Underarm pain and tingling

So, I got Bells 1.5 months ago. I had really bad pain on both sides behind my ear and thought I'd sleep it off and went to bed. Over the next day it progressed and the left side of my face dropped. I got in to see the doctor that day. I was given an anti viral and heavy dose of steroids for 10 days. The first few weeks were brutal with a heavy amount of fatigue, malaise feeling, a bit dizziness/disorientation and issues with sound. Stiff neck muscle pain and cramping and regular symptoms. All I wanted to do is lay on the couch or bed. I had another bit of pain behind the ear a few days in. The doc said that I had a mild case but it didn't really feel super mild. I got slightly worse over the next couple days and I couldn't close my eye and all the other regular symptoms.
I had a return of facial symmetry at about 3 or 4 weeks. People can't tell when they see me unless I make expressions or talk. The dizziness has subsided and I can handle noise now. My eye waters way less but still does a little. I had a bad annoying mumble which has started to clear up to where I can talk on a phone call and people can't really tell unless I am making a lot of "P" sounds. My eye can close 100% sometimes but often it's at an annoying 80-90%. I can't smile or move my eyebrow at all. I do seem to get a cold sort of tingling in my upper lip area and around the corner of my mouth with a very subtle twitch in my cheek. I can't tell if I'm fabricating these feelings or not? Eating seems to be somewhat better and I can drink through a straw now almost normally and pucker well enough to almost make a lame whistle. I'm past the 21 days everyone seems to talk about... but I still can't move my brow or smile. Any thoughts on how you can tell the severity of the issue?

TL;DR: Do you know of any autoimmune conditions that would cause inflammation leading to sudden nerve pain or sudden sciatica?
I think I have an unidentified autoimmune condition. For the past 14 days, I am experiencing a sudden onset sciatic nerve pain, numbness and tingling from my back to my toes. My quality of life is majorly impacted and I am looking for answers. I suspect this is caused by inflammation from an unidentified autoimmune condition.
27F. Joint pain & joint swelling for over 4 years. Comes on really bad and then disappears like it never happened. First noticed it after contracting COVID for the first time.
I woke up two weeks ago with a cold and sudden onset sciatica pain. I have never experienced sciatica problems before, although I have had chronic low back pain. While I recovered from the cold after a few days the sciatica pain has remained for the past 14 days. Numbness, tingling and sharp pains from back to my toes leading to extreme discomfort. It has not gone away for over 2 weeks now and has been extremely uncomfortable and out of my range of tolerance on pain - can’t sit through work meetings, can’t sleep, can’t relax etc. I haven’t been able to get comfortable in weeks in any position - sitting, standing, laying, etc.
I am seeing a PT already for another nerve related issue in my shoulder that I have had for over 10 years (old volleyball injury). I have a winging scapula, another structural problems with my shoulder that lead to nerve impingement that travels to my hand. Since I have been experiencing that for over 10 years, I know there’s no cure for nerve pain and I know it when I feel it. So the PT has been quick to help me start doing PT for sciatica and specific stretches & exercises they think will help. This is super great, but I am kind of concerned about the underlying cause which I believe is immune related. I suspect my body is inflamed from being getting sick the same day the sciatica pain started, and the inflammation hasn’t gone down yet. The weird part is I think I have been over the cold part for over a week now, but the sciatica remains. I did take a COVID test by the way and it was negative so not COVID - just had a fever, stuffy nose, joint pain, body aches, and then this sciatica all start the same day.
Saw my primary care doctor yesterday and she is not super concerned this is anything more than “normal sciatica from prolonged sitting” and “not something more serious” (unless I lose bladdebowel function or muscle weakness I should go to ER, which is thankfully not what I am experiencing). We are going to do MRI to make sure I don’t have a slipped disc or something else going on. I have told her about joint pain flare ups getting worse whenever I catch a cold, so my PCP did find that suspicious for autoimmune.
But I am trying to see if there’s possibly an autoimmune condition associated with something like sudden onset sciatica/nerve pain as a result of inflammation/joint pain? I feel like this joint pain and swelling leading to nerve pain happening around when I get sick is really starting to impact my life and I want to see if there’s certain conditions associated with this kind of thing. I also have never had sciatica problems in my life, but I feel like I need to take immediate actions to get some answers on how to prevent this ever again & what the cause of the underlying flare up is.
Thank you for your insights.

Hey all,
I just turned 30 recently. I’ve been dealing with significant sciatica for the past year and this has really thrown my life out of whack so I have been thinking my migraines might be due to stress, but I’ve never dealt with them before. I’m waiting on an appointment to discuss them further.
For the past few months I started getting what I can only describe as sciatica-like tingling or a rushing water feeling down the left side of my head. I started getting morning headaches about a month ago and noticed I was taking Advil and Tylenol a lot more often. They would go away for a bit and then come back in the evening. I seem to be having headaches more often than not, at least daily, worst in the morning.
On Sunday I saw what looked like flashing in my upper right vision for a few moments. The next morning I woke up with a headache so bad I called off work, and I threw up twice. It lasted all day, and the pain was more concentrated at my right temple.
I had the face tingling three times in the last three days and each time it is followed with a headache and a pressure-like feeling in my face to some degree. I thought maybe sinuses, but I have no nasal drip or congestion.
I’m a bit concerned as the aura and headaches are coming on more and more frequently, and I’ve never really dealt with headaches or migraines before. Especially a headache so bad I puked! I also can’t identify any triggers. I eat well, drink loads of water, take good care of my body and limit caffeine to the morning.
Any thoughts or advice?

