Symptoms coughing chills fever nausea

Fluoride is a mineral widely recognized for its role in dental health. It is used in various forms, including in water supplies, dental products (like toothpaste and mouth rinses), and professional dental treatments. Here are the uses, risks, and potential side effects of fluoride:
Uses of Fluoride:-
Dental Health:
Cavity Prevention: Fluoride helps to remineralize tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay.
Strengthening Teeth: It integrates into the tooth structure during development, creating a stronger enamel layer.
Reducing Bacteria: Fluoride can inhibit the growth of bacteria in the mouth that produce acid, which is responsible for tooth decay.
Public Health Measures:
Water Fluoridation: Adding fluoride to public water supplies is a common practice aimed at reducing the incidence of dental cavities in the population.
Professional Dental Treatments:
Fluoride Varnishes and Gels: Applied by dentists to provide a high concentration of fluoride to protect teeth.
Fluoride Supplements: Prescribed for children in areas where the water supply is not fluoridated.
Risks and Side Effects of Fluoride:-
Dental Fluorosis:
Cause: Overexposure to fluoride during the early years of life (typically up to age 8) when teeth are developing.
Symptoms: Causes discoloration and mottling of the teeth, ranging from mild white spots to severe brown stains and surface irregularities.
Skeletal Fluorosis:
Cause: Long-term exposure to high levels of fluoride, typically from drinking water with excessively high fluoride concentrations.
Symptoms: Can lead to pain and damage to bones and joints.
Potential Toxicity:
Acute Toxicity: Ingesting a large amount of fluoride at once can be toxic, causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. This is rare and usually associated with accidental ingestion of high-concentration fluoride products.
Chronic Toxicity: Long-term ingestion of high levels of fluoride can lead to more serious health issues, including effects on bones and possibly the thyroid.
Other Side Effects:
Gastrointestinal Issues: Ingesting too much fluoride can cause stomach upset.
Skin Reactions: Some individuals may experience skin rashes or irritation from topical fluoride products.
Balancing Benefits and Risks:-
Optimal Fluoride Levels:
Water Fluoridation: The optimal fluoride level in drinking water recommended by health authorities is generally around 0.7 parts per million (ppm). This level balances the benefits of preventing tooth decay while minimizing the risk of dental fluorosis.
Dental Products: Using the right amount of fluoride toothpaste (a pea-sized amount for children) and ensuring children do not swallow toothpaste can help manage fluoride exposure.
Monitoring and Education:
Public Health Surveillance: Regular monitoring of fluoride levels in water supplies and dental health outcomes.
Education: Educating the public about the appropriate use of fluoride products and the importance of supervised brushing for children.
Conclusion
Fluoride is a valuable tool in promoting dental health and preventing cavities. When used appropriately, the benefits of fluoride in reducing tooth decay significantly outweigh the risks. However, it is important to manage fluoride exposure carefully, especially in young children, to prevent potential side effects like dental fluorosis. Consulting with dental professionals can help individuals and communities make informed decisions about fluoride use.

Cross posting from askdocs.
22F. Seeing a general neurologist (already saw MS specialist) and getting an EMG in three weeks but would like to get other people’s opinions - my PCP has no idea what’s going on with me. Do these sound like autoimmune symptoms / should I look into that? Sorry for the long post but I thought I should include all info in case it’s relevant.
Current symptoms: - perceived weakness and neuropathy in left hand/wrist (feels like a weird burning/tingling sensation, sometimes triggered by the cold but present a majority of the time) - this is by far my worst symptom - occasional tingling sensations in other extremities, but never as frequent as left hand - bad upper back pain (comes and goes, gets worse with certain positions and never in one specific area) - derealization/brain fog (feels like I’m out of it/in a different universe, also hard to describe) - occasional chills/shivering - fatigue (sort of comes and goes in waves)
Timeline of my symptoms:
Feb 2023: fell twice while drunk (don’t have balance issues), woke up a two days later with terrible back spasms. A few days after that I noticed weird tingling sensations in my hands and feet and freaked out, also generally not feeling well/having a lot of fatigue. Freaked out about having MS - doctor did brain MRI and told me to chill out, symptoms went away.
Sept 2023: started experiencing chronic fatigue, brain fog, and derealization, chalked it up to weed withdrawals (I was cutting back at the time).
Oct 2023: got Covid - brain fog and fatigue got a lot worse.
Late Oct 2023: started having weird stomach issues - constant bloating and random sharp pains in lower abdomen. Got some tests done, this went away in around a month.
Early Nov 2023: started getting vaginal pain/constant burning sensation. Got more tests done, also went away in around a month.
Dec 2023: started feeling a bit better, then had a terrifying experience on THC (fully disassociated and thought I was dying multiple times), quit again.
Mid Dec 2023: started talking combination birth control for PCOS as per gyno’s recommendation.
Late Dec 2023: started getting weird muscle weakness in both left hand and foot, went away in around three weeks. Also felt chest pain a few times and ended up in the ER for it, where I got my heart tested. Fatigue was pretty bad this whole time.
Jan-Feb 2024: muscle weakness mostly gone, fatigue slowly improving throughout these months, still dealing with some brain fog. Resumed weed use which was probably a bad idea.
March-May 2024: Quit weed for good. Switched to new progestin-only birth control because the combination one was giving me high BP. Started getting all this weird neuropathy and joint pain all over the place, for a few days it was super bad in my left/hand wrist and since then it’s been mostly in that area. Makes me wonder whether I have carpal tunnel or some nerve compression problem - it’s pretty painful. Sometimes shows up in left foot but not that bad there. Still have some derealization and brain fog that shows up for a few hours a day - it’s weird. Fatigue and back pain still present. Symptoms come and go in ways though - I have both good and bad days. I’d like to think I’m improving overall, but days like today make me not so sure of that.
Medical history: - had spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis in thoracic spine when I was 15 - have PCOS - no family history of any autoimmune or neurological conditions except for grandmother with MS. Got genetic testing for 150 ish conditions and every single one was negative
Medications/drugs: - take 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day - started birth control in December (right before the neuropathy started - wonder if they might be related?) - chronic daily THC abuse for ~14 months right before all this started, been sober for several months now (possibly related?)
Tests I’ve already had: - brain MRI in Feb 2023 and March 2024 - both showed one/possibly two unchanged nonspecific T2 hyperintensities that the MS specialist said were benign - cervical spine MRI - 100% clear - neurological exams (multiple) - 100% normal - full abdominal and pelvic ultrasound - clear except for benign liver finding that doctor is not concerned about - chest x-ray - 100% clear - two EKGs - normal - thoracic spine x-ray - clear, showed that screws from surgery are in proper place - stool test - normal - urine test - normal - pap smear - atypical cells of undetermined significance, HPV negative - doctor said not to worry about it/continue screening every three years - lyme disease test - initial screening came back positive but confirmation tests were negative so doctors concluded it wasn’t lyme - B12 test - 526 (normal) - A1C - 4.8 (normal) - Rheumatoid factor - normal - C-reactive protein - normal/on lower side - ESR - normal/on lower side - SPEP panel with immunofixation - all normal - Jo-1 antibody - negative - CBC and complete metabolic panel - all normal - hepatic panel - normal - Methylmalonic acid - normal - TSH with reflex - normal - troponin - normal - PT-INR - normal - magnesium - normal - lipase - normal - serum protein electrophoresis - normal - mono (multiple times) - negative - reproductive hormones - elevated androgens (hence the PCOS diagnosis)

Most of my life I had a blood pressure that averaged 80-90 on the top number and 40-60 on the bottom. No symptoms, no problems. I was healthy and active and ate a healthy diet. I still eat healthy, but I am a smoker.
Now here’s where it gets confusing for the doctors. Once my blood pressure started to inch up little by little, I began to have symptoms that seemed to be heart failure. Even had several blood tests show something the heart releases when it’s failing. After 10 years I finally have what is a “normal” blood pressure for most people and I keep having heart failure symptoms.
Every night when I lie down my heart rhythm goes out of whack, heavy breathing and pounding heart after the rhythm straightens out, with heavy sweating. This also happens during the day and has begun causing me to pass out. I actually smashed my face into pavement one day and shattered an eye socket and fractured my forehead and lost a good chunk of cartilage from my nose because I passed out and went over like a bowling pin. Nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, extreme fatigue, what I call hot flashes (though I’m much too young and am not in menopause), My vision changes from day to day. I have been wearing glasses my whole life and now sometimes they work and other times I see better without them. Especially up close. My abdomen and legs stay so swollen I can barely eat or walk due to the pain.
My primary care doctor noticed my blood pressure was changing. But she knew I needed the water pills until I could see a cardiologist. She did caution me and told me to only take them every 3 days because I tend to have low blood pressure and water pills lower blood pressure. It was a concern. Well, I immediately felt about 50% better. Both the frequency and severity of my symptoms decreased.
My cardiologist said this:
Why would she put you on water pills?
Me: well because of how swollen I am with water retention.
Him: well you probably have (condition in my legs where the vessels stretch and blood flow gets messed up or stops) we will do the procedures for that. As for the water retention, your heart isn’t strong enough to pull the water out of your system the way it should. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with your heart
Me: that makes no sense (has ultrasound and confirms vessel condition in legs and has 4 procedures done) cardiologist releases me and says I should be fine now. No change including in leg swelling.
My primary then represcribes the water pills and adds a beta blocker. Diagnosis: high blood pressure. Frequency of symptoms reduced by 60%. Severity of symptoms reduced by 80%. Haven’t passed out since or had dizziness or nausea and vomiting. Headaches have been minimal. Eyesight is still a bit wonky.
Primary care doctor moves to another state. New primary care doctor thinks I and my previous doctor are insane and that my “normal” blood pressure is fine and my other symptoms are my imagination. Now I’ve been without meds for an entire month and I’m worried.
Are there ANY studies or doctors who have experience with a person whose normal blood pressure is low and high blood pressure reads as normal? I’m desperate at this point. I’m way too young to die of a heart attack or stroke and leave behind 3 kids without a mom. I’m only 44.

