Sneezing...dizziness...facial pain....stuffy nose

For ten years I was struggling with mysterious symptoms all over my body until I found out that my atlas vertebrae was mislocated and I got it back to its place.
I felt amazing for few days after I got it fixed until EATING PEANUTS brought me back to dizziness and brainfog. I had second and third therapy of atlas vertebrae fixation which did not fix my brainfog and other symptoms. However back, neck, head pains are gone which were straight symptom of misaligne vertebrae.
Having vagus nerve and blood vessels supressed for 10 years made the impact to my body and now I need rehabiliation but need to find out what exactly happening.
I now think its Candida:

1. Dizziness
2. Blurry vision, if I have additional inflamation like fever or nose run, sinuses vision goes even worse but doctors dont see anything bad in my eyes.
3. I cant tolerate gluten, sugar, caffeine, very sensitive stomach.
4. I have chronic gastritis.
5. My nose is always stuffy and MRT shows bad things in sinuses but LOR will not do me surgery because he sees my nose is still affected by something and I need to figure out whats happening.
6. Sour taste in mouth
7. Whiteish tongue
8. Chronic fatigue
9. Cant tolerate sports
10. Bad short and long memory.
11. Random acne appearing and dissapearing all round scalp

Many of these symptoms I had elevated after I fixed my atlas and before eating peanuts.
Anyone else have similar symptoms?

I'm suicidal but whenever i get a minor illness like sore throat and colds, I feel like dying already and it makes me hate being sick. I shouldn't hate being sick, right? I should be happy. But I really hate colds. I hate how pain feels. I hate not being able to breathe well because of stuffy nose. I hate colds so much. I hate inflammation.

TLDR: quick tips on getting started needed - diet, supplements, safe medications, air purifier? Should I take a benzo if I can't sleep?
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Background: I've developed severe HI and/or MCAS after a strong course of herbal microbials that essentially are the same thing as antibiotics in an effort to clear SIBO. Big mistake I know, I trusted a naturopath and did not do my own research and I am suffering the consequences majorly. My gut microbiome is severely disrupted and dysbiotic now. I don't think I'll ever be the same again - but if I can at least get my symptoms under control that would help so much.
Symptoms: anxiety/ panic attacks roughly 2-3 hours after eating (anything), plus at random at night, heart palpitations, flushing, heat and cold sensitivity, stuffy nose, dry eyes, migraines/ head pressure, muscle pain, nausea, GI upset, SEVERE insomnia, brain fog, memory issues
Diet: Cutting out peanuts and grains improved my symptoms slightly. Panic attacks decreased in frequency and intensity, sleep increased from essentially nothing to ~4 hours (very disrupted though). The only thing I can eat without severe mental issues seems to be beef but this causes intense stomach pain since I have bile flow issues/ possible gallstones. I'm losing weight and struggling to get enough food in. Fat gives me intense gallbladder pain that further disrupts sleep. Right now I am only eating fresh meat and vegetables and fruit.
Medications: Levothyroxine, Creon, Sucralafate, triptan for migraines. Started Lexapro a week ago but I think it has worsened anxiety and sleep issues so I stopped taking it yesterday. Considering a benzo for sleep but I don't know if this is a good idea or not.
Supplements: Nutrient 950 multivitamin (1 capsule), 7000IU vitamin D, betaine HCL and ox bile for digestion, magnesium
Allergens: I had seasonal allergies before this started. There is dust and cat hair in the house, possibly mold as well.
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I'm in survival mode right now, frequent adrenaline and fight or flight. Going to need to go on short-term disability for work but I don't even have a diagnosis so I'm not sure how that will work. At risk of losing my job and if so, my house. I'm the sole provider for my family. My health is deteriorating rapidly. Been to ER and doctor multiple times, just told I am stressed. In desperate need of help. Don't even know where or how to get started aside from a low histamine diet which is giving maybe 20% improvement right now. I am only a few days in though.

Hello, I (31F) tested positive for covid thinking it was Strep Throat. I have 4 covid Vaccines and these are my onset of Symptoms.
May 7: unusual Sleepiness, and fatigue, slight head and Face Pressure May 8: unusual Headache, feeling Tired start of a sore throat on the left side, face feels puffy May 9th: hurts to swallow, angry looking throat, headache and light sensitivity. Went to Emerg thinking I had Strep throat. They checked my throat, nose and ears, waited 20 mins before they decided to swab my throat. (Mind you on right side and not left where the pain first started) Asked if I am still able to work, (paycheck to paycheck living) May 10th: decided to take an at home covid test for the hell of it, watches as the test turns positive right away, takes 2 more just in case. Same results. Decided not to work. (I work with the older population). Throat feels like swallowed glass and Sand. Gargling throat numbing spray and Bactine Throat gargle and taking Tylonal. May 11: Glass Like Sore Thorat feeling, small coughs here and there, sneezing and stomach Pains. But felt fine enough for spring cleaning until I felt out of breath and Shaky. May 12: Left Nose Stuffy, couldn't breath properly, feel likes I need to sneeze but can't. Test this morning, positive. Sandpaper throat is an improvement to glass throat. Had a good sleep (after prescribed sleep meds)
Will update!
Update: May 14th Good Morning Yall, May 13: no sore throat, face felt stuffy though. Went to work (wore a mask at all times and stayed in my office mostly). Still tested Positive after nasal swab. Felt sweaty around 8:00pm and small headache (could have been the seat warmer and heater while driving) May 14: Sand paper throat feels like 200 grit, heading to work as I have a staff meeting and taking my group to a social ( mask and avoidance will be worn)
I know I shouldn't be working during this time especially in my field of work but I live paycheck to paycheck to survive and taking any lengthy time off means that a bills do not get paid.

EETA: thank you all for your kind responses. I ended up not going to the clinic after waiting to see if the Benadryl had any effect. After giving it a bit to work I am all good now the next day
ETA: I things are looking better. Still red but as bad. Hopefully will clear up in a few hours
Hi all, I wanted some advice as I don’t usually have severe allergic reactions so I’m not sure how serious this may be.
I drank some Blackberry White Claw while at my sisters. This an a bite of a spinach Alfredo dip are the only things that I could be allergic to. Currently my hands are red and a little swollen along with the middle of my face (brow ridge, nose, around my mouth), and the tips of my ears. My throat is extremely dry (like usual) and my chest feels tight. I’m super stuffy so I can’t say if my breathing is impacted but I have never had a reaction like this. My stomach is a bit painful and I feel like I should be coughing.
I took a Benadryl a little bit ago. How long should I give it? Or should I just immediately ask to be driven to an urgent care?

