoughtssss to vengeancccce, Sssssire," Verulex wheezed as he shambled over to the Matron's eviscerated body and prodded at it with the staff of his office, making sure the creature's life had finally expired. He then nodded down at the still breathing form of the unconscious Yeeva below Marcus, the soft skin of her belly weeping purple blood from the perforation Marcus had made as she took Festicus's life.
He scoffed at the priest and picked up the Wakisashi that had fallen at his feet, bending low and directing his hatred at the fallen Yokra who was mumbling as though in a dream-state.
Perhaps it was a meditation practice of their kind, Marcus thought. It didn't make any biological sense for a creature to immediately collapse into unconsciousness as she just had in receiving such a near fatal wound.
He leaned closer to her as Verulex amplified his voice and called down to the army still waiting below, telling them to send a detachment and a priest to sanctify the body of one of their dead. The enemy Yokun had fallen, and they would receive some special treatment of their own.
Marcus heard general cheers resound as this proclamation echoed all through the dim streets of the putrid city. But he ignored them. Instead, he craned his neck to hear what the felled serpent was saying. There was a word on her lips that he could swear had the ring of familiarity to it.
"Matriarch…Pale…Pale Lady…"
Loyal to a fault, Marcus thought. Even in death, you sing your leader's praises. If you are a representative of one of her soldiers, I'm sure she's a force to be reckoned with among your people. That's just another reason why you have to die.
He brought the edge of the Yokun's Wakizashi to her scaled, bloody throat, tensing up as he knew that he had to do this. He had to. He wouldn't hesitate anymore.
And just as he held her head in his hand and made to bring the blade across her neck, that's when he heard it:
"…Mari…"
His hand stopped.
His brain froze.
The Wakizashi wavered as though willing him to follow-through with his desire.
But a very different desire now burned in his heart as that word traveled through his entire system and sent shivers running down his spine.
"Matriarch…Lady…Maria…"
The blade clattered against the silo platform.
"What isss happening?" Verulex asked. "Ssssire, isss thissss beasssst resssisssting?"
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
"Then be sssslaying her and let ussss go. I sssshal be honored to be ssssshowing you Clan Glumrot'sssss wayssss of debassssing the dead."
Marcus could barely even hear the words of the priest. He could register nothing in this moment except the croaking of that name – Mari's name – emanating from the slitted lips of the downed serpent.
"Bah!" Verulex howled. "Be giving me the blade. I sssshal do i-"
"No," Marcus said, then turning to the priest as though he had just been transported back to reality. "No. We take her alive."
The priest cocked his vile, hooded head at Marcus.
"Your pity for thesssse foreign hereticssss isssss doing you no favorssss, Sssshai-Alud," he said. "The Koboldssss are bad enough. Now you are even ssssshowing merccccy to the killer of your commander?"
"We…we need to question her," Marcus explained, straightening up and trying to compose himself as best he could. "We have the opportunity here to find out what she knows, where she came from, even Skegga's force composition potentially. We can't afford to lose this opportunity."
He looked into the face of the ratman and saw what he had not quite been able to see in the war-chamber earlier that night. He saw the wrinkled eyes of the holy rat narrow, and the teeth flare in anger.
"Sssssire," the priest began, slowly. "You are not undersssstanding. I am being head priesssst of Glumrot. I am favored voicccce of He-Who-Fessssterssss. The bussssinesss of dealing with dead in battle isssss up to me."
Marcus faced the rat, feeling anger take him once again.
"And I am your Shai-Alud," he said. "You should be speaking to me with more re-"
Now, he saw something else that he hadn't seen before.
He saw the Wakisashi that glimmered in the ratman's right claw.
As the little priest spoke, he watched as the tip of the blade slowly rose to touch Marcus's reverberating heart.