I recently figured out that the emotion I denied myself my entire life, were along the grief and sadness spectrum. I would rather feel disgust, anger, or smugness before allowing myself to feel sadness. Feeling sad scared me terribly and still does. I realized this today and just cried for a few hours, while a lot of memories where I’ve felt hurt came back up to the surface. I felt my legs + hips tingling, an area that’s been chronically tight the last few weeks and I usually never feel them except when they go numb, and now my body feels delicate/“weak” yet more calm, relaxed and open.
I realize we expend waaaayyyyyy more energy trying to repress and suppress our emotions, and it causes severe tension and tightness in our body, face, head (migraines, tension headaches) & especially in the joints that are suppose to bear weight - shoulders, knees, lower back, pelvis, feet and hips & a lot of physical ailments and pain I experience made sense.
Thankfully I’ve started therapy with a trauma informed therapist who I can talk about this with, but if you feel chronically tense and anxious, maybe explore and allow yourself and your body to feel your emotions. I was quite shocked when I realized how scared of being sad I was.

hello i just sent a message to my doctor about this but i was wondering if anyone has any ideas as to what it might be or what i can research? my symptoms are pretty common so i understand if you guys can’t
heat intolerance-i used to wear sweatshirts 24/7 even in the hottest summer days now it hits like 60° and i have to lay in my bed naked because i’m overheating
random low grade fevers: i’ve noticed this for a couple of months pretty frequently i’ll get a low grade fever that’s like 99.6-100.5 when my body naturally rests at 98.5-98.7.
onset of headaches- i used to never get headaches to the point where i would literally brag about it not i get frequent moderate (they feel moderate-severe but im also not used to headaches so i’m prolly just being a baby)
memory worsening/blacking out chunks of my day-i have a ton of mental health issues and a past history of drug use that fucked up my memory really bad already but randomly it’s gotten excessively worse to the point it’s affecting work. I’ll do that thing where you walk in a room and go “what was i doing?” except i’ll do that an EXCESSIVE amount i did it more than 5 times in an hour and a half at work which is insane.
Tingling in hands and feet-just slight tingling and occasional itching or pain in my hands and feet, i’m diabetic so they’re thinking diabetic neuropathy for this.
maybe worth mentioning i just got not officially but pretty much diagnosed with pretty bad GERD that’s caused severe morning nausea for two years and then other classic symptoms started about 6 months ago and severe IBS-C that randomly came on in the past year i mean i went from never being constipated in my life to not shitting for 2 weeks going to the er because of the pain type shit

• 36 Male, 5'11, 250 lbs. Located in California, USA.
• Types of providers seen/tried: Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, Massage Therapist, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pain Management, Neurosurgery, Neurology, Rheumatologist.
• Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disk Disease, PTSD (In therapy and medicated 8 years), sleep apnea (on CPAP 5 years), and high cholesterol (On a statin for 5 years).
• Exercise: Stretching and core exercises 3+ times a week. Recently able to walk daily with a cane and a slow/moderate pace for 30+ minutes. Have gone to the gym for years, typically 3x a week for weightlifting and cardio.
• Recent non-drinker, smoked in my 20's but quit. Occasional THC gummy for pain.
• X-Ray and MRI findings below. They are both from this month.

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MRI FINDINGS:
Alignment: Straightening of the normal lumbar curvature
Bone marrow: No marrow edema
Vertebral bodies: Multilevel degenerative changes of the lumbar spine characterized by scattered disc desiccation, osteophyte formation, disc bulges. Level by level discussion of the spinal canal and neural foramina as follows:
L1-L2: No significant neural foraminal or spinal canal stenosis.
L2-L3: No significant neural foraminal or spinal canal stenosis.
L3-L4: Disc bulge. No significant neural foraminal stenosis
L4-L5: Disc bulge with superimposed central disc protrusion. Facet arthrosis. Severe spinal canal stenosis, increased from prior.
L5-S1: Disc bulge and facet arthrosis. Mass effect on traversing nerve roots.
Spinal Canal: Congenitally narrowing of the spinal canal. Conus terminates at the L1 level
Paraspinal Soft Tissues: Atrophy of the paraspinous musculature
XRAY FINDINGS:
There is some persistent very mild levorotatory curvature of the lumbar spine noted on the AP view. On the lateral views, there is some persistent very mild grade 1 retrolisthesis of L4 on L5, which increases slightly with extension and reduces completely with flexion. Lumbar spinal alignment otherwise remains intact, with no fractures or other subluxations evident. There are relatively stable mild degenerative spondylitic type changes noted, again most pronounced at the L4 level. Vertebral body heights and intervertebral disc spaces appear well-maintained. There are no pars defects identified.
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I have not been in any accidents. My back has always been sensitive. Starting at age 19, I've had bouts of intense lower back pain that have become almost constant. I was pretty active at the time and about 60 pounds lighter than I am now. About 5 ago (age 31) I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and have received multiple epidural injections. They stopped working, so I was sent to a new Neurosurgeon for a second opinion. He recommended facet joint injections. If needed, he recommended the path forward to potentially be back flexion x-rays for a stability check, nerve ablation, and then back surgery to either decompress or stabilize the spine.
I did the facet joint injections almost a month ago. The facet joint injections worked wonderfully for about a week but the following week, pain built to the point that I was sent to the ED by my Neurosurgeon's nurse. I had severe pain in my lower back and outer-facing portion of the left leg and I'm not sure how I was even walking. I also had some tingling and numbness in my left leg, plus some possible incontinence (#1 and #2. It was just a little bit each time, so I didn't know for sure). I was in the ED for 10 hours for an MRI and a Norco, and was sent home because the spine specialist wouldn't answer his/her pages.
Another nurse from the neurosurgeon called a few days later and recommended I use a cane until I can see the MD or PA for a follow-up. They also ordered spine/back flexion xrays, which only showed minor abnormal movement of the vertebrae. The cane does really help! But unfortunately, if I go without it for even 15 minutes, the pain flares back up again. I don't always need to put my weight on it either. It seems to help me balance.
I just saw the PA yesterday and she did a lengthy physical exam to find out what hurts, check strength, et cetera. She was miffed at my use of a cane and didn't believe the stenosis had anything to do with the pain because "the pain *should* be near my tailbone". The worst pain is in fact from bellybutton-down on my back, then my left buttcheek down to my knee. She prescribed gabapentin and physical therapy even though I've done both before. A lot of us with chronic pain recognize the gabapentin/PT combo late down the line as the professional's kiss-off. She didn't mention any plan of honoring the MD's course of action. I left her office in tears because I didn't feel heard or seen, and hobbled back to my car.
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I'm at a loss with how to move forward. I would like some reasonable relief from the pain so that I can go on outings with my family comfortably, get back in the gym (I was going regularly before this most recent incident)or go for a walk without a cane. I would also like to keep up with the spinal stenosis so I don't become paralyzed or incontinent. These are the paths forward I am considering, and would really appreciate some input:

