Stomach congestion

Hey, so you ever get a birthday present that's so not your style, but you really can't return it because it'd be really awkward? Normally it's like, I dunno. Shoes, or shirts or something like that, right?
For me it was four fire-breathing horses.
Okay, so I should clarify. My dad didn't really give me four fire-breathing ponies to keep. It was more of a test for him to treat me like his son again.
See, I just recently got out of a Styx oath that would have led me to eternal damnation if I didn't fulfill it. It's a long story, but to keep it short: I swore an oath on the Styx to be a brave hero by my eighteenth birthday when I really should have just pinkie promised. But yeah. My dad, God of War and dad of the year took it well. …In that he pretty much said that I was a waste of space, disowned me and he'd personally hand me over to the Styx for eternal damnation.
Nice guy. Really should get into motivational speeches.
The night before, after riding the high of not having the threat of being sent to Super Hell I had a pretty bad dream. I mean, it wasn’t the normal David nightmare. It wasn't me killing endless hordes of monsters while my dad laughed at how pathetic I was.
Well, half of that. It was just my dad. To be honest, rather I’d take the monsters.
He was laughing at me, with that smug face of his, in that all-leather biker outfit with the shades that made him look even more like an asshole, as if that's hard to believe.
Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to cuss. Anyways yeah. Me and my dad. Not the best relationship, even by demigod standards.
He gave me a toothy grin, like a shark’s as he circled around me. I instinctively stood up straight, at attention. As much as I hate my dad, ticking off a god is a pretty dumb thing to do. Plus, I was pretty dumbfounded to see him here in my dream of all things.
“Well, color me surprised. To be honest, boy, I thought I'd end up taking care of this myself. So, congratulations on that front. But, sorry to burst your bubble, it might be good enough for ol’ Styxy but…it’s not good enough for me. But, you know, I'm a generous guy! Prove me you're a warrior. Do that, and I'll welcome you back in the family with open arms. I even got the perfect way for you to prove yourself.”
Without warning, he tossed me a set of keys with a miniature boar-headed keychain and a really big switchblade on the end of it. I fumbled with it before slipping it into my pocket.
“An oldie but a goodie. Used to let my sons prove themselves to me all the time with this one. Now, I'm sure once you see what I got planned you'll know the rules, considering you're a fuckin’ nerd. But in case you forget…”
He lowered his shades, revealing balls of fire as he glared right at me.
“Sundown. My temple. Don't be late or I'll toss you in the Styx myself. Well! Have fun, yeah? I'm looking forward to watching you fail this one, like your last quest. Now, get up. Clock’s ticking after all…”
“Gaah!”
I snapped my eyes open, falling out of my bed and onto the hard floor under me. As soon as I hit the floor, I could hear one of my many siblings start to stir from their sleep. Immediately, my sister Tiffany started to sigh as she shot up from her bed. I could see her pastel pink sleep mask perched on her head as she glared into the darkness of the early morning. She groaned in frustration, her words cutting through the quiet of the dawn.
"What the hell are you idiots doing?"
To be fair, I could see why she’d think that. Most of my siblings were fond of pranking each other every now and then. The chaos of the Ares cabin was unmatched from most cabins, except maybe Hermes. But, when you cut off her beauty sleep, the threat of an angry Tiff was usually was enough to make nighttime a truce. Usually.
My sister rubbed her eyes and looked down at me. I sheepishly gave a smile as I rubbed my head, still sore from when it hit the floor.
"Seriously, David?"
Tiffany got out of bed and silently made her way to me. She wordlessly held out a hand and I grasped at it as she pulled me up.
"Thanks Tiff. I had this dream, where Dad called me a nerd and was talking to me about testing me now that my Styx Oath is..."
I felt something hard and metallic poke against my leg, from my sweats pocket. I pulled out the unfamiliar object and to my surprise, there were the same keys from my dream. My eyes widened as I realized that my dream was a little bit more than usual demigod stuff.
"Oh. That...wasn't a dream."
She raised an eyebrow as she looked at the keys that sat in my hand. I played with the accessories, absentmindedly feeling the boar head and the switchblade knife. She leaned in, peering at the keys as the dawn started to rise.
"What the hell are those for?"
She looked to the keys, then back at my face, and then the keys again. She looked at me as if I just said that Kronos was about to come back and throw an ice cream party courtesy of the Titans.
"You're telling me Dad gave those to you or something? You're joking. Have to be."
I shook my head, but I could see why she thought so. I was pretty sure I was near the bottom, if not at the bottom of his list of favorite kids. If I was being honest, I was pretty sure he wanted me dead more than a few times.
"Tiff, you know that I'm not exactly Dad's favorite by a long shot. Why would I say something like that and risk him getting even mad more mad at me because of my lying? Dad disowned me, remember? He mentioned something along the line in my dream that if I pass his test I'd be treated as one of his sons again but he didn't mention what it..."
The gears started turning as I looked at the keys in my hands.
”A test…keys…sundown…oh no. Oh, no.”
I immediately pocketed up my keys and started putting on my shoes. No time for pants, sweats would do just fine, I just had to make sure to take my wallet with me, considering I was going to New York now. I had to be quick or this test was over before it even started.
"No. I...I think I know what it is. But if I'm right, then shoot I gotta get going then! Before our brothers take it."
In hindsight, I probably should have told Tiff a bit about my thoughts. But, the more I delayed the more issues that could have cropped up. I just had to make sure it was safe.
"Take what? Where the hell are you going?!"
I burst out of the cabin, staring at what was in front of our cabin. I felt a bit of nervousness bubble up as my thoughts were proven true. Tiffany was close behind me as she walked outside our cabin. I looked at her face and caught an expression of wonder as whatever she was going to ask me was forgotten. Parked in front of the cabin was a red and gold Harley. The seat was white leather and gave a sorta…humany vibe to it that I did not wanna think about. Only one thing came to mind, something I knew instinctively from the moment I saw it. Dad's War Chariot.
Or as the god of war would call it, his chariot.
"I...I think dad wants me to take his ride for a spin."
I ran my hand over the cold metal, and I realized what Dad meant about the “oldie but a goodie.” A while back, before the Second Titan war ended, and all of the children of the gods had to be claimed, there was a ritual all sons of Ares went through. It was something all my brothers did at fifteen. Drive around his Chariot and return it before sundown. It wasn't easy, my Godly siblings, Phobos and Deimos both loved to mess with whoever was in charge of the chariot at the time. And you had to deal with monsters too, but overall when it came to demigod stuff it wasn’t the most dangerous around. I dunno if that says a lot about how dangerous this life can get though.
But, shortly after the then-counselor Clarisse La Rue became the first girl to do it, Dad pulled the plug. I dunno if it was good ol’ sexism, someone totaling it, or dad not wanting to let all of his kids drive his ride, either way it wasn't super common nowadays. It wasn't like he stopped, but it was something given, not a right. Dad letting me do this was him at least giving me a chance to prove myself to be one of his kids, which was more than I expected to be honest.
I took a breath as I looked at Dad’s ride, feeling a pit of unease in my stomach as I started to climb in. If it wouldn't end up with me being tormented for the rest of my short life, I'd tell him no and go back to sleep. But, telling a god no, especially my dad is a neat way to be turned into a rodent. Or a fine red paste. Or a rodent that would be turned into said paste.
Tiffany's brows furrowed as she processed my words, a layer of disbelief on her face as she chewed over it.
You? He wants you to drive it? I...that...what the hell?"
I fought off a wince as she looked at me, then the ride, then back at me again. I could tell she was a bit annoyed. I mean, yeah from her perspective I was singled out by dad to do something she probably wanted to do for a while. I felt a pit of guilt in my stomach, it wasn't fair, really. But at the same time I had to do this.
"I mean, seriously? He must be out-"
She cut herself off. Calling my dad crazy was another way to get turned into a rat that would then be turned into a fine paste. Actually a lot of things carried the threat, my dad is kinda a jerk. I sighed, figuring I might as well tell her about why Dad was doing this. I didn't wanna hide it, but it's not like I like to talk about the fact that I've been disowned for two years. She knew, most of us did. But it's not something I like bringing up, because yeah. It sucks.
"I read a bit about previous Ares campers. He used to do this more often, at first only his sons did, but later his daughters could. I dunno why he stopped but, this isn't really like he's doing it because he's proud of me. I'm sorta disowned, remember? He said if I can drive the chariot, he'll take me back as one of you guys again. It's...more of a test to earn myself back into his good graces, I think.”
Tiffany listened to my explanation, not saying anything for a bit She looked a bit bothered about the fact that I was chosen to drive the Chariot, which again, not surprising.
"Ugh, I guess that makes sense."
I could hear the frustration in her voice as she crossed her arms. I winced again, preparing for her to resent or hate me. But to my surprise, I heard her add more in a softer voice.
"Well, don't get yourself killed trying to pass this stupid test, I don't want to have to explain to everyone why you're not coming back."
Her icy tone defrosted as she looked back at me with a bit of concern in her eyes. She seemed less annoyed and more worried about me, which was sweet. Not that I'd let her hear that. I hoped that maybe, dad would let her give it for a spin later down the road. If anyone deserved it, it would be her. I gave a nervous laugh as I took the keys out of my pocket.
"Of course, I passed my Styx Oath, didn't I? It'd be really dumb of me to die right after barely avoiding that, right? Oh, yeah. If Ellie asks for me, tell her about dad's little test he has for me. Hopefully it won't be too long but you know how it is with godly stuff. I should be back in time for us to hang out for the rest of my birthday once I do this for dad. I'll bring back something cool!”
I felt my trepidation fade away as I prepared to drive. Lots of my siblings dreamed of piloting the chariot. It wouldn't be right to reject the opportunity when it was given to me. And, who knows? Getting back in Dad's good graces (or as much as one can get in them) might help me out. At least I would have one less target on my back. As I sat down in the white leather seat, I put the keys in the ignition and instantly it began to morph.
OOC:Read this while listening to whats coming up
The front split apart into one steel horse that slowly split into two, and then four cream-colored horses that looked around with a cruel intelligence. The seat dipped, and warped before it became a horse-drawn chariot I was now standing in. The chariot was gold and blood red, adorned with the lovely images of people dying gruesome deaths, because Dad's taste in decor is somewhere between military surplus and serial killer, apparently.
“Okay…so, I need to get to Dad's temple before sundown. I don't know New York highways though, so how can I…oh hey! A gps!”
My fingers brushed against a touch screen set up on the chariot and punched The Intrepid into the coordinates. I gave one last wave to my sister before I lashed the horses and they immediately took off. I led them out of camp easily enough, but as we reached the highway they sped up to an impossible speed for a chariot. Their speed was even faster than any cars on the highway, rivaling the time that Aphrodite camper drove us to the beach once. I pulled back on the reins, trying to get them to slow down. Instead, they gave a rebellious snort and went even faster.
I would like to say that I embraced my inner Ares kid and relished the challenge. But I'm not going to lie, when you end up going past 80 MPH in a chariot, you tend to think you're going to die, fun fact. I screamed for most of the way, yanking and pulling at their reins so we could bob and weave through traffic.
It's a bit of a drive from Camp Half-Blood to New York City, I know it well, it’s a pretty common place for me to go for some monster slaying. But, up until now, I've been in the passenger seat while Argus drives. The speed of the horses really made the time go by faster. As we entered the city, the horses started to slow down and I felt a ray of hope as I started to steer them through the city. I gave a triumphant laugh as I looked down at my ETA. It was surprisingly quick, considering how congested New York can get. And I didn't see hide or hair of either one of my godly brothers, so I felt pretty good, all things considered.
“Huh. That's weird. There's not many cars today…my luck must be turning around!”
“Traffic update: Incoming Monsters. Rerouting. Cannot reroute.”
“Huh?”
Immediately, a massive boar the size of a garbage truck burst from a nearby alley way behind me. Behind the massive pig, two armored bank cars recklessly merged into traffic. One leaned out, revealing a gray-skinned human in body armor brandishing a shotgun.
“Of course! I had to open my big mouth! Is there anything that I’m going to have to deal with?”
“You are on the fastest route!”
“Well that’s just GREAT! Now I can be on the quickest way to the underworld!”
”Rerouting to: D.O.A. Records, Los Angeles.”
“Woah, woah, woah, no! Keep me on The Intrepid! The Intrepid!”
Seeing all these enemies together though, I started to put a thought in my head. They all had something in common, now that I saw them all in front of me. A boar was sacred to Ares, Spartoi too came from a dragon sacred to him. I put the pieces together as I saw the monsters come out of the woodwork and all to me. Now things made sense. The lack of Phobos and Deimos, the sacred beings to Ares, the lack of mortals on the street.
I didn't see my siblings because Dad wanted to mess with me personally.
Even now, I don't know if he wanted to test me in a Spartan way, or if he just wanted to get rid of me without kinslaying. Either way, I couldn't back down now. Not when I was so close. I snapped on the reins and the rebellious horses continued on their path, bickering and weaving left and right as they snorted and whinnied.
I heard the wiz of something traveling through the air and quickly moved out of the way. A metal feather hit the chariot, bouncing off the hull and onto the ground. I looked up and saw a few birds. They were black and crow-like, but their feathers had a metallic sheen, like iron. Their wings flapped and I heard the sound of metal on metal as they soared above me.
“Dad called in feather-shooters too? Come on!”
I steered left and right as I evaded the metal feathers shooting at me. The newcomers behind me quickly gained as I bobbed and weaved. I had to figure a way out of this, and fast. Problem was, I was quickly outnumbered and outmatched. I wasn't the best at archery, and my sword could shoot a blast of force, courtesy of the then Forgemaster. Main issue was it took a bit to charge, and I couldn't take them on so high up.
I couldn't run. I needed to fight out of this. But even if I could fight the two Spartoi and the big pig, the problem was the birds. I didn't have a ranged option…or did I? I looked to the horses, breathing embers as they huffed and pulled the chariot further on. Ares kids couldn't talk to horses, but these were godly horses. They seemed smarter than your average horse. Maybe I could talk them into behaving, the same way I got some of my siblings to listen to the plan during Capture the Flag.
“Hey guys, are you bored? I'm sure Dad and my brothers take all the good fights, huh? You know, if you guys continue fighting each other, I might lose this and you guys will miss out on a good fight.”
At first, I thought it fell on deaf ears. But then, they stopped their jostling and started to take a more unified path as we raced along the streets. Like I thought, they enjoyed a good fight as much as their owner did.
“That's what I like to see. Look, we're pretty surrounded right now. What do you say we rampage a bit before I take you guys home?”
An evil-sounding whinny came from the horses. I couldn’t really speak horse, but I took that as an okay and pointed at the birds above us. Did I feel stupid? Kinda. But as long as it worked, I couldn’t complain.
“See them? All yours. I'll cover you guys from the ground forces, and in exchange, you guys fall in line. Alright?”
A burst of fire came from one of the horses in response and I heard a loud squawk as it engulfed one of the feather-shooters. I breathed a sigh in relief as the rest of the birds started to scatter. They veered left and right in an attempt to avoid the flaming streams that were now sporadically being fired in their direction.
“Alright! Good job, I'll leave it to you!”
I gave a smile as I turned behind to my land-based foes, quickly gaining on me. I could hear the occasional woosh of fire as the horses fought the birds. One of the armored trucks caught up to my right and one of the spartoi leaned out of the vehicle. They aimed down the sights and pointed their shotgun at me.
“Sudden traffic in your area. You will be delayed by…five minutes. You are still on the fastest route!”
“Woah, that’s not fair! Come on Dad! A gun? Really!?”
I felt a tug in my stomach. It wasn’t something I could do a lot in a row without being exhausted, but I had some sorta pull when it came to weapons. When I gave a command, they were able to fall right out of their owner’s hands.
“Alright, let’s even the playerfield shall we?”
I held out my hand and they dropped it, the gun fell onto the ground, crushed by the wheels of the car. The second caught up to my left and once again, a spartoi leaned out of their car, weapon in hand.
“Another one!? Come on! How am I going to…”
I was jerked to the side as the horses suddenly veered right. At first, I thought it was the horses misbehaving again, but then a monstrous squeal came from behind me, rushing forwards.
Crash
I heard the sound of steel groaning as the boar rushed past the truck, pushing their truck out of the way as they aggressively charged forward. It was a good thing I managed to get out of the way, or else I would have been in trouble. I could see the spartoi shaking their fist as they spun out, their car massively dented with a massive gash in the armor. Now that I had to deal with two enemies, I decided to use the boar’s momentum to my advantage. I pulled back on the reins and the boar kept barreling on, too fast to stop as I made the chariot suddenly stop and then take a sudden turn away from the temple. The boar ran straight into a brick wall, seemingly dazed but otherwise okay.
