Achy bones

Been on lupron for a while, dealing with extreme menopausal symptoms for almost a year; mood swings, anger, impatience, headaches, irritability, achy bones, night sweats, hair loss, skin issues and depression Deciding to go off it and worries about what happens when I stop taking the injections. Will there be a “winding off” period? Does anyone have any tips to help my body regulate? If anyone has experience I’d love to know what happened during the time you stopped getting the injections, what symptoms stayed, went away or got better?

I’m asking here because most times when I ask a question in a medical sub it gets deleted.
I work at Walmart. I was getting a grill off a high shelf. The weight got away from me and trapped/ pinched/ banged my arm between a grill and the upward pointing edge of a top cart (the carts that have the steps on them).
It only happened last night so it’s possible symptoms could get worse, I don’t know. There is a slight red/ pink mark on my left forearm (it would be affecting my ulna bone in that arm). So far it feels a bit achy and hurts when I move it a certain way or try to do something too strenuous.

Hello! LONG POST TL:DR AT END I came here to in hopes of getting some interpretation advice on recent lab work I had done that I think may be indicating MCTD. Here’s a little background:
I have a 1 year old who got Hand Foot and Mouth two weeks ago, she’s fine now but at the end of her sickness I seemingly got it. But for me, it came with an intense flare up of symptoms I’ve already been experiencing for a while. - Extreme Fatigue : I never feel rested. Walking upstairs feels like I’ve just finished the Boston Marathon and I have to lay down. - Muscle Cramps: mostly at night but little spurts through the day. All down my legs and through my hips. Sometimes wrists too. It feels like intense muscle cramping and the bones are cramping too. - Body Aches/Stiffness : Always a little achy but in this flare up I basically couldn’t move. A small shift in bed would wake me up screaming with pain through my back and body - Mouth Ulcers: any time I get even slightly sick my mouth and throat explode with sores that take forever to go away - Heat intolerance: I walk outside in any kind of elevated heat and I get faint and nauseous and pretty much want to drop right then and there - Headache : it’s constant - Easy Bruising : we are talking my 15 lb dog steps on my arm and I have a paw print bruise. There’s other stuff but this is the main stuff. My short way to describe it is I want to just live life and my body says “nah”. - dyshidrotic eczema : little blisters and peeling skin all over my hands and between my toes. This was much worse and almost constant as a kid. I remember having to wear gloves to kindergarten because my hands were always raw and cracked and bleeding. Now it only pops up when I’m sick or have trauma on my hands
So I finally went to the doctor this week. I did have Covid in January (and once in June 2022) so I went in thinking maybe long COVID. I’ve had these random flares as long as I can remember but definitely more extreme since January.
My doctor ordered a bunch of tests to check for autoimmune just to get a baseline. I have attached pictures of what was run. It does seem my body is going through something inflammatory. She has also ordered an ulstrasound on my Carotids which is in a few weeks.
Medical history wise, my mom and aunt have Renaulds Disease but no other conditions that I know of. I went through a heart procedure in 2020 to close a unique ASD that was causing migraines with TIA/Stroke symptoms. It was actually attempted in June and they had to stop because they were u prepared for a certain way it was structured. They sent me home with the intent of coming back in a few weeks to better place the mesh with a different tool. I ended up with a pulmonary embolism in association with that ordeal as they did not put my in any post surgery medications (I’m allergic to NSAIDs). Came back in under emergency and they did the surgery. This time successfully and with blood thinners prescribed for six months. Migraines with neurological attacks greatly reduced but I’ll still get one maybe once a month with pain only and once every few months with full stroke like symptoms.
I’m an athlete. I’m a toddler mom. And daily life is near impossible right now.
It’ll be a bit before I can get in to the dr for further evaluation.
Can anyone shed some like experience or insight?
TL:DR - Debilitating fatigue symptoms. Blood tests positive markers for some inflammatory stuff but not across the board. Personal health history of heart issue and skin condition but no family history of autoimmune except Renaulds.

I had DEXA scan that said I had Osteoporosis 4 weeks before my ultra. It was just supposed to be a check-the-box appointment for turning 65. I was in shock for a week wondering if I should cancel all my races. Had visions of lying in bed in a nursing home being fed baby food. That mental placebo effect is amazing. I felt awful, depressed, caught a cold, had achy joints, skipped long runs, gained weight, doom scrolled osteoporosis on the computer.
Finally I decided to go to the ultra anyway (but switched from 100K to 50K), with the worry that I might not finish. I did walk much more than in previous races but still finished without any problems. In fact I felt great!
So now I'm going to add some upper-body weight training into the mix and watch my nutrition much more. In all my doom-scrolling I read that Bill Rodgers (3x Boston Marathon winner) also had/has osteoporosis. So watch your nutrition guys & gals - get that calcium, vitamin D, K2, magnesium, etc. And build your bones - especially women going thru the menopause years.

I am currently trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I’ve had most of these symptoms for as long as I can remember (well, at least since I got my first period at 10). I have a suspicion of what’s wrong with me, but I won’t state the medical condition on here because I want unbiased answers for a different perspective. I believe a lot of my symptoms have been masked because I am on the combined pill (Estelle-35).
Feeling this way has been all I know… I think of worst case scenarios experienced by sufferers of the condition I suspect, and in comparison to my own experience I just assumed I am weak or have a low pain tolerance — so I must not have anything “wrong” with me. I’m the type of person to push through, so it’s not like I have many sick days from work (or school as a teenager) but I’ve come to realise that my symptoms still get in the way of my life — I just assumed that because I’m still physically at work/school that it must not be “that bad” but I have been suffering for years, and I’m really only realising it now. I have never been fully productive in my personal/work life because of these symptoms.
For reference, I am a 21 year old female.
The symptoms are as follows:

• Chronic fatigue/low energy. In primary school I hated PE class because I didn’t have the energy to even kick a ball or run after something, it just took so much effort to even move. When I was 15/16 this became even worse though and I would avoid hanging out after school so I could go home and sleep. I’d just collapse in bed and wake up at like midnight, a few times waking in my school uniform because I was too tired to even get dressed. I work full time now and most nights I take naps until really late and it gets in the way of my personal life because I don’t have the energy to cook or clean. It takes tremendous mental strength to force myself to stay awake but I usually lose the battle to overwhelming fatigue. Some days are worst than others, though.
  
• Heavy periods ever since my first period at 10 years old. During one of my first periods I was sitting in class during primary school for maybe 2-3 hours but I went to get up and felt a massive pool of blood. I sat back down and saw a LITERAL puddle of blood in the chair that had leaked from my pad… since a young age I have used pregnancy pads up until I went on the combined pill which has given me a lighter and much shorter period. I went off the pill temporarily last year and after waiting 3 months for my first “real” period, I was shocked to remember just how heavy my periods were (I needed to purchase pregnancy pads again because I kept leaking at night). I don’t know how heavy my bleeding is in comparison to others or if it’s even “bad”. I’m sure it is not as bad as my bleeding as a 10 year old but I’d say it’s still quite heavy. Let’s just say regular pads wouldn’t cut it on my natural cycle.
  
• Relatively painful periods. On my natural cycle it’s worst on the third day from memory which is also my heaviest day. My cramps are enough to make me a little light headed and wince in obvious pain when they are hitting hard but I’ve never passed out or vomited from it.
  
• Chronic Pelvic/lower back pain that radiates down my legs, hips and butt (as low as tailbone area and a bit below). This is a symptom that has been getting worse the last few months. Pain is deep/achy (sometimes sharp in the pelvic area, like random sharp pains that come out of nowhere but this might be nothing). Worsened by little activity, sitting in a chair, but also by movement. Walking for 10 minutes is enough to make me achy. Pain concentrated on right side (at least it has the last few days) but feel it on both sides. Given I work in a corporate office full time, sitting has been a lot more agonising than usual & I find I need to keep pretending to get up for something when in reality I’m just trying to escape the ache/pain :/
  
• My heel and bottom of my feet become extremely stiff when I get up from sitting. I have to “walk it off” and limp for a bit to warm my feet up. On bad days, it sort of feels like if I put my full weight on my feet my heel will snap or pop.
  
• Stiffness
  
• “Ring of pain” on periods. Lower back pain is a killer, and this pain extends to my pubic bone/pelvic area and hips.
  
• Pain on pubic bone or pelvic area, sort of feels like pressure against the bone. Worsened by period.
  
• Random sharp pains in vulva area. Sometimes it feels like gravity is heavily pulling my vulva/vagina downwards when I am standing which makes me feel really sensitive and achy.
  
• Poor sleep. Wake up constantly throughout the night.
  
• Cramps and aches in bladder after peeing. The bladder area will feel sensitive and sometimes this pain extends to my right pelvic/hip area (this pain is on the left too but I notice it more on the right side…)
  
• Constant peeing/can’t pee fully. I will sometimes feel the last bit of pee that just refuses to come out no matter how hard I try or how long I sit on the toilet for. I constantly need to use the bathroom to either finish peeing or because my bladder has somehow filled up quickly again.
  
• Pain after sex. The pelvic/hip/back/leg pain worsens the day after sex and I get cramping and feel even more stiff than usual. Certain positions hurt but the pain the day after sex is the worst. I’ve almost left work early because it was so agonising and distracting.
  