33 year old male from Australia, non-smoker, very little alcohol. Medical cannabis taker.
I've dealt with what I've often referred to as "bad headaches" for atleast the past 10 years. I've often drawn it up to another symptom of GAD which I take SSRIs and medical cannabis to treat and have just accepted it as a part of life. I've had all the normal tests done and doctors have never found anything that could trigger them. It's gotten to the point where traditional pain relief doesn't help and can actually sometimes make it worse and the episodes themselves can last between 1-3 days, often requiring me to take time off work.
I'm starting to wonder if what I am dealing with are actually migraines, not headaches. I wanted to list my symptoms and get some advice so I can speak with my doctor about new treatment.
Quite often the head pain itself is usually in the centre of my forehead and more often than not accompanied with tightness in my neck. During particularly bad episodes, I also find myself yawning constantly. The episodes are usually accompanied by malaise but not vomiting or nausea. I don't seem to have particular aversions to light and sound nor do I think I've had any visual hallucinations.
Any guidance would be appreciated. Happy to answer questions

This is the longest, slowest and most exhausting illness I think I’ve ever encountered. I’m convinced it’s Covid despite five negative tests. I may have contracted it at a very crowded concert last week or at an unrelated doctors appointment (where they were also treating actively sick patients).
Had a sore throat on Sunday, but really didn’t think too much of it. Then on Monday (2 days ago) I woke up for work extremely fatigued and nauseous. I went about my daily routine until I got incredibly lightheaded and passed out on the bathroom floor. Chalked it up to not eating enough, but the problem persisted throughout the day and I have been incredibly weak and lethargic since.
1 day ago, sore throat became much more intense and runny nose started. Barely able to make it through the work day due to exhaustion and nausea.
Today I woke up feeling like shit. Pain in my face and ears and whole body aches, stuffy sinuses and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. I noticed a familiar painful burning sensation in my inner nostrils and absolutely zero sense of smell. Like can’t even tell the cat just took a huge dump in the litter box. I’ve been Covid positive twice before and the feeling was unmistakable.
Called off work and took two (expired) at home Covid tests which were negative. Made an appointment at the clinic to get tested there, also negative. Begged them for a PCR test but they don’t do that “because the rapid tests are so reliable now, PCR is not necessary”. I should mention the last time I had Covid (January) I also had two negative rapid tests before testing positive, so I don’t really trust them.
Tonight I have developed a dry cough and low grade fever. Wheezing sound when I breathe. Still have persistent and debilitating fatigue along with all of the previous symptoms. Bought two more at-home tests, both negative.
I’m still like 99% sure I have it. I realize I sound insane but I’ve had my fair share of flus and colds and nothing feels at all like Covid sick does. It’s also irritating that work is now expecting me to come back since I’m not positive, even though this illness (even if it isn’t Covid) is absolutely kicking my ass. Ugh.

Feline herpes or something else?
I’m not sure what to do. 3 months ago I took my indoor cat to the vet for you annual where she was completely fine and healthy. 3-4 days later she started getting these dots on her nose and the sniffles/runny nose. A couple weeks later the runny eyes. So bad that she has hair loss where her eyes run. She has to breath out of her mouth because her nose is so stuff up. Also she started developing lumps on her ears with hairless there as well. She’s not really coughing or wheezing but she frequently sneezes.
About 3 weeks later I took her into the vet and told me it was feline herpes and prescribed her lysine. The lysine didn’t change anything and once I finished that I started her on oral nose relief drops for cats, also allergy immune boost oral oil. I told my vet that she wasn’t getting any better but I didn’t want to take her in because of how much that stresses her out and it’s not going to help her recovery. Not to mention, it’s expensive as fuck for them not to do anything that will actually help. Anyways the vet told me to give her a low dose of Zyrtec. I tried that for a while and she seemed to be doing better for a week or two but now I see it getting worse again.
I don’t know what to do or how to help her. She’s miserable and I can feel her fever is back! There is no change in her food except now she doesn’t want to eat so I started giving her wet food, same formula. We moved but that was back in October, to my moms. I thought my mom’s dogs may have triggered it so I moved in with my bf. She was doing better at first but now it’s all back. She’s been in a nice big peaceful house with us so I’m not sure what is causing this, there are also no other animals or plants in the house. I’ve had her for 3 years now and she is 4. She has never had ANY of these symptoms before march. Is this even feline herpes? Do flare ups last 3 months?? Please any advice would be great. My poor baby is miserable.

Feline herpes or something else?
I’m not sure what to do. 3 months ago I took my indoor cat to the vet for you annual where she was completely fine and healthy. 3-4 days later she started getting these dots on her nose and the sniffles/runny nose. A couple weeks later the runny eyes. So bad that she has hair loss where her eyes run. She has to breath out of her mouth because her nose is so stuff up. Also she started developing hard lumps on her ears with hairloss there as well. She’s not really coughing or wheezing but she frequently sneezes.
About 3 weeks later I took her into the vet and told me it was feline herpes and prescribed her lysine. The lysine didn’t change anything and once I finished that I started her on oral nose relief drops for cats, also allergy immune boost oral oil. I told my vet that she wasn’t getting any better but I didn’t want to take her in because of how much that stresses her out and it’s not going to help her recovery. Not to mention, it’s expensive as fuck for them not to do anything that will actually help. Anyways the vet told me to give her a low dose of Zyrtec. I tried that for a while and she seemed to be doing better for a week or two but now I see it getting worse again.
I don’t know what to do or how to help her. She’s miserable and I can feel her fever is back! There is no change in her food except now she doesn’t want to eat so I started giving her wet food, same formula. We moved but that was back in October, to my moms. I thought my mom’s dogs may have triggered it so I moved in with my bf. She was doing better at first but now it’s all back. She’s been in a nice big peaceful house with us so I’m not sure what is causing this, there are also no other animals or plants in the house. I’ve had her for 3 years now and she is 4. She has never had ANY of these symptoms before march. Is this even feline herpes? Do flare ups last 3 months?? Please any advice would be great. My poor baby is miserable.

I apologise if this isn't the right thread (this is my first ever Reddit post). I'm really just looking if others have had similar experiences to me and any tactics to help during recovery.
I've been quite ill this entire week and have no idea what it could be. Felt off (run down) Saturday but it kicked in on Sunday and still has me knocked down today (Thursday).
I was pretty convinced it was COVID but my respiratory PCR results returned last night with negative to everything.
The main symptoms are: - fatigue - headache - body ache (mainly in back & left leg) - night sweats - chills - dehydration - some dizziness - some dull abdominal & chest pain - swollen lymph nodes in neck - feeling of narrow throat (some difficulty swallowing) - waking up to dry mouth (built up saliva) - some discomfort in head/face near eye area when looking side to side (not sure how else to describe this) - difficultly to focus/concentrate
I do not have a runny or blocked nose, sore throat or high temperature. No cough, only when clearing throat when swallowing.
I know most of these symptoms can be part of several conditions, but I'm just feeling quite frustrated and down because I cannot do anything except lay in bed and try to sleep it off. I've been advised by the GP to intake more vitamin C and fluids which I have ramped up since yesterday.
Additional info which may or may not be of interest: - I'm 27(F) live in Australia. - I'm on contraception pill to maintain my potential endometriosis - I have finished my period last week (I add this as I usually get some of these symptoms leading up) - I'm on colchicine for possible pericarditis - I'm on pantoprozole for reflux - I'm on Sertraline for anxiety - family history of autoimmune disorders but I recently (within the last month) did bloods and have ruled out Lupus - I did multiple checks with the same blood test (diabetes, cholesterol, iron, vitamins etc) and my results came back all perfect
I do feel like I'm slightly improving but any comments or even suggestions on what I could do to next to help rule anything out would be appreciated. Thank you!

