Sore neck muscles nausea

Me and a few of my friends decided to meet up the other day and after a few drinks started talking about weird things that happened to us during our high school years. One of them brought up the time I “technically” died and it got me thinking about it, so I decided write down what happened and share it with you guys.
I believe it was my junior year that it happened, the exact day is still kinda fuzzy to me. I played football since I was in 4th grade and it was a no brainer that I would do it in high school. I wasn’t any Tom Brady but I’ll say I was a pretty good center. I remember it was a night game cause the stadium lights were on and our running backs were complaining that they couldn’t see the ball because of the glare from them.
You know that feeling you get when you did something you weren’t supposed to do? Like when you lie to your parents or break something and try to hide it? That’s what I felt like the entire day before the game. Something felt wrong. Even minutes before the game while the usual R&B music played in the stadium speakers, it still felt wrong. I would know why a little later.
It was near the end of the 4th quarter, the play was called in the huddle, we lined up, ball snapped and…nothing. Everything was dark, I could hear talking and some screaming but eventually it faded out. I felt like I couldn’t move, kinda like how sleep paralysis works.
Eventually the darkness I saw slowly disappeared and my body started to escape its paralyzed state. When I could fully see again I noticed I wasn’t on the field anymore. In fact I had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there. My brain was racing, trying to figure out what happened. I eventually settled on the obvious answer. I was hit too hard, got a concussion and passed, then was rushed to the hospital.
That’s what I thought, I was just in a hospital. But even then it didn’t make sense, the room I was in was too dark. There was no medical equipment or even a bed in there with me. I was just laying on the floor. The only thing that pointed towards a hospital was my clothes were replaced with what seemed like a gown.
Soon my brain started to conceptualize a new answer. It’s funny how the human brain will do everything in its power to make you feel as if all that’s happening has an explanation for it. While my brain was working on that, my body decided it was time to start seeing where I was. I slowly got up off the floor and headed towards what seemed like an exit.
As I walked I took notice of everything around me. The walls of the room seemed to be covered in a strange ash like substance. They also had a heated feel to them, not burning but still hot enough that if held long enough it was leave a mark. The floor seemed to be the same material as the wall, also coated in that ashy layer.
The room soon began to turn into a hall, it never seemed to end. I’m pretty sure I walked for hours on end down it, my gown was covered in ash and scuffs soon enough. I started to see what looked like light as I neared the end, and a sound started to fill my ears as I got closer.
Crackling. Like the sound fire makes as it gets to hot. My brain started to put pieces together, it explained why the walls and floor were hot. What my brain couldn’t wrap around was what I stared at as I exited the hall.
Hell. That’s what I would describe it as and where I believed I was. The sky, if you could call it that, was nothing but smoke and slight rays of orange peaking through. Mountains higher than any I have ever seen painted the back drop of this nightmarish picture. Creatures of unexplainable nature covered the ground and sky, they all looked like they were in pain. Then I heard the screams.
I had been captivated by the almost endless horror I saw that I never heard the screaming. There were billions and billions of people here with me. They all were screaming or crying, each being tortured in a different way. Some burned, some gored, some twisted into shapes Iv never seen. I just watched in horror at the scene before me.
It wasn’t long before I felt something clawing at me, I yelped in pain as I turned my head to see something scratching at my leg. It was like a snake had grown legs, but the skin of it never grew around his new found limbs. I kicked it away before someone grabbed my arm. My eyes worked up the exposed muscles of the arm, soon meeting the eyes of its owner.
He was almost beautiful, a black eyed man with bronze like skin. He held my arm, almost to tell me not the fight it. His body was covered in ashes and what looked like whip marks. He spoke but I couldn’t understand him. I wasn’t sure what language it was or if it even was a language. He pulled my arm and begrudgingly I followed, the snake still scratching at my legs.
He took me down a long stair way, making sure I could see every kind of torture being applied to the people around me. Boiling, grinding, crushing, gouging. It made me sick but I could puke, it was like my ability to was taken away. We continued to walk, we crossed herds of creatures as they seemed to eat and mutilate multiple people. I watched as they ripped them open and ate, yet the people never died. They just laid there and accepted they new life.
My brain couldn’t wrap around what was happening anymore. It started to just say I was dreaming, it was all a dream and I was still concussed. But it all felt to real. The heat, the scratching, the man’s hand gripping my arm. I could feel it all.
