Headache, back ache, abdominal pain and diarrhea

I'm 24F, don't smoke, don't drink. I have been having shortness of breath with pain in my left arm. It started a week ago out of the blue and I couldn't breathe properly anymore. My pulmonologist says it's nothing serious, but after googling the symptoms, I can't shake the feeling that I have something serious like pulmonary embolism. It all started out after I used big sprays extensively for a week (too many bugs due to rains) and also had a mild case of tonsilloliths. Doctor says it could be teitze syndrome, but the pain is too much and I'm terrified.
Along with this, I'm having other symptoms as well: 1. very stiff and painful upper back 2. Extreme pain in my left arm 3. pulsatile tinnitus in left ear and occasionally, a weird static noise in right ear (from past 6 months) 4. Pain in the breastbone and severe chest tightness 5. Weakness in my legs and arms 6. Occasional shaking of fingers and spasms in my legs and pain in left leg and knees. 7. Stiff neck and occasional headaches 8. Dizziness
Although I have shortness of breath, my spo2 levels are between 94-100, and I have a heart rate in the range of 65-90. I did get a venous blood gas test done, and po2 level was 33.4 and so2 level was 60%.
I got my echo and ecg done, as well as chest xray, FeNo and spirometry tests done. My ecg and chest xray is normal, and the echo test showed a trivial mitral valve regurgitation and mild tricuspid valve regurgitation. FeNo is a bit elevated (36) and results of spirometry were a bit poor. I also have anaemia (ferretin level 10) and fatty liver grade 2.
The doctor has prescribed me foracort 200, and vitamin E, iron and vitamin D supplements along with some antacid, but seems like it's not helping much. (It's been three days since I have started taking these).
I get short of breath just by walking for 5 mins and need to force myself to take deep breaths every single time because I feel like I'm not getting any oxygen at all, I get dizzy all the time. I'm terrified. What could this be and should I take a second opinion?

20F, non-smoker, never used drugs, drank like 3 times in my whole life.
i’ve been having a few symptoms since a few days which are truly scaring me. i’m extremely afraid of colon cancer.
my symptoms:

• loose stools / sometimes diarrhea
• chunks of food inside stools
• incomplete bowel evacuation (feels like i always want to go)
• increased bpm
• heart palpitations
• dizziness which went away
• mucus in stool / floating stools (not all the time)
• muscle twitches
• abdominal pain on the right which went away

i’m now scared to go to the bathroom honestly. this is stressing me out so bad. can cc symptoms just come all at once ? i have no decreased appetite / fatigue or anemia (i believe?). i’ve seen a few doctors (not my GP) who weren’t alarmed and said it’d go away.
i need bloodwork done for anesthesia (for an elective procedure) next month & i’m too worried of seeing something scary. this fear is ruining my life.
finally seeing my GP next week and i’m wondering if i should push for a colonoscopy?

Since last 1 year I am having some wried dull pain in upper right abdomen which comes and goes , everyday around noon I feel this dull pain which later goes away after passing gas or when I relax . I went to the pcp almost 10 months ago and did ultrasound , everything was good since than I never went back to doctor since I don't have medical insurance and cannot afford the expense. From last two months alongside pain I am noticing that my stool us changing everyday from normal color to yellowish , from diarrhea to constipation from normal stool to watery . I don't know what it is and I having severe health anxiety. I am 35 male need serious advise

Has anyone had BV with mild itching, watery white discharge (no odour), abdominal and pelvic pain, intermittent lower back ache?
Also feels like UTI with bladder pressure and discomfort but clear for infection.
STI panel negative.
Treated for yeast multiple times but no change. That only leaves BV?
I’m so worried I’m developing PID from an undiagnosed infection. Can anyone offer some support and advice please?! Thanks

Hi. Currently I'm struggling with Elavil (amitriptyline) withdrawal - 10mg. I started it for my nerve pain. My GP said to take it for 3-4 months, and to stop it gradually- no others details regarding tapering. So , I started to tapper like skipping the dose. Before Christmas I started to have dizziness, tremors, fatigue, etc. So I reinstated back. After 2 weeks of reinstated I started to have panick attacks and awful anxiety. Switched to 5mg per day, after the appointment my GP said maybe it was my state of health, so she said to get back on 10mg. Again, after 2 weeks I started to have more awful symptoms: tremors, fatigue, tingling in my arms and feets, like my nervous system was in a shock. Talked to pharmacist, so I get back to 5mg, because It gives me to much side effects. Got an appointment to my gp and we decided to stop it, according to pharmacy schedule which was to fast for my. After 2 weeks off elavil, I started to have GI problems (diarrhea, nausea),insomnia, vivid dreams, debilitating anxiety, crying. Again GP appointment and get back on the lowest dose as I stopped - 2.5mg per day. The symptoms started to be more awful, I started to have suicidal and intrusive thoughts, again vivid dreams, fear, anxiety, everything like a hell.. It took me 2 months so I'm now 10 days off this shit drug. At least I can eat,and my GI is better. From January till June I've lost 10kg (22 pounds). But the constant anxiety, panick attacks, depression, intrusive thoughts is still here. Waves&windows every day. Also, I have an awful ears pain like infection in me ears. I do acupuncture and talking with my psycologue to manage all this mood swings. I did have before anxiety, but it was on low intensity. All my CNS is damaged. If only I knew that this med will give me this stare, I would never touched it. GP insisted that I have a relapse, but what relapse when I wasn't never like this before in my life. Honestly, I don't want to switch to another AD , I've lost my trust. Please help and I need some encouragement.

Hi, I’ve been reading all the helpful tips.
I asked if I get nauseous from prep can i take anything? Absolutely NOT I was told. Ughh so u have lemon and ginger teas to help, just in case. I bought ginger ale but soda gives me abdominal pains.
I didn’t ask about headache, which happens to me , when I don’t eat. Can you take anything for it or suffer?
lastly I was told to take a Gas X pill night before test. Take 2 morning of Test, with tiny bit of water. Is this really needed and does it help with gas?
My anxiety is bad leading up to this. My prep is tomorrow and colonoscopy Tuesday.
I'm glad I found this website.

Growing up there always is this fantasy of who I was going to become and where I was going to go. My mind ran wild with seemingly endless ideas. Any hurdles, no matter how big, were disregarded. I didn’t know my limits because I was told to have none. The world was full of magic and beaming with opportunities because I had to believe it was.
I was determined to make my birth worth the pain it caused my family to raise me.
With all the hurdles in front of me, I never saw the ones inside. Those little inconveniences, the little voices in my mind and minor delusions chipping away at my sanity… I disregarded them, but they built up over time, all collected in a box that was starting to overflow in my mind.
The world kept getting darker. It was my own mind that was eating itself alive. Years and years of dragging along to the tune of ‘just survive’ and the dreams that I had, that the little girl had, were thrown away. It wasn’t because they were given up on, it was because they were unachievable to a mind whose greatest victory was surviving another day.
Out of all the hurdles, we never considered the ones inside. I think back to a time long ago, before our mind slipped away for the first time, and wonder where I would be if there was help back then. If proper help was given, could that little girl have gotten what she had hoped for? If it wasn’t the demons from my past, it was a biologically sick mind hellbent on terrorizing itself.
I grieve for that little girl. The one I promised her dreams would come true. She grew up thinking that all that pain made her special, that she could transform it into art and connection with others. No matter the pain, she kept her whimsy.
Now I have to face her and tell her that the pain only made us grow weak and tired. The whimsy she had was beaten and mocked out of me and the hope she had went away with every new medication and hospital visit. When something finally went right, I didn’t have the energy to enjoy it.
She had begun to disgust me. With every new misfortune I destroyed more and more of her - and I didn’t know why. I threw her things out because ‘it would never happen’. I burned her work because ‘no one liked it, it was garbage’. I cut ties with her friends because ‘alone is safer’.
One day, I gripped my chest, there was an empty, cold ache, and I somehow knew that the little girl had died. Fear overcame me and I realized I was destroying the one part of me that made life worth living.
I face her again. I buy her favorite chocolate. I put on a show she liked. I put her art up on the walls. I cry and beg her to come back. I tell her that just because I was weak, it didn’t mean she had to go. I’m sorry her life was put on hold for so many years, that I grew to despise her for the hope she had, but I’ll hold the pain for her. I just want her to fill that empty cavity in my chest again.
(not beta read or anything, just words.)

As stated. Everything I seem to read on here is USA And not available in the UK. Any UK people got any ideas?
Getting any help on the NHS is impossible and I can not afford to go private.
Sinus problems for years. Went to doctors a couple of weeks ago for another infection. 5 days worth of antibiotics which did very little. Got a referral for allergy testing but the doctor says there is a 6 months waiting list and that's if the referral doesn't get rejected. Put in a request for another appointment and was told to wait 2 weeks.
The pain and pressure in my cheek and nose is unbearable. Taking pain meds constantly and trying everything to unblock anything. At the point of nothing coming out. Occasional clear gluey snot. Ears hurting and popping and headaches. There are points where I think I am getting better and then an hour later it's all back.
Figure I will try anything.