today i got tilt table test results back. a nurse called me over the phone. she said my results were abnormal, and highly suggestive of POTS. & everything just is clicking into place for me. i can’t stop thinking about it, and need to get it all out.
i’ve been exhausted my whole life. i am almost constantly fatigued. like the kind of chronic tired where i can regularly sleep for 14 hours straight no problem. where even if i’m consistently getting 8 hours everyday i still need a scary amount of coffee to do basic level function. most days i don’t function very well at all. my brain is constantly foggy. i forget things constantly. i lose my wallet & keys & debit card weekly. i literally can’t think straight most of the time, and everything’s kinda blurry in my head. when i stand up i usually feel like i’m going to faint, but i never do, so for the longest time i pinned this on me being weak, out of shape, lazy, some kind of personal failure. sometimes my vision gets blurry too, or my heart rate goes up to where it’s not in a normal range anymore. i feel lightheaded, woozy, off balance. and even though it was hard to think before, it just got a lot harder. i feel like i need to sit as much as i can. if i have to stand for more than a few minutes, i can feel the energy leave my body. it feels like the bottom half of me is deadweight, and the top half of me is giving everything it can to make sure the bottom doesn’t fall down. that’s why my chest and head feel so weak. i have bad posture, because it feels too hard & draining to properly support my torso & head. i slouch really badly to ease the burden. when i was younger i went to physical therapy for it. they thought i had scoliosis. i later found out i have hyper mobile EDS. this made sense. but no one else thought to look for POTS too. i lean against everything i can. i cross my legs to help make myself more sturdy. when i shower i sit on the floor. my feet turn red or purple when i stand for a long time. i can’t stand straight up, feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed, back straightened without feeling like shit. that makes me feel small & defunct & like i’m not trying. how can someone be trying when they have to crumple themselves up just to remain upright. i work a job where i have to stand all day. i fuck things up a lot because my brain is cloudy and my body feels sick. i have to sit down throughout the shift and feel guilty for not being productive. when i clock out i am overcome with exhaustion. i sit in my car for 40 minutes sometimes before i can get myself to drive home. when i get home, i usually spend the rest of the night in bed. i can’t cook, i can’t clean, i can’t hang out with people. i’m too tired.
for years i thought it was because i spent so much time in bed. i didn’t exercise enough. i’m so lazy that i’ve reduced my body’s ability to function. if i was in shape, if i was more active, standing wouldn’t feel so bad. but when i tried to be more active, to exercise, to get out of bed- i caused muscle edema, i experienced asthma, i over stretched muscles & pulled things out of place & made the lightheaded feeling worse. i exhausted myself to the point of being bed-ridden for the rest of the day, or days, enough time to off-set any progress i made from trying to be active. i felt like i caused a problem and messed myself up so badly i wouldn’t be able to fix it. turns out the problem wasn’t my fault after all. i wasn’t lazy, or at least not by choice. i didn’t sit in bed all day and ruin myself, i sat in bed all day because it drained me not to. i have imposter syndrome & guilt.
when i was younger i developed an anxiety disorder. i had panic attacks. it makes sense, it still does, i could feel it in my brain, even if you couldn’t tell on the outside. but then i started to have tremors. and shakiness & excessive sweating & fast heart rate. all the same things that are associated with the physical side of panic attack, but i wasn’t panicking when the physical symptoms started. i started to though, when i realized i couldn’t stop shaking. which came first? the chicken or the egg? the tremors or the anxiety? the POTS or the anxiety disorder?
my hands are almost always cold. my feet are too. sometimes when i go outside in the winter my legs will take on the cold too, and from my foot to my hip my skin will feel eerily cold to the touch, and it will for hours. in the summer i go outside & i feel sick. i feel nauseous & small & exhausted & weak. i can’t be outside for too long without feeling like i’m barely getting myself to function. i don’t go outside very much in the summer.
my stomach is always fucked up. i was diagnosed with IBS at 14 because i had reoccurring excruciating stomach cramps & flare-ups of constipation. i get heart burn and nausea and bloating almost daily. i have stomach aches sometimes that interferes with my ability to stand and do the things i need to do.
it makes sense. all the symptoms make sense. i have almost everything, minus the fainting. i’ve only fainted once. i have risk factors- i’ve had mono, i’ve had covid, i have EDS, im a young female.
but i don’t feel sick enough.
& what if it’s something else? another type of dysautonomia? orthostatic cerebral hypoperfusion syndrome? orthostatic hypotension? MCAS? what if it is just physical deconditioning? something else?
how do i know what i have? all i know is i feel like shit.

so i’ve had this really bad cough for like a week and lately these past few days my lungs have been making really weird sounds??? I don’t have any symptoms other than a cough, congestion and weird lung sounds so idk i don’t want to wake up dead

6 weeks in. I remember with my first pregnancy, one of my very first symptoms was sore breasts! I’m having a little nausea and craving sour foods, but no soreness. Of course every pregnancy is different but I was kind of hoping for that symptom again since it is so out of the norm for me and really reassured me that something was going on in there. Maybe it’s because I just got done breastfeeding my first? Not sure.

