Oxycotins advil high

Hey I just had to get wheeled out of my high school earlier today from how bad my cramps were. I had such bad cramps that I was sweating and turning white, my teeth were chattering and I couldn’t take it anymore so I raised my hand and blurted if anyone had any Advil I needed it right now because I was in so much pain I couldn’t see and was about to pass out. My teacher calmly called the nurse and no one had any Advil, so I called my mom in a panic because she needed to come pick me up right away, I was in so much pain at this point that I couldn’t feel my arms and legs and it was hard to talk, like physically I was slurring my speech. My friend had to help me drink water because my hands started locking from pain, I started to not be able to feel them like pins and needles and then they curled into a claw form and locked, couldn’t feel or move them. I couldn’t move my hands or use them and I couldn’t feel my legs and I COULDNT FUCKING TALK. So they took me out in a wheelchair to the nurse to wait for my mom and they were so rude at the nurses office btw, and then I got wheeled out and sent home. We almost had to go to the hospital bc we thought I was having a weird seizure or something bc I still couldn’t move my hands or wrists and I was slurring my speech. But i have had this happen before without the hands and speech issues? The pain was blinding but that’s the “normal” part, zofran helped the nausea too, but Jesus Christ this scared the shit outta me. I want to know if you guys have similar experiences. Thanks

I'll start by saying that I'm no stranger to knee pain. I was born with a bone deformity that makes it so that my kneecaps dislocate very easily and very frequently. I've had about 100 knee dislocations in my lifetime, and two of them were violent enough that they chipped bone and required reconstructive surgery.
Recently I started having these "episodes", what I now strongly suspect are flare ups of gout. I'll be fine, and then suddenly—without a dislocation, or without any other kind of sprain, strain, or tweak—I have unbearable pain in my right knee joint. It swells up, I can't straighten it, and can't bend it much without extreme pain. Sometimes I can't put weight on it at all.
At first I thought it was maybe just regular arthritis, which I'm probably prone to developing due to so many knee dislocations over the years.
The last two episodes started in the middle of the night. Went to bed fine, woke up around 2am with unbelievably intolerable pain. The pain was so intense it woke me up from sleep. I tried taking a T3 that I had leftover from an appendectomy—and which I'd never needed to take—out of desperation, but it did nothing. I'm not overexaggerating when I say in that moment I wanted to amputate the knee. I didn't know pain like that was possible.
I don't have a formal diagnosis yet, I'm going to talk to my doctor ASAP, but I suspect it's gout because:

• It happens in the middle of the night
• My dad has it, and I hear it can be genetic/hereditary
• I have PCOS, and I understand metabolic issues predispose people to gout
• The pain is NEXT FUCKING LEVEL which seems to be a common denominator amongst gout sufferers
  I have a very high pain tolerance, beyond the knee dislocations I've also had appendicitis and I get frequent brutal migraines, I can usually power through with Advil and a sunny attitude. But holy holy holy shit, this issue.
  

If it is indeed gout, how do you folks manage the pain?

Finding this community has been the closest thing to my current symptoms. However, I'm having a hard time understanding the cause of an RSI. Just like myself, most people on here mentioned repetitive use was the cause of their injury, (mixed with other things) but if that's the case, wouldn't this injury be way more common? We have so many office workers, blue collar, and gamers, wouldn't there be some kind of epidemic going on about this?
My journey:
27F.
January 2024, I started having both of my arms fall asleep when sleeping on my sides at night. And when I tried to shake it off, it would take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to feel normal. I knew something was wrong.
Early February, I told my doctor about this after it happened it a few more times. I tried sleeping on my back, but then it started happening even on my back. My doctor wasn't too concerned, told me to rest my arms and we did generic bloodwork. She mentioned we could do an MRI for my spine or nerve testing but wanted me to rest to see if it improved first. So I rested as much as possible.
In March, I was off work for other reasons entirely (mental health + trauma) which I had a computer job where I was typing and using the mouse a lot for seven hours a day, for two years. I also play games on consoles. As well I'm an artist and a crafter. I assumed with being off work, and not using the computer this would be plenty of rest. So I continued gaming here and there. I noticed pain in my right hand mostly, and forearm. I honestly thought this was from wearing my Apple Watch while gaming, so I removed it, and felt relief for a couple of days. I wanted to test this theory so I put the watch on my left hand, noticed the pain in my left wrist and forearm started after a week. So at this point I was blaming my watch, and removed it entirely.
April, my hand pain was getting worse with less use. I would game for an hour, and noticed pain pretty bad. I would stop, it would get better for a few days, went back to gaming and it got worse. Rinse and repeat. I didn't understand, I was using my arms less and less, and they were not able to tolerate minimal usage.
April 29th, shit hit the fan. It was the first day of my period, and naturally I tend to swell. I woke up with both of my arms in debilitating pain, all throughout the wrists and forearms. I was in shock. For three days I iced my arms, and took Advil. After my period, with less inflammation my arms better but there was still a baseline of pain. I could only manage to do basic tasks, brushing teeth, showering, etc and breaking in between to manage the pain. I started a system, Little bit of activity and then icing and rest. I stopped gaming, I couldn't even if I wanted to, and can't use my phone or type on the computer. I get pain within seconds of trying to do these activities. I started using speech to text and voice control on my phone.
May 9th, what's the soonest I was able to see my doctor. But before then I was feeling anxious for answers, so I went to a walk-in. He looked at my bloodwork from February and immediately said that I had low B12. He also moved around my arms and asked where I felt pain. A minute of this and he said that this was classic overuse. They were strongly urging I take B12 supplements to increase levels and take muscle relaxant when I feel pain. Right away I knew he wasn't really listening and A muscle relaxant was just going to be a Band-Aid solution so I didn't even fill the prescription. I did get B12 supplements, because what would be the harm. Looking at my levels, I was 236 in August 2023, and then went down to 185 in February 2024. The labs online say I’m borderline deficient, based on their guides.
May 9th. I explained what was going on to my doctor and she didn't seem very concerned. When I asked about MRI and nerve testing, she said she wanted to do bloodwork for inflammation first. Even though she mentioned this way back earlier, now she says the bloodwork is more important than the MRI. Because if there's inflammation hello then an MRI is useless - her words. She also said she was gonna give me some anti-inflammatories, but I have yet to see the prescription be filled, I don't believe she put in the order. I also asked about my B12 and she said it looks normal…
It's now May 13, and I still have a baseline amount of pain my pain is improved with icing constantly and rest. I'm also attempting to eat an anti-inflammatory diet and I believe it's helping manage the pain. Some of the lab work came back, a lot of the testing she did for inflammation is coming back as normal, negative diagnosis for RA. One thing looks high, but I don't know what it means and I refuse to look it up due to my health anxiety issues. My next doctors appointment isn't until May 21, in the progression of this recovery is far too slow, I also don't know what type of exercises I can do because I don't know the root issue yet. I do have bad posture, and since have changed my bedframe and gotten a new desk chair. Most of my pain lingers in my forearm in the inner forearm and the outer forearm by my elbow. But I have full pain throughout my entire hand wrist and upper arms, on and off, these past weeks. At night it gets worse, and I only feel relief if I'm standing and walking or sitting with my arms propped up on pillows and ice. Sitting at a table or in the car, after about 5 to 10 minutes I feel pain even just in a neutral position. They need to be propped for no or minimal pain.
Reading stories I understand it can take months. But I want medical professionals reviewing me as soon as possible, and my doctor is not taking it seriously. Living in Canada, pretty much have to get a doctors approval/referral for any kind of specialist. Most places you cant just walk in and request to see a specialist or PT. The elephant in the room is at the doctors tell you to rest, but you need to use your hands for everything, let alone most peoples jobs. I don't understand how this is a valid treatment option. It hasn’t been long since April 29, but I know most generic injuries would have shown better signs of recovery by now… so I'm worried for my road ahead.
Any suggestions for my next steps???

Hey guys, this is my first post in here so hello. I am 24 female in NYC and had laparoscopic surgery exactly two weeks ago for a left inguinal hernia. Here is my full report by day:
Surgery day: Everything went great, worst thing is just having an afternoon surgery and not being able to eat or drink anything. I went into the surgery around 2:30 and woke up at 4:40. I wasn't in any pain, just extremely nauseous and dehydrated. I was discharged from the hospital probably an hour later. Don't remember much or how I got home I was put on a soft diet for 24 hours so the only thing I ate that day was frozen yogurt.
Day 2: I slept from about 8 pm to 8 am and woke up once in the night to go pee. The worst pain I had by far was in the belly button area. My mom had to help me get up to pee and help me stand up from the toilet. It felt like I was legit pregnant and had been punched in the stomach 500 times by Mike Tyson. That day was probably the worst just because getting up was so difficult and it felt like my stomach was going to pop.
Day 3-5 A little less pain except was still in a lot of pain in the belly button area. The worst pains were laughs, coughs, sneezes and getting up. I became a little more mobile but not really anything crazy. I didn't do much walking and basically laid in bed for 4 days. I also pooped on day 4. It didn't hurt as bad as I thought but I highly recommend taking stool softeners and Miralax and eating fiber one brownies.
Day 6: Started to feel so much better and could finally walk around and laugh without feeling like I was going to die. Was taking some Advil very periodically but no pain killers or extra strength Tylenol.
Day 7: Walked to the park and probably walked a mile or 2. was so nice to get outside and do some walking. My lower back was in serious pain from all the laying and I felt like a hunchback from not standing upright. I still had a little belly button pain but nothing crazy, just sore. Had a follow up with my surgeon and everything looked good.
Day 8 - 11: Belly button pain is completely gone. More walking probably 2-3 miles very slowly. No pain but moving slowly.
11-14: No pain and continuing to walk 2-3 miles a day at a 20 min pace.
That's my surgery story! Overall a pretty easy experience. I will also note I had basically zero appetite the first week of surgery and still have a very limited one. I assume it was from all the Tylenol and Advil but the thought of most food disgusted me and I was basically eating just crackers, rice, and bread.
Let me know if you have any questions and I'll answer :)