My husband is now having trouble getting tests ordered and scheduled for possible lymphoma. He has many symptoms that are severely limiting his ability to work or do anything else - multiple swollen nodes, severe fatigue, night sweats, left abdominal pain, loss of appetite, pain in armpits/across chest/along the side of his neck/back of lower skull. It’s been six months and the symptoms have only increased in intensity. Do you find that having a support person in the room helps convey a more urgent need for follow-ups and testing? Have any of you opted to private pay for scans due to wait times?

If you scroll through my post history, you will see that me and my parents already have ongoing issues. Cannot be bothered to make a throw away because I'm fuming.
I (20 FtM) have had horrendous stomach issues since I was a child. They stemmed from food abuse in foster care, as well as food abuse from my adoptive parents. I gained a fair bit of weight last year from psychiatric medications and was overweight. My adoptive parents (AP- for future references) did not like that. Everyday it was a constant comment of "we can't see your knees anymore" and "when are you going to lose weight, we hate the way you look this isn't the "daughter" we used to love". They took maters into their own hands and put a bike lock over the fridge and locked the pantry. Every day before they left for work they would leave out very minimal food for me, sometimes they would forget and I would go hungry for 8+ hours while they were away. We live in the sticks, the nearest grocery store is 20 minutes away and the nearest McDonald's is 45 min. I was ravenous, but slowly getting back into disordered eating because of this. I have a history of EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified) and usually restrict, but because of the meds I was binging. The forced starvation lead me back into a restrict cycle. A heavy, heavy restrict cycle. At one point in November I stopped eating, I didn't eat a single morsel of food for 8 days straight. When I finally had a meal, and went to sleep that night, I was awoken by a very sharp pain in my abdomen. The pain was a gnawing, burning ache in one spot of my stomach. It peristed for 20 minutes then went away. I brushed it off and had another meal the next night. Same pain, same duration. At this point it wasn't impacting my daily life so I brushed it off. Fast forward to about January, I left my home due to extensive ongoing SA from my AF and subsequently ended up homeless for a couple months. During that time getting food was extremely difficult, and was a struggle to fill my stomach. I slowly noticed my issues getting worse and worse. I caught covid around the end of February and had debilitating GI issues from that. A bit of more context, I have severe emetophobia (intense fear of vomiting) so any twinge in my stomach causes me to panic and restrict more food. Well lo and behold, I had caught the strain that messes up your stomach. This time I didn't eat for 9 days, I also stopped drinking. The only thing I had to drink in that times pan was a bottle of water and three bottles of Gatorade. I ended up in the ER after my fever reached 103, I got fluids. That restated my digestive system and I was releived that I could eat again. But that relief was short lived. I had intense, crippling nausea that wasn't going away. I ended up having to return to my AP's house and went to the doctor for the issues. I got a referral to GI, and the doctor put in a note that an endoscopy is best. By this time I had lost 90 lbs (240 to 150) since November. My AM, got upset and said that she was certain it was a mental block causing me to not eat due to my history of ED. I had a fight with them which lead to a horribly long "I'm going to evict you and put you back on the streets" process which ended in my AF sexually assaulting me once more to "build trust". After that the eviction process stopped (this was his plan, he backed me into a corner). After that night, likely due to the stress of another SA (makes 14 years of SA from him), my stomach revolted. Even worse nausea, severe abdominal pain. I couldn't tolerate foods anymore. I begged my AM to take me to the GI (the referall had been sitting for 4 months) she refused. She told me she "doesn't take me to specialists" and to find another way there. I did, I got my partner to take Mr a few days ago and immediately was scheduled for an endoscopy, a gallbladder ultrasound and prescribed 3 refills of 90 pills of Zofran 8mg. All of this took 10 minutes and I was out the door. Very short visit. At this time I am 148 pounds and still losing. This isn't intentional anymore and i would give anything to eat and enjoy food again. Fast forward to this morning, I woke up and started talking to my AM, the topic of food came up and I was lamenting about not being able to eat. I then suddenly snapped, I told her "if you had taken me to the GI months ago, I would have likely been on the mend around this time" she then said "you are over 18 I'm not entitled to do anything". That is a perfectly reasonable take however I reminded her of our location and how I can't drive (eplipsey, and vision, I literally am barred from driving) she told me that it's "on me" and it didn't matter anyways since my partner took me. I then reminded her that I didn't even know my partner before I had the referral to GI, therefore it did, in fact fall on her even in the slightest. I proceeded to tell her that if I was her transportation that I wouldn't have let her sit in pain for months and I would have taken her immediately, if the roles were reversed. She told me that I wasn't "entitled to do that" and I said 'I would have done it out of the kindness of my heart, like you should have done. You are my mother kindness doesn't stop at 18, loving someone doesn't stop at 18' she laughed and said it does, and that I'm in the wrong for expecting her to still be a parent after 18. I flipped my lid and told her off. I shouted at her, told her that this is cruel which she then said "the world is cruel, what does it matter". I said that even that was a heinous thing to say and was met once again with "you are an adult, I don't have to be kind nor loving to you". I got even more upset and reminded her that she has refused access to health care even when I was a minor. I told her how for 4 years she didn't take me to the doctors, therapist and even the dentist, because she "couldn't be bothered" she met that with "I did that to empower you to be a better adult when you turned 18". I once again screamed at her that is not something you do to someone who you "love". And like always she responded with "anyone else can see I'm in the right here, why don't you ask someone, they will say that everything I did here is correct and you are upset over nothing"
So per her request, AITAH?