Shortly before a final paper with pre-assigned topics was due for one of my last courses at Columbia University, our professor sent us an email telling us to forego the previous parameters of the essay, and to instead write about the events that had occurred not even forty-eight hours earlier, as well as our reflections on them, to be done in any manner we chose. Here is a very lightly revised version of what I submitted: read it, ignore it, upvote it, downvote it, hate it, love it.
I am prefacing this essay by stating that it is the culmination of several intense emotions that I have been dealing with over the last few weeks, more specifically, the last several days. It is a free-form expression of the many things occupying my mind, and, as such, it may seem overwhelming or disjointed. Nevertheless, I will do my best to convey my feelings into something representative of my beliefs, and my time at this institution.
My time at Columbia University has been bookended in an almost comically bad way; it started with Zoom classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now it ends with Zoom final exams due to the lockdown of Columbia’s campus after protests regarding the Israel – Palestine conflict reached a fever pitch not just within Morningside Campus, but the international stage. My classmates and I missed in-person orientation, and now, given recent developments, we will not have a University Commencement, a fact I found out not from Columbia, but a New York Times alert, somehow lowering my opinion of this administration’s handling of recent events even more. While the circumstances around my time at Columbia have now both begun and finished in the same manner, I am proud to say that I have not. I do not mean that Columbia has simply made me a better writer, a more critical thinker, or more well read, although it certainly has done those things, sometimes forcing me to when I was not particularly in the mood to do so, but those improvements pale in comparison to the maturity and empathy my time at this university has given me.
When the decision to transition to remote learning during the Spring 2020 semester was made, occurring only a short time after I had received my acceptance letter (email), my first thought was how the pandemic would affect my transfer from community college to Columbia in September. Admittedly, this was a selfish perspective, considering the tremendous challenges that many would endure during the ensuing lockdowns and other upheavals of life. My concerns were solely focused on myself because I was on a simple track to graduate, place my degree on my resumé, and continue my trajectory of military service to college to employment, leaving little else to consideration, to include other people who were not in my immediate circle. Sitting here now, two weeks from graduation, with a job at a Fortune 500 company lined up, I should be happy, with the plans I had made years ago coming to fruition. Yet I cannot help feeling a sense of sadness and concern for the school I have spent years of my life at, and for the world as a whole.
James Hatch, a former member of the United States’s elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU, for short, more commonly known by its nickname, Seal Team Six, famous for its involvement in the killing of Osama Bin Laden and the rescue of the Maersk Alabama Captain Richard Phillips from pirates, amongst other things, spent over twenty years in the military. After being wounded on a mission to rescue American serviceman sergeant Bowe Bergdahl from enemy forces, he was medically discharged, and would eventually attend Yale University. While there, he wrote a piece titled My Semester with the Snowflakes (please give this a read, it will help people who have never been in the military understand its culture, along with some of the challenges veterans face when transitioning to college), where he details his initial discomfort with being in a vastly different environment than the military, surrounded by individuals who possessed opinions and beliefs contrary to the ones he was accustomed to. He recalls witnessing a student protest the country he spent over two decades serving by coating her hand in red paint, and leaving a palm print on an American flag, and details his shock when a classmate of his explained to him what a “safe space” was, as well as his pride when he began to understand the nuances of life both inside and outside of the nation he dedicated twenty-six years to.
I can relate to Mr. Hatch, (despite my service paling in comparison to his, as well as the fact that Columbia is far superior to Yale), because, like his friends who make fun of him for attending college with a bunch of “snowflakes,” mine do the same. More significantly, however, his personal growth during his time at school is something that I have experienced myself. When I started at Columbia, I did not even know which major I would choose, and was largely lost in a world very different than the one I had come from. Despite this, I made the decision to avoid communities such as MilVets and the students who made it very clear that they came from a military background, with their style of dress and demeanor, not because those organizations and individuals are a detriment; I know for a fact that MilVets has helped countless students succeed at Columbia and beyond, and the veterans that I have relationships with are all phenomenal people, but because I wanted to pressure myself into being exposed to something different. I was uncomfortable at first, but this turned out to be the right decision. I learned as much from simply talking to people whom I would normally never converse with about topics and ideas that I had never encountered as I did during classes about great works of art, polar and Cartesian coordinates, literature, astronomy, the list goes on.
If the protests about the Israel – Palestine conflict had occurred when I first started at Columbia, I would have been frustrated by the students taking up space, forcing us to be funneled on to campus by restricted access points and identification checks. Likely irritated by the disturbance of the quiet during finals season, I would have agreed with the people who called for students to simply focus on their assignments and stop inconveniencing others by shouting about something occurring on the other side of the world. Instead, I decided to learn about the conflict, educating myself about both sides of a war that has roots extending back millennia. While Columbia University did not agree to the demands of the protestors, they achieved something else they surely desired, reaching a goal they did not state to President Shafik and her advisors: they brought attention to their cause by educating at least one additional person about it.
After reading, talking to people, listening to input from students within various classes, and understanding that things such as the intertwined nature of financial workings, as well as conflicts not just in the Middle East, but all over the world, are a level of complexity that baffles some of the most brilliant minds of ours and previous generations, I will leave my thoughts about Israel and Palestine separate from this paper. I recognize that it is important to choose a side, as remaining impartial helps no one. However, when every news agency, group and individual makes their voice heard, satirical sources such as The Onion make these kind of posts, or Adult Swim’s Rick, the nihilistic, narcissistic, psychopathic, misanthropic lead character from the series Rick and Morty, addresses the conflict in this manner, I feel that it is better to relegate myself to a much smaller part of this debate, namely the occurrences on Columbia University’s Morningside Campus.
During basic training for the United States Army, a sense of brotherhood and camaraderie is hammered into recruits’ identities. When you graduate and are assigned to a unit, one where you could be thousands of miles from home on the opposite side of the country, or even in a completely different country, serving on one of the international bases, approaching someone who you have never met before is easy. Talking to them about shared experiences and stories you have in common, and the bonding that occurs, is the product of an indoctrination process and lifestyle that has existed longer than any of us have been alive, and is proof of its effectiveness. This sense of familiarity tends to continue even when one leaves the military. The Veterans of Foreign Wars community is a place for prior servicemembers of all conflicts to share a drink, a laugh, and sometimes a tear. When I go to the Veterans Administration Hospital for periodic check-ups or the occasional injury, men and woman wearing hats commemorating their service during Vietnam waiting for their appointments greet me with a smile and a handshake, as if we have known each other for years. While working at a golf club’s greens department before I transferred to Columbia from community college, a coworker of mine who had served in the Gulf War had heard from our supervisor that I had been in the Army, and he introduced himself to me on my first day, before anyone else, telling me that if I needed anything, I only had to ask. This camaraderie has expanded to encompass not just veterans, but first responders such as firemen, EMT’s, and the police as well.
Underneath the picture on my driver’s license, the word “veteran” is emblazoned next to a star, written in bright red text and all capital letters. I know for a fact that this one-and-a-half-inch indicator has helped me during interactions with law enforcement on multiple occasions. Only earlier this semester, during Presidents’ Day weekend, I went upstate to spend time with my family. While driving back, in an effort to make the seven-hour trip at a reasonable time, I was stopped for going twenty miles-per-hour over the speed limit. The officer who pulled me over, initially reserved, became noticeably more friendly when I handed him my license and registration. Ultimately, he gave me what amounted to a parking ticket for my actions, rather than the point-incurring, heavily fined moving violation he could have charged me with.
The ‘Thin Blue Line,’ as it is known, is a reference to the idea that the police are the barrier between law abiding citizens and criminals, order and chaos. The most common representation of this concept is a black-and-white American flag, with a single blue line in the place where a red or white stripe would normally be. This style has been expanded to include numerous other colors representing other first-responders: green for the military, red and white no longer to be interpreted as the traditional stripes of the American flag, but instead meant to represent the fire department and paramedics, and even grey for corrections officers. Seeing the appropriation of one of the most iconic symbols in the world, one that flies above the White House, schools, homes, national and international events, and even the Moon, I can say, as someone who has been unwillingly entangled within that appropriation, is nothing short of terrifying.
The fact that these entities and their supporters have literally sewn themselves into the fabric of the symbol of our nation makes one think that there is little room for the countless other occupations, aspects and people that make up this country. The idea of the police being the sole protectors of our society is patently absurd, and all one must do is point out the many instances of police brutality occurring over the years to refute it. I find myself thinking of how much power the officer who stopped me just three months ago had over me. Initially, I was happy that I had received a slap on the wrist, but recently I have found myself wondering what if my license did not state that I was a veteran, would he have charged me with a ticket that would have had much more serious implications? What if he was simply having a bad day, and he decided he did not like the look of me, or the color of my car, and I was the one who he ultimately decided to vent his frustrations on? This traffic infraction, an incredibly small incident compared to all the turmoil in the world, one that involves two strangers, supposedly bonded by our professions, on the side of a quiet, New York highway, serves as a metaphor to me, reminding me of the power structures at play on a much larger scale.
On April 22^nd, 2024, I received this email, one of the many Clery Crime Alerts that students are automatically sent. An affiliate of Columbia University had their car stolen at gunpoint by two masked men on Claremont Avenue, not even a five-minute walk from campus. I skimmed the report, and almost immediately forgot about it, recognizing that crime is an inevitability in major cities, and that I needed to start my commute to school. Days later, on the night of April 30^th, 2024, I received another email from Columbia, containing one of the most ominous messages I had ever seen, one that put the kind of fear in my heart that not even the alert of an armed carjacking could. Columbia’s Emergency Management Operations Team, offering no explanations, specifications, or even a greeting or sign-off, wrote in bold letters these three sentences: “Shelter in place for your safety due to heightened activity on the Morningside campus. Non-compliance may result in disciplinary action. Avoid the area until further notice.” Due to the protests on campus during recent weeks, President Shafik testifying before Congress, Columbia’s role as one of the main catalysts for student protests around the country, and the occupation of Hamilton Hall occurring in the earlier hours of that day, it was not hard to figure out what the email was referencing. Over the next several hours, I followed news agencies, remained glued to the Columbia subreddit, and listened to WKCR, in awe of these eighteen- to twenty-two-year-old students putting themselves at risk to deliver on the ground, accurate, unbiased coverage of one of the most significant events in the school’s history.
While tracking the events from multiple perspectives, to include the social media accounts of those near and on campus live streaming them, I held out hope that the university would make good on their promise from several days earlier to not invite the NYPD back, but a frightening picture began to unfold, one that I was intimately familiar with. One WKCR reporter stated that 114^th street had so many officers on it that he could not see the asphalt of the road beneath them, and I knew that the staging area the NYPD had chosen was one of the best routes for moving towards what the military, and presumably law enforcement, would call an ‘objective.’ The officers cleared the smaller ‘objective,’ the largely unoccupied tents in front of Butler, and then moved towards Hamilton Hall, ordering even those not associated with its occupation to disperse, raising my stress levels and likely those of others, as it is rarely a good sign when police do not want their actions recorded and archived. After the initial entry to campus and clearing of areas and people in the immediate vicinity of Hamilton Hall, came the Long-Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, a device that makes a megaphone sound like a whisper, and one known for its crowd-control potential, capable of producing sounds loud enough to cause damage to ear-drums, nausea, and headaches, ordering individuals to clear away. The NYPD began its execution of tactics in a way that my fellow soldiers and I used to rehearse, tactics I never dreamed that I would witness outside of the military, and certainly not by police officers who vastly outnumbered unarmed students on their own campus. The NYPD created a perimeter, or a ‘second layer of security’ to both provide reinforcements for the officers entering the building, and to prevent the fleeing of what are called ‘squirters,’ or individuals who attempt to escape the building after the raid begins. While the ‘breach’ team moved towards the front doors, using tools from a ‘hooligan kit,’ such as bolt cutters, hand-held battering rams and crowbars, a siege machine was brought in to allow access from a window; when taking over a building, the idea is to overwhelm it from as many different directions as possible to better disorient and overwhelm its occupants. Flash-bang grenades, described as non-lethal, but known to have harmful effects, were thrown inside, presumably before entering any room, hallway, or otherwise enclosed area to minimize the resistance of anyone unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of what can only be described as an assault on the visual and auditory senses. According to the Manhattan District Attorney, one of the officers inside Hamilton Hall had what is called in the military a “negligent discharge,” meaning his firearm went off unintentionally. While no one was hurt, the question remains why at least one, and more likely, numerous other officers were carrying guns loaded with live ammunition in the first place, when they so drastically outmatched the protestors in numbers and equipment. Additionally, a negligent discharge is an act of incompetence that would result in an active-duty soldier facing serious consequences, and derision from his peers. So far, the officer remains defended by his coworkers, and unpunished by his superiors.
As all this unfolded, I communicated with my friends from the past and present. My friends from the military checked on me to ensure that I was okay, as did my friends from school. The difference in how they viewed these events highlights what I believe is the change in myself that I stated I am most proud of at the beginning of this paper. My friends from the military were commenting that the assertion of order and control by way of militarized tactics was necessary, not concerning themselves with the human toll and destruction of trust that came along with it. Conversely, my schoolmates lamented the brutality and overstepping of boundaries that the NYPD and Columbia’s administration committed, one that turned a place meant to be a beacon of free speech, expression, and ideas, into what is now a police-state with strict control over who enters it.
My education inside and outside the classroom at this institution has challenged, thrilled, and changed me. Sitting here now, at the end of this paper, the end of the semester, and the end of my time at Columbia University, I am left feeling confused and sad regarding recent events, but also hopeful for the future. I know from experience that the students, teachers, and culture of this school have the power to encourage critical thinking and initiate personal growth. If it did those things for me, surely it can do the same for others