1. Stop going to the doctor. Try to manage with the cane and OTC pain relief and THC gummies. Either there's nothing more they can do for me, my symptoms aren't "severe" enough because I can still walk, I'm going to the wrong kind of doctor, or they think I'm a loon.
   
2. Go to PT and take the gabapentin. Whether it works or not, I'll have something to report back to the PA.
   
3. Schedule an appointment with the Neurosurgeon to straighten things out, possibly without seeing the PA again.
   
4. Return to my PCP and get another referral, possibly to a different specialty at his suggestion.
   

Hello all,
I've had a bulge at L4-L5 for about 1.5 years now.
I'm just about to try my first injection after trying conservarive treatment and PT without all much luck. I mostly have just have mild discomfort when sitting or laying down for longer than 30 min and annoying tingling down to my toes. When I push myself physically over time I start to get calf tightness and more obvious pain and discomfort, at the worst full blown cramping and constant tingling.
Anywyay, the pain specialist I saw told me to get on meloxicam until the day of the injection, in order to calm things down before the procedure.
He also told me not to take any other nsaids like ibuprofen because they have aspirin in them and could cause bleeding complications on the day of.
Meloxicam is a nsaid however, so I'm bit confused as to how this would be any different.
Has anyone taken this before an ESI under similar instructions?

I used to walk with her, now I walk alone. We used to marvel at the beautiful houses together, now I look down at my feet. Each home we pass, a grain of salt in the wound, each house a reminder of what I lost. Even though it hurts, I still find myself continuing our walks. Sometimes pain is good. It reminds us that we are still living. I’d rather feel the pain of her passing, than not feel her at all.
She’s alive when I walk. She’s the shadow that strolls behind. Though I can’t see her, I can feel her. Her presence is like a windbreaker draped across my shoulders in an especially violent storm. The pain isn’t gone but it’s bearable when I’m moving. I can’t speak to her, but she’s there. When I trip over a root, a hand steadies me. When I veer off course, I feel a gentle nudge.
And every day I end up in front of the same abandoned house on Jackson Street.
A grand home, at least at one point it must’ve been. The windows are boarded closed. The door is locked. Beware trespasser signs are strewn haphazardly across the tangled mess of the once impressive lawn.
I feel her presence strongest here. It is almost tangible, as if she’s hiding behind a thin curtain. I call her, yet she never answers. I reach for her, yet I can never lay hands on her. It is here on my journey where my emotions get the best of me. Every day I come, every day I cry.
The neighbors look at me with trepidation, but long gone are my days of caring what others think. I stand there an old man, face in my hands and weep for the woman I lost. Let them think what they want, but my Lenore was worth every tear.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and look up to see the front door of the house swing wide. Light pours out of it, and there she is, my Lenore. I rush towards her and the gaping maw, towards the woman I’ve lost. The woman who heard my cries. The one who has returned for me.
As I barrel forward through the brambles and overgrown weeds, I hardly am aware of the scrapes and cuts. Nor does it bother me that I trip over a hidden bottle and go tumbling face first in the dirt. I sling myself forward with the stamina of a much younger man.
And then, I am there, standing in touching distance from her. She’s got the same strawberry blonde hair that always left me breathless. It’s wrapped in a French braid with a daisy tucked behind her left ear. She looks younger by nearly twenty years since the last time I've seen her. Her nose and cheeks are dusted with a fine layer of freckles.
I begin to giggle like a schoolboy as I remember I once tried to count them. Twenty-three was the highest I got before I found my mouth on hers. And suddenly I have an inappropriate urge to pull her close and continue the kiss in front of God and all the neighbors.
Shortly before I do just that, she vanishes, leaving me standing in the front door alone once more. I look around the hallway and notice it’s fully furnished. There is no dust or decay. The parlor is in perfect condition. Even more surprising, I hear someone playing the piano. It’s Fur Elise and I could recognize that sound anywhere. Lenore was playing it the day she died.
A writhing anger fills me at this thought. I don't want to think of that day. The day the sun stopped shining. The day my life was uprooted and tossed carelessly in the trash. I try my best to tune that cursed melody out of my mind, but it fights me tooth and nail at every turn. It refuses to depart like a troublesome guest unwilling to take a hint. Even still, I find my feet moving towards the sound.
The Turkish rug leading down the hall looks familiar, the pattern of the wolf howling at the moon, the picture of the ship sailing in rough seas. I know it. I walk forward, no longer in control over my own body. Instead, everything begins to flash in front of me like a movie. I know on the other side of the door is a set of stairs that leads to the great room.
Still, I don’t remember, I can’t remember. They threaten to come back, but I don’t let them. I don’t want to remember. A feeling of unease bubbles to the surface, bringing with it a queasy gurgling in the pit of my stomach. I feel my lunch begin to squirm its way back up, burning my throat and causing a tingling sensation deep in my nasal cavity.
I know all my efforts are fruitless. The memories will come back. The dam I built to hold them at bay has already begun to crack. It will crumble soon. I know enough to know that I don't want to know, yet the details of that day are fuzzy. With each step closer to the door they come into focus. And as my hand reaches for the gilded doorknob, all goes black.
I’m back.
Oh God have mercy on me, I’m back to the day my wife died.
I come to this conclusion even as my own traitorous hand throws wide the hallway door. I fight for control. I do everything in my power to not see. My eyes fling wide, and I look to see the back of my sweet Lenore’s head, the damned daisy still perched behind her ear. She’s playing and she doesn’t know I’ve arrived.
I know what is coming but I don’t want to. Yet those damned feet, those mutinous mother fuckers keep pushing me forward. First up one step then two, before I even know it, I’ve scaled half of them. Now I can see her back, she’s in a flowery dress with what looks to be hummingbirds sucking at the honey. Fur Elise is ramping up, and the song is nearing its climax.
And then I see it. Him to be precise. He’s lounging in my chair, drinking my whiskey, with his shirt partially unbuttoned. I take it all in. My brain makes the connections. Rage, white-hot fills me once more. I look to the left and then the right, and that’s when I see my cavalry saber hanging on the wall for decoration.
I remember the outcome, yet I can’t force myself to let go of its hilt. My hand turns white from grasping it so hard. There’s nothing I can do to lessen my grip. I see myself marching up behind her sword held high in one hand.
Fur Elise climaxes as my arm swings. I strike her left shoulder blade and with a discordant whine the music stops altogether. Inwardly I scream. I curse my God’s damned temper. I watch as she slumps out of her chair.
Without a second glance, I am charging the man just beginning to look up from his comfortable spot in my seat. My blade penetrates his right abdomen, he lets out one shriek before my second swing catches him directly in the throat.
I am appalled at the blood spurting from his nearly decapitated neck. My hands are scarlet, I feel wet stickiness oozing down my face. Yet I can’t control my own limbs as they swing and swing and swing, chopping the man into kindling. I try to close my eyes, but they won’t, so I see his hand go flying. I watch as his innards come bubbling out of his abdomen. I split his head like a grape and watch as his brain matter leaks out to the floor.
To my dismay, I hear a gurgling sound coming from behind me. I turn knowing what I’ll see but powerless to stop it. I look to see Lenore’s face towards me trying to speak. Blood bubbles drizzling out of the side of her mouth. I don’t need to hear the words to know what she is trying to say. “Please, no more.”
Pity fills my heart, and my own eyes refuse to cry. “Please don’t do this,” I scream at myself in vain. I watch as I slowly move towards my former wife letting the blade carve a wicked groove into the marble floor. With no mercy my arm swings the blade up once then twice then three times, and all goes black.
Finally, I regain control of my limbs and body. I look up to see a vandalized great hall with a nasty groove in the marble floor, and there my chopped wife lying on the floor looking up at me with dead yet still very much alive eyes.
I see the monstrosity of my late wife clamber to her feet. Her left eye slides out of its socket running like egg yolk down her face. Black pustule blood leaks from her wounds. Her right eye locks with mine and in a slobbering wet noise she says, “I will never let you forget what you did here. Jail wasn’t enough for you. You didn’t stay your hand, so even in your Alzheimer’s I won't let you forget. Same time tomorrow, honey?
johnwestrick.com