My hands are trembling to the point where I've had to restart this several times. I'm a guy who doesn't scare easily, but this encounter has me shaking like a hit dog. I'm still sitting in my work truck, trying to work up the courage to step outside again. Worse, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to tell my boss what happened. I was already on thin ice with him, and this shit might cause me to break through to the freezing water below.
But fuck it, because this was weird.
I install cable for a living. I didn't have dreams of stringing cable when I was a little kid, but my previous life choices left me with few options. In high school, I fell in with the wrong crowd. It started with skipping school, sneaking alcohol at weekend parties, and some petty theft, but it didn't stay that way for long. Soon, I dropped out and dedicated my life to committing robberies to pay for my pill addiction. I wasn't living as much as I was running on a treadmill. I did whatever I could to stay on my feet but constantly felt myself slipping.
My bottom came when I was jumped by two guys who sold me pills. I had bought from them before and trusted them, but the feeling was not mutual. Someone had dimed a buddy of theirs out to the police, and he was looking at real jail time. They assumed it was me and beat me senseless.
I was greeted at the door with a punch to the jaw that sent me reeling. My brain, already addled and slowed by Oxi, was in the middle of putting together what was happening when the next punch caught me in the temple. I collapsed to the ground and covered my neck and face as best as I could. The next few minutes were a flurry of punches, kicks, and stomps. When it was all over, I had a broken jaw, a shattered wrist, several wounds that required fifty total stitches, and a concussion.
That's how I kicked my painkiller addiction.
I can joke now, but the next six months were the hardest in my life. The withdrawals I had were the worst thing I've ever experienced. Having them while I was recuperating from my injuries was a circle of hell I didn't think existed. I wanted to die most days and felt lost in the darkness. But sobriety was the beacon on the horizon. Even during my darkest moments, I could still see the fuzzy spark of white light off in the distance. It kept me going. Six months from my beat-down day, I came out the other side healthier but weaker.
I needed a job but had limited skills. Thankfully, I had a former pill buddy who managed to keep steady employment with the cable company. We always got along, and he called in a few favors and hooked me up. I got hired, but it was a struggle. Not the work, which was easy to learn, but dealing with the public without telling them to fuck off. Worse, was trying to avoid the flood of illegal substances that are around you at all times. Customers will offer you weed or pills for all the channels, or bored co-workers will have something to "make the day pass by." It's a lot to dodge, especially if you're in recovery. Whenever I felt the itch again, I'd feel the scar tissue from my wrist surgery, and the itch would pass.
The last week has been one of those "Shit, is it Friday yet?" weeks that seem to be growing in frequency these days. I don't want to bore you with the details, but needless to say, most nights, I needed to reach out to my sponsor and have them talk me off the ledge. We recently had a turnover at the executive level, and my new boss Rory was a tremendous cock. A rager at levels science hasn't ever seen before. Just the worst dude imaginable.
Part of Rory's new crusade was coming in and firing a bunch of guys. The company called it "checking for redundancies in the labor force," but we all knew what it was. He was picking off two classes of people: high earners and guys with spotty pasts. I was in the latter group and imagined it was just a matter of time before my number got pulled. I was on pins and needles all week. I made sure I was the greatest cable installer you'd ever meet. So far, I was getting high marks but the forced joviality was wearing thin.
It's safe to say my joy had left on a one-way ticket. I have no clue when—or if—she'd return.
Back to this shit. I had just finished up my last job of the day when my work phone started buzzing. I cursed and thought about not answering, but the threat of unemployment loomed too large for me to do that. I picked up and knew from the jump my day was far from over. Denise from dispatch asked if I could cover a job left hanging because of "scheduling conflicts" (see: the original installer had been let go). It was near where I was and was a simple install.
I gritted my teeth and agreed. I liked Denise and knew she was worried about the hammer falling on her, too. She thanked me profusely, and promised to bring me cookies tomorrow. Since she's a hellcat in the kitchen and getting close to a dispatcher never hurts, I said no worries. I hung up, balled up my jacket, and screamed into it. I felt better after that.
981 Maple Street was about five minutes away, but it felt like a world away. Maple Street was at the end of the neighborhood where large swaths of grass fields faded into a thicket of woods. The woods rose up into the foothills until they graduated to mountains. To borrow a phrase from Shel Silverstein, the house resided where the sidewalk ends.
The house, an off-white birdhouse ranch type, was a little run-down but no worse than any of the others that populated this neighborhood. This place had been hit hard by economic times, and property values had plummeted. It was slowly recovering. In five years, this would be a place most current residents wouldn’t be able to afford. The front yard had a large oak tree that looked amazing but had killed the grass under its canopy. The rest of the yard looked well cared for.
I knocked and heard a few voices talking on the other side of the door. It opened, and a man in his late 40s stood there with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand. He was tall and thin, save for a middle-aged paunch. His face was starting to crinkle at the edges, but he was southern California middle-aged, which meant he was holding up pretty well. He did look tired, though—the bags under his eyes were full-on steamer trunks.
"You with the cable company?" he asked, knowing I was.
I nodded. "You requested an install, right?"
"Yes, I did. Please, come in."
He opened the door wide, and I walked in. The house was pretty bare with a bachelor pad aesthetic. That didn't make much sense since I heard a female voice talking to him. I assumed it was his wife. I believe in a lot of wild shit, but to think that a wife would be fine with their house decorated like a 23-year-old bachelor lived there was a bridge too far.
"I'm Tom," the guy said, extending his hand. I shook it. "What did you need from my end?"
"Do you know if there was a previous hookup here?"
"Ugh, yeah. There is one in this room and another in the back bedroom."
"Okay. I should put the modem in a spot that'll hit the whole house. The signal can get wonky if it's in a room behind a wall or bricks or anything."
"This room is probably the best spot then," he said.
"Perfect. I have to get under the house, check the old connections, and replace some parts. Where's your hatch to get under the house?"
"Oh, it's around back. You can exit out this side door and walk through the backyard. It's on the eastern side. You might need a screwdriver to remove the grate. Do you need one?"
I pulled a screwdriver from my pocket and showed him. "I should be good. Thank you, though."
"I should've guessed you'd have one."
"I appreciate your concern. Is there anything in the backyard I should be worried about? Dogs? Kids? Wild dogs? Wild kids?"
It was standard banter, and it always got a chuckle out of people. Same thing happened here. "Nothing to worry about," he said. "You should be good."
"Alright. I'll get started so you can get online as soon as possible."
"Great! If you need anything, I'll be doing some work in the back bedroom."
I nodded and headed for the side door. The dining room door led to the pie wedge-shaped backyard, which was larger in the back than the front made it look. The grass was as cooked as its kin in the front, but islands of green weeds seemed to be thriving. In the corner of the lot, an old metal shed stood, rusted to the point where I assumed divine intervention kept it standing. It seemed to have been there since the house had been built – or maybe several decades before.
When I turned the corner of the house, I spotted a woman and child staring into the corner of the yard, their backs facing me. The Woman wore a faded blue dress that fit her well. Tom had, it seemed, out-kicked his coverage with her. I didn't want to startle them, so I offered a friendly "hello" to the pair. The kid started to turn, but the mother placed a hand on their shoulder and kept their heads facing away from me. I squinted along the treeline, trying to see what they were concentrating on, but I didn't see anything unusual.
Just wanting to be done with the job, I let them be and moved on. I turned another corner to the house's short side and spotted the grate leading to the crawlspace. The grate looked as old as the shed, and I wasn't sure I would even need the screwdriver to open it. Hell, I was sure the thing would disintegrate in my hands as soon as I touched it.
I crouched and was about to pull it off when I heard something rustling near me. I glanced back to where I had seen the mom and kid, but they were gone. I assumed I had heard them leaving. I pulled the grate off – I was right, no screwdriver necessary – and as I set it aside, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.
It was the kid. A boy around eight or so. But they weren't staring at me exactly. They were looking away from me, staring up at the roof line. I found it odd. Clearly, the kid wanted to talk to me but had turned their back on me. I coughed to let them know that I knew they were there, but they didn't respond.
"Hey man, what's up there?" I said.
"Nothing nice," he said, still keeping their gaze away from me.
"Oh," I said, "Not going to hurt me, is it?"
"Maybe," he said.
Not the answer I was expecting. "What is it?"
"They told me you'd know soon enough."
As he said that, I felt something crawling across my hand. I pulled my hand away from the house and shook it. I saw a spider land in a pile of leaves and scurry away. I let out a nervous laugh. I'm not scared of spiders or anything, but the shock of being told some unseen thing was watching me and didn't look pleased, coupled with the sensation of something on my skin, was enough to justify a quickened heartbeat.
I looked back at where the kid had been standing, but he was gone. I chalked it up to kids being little weirdos and went back to work. The faster I could get this installation done, the quicker I could go home and smoke a bowl. I let Kush be my guide. I put up my hood, turned on my small flashlight, and shimmied through the opening under the house.
I know guys who've worked for the company for years and still dread going into a crawl space. Granted, it's not my favorite thing to do, but I don't mind either. The bugs can be a nuisance but if you don't bother them, they tend to not bother you. Same with rats and mice. Raccoons, though? I crawl out and call animal control. Those little dudes are cute but nasty as all get out. My path today was nothing but cobwebs, so I was okay.
I flashed my light around and saw where the cable line went up into the living room floor. My job here was to ensure the coaxial line's integrity was still good. If it had been chewed on or anything, I'd replace it. Sometimes, I just replaced it anyway—saving myself a potential job later down the line.
I crawled over to where the line came in from the pedestal and started my once-over. I not only looked for any damage but also ran the line through my hands to make sure my eyes didn't miss anything. I was under the dining room area when I heard that side door close.
I stopped. Tom said something, but it was muffled. I wanted to be nosy, so I waited a beat to hear if anyone spoke back to him. Someone did. It was soft and quiet – I assumed it was the Boy – and I didn't make out what they asked, but I did hear Tom's response. In a firm voice, he said, "No, not right now. Run along."
There were footsteps over me that faded into another section of the home. Tom said, "He always wants to jump the gun. How many times do I have to tell him?"
I suppressed a laugh at the last line. It's the official father's lament. I kept moving my hand down the line and didn't feel nicks along the cable. In fact, on closer inspection, the line looked almost new. I was planning to change it, but this looked like it had been installed last week.
I could hear someone walk into the living room as I reached the spot where the line went through the house. Another pair of footsteps followed the first, and I heard a breathy but detached woman's voice ask, "Can we show our faces now?"
"I just told the boy 'no.' What makes you any different?" Tom said, an edge to his voice.
A chill raced through my body. I knew those words, but this conversation made me feel like I spoke another language. Can we show our faces? Why would you not?
"Do you think he'll see us?"
"If I have my way," he said, not finishing that thought. "Leave me be. I must try to get some things done before he leaves, and you two keep bothering me."
What did Tom mean to get some things done before I left? What did he have in mind? While trying to process all this, I heard something shuffle in the darkness just beyond my flashlight beam. I moved it around, trying to see the telltale glowing eyes of varmints, but nothing flashed back at me.
I heard something shuffling again, this time down by my feet. I cocked my head as best as I could and shone the flashlight into that corner of the house but, again, there wasn't anything else down here but me and a thousand spiders. I sighed and finished my inspection of the wire.
As I turned to crawl back out from under the house, I heard somebody sneaking around on the floor above me. The wood groaned as the person moved slowly. I wasn't sure what they were doing, but they wanted to keep it a secret. A shadow fell over the pinprick of light from where the cable went into the house. Someone was standing over it.
"Can you hear them down there? Moving in the dark?" It was the Boy. “They like the dark.”
"What are you saying?"
"The little shadows," he said, "They live down there. Do you hear them?"
This kid was creepy as hell. "I, ugh, I can't hear you, dude," I said, inching my body away from the wire, "We can talk inside."
"They're going to get you, but that's okay," he said, "It only hurts for a little bit, and then you're fine."
Fuck. That. I had no desire to respond to that nightmare of a statement. I hastened my inch-worming, heading back towards the open hatch. As I did, I heard more movement in the darkness around me. I tried to ignore it, but it was a fool's gambit. It was impossible to ignore.
I was getting closer to the opening when I saw a pair of tiny legs walk in front of the hatch. It was the Boy. How did he get there so quickly and without me hearing him run on the floor? I didn't have time to run through the scientific method because the Boy leaned down and placed the metal grate back over the hatch.
"Hey! Hey!" I yelled. "I'm still under here!"
The Boy didn't stop. Instead, he placed a trashcan in front of the grate, enshrouding the entire crawlspace in darkness and trapping me inside.
"Hey! I need you to move that!" I screamed. No response. I raised my fist as high as possible and punched the floor above me to hopefully get Tom’s attention. That was a mistake, as I managed to punch straight into an old nail. I felt it puncture in between my knuckles. The pain was instant, and I let out a howl.
I shook my hand and swore a blue streak. I reached up with my other hand, felt the tip of the nail I had managed to punch, and found a flat spot next to it. I banged hard on the floor and yelled again for some help. Nobody responded. Not at first.
Then I heard someone chuckle under the house.
I couldn't locate where it had come from because it sounded like it was all around me. I swung my light around as best as I could but didn't see anything. No glowing eyes, nothing. I inched forward a bit, and someone laughed again – this time, it was to my right. I turned my light in that direction and saw a sudden flood of light fill the space under the house.
"What the hell?" I said, my desire to leave overtaken by a desire to know what was unfolding next to me.
A pair of kid legs dropped down from the hole in the floor. I realized then that the hole must be an interior crawlspace. The kid had blocked off the metal grate and opened this hatch for some reason. While he dropped his legs down, he didn't move any further.
"Hey, you have to open that metal grate," I yelled. "I don't want to be trapped down here."
"They told me they needed you," he said, followed by a slight chuckle.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" I said, not caring that I was talking to a child. "Open the goddamn grate!"
"The shadows are approaching," he said, pulling himself back into the house. He placed the lid back on the hole, and I was trapped in the dark again. I cursed to myself and started pounding on the floor again.