I am not a doctor. I'm am a patient. New studies are emerging about the brain. Take from this what you will. Talk to your doctor.
Did you know that after a TBI, your body goes through an electrolyte imbalance. There's currently studies measuring how we process sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium after a TBI. https://www.journalofsurgicalresearch.com/article/S0022-4804(23)00130-0/abstract
Hypernatremia (TOO MUCH SALT) (most common of electrolyte abnormality) The main symptom of hypernatremia is excessive thirst. Other symptoms are lethargy, which is extreme fatigue and lack of energy, and possibly confusion.
Advanced cases may also cause muscle twitching or spasms. That’s because sodium is important for how muscles and nerves work. With severe elevations of sodium, seizures and coma may occur
It is a predictor of poor neurologic outcome.
https://www.healthline.com/health/hypernatremia
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28899834/
Hypokalemia ( LOW POTASSIUM) potassium deficiency leads to Weakness and fatigue, Muscle weakness and cramps, Digestive problems, Abnormal heart beat, Breathing difficulties, Tingling and numbness, Polyuria (frequent urination), High blood pressure. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/potassium-deficiency-symptoms
hypocalcemia (LOW CALCIUM) Severe symptoms of hypocalcemia include: confusion or memory loss, muscle spasms, numbness and tingling in the hands, feet, and face, depression, hallucinations, muscle cramps, weak and brittle nails, easy fracturing of the bones. https://www.healthline.com/health/calcium-deficiency-disease#symptoms
Hyponatremia (LOW SALT) Common symptoms of hyponatremia include: weakness, fatigue or low energy, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps or spasms, confusion, irritability.
Severe symptoms of hyponatremia Losing sodium quickly is a medical emergency. It can cause: overactive reflexes, loss of consciousness, seizures, coma, and in the most severe cases, death. https://www.healthline.com/health/hyponatremia#symptoms
Hypomagnesemia (LOW MAGNESIUM) Early signs of low magnesium include: nausea, vomiting, weakness, decreased appetite,
As magnesium deficiency worsens, symptoms may include: numbness, tingling, muscle cramps, seizures, muscle spasticity, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms. https://www.healthline.com/health/hypomagnesemia#symptoms

Have you been there too! In the feeling, when you lit the perfect joint, took a deliciously, expertly-timed dab, and munched on your favorite snack. Then after a while, those dank feeling starts to come up and you end up thinking, "dude, am I going to be dead"? No, it's just the moment when your realize, "I'm too high".
Maybe the edible kicked in a hour to two later. Perhaps you tried the brownie to impress the new girl in the group. Or ripped the bong too hard or too long. Perhaps you just landed your hands on some tried concentrates. No matter what you case is, in case you get just a bit too high, here's how to come back from the edge of greening out.
Common symptoms of being too high:-

1. Anxiety
   
2. Nausea
   
3. Dizziness
   
4. Panic
   
5. Paranoia
   
6. Confusion
   
7. Excessive Perspirations
   

Ok, without any further delay, let's cover the 8 ways to sober up from weed high.
Tip #1: Don't Panic
Remember how much you took, and what's the average duration of the effects. Most symptoms of 'greening out' (doing too much cannabis) will dissipate within a couple of hours max. Plus there won't be any effects beyond the little feeling of disorganizations and grogginess. In this case, contrary to what you may have heard, there is no report of cannabis overdose.

1. Drink Water & Light Snacks

Next, the essence of sobering up lies in keeping yourself hydrations, and hydration is the essence of sobering up. No matter weather you prefer water or juice, ensure that it's a nice cold beverage that will help you to combat dry mount and also allows you to focus on simple things.

1. Know Your 'Threshold'

In case you are preparing for a cannabis session, then ensure to consider your tolerance level. When you know that more two puffs from a joint will make you anxious, or more than two gummies of 10mg gummy each puts you on a couch lock then don't exceed this limit. This will help you to avoid the uncomfortable situation.

1. Chew Black Peppercorns

When you find yourself combating paranoia and anxiety, then a simple ingredient found in the kitchen and restaurant may help. Yes, you can find back peppercorns in almost every kitchen. While it's not exactly the scientific method to come back from weed high. But, it works!

1. Keep Calm & Rest

To ground yourself, you can find a calm, quiet place without a lot of distraction and stimuli. A place where you can rest and breathe deeply. Now take deep full breathes in through your nose and out through your mouth. Imagine a dark cloud going out when you exhale.
Sometimes sleeping it off can also be the best alternative to stop a strong high making your uncomfortable. Once you've have found that zen area, next lie down and relax yourself.

1. Go for a Walk

So, in case, you can't turn off your brain then try changing the scenery. Add some fresh air to get your blood pumping one more time. Also, just remember to stay close to your immediate surroundings and bring a buddy - avoid wandering alone. And, avoid walking in case you are feeling too woozy.

1. Take a shower

In case its' feasible for you, then take a nice cold shower. Bath is the way help you relax while you wait for the effects to fade away naturally. Again this is not a scientific method but it works!

1. Distract Yourself

Lastly, in case, all of the above activities fail to bring your back, then DISTRACT YOURSELF. We suggest that you:

1. Watch a funny cartoon
   
2. Listen to your favorite album
   
3. Play a video game
   
4. Talk to your friends
   
5. Snuggle with your significant other
   
6. Eat something delicious
   
7. Go on a supervised errand
   

Now knowing now that feeling of high can differ significantly from a smoking, vaping, or dabbing high. And, it also depends on individual chemistry.
In the end, you can try some CBD to counter the effect of smoking too much medical marijuana.

I did get diagnosed officially with sjogrens and fibromyalgia over a year ago, and even got prescribed prednisone/ naproxen for when I have flare ups. With the weather getting warmer, I noticed that I began to have a flare so I started my 10 day prescription of the prednisone. I got to day 6 and began to notice bad symptoms of the prednisone that I haven’t seen before. My skin was hot to touch everywhere, and it felt like it was Burning. I began to get rashes, swollen parotid gland, swollen eyes, bad acne, and my appetite completely changed. I also feel more dehydrated than ever, my mouth is so dry that it feels as if I have strep or a cough at times. I stopped taking the prednisone at day 9 as I began to feel really sick, but now my flare up is just intensified and won’t go down. I tried taking the naproxen and drinking more water, but nothing helps. Specifically during the night and during the morning my symptoms are more severe. I can’t sleep because of how dry my mouth is, and because of how sick I feel. No matter what I eat or drink, I feel dehydrated and hungry. I tried contacting my rheumatologist and I’m currently waiting for an opening. Does anyone have advice or recommendations?