You’ve all likely taken a pain medication at some point, so I thought I might offer a little more info about some of the different types.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is great for pain and fever, but it is not an anti-inflammatory medicine. Acetaminophen is known to cause liver damage when taken in large quantities, and this medication is included in many different OTC formulations such as cough and cold medicines. Patients should always check ingredients to ensure they are not double dosing unintentionally, and limit use when possible.
The term Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) encompasses a wide range of medications that help with pain, fever, gout, blood clots, and inflammation. Because these medications work differently from acetaminophen, it is generally safe to use both if your primary issue is pain and/or fever; however, you should never use two types of NSAIDs together due to their adverse drug effect (ADE) risks.
All NSAIDs are known to cause kidney damage, but liver damage is possible in high doses. In addition, some NSAIDs can increase the risk of bleeding, cause heartburn and stomach ulcers, increase blood pressure, cause heart problems or stroke, and may cause allergic reactions. Frequent/long term use is not recommended without oversight by a physician. NSAIDs are best taken with food and possibly a H2RA/PPI (see previous reflux post for more info on these meds) to help prevent GI bleeding.
Some common NSAIDs include: Aspirin (Bufferin, Ecotrin-low dose used often for blood clot prevention) Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) Naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn-12h dosing) Diclofenac (Voltaren-topical options available; higher risk for liver and heart ADEs) Indomethacin (Indocin) Meloxicam (Mobic-24h dosing) Ketorolac (Toradol-high risk for ADEs; use should be limited to 40mg max daily and 5 days use) Celecoxib (Celebrex-less risk of GI ulcers but increases risk of heart problems)
Also note that children with viral infections should NOT take aspirin due to the risk of Reye’s Syndrome
Corticosteroids (different from anabolic steroids) are synthetic versions of cortisol that are also used for inflammation by affecting the body’s immune response. They are commonly used for allergies, asthma, arthritis, and autoimmune diseases, yet they can have a wider variety of ADEs especially when used systemically, such as weight gain/water retention, mood changes, increased body hair growth, increased risk of infection/difficulty fighting infections, easy bruising, GI bleed risk, increased blood pressure and sugar, etc. Some examples are cortisone, hydrocortisone, methylprednisolone, prednisolone, prednisone, triamcinolone, betamethasone, dexamethasone, and fludricortisone. (NSAIDs and steroids should not be taken together.)
Lidocaine and/or menthol is also a great option for pain that is available in many different dosage forms. Some antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), or tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and some anticonvulsants can be used for certain chronic pain conditions. Muscle relaxers are useful for muscle tension and spasms.
When necessary opioid pain medications may be prescribed. These should only be used as directed because they carry high risks for ADEs, such as respiratory depression and dependence. Opioids cause intestinal movement to slow resulting in constipation so it’s important to also take senna, which directly stimulates the intestines to move, otherwise you get “all mush, no push” if you only use other constipation meds! 🤪
P.S. Physical therapy and dry needling can also be a great way to relieve pain!! I get needling regularly for my myofascial pain syndrome so I can attest that it helps tremendously!🤩
This website has some great additional info if you want to check it out!

Age 28
Sex Male
Height 6
Weight 165 lbs
Race Caucasian
Duration of complaint 12 hours to several weeks
Location Head
Any existing relevant medical issues Lots
Current medications Lyrica, Oxycodone
When should I go to the hospital for a headache?
Ive had a headache for about 12 hours straight now and its literally the worst I've ever had in my life. I know that gets said a lot, but its genuinely true in this case.
The thing is for the last few weeks I've been getting headaches here and there, each one maybe slightly worst thet the last. Me and my dr both assumed its been some kind of sinus issue but the pain is moving away from my sinus, and for this one my sinuses dont hurt at all plus my nose is clear, my ears aren't clogged, there is no pressure on the usual areas for sinus pain even up high behind the eyes or nose.
Each headache has been worse then the last and even when there isn't a headache I also have this persistent slight pressure/pain going on as well.
This one in particular just exploded out of no where, nothing to max pain and its just stayed.
Ive been vomiting to for a bit, but thats stopped for a while though,
Ive taken Advil, Tylenol, Aleve, Lyrica, Ocycodone and none have helped (even the last one, and I took a larger dose).
The parts that hurt are visibly slightly redder if that means anything.
There is a complicating issue, otherwise I would have just gone by now. I have some kind of long standing mystery illness, I know that sounds like hypochondriacatic bullshit but its legit. I get these "flare ups" that are accompanied by various symptoms that will, without fail, get me admitted to the hospital, fever, low blood pressure, high heart rate, my while body goes a deep crimson red, and I experience just the worst burning pain imaginable all over in my skin, its horrible. Ive been dealing with those plus a bunch of other things for about 10 years now and have be very sick I nthe past, including numerous ICU admissions and codes etc.
I knows this might come off as some kind of illnessfaker fan fiction, but please just stick with me.
The issue is thanks to the "mystery" nature of this illness and the pain combination ive been frequently accused of drug seeking, usually right before I pass out because my BP is around the 50s. It's gotten so bad that one ER has just straight up blacklisted me after an incident where they accidentally gave me a medication I was allergic to by IV that caused an explosive amount of pain, for which they mistook as a tantrum to get more drugs. The drug allergy is very well documented but unfortunately its also the first go to for a situation (its Gravol).
Anyways, there a bunch if hospitals that are still fine with me, as the issue is documented and known enough that even though they are weary they still treat is as an actual issue. Honestlyits usually just the hospitalists and internalists that have issues since they only ever see the early stages, not the later stages. I'll start with pain, then other symptoms will filter though, after about a day I go from "he just wants dilaudid" to "better call a code".
But still, i have this "on thin ice" feeling. So now I absolutely do not want to go unless its absolutely for a tangible reason. If I just show up with untraceable head pain that isn't anything else they'll just take it as evidence that km seeking narcotics or something.
So when I say its the worst I've ever had i mean it. And im clutching and groaning all that (typing this out was actually hell), but im worried that instead dog being seen as a sign of actual pain it'll just be seen as histrionics or something. I genuinely feel like I'm om a rock and a hard place. Specifically the rock and hard place of slamming against my skull.
I really hate this.

Hello everyone, this is my first time posting so I'm sorry if its messy.
TLDR - I have been suffering with severe red eye, irritation, and itchiness for majority of my life. Likewise, my optometrist says that my eyes are not dry but they said signs are pointing towards allergic conjunctivitis.
I am a severe red eye sufferer and at first I always thought that I would give myself ocular abrasions by scratching my eyes and I would previously take steroid (Prednisolone & Maxitrol) prescribed by my previous optometrist to help heal my eyes from the abrasions.
This actually worked for me every time i would use it, but in a couple of months or so the abrasions would come back and I would have to use the steroids again. I did this routine on and off for about 15 years.
Fast forward I am now (29) and I am visiting a new optometrist at Kaiser (I know its not a specialist but its what I can do for now), my optometrist let me know when she was measuring my eye pressure that I was at a 40 and it was likely caused by my intense use of steroids for relief. I came off of the steroids (using glaucoma medication) and my eye pressure is back to normal now, but I am left with almost no way for relief. My girlfriend and I spoke about the many different causes for my red eyes because what I was doing was no longer working and it made me think if my diagnosis was wrong this whole time.
Now here is the part for the rabbit hole, I first started with the idea that maybe I wasn't experiencing abrasions and instead my eyes were dry and could not produce the correct oils to keep them lubricated through the day/night. This lead me to trying out an abundance of tactics to solve my issues. First I tried cleaning my eyes regularly with tea tree oil, I also was using several different eye drops (Manuka honey eye drops, Ivizia, Thera tears, Lumify, pretty much any over the counter that wouldn't hurt my eyes i.e. Visine). An important thing to note as well is that I tried to do hot compress, but it would just make my eyes even more irritated and cold compress had little to no affect. I also invested in many different eye masks so that when I slept I could keep my eyes moist. Contrary to my initial idea, my current optometrist had stated to me that I do not suffer from dry eyes and my eyes are coated well enough to support my eye health.
This lead me to try and look into other answers, my girlfriend was being super adamant that it could be allergy related so I went to go get tested (since we have a cat). It came back that I was not allergic to our cat but I was allergic to dust at a level 3/5. Ive invested in two air purifiers for our very tiny apartment and a dehumidifier to really minimize the chances of dust growth. Likewise, I was put on immunotherapy (Tablets by mouth daily), I also use Sequa twice a day, manuka honey eye drops as needed, MSM supplements, omega 3, and vitamin C. Its also important to note that during days where my eyes were very red, I would work out and really exert myself, and my eyes would become clearer, but still be a little red.
So far this hasn't been the solution for me just yet so I also began to look into high histamine foods. I realized through some quick searches that many of the foods I really love are extremely high in histamine. So now to help, I have cut out majority of foods that are really high up on the list (salami and beef jerky are some examples) I have also stopped ingesting caffeine and dairy. Now I mostly take my supplements, eat very carefully, and work out moderately because I feel as though after a work out my eyes get better but then a day later they would rebound pretty badly.
I think it is also important to mention my girlfriend has told my that my eyes are slightly open when I sleep at night. I also work a 9-5 in an IT job where majority of my day is behind a screen (I make sure to reset my eye focus as well as doing blinking exercises)
Final update on my eye situations as of today 5/12/24: My eyes have been extremely red for about 2 weeks now, and last night was an extremely hard night, my left eye was in severe pain to the point that I could not sleep. I noticed the white part of my eyes (Sclera) is starting to swell around my iris and create a small film around the edges of my iris.
I am genuinely at a loss of what steps to take next and would like some guidance or suggestions. However, I have tried an abundance of things and I am sure I have missed some things on my lists below but this is what I can remember for now.
List of Medicines/eye drops I have tried:
Cromolyn sodium eye drops
Brimonodine
Manuka Honey eye drops
Sequa
Ivizia
Thera Tears
Lumify
Tea Tree oil cleansing wash
Artificial Tears (various brands)
Advil
Zertec
Aleve
Pataday
Lastcraft
List of Methods I have tried:
Hot Compress
Cold Compress
Wearing several types of masks at night/goggles
expressing my eye glands
Low Histimine Diet
Working Out
No Alcohol
Cleaning my eyes with tea tree oil