"Hey! Someone come help me!"
That's when I felt something run across my legs. I nearly jumped out of my skin. It didn't feel like the tiny claws of a passing rat. It was cold to the touch, but as it hit my skin, I felt a burn in my bones. It's hard to explain, but I felt both extremes simultaneously. Whatever it was skittered off into the darkness of the other side of the crawl space.
The kid started laughing again, which brought me back to reality. I army crawled as fast as I could to the grate. I balled up my fist and punched in the middle of the metal. The blow knocked the old nails out of the wall, and the grate broke up. I was about to push away the garbage can when it suddenly wheeled out of the way.
I saw Tom's legs standing there.
"You okay?" he asked, concern in his voice.
I got out from under the house so fast that I left a me-sized dirt cloud in my place. Once out, I shook my body loose as if I had things crawling all over me. Tom watched but didn't say anything at first. We finally locked eyes, and he could see the rage, fear, and confusion on my face. He wisely waited until I spoke first.
"What the hell is wrong with your kid? He blocked me under there and taunted me from the indoor crawlspace."
"What are you talking about?"
"He told me the shadow people or something were watching, and then he blocked me under the house!"
Tom's face twisted up into confusion. "I...I don't understand."
"I can't make it any simpler, Tom!" I screamed, letting unprofessionalism take root.
"I don't have a kid."
It hit me like an Ali right cross. My vision got dizzy, and I struggled to catch my breath. I stared at his face, looking for the sign of a lie or a joke, but he was as stone-faced as an Easter Island statue. After a beat, I found my sense again. "I heard you talking to him in the living room when I was under the house."
"One, I was on a phone call. Two, are you spying on me? What the hell, man?"
"I wasn't spying, and you weren't on the phone," I said. I also heard you talking to your wife. She asked you if she could show her face or something."
"I don't have a wife either."
I shook my head. "I fucking saw them in the backyard! They were staring at the fence!"
Tom paused and cocked his head to the side. When he spoke, it was softly, trying to calm me down. "Are you...did you have a few drinks before the appointment? Or a pill or something? No judging – I know pill heads. I won't report you or anything, but I understand if you need to come back tomorrow with a clearer head."
"I'm sober," I said, gritting my teeth. "But I know what I saw. What I heard."
"As the tree said to the lumberjack, I'm stumped," Tom said. "You look a little flush. You want a bottle of water or something? I can show you I'm here all alone."
My adrenaline had seeped out of my body, and I was starting to feel like myself again. I nodded at Tom, and he smiled. "I'll go grab you one. Do you want to come into the AC?"
"No, I'm okay. I need to double-check the connection to the pedestal."
"Sure. Be bright back," Tom said as he walked off.
But I had no intention of checking the connections. I was going to check on Tom. I didn't believe him at all. Something weird was going on, and I needed to know what. As soon as he turned the corner around the house, I broke out my flashlight and headed back to the crawlspace.
I dropped to the ground and shone my beam into the darkness. Something had crawled on me, and I wanted to see what it was. I moved my light into every section of the crawlspace but saw no eyes glowing back at me.
"If you're under there, call back."
There was nothing. I was starting to feel like a paranoid idiot. I called out once again just to be sure, but again, nothing called back. I shut off my light and sighed. I started pushing myself back to my feet when I heard a faint woman's voice call out, "Can we show our faces now?"
"Not yet," someone hissed from the trees above me. I snapped my head up, expecting to see someone hanging on a branch over my head, but I just saw green leaves.
"Can we show our faces now?" It was the Boy. It sounded like he was on the roof. I shielded my eyes and glanced at the roof but didn't see him.
"No. He's not ready yet," someone whispered in my ear. I snapped around, throwing a punch as I did, only to slam my fist into the fence. I felt one of my knuckles crack as it hit the wood, and the pain shot up my arm like lightning. Within seconds, my hand started to puff up, and blood dripped out the wounds.
The Boy chuckled again. It came from under the house. I looked down at the grate and saw his legs disappear into the darkness.
"Hey!" I called and dropped to the ground. I pulled out my flashlight and shone into the darkness again. I was confident I'd see him, but he wasn't there. Nobody was.
I sat up and felt goosebumps turn my arms into braille. I glanced over to the corner of the house and was surprised to see the disappearing hemline of the faded blue dress. I rushed over to the corner and didn't see the Woman. I saw Tom with a bottle of water.
"You okay?"
"Where did that woman go?" I asked, my voice panicking. "She was just here."
"Sir, do you need me to call your boss for you? You're starting to scare me."
"What's up with this house? Is it haunted?"
Tom started laughing. "I hope not. I just moved in. I'd hate to have roommates again, especially ones who leave ectoplasm all over the place."
As I stared at him, I saw the Woman and the Boy emerge from the other corner of the house. They looked up on the roof, their faces obscured by their hands and the sun. I pointed a finger at them and screamed, "They're right there!"
Tom spun around and looked, but there wasn't anything there. He turned back to me, not sure what to say. Instead, he handed me the bottle of water. "I gotta be honest. I didn't see anything. Drink the water...you might have heat stroke."
I threw the bottle on the ground. "I don't have fucking heat stroke. I have a man that's lying about these things." I got close to him. "What did you have planned for me? Why do they keep asking to show their faces?"
"I don't," he said, but I didn't stay to hear him finish his thought. I walked right past him and turned the corner of the house. As I did, I saw the blue hem disappear through the door that led to the kitchen. I followed right behind her.
I walked into the house, which was as silent as a corpse. The Woman and Boy were nowhere to be seen. "Hello?" I called out. "I just saw you guys walk in here. Where are you?"
The door behind me opened up. Tom walked in, his face reddening with anger. "You can't just walk into my house."
"I saw them walk in. Where are they?"
"I keep telling you, it's just me and you here. Now, if you want to finish your work…."
I walked away from him and headed toward the bedroom where I had seen the Boy standing. I wanted to check that crawl space. The room was empty, not even a moving box in there, so finding the hatch that led under the house was easy. I went into the closet and pried the hatch open.
Tom entered the room behind me, more confused now than angry. "I don't want a line run through here."
"The Boy was standing in this spot. I saw his legs. I spoke to him. He told me the shadows needed me for something." I glared down into the darkness under the house. Despite Tom's feigned declarations that there wasn't another person in the house, I knew he wasn't being honest.
"Okay, I'm pretty sure you're back on pills and in the middle of a delusion," he said.
"How did you know I had a pill addiction?"
"The way you're acting, it wasn't a hard guess."
"I'm sober, but I did have a problem with pills. I never told you. I don't tell anyone."
Tom stood there, confused about how to answer. I stood up and stared him down. He looked away, but I didn't move my gaze. "Who are you? Who put you up to this? Was it Rory? He trying to get me fired?"
Tom's shoulders sagged. "You got me," he said. "Rory hired me to get you in trouble. I'm... I'm sorry. He offered me free cable for a year and assured me you were a bad guy and, well…. I'm weak."
"That's really fuc…," I stopped. "You're lying. Right now. You're lying. Why?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something dash past the open crawlspace hatch. I turned to the hatch opening and then back to Tom.
"Are you trying to stop me from looking in there?"
He didn't respond.
"What's under there?"
"He is," he said. "The Boy. He hides under there all the time. He has...friends down there."
"The shadow people?"
Tom shrugged, "What he calls them. I call them a menace. Impossible to get my work done with them causing a racket."
"What work?"
"Things you'd never understand in a million years," he said, "Things beyond your brain's capacity to imagine. Things that will help usher in a new world. Your kind's time is coming to a close. My work represents the new order."
I stared at him. I wasn't sure if I should run away or punch his lights out. Instead, I just spat out, "Bro, what the fuck?"
"Can we show our faces now?" the Boy called out from under the house.
I looked down at the hatch and then back at Tom. He nodded toward the opening. "Do you want to see your future?"
"Fuck it," I said. I got down, grabbed the sides of the opening, and lowered my head under the house.
I kept my eyes closed for a second, assuming I'd either see something horrifying or something would hit me in the face. When nothing struck me, I opened my eyes. It was dark, and I couldn't make out anything.
"There's nothing under here," I said.
"Can we show our faces now?" said the Boy from somewhere under the house.
"Show him," Tom said.
I sat back up, grabbed my flashlight from my pocket, and flipped it on. I looked at Tom, "If you try anything, so help me, God."
Tom just smiled. I looked back down at the hatch and sighed. I was suddenly hit with a bolt of common sense. What was I doing? My internal alarms were going off and I was ignoring them. Curiosity had gotten me this far, but my fight instincts were starting to lose to my flight. No job was worth this.
"Man, fuck this," I said, reversing course and standing. I turned to confront Tom, but he was gone. I hadn't heard him leave, but there wasn't a trace of him there. "Tom? Where the hell are you?"
He didn't respond, and I decided that I had hit my "weird shit" quota for the day. I closed the closet door and headed back into the living room to grab my gear. I'd call dispatch and tell them someone else had to come out and finish the….
The wood floor cracked, splintered, and gave way when I put my weight on it. I fell through the floor and landed with a thud on the dirt in the crawl space. On the way down, I hit my ribs on a crossbeam and heard them crack and knock the wind out of me. As I lay on the dirt, writhing in pain, my lungs did their damnedest to find a breath. It couldn't, and my vision started to blur at the edges. For a fleeting few seconds, I envisioned my death on a dirty crawlspace floor. It wasn’t comforting.
I rolled onto my back and finally took in a massive gulp of life-saving air. The blurring vision subsided, and all that remained was the aching pain of a busted rib. My muscles around my rib cage spasmed and pulled tight against my lungs. After the initial big breath, I could only take shallow gulps because the pain was searing.
I lay there for a few seconds, collecting my thoughts, when I felt something skitter across my legs again. I kicked out of instinct but didn't hit anything. Instead, I heard the chuckling again. My flashlight had fallen out of my hand. I found it and turned it on.
This time, I did see something. Pairs of eyes—dozens of them—watched me from the darkness that surrounded me. These weren't possums or rats. I never hoped to find a raccoon under the house more than I did at that moment. I knew whatever these things were, they weren't natural and they wanted to harm me.
"Still want to know what they plan to do to you?" the Boy asked from behind me.
I turned around and shone the light where I heard the voice. The Boy was lying on his stomach, his face looking down at the ground. All I could see at the moment was the top of his head.
"Wha-what's going on?" I said, the light bouncing from my trembling hand.
"I can show you my face now," he said. He raised his head and….
The Boy didn't have a face.
He had the space for a face, but there were no features whatsoever—nothing but pale pink skin pulled tight across the front of his head. At that moment, the image of a wooden art figure came to me.
“What the ever-loving fuck?"
"Want to see something really scary?" the Boy said, his lack of a mouth not stopping him from speaking. He raised himself onto the tips of his fingers and toes and started skittering toward me, laughing as he did.
I clambered out of the crawlspace as fast as my battered body could carry me. I got out of the hole and onto my feet and let out an ear-splitting scream.
The Woman in the blue dress was standing next to the hole in the floor. Like the Boy, she didn't have a face either. But I could feel her eyes on me. Looking into my mind. Into my soul. She stepped toward me, and I bolted for the front door.
I whipped it open and was greeted by Tom standing there, blocking me. He grinned. "Leaving so soon?"
"What the hell is going on?" I asked, checking behind me to see if the Woman was still coming toward me. She was, and she was gaining quickly.
"Can we show our faces now?" he asked with a laugh.
I turned back to Tom and nearly had a heart attack. His face was gone. I could feel my heart beating in my ears. My legs were jelly, but I kept myself propped up. The human desire to survive can perform miracles.
Tom reached out and pointed at a spot on the far side of the living room wall. I turned and saw three skinned human faces hanging from old nails: a man, a woman, and a boy.
"You're turn to join us," Tom whispered. But the voice wasn't said out loud. It came from inside my own head. "We can always use another body around here."
My brain clicked into action and sent an all-points bulletin to my limbs. The message was simple and actionable – "Get the fuck going, you dope."
I felt my hand ball into a fist and spun. It landed where Tom's nose would've been. It should've knocked him back, causing him to stumble and giving me time to run. But that didn't happen. Instead, his face pulled apart, letting my fist slide right through. It closed on my arm, trapping me.
I yanked and yanked, but my arm would not dislodge from his face. I glanced back and saw the Woman nearly next to me. The Boy was climbing out of the hole, moving like a cockroach. I looked back at the wall and saw Tom's hanging face silently laughing.
Something about those silent laughs cut me to my core. They were laughing because Tom thought he had outsmarted me. He had beat me. That my face would soon be hanging on the wall next to theirs. I wasn't going to let that happen.
I saw a loose brick on the walkway, and a plan flashed in my mind. I yanked hard, sending Tom stuttering forward enough for me to wrap my finger around the brick. I brought it up and sent it towards his face. As expected, the face parted again, and the brick flew through easily.
But as soon as the face curtains pulled aside, I yanked my arm free. With my limb free, I took off in a mad sprint for my truck. I got inside and fumbled my keys as I tried to start the engine. Tom, the Woman, and the Boy stood together at the front door and watched as I got the van going and rocketed down the street.
I drove like a madman for ten minutes, trying to put as much space between me and the house as possible. I finally stopped at a gas station to collect my thoughts. I was jittery, and my mind was swimming, but I was also relieved. I had gotten out.
I collected myself and called Denise to tell her I couldn't finish the installation at 981 Maple Street. I was going to suggest we cancel the order and not send another installer there. That's when the conversation took a turn I wasn't expecting.
"Where have you been? You were supposed to be off an hour ago," Denise said when I called her.
"I was trying to finish the install at 981 Maple, the one you sent me to."
"I didn't send you anywhere," she said. "With how insane Rory is being about overtime hours, I'm trying to keep everyone below the threshold."
"What are you talking about? You called and asked me. You don't remember," I said, a bad feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.
She gave me a nervous chuckle, "I swear I didn't. Are you feeling okay? You gotta come back. People are waiting for the van."
"I can prove it. I have a record of you calling me on my phone," I said. I opened my call log, and my jaw dropped. There was no call from Denise. She was telling me the truth. But if she didn't call me, who did?
"Rory wants to talk to you when you get in. I wouldn't mess around, he seems pissed" she said before hanging up.
I haven't moved since. I wanted to write this down because I felt like it needed to be recorded. Something supremely fucked up is happening at 981 Maple Street. It nearly got me. It still might. To think, on any other typical day, a surprise conversation with my boss would be the scariest thing that could happen to me. Funny how seeing a faceless ghoul can prioritize your problems. If you're hired to do work there, turn it down. Trust me, it's not worth it.
"Can we show our faces now?" they asked. "Fuck no," should be the only response.