• Chronic headaches/migraines
  
• Poor memory/brain fog. I kind of always feel disorientated and have to really focus to be in the present or to remember things being said to me. I think this is due to poor sleep/chronic fatigue.
  
• Hot flushes/overheating when sleeping/waking up in a sweat
  
• Bones loudly crack a lot, particularly my knees. This has been a problem for as long as I can remember, even as a child.
  
• Moving legs a lot to compensate for the aches/pain I feel
  
• Painful poops on period
  
• Painful bloating on period (pregnant-level bloating). Right now my stomach is absolutely massive and the feeling of fullness is unbearable, but I believe this is due to the pill. From memory, pre-pill (4 ish years ago) bloating/feeling of fullness was mainly associated with my menstrual cycle.
  
• teeth grinding at night/jaw clenching. I think this leads to my headaches/migraines. This may be a completely unrelated issue but thought it worth mentioning.
  

If you or anyone you know has these symptoms, please let me know what medical condition you have. I’m doubting myself a lot and I think it would help to get some other perspectives.
Thanks!

I am currently trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I’ve had most of these symptoms for as long as I can remember (well, at least since I got my first period at 10). I have a suspicion of what’s wrong with me, but I won’t state the medical condition on here because I want unbiased answers for a different perspective. I believe a lot of my symptoms have been masked because I am on the combined pill (Estelle-35).
Feeling this way has been all I know… I think of worst case scenarios experienced by sufferers of the condition I suspect, and in comparison to my own experience I just assumed I am weak or have a low pain tolerance — so I must not have anything “wrong” with me. I’m the type of person to push through, so it’s not like I have many sick days from work (or school as a teenager) but I’ve come to realise that my symptoms still get in the way of my life — I just assumed that because I’m still physically at work/school that it must not be “that bad” but I have been suffering for years, and I’m really only realising it now. I have never been fully productive in my personal/work life because of these symptoms.
For reference, I am a 21 year old female.
The symptoms are as follows:

• Chronic fatigue/low energy. In primary school I hated PE class because I didn’t have the energy to even kick a ball or run after something, it just took so much effort to even move. When I was 15/16 this became even worse though and I would avoid hanging out after school so I could go home and sleep. I’d just collapse in bed and wake up at like midnight, a few times waking in my school uniform because I was too tired to even get dressed. I work full time now and most nights I take naps until really late and it gets in the way of my personal life because I don’t have the energy to cook or clean. It takes tremendous mental strength to force myself to stay awake but I usually lose the battle to overwhelming fatigue. Some days are worst than others, though.
  
• Heavy periods ever since my first period at 10 years old. During one of my first periods I was sitting in class during primary school for maybe 2-3 hours but I went to get up and felt a massive pool of blood. I sat back down and saw a LITERAL puddle of blood in the chair that had leaked from my pad… since a young age I have used pregnancy pads up until I went on the combined pill which has given me a lighter and much shorter period. I went off the pill temporarily last year and after waiting 3 months for my first “real” period, I was shocked to remember just how heavy my periods were (I needed to purchase pregnancy pads again because I kept leaking at night). I don’t know how heavy my bleeding is in comparison to others or if it’s even “bad”. I’m sure it is not as bad as my bleeding as a 10 year old but I’d say it’s still quite heavy. Let’s just say regular pads wouldn’t cut it on my natural cycle.
  
• Relatively painful periods. On my natural cycle it’s worst on the third day from memory which is also my heaviest day. My cramps are enough to make me a little light headed and wince in obvious pain when they are hitting hard but I’ve never passed out or vomited from it.
  
• Chronic Pelvic/lower back pain that radiates down my legs, hips and butt (as low as tailbone area and a bit below). This is a symptom that has been getting worse the last few months. Pain is deep/achy (sometimes sharp in the pelvic area, like random sharp pains that come out of nowhere but this might be nothing). Worsened by little activity, sitting in a chair, but also by movement. Walking for 10 minutes is enough to make me achy. Pain concentrated on right side (at least it has the last few days) but feel it on both sides. Given I work in a corporate office full time, sitting has been a lot more agonising than usual & I find I need to keep pretending to get up for something when in reality I’m just trying to escape the ache/pain :/
  
• My heel and bottom of my feet become extremely stiff when I get up from sitting. I have to “walk it off” and limp for a bit to warm my feet up. On bad days, it sort of feels like if I put my full weight on my feet my heel will snap or pop.
  
• Stiffness
  
• “Ring of pain” on periods. Lower back pain is a killer, and this pain extends to my pubic bone/pelvic area and hips.
  
• Pain on pubic bone or pelvic area, sort of feels like pressure against the bone. Worsened by period.
  
• Random sharp pains in vulva area. Sometimes it feels like gravity is heavily pulling my vulva/vagina downwards when I am standing which makes me feel really sensitive and achy.
  
• Poor sleep. Wake up constantly throughout the night.
  
• Cramps and aches in bladder after peeing. The bladder area will feel sensitive and sometimes this pain extends to my right pelvic/hip area (this pain is on the left too but I notice it more on the right side…)
  
• Constant peeing/can’t pee fully. I will sometimes feel the last bit of pee that just refuses to come out no matter how hard I try or how long I sit on the toilet for. I constantly need to use the bathroom to either finish peeing or because my bladder has somehow filled up quickly again.
  
• Pain after sex. The pelvic/hip/back/leg pain worsens the day after sex and I get cramping and feel even more stiff than usual. Certain positions hurt but the pain the day after sex is the worst. I’ve almost left work early because it was so agonising and distracting.
  
• Chronic headaches/migraines
  
• Poor memory/brain fog. I kind of always feel disorientated and have to really focus to be in the present or to remember things being said to me. I think this is due to poor sleep/chronic fatigue.
  
• Hot flushes/overheating when sleeping/waking up in a sweat
  
• Bones loudly crack a lot, particularly my knees. This has been a problem for as long as I can remember, even as a child.
  
• Moving legs a lot to compensate for the aches/pain I feel
  
• Painful poops on period
  
• Painful bloating on period (pregnant-level bloating). Right now my stomach is absolutely massive and the feeling of fullness is unbearable, but I believe this is due to the pill. From memory, pre-pill (4 ish years ago) bloating/feeling of fullness was mainly associated with my menstrual cycle.
  
• teeth grinding at night/jaw clenching. I think this leads to my headaches/migraines. This may be a completely unrelated issue but thought it worth mentioning.
  

If you or anyone you know has these symptoms, please let me know what medical condition you have. I’m doubting myself a lot and I think it would help to get some other perspectives.
Thanks!

I am currently trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I’ve had most of these symptoms for as long as I can remember (well, at least since I got my first period at 10). I have a suspicion of what’s wrong with me, but I won’t state the medical condition on here because I want unbiased answers for a different perspective. I believe a lot of my symptoms have been masked because I am on the combined pill (Estelle-35).
Feeling this way has been all I know… I think of worst case scenarios experienced by sufferers of the condition I suspect, and in comparison to my own experience I just assumed I am weak or have a low pain tolerance — so I must not have anything “wrong” with me. I’m the type of person to push through, so it’s not like I have many sick days from work (or school as a teenager) but I’ve come to realise that my symptoms still get in the way of my life — I just assumed that because I’m still physically at work/school that it must not be “that bad” but I have been suffering for years, and I’m really only realising it now. I have never been fully productive in my personal/work life because of these symptoms.
For reference, I am a 21 year old female.
The symptoms are as follows:

• Chronic fatigue/low energy. In primary school I hated PE class because I didn’t have the energy to even kick a ball or run after something, it just took so much effort to even move. When I was 15/16 this became even worse though and I would avoid hanging out after school so I could go home and sleep. I’d just collapse in bed and wake up at like midnight, a few times waking in my school uniform because I was too tired to even get dressed. I work full time now and most nights I take naps until really late and it gets in the way of my personal life because I don’t have the energy to cook or clean. It takes tremendous mental strength to force myself to stay awake but I usually lose the battle to overwhelming fatigue. Some days are worst than others, though.
  
• Heavy periods ever since my first period at 10 years old. During one of my first periods I was sitting in class during primary school for maybe 2-3 hours but I went to get up and felt a massive pool of blood. I sat back down and saw a LITERAL puddle of blood in the chair that had leaked from my pad… since a young age I have used pregnancy pads up until I went on the combined pill which has given me a lighter and much shorter period. I went off the pill temporarily last year and after waiting 3 months for my first “real” period, I was shocked to remember just how heavy my periods were (I needed to purchase pregnancy pads again because I kept leaking at night). I don’t know how heavy my bleeding is in comparison to others or if it’s even “bad”. I’m sure it is not as bad as my bleeding as a 10 year old but I’d say it’s still quite heavy. Let’s just say regular pads wouldn’t cut it on my natural cycle.
  
• Relatively painful periods. On my natural cycle it’s worst on the third day from memory which is also my heaviest day. My cramps are enough to make me a little light headed and wince in obvious pain when they are hitting hard but I’ve never passed out or vomited from it.
  