It felt like days had gone by since I woke up in that room. As we walked past the mountains I saw earlier I noticed they were made entirely of bones. Some human, some not. I stared up to the sky as I watched winged creatures fly through the smoke clouds, occasionally they blocked out the orange rays as they circled overhead.
We walked more and more, the snake had stopped scratching but only cause it had reached the bone of my legs. I felt it all but couldn’t yell or cry from the pain of it. I just watched at the muscles and nerves of my calfs moved with each step I made. The man suddenly stopped, he turned to look at me and pointed towards a pit.
We walked towards and as I looked down I finally could few something in me drop. At the bottom was thousands of people. They were pushed together in the tight hole, some crawling on top of others trying to get free. I watched in horror as the man pointed towards holes lining the walls of the pit. Thick, hot, red liquid pumped out of the holes, it covered the people and filled the pit. I watched as some swam to the top and cried, other being pushed down deeper into the liquid. Eventually the pit drained and the people went back to fighting and screaming.
I slowly moved away from the pit side as the man looked at me. He spoke again and pointed at the pit. I didn’t understand him but I knew what he wanted. “Get in” That’s what it was. This was to be my new home. I just started to pull at my arm, trying to get free. He pulled me closer and I started to pull more. He stared at me and let go. I don’t know why but he just let go and stared at me, speaking.
I ran. I ran as fast as I could from him and the pit. I ran for what felt like days, maybe weeks even. Each time I looked back it seemed I had only moved a foot away. I just cried and ran, no other thoughts were in my head besides the fact I had to get away. I stopped looking back and just closed my eyes. I could feel thousands of those creatures chasing after me, I could feel they breath and heat running down my neck. I heard they horrid growls and the sound of crackling filling my ears. I just screamed and cried until.
“AHHHHH!” I screamed as I sat up from a gurney, my body drenched in sweat. The two responders that were with me jumped back and quickly told me to lay down. I tried to fight back but they told me to calm down and relax. My eyes darted around and looked where I as. I was in an ambulance. I slowly laid back and let them check me, one of them told me what happened.
When I snapped the ball a defender had hit me and knocked me to the ground. My heart had stopped. They were called and saw my coach doing CPR on me. They got me in the ambulance and continued compressions. My heart had stopped for almost 9 minutes and they were ready to declare me dead until my heart started to beat again and I came to. I just laid they and started to cry.
The doctors could easily explain why my heart stopped. They had thousands of reasons why. But they never could explain the scars on my legs that appeared after I came too. It also wasn’t until recently they noticed the significant amount of damage to my lungs, like I had being breathing in smoke for years.
I would regularly visit the doctors to have my heart checked and besides the scars, everything I was told about what happened made sense but what didn’t make sense was what I saw when my heart was stopped.
I was in that hellish place for what felt like months. Everything I felt was real, sometimes I still feel my legs bleeding and look down just to stare at those scars, almost like a reminder that maybe it wasn’t my imagination. I told people what I saw and they all say it was my mind making a place holder or working to stay alive while my heart was stopped. I took that idea and ran with it for a long time but still. Sometimes when I’m alone and everything is silent, I feel like I’m still there.
The screams of those people, the growls of those beast, the smell of that smoke, and the crackling of that fire. It’s all still there, tormenting me. Like they all crying for me to return. Like they saying that even though I escaped I must come back, that that’s where I belong now.
I see those people in that pit and ever so often I’ll here those retched words. I might not understand them but I know what they are. They push past the sound of fire and screams, calmly saying to me…
Get in

• Previous posts, since the bulleted list was getting super unwieldy.