It's been hard to find time to write this past week, but I'm chugging along, however sluggish. I also want to give a huge thanks to u/icallshogun for telling me how to use new-old reddit, because it's already saved me a bunch of time posting this single chapter.
I have a bad habit of last minute editing before I post chapters. I'll usually go over once or twice and switch up a few things. I didn't this time. Why am I telling you this? No idea. Enjoy.
A little PSA: if the next chapter button is missing, it's most likely in the comments (either that, or the next chapter isn't out yet), because sometimes reddit likes to say posts are more than 40k even when they aren't, making them impossible to edit. I just had this problem adding the link to chapter 12.
Many thanks to u/SpacePaladin for making NoP!
Prev -First- Next
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Chapter 13: A million miles away
- Memory Transcription Subject: Arlene Brandy, Human Refugee
Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 20th, 2136
The refugee center crested the horizon, with UN banners draped from the second story, and signs marking some of the nearby buildings as temporary housing. I wondered how exactly they convinced people to hand over entire buildings for use. One of them wasn’t even an apartment building, it was offices.
There were more humans around, of course, with the venlil population extremely sparse, only a few brave enough to be anywhere near the ‘den’. I grabbed the door, and opened it, revealing the main lobby, which to my utter surprise, had a venlil at the desk along with a human.
It feels so weird to point out when people are human or not, but that’s just how it is now. I ambled towards the pair, keeping my movements slow and calculated, not to scare the guy. He noticed, and let out a chuckle.
“No need to worry about me ma’am. I’m quite used to humans by now.”
I relaxed, blushing a little. “That makes sense.”
“What do you need?” The venlil asked.
“Oh, I’ve been meaning to get one of those datapads. I have family at home I need to get in touch with.”
“And you are?”
“Arlene Brandy.”
“Uh huh.” He clicked at the computer for a moment. “Well, you’re a little late to the party. We just got five hundred or so new residents, so we’re out of new pads, but I’m sure you can find someone willing to let you borrow theirs.”
“Shit.”
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience. You’re staying at Golden Ridge apartment 113, correct?”
“Yes, why?”
“I’ll have one sent to your door when we get a new shipment.”
“Thank you.” I turned to leave.
“Wait, we wont get more for a few paws yet. Why don’t you try asking to use someone else’s?”
I turned back around to the desk. “Can I use yours?”
"Sorry, mine doesn’t connect to the Earth networks.”
“Shit.”
“Please try not to swear so much, there are children around.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
The guy at the desk was so comfortable around me that it started making me uncomfortable. While the human at the desk didn’t even register me. I bet he was playing solitaire.
I entered the common room. People ambled, walked, teetered, and even ran around, from door to door and table to table. Seating was plentiful, but there weren’t any free spots, because the place was so packed. There really were a lot of them. Refugees, I mean. This was only a tiny fraction too.
How many more? Is there an end to it?
I searched for someone to approach, but found nothing. Everyone was grieving. I didn’t want to interrupt. I didn’t want to see it, I didn’t want to know it was there. My stomach turned in a horrible spiral, and I soon found myself bent over a toilet, ejecting breakfast. I was drooling over the bowl like a rabid dog, eyes watering and legs quaking. My diaphragm expelled one last gust of air, in a horrible coughing fit that lasted uncomfortably long.
I don’t know how I found the bathroom without help, it wasn’t marked very well. I’ve always been good at that sort of thing I guess, whatever ‘that sort of thing’ is.
On my way out, I washed my hands twice, not that it made a difference. The common room was still full of chatter and sobbing, quiet and boisterous both in their own right.
A man in a dress shirt sat alone at a table with his head in his hands. A mother cradled a baby in her arms, rocking him to sleep. In the corner of the room sat a group of people sitting on the ground playing monopoly. A boy ate a droopy sandwich next to a parent, munching listlessly. They all looked so tired. So tired that it could suck the breath right back out of you.
At one of the tables was a man with burns on his arms, and another bandaging him up. He winced when the bandages touched the splotches where blisters used to be, dry and scabbed. There was a good chance the burns were inflicted on purpose, by them. Monsters.
He locked eyes with me, his empty like all the rest. My head jerked away, embarrassment on my face like dye, the mask doing little to hide my frenzied posture. I power walked to another part of the room, behind a group of people conversing. I took off my coat so I wouldn’t overheat in the stuffy room… and also to blend into the crowd.
Staring at burn victims? What is wrong with you?
I looked down at myself. My boots were brown, my pants were black, and my shirt was as well, with a picture of an album cover on the front. My hands were twitchy, and my arm was still bandaged. I could’ve, should’ve lost the dressings by then, but I hadn’t got around to it. I put my coat back on
Since I wasn’t getting anywhere, I decided to take a trip down the hallways, into the dorms, where it was less crowded.
Down the halls, past a few turns, was an open door, with warm light spilling out, and cheerful discussion taking place inside. Taking a peek, I saw a group of 3 people, one of whom was a venlil, playing cards. The funny thing, is it was one of those grungy decks with pictures of naked ladies on them. Well, I don’t know if it was funny, but it stuck with me.
“Hello?” Spoke the venlil.
The other heads turned in my direction. I was discovered. A pang of cold crawled through my spine.
“O-oh, hi.” I tried and failed to act like I hadn’t been watching them for several seconds.
“Hey there, are you one of the new arrivals?” Asked the girl sitting next to the venlil.
“Uh, no, I’ve just been living in a different spot.”
“No wonder you look like shit.” Spoke a middle aged guy with scars. There was an ankle monitor on his leg, though I certainly wasn’t going to question him about it.
“Ben! Don’t be rude.” The girl replied.
“I’m not being rude. We all look like shit. Some of us are shit right now.” Ben mumbled.
“Well you don’t have to be so nihilistic about it.” She turned back to me. “Wanna join us? We could use a fourth.”
“No thanks. I’m trying to get in touch with my family.”
"Well if they’re here, I can find them. I know everyone here.” Said the girl, with a big grin.
"They’re on Earth. I just need to use someone’s datapad. The guy at the desk said we were out of new ones.”
“Did you break yours?”
A nervous laugh escaped me. It felt so weird to have a normal conversation. The last time I talked to a human was only a few days ago, but it felt much longer. Years maybe… or not. My shoulders felt tight, probably from the extra weight. I swallowed a lump that had been growing in my throat since leaving Earth, and my stomach got heavier as a result.
What did she lose?
I cleared my throat. “N-no, I never got one in the first place.”
“Well, no worries. You can use mine if you want. I’m Taylor by the way.” She smiled.
I didn’t smile back. The mask would’ve hidden it anyway. “Thanks. I’m Arlene.”
She handed me the weird alien phone, which I soon realized I didn’t know how to use.
The venlil piped up. “Want me to do it for you?” He stood up.
“Yes please.” I handed him the datapad.
He started tapping away at the device. “These things are super outdated. The interface is really clunky, especially the UN comms.”
I loomed over his shoulder, watching him type in a bunch of stuff into text boxes. “You have to login to make calls?”
“No, this is just the path the call will be taking. Where are you calling?”
“Wisconsin.”
“Where is that?”
“North America.”
*“*Okay, there we go.” He handed the datapad back to me. “Just type in the phone number and you’re good to go.”
“Thanks.” I started punching in the number.
“No problem. I’ve had to do it for Taylor a million times by now.” He chuckled.
“Hey, I know how to do it now!” She replied.
“Then why didn’t you show her how?”
Taylor snorted. “Because then you wouldn’t be useful anymore, and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“Whatever you say.” He flicked his tail.
“Hey, enough with the snarky tail language.” She crossed her arms.
“What did he say?” Ben asked.
“He said I was a goober.”
I looked up from the datapad. “You have a tail sign for ‘goober’?”
“Of course we do, why wouldn’t we?” He shrugged.
Ben raised his eyebrows, and Taylor laughed. I was still wearing the mask.
"Hey, do you mind if I uh… you know.” I pointed to my face.
“Oh please, you couldn’t possibly be uglier than Taylor.”
“You better be careful Talnek. You’d get a beating if you insulted a lady where I come from.” Ben stated.
Taylor punched Ben in the shoulder. “He’s just messing!”
I removed the mask, and set it down on a table. “Is it alright if I make the call outside?”
“Sure, as long as you don’t manage to brick the thing.” Talnek said, sitting back down at his cards with a snicker.
Taylor shot him a dirty look.
“Thanks again Taylor.”
She grinned like a little kid. “No prob bob!”
I stepped into the hallway, holding the datapad up to my face, and pressed the call button.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang…
Until the display lit up with the face of my dad. My lips curled up in a smile.
“Hey dad.”
“Ope!” He flinched, then grinned. “Hey there sweetie. Havin’ fun up in space?”
“Nevermind that! Are you guys okay? Did Luke make it back alright?”
“Oh we’re doing fine yet. Luke got discharged because of injuries. He got pretty banged up in a crash, but he’s alright.”
“Is mom around?”
"Sorry kiddo, she’s out of town getting gas for the generators.”
My eyes widened. “Generators? Is the power out? Have you been able to get dialysis?”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh don’t worry yourself. We’ve got diesel running the place.”
My hands left marks of sweat on the device. “You are getting your blood cleaned, right?”
“Yes, I am. Even if I wasn’t, your pa’s still got some fight left in ‘em.” He patted his bicep.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Jesus dad, you had me worried for a second there.”
He chuckled. “Don’t be. Try to have fun up there. No use worrying about somewhere you’re not.”
A sigh escaped me. “I’ll try.”
“That’s my girl! How are the aliens treating ya?”
I frowned. “Well, if I’m being honest, most of them are assholes.”
“That so?”
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve met a few that don’t mind me, but I can count them on one hand.”
“Well that’s better than nothing, ain’t it?” He raised an eyebrow in a joking manner.
I smiled a little. “I guess so.”
“So, tell me about these nice aliens then.”
“Sure- Hold on, is Luke there?”
“He’s sleeping right now. Doctor’s got him on the good stuff.”
“Is it that bad?”
He shouldn’t have enlisted. Asshole. He’s such an idiot. He could have died! “I wanna meet aliens” my ass.
*“*The doc says he’ll be up and at em in a few days, but the pain is still kicking him.”
*“*Is he alright? Like, is he shellshocked?”
Dad frowned. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.” He looked past the camera. “He’s pretty bitter about the whole thing.”
My blood ran cold. I knew what it sounded like when he was downplaying something. “Dad. Is he gonna be okay?”
His expression softened. “Luke’s a strong boy. He’ll be okay.”
“He better. I’ll kill him if he’s not. You be sure to tell him that.”
Dad laughed. “Sure, sure. Back to the aliens, if you will.”
“My bad.” Warmth filled my face. “So there’s this guy who lives in my apartment building, right? I come back home after a day of trying, and failing, to get my hands on any materials, craft materials are super expensive here for some reason, by the way, and he’s coming home at the same time, so I say hi to him, and he jumps me!”
Maybe things would get better.
“Their claws are sharp! He scratched me up pretty bad, look.” I raised my arm to the camera, and my dad gasped in response.
"Whoa, that’s a lot of bandages.”
“Yeah, right? I may have put too much actually. Anyway, he charges me, and so I put him in a headlock, and I yell at him to calm down. It might have been a misplay on my part, I have to admit. What, with the venlil thinking we want to eat them and all that jazz.”
Dad nodded, eyes full of stars. This was nice.
“Well, he starts crying, and now I felt like an ass, so I try to calm him down, but he’s not having any of it. So I hand him a doll I made, but that didn’t do much either, so I ended up just having to leave him there. Would you believe it if I told you he came knocking on my door the next day? He wanted to learn felting!”
He burst into laughter, having to wiping a tear from his eye. “I have to say, you have the strangest way of making friends.”
Maybe I was worrying over nothing.
“Oh, I forgot to mention, so, I was trying to get wool, right? But there’s obviously no sheep here on venlil prime.”
“Oh, don’t tell me.”
“So I went around offering free haircuts.”
Dad started wheezing like he had sand in his lungs. He struggled to point a finger at me. “S-so…” He burst into another fit of laughter. “You went around with shears, offering haircuts to the fluffy aliens who think you want to eat them?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right. I give damn good cuts too.” I grinned, face full of mischief.
“So this friend of yours took you up on the offer? What’s his name?”
“Meba. And yes, I sheared him.”
“Okay, Meeh Baah? Are you pulling my leg?”
“Nope, that’s his real name. It means ‘little person’ in venlil, apparently.”
“You’re kidding! That is priceless! What happened then?”
“I sheared him, and then we went inside, and I taught him how to felt, and he got all flabbergasted when he saw me eat vegetables. He did this,” I held up a pointer finger, closing my eyes. “and then he said ‘You can’t eat vegetables, you’re a predator.’”
“Uh huh.”
“So after that, to skip to the good part, he has me follow him to work to *‘*protect him from humans’, and on the way back, just as we’re getting back to the apartments, he collapses in the hallway, hyperventilating and shaking.”
Maybe I could finally calm down.
“Oh no, was he okay?”
“Yeah, I brought him inside and calmed him down, but then the exterminators barged in! He stuffed me into a closet to hide me.”
Dad’s face swelled with disgust. “Ah yes, I’ve heard of them.”
“Well, they mess up the whole apartment, and they only leave because Meba is friends with their boss.”
“He’s buddy buddy with those folks?”
“Well, I don’t really know, but he used his connections to protect me, so I don’t mind. I was scared shitless the whole time. I barely kept myself still.”
“But you’re okay, right? They didn’t hurt you?”
"No, I was fine. I kind of blew up at him though. We made up though, and now he’s even comfortable around me with the mask off!”
“Mask?”
“The UN makes everyone wear masks in public so we don’t scare people.”
“I didn’t know it was that bad.”
“Yeah… it’s kinda scary sometimes.”
Home was still there.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure the rest of em will fall for your charm soon enough.”
“Yeah. After all, who could hate such an enchanting young lady?” I made a not so dignified face.
Dad shot a silly look right back, making us both laugh at our shared stupidity.
“So, since everything’s intact, when should I come home? I should be able to pretty soon.”
He smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about that. You should stay up there until the power comes back in… oh I don’t know, it should be on in a week or two. No reason to come back when the town is still out of whack.”
“What? But I can help out. Isn’t there work to be done?”
His eyes were warm. “Arlene, just have fun. We’ll be fine. Come home when it’s more comfortable.”
What?
“But I miss you guys.”
“I know, I miss you too.” He glanced off to the side for a moment. “But just wait a little longer. I want to roll the red carpet out for you. We’re not going anywhere.”
“Fine, but I expect a royal welcome.”
“Of course.” He grinned. “I better let you go, I have to make dinner.”
“Oh.. okay. I was hoping you’d be able to tell me about what’s going on in town.”
“Nothing crazy, just the usual but with flashlights instead of street lamps. Say hi to Meba for me.”
“Okay. Bye dad.”
“Bye kiddo. Try not to worry yourself so much.”
“I’ll try. I love you,”
“I love you too.”
He hung up the call, and home was gone again.
I popped back into the room to give Taylor her datapad back.
“How’d it go?” She asked.
“Good. I think.” I grabbed my mask, and handed her the device.
She smiled. “I’m glad. Want to stay for a bit? Today is pizza day.”
“I’m good. I should probably head out. Thanks though.”
“Wait a second, here.” Taylor handed me a card.
I turned it over in my fingers. It was off white with gold lettering. A business card. Very… eccentric.
“What’s this?”
“My info, so you can get in touch with me when you get a datapad. I’m kinda the self appointed caretaker of this place. If you need anything, anything at all, I’m your gal.”
I took another look at the card. “Thanks. It means a lot.”
“You’re welcome! See you later.”
“See you.”
---
I sat on the bench by the office, legs crossed, working on a mini venlil, my third one actually. Yes, I was building an army. An army of little venlil that I would use for… something. Each one measured no more than four inches tall, with floppy yarn tails, and bits of blue yarn affixed for eyes.
They say the one who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish. What do you get for one thousand woolen venlil?
“Arlene?” Meba was walking towards me. His eyes were unfocused, and his tail was motionless, like a doll’s. He dragged his feet on the ground, and his bag weighed on him like a heap of iron. To put it bluntly, he looked like shit.
“Oh hey there. Done with work?”
“Yeah. What are you making?” His voice was monotone.
“More mini venlil.”
He leaned over. “It looks like me.”
“It is made out of your wool. It would be worrying if it didn’t resemble you.”
“I guess. Does this one have a name too?”
“Not yet. Do you have any ideas?”
He thought for a moment, ears swiveling like satellite dishes. “Mulek.”
“Mulek it is. Is that a common name?”
“It was my father’s name.” He didn’t elaborate.
“Oh, speaking of which, my dad says ‘hi’.”
“He’s the… rancher, right?”
“Yeah.” I got up off the bench. “He’s not as scary as he sounds. If you met him, you’d realize his head is just full of muscles and fart jokes. Ready to go?”
He flicked an ear, and we started walking. The sheer complexity of venlil body language never failed to impress me. Not the ear flicks, those were easy, but the tail signals were insane.
“Hey, Meba?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s your job?”
“I’m a computer scientist. Why do you ask?”
“You look really tired. Six hours, sorry, I mean a claw and a half. It’s a long shift for venlil right?”
“Yes, but my job isn’t very physically demanding.”
“It isn’t taking a toll on you?”
“No.” He lied. I mean fuck, did he think I was stupid? I wasn’t, I think. If it wasn’t his job, it was something else.
“Really?”
“Yes, I just didn’t sleep well.” His eyes were drooping in real time.
Fine, be like that. If you won’t open up, I’ll just help another way.
“Do you want me to carry you?”
Meba stopped in his tracks. “C-carry me?”
“You aren’t very heavy. I could give you a piggyback ride the rest of the way.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“C’mon, I could use the exercise.” I crouched down, beckoning him over with my hands.
"Arlene, I can walk on my own.” He sounded offended.
"At least let me carry your bag.”
Meba sighed. “Fine.”
I stood up and grabbed his bag. “And away we go!”
We arrived at the station, just in time to catch the tube. Meba yanked his bag out of my arms to swipe his card through the terminal. This particular transport was packed to the brim with people, more than a few of them human. Meba visibly stiffened. He sat down, I remained standing.
“You okay?”
“Y-yeah. It’s just a-a lot.” He most definitely wasn’t, he was trembling like a leaf.
I stood between him and the crowd. “Better?”
“A l-little… thanks.”
“Hey, why don’t you work on the scarf, take your mind of things?”
“S-sure.” He grabbed the yarn ball from his bag, along with the crochet hook. Slowly, he removed the clip that was stopping it from unraveling, and stuck the hook through, starting right where he left off. He was definitely getting faster.
The tube rattled.
Outside, the city still breathed.
Kids coming home form school, people like us, coming home from work.
Same old same old.
In my mind, I pictured a fleet, swooping through star systems, making daring maneuvers, shooting down other vessels. So many lights. I imagined the metal stretching, and the hull creaking as it moved. I imagined the little people inside, scurrying around like ants, each wholly insignificant, but still, moving that massive shape.
I turned around to check on Meba.
He was still shaking, like a wet dog in the snow.
God, I miss Milo. Too bad they don’t let dogs on venlil prime.
I put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you gonna be alright?”
He looked up at me, with his funny little eyes. They were full of anger.
“Yes. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He let out a breath, clenching his jaw. “It’s so s-stupid it makes me sick.”
“Sorry?”
“There’s no t-threat. I shouldn’t be scared.”
I gave him a gentle shake. “Hey, it’s no big deal. You’re doing well.”
“I’m doing h-horrible. I hate these stupid instincts.” He growled. “H-how is this supposed to be an evolutionary advantage? I can b-barely think straight.”
“Take a deep breath.”
“B-brahk this.” He muttered. “You k-know, we’re famous for being w-weak. The b-best in the whole brahking f-federation.”
I frowned. “Don’t say that.”
“We c-can’t run, and w-we can’t fight.”
“That’s not true and you know it.”
“I can’t even c-control myself. I h-hate it.” He let the scarf slide back into his bag.
“Meba, you’re the bravest venlil I’ve met.”
“What d-does that say about us? That I’m one of t-the ‘brave ones’? It’s brahking p-pathetic.”
“Don’t say that about yourself.”
“Brahk! What else am I supposed to say?” He hissed, head finding its way into his paws. “It’s horrible. Horrible, horrible, h-horrible.”
I sat down next to him, and put my arm around his shoulder.
“This is s-so stupid.” He muttered.
“Tell me what happened?”
“No.”
A sigh escaped me. This was exhausting. “Okay.” I pulled him close.
He removed his paws from his face to look at me. “How am I gonna t-talk to Gram’s friend like this? I can’t even h-handle being around a few random humans. How am I going to deal with him e-eating in front of me?”
“You saw me eating, didn’t you?”
“That’s… d-different.”
“We don’t have to go if it makes you uncomfortable. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“N-no. I need to d-do this. I can’t keep b-being scared all the t-time.” He clutched at his fur.
I bent over to grab the work-in-progress scarf from his bag, and offered him the half finished garment.
Meba received the scarf, with eyes full of ash. “Thanks…” He continued weaving.
But before he could get into a groove, the brakes forced us to brace ourselves. We were home.
The ground still rumbled as we left the station, even with the rubbery pavement dampening the vibrations. The scent of rain was in the air, carrying with it a special tint from the alien soil. Wind was billowing now, whipping my hair and pushing against my thick greatcoat. Meba was somehow unbothered by this, thanks to his wool I assume. There weren’t clouds overhead, but that would change. My hands hid in their pockets.
‘Twas too cold madam!’ Said lefty.
‘Not for I! It’s simply more comfortable in here.’ Said righty.
We passed the yard, heading up to the second floor, and my apartment. I shivered.
*“*I think it’s gonna rain soon.”
*“*Huh? Why do you say that?”
*“*It smells like rain.”
He tilted his head, ears flopping along with it. “I thought human noses weren’t very strong?”
*“*Well, not for most things, but we can smell when it rains from quite a ways away.” I opened the door, and stepped inside, yanking my feet out of their shells. “Come on in.”
Meba followed with no hesitation, even when I deposited the mask on the coffee table. He plopped down on the couch, deflating for a few seconds before digging around in his bag for the scarf. I grabbed some snacks from the kitchen, and brought them to the couch. I plopped down beside him, and flipped the TV to a random channel. Hopefully lazing about would help both of us.
After a few minutes of zoning out to The Exterminators of all things, I managed to doze off somehow. Sights and sounds melded into goop, as my brain ceased exact function. Facts became obscured, no concrete understanding remaining. Static resonating with time stretching like putty, everything subjective, only in the moment.
A tower, in the desert, numbly stalking around crumbling balconies, arms like swarms, legs like chicken wire. No need to blink. Down below is something terrible, but it doesn’t matter. It is safe here. But snow falls, the sky tearing like an old t-shirt, is it? The weave becoming tighter, it stretches along the north, through to the south, a taut little line of cotton. Now I’m tearing too. The tower isn’t crumbling, but folding. ‘Here’s the sun’, I think, mind reeling back to wakefulness, a snout by my face. Milo?
“Who?”
“Huh?” I tried to sit up, bringing a hand to the kink in my neck. My mouth was dry with viscus saliva, the aftermath of a nap. When I made it about half way up, my skull collided with Meba’s freakishly solid face.
I fell back, gripping my forehead with a groan.
Meba jumped back, startled. “A-are you okay?”
"Ugh…” I curled up into a ball to further cradle the lump growing on my head. “Owwie…”
He started hyperventilating, almost jogging in place.
I grabbed him by the arm. “I’m fine. That just hurt like hell. What is it?”
The squirming stopped. “Sorry for waking you up. I just wanted to know if you think this is long enough.” He held up the scarf to my face, which was still partially covered by my other hand.
Jeez, more than enough. That thing must be at least 80 inches. How long have I been out?
“Yeah, need me to help you finish it off?”
“Yes please.”