So sorry in advance for the long post. I just need to get this out.
TW for talk of suicide and depression
If you’re my partner and you see this - please don’t read this. I promise you are a wonderful support but I know my venting hurts you because you want to fix things and you can’t.
Edit to add some probably important context: I was misdiagnosed with BPD when I was 19 after a traumatic experience. And while every mental health professional I saw after told me it was wrong and was actually PTSD and CPTSD, it was not actually “officially” diagnosed on record until the hospitalization, at the start of my ADHD assessment. But, the psychiatrist that ordered the assessment is the first doctor to ever bring up ADHD or neurodivergence. Just to demonstrate how many people missed these things over the years, how many “second opinions” I’ve had to get. Not in any way dissimilar to my experience seeking diagnosis for my physical health issues.
I feel such immense grief and rage. I don’t even know where to begin, so I guess I’ll start at the start of this “health journey”. When I was 16, I became incredibly ill. I was vomiting all the time, exhausted to the point of sleeping 14 hours a day from the time I got home from school til just before I had to leave for the bus. I don’t remember much from this time period because of the brain fog and genuinely don’t know how I passed my classes. I was gaining a lot of weight, too, and hadn’t had a menstrual cycle in 6 months, and was so so depressed. My mom ignored the health issues because she thought I was just being dramatic (there is much deeper context with the issues there but it comes down to I am now NC as an adult), but when I said I needed to see a doctor for my depression she did. My then-family doctor was wonderful and listened, and to be safe decided to run some blood tests though I hadn’t described to her my physical symptoms aside from the oversleeping I attributed to depression. I was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease, or Hashimoto’s. I started medication and my symptoms improved though some things, like the weight gain, never reversed.
I ended up going into remission for a time and no longer needed the HRT. But when I was around 20/21, I started having health problems again. I started experiencing numbness and tingling in both my hands and wrists, which I thought was from repetitive movement working as a cashier, though the symptoms only appeared about 6 months into that job and in hindsight it probably isn’t normal to develop that quickly that way. But I ignored it because I didn’t think it was serious as it was “just” carpal tunnel, and began wearing wrist splints regularly. I did not ask my doctor, as during this time I was having difficulties hearing at work and the hearing test I requested came back normal and I was dismissed and I didn’t want to reinforce the belief I have unreasonable worries about non-issues - later, I learned this was actually an auditory processing issue, which was never brought up by any medical professional I saw as a possible cause.
In 2020, when I was 24, I began experiencing the same autoimmune symptoms I had when I was first sick at the age of 16. I fell asleep at work which had never happened before and it worried me. I went to the ER on recommendation of Telehealth, where the doctor didn’t believe my symptoms and ordered just an EKG that came back normal. He told me I didn’t fall asleep/pass out while actively working, and simply “took a nap” and it’s normal. Follow-up with my GP after was unsuccessful, until I pushed for thyroid testing. I was found to no longer be in remission and put back on HRT, and once again my symptoms improved but did not resolve.
At the same time, and for the year or so that followed, I experienced extreme digestive health issues. I had visible yellowing of the skin, very dark under eye circles, issues with itchy and red patches of skin, and was passing undigested food and eventually became obviously malnourished as a result. I had what seemed to be a kidney stone that passed before I could get in for the ultrasound so it couldn’t be confirmed. I alternated between constipation and diarrhea, and always felt pain. My GP told me it was “probably just IBS” and had me do an elimination diet (twice) that did not work. He dismissed my concerns telling me I’m fine, until I sent a novel of my symptoms and saying I know he thinks I’m a hypochondriac but I am unwell and need to be looked at. The liver tests I pushed for came back normal. He offered to test me for Celiac but advised against it due to the cost of the blood test, so I didn’t. He did, however, refer me for a colonoscopy but the pandemic made this severely delayed. During the wait, I found some relief of my symptoms by cutting out gluten and dairy from my diet, and the yellowing of my skin and dark circles went away as did, eventually, the skin patches my doctor insisted was “just eczema”. I was off of gluten for a full year when I had my colonoscopy in fall 2022, the results came back normal and that doctor reiterated that it is “probably just IBS”. I learned later that I should have been consuming gluten for at least 3 months prior in order for it to be an effective test for Celiac, and my doctor failed to tell me this.
In early 2022, the joint pain had become frequent enough and painful enough in the knuckles where my hands meet my fingers, and in my wrists with definite carpal tunnel in both wrists as well, that I went to my GP. However, he is busy, and it’s often easier to book an appt with his assistant who is able to assess many conditions. At this time I also believed he would be more likely to listen and take me seriously. I went to the appt, described the nerve and joint pain issues. I had an exam where he confirmed bilateral carpal tunnel and arthritis in my hands. He said no testing was needed. I pushed back, stating that I am only 25 and there is no normal reason for the inflammation, and I have Hashimoto’s which has very high comorbidity with RA and I was concerned due to the fact the inflammation was symmetrical. I was dismissed, told the only test that could be done is an x-ray which was pointless as all it would do is confirm the presence of arthritis which he already confirmed with the exam. He told me to keep wearing wrist splints, keep taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen for the inflammation and pain, told me taking them was risk-free, and told me to come back when the redness and swelling of my joints got worse. I didn’t feel comfortable going to my GP for fear of being marked further as a problem patient, and assumed he would tell me the same information his assistant had based on my experiences with him and the fact his assistant is his staff that sees many of his patients.