Around 34 million Earth years ago, at the end of the very creatively named 18th Era, the boreal and polar regions including the Great Polar Plateau, where Kyanah would eventually evolve, and its surroundings, were a very different place. The climate was at the time cooler and drier than the modern Homeworld, and the plateau was filled with more open boreal savannas and polar barrens rather than the dense scrublands of modern times. These boreal savannas were quite different from the modern ones, as endoskeleton plants had yet to expand in the northern hemisphere beyond the tropics, and single-leaf crawlers (which would go extinct at the end of the era) dominated over the modern multi-leaf crawlers to form the ground cover, the equivalent of Terran grass. The most common Walkers (i.e. tetrapods) on the plateau in the late 18th Era were small to medium-sized grazers, many of which had heavy armor or glands to secrete poisonous substances, as a defense against the top predators of the day. There were also the Kakenkortiors, the ancestors of modern Kyanah and dozens of other species, as well as other carnivore groups that specialized in oasis environments, pursuing the amphibious neuz or small burrowing herbivores. The Kakenkortiors were solitary quadrupedal carnivores roughly the size of small to medium-sized dogs, which were opportunistic carnivores taking on all manner of small prey when they had the chance, but primarily subsisted on scavenging carrion or stealing eggs, and had scaly skin covered in a dense coating of feathers to keep them warm and provide camouflage; notably they had yet to evolve the pack behaviors seen in some of their descendants. However, they themselves often fell victim to the true predators of the time--not true Walkers, but rather an offshoot of the wingbeasts (themselves marsupial creatures with foldable wings that could fly like gliders or walk on all fours on land)--the terrorbeasts. These terrorbeasts gave up their flight in exchange for reaching enormous sizes--over a ton and 3.6 meters tall for the largest species--adopting a permanently quadrupedal and rather uncanny stance, with their forelimbs (formerly wings) being much longer than their rear limbs, while the wings themselves lost the ability to unfold, instead becoming vestigial forelimb frills used for attracting mates. Some terrorbeasts used their height to feed from the tops of exoskeleton plants, but many were carnivorous, developing long necks and elongated, hardened spear-like snouts to peck at grazers from above; it's believed that they sometimes reared up on their hind legs to gain additional height and force. This was in direct contrast with every extant tetrapodal predator of large game, which would prioritize either attacking from below or else taking out their prey's legs to bring them crashing down; as a result most herbivores had the heaviest protection on their bellies and legs, with their backs being comparatively weak. But then again, most creatures on the Kyanah homeworld, both extinct and extent, tend to be wide and low to the ground due to living under 1.4G, not tall and spindly, so the terrorbeasts were a giant middle finger to the biosphere and planet in general. Though their 50 million Earth year reign was cut short by the meteor shower that formed the Homeworld's newest impact range, created the Shatter, and caused the most recent mass extinction, leading to the beginning of the 19th Era.
With the terrorbeasts gone (though not their relatives, the normal, flying wingbeasts), the early 19th Era saw the creatures of the Great Polar Plateau adapt to the changing landscape. A group of species which had evolved thorn-covered backs--essentially made from modified feathers--to protect themselves from the terrorbeasts, also went extinct, and many of the remaining grazers lost their heavy armor due to the sudden dearth of megacarnivores to necessitate it. The Kakenkortiors survived the mass extinction and continued to occupy their old niches, but by around 29-28 million years ago, one branch, known as the Tyorketforms, would shift to a more actively predatory niche, using enlarged dew claws to slash the tendons of prey to drop them to the ground; this branch would eventually lead to the domestic Tyorkets, common Kyanah pets in the modern era. Meanwhile, climatic shifts at the start of the mid 19th Era would lead to the Great Polar Plateau becoming warmer and wetter; the boreal savannas would give way to denser boreal scrublands. Through both speciation and migration, the smaller, armored grazers would be displaced by large unarmored browsers eating leaves and twigs and growing to much bigger sizes in the comparatively plant-dense nutrient-rich environment.
It was only natural that something would evolve to hunt these new browsers. Oddly enough, it would be the Kakenkortiors. The main line would go extinct around 9 million years ago, but long before that, they would produce one more notable sideline, the Ratoryinut, starting around 25 million years ago. Many of the early Ratoryinut would be much larger than both early Kakenkortiors and modern Kyanah, reaching average masses of 150-300 kilograms, depending on the species. Compared to early Kakenkortiors, they had a higher and proportionally slightly narrower, though still relatively broad, profile, with bulkier forelimbs and more dexterous forelimbs--an intermediate stage in developing opposable thumbs--with non-retractable claws, as well as losing their feather coating entirely. By 20-18 million years ago, the Ratoryinut would further split into the Ratorkortyot-forms and the ancestors of the Kyanahforms. The Ratorkortyot-forms (roughly "strong herald beast") would continue to grow in size, with the largest species reaching up to 500 kilograms by 10 million years ago, somewhat resembling large, reptilian bear-like forms with bare, greenish-brown scaly skin. They would also evolve a Parasaurolophus-like crest, which they would use to make loud and elaborate trumpeting noises to attract mates or scare rivals away from a kill, and, as the climate cooled in the mid-late 19th Era and they gravitated towards the poles, many evolved blubber deposits to replace the insulating role of their ancestors' feathers. Ratorkortyot-forms, including the eponymous Ratorkortyot, the most famous species, are still extant and where their ranges overlapped with prehistoric Kyanah, appear to have occasionally killed and eaten packless or young individuals, though the reverse was more common. Most Ratorkortyot-forms are now threatened by habitat destruction and pollution.