”Rerouting...”
That temporarily took care of two of my enemies. Now that I had one to worry about, and my horses were pretty steady, I could start this fight in earnest. I kept one hand on the reins as I grabbed my Miku keychain. I unclipped it, and the keychain turned into a katana, with said keychain still on the bottom. It was my sword, Anime (I want to clarify, my friend Jules named it, not me). One of the Spartoi readied a spear and lunged at me. I parried it with my blade, and stabbed at their chest. I felt my blade plunge into their body. I pulled away at it, slashing at it again to tear it apart. To my disappointment though, the monster quickly reformed.
I don't know what I expected, to be honest. They wouldn't be much of an immortal soldier if they died after the first hit. But it bought me valuable time as we pushed forward. Almost as soon as its bones knit back together, it struck at me. I guarded once again, my sword starting to glow brighter and brighter with each strike. Our blades clashed and separated again and again for, I don’t know how long to be honest. I was putting up a good fight, but I just couldn’t gain the upperhand in that fight. For starters, if it was a monster or even a demigod it’d be ten ways to Tartarus at the moment. But, no matter how I sliced or diced it, the immortal soldier kept on coming back. Also, I just wasn't used to multitasking like that, I held on as tightly as I could, but the brief times I practiced Chariot combat with my friends Jules and Cel, I was either driving or fighting. Both at the same time was hard, and I was lucky that the horses were so cooperative.
I heard the whinny of one of the horses ahead as I looked back to the front. No sign of the birds meant that there was a few extra-crispy feather-shooters along the road somewhere, which was good news. But then, I looked out in front and realized that there was a big problem. One of the trucks we left behind somehow got in front of us, blocking the road with their car. Five spartoi were standing outside of the car, swords and spears drawn as they headed the chariot off.
At this moment, I knew I was screwed. I was too fast to just stop. And, even if I did stop, I’d have to deal with all the angry skeleton men chasing me down. I just winced, bracing for impact. But then, I heard a neigh as the horses pulling my chariot started to turn into steel and combined once more. The chariot started to shift, the creak of metal folding and turning. I quickly sheathed my sword as the reins turned into chrome handlebars which I gripped like my life depended on it. The chariot continued to morph until once again it was a motorcycle with flame patterns. I veered as left as I could, narrowly avoiding hitting the side of a nearby building as I sped past the skeletal blockade. I braked, motorcycle now turning back into the chariot form as I turned back and watched as the car that was chasing me slammed straight into the other.
The now pissed spartoi stumbled out of the wreckage and started to scream undead obscenities to each other. I couldn’t speak ghost, but whatever they said seemed to be pretty rude, because both sides started to unsheath their swords and get into an all-out brawl. One of the spartoi sliced the other in two, and they didn’t reform this time as their essence slid into their black sword.
Huh. Well, that was one way to deal with them.
“Whew! Good horses.”
I turned, ready to snap the reins once again, but I stopped as I saw what was waiting for me at the other end of the road. The boar, still very much on my trail stood in front of me. It pawed at the ground in front of it, and my horses started to do the same. I stared at the boar, unsheathing Anime once again as we stared off.
“Keep straight for…500 feet.”
The thing about boars is that they can be pretty deadly. They’re brutish and aggressive, and they go down fighting. You know the crossguard that’s near the pointy end of a spear? That’s so the animal doesn’t run up the spear to take you out with it. You don’t think them being that dangerous, but there’s a reason that dad’s symbol is a boar.
I had to make this quick, and efficient or I’d end up maimed, or worse. I snapped the reins one more time, and the horses started to dash down the street. The boar squealed as it barreled to me. I could see it get closer and closer. I grit my teeth, holding my blade in my right hand as it started to shine more and more brightly. My hand held onto the grip tightly, bracing for my next action.
I’d have one shot at this.
I miss, I’m dead.
I hesitate, I’m dead.
I don’t hit the vitals, I’m dead.
Time started to slow around me as I watched the boar rush at the chariot, enraged as it reached the point where there was no stopping it now. I could see the powerful muscles push and pull, the beast using all its power in an attempt to off me for good. I felt heat coming from the front as all four horses breathed a stream of flames at the swine. The boar kept on charging forwards, through the fire as the flames engulfed it. An angry squeal erupted from the inferno as it lept up from the sea of flames, still on fire as it used its strong legs to clear the horses and go straight for me.
Breathe in
I felt a sense of calm wash over me as I pulled my sword hand back. My blade shined brilliantly, even in the May sun. I watched it fall ever closer to me, the flames still eating away at the flesh. I stared into its ever-angry eyes, burning brighter than the flames surrounding it. I don’t falter. I’ve faced monsters that have crushed my bones. I don’t feel fear. I’ve fought creatures that could have killed me in five seconds. This is it. I need it to be perfect.
Breathe out.
SHING
I swung my blade and a rush of air followed it, making an arc that flew to the boar. I don’t doubt my skills. I simply watch, confident that this will end the monster once and for all. The blast, charged from my fight flew unimpeded. The beast’s chuffs turned into surprised squeal as it sliced the boar cleanly in two, bisecting it from the snout down. I sheathed my sword and put both hands back on the reins, eyes on the road as I barely watched what came next. The flaming boar started to fade into dust, still falling through the air until only a tusk was left. I held out my arm and caught it with my right hand.
“Oh hot, hot!”
I juggled it a bit with one hand before placing it down on the chariot floor. I grinned triumphantly as I realized what happened. Dad tried to test me, to see if I was “worthy” or he genuinely tried to kill me. Either way, I beat him this time, proving to him that I was more. That he underestimated me when we first met, that I was a brave warrior all along. In the end, I proved to him that I could fulfill my Styx oath even past what was expected of me. I laughed as I sped up, I felt pretty good about my victory. I wondered how his face would look, or if I could read his expression past his dumb sunglasses.
But as I rounded the corner, a terrifying sight came to my face as my glee turned to sorrow. I watched with horror as I realized Dad’s influence on the fight kept a more dangerous foe than any before at bay. Now that the fight was over, he had no reason to keep it around, and for once, I wasn’t sure if I could get through this unscathed. I gulped as I put my hands on the reins, not ready to face the impossible challenge alone. I hoped it wouldn’t break me as I prepared what little I had to fight this foe.
”There is an unusual amount of traffic in your area today.”
“Now you tell me…”
None other, than New York traffic.
I’d like to say that I did something else. Like I defeated an army of drakons on my way, or managed to fight off crazed demigods sent by my dad…but no. It was pretty much just traffic the rest of the way there. It was long and arduous, but I managed to make my way over to The Intrepid. After that traffic,I had to say, the amount of crazy drivers was almost San Francisco bad. I’d have taken as many spartoi and boars as dad could throw at me, if it meant I wasn’t drowning in the sea of cars. I drove down Pier 86, feeling a sense of relief as I got closer and closer to the aircraft carrier turned museum. As I got within eyeshot, I realized that dad said to take it to the temple, but not where to drop it off at.
It would be really stupid to end up failing just because I wasn’t sure where to leave dad’s ride. I got off the chariot, and was eyeing the prices of a ticket.
“Adults are thirty-six, Seniors and College Students…thirty four… Oh hey! Children of Ares get in free! Now, how do I wheel dad’s chariot through the front…”
Suddenly the side gate opened, lights flashing and clanging as it automatically retracted. The person standing in the booth waved me over and I hopped back onto the chariot, driving it by cautiously. They were dressed like a security guard, shades covering their eyes as they looked down onto their phone that they were absentmindedly playing with. Eyebrow piercings peeked out from behind the shades. They were tall, looked about early twenties, and seemed like your average bored museum guard, if not for that sorta godly aura I got from them.
“Take the chariot this way, Lord Ares will be at the end of Pier 86. Can’t miss him.”
I eyed the godling suspiciously. They seemed like one of those myriad younger and minor gods I saw when I was on Olympus. Not anyone I’d know, but if they wanted to stop me, it’d be annoying to get past them. They didn’t seem to be that dangerous, at least right now. But when you were a demigod, you learned to be wary of free handouts.
“Uh…look man, I’m going to be honest. I just got through some hellish traffic to get through here. So if like, you’re leading me into a trap or if my godly brothers are going to show up to try and take this, can you just start the fight and save me the trouble? It’s been a long morning, and I just wanna get this over with.”
I stared back at my reflection through their mirrored shades. Growing up, I always thought of myself as gangly and awkward. I could see my messed up hair, tousled from the wind. I stood tall, and although I wasn’t the buffest Ares kid around, you couldn’t call me skinny anymore. I looked almost heroic as I held the reins atop the chariot. Was that how I looked now? The godling shook their head as they chuckled, putting down their phone as they looked at me in the eyes.
“Kid, even for a god like Ares who likes conflict, you don’t do something like that in a temple. You can’t just attack his kid on his own grounds. Plus, it's part of the rules of war to respect neutralized zones. Trust me, you’re home free.”
“Oh. Um, thank you.”
He nodded and went back on his phone. I snapped on the reins and the chariot trotted along, even fire-breathing horses had to follow traffic laws apparently. I was on guard, not taking the godling’s words at face value. Mortals in a daze parted around the chariot, a few snapping pictures at me. I freaked out for a split second before I heard the tourists being in awe at what I heard to be a “vintage bomber”. Dumbfounded, I stopped for a brief second. It didn’t even have wings! But, I could see the mist shimmer around me and for a brief moment, see the silhouette of the plane around the chariot. It was an old fighter, a single propellor with flaming horse art on the nose.
“P-40B Warhawk? Alright, guess we’re working with that.”
I frowned a bit, trying to think if I knew that before this, from a school project or if it was more demigod shenanigans. I was never into fighter jets, but when you’re a demigod sometimes your parent’s godly influence shoves itself into your head and it’s always confusing when it does.
I drove the “plane” to the end of the pier, where I could see my dad sitting down on a barricade, blocking off a massive plane above him. It wasn’t used for war apparently, because I had no clue what type of plane it was. Looked cool though, it was really narrow around the nose end and the wings were all near the back end. He had a big wicked-looking combat knife in his hand that he used to clean his nails. He looked up at me, disinterestedly, before going back down to the knife.
“You’re alive.”
I couldn’t tell from his tone if that was a good or bad thing. It seemed… neutral. Like he was stating the sky was blue. But, overall I’d take that as a good thing, considering our last meeting. I spoke a bit warily, not sure if he was in a good or bad mood considering my victory.
“Uh, so Father. I’m finished with what you-”
“No. You’re not.”
“I’m not!? Do I need to do anything or-”
A moment of panic snuck up into my chest. For a brief moment I was afraid he was going to pull a twelve labors on me, but then he whistled and held out his hand.
“Not until you give me the keys kid, then it’s done.”
I hopped out of the chariot, the reins in my hand turning into keys as the horses went back into their motorcycle form. I somewhat clumsily tossed it to my dad, who grabbed it. He pushed himself off his perch, first making sure his motorcycle was unharmed. Then, he turned to me, eying me up and down as he circled around where I stood. I stood still, at attention as I felt my heart racing in my chest. I felt like a deer, cornered by a wolf just waiting to strike. Yet, the first pang of anxiety soon settled down. If he wanted to take care of me, he would have done so already. Or sent something more dangerous like a Drakon at me when I was driving. I felt my heart leap up into my throat as he clapped a big hand on my shoulder. The gesture wasn’t hostile, if anything, the motion seemed friendly. But his grip was anything but. His hand, like the claws of a tiger dug into my shoulder as he grinned at me.
“I have to say, I thought you were a lost cause, but look at you kid. Took you long enough, but I guess you have enough of me in you after all. Well, a late bloomer is better than being completely useless, but man! You were one of my most pathetic kids when you took that oath. I don’t think I had a kid as wimpy as you in a long time. Well, I’m glad my little nudge helped you keep that oath up after all. It would have been a waste of a perfectly good warrior if you didn’t shape up.”
I looked at him, dumbfounded. He helped me? He didn’t do anything! I wasn’t stupid enough to point it out, but I guess he knew what I was thinking as I felt his grip tighten as he growled.
“Come on, don’t give me that look, kid. Oh, don’t look so surprised. Tip of advice: don’t dip your toes into cards. You have a horrible poker face. Your mom was the same way. But, yes. I helped. Not that kids these days would understand. Parents these days are too soft, including most of us gods. Back in Sparta, we’d leave our kids to fend for themselves. Just give them barely enough food and let them hunt or steal the rest. If they end up dying in the hunt or starved, well that’s fine. They were too weak to do anything of note anyway. You should consider yourself lucky I was generous enough to just turn my back on you.”
He chuckled low, and my blood ran cold as he shook me. I shook my head, fighting off a wave of dizziness as he threatened to take off my arm.
“Oh, but that’s in the past! You passed your agōgē period, all by yourself. Now that is true strength.”
His evil grin widened as he gave me the closest thing to an approved look he’d ever given me. I furrowed my brow as I shook my head. This credit, it wasn’t mine to take, was it? Before I could think, I spoke what was on my mind.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t do this by myself. Everywhere I went, I had someone to help me out. If it wasn’t for the help from my friends, I don’t think I would be standing here. I didn’t-”
My dad’s good mood instantly soured as his grin warped into a snarl. His grip, although somewhat friendly now seemed dangerously tight as he frustratingly interrupted me.
“Oh for the love of! I’m complimenting you, kid. Look. I don’t care about those other twerps one way or another. Allies are fine enough in war, as long as you don’t make them do all the work. Kid, you’ve gotten strong all on your own, like a true son of mine. Don’t deny you and me the kleos you rightfully deserve ever again. Shut up and just take the honor.”
“I…uh…yes, Dad.”
I was surprised that all it accounted to was a mild scolding. My dad, too seemed to calm down after I agreed with his words, as he went back to a smile. He put his hand back into his pocket as he started to walk up to his chariot. He ran his finger across the chrome finish, taking out a cloth and cleaning off my fingerprints from the metal.
“About your joyride. Not bad, not bad at all. It took you a bit to embrace your birthright, but you ended up not even scratching my ride. Nice. Nice. Saves me the trouble of buffing it out. Now, if you could only stop complaining at everything that opposed you. You’re a man, aren’t you David? Start acting like it. If you think a bag of bones and a pig are hard, just wait until your future. The stronger a warrior gets, the stronger their foes get. Make sure you’re strong enough to stand up against them before you end up a stain on the pavement.”
I heard the engine rev as he got into the seat. He threw a bag at me that I clumsily fumbled with before I fully caught it. I opened it, and a few golden drachmas shined back at me.
“Since your agōgē finished up, consider yourself un-cut off. Even I’m not heartless enough to leave a son of mine stranded in New York. Keep the rest. Feel free to hang around my temple, and help yourself to the gift shop if you want, it’s on the house, happy birthday and all that. Just don’t go overboard.”
He turned the motorcycle, wheeling it around so he could leave the pier. He turned around, giving me a few more parting words he shouted over the roar of the engine.
“Don’t think you’re done yet, David. You got a lot more to grow. Especially now that you can receive my blessings again. What, did you think that taking a good hit was all you can do? You’ll see sooner or later. See ya kid! Don’t disappoint me.”
He revved his engine one more time and took off, leaving me behind on the pier. As I watched my dad leave, I realized that with that resolved, the last of what made my Styx Oath so suffocating was finally finished. A part of me felt that I’d always keep the consequences of it with me. Either dad would continue to disown me, or I’d be horribly injured from my jobs. But, to my surprise, everything worked out alright. I worked as hard as I could, and now everything was over, truly over. I…wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I mean, like obviously I didn’t wanna have them with me for the rest of my life. But, for all of my oath’s lifespan I had the deadline looming overhead, and my expectation was that something would happen to me as a result. I was glad to have it over with, but I never felt that I could relax until now. The feeling of not having the anxiety of my imminent demise was something I wasn’t familiar with, and to be honest I still have trouble relaxing. As he disappeared into the afternoon traffic, I realized that, so too did my previous life.
Maybe…maybe I could afford to enjoy my life now after all.
OOC: And there we have it! The final David storymode relevant to this storyline! I meant to have this yesterday but I didn't see the modmail that gave me the okay until literally an hour ago oop. Which means that yes, the Chariot and Ares both are approved from the mods.
Big thank you to Tiffany's writer, angelspoint for helping me with her parts, I had a blast working with them! Hope you enjoyed David's Victory lap!