• Chronic Pelvic/lower back pain that radiates down my legs, hips and butt (as low as tailbone area and a bit below). This is a symptom that has been getting worse the last few months. Pain is deep/achy (sometimes sharp in the pelvic area, like random sharp pains that come out of nowhere but this might be nothing). Worsened by little activity, sitting in a chair, but also by movement. Walking for 10 minutes is enough to make me achy. Pain concentrated on right side (at least it has the last few days) but feel it on both sides. Given I work in a corporate office full time, sitting has been a lot more agonising than usual & I find I need to keep pretending to get up for something when in reality I’m just trying to escape the ache/pain :/
  
• My heel and bottom of my feet become extremely stiff when I get up from sitting. I have to “walk it off” and limp for a bit to warm my feet up. On bad days, it sort of feels like if I put my full weight on my feet my heel will snap or pop.
  
• Stiffness
  
• “Ring of pain” on periods. Lower back pain is a killer, and this pain extends to my pubic bone/pelvic area and hips.
  
• Pain on pubic bone or pelvic area, sort of feels like pressure against the bone. Worsened by period.
  
• Random sharp pains in vulva area. Sometimes it feels like gravity is heavily pulling my vulva/vagina downwards when I am standing which makes me feel really sensitive and achy.
  
• Poor sleep. Wake up constantly throughout the night.
  
• Cramps and aches in bladder after peeing. The bladder area will feel sensitive and sometimes this pain extends to my right pelvic/hip area (this pain is on the left too but I notice it more on the right side…)
  
• Constant peeing/can’t pee fully. I will sometimes feel the last bit of pee that just refuses to come out no matter how hard I try or how long I sit on the toilet for. I constantly need to use the bathroom to either finish peeing or because my bladder has somehow filled up quickly again.
  
• Pain after sex. The pelvic/hip/back/leg pain worsens the day after sex and I get cramping and feel even more stiff than usual. Certain positions hurt but the pain the day after sex is the worst. I’ve almost left work early because it was so agonising and distracting.
  
• Chronic headaches/migraines
  
• Poor memory/brain fog. I kind of always feel disorientated and have to really focus to be in the present or to remember things being said to me. I think this is due to poor sleep/chronic fatigue.
  
• Hot flushes/overheating when sleeping/waking up in a sweat
  
• Bones loudly crack a lot, particularly my knees. This has been a problem for as long as I can remember, even as a child.
  
• Moving legs a lot to compensate for the aches/pain I feel
  
• Painful poops on period
  
• Painful bloating on period (pregnant-level bloating). Right now my stomach is absolutely massive and the feeling of fullness is unbearable, but I believe this is due to the pill. From memory, pre-pill (4 ish years ago) bloating/feeling of fullness was mainly associated with my menstrual cycle.
  
• teeth grinding at night/jaw clenching. I think this leads to my headaches/migraines. This may be a completely unrelated issue but thought it worth mentioning.
  

If you or anyone you know has these symptoms, please let me know what medical condition you have. I’m doubting myself a lot and I think it would help to get some other perspectives.
Thanks!

Race Information

• Name: Mad City Ultras 50K
• Date: April 20, 2024
• Distance: 50 Kilometers
• Location: Madison, Wisconsin
• Website: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/122616#resultSetId-449259;perpage:100
• Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/11225408991
• Time: 3:04:04

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	2:50-52	No
B	Sub 3	No
C	Win	Yes

Splits

Mile	Time
1	5:49
2	5:45
3	5:49
4	5:35
5	5:34
6	5:41
7	5:56
8	5:42
9	5:49
10	5:31
11	5:41
12	5:47
13	5:55
14	5:51
15	5:37
16	5:48
17	5:37
18	5:39
19	5:47
20	5:50
21	5:53
22	5:58
23	6:06
24	5:52
25	6:03
26	6:12
27	6:14
28	6:29
29	6:11
30	6:03
31	6:14

Training

Following CIM (Recap: https://www.reddit.com/AdvancedRunning/comments/18hyxcl/took_my_shot_at_the_moon_and_finished_thankful/), I took about about a week and a half off running completely. For once I didn't really have a Spring race locked up ahead of time. Since I wanted to go all-in for this trials thing I decided against signing up for Boston 2024; the first time I wouldn't sign up since I started marathoning in 2018.
Immediately after CIM, I emailed the elite coordinator to inquire about the pro-development field. Unfortunately the field was full, but I was put on the wait list. I figured I would make my final decision post Olympic Trials, thinking people would most likely scratch afterwards.
My second option was USATF 50K Champs in March but after checking in with how my body was holding up 90 days post CIM, I thought it would be too quick of a turnaround. Plus, from my understanding, members of the 50K Road Team for 2025 would not be chosen from this race. So that made my decision much simpler.
My final, and most likely option would be Mad City 50K. The USATF site said that the third spot from the previous year was typically chosen for the team. So the goal would be to run under the qualifying standard (3:00) and win. Judging from past results it would probably take sub 2:55 to take the win here. Coach and I thought sub 2:52 would be possible.
My first full week of consistent running would be the week of Christmas when I was home for the holidays. It was easy to be motivated when the low temps was 50 degrees instead of the 20 back home. 58 miles on 6 days to start and then it was back to Ohio.
I spent the start of January essentially shitposting all of my runs. Chipotle had a segment challenge in my town where the prize was free chipotle for a year for the most segments on a .18 mile stretch. I had no shot of winning but I wanted to make sure my buddy didn't pack it in after gapping the field early. This lasted about a week when my coach responded to my text about potential Spring races with:
"...You'd need to get pretty serious now and prob stop running back and forth for 8 miles lol."
Noted.
The remainder of January was filled with just getting consistent miles, jumping into other people's workouts, and rehabbing this lingering glute issue. While miraculously the issue from last Fall disappeared the morning of CIM, it came back in full force as soon as I crossed the finish line. I made big improvements and was able to be start working out on the 31st.
February Miles: 324 Miles Highest Mileage Week: 86.09 (6 days)
Highlights:
Feb 3rd: 11 miles w/ 30 second pickups and then 3x 5min on the Olympic Trials Course. Splits: 5:19, 5:02, 4:56
Feb 7th: 20x 1 min @ MP/1 min uptempo (7.41 miles, 5:33 avg)
Feb 14th: 15 x 1 min on/1 min off, 16x 30 seconds on/30 seconds off (8.29 miles, 5:43 avg)
Feb 18th: 12x1k w/ 200 jog 4@ MP + 10 seconds (3:27-26-25-24) 4@ MP (3:19-19-18-19) 4@ HMP > 10k (3:10-09-07-04)
Feb 21st: 20x 1 minute on/1 minute on @ MP + 30 seconds, 5 flat mile 8.26 miles, 5:32 pace, final mile: 4:58
Feb 25th: 15x1k w/ 200 jog recovery. 5 sets at 50k pace 5 sets at MP 5 sets at HMP >
3:26-26-25-23-21 3:19-20-18-16-17 3:10-10-08-08-03
Feb 28th: 30 x 1 min/1 min@ MP +20 seconds (10.78 miles, 5:34 avg). Real feel of 22 degrees, 19 mph winds
Lowlights: Feb 11th: Epic blowup during 16 mile LR (6:14 avg), last 4 supposed to be MP, actual: 5:18, 5:23, 5:53, 5:24. Bad route to finish and massive wind. Completely unprepared and too trigger happy.
March was filled with travel. Two out of state weddings for me and long road trips at the beginning of the month.
February Miles: 341 Miles Highest Mileage Week: 90.41 miles
Highlights:
March 6th: 4x (2-2-2-2) (50k-MP-HMP-Easy)
5:30-5:16-5:00-6:49 5:26-5:22-5:04-6:42 5:29-5:15-5:04-6:31 5:26-5:13-4:59-6:36
March 13th: 6x 1 mile w/ 2 min slow jog 5:04-5:02-4:59-4:58-4:57-4:56
March 17th: 24 miles @ 6:32 avg with final 6 @ 50k Pace: 5:36, 5:29, 5:24, 5:24, 5:27, 5:25
March 31: 20 with progression at 10 starting at 6:00. 6:00 > 5:14. (6:00, 5:59, 5:47, 5:42, 5:35, 5:30, 5:25, 5:21, 5:17, 5:14)
Lowlights: March 2nd: 19.08 miles: 6:11 avg, 12 mile progression 4@5:45-50, 4@5:35-40, 4@5:15-20 Actual: Foot issues with Adidas Pro upper, Blew up at 10.7 miles. High humidity in savannah and driving 9 hours over the last day made for a disaster.
March 9th: 20.12 miles, was supposed to be last 8 @ 50k pace. Made it 5.25 before blowing up because of temps and high humidity in SC.
March 20th: 20x 1 minute on @ 50k/1 minute @ 6:00 10x 30 seconds on @ hmp, 30 seconds @ 6:00 9.08 miles @ 5:39 avg
March 22nd: Wrecked my foot on a trail run in Austin for a wedding and could barely put weight on it for a couple days
April:
April 7th: Tuneup workout/race: 9 miler (start at MP and work down to HMP) 9.05 miles @ 5:14 avg
April 10th: 4x 1 mile w/ 2 min jog Mp-mp-hmp-hmp 5:17-16-03-03
Lowlights: Glute issues began to rear its ugly head following the tuneup workout. I had done this same race the last two years before Boston with little issue. This time I'm pretty sure I got a little too aggressive on a rolling course and just aggravated the spot.