As for the Kyanahforms themselves, they took the opposite approach to hunting the soft browsing herbivores that were spreading throughout the boreal scrublands. They began steadily losing raw mass, but underwent a quantum leap in intelligence, with six-core brains rather than the four-core brains of most Walkers; the only other animals with six-core brains, before or since, were a few one-off species of social wingbeasts. Not coincidentally, the modern pack dynamics of modern Kyanah also emerged with early Kyanahforms by around 15 million years ago, with 4-6 adults bonding together for life, having children with each other, and cooperatively raising them to adulthood. It's believed that this pack dynamic evolved from simpler serial pair-bonding in Ratoryinuts and the earliest proto-Kyanahforms as a result of six-core brains enabling more complex social behavior, allowing such relationships to be stable. It also enabled reliable tool using and eventually tool manufacturing (modifying found objects to further enhance their utility), as the Kyanahforms were capable of bipedal movement--though early Kyanah forms still spent most of their time on four legs--and had developed opposable thumbs.
While one minor side-line, the arboreal Kyanahforms, continued to shrink further, taking up omnivorous behavior and living in the taller, shrub-like exoskeleton plant species, the main line continued to gradually optimize for attacking in packs and killing medium-large game on the ground. During the mid-late 19th Era cooling, they would take on migratory behavior, moving to the edge of the Great Polar Plateau in the winter to take advantage of the milder winds from the south, and back north in the summer to hunt the big-ticket game animals further into the plateau. The main line would eventually evolve into tkorks, the closest living relatives of Kyanah, who have been discussed elsewhere. The side-line that would become the true Kyanah diverged from tkorks around 5-6 million years ago, shortly after the evolution of the Tyotonikors (perhaps "strong leaf beast"). These were basically the final, logical conclusion of the trend of large generalist browsers, relying on raw mass rather than armor or numbers to deter predators; it was one of these species that would eventually become the domestic nyruds that are so important to the Kyanah. The largest species, the Tyotonikor, could reach heights of 1.8 meters, with a length of 7.6 meters and males averaging around 4-5 tons--one of the largest known animals in the history of the Kyanah homeworld, and the largest period since the 16th or 17th Era; it was hunted to extinction by prehistoric Kyanah around 8000 years ago. While other related species were not as large, even the smallest averaged 1.5 tons, 3 times bigger than the biggest carnivores in the Great Polar Plateau. With a long, whip-like tail, a wide and stocky frame, and a sturdy beak-like mouth capable of handling even the toughest leaves and twigs, the species under the Tyotonikor classification were quite formidable. Indeed, healthy adults had no natural predators...until the true Kyanah came along.
If it seems like Kyanah were optimized specifically to hunt and kill the giant Tyotonikors that no one else dared eat...well, they were. They shifted from a merely bipedal-capable form to obligate bipeds, enabling them to see over interfering shrubbery to better devise a plan of attack, and also be able to hold tools and weapons at all times. To maintain balance in a bipedal posture, their tails became longer and bulkier, enabling them to flail them around to keep balance, and also use them as a weapon. While their jaw size--and thus snout size--and bite force increased relative to predecessors to better penetrate the thick skin of Tyotonikors, their claws became somewhat shorter and stubbier, optimized more for gripping than piercing, making it easier to hold the sticks and rocks they were increasingly using as force multipliers. An increase in fast-twitch muscles in their legs enabled them to more easily catch fleeing Tyotonikors--which, despite their bulk, could be surprisingly fast, rather like Terran elephants, able to reach speeds above 30 kilometers per hour. The strong legs and gripping claws also made it more feasible to get onto the creatures and deliver devastating top attacks. Their skulls also broadened significantly to enable increased cranial capacity, which enabled them to form even more complex pack hunting strategies and even cooperate with other packs to take down especially large and dangerous prey; this would be a game changer, as tkorks and earlier Kyanahforms would almost always ignore or fight other packs instead of working together. Compared to the tkorks, true Kyanah are basically high-performance, high-maintenance creatures, relying on intelligently applying explosive bursts of strength and speed to quickly take down big-ticket prey, rather than stamina, low resource usage, and gradually accumulating smaller prey items. While having primarily evolved to fill the empty niche of preying on Tyotonikors, the various Kyanah species were more than capable of hunting any medium to large animal, both on and off the Great Polar Plateau, using their sophisticated tactics, high physical strength, and eventually primitive spears, axes, traps, and controlled use of fire. Meanwhile, most tkork species in modern times are endangered or extinct, except for those that have adapted to living in Kyanah cities and feeding off various urban critters and meat that has been thrown out or left unattended by the Kyanah themselves. Those tkork species have done very well for themselves, to the point of being a pest.