My depression worsened during these years, coming to a head in early 2023 when I attempted. I did not succeed due to a mistake I made, fortunately. I was hospitalized for a time, where I was finally officially diagnosed with PTSD and CPTSD. And for the first time, a doctor asked if I suspected I’m neurodivergent. I was assessed and diagnosed with ADHD, which explained a significant amount of non-health related issues, though it also explained some like my KP and teenage cystic acne as they are common comorbidities. It’s important to note that I have a younger sibling that was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, and I was viewed as the “normal” child and any issues were dismissed as my sibling had higher support needs and was the priority and I was always viewed as simply being overdramatic and wanting attention. I was told the cause of my depression was trauma, including childhood trauma, as well as 26 years of undiagnosed and unmanaged ADHD I had been forced to deal with on my own. I was told I had done the best I could but they were not surprised it reached the point it did, as sadly the mental health system in Ontario is not what it should be and often people do not receive help until they’re long past the point of needing it. And for many, it’s too late. I am fortunate that it wasn’t too late for me, I’m fortunate I survived.
Prior to my stay at the hospital, I had gotten to the point of needing to take ibuprofen daily for the inflammation. When disclosing my medical history and medications, I was asked if I had received a formal diagnosis for my arthritis and what tests had been performed. I told them I had been assessed for and diagnosed with arthritis, but that no tests were performed. It was clear they did not believe me, and I wasn’t provided ibuprofen during my stay. They did not follow-up with my GP regarding the arthritis either, though to be fair I was in the psych ward and non urgent physical ailments were not their concern.
Now we get to 2024. It’s a jump, but I don’t feel anything between is significant. I do not go a day without pain, and havent for 3 months. The pain has now reached every joint in my body, I feel fatigued and foggy, I feel horrible all the time and have had 3 UTIs since February. The last one reached my kidneys rapidly, and coincided with the worst full-body arthritis flare of my life - this was 2 weeks ago. I woke up every 2 hours sobbing in agony because my body and knees in particular were so warm and painful and stiff. For a full day I was unable to get out of bed and ran a low grade fever with chills I assumed were due to the infection but now I’m not so sure. Since then, I have been in constant pain though not as severe as then. My knee and hip pain keep me up at night, and/or wake me up often due to the pain and stiffness. Regardless of my larger joints, my hands and wrists always hurt now. I feel ill in the way I did with my Hashimoto’s. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen aren’t doing anything anymore, and I rely on cannabis for relief which isn’t always suitable. My partner got me a topical ointment that has been incredibly but isn’t affordable enough to be sustainable with how much of it I need in one go, and I need to use it sparingly when I absolutely need it. Despite not feeling that my joints are red and swollen enough to go back (because I see them every day and they look normal because they always look like that), I stuck with my plan to see my GP. I first tried to book in February, but only saw him this week.
I described all the physical symptoms asking about my lower leg/ankle swelling and to have my thyroid levels checked for potential med increase need, and I described my joint issues. He assessed my hands, and told me my knuckles are red and swollen. I’ve realized after in research and really looking at my hands that the top knuckle on one of my fingers has a lump on it, albeit a very small one. He immediately said he is testing me for RA with blood work, and in my research I’ve confirmed the req form is thorough, and also includes urinalysis and an EKG. However he told me for the inflammation marker test to go for it when it’s at its worst, and with my work schedule I can’t, and I’ve waited so long for this I refuse. I’m going for it as soon as I can. I’ve waited so long to be listened to and believed. And as many as half of people with RA test negative on the blood tests so I’ll end up needing imaging tests anyway either way and I want this process to be as fast as possible. Even if it’s not RA, I need them to figure out what’s wrong with me and give me the appropriate treatment. He was alarmed and visibly displeased to hear that I had seen his assistant 2 years ago for an assessment - though I forgot to mention to him that that appointment was also for bilateral carpal tunnel (which I now know is an early sign of RA due to compression of nerves). It wasn’t explicitly stated but it was clear that I should have been tested 2 years ago. And wasn’t.
I’m tired of being in pain. I’m tired of being sick. I’m just plain tired. I feel so failed by the system that’s supposed to care for us. I’m so frustrated with people insisting that doctors are all-knowing and infallible and if they tell you you’re fine, you are. I’ve been fighting for years to be heard and have only been left to feel like I’m losing my mind and imagining these problems and am just overdramatic after all. I feel vindicated that I was right all along, but it’s too little too late. RA is a progressive disease, and the earlier it’s diagnosed and aggressively treated the better. I’ve had at minimum 2 years of progression that cannot be undone. The damage can’t be reversed. I am angry and devastated. The grief is so f*king immense.
I’m 27. I don’t know what my future looks like anymore and that scares me. I’m worried about the damage this disease has done to my internal organs. I worry having kids is no longer an option for me, due to my health. I worry that my physical capabilities will continue to deteriorate. I am so angry that I’ve been written off as an anxious hypochondriac when I knew something was wrong.
Diagnosis of an autoimmune disease or any illness really, apparently doesn’t negate medical misogyny and ageism. Advocating for yourself doesn’t go anywhere when you’ve been labelled crazy and a problem patient. The most it’s gotten me is my doctor “offering” to send my files if I wanted to switch to a different GP, which I can’t with the GP shortage. I have to live with the lifelong consequences of doctors failing me. And it f*king sucks.