"You are not ssssspeaker for the Unclean," the priest told him in a cold whisper. "You ssssshal never be. A human isssss a human, jusssst assss a Kobold isssss a Kobold and a sssssnake-bitch isssss a sssssnake-bitch. Hereticsssss, all of you. And one day, sssssooon, there ssssshall come a day when you are purged from our gloriousssss empire. And on that day, Ssssshai-Alud, you may sssssee which ratssss in thisssss realm are truly holding the power."
Marcus licked his lips. His eyes now swam to watch the edges of the podium. And he became acutely conscious of just how isolated they were up here, surrounded by the dying and the dead. Like the vicious little creature said, it was his domain.
He maintained his composure. He stalled for time.
"Are you threatening me, Verulex?"
The sly smile that crossed the priest's lips then was more chilling than anything Marcus had seen thus far in the Kingdom of the rats.
"I am but a humble sssservant, Sssshai-Alud," he replied. "We all have our placcce in ratman sssssociety. Even you, Ssssshai-Alud. It issss a beautiful thing, issss it not? He-Who-Festerssss issss a mossst generoussss God. He is even giving sssscum like you a placccce among Hisssss chosen people."
Marcus stepped back as the tip of the knife inched closer to his abdomen. He could swear, still smirking, that the ratman moved with him.
And so when there finally came the rattling of chains from the lip of the silo platform's edge, Marcus was more relieved than ever. And the knife that Verulex once dangled before him simply evaporated into ash.
Magic, it seemed, could hide even the greatest crime.
"Shai-Alud!" the voice of Deekius yelped from the edge of the platform, panting as he and a retinue of soldiers threw themselves over the lip and caught their breath. "You…are you being hurt, Lor-"
"Gloomraava Deekius," Verulex interrupted. "You are coming in good time. I am taking charge of thisssss Yokun bitch. We will be exxxxecuting her publicly tomorrow, after I take sssssome time to – time to –"
The priest collapsed suddenly, coughing up a miasma of his blood in the process.
"Gloomraava Verulex," Deekius said. "You are being maimed. Be coming down, we shall be administering to you."
"Be dealing with Brother Fesssssticusss firsssst, Brother," the old priest coughed as he allowed himself to be helped away. "He issss needing your care more than I."
Marcus watched as the small retinue of rats then took stock of their surroundings, seeing the chaos and carnage that unfolded in such a tiny area over such a short space of time.
"He was being a credit to his Clan," Deekius said. "This is great loss for our people."
Verulex, meanwhile, said nothing at all.
Marcus watched as the Yokun woman was spat on and then trundled off down the silo with the others, thankful that the old priest's wounds at least stopped him from having her slain then and there. Perhaps even he knew he couldn't go against the Shai-Alud's wishes publicly.
But he'd just confirmed something that Marcus had already begun to fear – something that became far too obvious to him now after seeing the hatred burning in the eyes of Redwhiskers and Verulex both.
And, more than that, he needed to speak to that snake. He needed that more than anything. He needed to know…was it chance? Or…was Mari really..?
"Marcus," he heard Deekius say outside himself. "It is being alright now. Yokun are not being known to send more than single assassin team. If they are failing, it is because they are not blessed by their heretic Gods. Defeating them here is great victory for us all, and now, you are having nothing to fear."
The ratman lifted his arm to try and guide Marcus away but the latter rejected the help entirely. He crossed to the edge of the platform and looked down upon the city, seeing the crowds cheer to see him alive, wondering which of them truly did have any real love for him at all.
Then his eyes lighted on the descending form of Verulex, and he felt a very different idea take root within his mind.
"No, Deekius," he said. "I have plenty still to fear. But now I know what to do about it."
If you are enjoying Fantasy General, support the story on Patreon to read + 10 advanced chapters
Join the Discord server to keep up with Fantasy General and my other works. Honor the memory of our furry comrade by forging memes or telling me your conspiracy theories.