So one night before bed my upper tooth area starting throbbing. Like maybe lasted 5 seconds.
I went to dentist and explained. And said it could be pulpititis. But he said in my case it’s reversible. He didn’t see need to xray. But if it started again and it was sensitive to heat or cold then I need to start worrying and need a root canal.
This was a week ago. I’ve been flossing a crap ton, like up to twice a day, brushing throughly. And so now in general my gums and teeth ache from flossing so much.
Occasionally I’ve still had this ache feeling. But not painful. It’s just one of those things I feel. But I’ve also felt kinda feelings around my mouth. Like in general, but I don’t know how to describe. I had ice cream the other day and I could tell my teeth might have been sensitive to the cold but not where it was painful just knew I was eating something cold. I I thought I might have a cavity.
I will say I took a cetirzine allergy med which did helps a little.
I don’t know what to do. I’m scared of getting X-rays and being told I need a root canal. Or more than one. I’m okay with a cavity. But the strong throwing pain hasn’t come back. I just worry what if I wait to long and my tooth dies. It’s clearly more prominent on my right side of mouth.

Hello everyone. This is gonna be along one so please bare with me as I vent. This has all taken a toll on m mentally and I feel so stuck, to the point where I am questioning everything.
In December of 2023, I began having very bad pain while urinating, discharge....I suspected a UTI. However, I tested positive for Chlamydia(even though my partner at the time said he was negative.). I got treated, retested and everything came back negative. However, I was still experiencing burning while peeing, vaginal discharge, and etc. I went to the gyno for the first time, around the middle of January and explained my symptoms to her. She said that she saw some yeast while doing the exam and treated me for such. I got tested for the regular STI's and did a vaginal swab. The medicine she gave me did not help much and all my results came back negative. Going into February, my friend passed and I went into a dark place. I stopped caring for my health and I didn't revisit the gyno(although experiencing pain while urinating, itching, discharge; etc) up until March. March comes around, I am still struggling with everything and I visit the Gyno again with the same symptoms. She tested me for Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma and gave me cream to deal with the itching. My results come back and I was in fact positive for Mycoplasma. I am not sure what medicine she put me on, but I remember it was a 7 day antibiotic.
I took it, felt a little better, but a week later the same symptoms started to return. At the end of March/beginning of April, I had a burning sensation while peeing, I began having very sharp pain in my pelvis, hip/leg pain, on and off discharge(somedays it would be brownish, next it would be a very clear heavy discharge), and lower back pain. I returned to same gyno and she thought it was a UTI. She took a urine sample and did a swab(however, i don't believe she retested me for mycoplasma). She gave me a three day antibiotic and it worked. The pain while peeing went away and the cramping subsided. However, the results came back and everything came back negative. But, in my urine my white and red blood cells were high. She told me to go to my PCP because she believed it wasn't a gyno related issue anymore. By that time I was experiencing very bad pain in my chest and back. I ended up going to the ER because I believed I had a kidney issue. I did a CAT Scan, but everything came back fine. The doctor told me it was a muscoskeltal issue and prescribed naproxen to me. Also, it came back that I had a yeast infection. I explained the cramping and such to the doctor and she said I did have a UTI, the test just didn't detect it. I asked her if the cramping was due to the muscoskeltal issue and she said it could be... I went home, took Fluconazole(singular) and began using the Naproxen.
I am a college student and I dorm, so I constantly have to travel back and forth to attend these doctor appointments. I return back to school and my pain subsides in my chest area, but the naproxen did not help the cramping. I still was having pain while peeing. I return back home to see my PCP, and she did a vaginal exam and said she saw yeast again. She told me the cramping was just due to my period(just no). She prescribed Fluconazole and a insertion for the yeast infection. I told her to run every test she can and the only thing that came up was a little bacteria in my urine(she told me this 7 days after I went to her). I told her I am still having pain while urinating and so she gave me a 7 day medication(take two a day), I forget the name. I was taking both that medicine she gave me and the naproxen, but, I ended up stop taking the naproxen because I experienced really bad stomach problems one day and I believed that it cause my period to be almost late(6 days, my period is usually on time and comes between the 14th and 16th).
At this point I stop going to my PCP because of her response to what I am telling her. I make an appointment with a different gyno to address it. BY THIS TIME, I am having pain in my pelvis, abdomen, and lower back(moreso on my left side), and my hip. I am not peeing frequently, there is no discharge or very little, BUT when I PEE IT BURNS. I make an appointment. Before seeing my gyno, I do an ultrasound( my belly and vaginal) and everything is fine. I tell her all these symptoms, she swabs me for everything(including mycoplasma but those results were inconclusive because I was on my period, so i have to retake it), I ask her if it's possible if I have PID, she says I would be in more pain. She refers me to a urologist and gastroenterologist(my abdominal pain was concerning to her). I go to my urologist first(May 29th), she tells me that she believes that due to all the antibiotics I have been taking since December my urethra and stomach have not had time to heal(which I totally agree). She does a vaginal exam(looks fine). She brings up pelvic floor issues and does a fast exam on me, but it doesn't seem abnormal. However, she said its still a possibility. She basically tells me that she thinks I need to stay off antibiotics, use cranberry pills, and visiting the GI is a good idea. She also gave me a lubricant to apply down there just to see if it eases the pain. I have an call with her in two weeks to update her.
Two days after, I visit my GI. I do have constipation, burping, and such. He basically said I don't know what it is but, he prescribed me Pantoprazole to take before breakfast and suggested I use miralax. I also have a follow up call with him.
My results came back from my gyno that I have BV, she told me that it usually goes away on its own, but she will send an antibiotic just in case. Which worries me because of what the urologist said. I am still experiencing pain when I pee, pelvic pain, abdominal pain, pain on my left side, buttotcks pain, and lower back pain as of right now, the pain isn't excruciating, but its there. Sometimes it feels like stabbing in my back or my pelvic like just hurts. I do have some pain in my actual vaginal hole and sometimes it just hurts, kinda like I’m in my period, but I’m not. Due to this, I went to the hospital because of it actually getting worse. I did the regular sti testing, an abdominal x ray, and bood testsing. The x-ray showed I had a lot of gas and basically poop in my system. So she sent miralax and another medicine, "so i wouldn't get hemmorids". That was June 5th, I have been taking all the medicine as is, but the pain has returned. When I lie down, their is pain in my lower back(feels as its pulsating and moreso on my left side), pain in my pelvis, and my whole left leg is hurting. I don't know what to do, this has been going on for months.
edit: i believe its also important to note, the abdominal pain has subsided but the pelvic pain has not. I also had random spotting on friday(two days after the hospital appt). it was light and after a couple of hours it went away(it happened when i was at the gym)