Hi all, I've been looking through old threads about people's experience with postdromes lasting longer than usual..I'm on day 5 right now and feel very stuck! I have dizziness, extreme fatigue, occasional numbness and tingling all over, lingering visual aura. My migraines are the hemiplegic type usually, although my migraine this time didn't come with an entirely numb limb, just tingles and horrible nerve pain plus the aphasia wasn't too bad either...maybe because the migraine didn't have the most intense symptoms it is lingering in postdrome longer?
Anyway enough musing - I'm curious about everyone's tricks for relief from a reeeeeally long postdrome? I don't have any drugs because I have not seen a Dr for migraines for a few years. Anything over the counter people like?? I'm currently very hydrated with electrolytes. Is there any use in going to the hospital? Is there anything they can do for me there? Is it dangerous to let it last this long?

Hello. I’m 23 year old suffered my whole life with health anxiety, since a little kid. Throughout my life I’ve diagnosed myself with 100 diseases, cancer, spent 100,000$ on private scans, 10 MRI’s, 50 bloodworks, CT scans, doctor appointments including private ones and specialists, colonoscopies, cystoscopes, ultrasound, etc.
Lately it’s hit rock bottom and it’s definitely MS or cancer. Like I’m a billion prrcent sure because I have developed something called Lhermitte sign which is when I bend my neck I feel a buzzing in my legs. It’s a guaranteed sign of multiple sclerosis.
I get boat sensation walking, tingling throughout body, Lhermitte sign in legs and fingers, intense eye pain and headache, insane panic attacks and more.
I have a job where I have so much free time I’m using it to read more about my condition. I feel everything is over, I don’t sleep, I don’t eat good. I just sit and watch the wall and think to myself it’s over and it’s over and it’s over and never will I be able to do anything. I’m deathly afraid of brain tumor, deathly afraid of MS, and deathly afraid of spinal cord tumor.
MS is 75% chance, 15% spinal cord tumor and rest is for brain cancer. It is truly over. I don’t want to go to a therapist, I don’t want anything. I’m tired man I’m so tired

Took low dose supplements for 6 weeks and experienced reversing out, decrease in facial symptoms, increase in finger tingling and other body part tingling/pins needles. Also had diarrhea.
After receiving lots of feedback on this sub, I was taking a bunch of different supplements and it just felt like way too much. So I decided to just give it a little break.
It’s been almost 7 weeks and I still have symptoms but they’re very minimal right now. They come back some days.
Is this somewhat normal? My symptoms at my worst were never “major”. I never had an official blood test but rather a muscle test and started supplements so results will be skewed now.
It started with facial/neck nerve pain and then when I started supplements, that’s when wake up pain started in other body parts.
Summary: I thought I had TN but then I reversed out with the low dose supplements and then I stopped them cause it was a lot and I thought symptoms would come back. They’ve slowed down completely besides some days here and there.