So a bit of context and apologies for what will be a long post: We've been married 5 years now, been together 7. Ever since we had our first baby (will be 3 in a few months) she has had trouble with sleep (falling asleep and staying asleep). She used to have no problem taking naps and sleeping before the baby.
First few years I chalked it up to us being really nervous first time parents and also we have a baby cam that she watched and kept the app on non-stop on her phone during the course of the night. She would even have the sound on so she'd hear if he started crying during the night. We got him sleep trained, he's in his own room and he self-soothes. Eventually I convinced her to 1) turn off the sound and then later 2) turn off the app at night as it was facing her and even in the darkest light setting, that's probably not helping...
Nowadays, she also has an iPad on her nightstand that faces her that she watches while laying in bed (we don't have a TV in our bedroom). I suspect this may be contributing to her issues but according to her it helps her fall asleep. Nowadays she doesn't ever get a full nights sleep and says she's very stressed from work. I convinced her a while back to see a doctor for anxiety or sleep disorder and she got prescribed some anxiety meds that are supposed to help her sleep but afaik they haven't really worked that well. We also tried ZZZquil and seems like a tossup whether it works for her on any given night. As a last ditch effort we even tried some edibles branded for sleep/relaxation (it's legal where we are) but all that did was give her munchies in bed.
Fast forward to today, we decide to get some lunch together with the kiddo. My wife always prefers to be the driver and says it gives her a headache when others drive (I think she gets carsick and being the driver negates that). Never really bothered me before so I let her drive (less work for me and more time trolling reddit posts? win/win?)
We're on a freeway and I'm in the backseat w/ our toddler who's in his carseat and we're playing with some toys together (him in a carseat, me w/ my seatbelt but not paying attention to the road - my wife has always been a safe driver afaik). All of a sudden my wife brakes hard and I initially think nothing of it. Maybe the car in front braked hard, trying to avoid something or whatever, but the braking is longer than I expected so I glance up and I see us going really fast exiting an offramp that curves/turns right and she's have a really hard turning the car at high speed while braking hard. I am scared she'll flip us since we drive a SUV.
She ends up hitting some kind of fence/post mid-turn on the side of the offramp (good thing there wasn't some dropoff or ditch) that ends up stopping us. I immediately ask if she's ok and she's kind of in shock and I have to tell her to get us off the road (our back half is still sticking out onto the road). Luckily there were no other cars around us (ahead or behind) and myself/baby are fine.
I ask her what happened and at first she says the brakes weren't working. I am not sure what she meant since our brakes were working fine (I drove the car myself yesterday) and they worked fine to get us off the offramp and into a nearby parking lot. I also remember the hard braking that initially got my attention in the first place.
I didn't want to push her too hard since she seemed like she was still in shock so I drove us to the restaurant the rest of the way (brakes worked fine btw). While we were eating I asked again whether she just missed the exit or if she was looking at her phone (I had to scold her about this in the past when she would text/drive). She claims she wasn't looking at the phone and didn't miss her exit. This made me even more worried because at least that could be explained w/ bad decision making. Later on during the meal, she wondered if she just "blacked out"? This got me really worried. Coupled with her being extremely tired and sleep deprived, while nothing new it has never put her or us in real danger like this before. Keep in mind she commutes to work by car and we share daycare pickup/dropoff duties. I convinced her to set up another dr appt tomorrow to followup w/ her anxiety and just get a general checkup since she got slightly banged up from accident too.
When we got back from lunch, I told her to take some pain meds and try to nap while I watched the baby for rest of day. I had to get something from bedroom a couple of times and she was on her phone in bed. Normally I'd just roll my eyes but this time I'm feeling kind of upset given what just happened. She didn't end up napping again, and after dinner, she goes back to bed while I put the kiddo to bed, I went to use our bedroom bathroom and she was STILL watching something on the iPad! Ok now I'm getting really irritated and told her we both have a very early start tomorrow morning (she has her dr appt/daycare dropoff and I have to bring car in to get checked out since the alignment and wheel got messed up in accident). At least when I came out of bathroom her iPad and phone was finally off. I am really considering either enforcing a night-time for her w/ screens off (hesitant to do this since I feel like I'd be treating her like a child) or straight banning the iPad from the bedroom. Part of me thinks that would make me just an AH overbearing / controlling husband - but I am genuinely afraid if something like this happens again if it is indeed related to her sleep issues?
AIO???
TLDR; wife always has phone/ipad screens on in bed, has trouble falling/staying asleep, gets in car accident - doesn't remember what happened/thinks she blacked out, husband considers banned screens or enforcing screen off time in bedroom.
EDIT: making this edit to clarify that when we got back the day of accident I suggested she take some Advil for her sore arm/elbow. She’s not taking or is addicted to painkillers and have no idea why everyone is assuming that SMH

I had wrist surgery about a month ago and my stomach hasn't been right ever since, alternating between having high anxiety/diarrhea/painful gas for a day and then constipation for 3 days. Can just stress/anxiety cause this? I do have an anxiety disorder and the surgery was stressful for me. The surgeon's assistant I was told to call just said "it has nothing to do with us" when I asked about my symptoms. Post-op doc didn't know when asked if surgery can affect mental and digestive health either. A nurse said a bug was going around but it's been 3 weeks now.
About me:
27F (definitely not pregnant)
5'7"
207 pounds
Diagnosed with anxiety
Surgeon team administered anesthesia and an antibiotic during ganglion surgery, as well as something for nausea in my IV afterwards. I only took Advil and Tylenol for pain for a few days after that. I am normally vitamin D deficient and was instructed to stop my supplement for a week before surgery but have been back on it since. Also drinking probiotics to see if that helps.

Awaiting surgery date Any advice on painkillers for bone on bone pain??
Tried perc5 and NOTHING just high....
Tylenol and Advil didn't really do much either

I'm approching 2 weeks PO. Did lots of prep in the little time I had. Used this sub for lots of it, so thank you for thise who have posted to inform!
I was even a bit over prepared in a few things, like pooping. Started eating lots of lean proteins, lots of fiber, and taking Miralax. After surgery I ate only hospital food and had my first bowel movement 2 days in!
Although three unexpected things happened. I had a 4hr total laparoscopic hysterectomy, due to fibroid. Kept ovaries.
1st thing, unexpected, uncontrollable, unexplainable top right groin area PAIN! Drs and nurses were running around trying to figure it out. No narcotic was helping. Then they gave me Tordal! Which they explained is "basically IV ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug". It was GOD SENT! Hours of pain instantly stopped! I went home allowed to take up to 2 pills of Advil every 6 hours, along with Narco. Honestly I feel like ibuprofen was all the pain relief I needed after the 3rd day.
2nd thing, left thigh numbness. Sometimes it feels like a burning sensation. Its the outer top area. Feels like it is asleep. Its annoying more then anything. I find myself slapping my thigh to 'wake it up'. Google says its because of the position and restaints during surgery. Definitely going to bring it up to my Dr. Just a random weird symptom I didn't read about before hand because it is not common.
3rd thing, NURSING PILLOW!! TRY ONE. Wish I had used it on the drive from the hospital home! I had taken a regular pillow to sit on, was still painful. I have a 2yo who I breastfed for 1 year. So her nursing pillow had been laying. When I sit, I feel lots of pressure in my center area. It gets painful sometimes. So when I saw the nursing pillow a light bulb idea! Sure enough the pillow offers xtra cushion on my butt area for support, but does not press against my inner area where I just had surgery! I even used it to ride passenger in the car and the RELEIF is phenomenal! I carry this thing around everywhere now. Love it, highly recommend for sitting!