Proto-Kyanah would speciate several times, gradually expanding around the edges of the Great Northern Plateau by around 1 million years ago, with some species expanding to the poles and also to the more temperate latitudes by 750k years ago, though modern, main-line Kyanah did not spread off the Great Polar Plateau until around 100k years ago. Remains of the most far-flung Kyanah species, the Dunewalkers, have been discovered from the Shatter to the Western Sector, though they went extinct 84k years ago after the asteroid impact that created the Ikun Crater, which also reduced the main-line Kyanah population to a few thousand, though they, obviously, bounced back and then some. None of these other species remain; the last to go were the Kyanah Brutes, so-named because of their large stature (roughly on par with humans) and proportionally smaller brains compared to main-line Kyanah, dying out around 5500 years ago; it is possible that there were organized efforts by Kyanah proto-civilizations to eradicate the last of them, but also just as possible that the main-line Kyanah merely hunted their prey into extinction. Notably, main-line Kyanah have the largest cranial capacity of any of these species, with Dunewalkers being a close second; there is no evidence that any Kyanah species other than *the* Kyanah ever devised fully fledged language on their own, which made cooperation between multiple packs more frequent and reliable, and made teaching their young more efficient. The presence of bones from multiple species being found together indicates that main-line Kyanah occasionally included members of a couple of the more advanced Kyanah species, like Dunewalkers and Kyanah Brutes, into their own packs, and vice versa. While these species lack the genes associated with independently inventing complex languages, it's believed to be possible that they could be taught it to a limited degree, as they had similar vocalization structures, and even tkorks can be taught to understand simple words and phrases. The exact nature of this relationship, whether these other species were viewed as working animals, slaves, or fellow packmates, is unknown. While they likely interbred, it is also unknown if this led to fertile offspring--but probably not.

All right here it is finally, thank you all for your patience and let's hope chapter 5 is a little more expedient. As usual I hope you enjoy and would love to get everyone's thoughts.
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4: Memory transcription subject: Zeak, Harchen orphan, citizen of the Venlil Republic. Date: standardized human time July 13th 2136.
The sky was a roaring mass of fire and pungent black smoke that choked out the light of the sun. As I ran down the street, green blood flowed like a broad shallow river. It splashed up with every step I took, sticking to my scales, the smell of it made me feel sick. As the piercing wail of the emergency sirens seemed to grow louder and louder with every step I took making my ears ring and filling my head with a thunderous pain. My heart pounded, my lungs were on fire, and my legs felt like they were made of lead.
A herd of towering blurry figures appeared out of nowhere and ran past me, some almost knocking me down. In their panic they began to look more like crazed wild animals than people. I cried for help but they couldn't hear me. I waved my paws then grabbed one of them a male Venlil, tightening my grip with all the strength I had hoping this would get his attention. He threw me off like I was trash, less than trash. I turned around and continued pleading for anyone to help me, reaching out for others. But their frantic idiot eyes looked only straight ahead and not down, never down, as the herd passed me.
I turned back around and continued to run, blood splashing up soaking me all the way to my knees. I stumbled, my legs were so tired I could barely stand, and I fell down catching myself, plunging my paws into blood as deep as my wrists. I felt myself scream but I couldn't hear it over the ringing in my ears. A scrap of paper gently floated past me, a single word written on it that echoed in my mind “Weakling.” It passed and four more took its place, “Coward”, “Liar”, “Oath breaker”, “Murderer.” I screamed in rage and slapped the pieces of paper aside, blood splashing onto my snout, but the meanings of those words remained. Getting back up I stumbled forward, and fell down again. Then with an effort born out of sheer desperation I managed to stand again lurching forward. My legs were too tired to run but I had to keep going, I had to save them. Or at least her, please Protector if you're listening please let me save at least her.