Hello everyone, I was really hoping to get any help/tips in relation to how to go about getting a diagnosis and oif MCAS is what I’m experiencing. I’m a 39yo female living in the US, trying to navigate the medical system, which so far, has been disheartening. I realized that my symptoms slowly started to show themselves when I was about 16? It all started with me getting the most intense heart palpitations after eating, which then would turn into headaches and a loss of energy to do anything at all. Laying down would not help either with the heart palpitations. I suffered with this ever since then, with varying intensity (it has gotten better when my diet became simple, but I still experience it). Then around my 20’s I noticed when I walked faster than my usual pace or ran, I would develop this incredible itch that would get excruciating- the itch would turn into pain and I simply had to stop to gather myself . I ignored these symptoms , thinking that I’m out of shape but even when I became active, they didn’t go away. In the past 4 years, the particular itching has spread to the rest of my body. If I walk at a faster pace, the itching starts in my legs and now goes all the way up to my face. The best way I can describe how this feels- is that I want to crawl out of my skin . There were times when I had to stop and just cry out of pain and desperation. My feet also felt like they’re on fire, too! Another thing that added onto it was that, also around 4 years ago, I started experiencing hair loss. I went to see a dermo, who told me it’s stress induced hair loss that could potentially turn into permanent hair loss. I don’t have anyone in the family who has had hair loss- because he insisted that it’s hereditary, if it does turn into a permanent thing. He suggested I take minoxidil but I can’t take it since I already have low blood pressure. For the last year , my scalp has become extremely sensitive , to a point where when I put my head on a pillow, it hurts. I can’t move my hair from side to side because that hurts too. I went to see another demo who said the same thing and basically said everything I’m experiencing is a part of hair loss. Not to mention the constant itching in my scalp- it’s literally NON STOP. I don’t use any hair products, I don’t blow dry my hair… I sense that the hair loss is connected to the bigger picture of what’s happening with my health. I’m leaving out many other symptoms out of worry that I wrote too much. I finally got an appointment with an allergist but I can’t help feeling discouraged. I’ve been dismissed by doctors many times .. I’ve been told to go to therapy - which is probably implying that they believe this is psychological. I don’t know what tests to ask for because the ones they do, all come back normal. I am always tired and I have to push through to go to work.. to try to live my life and do what I can but there’s always the underlying lethargy. My sleep isn’t good.. even when I go to bed at the same time every night. Anyway, I would appreciate any input, even if you can relate to what you’re reading - that would really help, too! I appreciate your time!

I've got some issues with my stomach. The first attack I had was in 2020/21. It feels like I'm having a heart attack. I don't really have a feeling of heartburn, the first attack was more of a dull ache in my chest. It lasted a few hours. I would have these attack very randomly and pretty far in between. I couldn't really figure out what foods were causing it. It didn't really even seem connected to eating even. But they were not that common so I didn't give it too much thought
Since last year they have progressively gotten worse. What was maybe once a month has turned into 2-3 times a week, lasting HOURS. I can't eat, I can't sleep. I have noticed if it's greasy foods, it makes it worse. Now it doesn't matter what I eat or drink. Even drinking a glass of tea will cause an attack and I'm MISERABLE.
I made a good dinner last Sunday and it has been KILLING me since. The pain is so bad I literally feel like I'm dying. I have an appointment Tuesday with a Dr but I don't know if I'm going to make it. It's been a week with hardly any sleep, barely eating/drinking. The pain starts in my stomach, upper stomach and spreads to my chest, where my heart is and it's sharp pains that are non fucking stop. Pain and n my back, chest and under my ribs. I want to die if it doesn't stop.
I have tried so many things. But nothing helps once it starts. I can't make myself puke either. I feel like I'm dying.
Has anyone else ever felt this kind of pain??? I have also lost almost 20 lbs since last year.