For the most part I was feeling ok today, I went out to eat for a burger and was in public a lot today, also had been touching my face a lot without washing my hands (bad idea) but as I was having dinner (I wasn't hungry to begin with) I started to get that "ok I need to stop eating I'm not feeling good" feeling which for some reason triggered me and made me start thinking this must be what it actually feels like if I'm gonna get sick soon. So I stopped eating and went back to what I was doing before but this dread started to set in, just like this overwhelming feeling that it may happen today based on how I'm feeling, but subtle enough for me to not immediately think it's my anxiety. Then I started to get a feeling in the back of my throat like there was a liquid mucus? At the top and back of my throat. And whenever I swallowed it didn't go. I don't know if this is some congestion or what because I had a similar feeling earlier like my lungs/throat had liquid particles roaming around in them if that makes sense? And it didn't go away for about 40 mins now it's kinda back, like I feel like I need to clear my throat or cough. Now I'm worrying because I don't think I exposed myself to anything today or ate anything that could've gave me fp but what if you know? I need help being rational. I also have this overwhelming feeling that I'll tu for no reason, or not for a 'regular' reason. Does anyone else get that? And has anyone ever had just 'that feeling' before actually getting sick? My stomach doesn't really hurt but I feel a mini wave of n* every once in a while along with just general panic and worrying.