I just had my gallbladder removed yesterday and wanted to share my overall experience with gallstones, as I've found it useful and comforting to read accounts from others.
Warning signs
I first experienced symptoms last fall. After eating a heavy meal, I had abdominal pain lasting four or five hours that I assumed was the result of something off in the ingredients. Then, about a month later, the same thing happened again with a different meal. About a month later, the same thing happened yet again. I don't get sick to my stomach very often, so I made an appointment with my PCP in January and explained my symptoms. My PCP quickly suggested that the pain might be the result of gallstones, and he explained that gallstones are common for people in their 30s.
Symptoms
My symptoms were pretty consistent. Every gallbladder attack happened in the evening, typically after midnight, and most attacks lasted between 4-6 hours, although they were occasionally milder and shorter. The pain level would start at around a 3 and then gradually work its way up to around a 7 before fading back down again. Pain was focused on my upper right abdomen, although it sometimes radiated throughout my abdomen or to my back. Pain medication didn't really help. At the worst moments of pain, I would often experience vomiting. At first, gallbladder attacks occurred only after heavy meals, but in the last few months, attacks seemed to be random, occurring after even light meals. While the attacks generally happened every 3-4 weeks, I would sometimes experience two or three attacks in the same week. Once, I had three nights of gallbladder attacks in a row. The worst attack, which lasted around 8 hours, occurred a few weeks ago.
Tests
My PCP ordered an ultrasound in February, which came back negative for gallstones. My PCP put me on omeprazole in the event that the abdominal pain was the result of an ulcer. In the meantime, my PCP ordered a CT scan for March. The CT scan came back positive for gallstones, and the physician who examined my ultrasound revised their diagnosis, having mistaken a gallstone shadow for a pocket of gas. My PCP explained that I had what appeared to be 1.5cm gallstone lodged in the bile duct, and he recommended surgery to remove the gallbladder. I quickly agreed. The surgery was scheduled for May.
Diet
After my first appointment to address the abdominal pain back in January, I made fairly sudden changes to my overall diet, because my PCP ordered blood work, which showed that I have high cholesterol. I really wasn't the healthiest eater prior to my gallstone diagnosis, which can't have helped. After getting diagnosed with high cholesterol in January, I quickly shifted to a high-fiber, low-saturated fat diet. I cut out alcohol and fatty foods almost entirely. To be honest, I didn't really notice a change to my gallbladder symptoms after changing my diet, although eating healthier meals probably didn't hurt. I did develop some anxiety around eating as a result of the gallstones, and in the last four months, I've lost around ten pounds. I tried to eat three or four small meals throughout the day rather than a couple larger meals. In the last few months, it wasn't uncommon for me to be eating less than 1200 calories per day, which probably wasn't healthy.
Prepping for Surgery
I had pre-op phone appointments with my surgeon's scheduler, a nurse, and my surgeon. They explained how the procedure would go and what the risks were, and they emphasized that I could choose to pursue or not pursue the surgery. They also sent me some materials in the mail, including instructions for the days leading up to the surgery and some special soap, which I used in the shower in the three days before my surgery. The day before the surgery, my surgeon's office sent me a message through my care provider's online portal with the check-in time.
The Surgery
The morning of the surgery, I showered as normal and wore loose-fitting, comfortable clothes. My wife brought me to the hospital, and we checked in at the surgery center. We weren't waiting long, maybe fifteen minutes, before I was called back to prep for surgery. A nurse showed me around, asked me some questions, took my blood pressure, and had me change into my hospital gown and hospital socks. A few other nurses came by to stick an IV in my hand and shave my stomach. After a while, my wife was allowed to come back and sit with me and the nurses. My surgeon came by briefly to say hello and talk through the procedure and ask if I had questions. We waited for maybe an hour before they were ready for surgery. A few nurses wheeled me to the operating room, where I got onto the operating table. Honestly, that's the last thing I can remember. I woke up a few hours later with my wife sitting next to me.
Post-Surgery
I had some abdominal pain after waking up from surgery, but the overwhelming feeling was fatigue. I can't remember ever feeling as tired as I did in the twenty minutes or so after waking up from the surgery. It was very uncomfortable and disorienting, but it passed. As many have reported on this subreddit, the abdominal pain after the surgery wasn't as bad as a gallbladder attack. Walking around after the surgery wasn't so difficult as I thought it would be. I live on the third floor of an apartment building without an elevator, and walking up the stairs wasn't terribly difficult. I'd read here and the nurses warned me that I would have shoulder pain after the surgery as a result of gas from the surgery pressing on my diaphragm. At first, I thought I might have lucked out because I didn't experience shoulder pain at all yesterday. But the pain hit last night and was much worse than the abdominal pain, even with semi-frequent walking to relieve the gas. I've taken pain medication as suggested by the physicians, alternating between oxycodone + Tylenol and Advil.
Today
Because of the shoulder pain, last night was rough, and I didn't get much sleep, but between taking pain medication and walking around, the shoulder pain has subsided, and I managed to get around four hours of sleep this morning sleeping on my back. My wife has been giving me ice packs periodically for my incisions, and I've been eating low-fat, high-fiber foods. Overall, I have much more mobility today, and getting up and sitting down is much less painful than it was yesterday. I still haven't had a bowel movement since the surgery, although the nurses warned me that this might happen because of the ocycodone and anesthesia. I took stool softeners yesterday and today, and I'm trying to drink lots of water. The nurses warned me that constipation could be painful after surgery, so I'm doing what I can to encourage a BM. Fingers crossed that my recovery keeps moving in the right direction! I'll add an update to this post after a week or so, but I hope the above helps other folks experiencing gallstones.

Hi everyone, I'm here to give an update on my 15 day Post operation, fibroid removing hysterectomy and first off, I want to say it was the best decision ever in regards to my fibroid journey. I'm two weeks post-op and feeling great. Like many of you, I was very anxious in the weeks leading up to my surgery to remove two fibroids that had been assessed at about grapefruit and orange sized 6 months previously. I was on Lupron to stop my periods, which only exacerbated my anxiety. My doctor prescribed add-back hormones, which helped tremendously with the volatile emotions, and Zopiclone to help me sleep, as that was also disturbed by the Lupron.
On the day of the surgery, I was at the peak of my nervousness. The nurse helped ease my fears by giving me a low dose of Ativan, which definitely helped as I went through the motions of talking to the anesthesiologist, my doctogynecologist, and the attending surgeons and nurses. I made it very clear to my doctor that I don’t do well with pain and I didn’t want to endure any unnecessary discomfort. I was brought to the surgical table and got through the anesthesiology needle poke pretty easily with the aid of the Ativan (I hate needles!) and before I knew it, I was slumping into that glorious sedation daze and within what felt like seconds wheeled to my room for my overnight stay. During surgery, I was administered generous amounts of nerve blockers and Fentanyl, so I woke up literally feeling nothing in my body and feeling quite euphoric.
I live in a wonderful small community in Canada and received the most exceptional care on the women and children’s floor. A few notable aspects of that overnight stay: the pain from the gas they used to expand your chest to get into your abdomen is no joke. I could feel it across my shoulder blades each time I breathed. The apparatus they provided me to test blowing air out of my lungs was uncomfortable but manageable and really helped to get movement within my internal torso, which is super important as you need to get the gas flowing so that it exits out your butt. I happily took the Hydromorphone made available to me every three hours, as well as the Tylenol and Advil, which they cycled every three hours as well. I certainly felt some discomfort, and again, the gas passing was painful but everything was manageable and the addition of the opioids during my stay made everything quite happy and pleasant.
I had a catheter attached to me, which was a new experience, as you go pee without any effort. I had four bandages on my abdomen indicating where my doctor had gone in laparoscopically. There was some overall tenderness and achiness which I attribute more to the positions I'm sure I was manipulated into while under , so the surgeons could get in via different angles. I was admitted into the recovery unit in the evening because my surgery was over four hours (about eight hours altogether end to end from my 11am admission)and there was no meal service available. Thankfully the wonderful nurses procured a sandwich from the cafeteria. I was absolutely famished and ate it quite voraciously. I was quite high at this point, so I thought it was the best thing I’d ever tasted in my life (it was a pedestrian tuna sandwich on plain bread).
Sleeping was more difficult, between the opioids and just general discomfort in my body. Oh, and the gas—the gas exiting your body does hurt as it makes its way through your tender digestive system, but it's very satisfying when it leaves. I know I kept the poor woman recovering in the adjoining section up all night with my flatulence, but the nurses assured me that it was encouraged to get it all out. I did wake up a number of times with some sharper pain and took advantage of the drugs on offer. My sleep was not deep nor necessarily restful, but it was enjoyable because I was pretty hopped up and happy. The hospital had affixed circulating airbags onto my legs to help prevent blood clots, and I found them to be quite relaxing.
I managed to sleep a few hours. When breakfast was served, I was happy to eat it. My doctor came to give me my surgical report and advised me that she had removed TWO grapefruit-sized fibroids along with my uterus and a dozen or so more little fibroids in the mix. One of the fibroids had necrotized. She showed me pictures of all the pieces and tissue. I don't do well with anything medical-related, but it was actually quite satisfying to see what had amounted to about the size of a bowling ball removed from my body. I had my uterus, fallopian tubes, and of course fibroids removed but my ovaries left intact. She said the total mass of the removed organ and bits was about 4 to 5 lbs. I'm very happy she was able to do it mostly vaginally with some assistance through the four small incisions on my belly. After receiving the all-clear from my doctor, the nurses removed my IV, which had been hooked up to dispense electrolytes and vitamins. Then they removed my catheter. I was really nervous about having my catheter removed because I didn't understand the mechanics of how it was attached, but it was just a quick little pinch and then it was gone. Another thing I had to demonstrate before being discharged was that I could pee on my own. It felt odd because I was activating muscles that were still tender, and I was uncertain about what was going on down there, but after being filled with various intravenous fluids as well as the juice and water I had been drinking, it was pretty easy to just sit back, relax, and let it flow. My partner came, wheeled me out in a wheelchair, and took me home where she had configured the bed with a variety of adjustable wedge pillows to ensure I was comfortable.
I was also sent home with a prescription for 15 additional Hydromorphone tablets, and I diligently took those every three hours because I had no desire to be a hero and endure any pain. The doctor prescribed one to two every three hours; I took one every three hours and that was sufficient, cycled with one Tylenol and one Advil every three hours. Getting out of bed was pretty easy; it just felt like I had had a rigorous ab workout and was a bit tender.
The worst part was trying to compel a bowel movement. The opioids are a bit of a double-edged sword in that they really enhance the healing experience, but they also cause constipation at a crucial time when your bowels are already quite shocked and don't need any more discouragement. I started on doctor recommended Colace pills and Restoralax on day one. By day four, I still hadn't had a BM and was starting to feel quite bloated and heavily constipated. What worked for me was a combination of warm milk of magnesia and prune juice. I downed a large glass of that and within about three to four hours, I had explosive diarrhea, which wasn't as bad as it sounds as it was a relief to finally get things moving. I had to endure about a day or two of just expelling liquid but still feeling like I was constipated. I continued to take the Colace and then added in Senokot (which I wouldn't recommend until you've had that first explosive movement) and have been taking that combination now for about a week, and finally, two weeks post-op, I had my first normal bowel movement today.
I ended up refilling my prescription for another 20 Hydromorphone pills about four days after the first. Near the end of that prescription, I started tapering down my dose, which I think helped significantly with the discomfort of weaning off. I've struggled with substance abuse issues in the past (five years sober this month!), so of course, the prospect of using potent drugs for the surgery and recovery was concerning to me and my family, but I can tell you that I was able to ease off without relapsing. I got through the whole experience with minimal pain and suffering. If you can get access to the drugs, do yourself a favor and don’t try to be a hero—take them! You’ve already been a hero dealing with these alien tumors disrupting your body for so long. Honestly, I think the fact that I don’t drink alcohol has probably helped my recovery significantly.
Yesterday, my partner helped remove the steri- strips. They did not fall off on their own as I had read, but they came off easily with just a little bit of pinching. I now see the faintest scars you’d expect from a super minor cat scratch.
My body definitely looks different, and everything just feels better. I always felt that I had an unsightly paunch, but the reality was I had a massive collection of fibroids the size of a bowling ball, and having them removed has made me look quite svelte, and there's still some swelling reduction to happen.
I feel like I could run a marathon, but my partner keeps reminding me to take it easy and to stick to walking only for exercise for the full six weeks. It’s a small investment to make for lifelong health. All in all, my experience was as good as it could be, and to top it off, I got the call from my doctor that my biopsy came back all clear from cancer. Let me know if you have any questions , happy to help you with your journey!