Some days the clinic is full. People stream in, dealing with the chronic issues of aging, basic stuff like urinary tract infections, and sinus/throat pain.
Occasionally we see a senior for shortness of breath. They often recall months and months of symptoms, without an initial understanding of what the origin was. By the time we see them, they are so far gone that the hospital is the only place where they can be treated.
Similarly, we see patients who walk in with puffy ankles - lymphatic drainage indicative of severe cardiac complications/severe infection/cancesurgery. Off to the hospital they go, with a silent prayer. PS: Folks, if your mom, dad, granny or grandpa suddenly has fluid buildup in the legs or arms (you can test this by applying steady pressure with the tips of your fingers (no nails, please) and then observing the tissue when you lift your fingers away. If there are dimples in the tissue that remain...Whelp...time to go to the ER to get a full workup. Do not wait, do not pass go, just run them to the hospital.
We saw only one positive COVID case during the past couple of days, who had tested and was seeking a note for work. Fortunately the patient had very mild symptoms. It's a reminder that COVID is still out there. The patient had no mask - so be aware - positives can be found at your local supermarket and pharmacy. Being safe by wearing a good mask when in public indoor spaces is always the best way to prevent COVID infection.
......
The bad news: Our moment of being relatively "COVID low" has passed. Numerous counties are seeing a slight uptick, including:
Alachua
Bay
Bradford
Broward
Calhoun
Charlotte
Clay
Maimi-Dade
Hardee
Lake
Manatee
Marion
Martin
Orange
Osceola
Pasco
Pinellas
Putnam
St. Johns
Seminole
Washington
Most have only a few new cases detected in hospitals, but some like Pinellas and Pasco have jumped by 100% unexpectedly.
The totals for Florida are still reduced because all the other counties have the same or less positives:
4/26 05/03/24
2,406 2,280 ...........................
Lastly, I'd like to inform you that I have finally, officially contracted COVID.
I knew it might be inevitable considering the activities that I was persuaded to do, including:
Travel via airplane masked with goggles
Travel via car service for more than 1 hour, windows closed (masked)
Travelling via crowded Subway (masked)
Dining indoors (no mask)
Dining outdoors but in a crowded area (no mask)
Observing plant life in an extremely enclosed humid environment - a hot house with numerous tourists (masked)
Strolling in a park full of tourists (masked)
Attending a museum and exhibits absolutely stuffed full of tourists for more than 3 hours (masked)
Shopping indoors for more than 15 minutes, (masked).
My symptoms are very similar to allergies (which is what I thought it was until the fatigue and fever set in): stuffy nose, body aches, then fatigue, fever of 99.9 degrees, and now a sporadic cough. I am a little concerned that my heart rate is significantly elevated (100 when my normal is around 60-80), but this is common as the body fights viruses. My O2 is great, around 98-99.
I'm managing it well with pain relievers and nasal spray. Certainly hoping to kick it soon.
My relatives (whom I was visiting) are all very upset, considering that I had avoided a symptomatic COVID infection for more than 4 years. They knew how important it was to me, and are kicking themselves for asking me to "go out on a limb and be free for a while". I hope none of them contract it again, and that my coworkers didn't get it from me. We'll see.
The only plus from this is that I have probably contracted variant J1 or KP2, and will have some small amount of additional immunity for this year's summer spike.
Take my example as something not to do, and:
Stay Safe!