Hi, I've (20F) recently had a spinal fusion surgery 2 months ago. I've been living with my grandmother who is a nurse as I've needed help with doing some things.
I've been feeling very unwell since the surgery. I've told my grandmother and said that I'd like to see a doctor but she just gives me reasons for everything saying that I'm anxious and having panic attacks or allergies or being affected by the anaesthesia still.
Some of the things she tells me might be correct but I'd like to see a doctor because the symptoms that I've been having don't seem normal.
I've been feeling better since I stopped taking pain medication, anti inflammatory and muscle relaxers (about a month ago) but I'm still not feeling normal. I don't remember everything I was taking, but it included norflex, palexia, valium, endone, tarjan, and some others I can't remember.
I've been having nosebleeds frequently, they don't last for very long usually but they happen once or twice a day.
The skin around my nose feels very dry and peeling, it feels like that all through my nose, eyes and sinuses. When I wake up my vision's blurry because my eyes won't focus. My eyes hurt a lot. I'm more pale than usual.
I've lost weight even though I'm eating significantly more than I did before the surgery. I would eat 2 small meals usually before and weighed 44kg, now I eat 3 larger meals with snacks, I'm hungry all the time and I weigh 41kg.
I feel dizzy a lot and like my hearts beating really fast, it's gotten better since about a week or 2 after I stopped the medication. Before when I would stand up sometimes I'd feel the room spinning really fast, my vision would go weird, my heart would beat fast and hard and I could feel it in my stomach, my chest would feel tight and I felt like I couldn't breathe and I'd feel like I was about to drop.
When I would stand up for too long I'd start getting a painful tightness in my chest and when I'd breathe it hurt like it was being restricted and I'd feel short of breath, I'd have to stop whatever I was doing to lay down and it would stop after a few minutes.
I've had flu like symptoms, a wet cough feeling like im coughing something up from my lungs, runny and very itchy nose, congestion, sore ears, mouth, nose and throat, the skin around my mouth and nose is dry and peeling.
I've had some acid reflux, nausea and feeling like my throat is swollen.
I was having trouble urinating at the same time as the breathing problems, it was very slow and would take about three times as long as usual.
I'm feeling better than I was, but I'm concerned that I'm still feeling unwell even though I'm not taking any medication anymore. I'd like to see a doctor but any time I tell my nan about any of the symptoms she acts like it's nothing and tells me to take vitamins or avoid stress and relax (I don't feel stressed at all). I've said a few times about wanting to see a doctor and she says it's just anxiety and doesn't do it.
I've always had problems with dizziness and my heart rate and low blood pressure but it's felt a lot worse since I've had the surgery. I've had an ecg and halter monitor in the past and they said that I had an idiopathic arythmia but that it's common for girls my age and I shouldn't be concerned about it.
Edit: I should mention that I was having these symptoms since I got out of the hospital, but they got worse (especially the breathing, heart rate and extreme dizziness, trouble urinating) after I stopped taking the medications (I did it gradually advised by my surgeon).
The surgery was for scoliosis.

They are sick so much that I think I have PTSD at this point and I’m not exaggerating. I go into absolute panic mental break down mode whenever I see another sickness developing. I could list all the illnesses and go on and on but our most recent was the flu that we all got that went through our household for two weeks. Not even two weeks later my daughter develops a cold where she ran a fever for five days before we decided it must of developed into something more and required an antibiotic. My youngest has it now. She only ran a fever for a day but now she’s super congested and with any kind of stuffiness she doesn’t sleep AT ALL at night. I’m desperate and hoping to try a nasal irrigation on her. But I’m losing it. My neighbors probably think I’m crazy because I’ve been losing my cool in a pretty loud way lately because I can’t take all this sickness and sleep deprivation all the time. I want to care for my kids but this is next level and like I said this is just the most recent. How the heck do I cope with this? It’s a beautiful day today and I can’t even enjoy it or function because I got maybe one hour of sleep last night (and not much the others either). And to top it off I heard there’s a stomach bug going around my older daughter’s school right now.

I got this back from my colonoscopy and none of it makes sense:
Final Diagnosis: A. Duodenum, biopsy: 1. Small bowel mucosa with no significant histologic alteration. 2. Negative for increased intrepithelial lymphocytes, significant villous blunting, dysplasia, and malignancy. B. Stomach, body and antrum, biopsy: 1. Antral-type mucosa with mild chronic gastritis. 2. Negative for Helicobacter organisms, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, and malignancy. C. Stomach, fundus polyp, biopsy: 1. Congested oxyntic-type mucosa with mild chronic gastritis. 2. Negative for Helicobacter organisms, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, and malignancy.

Ciao Gang

It’s been a few weeks – IM Texas is done and dusted. As one would expect, I’m fully recovered. Not quite, but ouais yeah here goes my race recap
Swim – 1:22:05
T1 – 00:08:29
Bike – 6:51:34
T2 – 00:08:29 (exact same lol)
Run – 6:22:40
~Background Info~
Very sporty and athletic 26 year old who weighs give or take 185 lbs on any given day. Have run two 70.3’s with generally good and comfortable results. Have ran like a dozen marathons and all-around active person. Fitness is “in” right now so I keep busy ya hear
Socially… I stopped drinking two months before the race (varied 5-30 drinks a week before though…). Never changed my diet at all leading up to the race
~Prep~
This area can get a little complicated – I was scheduled to run IM Texas in 2023, but my so called best friend decided to snap my leg (compound fracture of my tibia and fibula) (very wicked) in half while playing soccer 3 months before race day. So after surgery, one month without standing really, one month using crutches, one month using a cane, endless $$$ spent at physical therapy medical bills etc. I find myself in July of 2023 more or less ready to start training again for IM 2024. I sign up (this time with early benefits so I don’t lose all my money again if I have to cancel, thanks Ironman).

I bought a training plan from MyProCoach. 24 Week Intermediate plan to be exact. Between that plan, help from reddit, Instagram influencers, and my self-proclaimed expert father – I morphed a plan that more or less would hopefully (ambitious I know) get me across the finish line in one piece.
~Training~
My new concoction of a training plan generally consisted of two swims a week (Monday and Thursday), one track workout (usually Tuesdays), one hard bike effort on the trainer (usually Wednesday), fun day Friday (no workout unless I was making up for one I missed), long bike ride (Saturdays), and one long run (Sundays) a week. I would generally build up for three weeks then take a “rest” week with 3 to 4 light workouts just to stay loose-ish. I’d up the tempos, intervals, effort, distances etc. every time I got to a new 3 week build phase.
This is more or less what I stuck to for 6 months. I coach high school lacrosse and still play a decent amount of soccer so there was some tweaking here and there to still accompany those. But this was the plan and I can safely say that I did ~80%~ of my planned workouts. The other 20% fell to the wayside as I was still trying to be a socially active fun 26 yr old guy who likes to drink with his friends (loves to drink with his friends)

~Week of the race~
I live in Houston, TX where the race is (really it’s in the woodlands but who cares), so there was no extensive travel for me or anything like that.

I got in some small runs, light bike rides, and swam twice the week of the race. Logistically, I think IM Texas is setup very well. I knew the course very well as a lifelong Houstonian so there was no prep necessary for that. Check-in was easy. Transitions are a bit different at IM Texas than my other tri’s, so that was a small learning curve. But again, nothing to be intimidated by or worry about.

~Race Day~
Managed to go to sleep by 10 pm the night before, so waking up at 4:30am wasn’t the worst thing I’d ever done. Woke up, ate a breakfast sandwich, slammed some coffee, and began hydrating. Got transition about 5:30ish, had my dad and a friend drop me off so didn’t have to walk at all. Got in there, setup bike computer, bottles, etc. I managed to get a BM (dump) out here, which was huge. Things were looking up. Grabbed my wetsuit and then got dropped off at swim start, again no walking which was awesome.
Got to swim start and started getting pretty nervous (all the leg injury shit and 18 months of training were all for this). Water temperature was 75.5 degrees, so wetsuit legal. Luckily had my family and a friend to keep my calm and get my wetsuit on. The gun goes for the pros so I hop in the queue with the other swimmers seeded around the 1:20 to 1:30 mark.