It felt like I was searching for an endless time. Lurching forward, stumbling, falling down, getting back up, lurching forward once more. Eventually I saw it and my heart fell into the pit of my stomach. My family's car was turned over on its roof, the driver's side had been caved in. It was engulfed in fire and thick black smoke that rose up into the sky. I struggled forward and when I reached it I collapsed, my knees hitting the hot pavement. The smell of burning metal and something else I didn't know assaulted my senses making my stomach turn. Every muscle in my body begged me to run away. Calling out their names l looked inside, and a wave of nausea and horror flooded through me.
I turned away and vomited, then reached up with my blood soaked paws and covered my eyes. Those words thundered in my head making me think it was going to burst open, as hot tears welled up. “WEAKLING! COWARD! LIAR! OATH BREAKER! MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER! “I'm sorry I'm sorry, I should have stayed, I should have helped. Why did I run?” I wailed, still unable to hear myself. Someone rested a delicate paw on my shoulder, and the world went quiet. As the pain in my head melted away.
My eyes snapped open and I was greeted by the gentle ringing of my alarm. In a rush of adrenaline I leaped out of bed not even bothering to wipe the sleep out of my eyes. Running out of my bedroom and down the narrow hallway towards the living room. Convincing myself It had all just been a horrible, horrible nightmare and everything was alright. Mom and Dad would be fixing breakfast, Dad softly singing a Harchen folk song while making something savory and delicious as mom sang along in harmony, preparing something special for my baby sister Naila. Oh yes and Naila, she would probably be sitting on a cushion in the sunny part of the living room. Holding her crooked tail, a birth defect which my parents said could be fixed when she was older. And making excited chirping noises at my arrival, while sunlight shone against her emerald scales. I loved my baby sister, I knew other kids resented having a younger sibling. Dismissing their responsibilities and spending less time with their family and more with their friends. I never once felt that way, the moment Naila hatched I devoted every spare minute I had to her. Finding music that would help her fall asleep, watching over her when my mom needed a break. Excitedly telling her about the day's events and what I learned at school, especially what I learned in computer science which was my favorite class.
“Mom! Dad!” I yelled bursting into the living room. “I just had the worst…” My voice trailed off as I was greeted with nothing “dream.” My heart tightened painfully in my chest, as I frantically ran through the house throwing open every door, knowing that they had to be here somewhere. They were just playing a game on me that was all, a game I would tell them I didn't appreciate. After the final door had been opened and no one was there to yell “Surprise!” My body slumped and I felt heavy as reality set back in, and the memories of what happened hit me like a hammer. I made my way back down the hall to my room, tail dragging behind me as I crawled back into bed. Wrapping myself tightly in a blanket, trying to find some comfort.
It must have been hours I lay there feeling numb all over, wishing I could get up the energy to just cry. I think I might have fallen asleep at one point. If I did it was a dreamless sleep, thank the stars for that. Eventually I did get up, sitting cross-legged on my bed, resting my chin in my paws, staring holes into the wall. I took a deep breath and side numbly looked out the window, searching for anything to distract myself with.
It was overcast, and eerily quiet. The emergency sirens had stopped blaring yesterday mere hours after everyone had gotten to the bunkers. The bodies of the dead had already been collected and their blood cleaned from the pavement. So as to not attract any predators into the neighborhood. I saw my neighbor A'shul was home, his white vehicle was sporting some new dents. I wondered, when he got into his vehicle yesterday morning and drove to the nearest bunker; did he try to help anyone? Or was he thinking only of himself? I suppose it didn't matter really. Nothing mattered.
I turned my head away and looked around my small room taking in everything, every trinket, misplaced item, my old second-hand desk, a big green crackle finished monster. Better suited for a Venlil than a young Harchen, heck I needed a stool just to use it. I had gotten it for basically nothing about a year ago, when the local extermination office was getting rid of their old furniture. All it took was a small bribe and they put it in my bedroom when no one was home. My parents, but especially my mom we're not happy when they saw it the next day. They would tell me at least once a week that It was too big for me and they were going to get rid of that eyesore. “Wouldn't you like something a little more modern dear?” My mom would ask, practically pleading for me to say yes. I used to pray that my parents would just shut up and stop bugging me about that stupid desk. I thought it was great, it made me think of private detective Bal from the exterminators show. Bal was a no nonsense Harchen who was so often pivotal in tracking down the predator or predator diseased person. My desk was very similar to his and that's why I wanted it. But at that moment, I would have given anything to hear those words again.