Hey guys, I don't know wtf I just experienced and where to go to find answers.. But I think I saw my soul???
I'm not going to go into too much detail because I might look crazy + I don't want to sit here for 2 hours typing it out lol
but anyway as i was doing the letting go technique often as I'm letting go my feelings and emotions take on a child like form, like a child throwing a tantrum being frustrated or whatever... I sit there with them and let them run their course and they dissapear.
But this time it was a bit different, the feelings were a bit sporadic and a bit hollow because they would vanish in a minute or two if not seconds... and a bunch different ones popped up one after the other...
I thought it was because I forgot doing it for a couple of days and maybe they just piled up, but it still felt weird...
It was only after I remembered the chapter on love from the book letting go where he said to not see the ego as bad or as the enemy it's simply limited and deserves love too.. So I thought it was my ego acting up (because I have a business deal that's going through) and I thought I might've been just afraid or my ego was tripping or something, so long story short, after letting the feelings run their course, I said I'm sorry for forgetting to sit with them earlier and that they could come anytime they want and I love them either way.. I was talking to my ego, my brain whoever the fuck was listening right... and then my face tenses up almost like I'm having a cramp and I can't control it...
This clear white "being" pops into my head and starts crying, I'm making the face and some tears come out, and I can't control any of it... it goes away for a moment and I get back to my senses and I'm sitting there like wtf was that? have I gone insane now? Is this it? I calm myself down, my heart is pumping and i'm out of breath... try to calm myself but I can't... so like any "sane" person would I decide to go back in, I close my eyes again and get taken back into that place, there was nothing there... clear... with this white "being" hugging me crying and calling out to my mom... Now I'm crying and I can feel what it's feeling.. and I sit with that feeling, it cries it all out and now we're standing still and I realize I have been avoiding this pain my whole life... (my mom left when I was 3 btw srry for the fcking dumping)
But now this being is okay, and I realize i've been avoiding it & it didn't have anybody tell them that it was loved... and I start feeling bad about not paying any attention to it... and I start bawling, I don't think i've ever cried like this since I was a child, tears running down my neck all the way to my chest...
and as this runs it's course, and we're both done, I have this sense of overpowering euphoria, almost like an overdose... If you've ever smoked too much or had too much nicotine, that tingling feeling all over your body... where it's simply too much... and it starts guiding me out, I'm looking around frantically trying to keep focus to understand what is happening but random thoughts keep popping up in my head, and sense that it's guiding me out/ kicking me out... and I ask it are you kicking me out now and it says yes, you're not ready yet...
and then boom I snap out of it...
Before I left though I saw some sh*t from my childhood I completely forgot about, some unclear pictures... and I don't know if it was my subconscious mind or my soul? it felt so whole yet separated.... Like a droplet if "wholeness" was the ocean...
Has anyone had a similar experience or have I just lost it completely?
Maybe not the best place to ask but worth giving it a shot because I don't know where else to go..

Hello everyone! This is my first pregnancy and I’m currently 33 + 3. I had a realllyyyy smooth easy pregnancy the first two trimesters, could barely tell I was pregnant. Well starting 26 weeks I started having frequent Braxton hicks. As the weeks have gone on they become more and more frequent. I definitely think I have uterine irritability, as no change in activity, position, hydration, etc makes them stop or go away.
I’ve mentioned to my doctor and they said to just monitor them and call if I have any pain or leaking. I time them every once in a while (if I timed all of them I would literally not be able to do anything else but sit there and monitor them all day long). They come as close together as every 3 minutes for over an hour but then they eventually slow down or fade out for a while. Just the last few days, especially at night they’re accompanied by period-like cramps. Also having occasional back pain and pressure all around in back and pelvis. But still obviously they’re not labor contractions or I’d know by now right?? Because they do ease up eventually. And again it’s been going on for weeks so surely I’d know by now unless it’s possible to start out like this then progress into preterm? Note, I have them all day long, they just become more intense and frequent at night.
On top of the many contractions, at my 32 week ob appt last week, my doctor told me that the baby has dropped already and it appears that he’s on the bigger side, and also apparently I don’t have much fluid. Not an alarmingly low amount, just not a lot.
I can tell he’s dropped too, and sometimes when i pee I feel this really weird like, I don’t know how to describe it?? Tingle droppy feeling in my pelvis??
Anyway all this combined is making me feel like he’s not going to wait in here another 7 weeks.
Anyone have any input, similar experiences, etc ? Should I ask for a check next week at my 34 week ob? Or is it not even worth it, like when he comes he comes and I’ll know…
Sorry this all over the place and thanks in advance for your input!

Hello! I have had transient paresthesia for over a year. It affects my left or my right entire side of the body below the neck. It's a numbness/tingling that takes over my right arm, hand, side, back, leg and foot and lasts about 60 seconds. Then later in the day it might do the same thing to my left side. Happens roughly five times per day. It comes when I go from sitting to standing, or standing to sitting, or walking, or turning over while sleeping. I have gone to a doctor and a chiropractor. The doctor thought it was a vitamin deficiency, so they did blood work and saw that my vitamin levels were fine. I took extra vitamins anyway and nothing changed. After a few months at the chiropractor I stopped going because nothing changed from going there either.
This started when I switched from a latex mattress to a hybrid memory foam mattress. That mattress gave me hip pain (side sleeper) so I switched to a pure memory foam mattress with a memory foam topper. I returned that one because I think the paresthesia is related to the mattress. I got a new latex mattress a few weeks ago but I am still experiencing the transient paresthesia, quite frequently. It happens often when I'm sleeping and turn from my back onto my side.
Would love to hear any ideas you have as to what may be causing this & any solutions.

I had a microdiscectomy on 5/10. I noticed on 5/12 that I was starting to get worsening pain in my right knee and tingling throughout the whole leg. It's not positional, it just hurts regardless of how I lie in bed. I'm just worried that this means something bad. My leg has full range of motion and no warmth or redness. Is this normal for pain to come back worse post op?

So my health has been a disaster for 7months with no answers still. My ANA was positive but came back negative this last time-however my inflammation markers have gone up. My CRP was already elevated at 23 but now it’s at 30 and my sedimentation rate was 30 but now it’s gone up to 78. What could this mean? I’m having a ton of fatigue, tingling and numbness in my hands and feet and up my back, joint pain, brain fog and forgetfulness, weight gain, swelling/inflammation in my face neck and my back-I almost look like I have a hump. Could this be a link to cushings? Are inflammatory markers high with this disease/syndrome?