40F, height 5’2” weight 140 lbs…danceactive mother of two littles. Non Smokeminimal drinker, take vitamins and supplements but no regular medications except some Advil for pain or cold/allergy meds as needed.
I have a friend that had this and my symptoms are suspiciously similar. I’m waiting for an appointment with a neurologist and an endocrinologist.
Have been suffering from internal pain (primarily trunk/chest and back from neck down, and swollen lymph nodes and fatigue for several weeks. It has also morphed into some numbness and tingling in my face and hands.
Bloodwork showed High SED rate and high CRP, positive ANA but not for a specific autoimmune. Other CBC was unremarkable, white blood cells high end of normal. Thyroid normal. Cortisol normal. Partial hysterectomy.
Tests have ruled out lupus and RA and Lyme and MS…
My Varicella antibodies did come back over 700. Does anyone know if this is a typical amount showing from when I had chicken pox as a kid, or it that level more representative of an active/recent infection?
Thanks in advance!

Varicella zoster test results- active infection?
40 year old female -5’2” 140 lbs danceactive mother of two littles. Non Smokeminimal drinker, take vitamins and supplements but no regular medications except some Advil for pain or cold/allergy meds as needed.
I have a friend that had internal shingles and my symptoms are quite similar. I’m waiting for appointments with a neurologist and an endocrinologist.
Have been suffering from internal pain (primarily trunk/chest and back from neck down, and swollen lymph nodes and fatigue for several weeks. It has also morphed into some numbness and tingling in my face and hands.
Bloodwork showed High SED rate and high CRP, positive ANA but not for a specific autoimmune. Other CBC was unremarkable, white blood cells high end of normal. Thyroid normal. Cortisol normal. Partial hysterectomy.
Tests have ruled out lupus and RA and Lyme and MS…
My VSV antibodies did come back over 700. Does anyone know if this is a typical amount showing from when I had chicken pox as a kid, or it that level more representative of an active/recent infection?
Thanks in advance for any opinions.

(67 F) I'm 5'2 and was 150 lbs. when this injury happened/white. Had breast cancer (stage 1) 3 years ago-lumpectomy & 10 days radiation at Memorial Sloan Kettering-currently on Aromasin (brand name-not generic). Previously on Femara (brand name). Both these AIs cause a lot of collateral damage. I have 2 more years to go.
Also taking eye drops (Fluoromethenolone) and Acyclovir 800 for herpes in L eye (for 10 yrs). I take MethlyFolate with B, Vitamin D (500), and New Chapter Bone Strength (plant calcium) usually 2 or 4 a day.
I had tick borne illnesses from 2011 -2015.-Babesiosis, Bartonella and Anaplasmosis. I was basically in bed for a few years, but could not get a diagnosis locally until I went to Center for Complex Diseases in CA. I never tested positive for Lyme, but a lot of viruses seemed to reactivate and showed in blood tests at that time (EBV, several Herpes viruses, Parvo, and I think a few others. ) The EBV values were very, very high. If it's important for this diagnosis I will find the bloodwork from 2015. The Mepron was not tolerable and I didn't continue.
PRIMARY COMPLAINT.
I (67 F) handled 3 bags, 40 lbs. each, of chicken feed before leaving for Mexico. I tossed them into the car, then tossed 2 onto a sled and dragged across the grass to the barn about 50 feet away. It was very hard to pull them. The other one I carried. Then I lifted each bag into a metal can.
This was March 6, 2024. The next day (or so) I was hurting in both upper arms (elbows to shoulders) and both upper legs-mostly top of legs at groin, but also side hip pain-which I've had on and off in the past. It felt like muscle pain, not joint pain.
I went to Mexico for 6 weeks and was allowed a break from the Aromasin. I stopped Aromasin March 12 and went to Mexico March 14. (Last year in June I was on Femara and had a 4 week break in Mexico and the joint/muscle pain from Femara all stopped-I was able to walk about 4-5 miles a day-pain free).
This time the pain from the injury didn't subside at all. At its worst I could not push myself out of bed, nor sit or stand without a lot of pain and shakiness. I could not pick something off the floor. At best I could walk around the city a bit-and look kind of normal with just some limping-and a lot rest breaks.
I had a massage from a local woman (not trained in massage at all) and she "cured" my right arm, but not the left arm. To this day my right arm it is almost pain free, left arm is still terrible. I have a short video of me trying to lift toothpaste with left arm (at 45 degree angle) and my arm kind of jerks upward slowly. It was painful to do this.
While still in Mexico I went to a MD who specializes in muscle pain and had 3 ultrasound treatments/ massage of the sore muscles of arms and legs. I got immediate relief from 2 treatments and could walk normally (instead of limping) and function almost pain free for 2 days then it would all come back the 3rd AM. One of her treatments had no effect at all.
I had 3 other massages and got 2 day relief from the less trained woman, and no relief from the trained woman. Again, not sure how this is possible.
In Mexico I had no car so to eat I had to walk to restaurants. Sometimes this helped (like less than 2 miles over the whole day) but if I exceeded this I paid for it the next day. While in Mex I lost 10 lbs. partly because some days I could not walk for food.
Over my weeks in Mexico my Right IT band got stiffer and stairs became difficult.
Now back in US, over 9 weeks later, the pain is the same. It's terrible in the AM and usually a bit better in the afternoon-but not always. Unless I take Advil I'm not really functioning on the bad days and sleep is impossible. I continue with gentle yoga weekly (scaled back from regular yoga and some 5# weight lifting), and acupuncture weekly which was helping with normal Aromasin pain, previous to this injury, but does not seem to help this new pain. I found a pain massage therapist in my town, and the first 2 visits helped a lot and the 3rd massage made things a lot worse. She believes this to be muscular, rather than joint related, and possibly the arm pain is at the deltoid muscle attachment. That matches the area of pain and the ROM limitations I'm reading about. We are also checking on infraspinatus issues. The IT band is a lot better from massage and maybe acupuncture helped.
So I'm doing yoga (tai chi), acupuncture and massage while waiting for other doc visits.
There is also pain in the front of left shoulder but only when I lie on my back. This started prior to the injury so probably not related, but it seems to be getting worse.
I sometimes use CBD or CBD/THC gummies for sleep which don't seem to help with pain might help with sleep. I used CBD/CBG oil in Mexico which dId seems to help (it seemed to have THC in it too). I use CBD salve on L arm which sometimes helps (depending on the brand). I have prescription Lidocaine patches which don't help at all. Tylenol does not seem to help at all.
I went to an orthopedist locally who thinks this is osteoarthritis (but did not evaluate my L arm) but because it happened in one day, is bilateral, there is no crepitus, I think the pain is muscular rather than joint. Also, would massage fix the pain of right arm if this is joint related? Maybe it would, but....it seems more inflammation or muscle.
I have some OK days (pain 3-4) and some horrible days (pain 10 or about equal to "post shoulder surgery" pain which I had for rotator cuff of right shoulder in 2006). On the bad days everything hurts worse (arms and legs) and the pain radiates down to my left thumb. On good days the pain stays in upper left arm.
I kept detailed notes on the pain but didn't see any patterns that could explain what helped and what didn't. It seems hit or miss.
I can't sleep because there is no comfortable position-so now having dizzy /vertigo episodes which are pretty scary.
I don't smoke and don't drink at all (sober 42 years). I only use gummies which I cleared with Sloan. I don't take any rec drugs. We eat fairly clean, but not perfect.
I'm not sure what to do next to get a diagnosis. I'm going to PT on May 16th and Rheumatologist at NYU on May 22. What do you all think? Is there some other specialist I should see? I fear this will be permanent without a correct diagnosis. Any suggestions would help, and thanks in advance to anyone with an opinion.......