I really need some advice at the moment and I'm at a total loss, l've got a Yorkshire terrier and she's 14 years old and she's my absolute baby! I've owned her since I was 9 years old A couple of days ago I had to rush to the vets after fainting, coughing, non stop panting, foaming at the mouth ect and they kept her in over night We know she's had a collapsing trachea for a while but it got bad so suddenly, only the other month we went to the vets just because she was snoring, now we're here She's been given prednicare (also known as prednisolone) and libeo flav and we'll see how she gets along with it there may be a chance of the vet prescribing codine as a muscle relaxant if it gets bad I'm wondering if we can try cbd for the anti inflammatory, bronchodilator and muscle relaxating properties it has to offer Has anyone any advice on dosing, drug interactions side effects etc? Shes 3.7 kg Currently looking for ways we can help her best We have stopped taking on her walks until we get a harness, throat massages, nebulisers, weight management, making sure she's in the back garden often for fresh air, lifting her food bowls onto something so she doesn't have to strain her neck, reducing and avoiding stressful environments If anyone has any other ideas that would be amazing I just want my girl to be okay as it's tore me apart the past few days

I really need some advice at the moment and I’m at a total loss, I’ve got a Yorkshire terrier and she’s 14 years old and she’s my absolute baby! I’ve owned her since I was 9 years old
A couple of days ago I had to rush to the vets after fainting, coughing, non stop panting, foaming at the mouth ect and they kept her in over night
We know she’s had a collapsing trachea for a while but it got bad so suddenly, only the other month we went to the vets just because she was snoring, now we’re here
She’s been given prednicare (also known as prednisolone) and libeo flav and we’ll see how she gets along with it there may be a chance of the vet prescribing codine as a muscle relaxant if it gets bad
I’m wondering if we can try cbd for the anti inflammatory, bronchodilator and muscle relaxating properties it has to offer
Has anyone any advice on dosing, drug interactions side effects etc? Shes 3.7 kg
Currently looking for ways we can help her best We have stopped taking on her walks until we get a harness, throat massages, nebulisers , weight management, making sure she’s in the back garden often for fresh air, lifting her food bowls onto something so she doesn’t have to strain her neck, reducing and avoiding stressful environments
If anyone has any other ideas that would be amazing
I just want my girl to be okay as it’s tore me apart the past few days

Age: 28M
I do not have a History of anything. Just COVID last year, which I recovered from in a few days. This feels worse than COVID.
I am not a Smoker.
I have had Phlegm/Mucus (Yellow/Green) in the Lungs for 2 week now. It has been causing me to not be able to breathe properly and cough my lungs out trying to get some of that Phlegm outside.
I went to the ER yesterday they told me that I had a Fever and High Blood Pressure caused by my Chest Infection. They took Blood work and did a Chest X-Ray. They gave me a Steriods Inhaler, something for the fever and some cough syrup for the lungs and Vitamin C dissolving Tablets. Got a Negative COVID Test
They sent me Home afterwards and didn’t explain my Radiology Report.
I read it online Today and it stated:
Chest x-ray
Bilateral accentuated bronchovascular markings noted Bilateral diffuse vascular congestion seen Lower lung zone retrocardiac ill-defined ground-glass haziness noted Left middle lung zone atelectatic band seen Normal cardiothoracic ratio and mediastinal contour Normal. Both diaphragmatic contour Clear both costophrenic angles Normal bony cage
——————
What does Accentuated Bronchovasvular Markings mean?
What does Vascular Congestion Mean?
What does Retrocardiac ill-defined ground-glass haziness?
What does Atelectatic Band seen mean?
I’m very confused because they told me that my lungs are fine and that its just a chest infection.
Any Radiologists here can explain what any of this means?