Animal‌-Man/Swamp‌ ‌Thing

Issue‌ 32:‌ ‌ The Pale Wanderer
Written‌ ‌by‌ ‌Deadislandman1
Edited‌ ‌by‌ PatrollinTheMojave
 
Next‌ ‌Issue‌ ‌> ‌Coming‌ ‌Soon
 
Arc: Flesh and Bark‌ ‌
 ‌ ‌
‌  ‌ ‌
Then
An arc of purple lightning flashed across the night sky of the Boneyard, splitting the dark sky in twain as Capucine trudged across the ashy wastes of the realm. A cold gale ripped through the land, chilling the warrior to the bone, yet after centuries of time living in the Rot’s home realm, it felt identical to the ocean breeze that graced her every evening of her monastic childhood. Anxious, she fiddled with her leather armor, tightening every strap and support to make sure they were all in the right positions. She double checked that her sheath was properly tied to her belt, and that the steel sword within was sharp and clean.
He would catch up to her sooner or later, almost certainly before she made it to the portal. It wasn’t hard to pick that fact up. The Boneyard always became a little rougher when he wasn’t happy. She’d endeavored to spare him a difficult conversation, but perhaps that was too optimistic a hope. He was smart for someone his age, even if he’d made such a grave mistake.
Perhaps she was trying to spare herself the labor of having a conversation, rather than trying to keep the adolescent Avatar’s emotions in check. Perhaps she was just running from her problems, something she couldn’t remember ever doing before. Perhaps her ambitions to steer the young Avatar towards better decisions was the wrong choice on her part.
…No. Her advice was invaluable, she knew that much, and William Holland took that advice well. She just wasn’t in much of a position to give advice anymore.
Climbing atop an gray, dusty hill, Capucine gazed at the portal back to the physical world, composed of a miasma of swirling bones and inky fluids. To the unadjusted nose, it smelled absolutely foul, but to Capucine it smelled no different than the rest of the Boneyard. This was her ticket back, to somewhere where she’d do… something.
She didn’t know what that something was. In fact, she felt nauseous at the idea of wandering the world for centuries yet again with no real goal or purpose, though when considering the alternative, Capucine was ready to step right through the portal, even if her reason for leaving was so small in the grand scheme of things.
Breathless, Capucine took one step towards the portal, only for a boom of thunder to shake the realm. Capucine stopped dead in her tracks, sighing. William didn’t need to say anything to get her attention, as she turned around, coming face to face with the young Avatar.
He’d grown quite a bit in the three years she’d been advising him. His mane of red hair had regained some of its color, and across his pale face stood the beginnings of a beard, with bits of pronounced stubble around his chin and above his lips. He remained as gaunt as ever, yet he’d also grown much taller since his beginning as the Rot’s leader. He looked Capucine in the eyes, keeping his expression as blank as possible, “I got your note.”
Capucine narrowed her eyes, “So you did.”
William’s bottom lip quivered, “There’s no way I can change your mind…is there?”
“Not that I can see,” Capucine remarked.
William’s head drifted to the side as he attempted to avert his gaze, hiding his eyes from Capucine behind his wild hair. He choked back something, maybe a sob, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said. It was a mistake.”
Capucine took a step forward, feeling the urge to console the boy, yet as she reached out towards him, she found herself frozen by trepidation. She was not a woman of gentle words, and this was a situation that called for them. Rescinding her hand, she stepped back towards the portal, “What’s done is done. I do not hate you, William Arcane, but I cannot stay here.”
Capucine turned her back on William, readying herself to step through the portal. She took one step, then another before William spoke once more, “Tefé.”
Capucine stopped, electing not to turn back and face the young Avatar. Realizing that she was waiting for him to continue, William spoke again, “My sister. I know her, she’s got a good heart, but she’s not like me. She’s not an Avatar. She could always use someone to watch her back.”
For a moment, Capucine did not answer, and the silence seemed to push William to take a few steps back. Turning, he began to walk away, unable to think of much else to say, when Capucine finally answered back, “If she is the sister of William Arcane…then I know her to be someone of good character. Your advice is invaluable, Avatar. Thank you.”
Without another word, Capucine stepped through the portal, disappearing from the Boneyard. William stared at the portal for what felt like hours before he finally shuddered, his shaky breathing accompanied by a single tear that froze up on its way down his cheek, stopping short as a bead of ice just before it fell off of his jaw.
Now
“So you’re here because my brother suggested it?”
“That’s correct.”
Capucine answered Tefé’s inquiry in a dry manner, keeping most of her focus on cleaning the gasoline off her sword with a rag. She sat upon the corpse of the formerly living infected tree, using it as a comfortable log of sorts while Maxine and Tefé remained in their canoe, having managed to dock it by tying it to a nearby set of protruding roots. It was about noon now, and the Florida heat had become unbearable. Maxine wiped her forehead, expecting that she’d probably be dead without the trees as a shield from the sun.
Tefé rubbed her throat, recovering from the vice grip of the tree, “I…how is he? He’s not in trouble is he?”
“Far from it. Your brother is doing better than most. He’s got a keen mind for leadership, and the Rot endures with him as its head,” Capucine sheathed her sword. “He doesn’t need my advice anymore, and I do the world no favors remaining at his side. If I am to continue the preservation of a better world, then it’s best I accompany you instead.”
Tefé grumbled a little, but also couldn’t help but smile, “So the little rascal thinks I need a hand, huh? Thinks I need advice.”
Tefé smirked, then looked up at Capucine, “Got any words of wisdom for me?”
Capucine looked down at the tree carcass, then back at Tefé, “Don’t get grabbed by monstrous trees.”
Tefé swallowed, “Yeah…sound advice.”
Maxine stared at the water, noting that its viscosity had remained unchanged, “Uh…guys? I think there are more gasoline trees somewhere out there. I feel like it would’ve cleared up at least a little bit.”
Capucine jumped into the canoe, breaking the rope keeping it moored with her bare hands, “Then we find the source of the infestation, and remove it.”
Maxine and Tefé didn’t do anything to impede Capucine’s actions, though they were certainly taken aback by this old English era woman taking charge of their mission. Without a word, Capucine grabbed a paddle and began rowing upstream, her toned build making what was a laborious task for Tefé effortless. The trio moved upstream at a rapid pace, with Capucine barely making a single grunt or noise as she paddled onward. As the hours went by, the water to gasoline ratio of the river continued to tip in the gasoline’s favor, to the point that eventually Capucine looked like she was putting real effort into her paddling.
Tefé stared at the woman, unsure of what to make of her, “So…Capucine?”
“Yes?”
“I know your name, I know you’ve been…advising my brother. What else do you do? What’s your story?”
Capucine frowned, “To be brief…I was born over a thousand years ago in Lindisfarne Abbey. What happened after is a personal matter, and one I’d rather not discuss. Similarly, discussing how I came to be immortal, and what I’ve done in the many centuries afterwards would doubtlessly be a fruitless and boring exercise. That energy is better spent rowing.”
Tefé raised an eyebrow, “Okay….then, why are you doing any of this? What drives you to help us?”
Capucine paused for a moment, allowing the canoe to slow in its approach upriver. Then, she snorted, a small smile forming as she began to paddle once more, “I’ve lived long enough to know this is a good place, a good world. I like it intact and alive, and I’d do whatever it takes to keep it that way.”
“Uh…good answer,” Tefé turned her attention to the rest of the forest, watching carefully for threats. Capucine was certainly blunt, and maybe a little scary looking, but from what she could tell the woman wasn’t much of a danger. If she wanted to learn more, she could do that after the case of Silver Springs was solved.
Maxine grimaced, staring at the thick gasoline they were rowing through, “What do you think is causing this stuff? The closest thing I can think of is the Rot but…part of me can’t put that picture together.”
“Because this is not the Rot’s doing. William is well aware of these kinds of problems, and manages them well. He would never allow something like this to escalate as far as it has,” Capucine grunted, her sheath rattling against the interior of the canoe. “This is something different.”
“Oil’s a fossil fuel, right?” Maxine asked, “Could there be any connection?”
“Perhaps, but this isn’t just oil, it’s gasoline. It’s processed,” Capucine grunted, the act of rowing becoming tougher. “Something is turning the oil into Gasoline. Maybe it’s the trees, maybe it’s something else.”
“But what force would do that? There’s definitely something magical going on about these things,” Maxine asked.
Capucine frowned, “I am…unsure. I’ve not heard of any force that pertains to these properties. Perhaps one of them has evolved. Such an occurrence is not unheard of; the Red does it all the time.”
“Or maybe…someone’s twisting a force into something it isn’t,” said Tefé. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out soon enough.”
Eventually, the boat rounded a corner, passing another infected tree. Maxine and Tefé readied themselves, only for Capucine to keep paddling, “Do not bother with them. They’re symptoms, not the cause.”
Maxine raised an eyebrow, “And the cause is….where?”
Capucine pointed down the river, and past a muddy, poisoned shore sat an entire row of the ailing cypresses, encircling a clearing of some kind. As the canoe pushed up against the mid, Capucine trudged out, making her way towards the clearing with her hand on her longsword’s hilt. The trees seemed to regard her, blatantly still conscious, yet they did not attack. Maxine and Tefé followed in trepidation, eyeing the trees in suspicion.
“Why aren’t they attacking?” Maxine asked.
“I don’t know,” Capucine remarked. “Perhaps they’re afraid.”
“Of you…or of something else?” Tefé wondered aloud.
As the three entered the clearing, they came across a sight none of them would have expected…a human heart.
It laid in the mud, rooted by cartilage that snaked its way beneath the earth. It beat with a satisfying rhythm, pulsating as if it still rested inside the body of a living man. A thick liquid permeated the mud, shifting outward from the heart.