Hi everyone,
As many of you approach these posts with skepticism—which is essential—I encourage you to maintain that perspective and conduct your own research. This isn't medical advice but rather my personal account of overcoming Post-Orgasmic Illness Syndrome (POIS) after 13 years of struggle.
Background:I am 28 years old and have been battling POIS for 13 years, but I have recently managed to fully alleviate my symptoms.
Symptoms:My experience with POIS presented a range of symptoms that varied over time, including: 1. Fatigue and sleep issues (2 days) 2. Decreased libido (1-2 days) 3. Facial swelling or "POIS face" (2-3 days) 4. Irritability and inattentiveness (1 day) 5. Swollen lymph nodes (7-10 days) 6. Lower pelvic pressure (1-2 days) 7. Loss of appetite and thirst (1 day) 8. Hair shedding (3 days) 9. Weak fine motor skills (1 day) 10. Brain fog and histamine buildup (1 day) 11. Congestion and dry eyes (1 day)
Initial Treatments:My initial approach was bandaid solution without total relief: 1. Zyrtec for histamine build up 2 Advil for inflammation 3. Occasional pseudoephedrine for severe flare-ups 4. Probiotics for gut health
Antibiotic treatment:After years of enduring POIS without a clear diagnosis or effective treatment, I just so happened to be on multiple antibiotics for unrelated illness. About 6 months ago, I was prescribed doxycycline, which brought a surprising and rapid alleviation of my symptoms. This included the resolution of swollen lymph nodes, reduced fatigue, and an overall improvement in my condition. Encouraged by these results, I hoped I had finally found a solution. However, about a week after completing a 14-day course of doxycycline, my symptoms began to reappear. This recurrence was not only disheartening but also puzzling. It initially seemed like a straightforward bacterial infection had been cured, yet the symptoms' return suggested a more complex underlying issue. This experience shifted my focus from a simple infection to the broader, systemic effects of the medication.
Further Investigation into Doxycycline's Mechanisms:Motivated by the temporary relief doxycycline provided, I deepened my research into its pharmacological actions beyond its antibacterial properties. I discovered that doxycycline is also:

1. An MMP Inhibitor: It regulates enzymes involved in tissue remodeling and inflammation, potentially explaining part of its effectiveness in reducing my symptoms initially.
2. A Modulator of Cytokines and Chemokines: It affects immune system signaling, which could have temporarily moderated the immune response associated with POIS.
3. An Oxidative Stress Reducer: It helps protect cells from damage caused by oxidative stress, which might be implicated in the systemic effects of POIS.

Similarities to Varicocele:Upon further evaluation and testing, I was diagnosed with varicocele, which presented an interesting parallel to the actions of doxycycline.
Both involve: 1. Increased MMP Activity: Varicocele can lead to higher MMP levels, which cause inflammation and tissue damage, similar to the inflammation mitigated by doxycycline. 2. Oxidative Stress: Varicocele can induce oxidative stress that damages cellular structures, including mitochondria. Doxycycline’s ability to reduce oxidative stress might explain why it temporarily alleviated my POIS symptoms. 3. Systemic Inflammation: The systemic inflammation caused by varicocele, driven by oxidative stress and elevated MMPs, closely mirrors the systemic effects that doxycycline helps to control.
Successful Treatment:The link between varicocele and my symptoms led to a varicocelectomy, which has successfully resolved my POIS symptoms for several months now.
Conclusion:This journey has taught me the critical importance of personalized medical exploration and treatment. POIS is complex and varies between individuals. If you're experiencing similar issues, I highly recommend seeking a specialist, particularly a urologist, to explore your symptoms in depth and consider all possible underlying causes.

Hey everyone! I recently had my laparoscopy and endometriosis excision after years of pain and infertility, and was confirmed to have advanced endo. I myself am a doctor and hope that by and sharing a "surgery action plan" including both my personal and professional experience, it might help you as well! It includes all kinds of things big and small that I found helpful or wished I'd thought of sooner that made the experience much more manageable.
~DAYS/WEEKS PRIOR TO SURGERY:~

• Pick up at a drug store:
  • Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
  • Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
  • Miralax (stool softener)
  • Liquid IV packets (or other hydration powder)
  • Prescriptions: depends on your surgery but may include things like ondansetron (Zofran) for nausea, and oxycodone for extra pain relief if needed
  • Organic/cotton pads (if you have a hysteroscopy where they look inside your uterus with a camera during the surgery, you will likely have some bleeding the first couple days)
  • Optional:
    • Extra strength simethicone (Gas-X) — theoretically may help dissolve the gas they use to insufflate your abdomen, which causes significant shoulder pain
    • Diphenhydramine cream (AKA Benadryl cream) — the surgical glue over the incisions commonly makes people itchy, and can be treated with benadryl cream
    • Chloraseptic sore throat spray or throat lozenges — for sore throat after the breathing tube
    • Herbal tea packets — I found warm tea helped my throat after the breathing tube more than anything else)
• Buy a weighted microwaveable heat pack if you don't already own one. I cannot emphasize enough that having some light warm pressure on your abdomen does wonders for the pain in the first couple of days! These packs are like a smaller version of a weighted blanket, but designed to be warmed up in the microwave. There are some great natural options that are filled with things like corn or flaxseed. It was also surprisingly helpful for the shoulder pain that you get from the CO2 gas they use insufflate your abdomen during surgery, so I alternated placing heat there too, but Etsy also has some great combo options that have both a belly and shoulder heat pack (Bonus: they come in some really cute prints!): https://www.etsy.com/market/corn_heating_pad
• Start taking miralax to loosen your stools 5-ish days before surgery, since you will get narcotic pain medications that can cause constipation. Nothing is worse after this surgery than feeling like you need to strain to poop! I bought a box of Miralax with 10 packets and took 1 per day, mixed with a packet of Liquid IV in a 32oz water bottle starting 5 days before surgery, and continued this through 5 days postop. It made a world of difference! Of course, hold off on taking for a couple days if your stools get too loose.
• Hydrate! Water and Liquid IV are your friend. You have to fast for a certain amount of time leading up to surgery depending on your hospital’s guidelines, which can make you dehydrated. Drinking lots of fluids will will help keep your poop hydrated (see above) and will make your day of surgery better for everyone — it makes your blood vessels more plump and easier for your preop nurse to get your IV. And most anesthesia medications can make your blood pressure drop, so you want your blood vessels nice and hydrated so you have “room” in your blood pressure for the drop when it happens. Don’t sweat this though, if they feel like you need more fluid, they can easily give it through your IV once you're back there!
• Head to the grocery store to pick up nutritious, easy-to-make foods for recovery since you won’t feel like going to the store in the first few days postop. Things like fruit, scrambled eggs, plain pasta dishes, and avocado toast worked well for me.
• Plan your comfy outfits ahead of time (see sections below)

~DAY OF SURGERY:~

• Clothing: Wear loose fitting DARK clothes made out of a very comfortable material since the material will make contact with the area right around your incisions. I say dark because you may get a little blood on the clothes after surgery where the incisions ooze some. You won’t want to put your normal-size underweabra on after surgery because the bands will feel tight, so you might want to just do a pad + loose dark pants. I also put on a dark soft t-shirt and got a couple splotches of blood on it. And then over it all I put on a thick zip-up sweatshirt that I would be comfortable wearing out of the hospital without a bra on (zip-up so you don’t have to reach over your head and use your abs to pull it on). I also recommend slip-on shoes – pulling on tennis shoes was surprisingly painful!
• Bring to the hospital: Pad to wear home, Liquid IV packets, and the pain/nausea medications you've already picked up (not to use at the hospital, but in case you need them on the ride home). Don't wear any jewelry, makeup, or lotion.
• You’ll be brought to a preop area and asked health history questions, likely be asked to provide a urine sample, a nurse will start your IV, and you’ll have a chance to meet your care team. Ask your surgeon and anesthesiologist/anesthetist all the questions you have!
  • Ask the surgeon how/when they plan to inform you and your family what they found, about activity/weight-bearing restrictions, and how long you have to wait before “anything in the vagina” (menstrual products, sex, etc).
  • Ask your anesthesiologist specifically about their plan for pain and for nausea. This surgery is very high risk for postop nausea – those with the highest risk of nausea are young women, who don’t smoke, get narcotics during the surgery (which you will), and have a history of motion sickness or prior postoperative nausea. Add the fact that they are operating on your reproductive organs and that they will insufflate (basically inflate) your abdomen with CO2 gas and this is a huge recipe for nausea! Don’t hesitate to ask your anesthesia team for all the extra preventive measures they can offer for postop nausea.

SURGERY/POSTOP:

• You will likely be offered some optional “relaxing medication” (usually Versed, which is like a cousin of Xanax) if you want, then rolled to the OR. You will move to the operating table, have your monitors hooked up, breath fresh oxygen through a mask, and the team will let you know you are going to sleep.
• Next thing you know, you will be in recovery! A lot of recovery is about managing pain and nausea. If you need narcotic or non-narcotic pain medications, don’t hesitate to ask! I however was already feeling very nauseous and had cramping pain, so I personally did not want more narcotic and asked if I could have all the non-narcotic options first (so they gave me a form of IV ibuprofen called ketorolac).
• Warm pressure is your friend! Ask for a warm blanket on your abdomen and around your shoulders if you’re having pain in those places.
• Every time the nurses offered me to try something to eat, even just the thought of it made me so nauseous. But I brought a Liquid IV packet to the hospital with me and that was leqitimately the only thing that revived me (they aren’t paying me to endorse them I swear!! But if there are any Liquid IV reps reading this that would like to sponsor me let me know!! Lol)
• Before you leave the hospital, have your recovery nurse write down when you are allowed to take your next doses of ibuprofen and acetaminophen

LEAVING THE HOSPITAL/FIRST FEW DAYS:

• For the first 72 hours, you can take 600 mg ibuprofen and 1000 mg acetaminophen (typically in the form of two 500 mg pills) every 6 hours on a scheduled basis to stay on top of the pain (unless you have a condition that prohibits you from taking either of these, such as liver or kidney problems. Please check with your doctor!). While you're asleep, your surgeon likely will do numbing injections at the sites where the laparoscopic ports are, and those injections usually wear off around 12-18 hours after surgery, so don’t be surprised if it initially feels more sore with time — this is why I recommend taking the pain meds in a scheduled manner to help! I staggered mine so I got to take one or the other every 3 hours (see below), but you can also choose to take both at the same time every 6 hours if that is easier to keep track of. My example:
  • 4:00- take 1000mg Acetaminophen (typically 500mg pill x2)
  • 7:00- take 600mg Ibuprofen
  • 10:00- take 1000mg Acetaminophen
  • 1:00- take 600mg Ibuprofen …and so on
    • This schedule helped me avoid having to take any of the narcotic I was sent home with, but everyone is different, and if you feel you need some for pain then don't hesitate!
• The CO2 gas that was used to insufflate your abdomen during surgery is totally safe, but sticks around for a couple of days as it slowly diffuses into your blood stream, and you breathe it off naturally (CO2 is a main component of what you normally are breathing off, so you won’t notice a difference)! What you will likely notice is it causes shouldeneck pain! The gas collects under the diaphragm and the nerve irritation actually refers the pain to your shoulder(s). The best thing you can do for this is move around to help the gas dissipate! Gas-X theoretically may help dissipate the gas, so I took this twice a day the first few days. Warm heat on the shoulders/neck and sitting or sleeping propped up may help as well.
• Eat something bland and healthy. I had fruit, scrambled eggs, plain noodles, and avocado toast during my first day, and that sat pretty well for me. Your throat may be sore and dry from the breathing tube, so keep that in mind if considering dry foods! You can also drink warm tea or use chloraseptic spray for your throat.
• For the coming days after that, have lots of loose fitting, soft clothes to wear! Move around to help the gas dissipate, and stay well-hydrated. Take care of yourself, and lean on your loved ones to help you as well. You've got this!!