~Swim~
I hop in the water and immediately start worrying that it’s going to get toasty in this wetsuit. In this swim, the buoys are on your left side. I immediately pop out to the right some to get out of all the rough water and kicking feet. There is a park adjacent to the swim start for about 300 meters and I actually see my family walking along the edge of the water as I get out into the lake (mentally huge for me to see them and take my mind off of things while I get in the groove of it all). For about 20 minutes everything is fine, I’m feeling okay, wasn’t overheating in the wetsuit, didn’t let my heart rate get too high (it has in all my other tri swims), and I was sighting well without having to pick my head up too much. At this point the lifeguards/kayak/paddleboard people were pinching us a little too hard. I get they are there for safety and to keep people on course, but I felt like they were funneling us into a tight swim pack for no reason. I totally understand that the swim is dangerous and people can die if help doesn’t get there quick enough, but I felt it was putting a little too much stress on the swimmers. I like to swim away from the pack so maybe this was just me. At the halfway point of the swim, you get funneled through this floating arch (I think it’s for timing purposes?). Whatever the reason for it, it bottlenecked all of us. We were swimming probably 10 people wide through a 7-yard-wide arch. Had to protect your head on that for sure to keep from getting kicked. While I thought it was stupid, it did have a great little benefit. The way we were funneled through created a nice little current and I ended up riding that wave for maybe 75 meters or so. Stupid feature but nice little boost. At this point I’m feeling great. I haven’t been kicked yet, the lungs feel good, I’m not overheating and I have the space to swim in. IM Texas is unique because at 80% of the way through the swim, you start swimming through a canal that people can actually cheer for you and walk with you as you go. I had told my family I’d be on the left side of the canal and as soon as I get into it I pop my head out and see my family, friends, and smoking hot girlfriend cheering me on (again this was mentally huge). I start rocking through the canal which is maybe 25 yards wide and felt like I had a current helping me the whole way through. As I’m swimming, mu friends/family are walking right there with me. It’s such a unique way for people to cheer you on that I got out of the water in a great mood with a smile on my face. I seeded myself perfectly as I got out at 1:22:05.
~Bike~
Going into the bike, IM Texas is known for having absolutely brutal headwinds heading south towards downtown Houston. And with close to 90 miles of the course being on a closed toll road. There is nothing to protect you from a wicked 45 miles of Texas headwind.
But before you get to the toll road, there is a little bit of a “circuit” you go through. So, I hop on the bike and get going. Immediately the course feels a little congested so I try to stay off the bars and ride defensively. Sure enough 8 miles in, big crash ahead as a volunteer golf cart cut off a rider and he crashed hard (thoughts and prayers with the rider). And that right there was the story of the day. HUGE crashes and HEAVY headwinds. I witnessed 6 crashes throughout the ride. Between riders coming through the water stations too fast, cones blowing out on the course, pelotons forming to avoid the wind, inattentive riding (we’re all tired I can understand this), it was a hard day on the course. Thoughts and prayers specifically for the one crash I saw where the organizers made us dismount and walk past. Not sure the context of the crash, but the rider was in a really bad situation. I think I averaged 8 mph heading south into the wind and 28 mph with the tailwind. Haven’t checked my bike data as I still have a bit of PTSD. Between the chaos of everything (I heard rumors a tesla was in self-drive mode on the course and caused a crash…?), I managed to make it to the end about 20 minutes over my 6:30:00 goal. I got off the bike to a boisterous cheer from a phenomenal group of friends and family and walked into transition.
~Run~
Going into the run I wanted to be around 5:30:00. I knew this might be ambitious for me because I didn’t really have that many brick sessions in my training plan. But, I’ve run a few marathons straight off the couch in my day. So, if anything, I know how to suffer through a long slow marathon. Honestly, I don’t have much to say about the first ten miles. My legs felt fine coming off the bike, I was comfortable at a 11:00 min/mile pace , felt good hydrating and getting some food down. Right after mile 10, started feeling some small knots in my stomach. Mile by mile, those knots started to get worse and worse. Every time I got to an aid station, I was able to delay the inevitable by getting down a banana, then potato chips at the next one, then it was chicken broth. By the time my family and friends saw me at the end of the second lap, I was in a bad spot. Was walking three minutes and running one (something like that). The stomach eventually morphed into full body discomfort. The HR kept getting sky high after minimal effort. I knew I was in for a tough last 8 miles. That last 8 miles took maybe 3 hours? I’m not sure, it’s all a blur. The pain finally culminated at mile 25.5, where the wrath of god came down on me and I vomited for 10 maybe 15 minutes, who knows. But at this point I knew I could literally crawl to the finish. I picked my head up and saw my buddy’s girlfriend walking toward me, I figured they had sent her to come find me as the gap between my last time split was getting astronomical. I picked my ass up off the ground and full body cramp runned to the finish line. Will never forget the feeling of having so many friends and family cheering me on to help me get over that line. The only bummer at the finish is I paid all that money for someone to tell me an Ironman on a microphone and I didn’t even hear it. Anyways – life goal accomplished. I’ll see ya at the next one.
P.S. I'm an open book, shoot me any questions you have on my training, advice, hate, love, whatever you want to say

Hello all Sunday of course on Mother’s Day I started having severe side pain in my life side. To the point where I was going to faint. My daughter had just fallen asleep so I toughed it out for the night and tried to sleep that night but all night I was shaking and jerking in my sleep my fiancé even took videos for the doctors office. I ended up going to the ER Monday morning. The doctor did lab work said everything looks fine your good. My grandmother who was there with me demanded a CT scan. Doctor at ER literally rolled her eyes mean while she never prescribed any pain meds which whatever I was more concerned for the root cause she was all smiles giving someone Nextdoor Vicodin. Get the CT scan back and said I had a 4cm cyst on my right ovary which for that ovary was pretty much the size it. Next was the dilated left ovary vein. I really have never heard of pelvic congestion syndrome. I went home did more research and decided I was going to follow up with my PCP who said my stomach pains was probably caused by a biological medication I take for a skin condition called humira I was frustrated at this point but she offered an ultrasound. My maternal grandmother different from the one who went to the er with me works for this office. The ultrasound showed the cyst was filled with blood and I was getting blood flow where that vein was. The doctor didn’t call me but my grandmother did with my Results. I’m frustrated as I have always had issues with my periods being abnormal, heavy, and extremely painful. Nobody ever took me serious….and I’m still having a hard time. Any helpful tips/meds you are taking would be greatly appreciated or even someone who could explain in further detail. Do I see an OBGYN for this issue? My finance and I were talking about going where he goes for his liver issues which is 2 hours away and they have a great hospital and doctors.

Ok here me out, I have been in absolute agony for 5 years
Anxiety, mouth breather, neck and back pain, unreal tension in the forehead temples and upper neck and front neck….tons of stomach pressure and indigestion
I got surgery for deviated septum and turbinate reduction, and it was technically a resounding success, but even though I could breathe a lot better I didn’t actually improve much and felt disappointed..
Well here about two days ago I saw an article about jaw placement and realized I have a pretty decent overbite.. I manually moved my jaw forward and held in place with some mental fortitude,
Every symptom I described has currently stopped, breathing feels like perfection the way the air way is open, neck absolutely released
I’m scheduling a dentist / ortho appointment to determine if this really has been the issue contributing to constant sinus issues. Congestion and compounding affects … sorry even if this helps one person it’s worth it, I’m hoping I finally found some relief for real this time

Hey everyone -
Thank you in advance for any help / suggestions you might be able to offer. I’ve been struggling with some annoying symptoms the past few months and I’m hoping that someone might be able to provide some insight / reassurance.
So, basics: 31 y/o white male, exercise 7-10 hours a week (cycling primarily), 145 lbs, 5’9, I eat a balanced diet, lots of fruits, vegetables, limited red meat, lean protein, etc. Mediterranean diet essentially. No drinking, no smoking. I am generally rather healthy - I typically get one, maybe two, colds a year. I’m a teacher, so I’m exposed to quite a bit of germs / viruses, but I generally take care of myself enough to avoid most of it. I sleep probably about 7 hours a night on average - could definitely bump that up, but never less than 6 hours and typically 7.5+. I got the Pfizer vaccine back in 2021, booster in early 2022. Admittedly, I haven’t had a booster since, nor do I usually get a flu shot. I plan on rectifying both of those this year.
This year, I have just gotten absolutely decimated with sicknesses and it is really starting to wear on my mental health. It has kept me from exercising as much as I’d like, which, in turn, has made me more and more depressed and frustrated.
Rough timeline: Mid-December 2023: Mild cold which lasted for about 5 days. Usual stuff, congestion, sore throat, general malaise and stuffiness. Cleared pretty quickly, took 4 days off from exercise, biked on the 5th day and felt fine. Energy bounced back within a few days.
Late January 2024: Similar cold symptoms come on, I take 2 days off from exercise, thought I felt better, exercised on the 3rd and 4th day, probably overdid it and ended up relapsing pretty hard. Had to take another 6 days completely off, was able to exercise again on the 7th day but felt pretty weak. Took it easy for 3 days before I started feeling strong again.
Late February 2024: Went to Peru for a friend’s wedding - at the airport on the way home I started feeling chills all over and my stomach was just absolutely killing me. The flight home was miserable, as you could imagine. Went to urgent care, they prescribed some stuff for the stomach pain, which seemed to work. I only took 1 day off from exercise, resumed exercise the following day and actually felt completely normal strength / energy wise. Only strange lingering thing was that after this bout of whatever, I would frequently get goosebumps every time I changed clothes, regardless of how cold it really was. Felt fine otherwise, no chills, just weird goosebumps which would go away within a minute or so of changing.
Early April 2024: Came down with symptoms again - same as usual: sore throat, head cold / congestion, general malaise, low energy. Symptoms came on a Sunday night, felt pretty terrible Monday morning. I had an important cycling race that following Saturday, so I tried to recover for that. Slept a bunch, drank a bunch of water, DayQuil during the day which seemed to help. I tried going for easy rides twice that week - once on Tuesday, once on Thursday. Both times, I felt ok with regards to my breathing / congestion, but my muscles felt really weak. Legs just had no power. I felt relatively ok on Friday driving down to the race, felt absolutely terrible during the race on Satuday and ended up dropping out. Took Sunday completely off, took a COVID test to be safe, came back negative, starting riding again that next Monday and felt surprisingly ok - figured I was out of the woods. Rode that whole week, felt good, not great. That Sunday, I start feeling off again, symptoms come back on Monday. I take 2 days completely off, try riding again and I just have no energy whatsoever. Muscles feel so weak and achey. I take 4 more days completely off, start riding again next week and take it really, really easy to work my way back into it. I contact my doctor and the PA that works for him thinks it is allergies - he says to take a double-dose of antihistamines daily and that he thinks that is what is causing the symptoms + the fatigue. I try this for a week with little improvement to my energy levels / muscle strength. Still feeling congested at this point. I go back to him a week later, he orders some blood tests - everything comes back in the normal range. Only thing outside the normal range is WBC count which is at 3.9 where the low level of normal is 4.0, so pretty close to normal. Symptoms persist, so I go back, now he thinks it might be a sinus infection - he does inspect my sinuses and says they look inflamed. He prescribes antibiotics (amox) which I have taken for a week now. Congestion / sore throat is improved, but I still have absolutely no energy and my muscles, especially my calf muscles, are just constantly achey / sore / weak. He said if I don’t see improvement in another week, he’ll order more tests, but I’m getting really frustrated and disheartened at this point. I’m able to ride, but I just feel so weak when I’m doing it and I don’t think I’m actually benefiting at all from the training, although I do enjoy just being outside.
I have never gotten this sick, this often. I feel like I cannot do the things that make me happy, which, in turn, makes my mental health worse, which probably is also wearing on my physical health. What else could this possibly be?