Gasoline.
Capucine drew her sword, preparing to stab the heart with it. Eyes wide, Maxine jumped in front of her, “Woah woah woah, what are you doing?!”
“I’m removing the problem,” Capucine remarked.
“But…but…we don’t know what this thing even is?”
Capucine sneered at Maxine, “Is it not obvious? Someone or something has perverted an object of the Red, and that infection is spreading to the Green. With its removal, this area can begin healing.”
“How can you know that for sure? I’m the Avatar of the Red, and I can’t feel any trace of the Red in there,” Maxine exclaimed.
“Then the corruption of the object has completely overridden its connection to the Red. All the more reason to destroy it.”
Maxine whirled around, staring at Tefé for help. Tefé opened her mouth to protest, yet she was unsure of how to proceed. On the one hand, the Green was suffering, this place was suffering. Getting rid of the heart seemed like the right answer, yet Maxine was right as well. They knew practically nothing about this heart, and if the trees weren’t attacking them, maybe it was an invitation to learn more.
Before she could voice her opinion on one approach or the other though, a new voice made itself known, a raspy, texan accent that came from vocal chords that didn’t realize they were long past their expiration date.
“Well, if you’d let me speak…I’d love to tell you why I deserve to live!”
The trio assumed defensive stances as the ground rumbled around the heart, at which point a dozen or so ribs began to poke out of the mud around the heart, followed by rotten yet well preserved flesh. The heart and ribs rose with the flesh, revealing a man with an open chest as he picked himself up from out of the mud. He was wearing an old coat and pants, and wore only one sock on his feet. Inconsistent, matted hair hung from his head, covered up slightly by a ruined cowboy hat. An ugly stubble dotted his cheeks, paired with yellow teeth and milky white eyes. He smiled, raising what looked to be an old revolver to his chin to scratch it with the barrel. With the other hand, he reached out to shake any of the trio’s hands, “Howdy folks. Pale Wanderer, representing the Parliament of Gears…how are you doing this fine day?”
The trio looked at each other in confusion, then Capucine spoke, “What are you? Are you the cause of the Malady plaguing this land.”
“Well…I wouldn’t call it a malady per-se! More of a necessary sacrifice.” The Pale Wanderer tipped his hat up. “As for what I am? Well honey…I’m a crusader. A force meant to alleviate suffering, and right now? That suffering is…well, it’s not exactly something any of the flora or fauna here really give a shit about.”
“And what’s that?” Tefé asked.
“Well…it’s a bit of a logistical nightmare to explain, but it starts with oil!” The Pale Wanderer gestured towards the ground. “We’re a car based society, here in the United States I mean! Trouble is, gas prices are fuckin’ outrageous these days, right?”
Capucine narrowed her eyes, “I do not see how that should concern us.”
“I’m not finished!” The Pale Wanderer remarked. “The average American has to pay an arm and a leg for gas nowadays, and they need gas if they want to get anywhere. Have a job, wanna see family, need to make a trip to the grocery store? Need to pay for gas if you wanna to any of that! Trouble is, gas comes from oil, and oil? It’s getting rarer by the minute…that’s why I made this place!”
The Pale Wanderer raised his arms, gesturing to the gasoline laced mud and the producing trees, “Think about it! More Gasoline means the market price of Gasoline’s gonna go down, which means gas is cheaper for everyone! At least, I think that’s how it works! Plus, my Gas is A+ quality, even comes in Diesel!”
As The Pale Wanderer continued on about his tirade on Gas prices, Maxine and Tefé shared a confused glance at each other. They’d never encountered something like this before, something this unusual, this keyed in and calculated in purpose yet scattershot in reasoning. The only thing two of them seemed to fixate on though was something the Pale Wanderer said when he introduced himself.
The Parliament of Gears.
Tefé stepped forward, “You said you were part of the Parliament of Gears? What is that? I’ve never heard of them.”
“Oh, That’s cause we’re new on the block, sweetie, but glad to be here,” The Pale Wanderer remarked. “Not qualified to sell them overall though, you’ll have to talk to marketing for that.”
“Enough!” Capucine declared, holding the point of the sword at the Pale Wanderer. “Your reasons for poisoning this place are simplistic and needless. Leave, or I will make you leave!”
The Pale Wanderer raised an eyebrow, “See, now I don’t like comments like that! We’re all just having a lovely discussion and now all you wanna do is escalate! Things don’t have to be this way! Maybe we can work something out?”
Tefé glanced between Capucine and the Pale Wanderer, making an educated guess that Capucine wasn’t the type to back down in these sorts of situations. Furthermore, she had a point. This place was suffering, and no matter the Pale Wanderer’s intentions, that was something that wouldn’t stand, “We don’t want to fight you, but what you’re doing is…horrifying. You’re killing everything around here for…Gasoline! We can’t stand by and let that happen.”
The Pale Wanderer glanced at Tefé, a glum look on his face. Maxine seemed to be holder her breath somewhat, but there was no question that she was on Tefé and Capucine’s side. Sighing, The Pale Wanderer scratched his thigh with his gun, “So that’s how it is?”
Capucine’s grip on her sword tightened, “That’s how it is.”
The Pale Wanderer pursed his lips, “...Well, if we’ve got no more words to share…I guess we better hop to it.”
The wanderer raised his revolver, only for Capucine to surge forward at lightning speed, piercing him in the heart with her sword. For a moment, he was still, motionless, and Capucine stared him dead in the eyes. Then, he shifted, and after meeting her gaze, he began to laugh, his guffawing causing gasoline to spurt from his heart and onto Capucine’s sword and armor, “Hah! Good try!”
Capucine attempted to back away from the Wanderer, only for him to grab her wrist, keeping her and the sword wedged firmly in his body. Raising his weapon, he prepared to put a bullet in Capucine’s eyes, only for her to deliver a swift fist to his arm, knocking the gun out of his hands. Smiling, he took advantage of his newly freed hand, grabbing her by the throat and squeezing tight. As Capucine struggled for air, the Wanderer could only hoot and holler, “Whooo-weeee! We’re getting down to it now!”
Maxine and Tefé rushed to help the ancient warrior, only for a mob of living trees to encroach upon them, blocking their way while attempting to grab or smash them with their heavy branched arms. Maxine dove to the left, dodging the crushing slam of one tree, while Tefé slipped through the roots of another, narrowly avoiding being picked up again. Separated, the two tried to get a read on each other while avoiding harm, yet it was difficult for either of them to really do anything to help Capucine.
They were both far from the Red and the Green’s safety. No animal would go anywhere near the Pale Wanderer, meaning Maxine’s powers were utterly neutered. Similarly, there was no living plant life near the battlefield, meaning Tefé couldn’t use her powers either. If they wanted to get out of this, they would need to think outside the box.
And that’s when Tefé spotted the Wanderer’s revolver sitting in the mud, and a wild idea crossed her mind as she scanned it and the gasoline laden ground around it. She glanced at Maxine, then to the gun, and Maxine seemed to pick up on what she was thinking. It was a gambit, an insane gambit, but without much power to draw on, it might be their only shot.
Together, the two began to race for the gun, trying desperately to keep out of the reach of the trees. Tefé tried to get there quickly, yet she found herself pursued by a half dozen trees, pressured by their presence. Maxine was closer, and managed to pick up the gun as Tefé was halfway over, only for a tree to come barreling towards her. She whirled around to run, only to snag her foot on a dead root, causing her to trip and fall. Afraid of losing their one chance at Victory, Maxine shared a split second look with Tefé before throwing the gun towards the Pale Wanderer, just as the tree came down on her. It stretched out its arms, its branches ensnaring her and trapping her in place.
Her mind in overdrive, Tefé pivoted and raced for the Pale Wanderer, leaping over the swinging branches of another tree in order to catch the gun. Capucine gasped for air, her eyes glazing over as the Wanderer choked the life out of her, laughing like a madman. With the trees about to grab her, Tefé leapt for the Wanderer’s back, looping one arm around his neck to hold on while planting the gun’s barrel against the gasoline soaked sword, “Stop!”
The trees froze in place, including the one holding Maxine captive. The Pale Wanderer raised his eyebrow, loosening his grip on Capucine and allowing her to breath, “What’s this now? Ready to call it quits?”
Tefé gritted her teeth, “I’m ready to make a deal, and if you refuse, I’ll blow us all sky high! Even you won’t survive that, will you?”
“The hell’re you…” The Pale Wanderer looked down at the gun planted against the sword, and finally realized what was at stake. There was a reason smoking a cigarette at a gas station was a stupid idea, and Tefé was willing to demonstrate. A bullet crashing against steel would cause sparks, and sparks can light many fires, especially ones where the ground was soaked in gasoline. She’s set miles of forest on fire, to nuke the entire place from the ground up….and from the tone of her words, the Wanderer knew Tefé meant it, “Ohhhhh…Clever girl….Ha! So, you’ve got me. What do you want from me?”
Tefé let out a grunt of exhaustion, “I want you…to fuck off and never come back here. Got it?”
The Wanderer chuckled, then winked at Capucine, letting go of her and allowing her to pull out the sword, “Well then, a deal’s a deal.”
Snapping his fingers, The Wanderer watched as every tree around him began to dissolve into an inky ooze, including the one holding onto Maxine, who became drencheds in the stuff. Similarly, the Wanderer himself began to dissolve, though much more slowly. As he sank into the earth, he looked up at Tefé and Capucine, “This place’ll return to what it once was, but don’t count me out just yet. We’ll be seeing each other…oh, and keep the gun. Think of it as a gift from little ol’ me.”
Eventually, the Pale Wanderer was gone, not even his hat remaining, leaving Maxine, Tefé, and Capucine to stare at the spot he once occupied. The crisis at hand was solved, at least as far as they knew, but the problems were only just beginning.
A new force of nature was here, and it did not seem to be a peaceful one.
 