Pre-race

We made the drive out to Madison from Ohio on Thursday morning. My original plan was to stop in Chicago Thursday night and finish the drive the following morning but seeing as it was just about an 8 hour drive from Ohio, I thought it would be best to make it in one trip and try to stay off my feet until race time.
I did a loop on the course with a friend of mine as soon as we got to town to try and scope out what was in store on Saturday. The course would feature some rolling but nothing that seemed to be too much of an issue. Wind was a bit of a menace but hopefully it would die down by race day. As soon as we finished we realized we did the course backwards. Whoops.
Glute continued to be a problem despite how much I tried to roll it out. Shakeout felt awful on Friday and but was hoping that I'd get lucky like I did in December. Spent a fairly lowkey day grabbing my bib, and making a stop at New Glarus to grab beer for home.
We drove the course the correct way after we grabbed our bibs, looking at specific spots to build a race plan. The race would be 5 passes over a 10K loop. The race would start over just behind the finish line. Over the first mile we'd run out of the park, a sharp left a quarter mile in to a neighborhood street, a sharp right for our first hill (first a short small one, a slight dip, and an immediate longer one) before another sharp left onto the sidewalk to pass the first mile. The second mile would begin with a quick downhill section down the sidewalk before jumping on a bike path where it settled fairly nicely. After a quick left to head into a neighborhood section, we'd start a small negligible incline at 2.3, then really feel it ramp up at 2.6 and move up until another set of two sharp left turns 400 meters later. None of these first hills were particularly tough but sharp turns when cresting would make it hard to get back into rhythm, especially when we'd face them later in the race.
Mile four would have a quick downhill section coming off the sharp left turns as we headed towards the parking lot of the arboretum. We'd pass mile four as we made our way up the final incline, the mildest of the three incline sections of this course. A second aid station would greet us just after 4 miles with portapottys and water. The next mile would be a mild downhill section that could be a place to settle into a nice rhythm. Trees surrounded both sides of the road, protecting us from any nasty winds. The final section would be unshaded on one side, as the view of Lake Wingra and far off in the distance the finish line. One final sharp left turn took us out of the arboretum back into the park to finish the loop and do it once more. Almost a mile of this section would not have protection from the wind if it decided to pick up.
The race had sent out the lineup for the 50k earlier in the week. I had scanned through the competitors and thought I'd have a fairly good shot at the win. It seemed like a lot of the men had chosen the 100k instead, which not surprising because it would be the qualifier for worlds this Fall. Regardless of what it said on paper, I was prepared to have some people to race with. I've learned over the years that you can't be too confident; the distances will humble anyone.
Race plan would be to settle into the first two loops at about 5:40 average and then start moving over next two. No major moves until the marathon distance.
I struggled to go to bed the night prior to the race. I didn't think I had overhydrated by any means, but I was waking up every hour or so to go pee. I had a beer at lunch, but I typically have a beer at dinner before races. This was worse than I've experienced before.
I finally got some sleep and then woke up around 5:30 to get ready to head out. Bottles were prepared and bags were packed. I had a maurten bar and drank a Maurten 320 mix. Something wasn't sitting right. I was feeling sick and spent the next hour or so trying not to vomit. I thought to myself that while vomiting would probably ease my nausea, I'd most likely be heading into the race with a caloric deficit. To me it was better to be a little uncomfortable early than heading in without some fuel in the reserves.
The weather for the morning was a nippy 33 degrees with a real feel of 24. Wind had died down compared to yesterday but you could still feel a fairly strong gust come up. I decided to put on my brighton base layer under my singlet and double gloves. If I needed to ditch the mittens, I'd drop it after loop one.
With my stomach still struggling I instructed my girlfriend to hand me Nuun Endurance for the first two loops and Maurten for the final 2. The former was fairly easy to drink and would hopefully help settle me down. I took 3 Gus with me and left the remaining with her.
At this point I had made some adjustments to my race plan. The wind was not great and my legs weren't feeling that race day pop. I would play the conservative game for the two first loops and keep it under 3 hour pace and work my way down. 2:55-8ish would be a great day today. That seemed attainable.
After a 10 min jog and some strides, it was time to head to the start line. The 100k field had already been out for about 90 minutes and we cheered as each passed us. I took my first gu, thankfully I was able to take it down without any issues.
The race official separated the 50k solo runners from the relay teams. I said my final well wishes to one of my athlete's running in the women's field and lined up at the front.

Race

After a bit of shuffling at the start I maneuvered my way to the front. I had two relay runners with me and another that had bolted immediately, gapping the field quickly. A quick left turn into a neighborhood and then a sharp right for our first hill. This first loop would be all about getting my bearings for what's to come. I was okay with a slow first mile. As long was I could maintain an average of sub 5:48 for the loop, I'd be under the 3:00 standard to start. As I crested the first hill and made the sharp turn down the city sidewalk the first beep came through, 5:49. Good good. Stay calm and settle in, don't get antsy with 30 miles to go. Take the first three conservatively and let the last three be the place to make some ground. I brought the pace down slightly over the next mile with a 5:45 and then hit the next hill section in a 5:50. Fine, just fine. Crest the hill and two sharp lefts to get into the arboretum.
As I made my second left I saw the leader of the 50K relay. A bike had pulled back with him. "I wrecked my achilles." To be honest I didn't really know how to respond to this. I said "Are you okay?" knowing full well he wasn't but that's the first thing I could think of. I kept going and thought to myself that this was probably going to be one of the loneliest races I'd ever be in. 3 Miles in and I'd been running the majority of this solo already. I was going to have to get real acquainted with my own thoughts.
It was time for the easier part of the course. While this section had some rolling in it, it was much gentler than the previous section, making it really easy to settle into a groove here. I had looked up the splits of one of the women's winners from one of the past years and saw that this section was the place where you could find a groove. I hit a couple 5:30 mids in this section, trying to focus on holding things back a bit here. A second gu just after 4 where I took some water to help take it down. While the wind was not as nasty as the previous days, the final mile was tougher than it needed to be. A final sharp left to get us back to the finish line as I started to feel some mild discomfort, less than 6 miles in, and I needed to go to the bathroom.
As I got smacked around by the wind a bit over the final stretch, I made the decision to ditch the mittens. I have massive raynauds issues but my hands seemed to be just fine with just one pair of gloves. If worse came to worse I'd ask for them back over the next loop. We came back through the finish straight and I scanned the crowd looking for my girlfriend. For a half second I worried I'd miss her, but sure enough she was there ready. I yelled out for a Nuun bottle, tossed my gloves and grabbed the bottle in one fluid motion. Okay got this one without any issues.
One lap complete in 36:09. I took a couple swigs of a cold Nuun and tossed it in a grass ditch 400 meters later. I'd grab them after the race.
As we left the park section I scanned my surroundings. My stomach had begun to tighten up. I need to go pee bad. I took a final look around, jumped in some bushes and did what needed to be done. Back on my merry way. I knew this mile would be slow with this pit stop and focused on not trying to over compensate with a fast next mile. We'd have plenty of time over the last 12 to be a little more aggressive. The next couple miles would be just focused on setting a barrier for myself. A second or two faster per mile would be okay here, but nothing crazy. I took my second gu without any issue.
I crested the second hill with no issues and enjoyed my downhill reward. Up ahead I saw a familiar singlet in the 100k field. "That's fine." I knew a couple guys from my conference ran for this club just after college. I had actually run my first marathon in this singlet. I immediately knew who this chap could be.
"Kris!"
"Yeah?"
"It's Cris from La Verne!"
"Oh I know who it is!"
I rolled past him and another competitor saying hello. He surged slightly and gave me a loving shove forward.
Editors note I hadn't seen Kris in probably 10 years. I went to my first brewery when I had just turned 21 with this guy before I got all into this scene. Kris would eventually come in third during this race, running a conservative, consistent and calculated race. The meet director said he looked like he was having the best time. I'd agree.
I was in good spirits as I went through the second half of the course. My stomach had settled up and I was able to take my third gu without any issue. As I approached the final straight I yelled "Nuun and two gus please!" My girlfriend was not expecting me to ask for Gu but she made a quick move to grab them just in time for me to pass. It was an awkward pass due to me trying to grab everything in one motion as my hips just started to really feel the movement to grab. I noted this but figured it was just a fluke as I had this feeling during a practice session getting bottles in the past.
I came through in just about 72 minutes and I was fairly confident with how this was going to go still. As I made my move up the first hill I started to get that familiar feeling again. Really, I had to pee again...
Just before 14 I jumped into some trees and went. A 5:51 mile section for my troubles here. This was getting fairly annoying. I thought to myself, this is definitely the last time this is happening, suck it up and get back to business.
I saw another familiar face as I passed a 100K group. Geoff! I said hello and he cheered me forward and it was a nice pep up in a fairly quiet race. I had little trouble getting back into rhythm and cresting the second hill following the pitstop.
As I approached 16 the cracks in the armor began to show. It was a familiar feeling. A feeling back to 2021 when I tried this distance the first time. I've never had this feeling at the marathon distance but somehow this was happening 16 freaking miles into a 50K race.
My feet hurt.
Maybe it's the downhill sections. Maybe it's the pair of Vaporfly 2's that have 100+ miles on them already. This causes a quick short circuit to my confidence. This should not be happening. I'm not running that fast. This is 20 seconds slower than I ran in December.
I quickly shake those thoughts. Be here, now.
I take my fourth gu with no issue.
With my feet in mind I make the conscious effort to pull back on the pace a bit. I ran 5:31 for one of these sections last loop. Let's keep it to 5:38-5:40 to be safe. The pace doesn't feel like I'm straining but my feet just are achy. Hopefully this is just a fluke.
I pass through final stretch once more to grab my first bottle of Maurten. I'm fairly nervous at this point. I've stayed on pace, roughly, but things have been far from perfect and while my stomach is feeling settled, who knows what another chug of maurten 320 is gonna do.
I take the couple swigs and toss it into the patch. I see some familiar bottles. My athlete chose the same area to toss her bottles too.
Over 19 miles in and I'm still pretty consistent here. My feet are still crying out to me but other than that my legs feel relatively okay. As I crest the first hill again, another chip. That sharp left turn is feeling much much harder than it was before. My hips are tight and my left side is beginning to labor with each step. The downhills have been chipping away at an already unstable structure and now 21 miles in, these cracks are starting to show.
Again, I pivot on easing for the next couple miles. Ease the pace and hammer that last 10k. "You've run 5:20's before." There's still a chance here. The harsh reality is starting to set in as I crest the second hill that even the prospect of sub 3 hours is fleeting. My head isn't short circuiting here. It's focusing it's energy on checking in on how I'm feeling. I know this isn't going well. But thinking about it more isn't going to help. I have to live with the cards I'm dealt right now.
The "fast section" is now filled with 5:50s, 10+ seconds slower than miles I was joyfully running an hour earlier. Over the last two miles the thought of dropping out at the end of this loop comes to mind.
I'm not having a good time. My main goal for this race is gone and my feet hurt. Why am I out here...
"Well you're 24/25 miles in this race. You have nothing left on your schedule. You drove and invested all this time/money to do this. You're also winning. Finish this up dude."
As I made the penultimate pass through the finish line area I tried to look somewhat composed. Mostly because I didn't want to alarm my girlfriend. lol. The wind down the final stretch definitely made that a tougher endeavor than I would've thought.
This last bottle had no issue. I had another thought that maybe I could thug it out and pull something out of my butt to take me under. But after that final first hill, I knew it was all gone. I passed the marathon mark in 2:32 and with my muscles now screaming at me with every step I knew these last miles would be about survival.
A 6:13 off the hill. A 6:15 down the hill. The climb up the second hill didn't feel too horrible but once again, I needed to go pee. Of course. Let's rub some dirt in it. I have to pull to the side again. Getting back onto it was harder this time. My knee drive is pitiful as I struggle with each unforgiving next step. The nice downhill sections over 20 miles ago are now my nemesis. I try my hardest to keep myself under 6 minute pace as though that would help heal my fractured ego. But alas, I can't. These legs aren't going. I need to get myself to the finish line. What was my redemption at this distance was an ego check.
I pull myself over the next two miles as the wind keeps smacking me in the face. By the time I hit the final stretch I can't even kick. I put my arms up as I cross the finish. My legs aren't stinging like they did at CIM, I don't have the sharp stabbing pains. My body is just tired.
I'm done. I won. 3:04:04.