Hello! I'm a 35/F in Canada, with a history of mild asthma. Non-smoker In early March I got strep throat - doc never did a swab but my tonsils were swollen & patchy white/black. She gave me amoxicillin and that helped. 2 weeks later I could feel something brewing in my chest, I tried to fight it on my own but ended up stopping by a pharmacy where he gave me salbutamol + 5 days of prednisone. That kind of helped, so I ended up at the hospital because of thr weight on my chest. Chest xrays came back clear, that doc gave me amoxicillin again and the round purple inhaler, advair. Went back to the hospital a week later. Doc took blood work, everything was normal (rbc was slightly elevated but was never mentioned) I was still coughing up phlegm, I couldn't sleep on my right side or I could feel the weight of my chest and start coughing again. Mid-April things finally started getting slightly better, but then they seemed to go back to square one a week later. I've been to the hospital + a clinic x2 now, got an EKG done it was normal....got more prednisone and was told to double up on the advair. Takes the edge off but it's not helping overall. A repeat xray last week showed nothing
Now in May I'm still coughing - seems dry during the day and wet at night, I can only sleep on my stomach or sitting up but wake up constantly coughing. If I lie on my side I get a bad wet cough that makes me feel like I'm choking. Sometimes I cough so hard I puke, or I can't seem to hold my bladder or I get pain behind my left eye..like a Charlie horse but in my eye. My chest hurts, my throat is sore from all the coughing. Same with my stomach muscles. When I take a breath in, I can feel pain on my right side/right lung?. If I turn my neck, lean forward, hiccup etc I start coughing again.
At night I take 2 puffs of salbutamol, 2 puffs of advair, an allergra, nasal spray and 2 tablespoons of benelyn and a tea with honey to help a scratchy throat
I go back to see the clinic dr today, I'm miserable.
Thank you in advance

I’ve been dating him for about 2 months and in the first month I didn’t notice because we didn’t kiss or make out until recently. He has no other hygiene issues body-wise but just the bad breath. If it’s a closed mouth kiss it’s manageable but the thought of an open mouth kiss is literally nauseating because I can smell his breath from across the car.
We’ve talked about hygiene before and I told him it’s something I don’t compromise on and he said it’s the same for him too but sometimes it seems he leaves his house without brushing (or doesn’t do a thorough job if he does). It doesn’t seem like a health issue like halitosis because I know that smell, this just seems like a lack of effort.
The first time we French kissed I chewed some gum and gave him some so it wasn’t terrible but a smell still lingered when we were done and also I noticed some food in his teeth but we had just finished eating so that was probably why. The next day I came down with a sore throat and cough which is still here 2 weeks later.
How do I tell him about this? It’s an embarrassing topic and he’s a sensitive sweet person and I don’t want to hurt his feelings and really want to continue this relationship.
Tl:dr: I need to tell my bf of two months that his breath isn’t good. We’re both in our mid twenties.

Hello, December 2023!8 had influenza A. It was a mild flu it really was not that bad. Two days after getting over the flu my vision blurred in bother eyes causing “double vision” and tingling started in my right leg. The tingle lasted for weeks and I went to the hospital where they tested for MS and other neurological issues. All seemingly were fine and they had no explanation as to what happened (made me feel crazy). 3 days after discharge I starting having left side chest pains, cough, and shortness of breath. I pushed it off a couple weeks and it eventually worsened. I made multiple trips to hospitals where they kept saying it was anxiety because of my age (23) and lack of further treating. Finally an ER doctor after multiple visits did a chest CT and confirmed pulmonary nodules with lympenopathy and cavitations. They kept me for a week flushing antibiotics through me and performed a bronchoscopy; both of which were unsuccessful. In a histoplasmosis urine antigen they detected a “positive” result. The normal values are 2.00 ng/ml or less and mine was 3.00 ng/ml; a slight questionable positive. Fast forward two months and I’ve been in treatment for histoplasmosis. However, my chest pain really has not subsided and I’ve developed excruciating shouldeback pain. My vision still has yet to return to normal. I have also developed extreme fatigue through most days. I’ve had multiple echos and EKG, cardiac work to rule out heart issues; waiting on cardiac MRI. My pulmonologist and infectious doctor have refused to refer me to rheumatologist and look further as I’m concerned this is actually sarcoidosis or combo of two. Also in between multiple CT scans of chest the nodules shrunk prior to receiving treatment for histoplasmosis! A lot of symptoms aren’t adding up and would like some opinions. Thanks