i’ve been feeling sick since sunday, the cough has been getting worse but since it’s only been a few days maybe it’s not a big deal.. the cough is pretty dry, and it’s irritating my throat and chest. phlegm only comes out rarely and in small amounts if anything.
my sister got sick last week and when she went to the clinic i guess they tested her for strep, covid, and flu which all came back negative. assuming i got sick from her, but what could it be. i thought maybe it could still be covid just a different strain and maybe the emergency room or urgent care is better equipped than our clinic to see what the problem is? someone at work came back after a week long absence and said she had a lung infection, could that be going around?
starting yesterday early afternoon, i would experience a sharp pain in my left side whenever i tried to inhale so i could only breathe shallowly until a few minutes ago today. so i’d say it lasted about 24 hours. i’ve gotten that pain before in my side when inhaling but it usually goes away after a few minutes. i was gonna go to urgent care anyways until that pain subsided just now. should i still go?
i have health anxiety so not sure if i’m overreacting but better safe than sorry i suppose… the problem is my family hates going to the doctors so i don’t want to start any problems if it’s not a good idea to go. no one else in our household feels sick yet but i do have asthma (and probably just a weak immune system as well) so i think this sickness is affecting me differently. she’s already back at school but i don’t wanna go back to work!
been taking mucinex and drinking water. i know seeing an actual doctor in person is probably a better idea than posting but i’m just hesitant. thoughts?
extra info: 22F, 5’3”, 210 lbs, don’t take any medications regularly besides allergy pills bc my family has a cat, i smoke weed pretty often, aaaand i think that’s all.
tldr: symptoms include cough, headache, sweating, chest discomfort, sharp pain when inhaling, runny/stuffy nose, loss of apetite, wheezing i have asthma and allergies as well. see a doctor or wait it out? advice on getting better?