Hey all!
After ~3 years of no progress, I fully recovered in about eight weeks. 97% of the symptoms are gone, including PEM, fatigue, MCAS reactions, and feeling sick most of the time. I’m back to working 9-10h a day with superb cognitive output, training as hard as I can (i.e., 30min peloton 168 bpm, >10k steps a day, lots of bodyweight work during the day), and being truly myself. Gosh, I’m feeling fucking blessed. Like I was asleep for 3y and finally woke up. I have SO MUCH energy. Started a new project, got back to writing essays, hanging out with friends, etc. I’m fucking alive again!
Case summary:
Got a very mild Covid in the beginning of July 2021; didn’t even have fever but felt exhausted (i.e., struggled getting out of bed in the morning) and lost smell and taste; recovered in ~10 days; senses returned in ~2-3 weeks.
Developed neuro issues (cognitive PEM, difficulty thinking) and fatigue during acute covid, literally next day after exposure, and they never went away; this was my first long covid symptom.
Then kept developing more & more symptoms:

• food sensitivities in Aug-Sep 2021
• chronic recurrent sinusitis in Sep 2021
• dysautonomia and POTS in 2022
• stomach (H Pylori), gut, and joints issues in summer 2023
• more sensitivities (cold, heat, pill coating) in summer 2023
• neuropathies, more severe joints issues in late 2023/2024
• recurring viral infections (reactivation?) in May, Sep, Dec 2023, Mar 2024

My major sX on March 2024 were:

1. feeling and being sick most days (fatigue/ugh state, brain fog, reddish cheeks, sinus and ear Sx, sometimes cold sores)
   1. frequent (every month) sinus infections (very thick yellow mucus, severe cognitive dysfunction, sinus and ear Sx: pressure, congestion, postnasal drip, hot ears in the evening)
   2. persistent brain fog/cognitive dysfunction: working and long-term memory issues, slow info processing, word recall troubles, not feeling like myself/depersonalization, etc.
2. mental and physical PEM
3. MCAS: allergy-like reactions to foods (esp high-histamine), cold, pressure, exercise, certain antibiotics (augmentin), tablet coating, etc.
   
4. dysautonomia and POTS
   
5. gut issues: bloating, upset, abdominal pain (esp right lower quadrant; even tested for appendicitis via bloods + CT + ultrasound)
   
6. joints issues: pain and swelling in both feet metatarsals (bursitis)
   
7. misc:
   
   1. pain, weakness, and discomfort in 4th and 5th left hand fingers
   2. right eye issues: sometimes enlarged pupil (only in right eye), pain above right eye if I roll my eyes up, looking at bright objects leaves a lasting mark in the visual field (but does not in the left eye)

Summary of what I believe healed me:

1. lots of sunlight: sunrise, midday, sunset; as much time as possible under the sun (see below for the pic how I’m typing these words!) >> this cleared up sinus, ear, and GI infections + improved energy and mood
2. cold exposure: 3 min cold showers + morning and evening ~20min naked torso outside at ~5-9 degrees celsius; plus temp variability: hanging out naked torso outside as much as possible to retrain that vasculature and aerate the body >> this reduced stress, removed fatigue, and brought my energy back
3. spending most of my time outdoors, in nature (parks, forest, meadows, lakes, etc.): hanging out amongst animals, birds, etc. >> this further reduced stress to basically zero and brought back a sense of joy and serenity
4. nervous system retraining via specific types of movement and aromatherapy: balance, dancing, climbing, boxing moves, fencing, crawling + smelling flowers, trees, essential oils, herbs >> this brought back trust in my body and a sense of balance & peace
5. very clean, vegan, autophagy-optimized diet + eggs (i.e., no sugar, UPFs of any kind, all organic, mostly fresh/little cooked; lots of spermidine via sprouted rye, wheat; other autophagy boosting foods), with ~3 small meals a day and 20-40% caloric restriction >> this took away gut issues, reduced joint inflammation, and opened up my sinuses after years of congestion
6. lots of movement throughout the day and gradual return to more intense exercise: started from short and very light and low intensity bodyweight workout (10 mins; one set of squats, pushups, abs, etc.) and built up from that; z1 cardio 105 bpm walking with ~5kg backpack; then z2 peloton 15>20>30 mins; then more intense strength workouts with dumbbells + LOTS of movement throughout the day, every 20-30 mins, never still >> this also greatly improved energy, although I did get PEM first (in March-April) after more-or-less intense 40 min strength training with dumbbells, but then it went away; that lady from huberman pod (see below) had a brilliant point of how each type of exercise (walking, strength, endurance, HIIT, zone 2) positively affects mitochondria in different ways, “muscle contraction is medicine”
7. weirdly, 100% dark chocolate, 20-50g daily. It’s a strong autophagy inducer and boasts with antioxidants + boosts brain function and mood. >> I felt substantially better right after I started eating it, and never stopped.

Supplements and drugs I took: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_oA0CONWDlPg7eEABA6tIo9Np5sfVy_iC497JrZDeoY/edit#gid=0
All they did was reduce brain fog + reactions to foods, but those sx immediately returned when I tried stopping the supps in Feb.
I think the main problem was mitochondrial dysfunction because all those things I did address it in various ways. Huberman released a great pod on it last week (https://youtu.be/8qaBpM73NSk?si=cDdTBiOzKk86wkQn) + check out Jack Kruse stuff for more info
Sending you all good energy. Stay strong. You can beat it.
VS

I(30M) from the Philippines have been told by the doctor who checked my ultrasound that I have a huge gallstone and my gallbladder is inflammed. This started last week when I ate a spicy thai dish then on evening I am having RUQ pain it's bearable aside from the pain I feel acid reflux as well and my stomach seems congested. I fight the pain until today which is my rest day to check what's going on, when I on the ultra sound lo and behold the doctor told me that I have a stones on my gallbladder and some of them are big. I'll go back tomorrow for the full result of my ultrasound but I am scared shitless because most likely this will be a surgery. I don't know I am just terrified as hell.

On Friday I was at the doctor for a B12 shot and mentioned I was feeling run down still from when I got really sick last year, and he instantly said, "blood work". It happened that I hadn't eaten in 9 hours.
That night my results came online and my fasting blood sugar was 5.5 mmol/L (99 mg/dL), but my A1C was 6.7. In January 2023 my A1C was 5.4. My cholesterol is all still a mess, and it was last year as well even though I was too sick to even eat. I also have protein in my urine.
My doc called today like I expected, but I thought he was going to recommend retesting or follow-up, I wasn't expecting him to say, "You are diabetic, I need you to understand that".
My father was diabetic, he died at 52 in his sleep (we only found out after that he was supposed to get tests for chest pain). My mom is diabetic, has been having severe health issues the past couple months and Friday (right after my doctor appointment) told me she has congestive heart failure. My sister is diabetic as well, as was my paternal grandfather.
The doctor was immediately talking about Ozempic, but my stomach is bad and he's concerned how I'll tolerate any of the meds. I asked if I could think about it (I mean I wasn't even processing all this yet), and he's given me 3 months for a retest, and is sending me to the diabetic education clinic. We had a long talk about what has happened with my parents, and he said my genetics are stacked against me.
Can you really be diagnosed with normal fasting glucose but an A1C in the diabetic range? Has it just been caught early?

Hello,
Our baby is just over 2 months old and EBF. Around the 1 month mark she was diagnosed with silent reflux and uses a small dose of Pepcid currently. Around the 1 month time she also has mucus / green poops for a while. These then changed to yellow/orange and improved in consistency.
Today she had a big green mucus diaper with some blood in it. Her 2 diapers afterward have been green with mucus, some seeds etc but no blood. She is overall very happy baby, hardly ever cries. She does grunt sometimes, has had congestion off and on, seems to strain for pooping and farting but never cries out in pain. Good weight gain. Spits up a moderate amount (has good and bad days) that I would attribute to the reflux.
Communicated this with her pediatrician today who recommended eliminating dairy and soy from my diet at this point due to the bloody diaper. Unfortunately for me, I eat a lot of dairy and soy and worry if this will impact my supply as well as my sanity. I have a bit of an oversupply (have worked on this with LC) and very much want to keep feeding my baby. I feel sick to my stomach that my breastmilk freezer stash won’t be usable now??
Anyway, my question is for those with MSPI diagnoses - does this sound like your baby? Is it jumping the gun to do elimination diet with one bloody diaper? On the flip side I don’t want to cause my baby discomfort and understand the elimination diet is a small price to pay.
How soon can I reintroduce dairy and soy into my diet?
Thanks in advance for the help.

I have nerve related symptoms but i don’t know what the issue seems to be?
I am 30F. No medications. Diagnosed with eating disorder and PTSD, seasonal allergies, and migraines.
Whenever i sweat, i lose the ability the feel my skin. When i have acid reflux issues, i lose the ability to feel my stomach and chest. When I’m congested, i cant feel air in my lungs. And i put any pressure on my jaw through eating or from nasal congestion, i cant feel my entire jaw. Literally just stretching and straining my muscles slightly will cause me to lose sensation in the inside of that area. For example, if i do squats, i cannot feel my upper legs for hours (not the skin but the inside of it)
My doctor tells me it’s nerve related but hasn’t further investigated. My neurologist doesn’t know what to think and just hasn’t helped. What the heck is going on?

Hello,
My mom has been dealing with (a slowly getting severe) now Gastritis symptoms like. Sometimes we feel like it’s mild IBS as well. She had colonoscopy and endoscopy done in mid Jan and was prescribed with Hyoscyamine Sulf 0.12 she took it for about 2 months and the side effects started getting serious as she’ll get dry lips, nausea and just total exhaustion all day. Prior to that she took Omeprazole and Dicyclomine none of which have worked long time (stopped taking after side effects starter getting worse).
All meds aside, I’ve been trying to help my mom with encouraging her to eat bland diet (non acidic veggies, rice and bland meat) but someday she feels a bit better than other. She feels like the flare ups can happen at any point. Regardless, I truly want to be able to understand her symptoms and whether or not it’s severe. From reading the result and what the doctor told us (he said she has a mild scratch in her stomach), we feel unsatisfied as things have been worsen every day. Any advice or inputs would be much appreciated.
Thanks!