Post-race

It's a little over two weeks here writing this. I'm a crowler of a solid IPA here so forgive me on some run on sentences. This race was definitely a punch in the gut but a nice reminder of just how these distances work. I've been lucky enough to have have a string of what I would say home run races since October 2021. I was due for a tough one.
I have New York in the Fall. This course has very similar elevation. Had New York been in the Spring it would have ate me alive in my current state. So I take away knowing that I still have a lot I need to work on to make sure I'm ready come Fall.
I'm fairly disappointed with this effort but I'm thankful all the same here. It's a great learning experience and I had an incredible trip.
As a note for anyone looking at these Mad City races. I was pretty blown away by how they treated us. The event coordinators are incredibly passionate about the race and the people. I received a handwritten card that came in today saying congrats and referencing a conversation we had after the race. I've raced a lot of big races over the years but little things like this mean a lot.
I'll be back eventually. I still have a bone to pick with this distance. Ya'll have been incredible for my successes over the years, while this may have been a stumble, I think it's important to talk about these days too. I’m proud of the effort. I definitely need to state that. That was harder for me than CIM.
We're very lucky to have the opportunity to travel to do these crazy things man.
Made with a new race report generator created by herumph.

My body aches have slowly disappeared since starting HRT. I didn’t even realize how bad it was. Sitting on the couch at the end of the day with achy joints and bones. I sit down sometimes and wait for the aches to come and they’re not there! Such a weird feeling to have acclimated to it without really realizing it.
At the end of every day, I come up with my grateful list and this is definitely on mine tonight ♥️

Hey everyone, NB33 here and I just had my first chemo treatment (AC regimen) for breast cancer. I feel tired and there’s sensations in my legs (mildly achy). The doctors have all said symptoms don’t kick in until second infusion so is this a coincidence/just in my head? I did walk like 10 blocks after my appointment but that’s normal for me and I had no aches at the time. It’s been 3hrs since.
I can’t find much info online about day one side effects either. Anyone experience effects in the hours after their first infusion of AC regimen?
Thanks!!
Also fuck cancer
UPDATE: lol I just remembered I also got a Lupron injection today which lists bone pain among its side effect. I have a relatively low baseline for red blood cell count so i’m guessing that’s what gives re aches 🤷🏾‍♀️

I teach a creative writing class to sophomores and juniors in high school. I worked on an example story for our horror genre unit. Anyone who feels like reading and providing input would be appreciated: **edit: I’m sorry for the format! I tried to post pictures for easier reading but it wouldn’t allow it.
“Room 13”

Crash. 