I’m thinking of getting the linx surgery but my mother keeps saying I shouldn’t I believe the smell problem is coming from my LES being open. In the beginning it started around when I still smoked weed in 2020 and would have cravings and eat a lot it was just affecting my breath at the time but I wasn’t aware how serious it was I brushed like regular with no advanced routines because it didn’t seem like a huge problem because it wasn’t consistent then slowly got worst until it became nasal (2022) at the time I thought it was all in my head because I’d never known someone to have a bad smell coming from their nose and thought it was just anxiety however i still got it checked out ent said he couldn’t smell anything (professionals refusing to be honest holds us back) and to take some medication which I did but it persisted so I saw more ents and they all said they saw nothing but kept me on nasal sprays/cortisoids etc at this time my advanced routine had already began because my job was literally dealing with people 24/7, while I was seeing ents around this time my tonsils started to swell up and have white spots and eventually I was having tonsillitis frequently. around this time I started developing a pain in my chest, sharp which I later found out was acid reflux but didn’t get medication for it because I still didn’t quite make the connection between acid reflux and the tonsils/nasal pathway etc I had stuffy nose and a bad smell coming from my nose and now that my tonsils was swollen and I was having tonsillitis I thought whatever infection in my nose has now infected my tonsils completely ignoring the acid reflux..fast forward I get a sinus rinse surgery (which is where they go in the nose and physically take out all the blockage), turbinates widened (forgot the actual names of procedure), my adenoids removed and tonsils removed I felt a major relief I felt like I could breathe better my nose was no longer as stuffy (bad breath decreased mouth felt more fresh) however I started to eat better and take acid pills (panthoprazole) which made the chest pains die down but the smell was still there I found out then that acid reflux could irritate the nasal passage way and acid Vapor’s can come out the nose giving people that smell that causes reactions so I figured what was happening was that my stomach content was coming out my stomach as acid Vapor’s which irritated my tonsils and inevitably infected it. I still had few pains and horrible burning in my throat so when I saw a doctor then they wanted to do an endoscopy. Endoscopy revealed that I had gastritis, non erosive reflux disease, mild bile reflux and a patulous LES, now I was given medication to heal the gastritis and my doctor was adamant that I just need to diet and take the meds but the smell is still there while I’m doing it. The linx surgery is a removable ring that they can place around the area to strengthen the Les and keep the acid from flowing upward my mother keeps begging me not to get surgery but she doesn’t understand the pain I’m going through and I dont want to wait years from now if I could get rid of this today I’m going to at least try to work on the gastritis by taking my meds and eating great but I think that the surgery is my cure closing my LES. The acid reflux coming out my stomach through Vapor’s eventually of balances the mouth and gives of the effect of halitosis but it does not start in the mouth for me once I brush my mouth feels fresh tongue and I’ve even been recommended by a dentist to see a g.i doc because he couldn’t find a halitoses producing problem in my mouth. Please respond I would love to show my mother some of comments if I can