Today is my C&P for GERD. I submitted it as a Secondary to Asthma (60%).
The funny thing is that after I submitted it, I found a reference to GERD in my in-service medical records (1996). I decided not to muddy the waters and wait for a denial to present new evidence of direct service connection if needed.
I think I have it covered, but I would appreciate your experiences with claims for conditions mainly controlled (kept at bay) by medication.
I was diagnosed by the VA in 2003. Since then, I have lived with it mostly under control thanks to 20mg of Omeprazole.
Before it was diagnosed, I had all the classic symptoms:

• Extreme Heartburn
• Chest Pain (but no arm pain)
• Trouble Swallowing (like a tight grip around my esophagus)
• Vomited in Mouth While Asleep (leading to an asthma attack most times)
• Bloating - It is almost comical watching my stomach grow
• Nausea
• Bad Breath and Bad Taste in Mouth

It got so bad that they put me under and did a biopsy of tissues in my esophagus, stomach and small intestine.
During that procedure, they wrote the following (I don't know if it is good or bad):

1. Detailed distortion of the superficial gastric mucosa
2. Foveolar hyperplasia
3. Oxyntic mucosa with PPI effect
4. Squamous mucosa with congestion
5. Focal basal cell hyperplasia and
6. Many eosinophils suggestive of reflux esophagitis

I guess my question is:
When you have had a condition this long that is primarily controlled by medication, how do I approach my answers to the C&P examiner?
Should I refer to everything as what happens if I don't have the medication? The conditions quickly return if I forget my medication or I am separated from the meds (such as on a cruise).
With Prilosec now being OTC, it isn't quite as scary as it once was because I can run to most stores and buy it.
P.S. This is the claim for which I paid for a Nexus letter and a DBQ from a "known and mostly respected" medical company in Central Texas. I know we aren't supposed to mention names if not questioned first.
Meaning I am going to have 2 competing DBQs. One was paid for after researching my Blue Dot Records, and the other DBQ, for which I have no idea of her due diligence regarding a records search.
I'm bringing:
(1) Form with questions, but I filled in the answers on separate paper, giving me more room to answer. She asks for comments on the following:

• Symptoms when Began
• Treatments, Medications and Surgeries
• Current Symptoms without medication
• How does GERD affect your life

(2) Medical Record Highlights about GERD at the VA
(3) A mini personal statement describing how GERD affects my life without medication.

I know the "moving to" posts are somewhat disliked, but I don't know how else to get people's personal experiences as they relate specifically to the things I'm concerned about. I've been doing research for a couple years now, to figure out what state(s) I want to move to, and I've narrowed it down to just a few. Pennsylvania may be one of those states. So I want to ask, "What is it like?".
Unfortunately, when it comes to Pennsylvania, there's a very small number of things, from my research at least, that I found that I like. Those things are the fact that it's not a stop and identify state, a few of the metros have a very reasonable cost of living, only state police can use radar (hopefully meaning it's harder to be harassed solely for speeding), and there will be more people and happenings than Maine. But there's a plethora of bad things about the state. For me, the biggest issues are the bad roads, bad infrastructure, and bad traffic congestion in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Beyond that, there's also the Pennsylvania turnpike being the most expensive in the world (it won't let me add the link to the article), a relatively high police presence (and the problems that come with being black in a police state), relatively high sales tax, and more. Now that I'm writing this, I'm starting to think I really don't even need to consider PA, but I'd just like to do my due diligence.
About me: I'm a 22 year old guy, black, moderately liberal, and I've lived in Maine all my life. I have Asperger's and I've been lonely/depressed for a long time. I love cars and motorcycles, and love driving standard. I have an associate's degree in automotive technology (I can be a mechanic), but found out I don't really like it as a job, but still want to stay in the trades, without going back to school, unless it's somehow free.
There's a lot of things that I'd like to have in a place to live, though I know that no place will have it all. In no particular order, those things are: a reasonable cost of living, police that leave me alone, more people, stuff going on, and opportunities to date, the ability to easily avoid racists and backward-minded people, no absurd traffic, acceptable road quality, a car community, more/better job opportunities, and a low tax burden.
I know for certain that I wouldn't want to live in a big city, nor in a suburb (that's still the city to me), but still be in reasonable proximity to one. Using Pittsburgh for an example, going purely off of proximity, I'd want to live in a place like Bakerstown. Around a half hour highway drive to the heart of Pittsburgh, but still with the comfort and peace of a small town, if there even are any apartments out there. Or, to use Wilkes-Barre as an example, since it has a much better cost of living for someone who would only make around $40k/yr, I could stomach living in a city of that size. It looks small enough to be able to wrap your head around.
So, with all that, I'd like to hear from you, Pennsylvania dwellers. What advice can you give me on finding a place to live, now that you know a little about me and what's important to me? I'm looking for stuff like, Are the roads truly as bad as everyone says? Is paying the outrageous tolls a necessary evil because you'll destroy your car on the potholes of surface streets? Are police overzealous and constantly out to get you in city X? Is it imperative for me, as a minority, to stick to the bigger cities? Should I skip over PA altogether? Is there even anything that you like about PA? What can you tell me?

I’m 6 months sugar-free and I’ve undergone a transformational experience. I’m sharing mine in hopes that it can help someone else.
I’m 32 and since age 5 I’ve always been sickly with a plugged up nose and many food sensitivities. Constant blowing, sneezing, snotting everywhere. Loads and loads of tissues. My mom was woke before it was trendy to eat healthfully; she knew about the dangers of sugar and processed foods and was strict on not having these in the house, but her efforts were sabotaged by my father who wanted us to have a “normal childhood” and would hide Lucky Charms in his car for us to eat after my she had left for work. Despite her best intentions and unwavering boundaries, my mom could not stop sugar from finding me. At school, friends’ houses, etc., sugar was everywhere and I became addicted like the majority of us. I knew of the importance of vegetables and whole foods and prioritized those, but man if there were cookies around I would eat the whole bag. I cannot self-moderate my sugar intake.
Besides the debilitating congestion, I’ve had various ailments develop in the last 10 years or so:
-red, itchy, flaky scalp (this turned out to be omega-3 deficiency, went away with fish oil supplementation) and dandruff (which is still present).
-belly fat: Historically my BMI has been at the upper end of the “normal” range: ~23.5-25. 5’6”, 145-155 lbs. From playing basketball, track and field, and being generally active I always had nice arms and legs but since puberty I’ve had a belly resembling the end of first trimester pregnancy. In the last few years I started looking heavier despite eating healthier, and could not drop the weight.
-When i was 28 I developed a lesion on my chest that kept growing bigger and bigger. Steroid creams made it go away, but it always returned intermittently.
-feeling exhausted and drained most hours of the day
-needing to eat every few hours and feeling constant hunger
-irritable, bitchy moods
-periodontitis, receding gumline
-persistently stinky underarms
The turning point came when I found a wonderful naturopath and I was at a point in my life where i was tired of being sick and tired and willing to make serious changes. For my allergic rhinitis we tested for IgG antibodies and the following foods came up: milk, cane sugar, tomatoes, corn, and some others, so she suggested I avoid those. In following this elimination diet, I had thought my previous diet was healthy but I didn’t realized how far I had drifted over time, and just how much sugar I was consuming.
The first three weeks were THE WORST. Constant cravings, yearning for sugar around the clock. Salivating when I saw my friend eat an ice cream sandwich. Wanting to give up, but moreso wanting to give the diet an honest chance b/c I knew if I continued eating like I had been, nothing would changed. I gorged on honey butter toast and apples to feed the craving. It took two weeks to notice any difference in my health, but then I noticed I wasn’t as congested and I could actually breathe through my nose for hours at a time. After three painstaking weeks of starting the diet, I started to notice the sugar cravings becoming weaker and more bearable.
2 months in, this is what I wrote in my journal:
-66% reduction in nasal congestion, snot, sneezing
-better face skin, less pink and inflamed
-better poops, less soiling
-Wetter sex and higher sex drive
-A lot less severity and frequency of the hangry
-lost 5-7 lbs
-cleaner feeling teeth
-brighter, happier mood
As I was able to breath normally more regularly and not sick all the time, I noticed honey, dried fruit, and coconut sugar all triggered my sneezing and congestion. Around the 3 month mark I decided to cut all sugars out besides fresh/frozen fruit. I still have cravings, and I don’t know if they will every fully disappear, but it’s fine if they don’t b/c they are MUCH weaker and easier to ignore. 3 months in my blood glucose tested at 80, I’ve never seen it that low, I usually have 87-95 levels.
I stumbled upon Dr. Robert Lustig’s work on Youtube, read his book Metabolical, and now I’m on Fat Chance. Studying his work has been life-changing for me… Sugar IS poison- this is not a hyperbole. I suspect I had insulin resistance which interfered with my leptin signaling which is why I felt hungry all the time, despite eating every few hours. After cutting sugar, there were several weeks where I felt full and satiated despite only consuming 1000 calories or less each day. The excess belly weight melted off (without exercise), likely due to my leptin signaling being restored. When I reached 140 lbs my hunger returned and I began to consume a normal amount of calories again. (TLDR for Dr. Lustig’s explanation: When you eat a lot of sugar, you develop insulin resistance, which causes leptin resistance (the hormone that tells your brain you’re full, you don’t need to eat, you have enough energy and the body can go into "burning” mode). If you’re brain can’t see your leptin, it doesn’t know you're fat and thinks you are starving and need to go into “energy storage" mode.)
85% of my diet now is meats (pasture-raised), fish, vegetables, nuts and seeds, sheep yogurt, avocados, avocado oil, ghee. I don’t count calories. I eat until I am full. I consume fats, saturated fats and proteins without abandon. I am mindful of my carbs, including starch. Sugar is a hard no with few exceptions, e.g. coconut aminos b/c it adds a ton of flavor to dishes and I don’t binge on it. Society loves to preach “everything in moderation” but the truth is most of us suck at moderation. For me personally, it’s easier to have clearly-defined rules and not have to endure decision fatigue deciding if you can afford to eat this or that b/c I always find some way to justify it and there goes another pint of Ben and Jerry’s. For the first time in my adult life, I feel good about my stomach and can see my ab lines forming. I weigh 137 lbs, less than what I weighed in the 8th grade.
My tips on what worked for me to beat this nasty addiction:
Motivation: Keep a food journal. Can be what you ate that day, your motivations for quitting, improvement in symptoms, successes, failures, your measurements, weight. Don’t feel obligated to write in it, only when you notice something worth documenting. When I have moments of weakness, I read my entries to remember I’ve been here before and I know how things will turn out if I eat sugar.
Strategy: Rather than an all-or-nothing approach, cut out different classes of sugars one at a time: e.g. all cane sugar, then coconut sugar, then honey and maple syrup. Tailor this to whatever your specific sugar-reduction goals are.
Mindset: Get the idea out of your mind that if you accidentally ate something with sugar or if you caved and intentionally ate sugar that your whole diet is ruined so you might as well throw in the towel. That is a sneaky mind trick to get you to return to your old ways. Falling off the horse does not cancel out all the prior wins you’ve achieved. As soon as you become mindful and/or have reestablished control of the craving, begin again.
For all of you with doubts if this is worth it. It unequivocally, absolutely was for me. I’m never going back. I’m not willing to be a slave to my cravings and not have energy and be a mouth-breather. Sugar may be derived from natural sources, but the end product is not natural; it is a highly concentrated and purified product that is dangerous independent of its calories- it wreaks havoc on our hormones that control weight, hunger and satiety.
IF YOU CAN GET THROUGH THE FIRST FEW WEEKS YOU WILL BEAT THIS.