It all happened so fast. I didn’t know what was happening until it was over. I was just driving home from my job at the fish plant. My old red Chevy was chugging along, making a screeching noise when it shifted from second to third gear, as it usually does. Right when I was approaching the intersection of Fifth and Jackson, right when I was under the green light, it happened. Crash. The next ten minutes were a blur. There was an intense force and my body shook violently inside the single cab. I felt the tumult as the truck turned over. I was told later that it flipped three times, but I don’t remember that. I remember lying on the broken windshield, disoriented and in more pain than I thought possible. I heard the blood in my ears and a car peel out and drive away. The last thing I remembered seeing before the ambulance arrived was tail lights in the distance. The ride to Paul B. Johnson Hospital was a blur. I saw bright lights and two EMTs talking in hurried and worried voices. There were needles pricking me and beeping from machines. Then I passed out completely. I woke up eight hours later. “Good morning, Mr. Benson. You know, you’re one lucky SOB. That was the kind of car crash that should’ve killed you. You know, you really should wear a seatbelt.” The doctor was looking down at me with a worried expression but an attempt at a smile. His white coat was stained on the left lapel with what looked like a spot of mustard. His graying beard was unkempt. He generally looked tired and disheveled, but he had a kind face. “What…what happened?” I manage to stutter out. “Well, the short story is there was a hit and run and miraculously we were able to save you. The long story is that a truck T-boned you going at least 50 or 60, you flipped three times, sustained a concussion, lesions on your arms, legs, and face, and broke your foot and two ribs. We performed two surgeries in the past eight hours, and you should actually be able to go within a week or two.” “Oh my God. I can’t believe it. This is crazy.” The doctor nodded and genially replied, “Yes, yes it is. But the important thing is that you’re okay. I’m Dr. Griggs, and I’ll be back in to check on you in a few hours. The floor nurse, John Bates, will be in periodically to administer medicine until his shift ends at 3:00. If you need anything, just press the button.” Then he walked briskly away. At that time my mind was a race of thoughts…how did this happen…would they catch who did this…why was I able to be saved against all odds…why would this happen to me? As my mind continued to wonder, I drifted off into another bout of deep sleep. When I awoke next, it was noon, and a male nurse in blue scrubs was checking my monitor and writing on his clipboard. He quickly introduced himself as John, told me he was giving me something to help me continue to sleep and rest, and walked out. I barely had time to process the short interaction before I was out again. The next time I woke up, I felt much better. Still weak, and my ribs ached fiercely, but I felt like I’d actually make it to the other side of this horrible ordeal. That’s when he walked in. It was another male nurse. Blue scrubs, a surgical mask on, and no name tag. The room was dark except for the dim lamp on the other end of the room, and only darkness came through the windows. The clock said it was 9:46. This nurse didn’t say anything. “Hi, how’s it going?” I ask in an attempt to break the awkward silence. But he didn’t reply. He moved briskly to my IV bag and started fiddling with a syringe of clear liquid. “What’s that? I don’t think I need any medicine right now. I’m actually feeling much better,” I say in a timid voice. He looks at me with his dark eyes and simply says, “Yes, you do.” His voice was husky and gruff. He had no bedside manner and something in that stare made me feel uneasy. “No…I really do think I’m okay. What is that anyway?” As he shot the liquid into the IV, he looked back at me once more. His reply made me shutter. “Something that will finish the job.” He turned and walked quickly from the room, and the panic set in. What? What job? What does he mean? That’s when I started to feel the effects. I became cold, achy all over, and my brain started to fog over. I knew this wasn’t right, and I ripped the IV needle from my arm. Within a few minutes the effects began to wear off, and I thought that I would be okay. But at the same time…this nurse tried to kill me, and I think he tried to kill me in my truck last night. I struggle to get out of the bed, being careful not to put too much pressure on my left foot and clutching at my ribs, wincing with every slight movement, but I manage to stand. I’m still foggy from whatever that “nurse” gave me, but it’s getting clearer by the second. I know that I have to get help. I hobble my way to the door. Gasping as I limp across the room, every step feels like I’m running a mile through Hell. When I make it to the door and open it, I first notice how…quiet the hallway is. There’s no sound at all. No monitors beeping, no patients in their rooms, no doctors or nurses or staff anywhere to be seen or heard. Then the lights cut out. It’s pitch black except the green EXIT sign at the end of the hallway. Knowing that the man could be anywhere, I go as fast as I can. Using the wall to steady myself, I half walk, half drag myself. I make it through the ominous hall room by room. Room 17…my ribs are starting to feel like knives stuck into my sides…room 16…my breathing feels like swallowing glass…room 15…I collapse, resorting to dragging my body along the cold tiles…room 14…there’s no way I’ll ever make it…there’s much too far to go…room 13…at this moment, I hear the unmistakable sound of a door opening behind me down the hall. Then there’s a deep growl of frustration. I crane my head to see behind me, and I see him. The man. Or rather, I see the outline of a man in the darkness. I know he’s coming for me. With every second that passes, I hear his heavy thudded footsteps getting closer. His rattled breathing sounds like gravel crunching under a car’s tires. It shakes me to the core, but I make a break for it. Blocking out the excruciating pain in my foot and ribs, I clamor into room 13 and slam the door shut, locking it from the inside. Almost as soon as the lock clicks, the doorknob starts to rattle. It’s a furious, ferocious rattling, and I hear the man grunting and cursing under his breath, attempting to break through. In a panic I turn to find something, anything, to further block the door, but…there’s nothing. This room is entirely and utterly empty. At that moment, the noise at the door stops. Then a second later the lights turn back on, but there’s only a dim lamp in the room. With the light, though, I’m able to make out some of the details of the barren room. The walls are painted a dark gray, a severe contrast to the white of the other rooms’ walls. The checkered tile floor is grimy as if it hadn’t been mopped in years, and it was devoid of anything. No bed, no couch, no chairs, no…nothing. The only thing to be seen was a wooden chest in the corner that was painted black and had a large silver handle on it. The paint was faded and peeling, and there were red smudges splattered all over it. I couldn’t think of why or what that was here for, but I didn’t get much time to think about it at all. At that second, I heard a sound. Click. I look back to see the door knob turning slowly. Screeeeeech. The door starts to open. Oh God, no. He’s in. I hobble to the chest and wrench it open. The smell of decaying animals and dirt punch me in the face, but I clamor into the tight space anyway. As I turn around to close the lid, I see the man approaching with a scalpel in hand, his eyes as steady and dark as ever. I slam the lid shut and fumble with the latch to lock it, not thinking about why there would be a lock on the inside of this chest in the first place. I sit there, cramped and feeling like my foot and ribs are on fire. This must be what Hell is like…burning, blinding pain…unparalleled fear…no way out…I can’t do this anymore. I’m not going to make it. This is too much. But while these thoughts crept through my fear-ridden mind, I noticed something. It was…quiet. No attempt to open the chest, no grumbling or grunts, no footsteps. It’s just…silent. I tried to think about why or how the man wasn't trying to get in, but the pain became too much. I couldn’t take it anymore. Before I knew it, I passed out. When I came to, I was disoriented, and it took me a minute to remember what was happening. Then the fear sank back into my bones. I began to panic, wondering where he was, how long I had been in there, and if it was safe to get out. But then, I heard a voice. “Ahh…wakey wakey, I see. Welcome back, Jasper. It’s time to finish this.” The voice was deep and had that sound of gravel crunching, but the scariest part wasn’t the tone or the words themselves…the scariest part was that it didn’t come from outside the chest. It came from beneath. Crash. The floor opened up beneath me and I fell ten feet to the ground. It was a dirt floor, very hard and damp. I felt my left wrist break when I tried to catch my fall, and I let out an agonizing scream. “Oh, that’s what I’m talking about. Make it more fun for me, Jasper. I like to hear the screams.” In the dim light I make out his figure. He walks toward me slowly and steadily, knowing I couldn’t run even if the fear wasn’t paralyzing me. I manage a slight little shimmy backwards, but the fire erupts in my ribs again, and I can’t go any further than a foot or two. Looking around for anything that could help me defend myself, I see them. The bodies. They’re littered around the small room, piled three high in places. The stench is unbearable, and I turn and vomit immediately, causing my ribs to burn even more. I turn back to my attacker, only managing a soft whimper as he brings the scalpel down to my throat. “Time for your medicine, Jasper.”
▪️ ▪️ ▪️

I look up at the face of my nurse. He’s tall, wears blue scrubs, and has a surgical mask on. His brown eyes look down at me where I sit in the common room, and he’s holding a cup of water and two pills—one yellow and one white. “It’s time for your medicine, Jasper. I know you don’t like it, but it really does help with your condition. And oh, I’m sorry I still have my mask on. I’m still getting over the flu and would hate to give it to anyone. But here we go, let’s take this medicine and get back to your room. I think you could use a good nap. I take the medicine in a swallow and sip the water. I let my nurse lead me by the arm out of the gray common room with the dim, lamplit shadows and into the white-walled hallway. We pass room 17, then 16, 15, 14… “Ah, he we are, bud. Let’s get you to bed so you can rest. Good old room 13. I hope you get a good nap, and when you wake up it’ll be time for our Friday night movie, and it’s a good one. Crash! You know Dr. Griggs always tries to make life a little bit better for our patients here at Ashcliffe Asylum.” 

I’ve (healthy 24 m) had constant low back and hip/butt cheek area pain since December 2023. I’ve been giving meloxicam, celebrax, and muscle relaxers. None of them helped getting rid of all 100% pain. An x ray was taken 2 months from when the pain first started and showed normal results. I’ve been waiting 2 months now for an appointment with a specialist (it’s 2 weeks away now).
The pain is hard to explain, it ranges from a 1-8 in pain scale. It only reaches an 8 from what triggers it. I never wake up in extreme pain, standing and sitting down triggers it the most, but almost every night it increases in pain at about a 3-5 in pain scale. My entire lower area is always or all at once-stiff, sore, pinch feeling and or bone achy. Pain shoots to my left leg sometimes. I have experienced sudden numbness but I’m not sure if it’s my anxiety. I’ve not been without pain/discomfort for more than 15 min throughout the day since December.
This all started after an extremely busier than normal day at work (lifting heavy and walking up stairs) my lower area felt like jelly and weak that night. Then for a few days it was uncomfortable and felt weird to walk. Then the pain started. The area was inflamed and painful all day for about 3 weeks. The pain till this day persists, but in different pain ranges throughout the day. I stretch, walk everyday and just again started using icy hots. I’ve yet to do PT, chiropractor. I’m waiting for what the specialist has to say. I’m hoping to get an MRI.
Things ive noticed 1. Staying in one position too long increases the pain. 2. Driving almost instantly triggers awful pain 3. NSAIDs help with around 50% of the pain ONLY IF i don’t do anything that triggers it. 4. NSAIDs delays the time it takes to hurt at the highest level. Unfortunately I can only last about 2 hours into my job until I can barely move. 5. When using NSAIDs or icy hot, I get more of the pinch feeling pain on the belt line area (the top of my buttcheeks on both sides) 6. The pain at its highest is enough to send me to the hospital if it persisted that way. Thankfully, rest brings it down gradually after a few hours.
Any insight or maybe someone that can relate? What else can I try to help solve this?
Im also sorry if this is an annoying post, but I’ve been trying my hardest to stay positive the last 5 months, and right now I’m starting to lose a little hope. I don’t think I would have already made it this far if it wasn’t for the support of my family. The pain has stopped me from working and just being a normal person. Please help.

Hi all,
I completely ruptured my ACL in 2018 and sustained a tibial spine fracture which kept my knee locked in a bent position. I also had a pretty severe meniscus tear. I ended up having an emergency arthroscopy to remove the bits of bone so I could straighten my leg and had my meniscus tear tidied up. After a few months of physio I went on to have ACL reconstruction using a hamstring graft (mine, not a cadaver) and microfracture surgery. I am hypermobile so I was warned the graft would fail at some point.
I did a combined 2 years of physio on the NHS. I also did swimming and the gym with a pt(although not as religiously as the swimming). I got my range of motion back and other than being slightly achy in the cold sometimes my knee was totally fine.
About a month ago I was walking home when all of a sudden there was an audible pop in my knee and I was unable to weight bear completely. I naively thought I’d dislocated my knee again (I’ve dislocated my other knee 3 times) so went to minor injuries and had an x Ray done. I was told they weren’t sure what I’d done but I needed to see orthopaedics. I had an in person appointment and was told my kneecap was absolutely fine but perhaps I’ve sprained my ACL. I was sent for an MRI and had a telephone appointment in the meantime.
My knee has been stuck in a bent position for about 5 weeks now and I naively thought my ACL was fine as I didn’t have my reconstruction that long ago so I thought it was too soon for the graft to have failed.
When I went for an MRI 2 weeks ago my knee was forcibly straightened which hurt a lot at the time but I’ve been able to get it slightly straighter since so again I thought nothing of it. Unfortunately I had the results back and it’s not good news. My ACL graft either has a chronic tear or has degraded so I need to see the surgeon who operated on me in 2018 in clinic to figure out the next steps but it’s looking likely I will need another keyhole surgery to work out why my knee is stuck in a bent position.
Has anyone else had their ACL graft degrade / fail ? What were the next steps for you ? I’m trying to keep work informed as best I can so I’m trying to figure out how much longer I will be at home for.