29F I see Hematology/Oncology this coming Monday 5/20 but am trying to ease my mind a bit until then. I originally got referred to hematology/oncology because I’ve been having blood clots including multiple SVTs, DVTs, and a PE. I failed Eliquis and now I’m on Warafrin and had a couple other blood thinners in between. I just saw Vascular and they said to keep going with the blood thinners.
I’m starting to put together my symptoms I’ve been having over the last 9 months and I’m starting to get worried. I’m having terrible night sweats where my clothes and sheets are soaked, a dry cough, fatigue even when I get a full 7-9 hours of sleep, back pain, slightly decreased appetite, arm and leg swelling (roughly where the clots were located), chest/collar bone pain/discomfort, pain/discomfort that starts in my left underarm and extends into my upper arm, that same area feels weird (like full) when I lay down on that side, quick light headed episodes, and recently started getting low grade fevers that last a day or so even though I’m not sick.
I went to the ER a couple weeks ago because my chest pain and coughing were getting worse and I was worried my PE was getting worse. They did a CT of my chest and thankfully the PE had resolved, but my lymph nodes under both my arms were “reactive”. I know this could be a weird combination of symptoms or something more serious. Has anyone experienced this before? Could this be anything else besides lymphoma or cancer? Any input would be appreciated!

i’m curious if it’s worth going to the vanderbilt dysautonomia clinic with my symptoms. so last august, I had a cardiologist order a ttt, and he said everything looked normal on it. except between the 2 and 4 minute mark I had a 30/9 drop in bp with only a 15bpm increase. it took about 20 minutes for my hr to increase to 30bpm above my initial laying down hr. I pass out when I stand up sometimes but that comes and goes it’s a little weird. normally, I do have some dizziness and more often pre syncope when I do stand up. my cardio blamed my symptoms on my medicines but I have had symptoms(and they were much worse too) when I wasn’t on anything except the occasional allergy pill and ibuprofen. I used to pass out 2-3 times a day during my freshman year of hs(that was 7 years ago). about 2-3 hours after I eat I get low bp symptoms(i’m going to start testing that soon, i’ve had hypoglycemia tests done and they were normal) even when my meals are lower carb. i also start to slur words and overall just find it extremely hard to make sense when i have symptoms. sometimes i have moments where I stop talking and forget what what was going on but i don’t pass out or anything. just feels like a brain etch a sketch moment. if I stand for too long, I start seeing stars and get very dizzy + legs start to hurt. i’ve tried compression socks but they made the tingling and neuropathic pain worse in my legs. I get short of breath easily and my hr easily climbs to 130bpm (from 72bpm average resting hr) when I literally do anything other than sit or lay down. I do drink coffee but no more than a cup a day and I avoid it entirely on symptomatic days.
i’m located indianapolis but at this point i’m willing to travel because the only dysautonomia clinic here in indiana got closed off to only long covid patients. I have family near vanderbilt, so it seems like an option. would they even take me with my ttt results? nobody seems to think it’s an issue and just blames it on coffee + medicines(i’m on thyroid meds and strattera for adhd). im really tired of these symptoms just taking over. I also have hashis, celiac, and multiple other food intolerances

I recently acquired genital HSV2, my primary outbreak lasted almost two months. I am 12 weeks out and still have a constant burning on my left labia. I am taking valtrex daily since this began.
When I was 6 weeks out though my partner who was negative performed oral sex on me when I still had lesions. He didn’t realize I still had lesions, I panicked and had him stop. We continued to kiss after that.
Unfortunately 3 days later I realized he may have transferred my GHSV2 to my mouth because my antibodies hadn’t been sufficiently built up yet. I started to have red dots on my tongue, then tingling over my whole face, nostrils, lips, eyes began to become bloodshot and gritty feeling, my mouth felt like I had burned it. No sores ever develops so there was nothing to swab and my doctor kept saying there is no way and it’s rare. But I’m convinced. Why else would these symptoms start three days after that sexual encounter?
My question is if my partner was able to move the virus from my genitals to my mouth via his mouth do we think he definitely got infected as well or is it possible that he didn’t get infected? He’s waiting until 12 weeks and then getting the blood test for antibodies. He did have some symptoms but not as extreme as mine. His were lip trembling, itchy nose, some red dots on lips and tongue, pain in the jaw. I think that oral hsv2 must show up differently than hsv1 and that the classic cold sore isn’t always the case and maybe it’s not as rare as we all think it is.

Hello everyone! This is my first pregnancy and I’m currently 33 + 3. I had a realllyyyy smooth easy pregnancy the first two trimesters, could barely tell I was pregnant. Well starting 26 weeks I started having frequent Braxton hicks. As the weeks have gone on they become more and more frequent. I definitely think I have uterine irritability, as no change in activity, position, hydration, etc makes them stop or go away.
I’ve mentioned to my doctor and they said to just monitor them and call if I have any pain or leaking. I time them every once in a while (if I timed all of them I would literally not be able to do anything else but sit there and monitor them all day long). They come as close together as every 3 minutes for over an hour but then they eventually slow down or fade out for a while. Just the last few days, especially at night they’re accompanied by period-like cramps. But still obviously they’re not labor contractions or I’d know by now?? Because they do ease up eventually. Note, I have them all day long, they just become more intense and frequent at night.
On top of the many contractions, at my 32 week ob appt last week, my doctor told me that the baby has dropped already and it appears that he’s on the bigger side, and also apparently I don’t have much fluid. Not an alarmingly low amount, just not a lot.
I can tell he’s dropped too, and sometimes when i pee I feel this really weird like, I don’t know how to describe it?? Tingle droppy feeling in my pelvis??
Anyway all this combined is making me feel like he’s not going to wait in here another 7 weeks.
Anyone have any input, similar experiences, etc ? Should I ask for a check next week at my 34 week ob? Or is it not even worth it, like when he comes he comes and I’ll know…
Sorry this all over the place and thanks in advance for your input!

Hi All, I had my spinal fusion surgery almost 19 years ago. I recently learned that one of my rods broke but my fusion is solid. Question is I’ve started to experience a burning sensation in the middle of my spine which is a very new sensation. Could that be arthritis? I see the surgeon in 2 weeks. Also experiencing tingling in left leg and hand. MRI came back clear a few weeks ago but this new pain is odd. Anyone experience anything like it? Side note I have a 2 yr old who is 34lbs and I constantly carry him and pick him up. I believe that is how my rod cracked and why I’m having all this pain. Any insight appreciated.