I am 30F. No medications. Diagnosed with eating disorder and PTSD, seasonal allergies, and migraines.
Whenever i sweat, i lose the ability the feel my skin. When i have acid reflux issues, i lose the ability to feel my stomach and chest. When I’m congested, i cant feel air in my lungs. And i put any pressure on my jaw through eating or from nasal congestion, i cant feel my entire jaw. Literally just stretching and straining my muscles slightly will cause me to lose sensation in the inside of that area. For example, if i do squats, i cannot feel my upper legs for hours (not the skin but the inside of it)
My doctor tells me it’s nerve related but hasn’t further investigated. My neurologist doesn’t know what to think and just hasn’t helped. What the heck is going on?

I started having bad anxiety again a couple weeks ago… feeling like I’m unable to turn off my brain and I’ve been googling every single symptom I’m experiencing, even though I know I shouldn’t. I keep catastrophising and having health anxiety in addition to regular anxiety which is causing me to feel very depressed too. I’m always feeling like I’m on the verge of crying due to health anxiety, back pain, etc.
Several days ago i noticed pressure on the right side of my head, and seemed to be related to my ears feeling pressured and a bit full, though I have no congestion or runny nose, which are normal allergies I’m used to. My head has continued to feel like there is pressure and I’ve had pain inside my ear, it’s caused me to have even more severe brain fog and concentration issues. I can hardly speak without messing up words, I’m way more clumsy and seem to just feel overall similar to a hangover? If I move a certain way I might feel a woozy feeling briefly which affects my stomach, and I’ve lost a lot of appetite lately. I went to the doctor and he said it was probably a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics but I really don’t think that’s what it is, since I’ve had multiple sinus infections at least once a year basically my whole life, so I have not even picked them up. I’m doing nasal rinses, taking allergy medicine, but I’m not finding much relief from the head pressure that wraps around my head and sometimes radiates to my forehead. I feel crazy and googling isn’t helping me, I don’t know what’s in my head or physical anymore. Anyone else in a similar situation?

I am in San Jose, CA. I have arrived at ER by ambulance on May 8, 1am.

BACKGROUND:

CCI, AAI, internal jugular vein compression (?) at the C1 level secondary to CCI. I’ve also been diagnosed with HSD by an EDS neurosurgeon via physical exam—therefore I could have some vascular integrity issues. Previously ME/CFS. No history of anxiety or panic attacks. No CCI or IJV surgeries or medication. Primary symptoms: - Constant pressure headaches and feeling of venous congestion in the head. As if fluid does not go through the head or gets lodged up. Pressure on the sides of the head and at the temples - Constant brain fog and difficulty finding words - Burning eyes, worsening eyesight, blurry vision, veiny red eyes - Occasional tinnitus or sudden hearing loss and loud tinnitus for 1-2 minutes in episodes - Feel better laying down and pushing occiput against bed frame as if extending my neck - Hard collar helps—stabilizing my neck is helpful for symptoms - Oscillation between symptoms of high IH and low IH (CSF leaks?) - Feel terrible on planes with barometric pressure changes - No known trauma. No known acute cause of CCI. Had headaches and fatigue since 3 y/o but did not consider medical issue until 18. Now 22. - 150 pounds, 5’10, 22M, no drugs/alcohol/smoking/caffeine

ONSET:

At the time of onset, I had just overexerted both physically and cognitively (driving and some computer work, but I am primarily housebound due to CCI so this was above average for me). As soon as it was time to relax, I started having these symptoms: - Shortness of breath - Lightheadedness & dizziness. I normally have constant pressure headaches and feeling of venous congestion. The pressure headaches were gone within minutes, which is very unusual. Felt like I was losing blood. When I started to feel better, the pressure headaches partially returned - Mucus lodged in back of my throat with blood. I had much less mucus and little to no blood when coming down from the episode - Shaking and chills for 4-6 hours - Cold hands for 30 minutes - Heart rate oscillating between normal and very rapid in 1-2 minute intervals - Lost blood flow in the right arm for 60 seconds - Blood pressure systolic 176 in the ambulance. It was likely higher prior to the ambulance - Stomach growling and discomfort - Extreme weakness, difficulty standing

IN ER:

Doctor, upon seeing my medical history, wanted a no-contrast neck CT due to CCI. I explained that I have a recent neck CT, and I suggested a CT venogram of the neck to check vasculature. Doctor said they can only do an arterial phase since the venogram requires a technician that they do not have at the hospital. Doctor said that if I were bleeding from neck, I’d be vomiting blood and would have a notable neck mass.
We did not end up getting the angiogram, and my body started to calm down after 4 hours. I was discharged.

WHEN WE GOT HOME:

I am still shaking and it is difficult to sleep. I slept 3.5 hours and woke up with lots of adrenaline.
The morning and afternoon of May 8: I started to experience rapid heart rate changes and change in lightheadedness with any positional change. It takes me 5-10 minutes to go from elevated head position to sitting upright. I am extremely weak and cannot stand. It took me hours to muster the energy to go down the hall and back. It is difficult to eat and drink. I have very little appetite, but am trying to hydrate with sodium and electrolytes.

OTHER SYMPTOMS:

A few hours prior to onset, I had a feeling of something stabbing the inside of my upper throat. After the episode, the stabbing pain periodically came back somewhere between under my right ear and under my chin. I believe this is the first time this happened.
I also have periodic shooting or stabbing pain in the chest. It only stabbed a few times after the first episode and just spontaneously happens sometimes, not extremely painful. That pain is in the front of left chest, on the side, in the back, radiating from the center sometimes, and radiating toward the left arm sometimes. I am unsure if this is related, but figured it’s important. Along with this was my right shoulder lodged up. I had to move it into multiple positions before the pain went away (this has only happened once after the first episode). I initially suspected this was some mild TOS since I’ve been having this pain for about 2 weeks prior to onset.
It is also difficult to defecate without pain. I feel stabbing pain in the stomach lower left of the belly button. Have not had this.

NEXT EPISODES:

I had my second episode the afternoon of May 8th. It was small and the after effects lasted less than an hour.
Around 1-3am on May 9, I had a third episode of worsened severity. We did not go to ER. I had just eaten half a banana. Almost felt as if it was aggravated by the action of eating/swallowing. All the same symptoms returned from coughing up blood and metallic taste to stomach discomfort, lightheadedness and dizziness, shortness of breath, adrenaline, constant shaking, etc. Blood pressure was elevated (160) and pulse was 65-90 following the episode (I did not measure during episode). Oxygen levels 93-98. At this point I was extremely tired and got 2 hours of sleep in before waking up to elevated HR again. I am now exhausted.
Around 3:30pm on May 9 next episode. Was sitting motionless holding ice in mouth. First it was throbbing in head above right forehead, vasculature was hungry for air and HR doubled. 2 mins later calm. Then 2 mins later same throbbing in left of neck and HR doubled. 2 mins later calm. Then chest radiating from the back of the chest up the left shoulder and down the left arm, and some pinching in back of chest and sometimes upper left chest and on the side of left chest. After the episodes, I felt tired and weak, and had to rest for an hour+ before getting back up.
Around 1pm on May 10 smaller episode. HR elevated for 30-60 seconds, BP dropped a little (115 systolic), oxygen levels were fine. Prior to episode experienced slow onset of dizziness and lightheadedness + shortness of breath. then feeling flushed, red, and hot. This happened while I was at urgent care. Mild shaking. Did NOT have mucus or blood or metallic taste or smell, did not have stomach discomfort or stomach growling. Followed by moderate weakness and POTS symptoms. I was able to walk fine before, now it is difficult to walk without jittering and have to do so slowly
Around 6:30pm on May 10, another small episode. HR elevated for 30-60 seconds, BP upped a little to 125 systolic, oxygen levels fine, slight chest pain radiating from the back of the left chest, felt flushed and hot. Blood pooling in the legs. Did not have bloody sputum or metallic taste

SUSPICIONS:

1. Internal jugular vein (IJV) small tear or tearupture of a capillary or other compressed vascular structure around the neck. Seems somewhat interesting due to metallic taste and blood in sputum, but a tear is theoretically unlikely without a notable mass in the neck
   1. Could get Doppler ultrasound to assess flow
   2. Could get CT venogram to assess vasculature and stenosis
   3. Anything else?
2. Pulmonary embolism—could be a result of a clot somewhere in body. Risk factors include immobility—which I am frequently in bed due to CCI and have been losing a lot of weight. IJV or other could have clotted due to stenosis and traveled into the lungs. Maybe not IJV, maybe some other body part simply due to lack of mobility. Supports the blood in sputum finding
   1. D-dimer
   2. CTA of chest
   3. Anything else?
3. Aortic dissection—very common in EDS patients, especially with vascular types. Diagnosis not sure. Had chest pain but it was not excruciating. However, I mention it because I have HSD diagnosis (pre-EDS or non-hyperflexible type EDS) and I started experiencing chest pain for 2 weeks prior to these episodes. I wrote it off as thoracic outlet syndrome which is not urgent, but figured I’d mention it.
4. TIA—seems to be the most frequent cause of ER visits among CCI and IJV compression patients. Not sure though.
5. GI tract bleed (?). Didn’t see bloody stool. Supports bloody sputum finding.

MORE NOTES:

BP systolic 110 after laying down for some time following the minor episode on May 10 from urgent care. My BP is never this low. I normally have 135 systolic, that is my norm.

WHAT I HAVE DONE FOR TESTING:

1. EKG—normal
2. Blood—fibrinogen, CBC, D-dimer, comprehensive metabolic, hepatic function panel, Sed Rate by Modified Westergren, lipid panel with reflex to direct LDL. Awaiting results

QUESTIONS:

• How urgent is this?
• Do these symptoms and episodic nature sound like PE?