Hey guy's so I been using an estrogen blocker for sometime now to raise my T levels. I will not lie but I have been abusing it from being hooked to the strength and dry look it gave me and I then started to get side effects. I had a lot of fatigue, achy bones, memory issues, poor sleep and one of the shocking ones that I never expected was my muscle mass started to decrease and I gained fat around my mid section. I got off of it a few days ago and suddenly now I look a lot fuller in mass and my strength has increased dramatically. Was I suppressing my muscle building potential while on the estrogen blocker? Trying to learn more about hormones and hormonal compound's so if you can kindly teach me something here about them I'd appreciate it. Thank's

Went to the doctor today to get results from bloodwork. Doc requested that I redo my TSH blood work. Because the level was low. Went on April 12 th at 2:15 pm. ( I was not fasting) My TSH was 0.17. The second TSH was within the normal range. I went at 8:38 am on April 23 rd. The level was 1.12 ( I was fasting) She went with the second test and said everything is normal. When I am having severe symptoms right now. Including food sensitivity and reactions to food. Including soy, dairy products, gluten sensitivity. Have issues with swallowing food. Due to allergies/ sensitivity to these foods.When I eat these foods I cannot swallow. The food gets stuck in my throat. I have severe reaction. Throwing up. Gagging. Feeling like food is caught in my throat. It will not go down. I have no choice but to throw up. I produced a lot of saliva at this time. So I am basically throwing up clear fluid / bile. It’s devastating and frankly very alarming for me. I am scared I will choke to death. I am not being dramatic at all about this either. Had a reaction the other night to soy. Made a stir fry. First ever reaction. ( so definitely will not eat again) It lasted about 1 hour after only a few bites of it. Was throwing up clear fluid bile for about an hour. Took awhile to calm down my throat from the reaction. This was the worst by far reaction that have had. Have also had the same reaction with bread as well. ( Not to this degree though.) Tried to talk to the doctor about the reaction today and she did not want to address it. I was so upset and angry. There are so many other things going on with my health as well. This is not the only symptom that I have been having. They do believe that my swallowing issues stem from acid reflux which has already been diagnosed. But I do believe that I have silent acid reflux. Which has not yet been determined. I have not had the time to discuss with a doctor about that yet. Due to all the other issues. It’s ridiculous really. All these doctors that I have been seeing and not one of them will diagnose me with Hashimoto’s syndrome. I have one other autoimmune condition that has been diagnosed which is psoriasis. Have had it a very long time. Since adolescence. Have deficiency in B12 and D which have been taking monthly injections and supplementation for vitamin D.Have been diagnosed previously with depression and anxiety. Have had bone loss.No testing yet. Have recently had surgery to remove my gallbladder. Have issues with memory loss. Have just been reading about the effects of long term antipsychotic medications. Was on several medication over the years for depression anxiety disorders. ( Not on meds now) Have brain fog and poor concentration. Especially when tired. Have severe insomnia.Extreme weight gain. High blood pressure. Which I was recently diagnosed and put on meds for. I was also having a lot of cramping issues in legs and hands. Which led to my discovery about what was going on with my body. Went to the doc about that. She recommended I drink more water. Was not satisfied with her response so I read about what I could do about it. Started taking magnesium bisclysinate. Cramping has improved tremendously. Although did increase the water intake as well. lol. Changed the diet as well. As I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism many years ago. Was not informed then about anything regarding or related to that at the time. They have not even monitored my thyroid function since putting me on medication. ( Synthroid) Have suspect that I have fibromyalgia as well. Joint pain. Locking of joints had a lot of achiness. Stiffness in muscles. Muscle pain and weakness. Also it has been suggested by another person on Reddit that she thinks that I have lipedema as well. I have told her that I have fluid retention. This is just the most recent thing noticed as well. Fluid especially in ankles have also discovered that have had fluid in my face. Started using a gua sha and has noticeably improved. Has been noticed by several people.Have had issues with fat in arms and legs.My lymph nodes swelling. Mostly all of my symptoms I have described and developed over time. With age. I think the root cause is Hashi’s . Just recently went to a Naturopath. She made some adjustments to my vitamins and minerals. She suggested D3 and K2 together rather than just D3. She suggested licorce root for digestion.( went to the heath store right after my appointment and they were sold out of the brand she suggested will go back as it’s extremely important to me.) Also she talked about castor oil supplements as well for digestion and skin and hair. Not sure if I mentioned it but have also a lot of hair loss. Use black seed gel by Chi to try and help with that. She wants the results of my blood work as well. Am curious to see what she will say when she reads the results. No help from the doc today at all. As a matter of fact she was down right rude. Am so tired of it to be honest with you. Life has been a struggle and no support from doctors has really caused a lot of anxiety and stress in my life when it comes to dealing with all of these health issues. Even mental health has been difficult and hard to find someone to talk to about all these health issues. Because it’s all really overwhelming to be honest. She told me today she would make a referral to a psychiatrist for me which is difficult to get into see one here. Lost my psychiatrist awhile back due to retirement. The stress of my health conditions combined with financial difficulties and hardships have been overwhelming. When you don’t have the support of a doctor it makes things even more challenging. The cost of supplements. My medical care. Is huge. Have had some difficulties as well because of missed work due to my recent surgery and also fractured my ankle just before that. So has all been a challenge. Dealing with the Naturopath is the light at the end of the tunnel right now for me. Although it is hugely challenging financially.As it’s very expensive. Might need some support from you all here on Reddit. Have found my community here and just want to gain new knowledge. Oh and just wanted to say that it seemed to me when dealing with the doctor today that some of her issues from my sense of what I got from what she said to me was that she thought it was mentally related. That I am having issues with my mental health. Duh really you think? The stress of having to deal with doctors is issues enough alone in itself.Also she said all things that are going on with me are too much for one appointment. Well really? It would help if these doctors would address something the first time I went to an appointment. Like what about blood tests for allergies and sensitivity to foods. MRI Cat scans. Mineral loss and malabsorption issues. The list goes on. I am sticking with the Naturopathic doctor she is the only one that helped me. In any way. Sorry for the long post. Just wanted a bit of feedback. Thanks for listening.

Profile:
30F
no significant chronic health issues.
Height: 5’2”
Weight: 115 lbs.
Never broken a bone.
Never had a surgery (except dental work/uncomplicated oral surgery years ago).
Never gave birth.
Taking medication as prescribed (pregablin, methylphenidate).
Family history of SLE and RI but my tests have come back clear thus far.
Very active (4+ hours of HIIT exercise (hockey) weekly), prior to QT. Currently not able to play due to the pain, just trying to do my daily household chores and errands.
Relevant health history:
Had Covid twice (once confirmed - the first was in end of Jan 2020 so I couldn’t get tested). First symptom was terrible joint aches. Was so sick I missed 3 days of work (never missed work before that), went to sleep one night sure I was gonna die; was experiencing chest pain/pressure, breathlessness, tachycardia (120-130), trouble breathing. Ended up going to the ER in the morning and tests showed inflammation around the lining of my heart. Was given anti-inflammatory meds, antibiotics, and was discharged.
Had long COVID before we knew what that was.. the toes, the lung/cardio, fatigue, joint aches, and mental fog were the main symptoms for me. Lasted about 6 months.
Got Covid vaccine 3x since then. Moderna and Pfizer.
I had a decent reaction each time, with my joints being very achey, particularly in the arm that got the shot. Reaction was worse with Pfizer; pain lasted about a month.
2nd time I got Covid was at the start of 2023, confirmed with rapid test.
Sick for about 30 days with Covid but nothing like the first time. Same symptoms, including body aching. No medical treatment required.
Developed shingles near the end of that 30 days, first symptom was the precise, tell-tale ache in a focused part of my trunk. Got the antiviral medication within 2 days of symptoms (had shingles a decade before so I knew what it was right away).
Developed a sphenoid sinus infection following the Covid infection, untreated for a year (doctor dismissed my concerns as probable seasonal allergies).
Infection got so bad I ended up in ER, where they confirmed the infection via CT. Prescribed antibiotics.
I have questions about quinolone toxicity but I’ll do another post about that on another day, including more info on my treatment; it’s too much info for this related post.
Wont get into the reasoning here, but I believe I got quinolone toxicity, after looking it up online and comparing the timeline of my treatment and symptoms arising (was prescribed 31 days of quinolones in a 60 day period). Family doc agrees that while rare, it appears i have quinolone toxicity.
TL;DR
I have developed quinolone toxicity, mainly in the form of joint, tendon, and long bone aching, as well as fatigue and mental fog. Symptoms have persisted for more than a month now
In retrospect, I wonder if there’s a relationship between that achiness I experienced from Covid both times, and the achiness from the Covid vaccines, and now the achiness from the quinolones.
Are y’all aware of any papers or case studies demonstrating a possible correlation or increased incidence of QT in long Covid sufferers? I don’t think I’ve been prescribed quinolones previously, usually just get a penicillin family antibiotic.
edited to improve formatting

Hey folks just wanted to tell you about my tremfya journey this far, I was quite nervous about starting this medication.
So within six months of dosing, the psoriasis was gone!
But then I was off the medication for four months due to a surgery and could not take Tremfya until my incision was healed.
Once healed I started back, first time I could feel some side effects, tired, achy bones.
I've only gotten sick once with some respiratory infection that was running rampant in Ontario, it took a bit longer to heal up due to being immunocompromised by the meds but I'm doing great now and will continue tremfya.
I was lucky enough to get on their compassionate care program, if you have more than 10 hands worth of psoriasis on your body you should qualify.
If you are in a similar boat reach out to your derm or the company you want meds from, most companies have similar programs.
So the medication is free for life.