i’ve been feeling sick since sunday, the cough has been getting worse but since it’s only been a few days maybe it’s not a big deal.. the cough is pretty dry, and it’s irritating my throat and chest. phlegm only comes out rarely and in small amounts if anything.
my sister got sick last week and when she went to the clinic i guess they tested her for strep, covid, and flu which all came back negative. assuming i got sick from her, but what could it be. i thought maybe it could still be covid just a different strain and maybe the emergency room or urgent care is better equipped than our clinic to see what the problem is? someone at work came back after a week long absence and said she had a lung infection, could that be going around?
starting yesterday early afternoon, i would experience a sharp pain in my left side whenever i tried to inhale so i could only breathe shallowly until a few minutes ago today. thankfully. i’d say it lasted about 24 hours. i’ve gotten that pain before in my side when inhaling but it usually goes away after a few minutes. i was gonna go to urgent care until that pain subsided just now. should i still go?
i have health anxiety so not sure if i’m overreacting but better safe than sorry i suppose… the problem is my family hates going to the doctors so i don’t want to start any problems if it’s not a good idea to go. no one else in our household feels sick yet but i do have asthma (and probably just a weak immune system as well) so i think this sickness is affecting me differently. she’s already back at school but i don’t wanna go back to work!
been taking mucinex and drinking water. i know seeing an actual doctor in person is probably a better idea than posting but i’m just hesitant. thoughts?
tldr: symptoms include cough, headache, sweating, chest discomfort, sharp pain when inhaling, runny/stuffy nose, loss of apetite, wheezing i have asthma and allergies as well. see a doctor or wait it out? advice on getting better at home?

I never really intended to stretch my septum. I have had it pierced at a 16g. I entertained the idea here and there, but never cared too much as I love my facial piercing set up the way it is.
Last month, I randomly lost the ball for the first time since I have had that piercing. I flipped it up and ordered a clicker and a pincher from BAF.
The clicker was a 16g, but I accidentally ordered a 14g pincher instead of 16g.
Anyways, the clicker came and so I put it in my nose. I had the clicker in for 2 weeks, then I lost it last week (I have had a sinus infection and it probably fell out somewhere while blowing my nose).
So I put the pincher in and it hurts really bad. It’s been like 5 days and my nose is tender and sometimes the pain is sharp.
THIS IS ONLY A 14G.
I thought smaller sizes were supposed to not be uncomfortable. I still have a lingering stuffy nose and every time I wipe or blow my nose, I feel sharp pain.
I have since ordered a 16g pincher & another clicker, but see now I am wondering if I should stay at 14g since I have suffered this pain. I even have considered going to a 12g or 10g because why not?
But this pain is very much awful and I hear it gets worse the bigger it gets.
How long does it take this pain to subside?

Hello kind people, I know this'll be a long post for some of you, but I beg you to bear with me as I've ran out of options.
I'm writing today as a father of a young child that out of the blue developed permanent moderate hearing loss around a year ago, at the age of 3. I'll try to provide any info that might help bring you good context. What I'm hoping to achieve is get a better understanding(or an actual idea, because no doctor in a 100km radius can provide such) of what happened with our girl, and (if any) all possible further examination or treatment options we might have(with travel distance not being a factor).
Both ears have the same level of loss and didn't have any differences in the development of the loss at any time.
The girl had perfectly normal hearing at birth. Before any of this started, she has had 3 times where during stuffy nose moments her hearing would reduce to mild-moderate for 3 days and resolve back to normal without treatment of the ears.
At 3 year old a sudden moderately severe loss developed over 2-3 days, with basically no other symptoms, no pain or discomfort, no fever, not even a stuffy nose. At the 3rd day when it peaked we went to our GP pediatric who sent us to a ENT, but we had to wait 2 more days for the closest possible appointment.
So 5 days passed since it started, the ENT sent us straight to a children hearing hospital for otitis media. They ran a general hearing test and instantly told us this does not look good as the results for bone conduction were very bad in addition to the normal hearing test. They also found a fluid buildup in the middle ear. They prescribed some general drops for allergies, sinusitis medicine and some eye drops(Maxitrol) which oddly we were suppose to put in her nose instead, all this for a week. During that week there was no change at all, it didn't become worse nor better.
We went back to that hospital, they reran the same tests and scheduled an urgent paracentesis for the same day. After the surgery all the surgeon said was she found some puss in one of her ears, but even though we insisted, she did not tell us anything else. The surgery overview document said basically the same - fluid buildup in both ears and some puss in left ear with small necrotic area removed. She had to stay at the hospital with her mother for 3 days for recovery medicine and monitoring. Vent tubes were not placed in her ears.
A week after the surgery her hearing went to where it is present day - moderate hearing loss, at rare times becoming a bit worse and going back to moderate.
The senior doctor at the hospital kept telling us ever since we went there that based on the test results she would need hearing aids for life and - "how could we have possibly not detected this earlier, this surely was present since birth" without providing any explanation on the actual diagnosis whatsoever. This was not helpful at all and was insulting at best, since it implied we(early 30s eager parents) didn't look after our child. Her mother and I, we can both swear up to this point her hearing had no detectable issues whatsoever, no development delays in speech or anything either. But doc telling us this was so bad we started questioning our sanity over it.
Afterwards we went to multiple hospitals and ran all possible exams(OAE, many audiologies, tympanograms) in the area, but no person is able to tell us what/how any of this happened, whether it was caused by the infection(some said a single infection can't do such damage in so little time) or a birth defect we didn't notice.
Her most recent audiology result is similar for both ears and looks like this:
125Hz - 20dB
250Hz - 20dB
500Hz - 40dB
1kHz - 40dB
2kHz - 45dB
4kHz - 40dB
8kHz - 25dB
The bone conduction hearing is:
500Hz - 30dB
1kHz - 30dB
2kHz - 30db
4kHz - 35dB
She's currently wearing Phonak Sky Juniors at all times.
Reddit seems to be my last hope for a next step right now, so I beg you, if you have any input on any of this, share it with me. If I can provide any further info(test results etc), go ahead and ask.
Thank you kind people!