Hello everyone. This is gonna be along one so please bare with me as I vent. This has all taken a toll on m mentally and I feel so stuck, to the point where I am questioning everything.
In December of 2023, I began having very bad pain while urinating, discharge....I suspected a UTI. However, I tested positive for Chlamydia(even though my partner at the time said he was negative.). I got treated, retested and everything came back negative. However, I was still experiencing burning while peeing, vaginal discharge, and etc. I went to the gyno for the first time, around the middle of January and explained my symptoms to her. She said that she saw some yeast while doing the exam and treated me for such. I got tested for the regular STI's and did a vaginal swab. The medicine she gave me did not help much and all my results came back negative. Going into February, my friend passed and I went into a dark place. I stopped caring for my health and I didn't revisit the gyno(although experiencing pain while urinating, itching, discharge; etc) up until March. March comes around, I am still struggling with everything and I visit the Gyno again with the same symptoms. She tested me for Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma and gave me cream to deal with the itching. My results come back and I was in fact positive for Mycoplasma. I am not sure what medicine she put me on, but I remember it was a 7 day antibiotic.
I took it, felt a little better, but a week later the same symptoms started to return. At the end of March/beginning of April, I had a burning sensation while peeing, I began having very sharp pain in my pelvis, hip/leg pain, on and off discharge(somedays it would be brownish, next it would be a very clear heavy discharge), and lower back pain. I returned to same gyno and she thought it was a UTI. She took a urine sample and did a swab(however, i don't believe she retested me for mycoplasma). She gave me a three day antibiotic and it worked. The pain while peeing went away and the cramping subsided. However, the results came back and everything came back negative. But, in my urine my white and red blood cells were high. She told me to go to my PCP because she believed it wasn't a gyno related issue anymore. By that time I was experiencing very bad pain in my chest and back. I ended up going to the ER because I believed I had a kidney issue. I did a CAT Scan, but everything came back fine. The doctor told me it was a muscoskeltal issue and prescribed naproxen to me. Also, it came back that I had a yeast infection. I explained the cramping and such to the doctor and she said I did have a UTI, the test just didn't detect it. I asked her if the cramping was due to the muscoskeltal issue and she said it could be... I went home, took Fluconazole(singular) and began using the Naproxen.
I am a college student and I dorm, so I constantly have to travel back and forth to attend these doctor appointments. I return back to school and my pain subsides in my chest area, but the naproxen did not help the cramping. I still was having pain while peeing. I return back home to see my PCP, and she did a vaginal exam and said she saw yeast again. She told me the cramping was just due to my period(just no). She prescribed Fluconazole and a insertion for the yeast infection. I told her to run every test she can and the only thing that came up was a little bacteria in my urine(she told me this 7 days after I went to her). I told her I am still having pain while urinating and so she gave me a 7 day medication(take two a day), I forget the name. I was taking both that medicine she gave me and the naproxen, but, I ended up stop taking the naproxen because I experienced really bad stomach problems one day and I believed that it cause my period to be almost late(6 days, my period is usually on time and comes between the 14th and 16th).
At this point I stop going to my PCP because of her response to what I am telling her. I make an appointment with a different gyno to address it. BY THIS TIME, I am having pain in my pelvis, abdomen, and lower back(moreso on my left side), and my hip. I am not peeing frequently, there is no discharge or very little, BUT when I PEE IT BURNS. I make an appointment. Before seeing my gyno, I do an ultrasound( my belly and vaginal) and everything is fine. I tell her all these symptoms, she swabs me for everything(including mycoplasma but those results were inconclusive because I was on my period, so i have to retake it), I ask her if it's possible if I have PID, she says I would be in more pain. She refers me to a urologist and gastroenterologist(my abdominal pain was concerning to her). I go to my urologist first(May 29th), she tells me that she believes that due to all the antibiotics I have been taking since December my urethra and stomach have not had time to heal(which I totally agree). She does a vaginal exam(looks fine). She brings up pelvic floor issues and does a fast exam on me, but it doesn't seem abnormal. However, she said its still a possibility. She basically tells me that she thinks I need to stay off antibiotics, use cranberry pills, and visiting the GI is a good idea. She also gave me a lubricant to apply down there just to see if it eases the pain. I have an call with her in two weeks to update her.
Two days after, I visit my GI. I do have constipation, burping, and such. He basically said I don't know what it is but, he prescribed me Pantoprazole to take before breakfast and suggested I use miralax. I also have a follow up call with him.
My results came back from my gyno that I have BV, she told me that it usually goes away on its own, but she will send an antibiotic just in case. Which worries me because of what the urologist said. I am still experiencing pain when I pee, pelvic pain, abdominal pain, pain on my left side, buttotcks pain, and lower back pain as of right now, the pain isn't excruciating, but its there. Sometimes it feels like stabbing in my back or my pelvic like just hurts. I do have some pain in my actual vaginal hole and sometimes it just hurts, kinda like I’m in my period, but I’m not. Due to this, I went to the hospital because of it actually getting worse. I did the regular sti testing, an abdominal x ray, and bood testsing. The x-ray showed I had a lot of gas and basically poop in my system. So she sent miralax and another medicine, "so i wouldn't get hemmorids". That was June 5th, I have been taking all the medicine as is, but the pain has returned. When I lie down, their is pain in my lower back(feels as its pulsating and moreso on my left side), pain in my pelvis, and my whole left leg is hurting. I don't know what to do, this has been going on for months.
edit: i believe its also important to note, the abdominal pain has subsided but the pelvic pain has not. I also had random spotting on friday(two days after the hospital appt). it was light and after a couple of hours it went away(it happened when i was at the gym). The burning when i pee is still there too. That’s it’s, no frequency to pee and no weird discharge,

Had my bottom R wisdom tooth removed 5 months ago and had nothing but issues since!
It took almost an hour and they still left a root in as they'd already taken too much bone. I've been back to the oral surgeons since due to discomfort/dull ache. I have had xrays/check ups and been told there's no infection but the roots close to the nerve and the other molar, taking it out would be risky as could cause numbess/damage to the molar...but ultimately it's my decision. They also said there's a spicule in there and I can feel it too. Current plan is wait another 6 weeks to see if my body does its job and starts to expel the root away from the nerve so it's easier to remove.
I was last in a few days ago when they said they'd take it out but given the risks and their opinion I was reluctant and of course the pain has flared right up!
Any advice? Anyone had similar?

So I start out the year with really intense headaches, neck pain, dizziness, tinnitus. The headaches feel like needles wrapping up the back of my head into my forehead- so I go to a neurologist who first tells me I may have a dissection in my vertebral or carotid arteries.. so he gets MRIs and MRAs.
Then he tells me he found two small brain aneurysms, but to not worry because they’re small. So of course I worry, i worry for a month with zero insight until I can’t take it and I schedule an appointment to go see one of the top neurosurgeons in Boston- who tells me no, they’re not brain aneurysms they’re just normal variations of veins.
Meanwhile I’m still getting these headaches, dizziness, nausea so the same neurologist says he saw a bulging disk at c4-5 and a fully protruding disk at c6-7 and that the symptoms probably aren’t from that but he would write me a referral for physical therapy. So I go to physical therapy and start making moderate progress until they have me doing deadlifts where I was told “don’t focus on posture your body will self adjust” so I do and then injure my neck even worse than when I went in.
So I go to acupuncture since at this point I’m having such severe headaches that I’m throwing up and having to call out of work. On top of that I’ve got a flare up of gastritis because I accidentally ate gluten because I didn’t check the beef jerky for wheat(which I’m not supposed to do with celiacs)
The acupuncturist (she’s licensed with LAc and a health insurance referral) I go to used a technique I can only describe as a mix between dry needling and acupuncture- well, she punctures my chest wall, I get a pneumothorax within 15 min of leaving and my left lung collapses.
Now I’m sitting here with pain in my chest from the pneumothorax, unable to sleep because of my neck pain, and in just unreal pain and I have literally no idea how to solve it but I have to go back to work in two days because I don’t get PTO and I’m fee for service.

Hello. I currently have a Tuft and Needle Mint mattress. It is too soft. We tried their Hybrid also, and didn’t care for that one either. Can someone recommend a firmer mattress or topper that will help with back and shoulder aches and pains? Some of these memory foam mattresses are just too soft. Thanks so much!

I found out I had ovarian cysts earlier this year in the ER after going in for side flank pain. They did an abdominal ct scan and found cysts.
Fast forward, I've done about 5 follow up ultrasounds to monitor them and the one on my right ovary went away but the left one is still here - suspected endometrioma.
My main question is: did you experience any pain in your lower rib region? I have this dull, nagging under my right rib but it feels like a deeper pain. Sometimes the pain wraps around my back in that area too.

So i have been suffering from costo for a while now. I think it’s costo because all tests have been fine( ECG, blood, xrays) and I read about the symptoms here and my symptoms align with it.
The question I have is, from the past few days, the pain has been very less, almost non existent except occasional aches, I have been stretching and using backpod, but I still feel a little heavy on my chest. My hands shake sometimes and I get crushing feeling in my chest, I am hyper aware of my heartbeat and I can feel it on my fingers. I also feel very weak overall I get dizzy sometimes but never faint, if i keep going this feeling also fades away, i get lost while being in a conversation with someone and I have to consciously bring myself back to reality. I feel my throat is getting choked sometimes and my HR is shooting up and I can’t breathe, but when i check the HR it is always 60-70 and blood o2 always 95+.
I try to go on walks and it helps surely, but i cannot walk all the time, whenever i come back home this feeling comes back too.
Have any of you felt this too?