Good afternoon, since December I have been suffering with anxiety which has progressively gotten worse to the point where it has made me depressed as well. As of this post I am at an all time low and am in desperate need of relief. If you make it to the end I will explain what I am going through.
I am a male in my late 30s and have had two bouts of anxiety / depression in my life both of which lasted 3 months (2015 and 2020), and were cured with therapy. This time seems different..
I have a very stressful job which requires me to work 7 days a week with the only break being when I take vacation or slow times in the industry. It pays really well and helps me provide my wife and two young kids a good life so I put up with it in the hopes I can manage the stress better in time. I mention the above because I truly believe it has alot to do with the state I am in now.
I have always been caring, outgoing, light natured, and humerous throughout my life and also pretty sensative. I really want to go back to that and hope treatment will help.
I also realize I am my own worst enemy in getting treatment as you will see in the paragraphs below.
When I was a teenager into my early twenties I was carefree and would try most drugs to fit in. Extacy, lsd, mushrooms, pills, etc.. Never touched the extremely hard stuff. Marijuana was my best friend and I smoked a ton of it. Hello panic attack! I remember the first time I got one after smoking Marijuana in my early twenties. It was horrible! I couldn't smoke Marijuana anymore afterwards because it would induce a panic attack. I told myself it was God's sign telling me to stop so I did. I haven't smoke Marijuana since.
Fast forward a few years from then I was introduced to a medical condition called gout. It is very painful and the first time I was treated for it I was given narcotic pain medication and an anti inflammatory. I took both when I got home and it provided relief. Being this was my first experience, I wanted to research gout a little more and I did just that on the internet. Here comes the part where my life changed for the worse..
For some reason, I also asked google if you could overdose on the pain medication I was currently taking. No clue why I wanted to know but as soon as I read you could, I instantly had the worst panic attack I ever experienced.
Ever since that point in my life I have refused to take medication in fear of another panic attack. From that point forward, my mind associated taking medication with panic. For the years afterwards I always had a panic attack when I tried to take anything including something as simple as advil.
Anytime I would be prescribed something I would obsessively research it, watch videos on it, read reviews, etc.. I would psych myself out and not take it.
Fast forward to 2015 when I finally moved out of my parents house. I won't go too much into it but I had my first bout of extreme anxiety and depression from it. It was a big change for me and it took a few months to pull myself out of it with the help of a therapist.
Life was absolutely WONDERFUL after that. I was on my own, found the love of my life, got married in 2018, and was the happiest I had ever been.
2020 was my second episode of anxiety and depression. In a matter of 6 months I lost my grandmother, godmother, my one year old boxer puppy, and my father in law. I also had my first child. Not to mention it was covid time...After everything settled down from the chaos it hit me like a ton of bricks. Bam!..anxiety and depression. It was awful and I knew I needed help. I started therapy and it helped tremendously. It was suggested that I also see a pyschiatrist. I did and he prescribed me prozac to take along with therapy. I was not going to take it. We all know how I am with my phobia of medication.
One day I said screw it and out of nowhere threw it in my mouth and swallowed. I expected the worse. Nothing happened...I continued to take it for 4 days and didn't notice anything bad happening to me. I was happy about that.
The 5th day I had a panic attack because I started to feel really strange. I don't remember exactly how I felt but I remember calling my sister and telling her I feel really weird. She assured me it is normal and to keep on which I did.
The 6th day I took my pill in the AM and all was well. I was tired so I stayed in bed. Out of nowhere I felt a rush of bad bad bad energy take over my body. It is hard to explain. It was like a rush of anxiety but with it was a sense of hopelessness and dread. I had experienced in my first bout back in 2015 but not this severe. I was scared and called my psychiatrist and left a message. I immediately went to my mother's and cried cried cried. The feeling subsided. My psychiatrist called me back very quickly and when I explained what I felt he told me to stop taking it and to take the ativan he prescribed if needed.
I stopped the medication and never took an ativan. I got better over the next couple months through therapy and all was well.
I did have a tiny breakthrough and convinced myself to take a medication to stop my reoccurring gout attacks. It is called allopurinol and is regarded as one of the safest medications out there. It took alot of courage and of coarse I read every review there is on it but I eventually just threw it in my mouth and fell asleep. Have been taking it daily for two years now.
Fast forward to December of last year 2023. The stress from work and medical issues throughout 2023 must have built up and I had a breakdown. I started to get anxiety and small feelings of the hopelessness I mentioned above. December into January into February I dealt with it and kept telling myself it will pass like the other times. It didn't and kept getting worse. I finally sought help from a psychologist in late February / early March. After the first few sessions I would immediately get a high from the previous hours talk. It was fantastic but eventually wore off a few hours later.
The anxiety I was experiencing / am experiencing is absolutely horrible. Non stop jaw clenching, chest pains, tension, blurred vision, lack of good sleep, extremely heightened senses, etc. Though wise, I am good at telling myself it is anxiety and will go away. I don't freak out over it into full blown panic but I feel like I am always borderline panic while also being exhausted. It's very uncomfortable. I have had multiple health checkups and all is fine.
I decided to call my old psychiatrist because it had been 3 months with minimal relief. I was told he was retiring and he referred me to someone else who I am now seeing.
He prescribed me Paxil and klonopin in match and I my of coarse my phobia stopped me from taking it. We did a gene test to see which medicine would work for me and paxil was a good fit. I just couldn't do it. For the next few weeks I seemed to be getting better by getting out and doing things. I even started fishing again which was a huge passion of mine. Things were looking up!
Anxiety was going from an all day thing to maybe a couple hours type of thing! I was hopeful...
Let me introduce you to my buddy kidney stones...
Middle of April I woke up to EXCRUCIATING pain. I eventually went to the ER that day after hours of suffering and they told me I had 2 kidney stones. They sent me home with the same narcotic pain medication that started my panic attack journey when I was younger and also some other medication. From that Tuesday to Thursday I was in crippling pain and refused the pain medication. It got to a point where I almost blacked out from the pain so I had no choice but to take it. I popped it and finally got some sleep. I think I didn't freak out after taking it because my body was in shock from the pain. I woke up 30 minutes later to the excruciating pain again and said enough was enough. I went back to the ER and they did an emergency surgery and put a Stent in me to stop the pain. It worked and was a huge relief.
After catching up on sleep and recovering, I started to get my anxiety back. The next two weeks while waiting on my second surgery my anxiety, which was on the right path prior to this stone, came back to it's previous 10/10 levels. Jaw clenching, blurred vision, etc..
I toughened it out AND not to mention, completed a full 14 day coarse of a strong antibiotic due to a kidney infection! I was so proud of myself. With my newfound proudness, I called my Pyschiatrist and set up an appointment for the following week after my second surgery to discuss some things.
I had my second surgery last Friday the 3rd and they removed both stones. I went home Friday night with another stent in me which I was told to remove from home on Monday by pulling a string that was hanging out of my penis head (sorry for TMI) which in turn pulls the stent from my kidney down and out through my penis. I did that on Monday and it wasn't bad at all.
The Saturday after my surgery went fine. I'm sure I felt good because I was still coming off anesthesia but boy o boy that Sunday I woke up after sleeping 12 hours to a horrible panic attack. Imagine waking up from a dead sleep to the biggest adrenaline dump you could imagine. It was awful and lasted ALL day! I experienced derealization and every symptom you can think off. I should have taken a klonopin but my phobia told me it would make it worse so I didn't. It settled down into the evening and I was absolutely exhausted.
Monday I woke up to another panic attack but not as severe and Tuesday another panic attach which was even less severe. Wednesday the same and this morning has been the first morning I haven't woken up to an adrenalin dump. With that being said, this whole week has been absolutely horrible with 10/10 anxiety. I rarely get breaks from it. At night it calms down and I feel normal. Because of that, I chase that normal feeling and stay up way too late lol.
Anyway, leading up to my psychiatry appointment today, the last few weeks I have been obsessively looking up the 2 ssris and 1 snri my gene test said I was compatible with. Prozac (go figure), paxil, and effexor. I was also compatible with welbutrin.
Paxil I am terrified of because it is supposedly the dirtiest and worst for weight gain (I am a 240lb male).
Prozac I tried previously and I think I didn't give it enough time. I am not 100% sure that dread / hopeless feeling was suicide ideation but the feeling is in a class of its own compared to my normal anxiety.
Effexor I am scared of because of the withdrawel and alot of YouTube reviewers said it made them feel high and wired for the beginning. The horror stories of coming off it scares me too.
Welbutrin I hear great things about but heard it is bad for anxiety which is my main concern.
My overall fear is that any of these will make me lose control and make me not myself. I am also scared that I don't remember what normal feels like and feeling normal will scare me. Crazy to say that. Ultimately he prescribed me Effexor 37.5 for 2 weeks and then upping it to 75mg. He said to take the klonopin if I need it starting up. I have 15 of them.
I know I need to do something because I can't live like this. My wife, my 4 yr old, and my 2 yr old need their father and husband back. It's not fair to them. I'm tired of staying in bed all day. I'm tired of not caring if I wake up. I'm tired of not being the best employee I can be, I'm tired of not being in contact with my friends anymore, I'm tired of not caring about my hobbies, Im tired of being tired, and most importantly I'm tired of feeling like this.
I will start the effexor tomorrow and update this thread with my progress.