Hello kind people, I know this'll be a long post for most of you, but I beg you to bear with me.
I'm writing today as a father of a young child that out of the blue developed permanent moderate hearing loss a year ago, at the age of 3. I'll try to provide any info that might help bring you good context. What I'm hoping to achieve is get a better understanding(or an actual idea, because no doctor in a 100km radius can provide such) of what happened with our girl, and (if any) all possible further examination or treatment options we might have(with travel distance not being a factor).
Both ears have the same level of loss and didn't have any differences in the development of the loss at any time.
The girl had perfectly normal hearing at birth. Before any of this started, she has had 3 times where during stuffy nose moments her hearing would reduce to mild-moderate for 3 days and resolve back to normal without treatment of the ears.
At 3 year old a sudden moderately severe loss developed over 2-3 days, with basically no other symptoms, no pain or discomfort, no fever, not even a stuffy nose. At the 3rd day when it peaked we went to our GP pediatric who sent us to a ENT, but we had to wait 2 more days for the closest possible appointment.
So 5 days passed since it started, the ENT sent us straight to a children hearing hospital for otitis media. They ran a general hearing test and instantly told us this does not look good as the results for bone conduction were very bad in addition to the normal hearing test. They also found a fluid buildup in the middle ear. They prescribed some general drops for allergies, sinusitis medicine and some eye drops(Maxitrol) which oddly we were suppose to put in her nose instead, all this for a week. During that week there was no change at all, it didn't become worse nor better.
We went back to that hospital, they reran the same tests and scheduled an urgent paracentesis for the same day. After the surgery all the surgeon said was she found some puss in one of her ears, but even though we insisted, she did not tell us anything else. The surgery overview document said basically the same - fluid buildup in both ears and some puss in left ear with small necrotic area removed. She had to stay at the hospital with her mother for 3 days for recovery medicine and monitoring. Vent tubes were not placed in her ears.
A week after the surgery her hearing went to where it is present day - moderate hearing loss, at rare times becoming a bit worse and going back to moderate.
The senior doctor at the hospital kept telling us ever since we went there that based on the test results she would need hearing aids for life and - "how could we have possibly not detected this earlier, this surely was present since birth" without providing any explanation on the actual diagnosis whatsoever. This was not helpful at all and was insulting at best, since it implied we(early 30s eager parents) didn't look after our child. Her mother and I, we can both swear up to this point her hearing had no detectable issues whatsoever, no development delays in speech or anything either. But doc telling us this was so bad we started questioning our sanity over it.
Afterwards we went to multiple hospitals and ran all possible exams(OAE, many audiologies, tympanograms) in the area, but no person is able to tell us what/how any of this happened, whether it was caused by the infection(some said a single infection can't do such damage in so little time) or a birth defect we didn't notice.
Her most recent audiology result is similar for both ears and looks like this:
125Hz - 20dB
250Hz - 20dB
500Hz - 40dB
1kHz - 40dB
2kHz - 45dB
4kHz - 40dB
8kHz - 25dB
The bone conduction hearing is:
500Hz - 30dB
1kHz - 30dB
2kHz - 30db
4kHz - 35dB
She's currently wearing Phonak Sky Juniors at all times.
Reddit seems to be my last hope for a next step right now, so I beg you, if you have any input on any of this, share it with me. If I can provide any further info(test results etc), go ahead and ask.
Thank you kind people!

Hello kind people, I know this'll be a long post for most of you, but I beg you to bear with me.
I'm writing today as a father of a young child that out of the blue developed permanent moderate hearing loss a year ago, at the age of 3. I'll try to provide any info that might help bring you good context. What I'm hoping to achieve is get a better understanding(or an actual idea, because no doctor in a 100km radius can provide such) of what happened with our girl, and (if any) all possible further examination or treatment options we might have(with travel distance not being a factor).
Both ears have the same level of loss and didn't have any differences in the development of the loss at any time.
The girl had perfectly normal hearing at birth. Before any of this started, she has had 3 times where during stuffy nose moments her hearing would reduce to mild-moderate for 3 days and resolve back to normal without treatment of the ears.
At 3 year old a sudden moderately severe loss developed over 2-3 days, with basically no other symptoms, no pain or discomfort, no fever, not even a stuffy nose. At the 3rd day when it peaked we went to our GP pediatric who sent us to a ENT, but we had to wait 2 more days for the closest possible appointment.
So 5 days passed since it started, the ENT sent us straight to a children hearing hospital for otitis media. They ran a general hearing test and instantly told us this does not look good as the results for bone conduction were very bad in addition to the normal hearing test. They also found a fluid buildup in the middle ear. They prescribed some general drops for allergies, sinusitis medicine and some eye drops(Maxitrol) which oddly we were suppose to put in her nose instead, all this for a week. During that week there was no change at all, it didn't become worse nor better.
We went back to that hospital, they reran the same tests and scheduled an urgent paracentesis for the same day. After the surgery all the surgeon said was she found some puss in one of her ears, but even though we insisted, she did not tell us anything else. The surgery overview document said basically the same - fluid buildup in both ears and some puss in left ear with small necrotic area removed. She had to stay at the hospital with her mother for 3 days for recovery medicine and monitoring. Vent tubes were not placed in her ears.
A week after the surgery her hearing went to where it is present day - moderate hearing loss, at rare times becoming a bit worse and going back to moderate.
The senior doctor at the hospital kept telling us ever since we went there that based on the test results she would need hearing aids for life and - "how could we have possibly not detected this earlier, this surely was present since birth" without providing any explanation on the actual diagnosis whatsoever. This was not helpful at all and was insulting at best, since it implied we(early 30s eager parents) didn't look after our child. Her mother and I, we can both swear up to this point her hearing had no detectable issues whatsoever, no development delays in speech or anything either. But doc telling us this was so bad we started questioning our sanity over it.
Afterwards we went to multiple hospitals and ran all possible exams(OAE, many audiologies, tympanograms) in the area, but no person is able to tell us what/how any of this happened, whether it was caused by the infection(some said a single infection can't do such damage in so little time) or a birth defect we didn't notice.
Her most recent audiology result is similar for both ears and looks like this:
125Hz - 20dB
250Hz - 20dB
500Hz - 40dB
1kHz - 40dB
2kHz - 45dB
4kHz - 40dB
8kHz - 25dB
The bone conduction hearing is:
500Hz - 30dB
1kHz - 30dB
2kHz - 30db
4kHz - 35dB
She's currently wearing Phonak Sky Juniors at all times.
Reddit seems to be my last hope for a next step right now, so I beg you, if you have any input on any of this, share it with me. If I can provide any further info(test results etc), go ahead and ask.
Thank you kind people!

Hi all- my first time posting here. I’m eager to hear about the range of symptoms other folks have from ethmoid sinusitis?
The reason is that, for months now, I’ve had a dull kind of pressure on my inner right eyelid/near my nose. It isn’t painful, red or itchy, and I don’t have a lot of other symptoms. I do typically wake up with a stuffy nose but that’s been going on for years. Since I have Graves’ disease, my primary doc just sent me to an ophthalmologist to check for thyroid eye disease. Long story short, it doesn’t appear to be that. Then I went to a neurologist, who had no clue what the issue could be and had me get an MRI. The MRI showed up neurologically normal, but it noted that my ethmoid sinus on the right side was filled with mucus etc.
I’m finally seeing an ENT in two weeks but I’m still skeptical about this feeling in my inner eye being sinus related, as I don’t have other symptoms. This has been months of doctors visits now and the sensation is honestly just more annoying than anything else.
If you have ethmoid sinusitis, please share what your initial symptoms were! Thank you