I just saw Biden stumble towards nothingness, seemingly attempting to shake a hand. The issue was, he was on stage alone - there were no other hands.
It really reminded me of when my great grandmother was driving on the highway, and couldn’t bring herself to go over 40 mph (speed limit was 70). I called this to her attention, she got a little upset, but that was the last time in her life that she drove. That’s what Biden needs: someone to call to his attention how out of it he is.
Sure he can pull it together like he did for the State of the Union speech, but why force this sweet old man to do that?
Age actually is just a number. My grandmother in-law , who’s Biden’s age, can still jog. Joe struggles with steps. I’m not saying an old president has to be out here looking like Jack LaLanne, but there’s a limit that Joe has so obviously blown past.
This man is FIFTEEN years past the average age of retirement. People who vote for him are forcing his achy bones to traverse the country for another 4 years.
(Before we even go there, yes Trump is nearly as old, on paper. This isn’t an “if not this, it must be that” type of argument. I hold a very pessimistic, and ultimately dismissive, view regarding the presidency and our electoral process)
EDIT: vid
Ugh, finally found it lol
EDITEDIT:
For people who can’t read Biden critique without mentioning Trump:
You’d be a fool to interview 2 people for a job, notice neither are capable, and hiring the one who’s a little more capable

Hey Everyone,
I've been lurking on this board since last summer (2023), when my mom was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, but this is my first time posting. It is extremely comforting to read and learn on this forum while we navigate through everything.
Sorry if this is a bit long, I just wanted to be as detailed as possible.
Mom (68 years of age) was diagnosed with MM mid July of 2023. We found out because she had little to zero mobility. Her "back hurt and was twingy" - she could walk, but it was SLOW going and she had little to no energy. The second she would sit down, she would fall asleep. It was EXTREMELY concerning. After a morning of not being able to get out of bed and rushing her to the local hospital to run tests, they discovered she had MM. After some referrals from her doctor, we got her into Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Mayo ran ALL the tests and we found out she had a genetic mutation in her MM which makes her high risk and that it had eaten away some of her lower spin. Mayo immediately operated on her back using "bone cement" to fill in where the MM ate away her bone in her vertebrae (which absolutely helped and alleviated her pain and made her more mobile). Since then she's been on a treatment of Revlimid, dexamethasone, Darzalex, and Kyprolis. The treatment has done so well, it's basically made the MM hardly there. (very low counts of it).
She did five cycles of this and then Mayo wanted to start harvesting her stem cells for the transplant. She went down early Feb., and they started the harvesting process, only to find they couldn't get over a million per sitting. (She was averaging maybe 600,000, and then less and less as the days went on - this took four days). They gave her some booster shots in the evenings, but that did nothing. They wanted 6 million - to put some in storage, but barely got 1.5 million. So they sent her home to rest up for "plan B" - with no chemo treatment during that "rest" time. They froze the stem cells they had collected.
A month later they had her come back to Mayo and started her on a few days of Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) before they attempted round 2 of stem cell harvesting. After a few days of Cytoxan they started her on G-CSF shots to get those stem cells moving. She went through all the symptoms of her bones (mainly her hips) being achy during those shots and also started to lose her hair from the Cytoxan.
Stem cell harvesting began I believe a four days later (I was with her as her caregiver, but man... those days really run together haha) - they did three days with lower counts than before - this was also with evening booster shots - and we also had to get some transfusions in there for hemoglobin and white blood cell counts because they got a bit low.
After two days of attempts and low counts the doctor was perplexed and decided to call off the Stem Cell Transplant because she wasn't going to hit the count they needed for the transplant. Our doctor has put mom back on her regular treatment of Revlimid, dexamethasone, Darzalex, and Kyprolis for 3 cycles, and then is going to touch base in July again. In the meantime our doctor is going to present mom's case to her peers because she has never seen or experienced this before. My cousin, who also works at Mayo said, if you've perplexed a Mayo doc then it is truly a unique case.
I'm still trying to process what this all means at this point. Needless to say, mom was extremely excited to go back home after being away for a month and a half. I do not blame her. haha
I am posting because I am curious if anyone else has had this situation occur or something similar and what it may mean...if an attempt to harvest stem cells again occurred and enough stem cells were collected, or if you or MM patient did okay just living off of the chemo treatment and maintenance and no SCT?

TL,DR: depressing diagnosis but shocking improvement.
Hi folks, I’ve been wanting to share my experience with this diagnosis. Four months ago developed groin/hip flexor muscle tension. Went to PT and acupuncture w a Naturopath. Dr ordered X-rays and I saw I have OA medium to severe in my left hip. Ive been continuing PT and saw a specialist. I was told I am bone on bone and my other side hip, not currently symptomatic, is not far behind. I am a candidate for total hip replacement. My primary care doc told me to take condroitin, glucosamine, Sam-E and fish oil. I also take turmeric black pepper supplements. I have been skeptical those things would actually help. In fact, the specialist seemed skeptical as well. The specialist prescribed Meloxicam 15mg which I’ve taken a few days here and there. The specialist’s opinion only made me feel like my options were pain or surgery. I’m open to surgery, just not there yet. I am religious about PT.
The Naturopath said weight is a contributing factor, as I am 5’4” female at 215#. That’s obese BMI. Started improving my lifestyle choices, quit drinking and actively losing weight by way of prioritizing protein and a modest calorie deficit. Avoid sugar. That’s going splendidly. Lost 20 lbs so far. Haven’t drank in 6 weeks. Interestingly, specialist told me my weight isn’t a factor, that my OA is a product of the shape of my joint sockets. At this point I wanted to go tell my Naturopath to f*** off for blaming my weight when he actually has no idea. (I get that obese people correlate with OA), but I digress.
So, I actually have pretty good news! The first 3 months of having the symptoms of pain and the diagnosis, I was devastated by this new reality. I couldn’t walk without a limp. Horrible achiness. Pain while at work. Last couple weeks, I have had major improvements in my pain, inflammation, and mobility! I’m kind of shocked. It’s as if the supplements and PT and diet have all finally kicked in.
Does this surprise folks here? I was so pessimistic. I guess I just wanted to yell my good news from the proverbial rooftop and maybe give hope to someone who may need it. I’m not sure how typical my experience is though.

I (F, 50) am in the middle of perimenopause (I guess??). Periods still happening and mostly regular, although I had a couple of month gaps last year that might have been stress or might have been my hormones dwindling. I have so far been lucky enough to avoid hot flashes and rage, and the vajay is acting fine (although I feel like things down there are looking a bit droopy 😒), but very dry skin, dry eyes, achy joints, and brain fog. Oh, and did I mention the chin bristles? Given my family history of osteoporosis, I chatted with my gyno and she was willing to go ahead and prescribe HRT; however, I have a genetic blood clotting disorder (Prothrombin 20210 Mutation) that makes me more likely to form blood clots, so she prescribed the patch (Combipatch .05/.14), which is supposedly less likely to cause clotting (although the Combipatch website is full of warnings anyway 🙄).
I spoke with my hematologist, who made a lot of noncommittal noises and didn’t tell me not to use the patch, but suggested I take a daily aspirin while on it and wants to check my blood every couple of months to keep an eye on things.
Here’s my dilemma: I am not in misery. As far as symptoms go, I could continue on as I am without HRT and be generally fine, although I do have a legitimate concern about osteoporosis (every single woman on my maternal side has had it going back as far as we know, and several have died after breaking bones in falls and never recovering). I understand HRT is very successful for preventing this. But the other piece, that I don’t feel good about at all, is there is definitely a vanity component at play, too: I know HRT can (may not always, but can) help with things like collagen loss, hair loss, muscle composition, weight gain/distribution, etc., that seem to go hand in hand with menopause. This doesn’t seem to me like a very good reason to do something if it is going to put me at higher-than-average risk for, say, a DVT or PE.
The gyno was willing to prescribe and the hematologist didn’t tell me not to do it, so I feel like maybe they think the benefit is worth the risk, but I don’t know. I am not asking for medical advice, but welcome any and all thoughts (extra points if you have experience with HRT and have a clotting disorder, but I happily accept all opinions). Thank you!
TL;DR: Perimenopausal, mild symptoms/high osteoporosis risk, have been prescribed Combipatch but wondering if it is worth the potentially increased risk of blood clot due to genetic disorder.