Next Issue: A Trip to somewhere new!
 

This is day two of extreme nausea for me and I don’t know what to do, I’ve never had this symptom before. I can’t vomit. My current symptoms are: POTS, CFS, which has me in a wheelchair, internal tremors (electrolytes usually work), chest pain, Gastro issues, possibly MCAS and now headaches. I had acupuncture today (which had really helped with my pain over the past year). My acupuncturist who’s also an MD thinks there’s a chance I got bad bacteria from my organic veggies/fruit from smoothies I’ve been making at home, and recommended ginger kombucha. I couldn’t even drink half of the bottle without feeling like it’s a bad idea, I know I’ve read on here that sometimes probiotics make things worse — but also can help. Idk. I’ve been trying so hard to remain optimistic. My mindset really changes day to day, just like my symptoms. I feel like I’m being tortured. Idk what to do. What have you done for nausea? Is this a common LC symptom?

I just don't think I could ever do 40 hours a week or more. I have various anxiety disorders (General anxiety disorder, panic disorder, OCD) and depression. I've been coughing and twitching almost nonstop for around 8 or so years now due to nervous tics that I developed. I developed those tics after suffering from really bad anxiety for a prolonged period of time while also trying to go to college full time and work. I tried to tell my parents that I couldn't handle full time college while also working and dealing with my various mental health issues but they would not have it. I think what I had to go through during that time has basically permanently scarred me mentally, and left me in my current state.
All the constant twitching and coughing makes me feel exhausted almost all the time. If I'm not at work I'm usually laying in bed sleeping. Sleep is one of the only times I can escape the anxiety disorders and the nervous tics. My parents have told me for years to simply "stop coughing". I don't think they understand that I would stop if I could. Who coughs for 8 years on purpose? I've tried therapy and I'm currently taking medication. The medication is the only thing that allows me to leave the house at all, so that I may contribute to society in any way. I feel awful that I'm not able to work like a normal 25 year old male adult, but I just don't see myself being able to sustain working full time. A few months ago I wasn't working at all because my symptoms were so bad, but thanks to my medication it's allowed me to go from 0 hours a week to 16 to 20, which is a significant improvement. I still live with my parents, and while I'm not able to support myself, I do pay them a meager amount in rent every month (300 dollars) to be able to stay in a bedroom.
I'm not even sure why I'm writing this. I guess I just feel like I'm a moocher or what have you. I worry about what might happen when I get older, or even worse, what might happen if my parents up my rent or simply decide to kick me out. Hopefully that won't happen but I'm just not sure. It makes me worry

18F, I take vyvanse for ADHD, I smoke a lot of weed, cigs, and vape occasionally and sometimes pop pills from the back of the drawer. Basically i have had a bad bad cough for about a week along with some congestion. But lately these past few days my lungs have been tweaking out and shi from the boof cart i got from my hood plug. I just wanna know if my lungs collapsed cause when I inhale, there’s like a second breathing sound and when I exhale there’s like a low rumbling grinding sound and sometimes like a dead squeaky toy sound. Idk how to describe it????? i wish i could add a video but i can’t. anyways i dont have any other symptoms i just wanna know if i should hit the cart cause its looking at my real coyly but i also like living H E L P

I just don't think I could ever do 40 hours a week or more. I have various anxiety disorders (General anxiety disorder, panic disorder, OCD) and depression. I've been coughing and twitching almost nonstop for around 8 or so years now due to nervous tics that I developed. I developed those tics after suffering from really bad anxiety for a prolonged period of time while also trying to go to college full time and work. I tried to tell my parents that I couldn't handle full time college while also working and dealing with my various mental health issues but they would not have it. I think what I had to go through during that time has basically permanently scarred me mentally, and left me in my current state.
All the constant twitching and coughing makes me feel exhausted almost all the time. If I'm not at work I'm usually laying in bed sleeping. Sleep is one of the only times I can escape the anxiety disorders and the nervous tics. My parents have told me for years to simply "stop coughing". I don't think they understand that I would stop if I could. Who coughs for 8 years on purpose? I've tried therapy and I'm currently taking medication. The medication is the only thing that allows me to leave the house at all, so that I may contribute to society in any way. I feel awful that I'm not able to work like a normal 25 year old male adult, but I just don't see myself being able to sustain working full time. A few months ago I wasn't working at all because my symptoms were so bad, but thanks to my medication it's allowed me to go from 0 hours a week to 16 to 20, which is a significant improvement. I still live with my parents, and while I'm not able to support myself, I do pay them a meager amount in rent every month (300 dollars) to be able to stay in a bedroom.
I'm not even sure why I'm writing this. I guess I just feel like I'm a moocher or what have you. I worry about what might happen when I get older, or even worse, what might happen if my parents up my rent or simply decide to kick me out. Hopefully that won't happen but I'm just not sure. It makes me worry

So on Saturday I went on a long-ish car ride, and it gave me a nauseous, car sick type of migraine, which is pretty typical for me. What is not typical is that I am still feeling it 5 days later with headache meds not helping.
It comes and goes, and gets worse when i get up and move around. It's also worse upon waking up, and I've been having very surreal fever dreams. It is a pressure migraine, ranging from barely noticeable dull pain that I can ignore, to feeling like someone is literally standing on my skull where it hurts to even open my eyes. Usually I get them if my blood sugar is too low from not eating, or they can be triggered by car rides or fumes like nail polish. And usually all I need to do is eat some peanut butter crackers, turn all the lights off, take ibuprofen with some water, and sleep.
On day 3 I puked multiple times, and since then my chest and back muscles hurt when i breathe too deeply (i assume that's just from straining them while throwing up?) My whole body is kinda sore to be honest, but the chest discomfort when I take a deep breath is obviously the most concerning.
When I tilt my head forward or bend over, after a few seconds I get the sensation of water getting up my nose, and my eyes start to water. The pain and pressure spreads throughout my whole skull if I lean over too long. I feel better when laying down on my side, but laying flat on my back leads to the same water in my nose feeling.
The other issues like nausea and light sensitivity are things I've had before, even puking every once in awhile if i don't eat soon enough, but this awful pressure in my head like I went underwater without blocking my nose is new. Is it just sinuses? My nose isn't blocked or runny at all, I can breathe perfectly fine (not counting muscle soreness), and have not been coughing. I did spend a couple hours on Saturday under a tree that was covered in blossoms, but there's no way any pollen I breathed in would still be affecting me right? Allergy pills have not helped either. Plus I have not been outside for more than a few minutes in the past few days, as I've been in bed hoping this will go away if I just rest enough.
I have an appointment on Friday with my PCP to discuss this, but is there any chance it sounds like a more serious issue that warrants an ER visit? I've discovered what a cranial leak (CSF) is and am now paranoid about that. I'm only 23 but had multiple blood clots 2 years ago (that seem to have gone away now that i switched birth controls), and during that time I had an Atrial septal defect closed in my heart. So I am young but do have some history with physical health issues. Plus the years of chronic migraines, but this one has definitely been the worst from how long it's lasted and the various other symptoms it has caused.
Please let me know if anyone has experienced something similar or if it sounds more serious than just a bad migraine. Thank you!

I had unprotected sex with my BF on April 15th and took a plan B the next day (like around 8-9 hours later). Usually I wouldn't be concerned as we have had unprotected sex before but I keep track of my cycle and realized after we did it that I was on my first day of ovulation (per my period tracking app). Now I know these things usually aren't 100% accurate, it's scared both my BF and I because I was supposed to get my period May 6th (a little over 3 weeks later) and nothing came. I've had 4 days of really light brown discharge a couple days apart and I completely missed the supposed date of my period. It will be 11 days today since my period was supposed to start and all I've had is light spotting. I haven't been feeling pregnancy symptoms like nausea or any cramping or tightness of the sort but I'm still very scared. I plan to take a pregnancy test on Saturday but I feel so anxious over it.