Good afternoon, since December I have been suffering with anxiety which has progressively gotten worse to the point where it has made me depressed as well. As of this post I am at an all time low and am in desperate need of relief. If you make it to the end I will explain what I am going through.
I am a male in my late 30s and have had two bouts of anxiety / depression in my life both of which lasted 3 months (2015 and 2020), and were cured with therapy. This time seems different..
I have a very stressful job which requires me to work 7 days a week with the only break being when I take vacation or slow times in the industry. It pays really well and helps me provide my wife and two young kids a good life so I put up with it in the hopes I can manage the stress better in time. I mention the above because I truly believe it has alot to do with the state I am in now.
I have always been caring, outgoing, light natured, and humerous throughout my life and also pretty sensative. I really want to go back to that and hope treatment will help.
I also realize I am my own worst enemy in getting treatment as you will see in the paragraphs below.
When I was a teenager into my early twenties I was carefree and would try most drugs to fit in. Extacy, lsd, mushrooms, pills, etc.. Never touched the extremely hard stuff. Marijuana was my best friend and I smoked a ton of it. Hello panic attack! I remember the first time I got one after smoking Marijuana in my early twenties. It was horrible! I couldn't smoke Marijuana anymore afterwards because it would induce a panic attack. I told myself it was God's sign telling me to stop so I did. I haven't smoke Marijuana since.
Fast forward a few years from then I was introduced to a medical condition called gout. It is very painful and the first time I was treated for it I was given narcotic pain medication and an anti inflammatory. I took both when I got home and it provided relief. Being this was my first experience, I wanted to research gout a little more and I did just that on the internet. Here comes the part where my life changed for the worse..
For some reason, I also asked google if you could overdose on the pain medication I was currently taking. No clue why I wanted to know but as soon as I read you could, I instantly had the worst panic attack I ever experienced.
Ever since that point in my life I have refused to take medication in fear of another panic attack. From that point forward, my mind associated taking medication with panic. For the years afterwards I always had a panic attack when I tried to take anything including something as simple as advil.
Anytime I would be prescribed something I would obsessively research it, watch videos on it, read reviews, etc.. I would psych myself out and not take it.
Fast forward to 2015 when I finally moved out of my parents house. I won't go too much into it but I had my first bout of extreme anxiety and depression from it. It was a big change for me and it took a few months to pull myself out of it with the help of a therapist.
Life was absolutely WONDERFUL after that. I was on my own, found the love of my life, got married in 2018, and was the happiest I had ever been.
2020 was my second episode of anxiety and depression. In a matter of 6 months I lost my grandmother, godmother, my one year old boxer puppy, and my father in law. I also had my first child. Not to mention it was covid time...After everything settled down from the chaos it hit me like a ton of bricks. Bam!..anxiety and depression. It was awful and I knew I needed help. I started therapy and it helped tremendously. It was suggested that I also see a pyschiatrist. I did and he prescribed me prozac to take along with therapy. I was not going to take it. We all know how I am with my phobia of medication.
One day I said screw it and out of nowhere threw it in my mouth and swallowed. I expected the worse. Nothing happened...I continued to take it for 4 days and didn't notice anything bad happening to me. I was happy about that.
The 5th day I had a panic attack because I started to feel really strange. I don't remember exactly how I felt but I remember calling my sister and telling her I feel really weird. She assured me it is normal and to keep on which I did.
The 6th day I took my pill in the AM and all was well. I was tired so I stayed in bed. Out of nowhere I felt a rush of bad bad bad energy take over my body. It is hard to explain. It was like a rush of anxiety but with it was a sense of hopelessness and dread. I had experienced in my first bout back in 2015 but not this severe. I was scared and called my psychiatrist and left a message. I immediately went to my mother's and cried cried cried. The feeling subsided. My psychiatrist called me back very quickly and when I explained what I felt he told me to stop taking it and to take the ativan he prescribed if needed.
I stopped the medication and never took an ativan. I got better over the next couple months through therapy and all was well.
I did have a tiny breakthrough and convinced myself to take a medication to stop my reoccurring gout attacks. It is called allopurinol and is regarded as one of the safest medications out there. It took alot of courage and of coarse I read every review there is on it but I eventually just threw it in my mouth and fell asleep. Have been taking it daily for two years now.
Fast forward to December of last year 2023. The stress from work and medical issues throughout 2023 must have built up and I had a breakdown. I started to get anxiety and small feelings of the hopelessness I mentioned above. December into January into February I dealt with it and kept telling myself it will pass like the other times. It didn't and kept getting worse. I finally sought help from a psychologist in late February / early March. After the first few sessions I would immediately get a high from the previous hours talk. It was fantastic but eventually wore off a few hours later.
The anxiety I was experiencing / am experiencing is absolutely horrible. Non stop jaw clenching, chest pains, tension, blurred vision, lack of good sleep, extremely heightened senses, etc. Though wise, I am good at telling myself it is anxiety and will go away. I don't freak out over it into full blown panic but I feel like I am always borderline panic while also being exhausted. It's very uncomfortable. I have had multiple health checkups and all is fine.
I decided to call my old psychiatrist because it had been 3 months with minimal relief. I was told he was retiring and he referred me to someone else who I am now seeing.
He prescribed me Paxil and klonopin in match and I my of coarse my phobia stopped me from taking it. We did a gene test to see which medicine would work for me and paxil was a good fit. I just couldn't do it. For the next few weeks I seemed to be getting better by getting out and doing things. I even started fishing again which was a huge passion of mine. Things were looking up!
Anxiety was going from an all day thing to maybe a couple hours type of thing! I was hopeful...
Let me introduce you to my buddy kidney stones...
Middle of April I woke up to EXCRUCIATING pain. I eventually went to the ER that day after hours of suffering and they told me I had 2 kidney stones. They sent me home with the same narcotic pain medication that started my panic attack journey when I was younger and also some other medication. From that Tuesday to Thursday I was in crippling pain and refused the pain medication. It got to a point where I almost blacked out from the pain so I had no choice but to take it. I popped it and finally got some sleep. I think I didn't freak out after taking it because my body was in shock from the pain. I woke up 30 minutes later to the excruciating pain again and said enough was enough. I went back to the ER and they did an emergency surgery and put a Stent in me to stop the pain. It worked and was a huge relief.
After catching up on sleep and recovering, I started to get my anxiety back. The next two weeks while waiting on my second surgery my anxiety, which was on the right path prior to this stone, came back to it's previous 10/10 levels. Jaw clenching, blurred vision, etc..
I toughened it out AND not to mention, completed a full 14 day coarse of a strong antibiotic due to a kidney infection! I was so proud of myself. With my newfound proudness, I called my Pyschiatrist and set up an appointment for the following week after my second surgery to discuss some things.
I had my second surgery last Friday the 3rd and they removed both stones. I went home Friday night with another stent in me which I was told to remove from home on Monday by pulling a string that was hanging out of my penis head (sorry for TMI) which in turn pulls the stent from my kidney down and out through my penis. I did that on Monday and it wasn't bad at all.
The Saturday after my surgery went fine. I'm sure I felt good because I was still coming off anesthesia but boy o boy that Sunday I woke up after sleeping 12 hours to a horrible panic attack. Imagine waking up from a dead sleep to the biggest adrenaline dump you could imagine. It was awful and lasted ALL day! I experienced derealization and every symptom you can think off. I should have taken a klonopin but my phobia told me it would make it worse so I didn't. It settled down into the evening and I was absolutely exhausted.
Monday I woke up to another panic attack but not as severe and Tuesday another panic attach which was even less severe. Wednesday the same and this morning has been the first morning I haven't woken up to an adrenalin dump. With that being said, this whole week has been absolutely horrible with 10/10 anxiety. I rarely get breaks from it. At night it calms down and I feel normal. Because of that, I chase that normal feeling and stay up way too late lol.
Anyway, leading up to my psychiatry appointment today, the last few weeks I have been obsessively looking up the 2 ssris and 1 snri my gene test said I was compatible with. Prozac (go figure), paxil, and effexor. I was also compatible with welbutrin.
Paxil I am terrified of because it is supposedly the dirtiest and worst for weight gain (I am a 240lb male).
Prozac I tried previously and I think I didn't give it enough time. I am not 100% sure that dread / hopeless feeling was suicide ideation but the feeling is in a class of its own compared to my normal anxiety.
Effexor I am scared of because of the withdrawel and alot of YouTube reviewers said it made them feel high and wired for the beginning. The horror stories of coming off it scares me too.
Welbutrin I hear great things about but heard it is bad for anxiety which is my main concern.
My overall fear is that any of these will make me lose control and make me not myself. I am also scared that I don't remember what normal feels like and feeling normal will scare me. Crazy to say that. Ultimately he prescribed me Effexor 37.5 for 2 weeks and then upping it to 75mg. He said to take the klonopin if I need it starting up. I have 15 of them.
I know I need to do something because I can't live like this. My wife, my 4 yr old, and my 2 yr old need their father and husband back. It's not fair to them. I'm tired of staying in bed all day. I'm tired of not caring if I wake up. I'm tired of not being the best employee I can be, I'm tired of not being in contact with my friends anymore, I'm tired of not caring about my hobbies, Im tired of being tired, and most importantly I'm tired of feeling like this.
I will start the effexor tomorrow and update this thread with my progress.