49yr old Male, been suffering with ED for quite a few years now. Years ago it started when I was put on anti-depressants while going through a divorce. I could not get an erection at all when I was on meds. Was prescribed Viagra and it worked for awhile. My problem with Viagra is two fold. I had to keep increasing my dosage to get the desired effect. While it had worked, it would always give me a headache, stuffy nose, and a rapid heartbeat. Since the divorce I took Viagra now and again for 10-15 yrs. It was not till the last 3-4 years where my libido was in the shitter.
A few years ago I switched to Cialis. I had far less side effects, but it was inconsistent. Some days it would work, other days not so much. I attribute 90% of my ED being related to different stresses thrown at me day to day. Mentally my ED was causing a lot of issues in my marriage. My wife would think it was her fault, blaming herself for "not being sexy enough". Over time it crushed my libido and would cause arguments.
I did my research and really wanted to try PT-141. Ordered everything that was needed and gave it a go. Mixed with BAC water and was off to the races.
1st dosage - Trial dosage was .5mg just to test to see how my body would react. I didn't have any side effects, but I also didnt get any intended effects which I did not expect anyway.
2nd dosage (First real dosage 5 days after my trial dose) - 1.25mg - Took around 2pm on a Saturday. Also took 10mg of Cialis. Kept busy outside doing yardwork. Very slight nausea but not enough to even complain about. Felt a bit flushed for 10-15 minutes. Otherwise feel totally fine. It wasn't until later that night around 7pm where I had a few spontaneous erections. Haven't had one of those since in I don't know how long. I mean I would always get morning wood now and then, but this was completely different.
Snuggled on the couch with my wife and throughout the entire 1.5hr movie I was hard. Afterwards we started fooling around. Normally I would get hard for 5 minutes and it would go away. This time I was hard the entire time. I felt like Ron Jeremy in the bedroom. I came several times with the wife that night. Normally, after I cum, I am good for 4-5 days. But she was the one that had to call it quits as she was exhausted. About 30 minutes later, I was still horny and rubbed one out while watching my wife's bare ass while she slept.
The next day I could still feel slight effects from the PT-141. Mainly my penis was a bit more full than normal. But the erections have subsided.
3rd Dose 1 week since 2nd dose and same amount @ 1.25mg and 10mg Cialis - Has slightly more nausea from the first time, but I contribute that to being more sedentary than I was with my other dose. Overall not enough to really even speak about. Had less flushing as the first time. Took the dose around noon, and from about 5pm till the time I went to bed around midnight, I had more erections than I could count. Several lasting about an hour. Nothing painful, but my cock has never been as full as it was. Even in my hand it felt twice as thick as normal. Woke up several times throughout the night with hard-ons but nothing that kept me awake for long.
I'm not one for giving myself injections. But this stuff works for me!!! Not only did I feel 19 again and gave me the best hard-ons I've ever had, it gave me the mental boost I needed. I still feel like I have low libido, but at least now I have something that works far better than Cialis and Viagra alone with far less side effects.

I had my first and only child at a relatively young age of 28 due to a miscalculation of my wife's monthly cycle by me. I didn't have any inclination towards antinatalism back then, but dealing with my wonderful baby girl in day to day upbringing made me a staunch opponent to bringing any extra soul to this shit world. No, my child was or not is a monster. She is a sweet, intelligent, loving creature. From her early days, I loved her so much that everytime I had to do something for her own good that was painful in the moment broke my heart. Simple things, like vaccination, like turning the TV off and sending her to bed at 10 or 11 PM although she was enjoying whatever on YouTube, because both I and my wife had to go to work early in the next morning and she was to be sent to daycare. I loved her so much, I thought doing the same to one more child will break me irreparably. When she grew up a little more we started to find out more shit news. Like she inherited the allergies towards house-dust and dust mites directly from me. The allergies would drive myself crazy and almost to the brink of suicide with continuous sneezing and stuffy nose. I would see my child sneezing continuously and breathing weirdly with her stuffy nose and would think I don't want this shit happen to any extra soul at any cost or at the lure of any amount of glory or whatever. I discovered formal antinatalism and the philosophy of David Benatar around five years ago and instantly thought, like yes, that's what I have been feeling intuitively for some years, like it's criminal to bring a soul to this shit world knowing what it's already done to you and the ones you loved.

I got this bloody virus 4 months ago and I am not myself yet. I am having tons of issues, respiratory, digestive, neurological and mood.
But my sinuses are the worst along with my gassiness and rumbling intestines.
I had some blood work done recently to rule out serious infections or health issues and it was fine.
My sinuses on certain days especially rainy and damp days feel like stuffy and heavy without mucus and like smb is holding my nose to choke me. Also top of my head burns and my sinuses also burn sometimes. I get headaches near my eyes and forehead which hurt, my eyes are painful and itchy,m.
On certain days I feel dizzy and nauseous, and feel bloaty and have loss of appetite. I am constipated mostly, although it is resolving with probiotics and eating a yogurt a day, and I also had insomnia which is now gone. I sleep 8-9 hours which I never did before.
Anyone else going though these issues? And the bloating? I tested negative for sibo although I suspect it was a false negative however a friend who had sibo told me I have no bloating similar to sibo. I suspect Candida overgrowth and h pylori flare. I am burping on days and have gassiness. Also got a yeast infection from this stupid virus which I am treating now. I am taking many supplements, curcumin, black seed oil, sulforaphane, monolaurin, a fiber, and a probiotic among other things. I also eat pretty healthy, oatmeal, eggs, fruits, vegetables, chicken and rice, and with all the supplements I get bloated and gassy. I just want my old self back.

On Thursday my throat started to get red and a little swollen. It hurt. I have been feeling sick, stuffy runny nose, shoulder and slight rib pain. This morning I woke up and coughed up bright green phlegm. I went to urgent care, they checked for Covid and strep throat but didn’t have the flu tests. She decided to prescribe me the zpack and prednisone. But I’m worried about taking a steroid. Should I go to the ER for further testing?
I have an artificial heart valve High cholesterol TIA
27f 120lbs 5’5 Warfarin Atorvastatin

I (30f) have been having dizzy spells for about 2 months now. I was looked at by my ENT who ran a vertigo test and aside from "significant directional preponderance" said everything is all good and told me to see a neurologist. Since this test, there's been a sharp pain behind my right eye and it feels like my brain is about to pop out of my skull as well as this ringing in my ears during the dizzy spells.
I'm curious if this could be a sinus infection with no noticeable congestion? I haven't had a stuffy nose at all, but I do have a mild fever and my necks a bit achy so I figured while I wait for my appointment I'd ask? Thanks in advance! 🙂

So, I’m in generally good health, aside from being considered obese and I do have hypothyroidism. I am not sedentary. I work in outpatient surgery and I am a full time working mother of an almost 2 year old toddler so I am definitely keeping busy. My son does not go to daycare, he stays with my mother who was recently diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy/immunotherapy Q3/weeks so I need to just not be sick because this upcoming week is when she’s getting her chemo.
Anyway, here’s what I have going on..
I’ve been sick what only God knows what since Tuesday and have gotten progressively worse. To name my symptoms: - painful cough - congestion (head and chest) - runny/stuffy nose - sore throat - pain radiation to my back when coughing - swollen lymph nodes - neck pain - chest pain (not cardiac, only cough induced) - fatigue - body aches - sweat/chills - very mild fever the first few days
Went to urgent care and was told my throat was red but lungs were clear then sent me on my way. No prescriptions or recommendations for anything. Then, called my PCP, they got me in with their acute care provider, who was lovely, but just prescribed a single 50mg tablet of Prednisone and said to use anesthetic lozenges for the sore throat. I’ve lost my voice starting from Wednesday and it’s gotten worse. It was completely gone Thursday and Friday and seemed to get better yesterday but this persistent cough is making it much more worse. Talking is painful and swallowing is painful. I’ve been doing robitussin every 4 hours as per the directions. Avoiding Sudafed per the recommendation of the acute care provider. Using the lozenges she recommended and I even got a throat numbing spray which helps for such a short period of time. Nothing seems to be helping. My cough has not improved and my sore throat has just gotten worse.
What do I do?!😭😭😭