Hi All, I am M(27), I am currently in Banglore and my girl ( 24 ) is in Allahabad, We were in a long-distance relationship
We had been dating for last 9 months and it was going great as well but in January end my family members started looking for a girl for me in an AM setup and I used to refuse every girl as I wanted to marry her and she was also kinda ready but never told me directly. Initially, my girl only initiated the idea of getting married as my Family members had started looking for someone and they were quite active. She told me she wanted to marry me and asked me to talk to my parents first as my parents are a bit strict about these things .
During Holi time we had a fight and it got sorted as well, After Holi, she went to her Mausi's Home for a couple of weeks with her Mummy, And she shared about me with her mausi in the hope that once the time comes she will help her to convince her family specially her mummy and papa about me as we both are from different castes ( She is OBC & I am ST ) .
I also shared about her with My Family members (Bhaiya, Didi, Jija & Bhabhi ) except Papa & Mummy ( as their thinking is still a bit old about all these especially Papa ), as they will understand and help to convince Papa, Mummy for our weddings.
But Once she came from Mausis Home She started behaving differently and things started turning bad , she starts ignoring me my texts and call I had to convince her then she told me that Mausi is saying your papa won't agree for all these and all , Intially the girl only said to me that caste won't be an issue at her home , everyone one is chill and multiple people have gone through Love Marriage setup and also she said if you are such a good guy earning enough and from a Tier-1 Enginnering college , then it would be easy to convince her family not an issue , After listening to all these , then I only got into a relationship with her then only I became serious as I never wanted anything short term or anything.
But after coming from Mausis home, after every 2 days, she was getting changed her behavior and all and she starts ignoring me and every day saying breakup again and again.
I used to do a lot of things her, I am Literally in love with her, This is the first time I fell for someone before that I was focused on my career and family responsibilities so I always avoided dating anyone. Once our family got stable then only I started dating so basically last year only I started dating and she is my first Love, She had a relationship in past for 3 or 4 years.
She was trying to break up with me again and again and I was convincing her again and again
Last month she broke up with me and cut me off fully, The Last time I cried in front of anyone was when I was in class 3 or 4th after that I never cried in front of anyone, even my grandfather whom I loved so much when he died ( I was in class 10th ), I didn't cry, I stopped my tears coming down, now after all these years I cried for her I cried in front of her on phone multiple times to not leave me alone, I was shattered, I was crying all night alone in my room no one was there to tell me or stop me, I live here in Banglore alone in a flat with my flatmates, I was in my room for 3 days straight, didn't drink water for 2 days and hadn't food for straight 3 days, I was shaking and shivering and I was getting sudden panic attacks and sudden burst of emotions, I never cried this much in my life, I was getting suicidal. after 3 or 4 days I got up and went to her hometown to convince her.
Reaching Allahabad was also painful, I wasn't getting any direct flight to Allahabad so booked for Varanasi flight from there took a bus to Allahabad and stayed there for 2 days to convince her. It was such a harsh weather that I puked multiple times in Allahabad in such a hot and sunny weather, as a person who hadn't had food for 3 or 4 days it was hard for me.
I gave her a handwritten note and a flower bouquet we had dinner and she got convinced as well and that night I accompanied her to home and I was happy, but deep down I was afraid, as again coming to Allahabad when you are not mentally and stable and a bit ill as well and you hadn't had food, sleep and all and coming all alone In hope that I will convince her, I even didn't know how to find her as she had blocked me and whether she will reply me on insta or not ? But I was happy that she was okay after meeting me and she was happy and things will be okay, next day I gave her chocolates that I had bought specially for her during my trip to Bali and we talked and had lunch together and things were fine I had plan to go on Monday but since I was not feeling well so I left on Sunday only and left for my Hometown ( Varanasi ) instead of going to banglore .
But after few days she again started behaving the same and within few days it was again came back to normal and 3 days before I came back to banlgore , she totally ignored me like I never existed at all because of that I lost my senses like I couldn't believe and had an minor accident as well because while riding the bike I was so in grief that I couldnt' control my self on a highway I almost had a near to death experience , nothing happened to me just got a minor injury nothing . I stayed for 10 days at home that time , and in last 3 days she totally cut me off and I was shattered and since I am home I couldn't cry as well 24*7 everyone used to be with me only as I was home after a long time ..
I thought before going to banglore Ill go and meet her once again but I had one important project going on so I had to leave for banglore, I was holding my tears for so long that the day I again came back , the moment I sat in the cab for my flat I started crying in the cab I was crying for straight 1.5 hours while way back to my flat , this is also a kind of first time for me crying in front of a random guy . this time I couldn't control my self I cried like a baby in front the driver , I was trying hard to hold my tears and hiding my face, the cab guy understood and he was also behaving like he is not seeing me. once I reached home I cried and cried whole night , I called here msged her she didn't picked my call didn't reply .
So for 7 days I didn't call or text her I was trying my best to be first a stable person , one day one of my friend , she said , jab itna mehant kiye hi ho to ek bar last time try kar hi lo, So I tried again and called her msgd her and but rat ko bat huyi us din to but she was same like earlier stone cold and , she is saying she lost interest in me , ab wo vibes nahi aati we are different and all , also why should I settle for less If I can get better ( her mausi's world I guess ) , she saying mummy bol rahi this kuch Acche riste hai don't worry and all and blah blah , and she in past while breaking up time also said once I was trying and I thinks its not working anymore .
that day I got devasted more, as earlier I thought because of family pressure and caste issue she is backing but this time I got her different side , I still couldn't believe I thought these are her Mummy or Mausi's word not her because the girl whom I know cannot do all these to me she is open minded and a good person and she was the one who iniated the idea for marriage and opening up to our family.
that time meri didi ka ek bat mujhe yad aaya , Didi ne mujhse bola that, ki tum usse pyar karte ho aur Shaadi karna chahte ho , kya wo bhi tumse pyaar karti hai na ?
that night again I cried and again started getting headache and panic attacks and started shivering and again suicidal thoughts started coming.
Now last week one of my friends she told me about one new caffe in Banglore to try out , so we went and we did shopping together , while coming from there she was forcing me hard to go to her flat and was saying she is alone at her place her flatmate she is not there and she was trying hard to convince me for watching Netflix series together and she was breaking the touch barrier again and again I can sense what she was implying so I kept denying not in mood and all so that I can go to my place.
so I came back to my place, and became emotional and sad as I never ever even thought of touching a girl other than her , Since the day I meet her It became so different for me, I lost interest in every girl except her I stopped talking to all other girls from my circle so that she never feel insecure and also I lost interest as well, She is the only girl whom I can think of spending my life or anything . So next day I again tried to contact her , maine call ya msg nahi kiya hota but I coudln't control this time, I cannot think of another girl anymore except her.
I wanted to talk to her , msged her in morning on Whatsapp did some texting but we couldn't talk on phone as she was busy , then again I tried to call in afternoon but no luck then again in evening and again at night time , this time I also lost my patience and maine bhi bhala bura keh diya aur gusse me as a slang gali nikal gaya ( gali uske liye nahi that wo as a slang hi nikla tha ) within a seconds we cut the call she blocked me again and I texted her use bhala bura bola and all usne bola, aaj tumne gali dekar dikha diya and I am proud of my decision and all I also said you used me to get over your ex. and blah blah some random things like you were depressed I helped you overcome this and I also don't want jo har 2 din me palat jata ho apni bat se.
the line that she said na ki, I am proud of my decision , it hurt me , sari rat yahi line meri dimag me chalta raha, I am a overthinker guy, so ye thoda jyad hi hurt kar gaya. Agle din subah maine use snapchat me msg kiya ki mere sath kuch hua tha I felt bad I thought only you would understand isliye tumko ping kiya tha convince karne nahi aaya tha. and sorry for my kal ke behaviour ke liye. bye take care. its been a week and she hasn't read that msg and and I guess unfriend bhi kar diya hai ( waise snapachat usi ke wajah se hi install kiya tha warna I hate snap )
In Past I used to write shayari and poems for her and used to tel her the lines that I used to write for her. I also used practice her favourite songs and used to sing and record and send her. In past she used to to say to me you are a perfect package, anyone would be lucky to have you , she used to say tum gym bhi jate ho , daru waru, ciggrete wagairah kuch nahi karte ho ghumne phirne ka shauk hai family responsibilities handle karte ha , itna kamane ke bad bhi attitude nahi hai , tumse aadha kamane wale ladke bhi udane lagte hai , tum perfect ho and all she used to be very happy with me , rat bhar bat karna and other plannings and everything , I was happy being single but once she came to my life I became more focussed, I still cannot belive she got changed yahi sab sochta hu to lagta hai ki ek bar phir try karu.. I love her.
Now today while talking to my sister she again asked me about her, I told her ki Didi aisa kuch nahi hai bhool jao , Did bolne lagi ki Papa mummy ko humlog mana lenge bas tum ready ho to bata do. maine saf mana to kar diya
but after that I got emotional, I thought I will write a letter and post it and will try to convince again I wrote a long 5 page letter lying right now on my bed but I don't know what to do. Please help me what should I do ?