On the desk there was an ornate wooden box, with a fruit tree in full bloom delicately carved into its lid. There were also scuff marks where it had been dropped, and a deep crack running down the center. It was known as a blessing box, Naila's blessing box to be specific. When she hatched nearly ten months ago the whole neighborhood had been invited to come and write a blessing on a scrap of paper and put it in the box. I had written one too, not a blessing but a promise, a promise I couldn't keep. The belief was that if kept near the infant, the combined power of all those blessings would keep the hatchling safe until their first birthday. Where on that day the box would be set on fire and burned to ash. Releasing those blessings back into the world so they may protect someone else. It was an old tradition and not commonly practiced anymore, but as my dad always said “It is important to keep the old traditions alive my son. Both in song and action.” I remember asking him why? And he looked at me like he had been waiting for that question for a long time. “Because” He said, his tail moving with authority. “Someday when you lose your way, and you don't know where to turn to. You will always have something to guide you back to your center.”
Looking away from the box not wanting to look or think about the damn thing, I shifted my gaze down to my bedside table. There was a little holographic projector showing pictures of me, Mom, Dad and Naila on holiday back on Fahl, the Harchen home world to see family. I was born and raised on Venlil prime, so I didn't really know any of my extended family. There was a picture of my mom and Naila sleeping at the beach. Naila’s crooked tail coiled around mom’s arm, their scales a deep emerald in the light of the sun. The picture changed to me and Dad putting the finishing touches on a sand skyscraper taller than him. I had to sit on his shoulders to place the last bucket full of sand on top. Both of our scales were as blue as the ocean. My tail flicked sadly thinking of that day. I reached over and turned the holo protector off.
My holopad lay next to me flashing, alerting me to an urgent message. I hadn't really looked at my holopad since yesterday morning. Picking it up I tapped the flashing icon. It was an official government statement signed by Governor Tarva herself, saying that the humans Noah and Sarah were peaceful explorers, and that they only wished to be our friends. ‘No, that's impossible, they’re predators. Predators don't want peace, they want to conquer, kill and eat us,’ stunned and confused I kept reading. The rest of the message stated that the two human scientists were completely unaware there was intelligent life of any kind on Venlil prime. ‘No! Lies! Predator lies!’ I yelled inside my head. Something hot began to form in my chest as I read the last bit. Governor Tarver had shown the two predators footage of the Arxur torturing Venlil pups. It said that the humans were capable of empathy and felt deeply saddened and angered by what they saw. They vowed to do everything in their power to get their united nations into the war against the Arxur.
I scrolled all the way down and what I saw stopped me cold. Standing in her office being flanked by General Kam, stood Governor Tarva. Beside them looming over the two Venlil one bigger than the other, both of them covered in some sort of protective suit. Their faces were obscured by dark visored helmets. It said that the larger of the two Noah was male, and the smaller one was Sarah female. Sarah had her hands clasped in front of her, while Noah kept his to his side. Neither were acting threatening, and neither Tarva or Kam looked to be harmed in any way.
Something in me snapped, that hot thing inside my chest erupted and I could feel my scales turn black. I very carefully set my holopad down beside me, then I uncrossed my legs and got out of bed. I stood there in the center of my room shaking slightly, feeling terribly calm as white hot rage flooded my body, spreading to my paws and all the way out to the tip of my long tail. It never had to happen, the panic, the stampede, the death, we could have stayed home and avoided those people. ‘No… no not people,’ a bitter thought came over me. ‘They're not people at all, people stop and help, like that Venlil girl Kayleik, she was a person maybe the only one. But the rest of them were just wild animals, masquerading as sentient beings. ‘Do you really think you're any better, coward?’ Some internal voice said.
A sudden impulse took control of me and I grabbed my desks stool and hurled it against the wall. It dented the wall and bounced off still in one piece. Enraged, I leaped forward grabbing it by the legs, then turned around and slammed it into my desk. The sheet metal dented and the green crackle finish paint flew off, but the stool made of good dense wood from the string fruit tree stayed whole. “DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM!” I screamed, slamming the stool down again and again, my tail whipping wildly, striking the bed and the floor. The tip of my tail began to hurt, which only fueled my anger. Finally I heard cracking and wood began to splinter off. They didn't have to die, we could have stayed home. The muscles in my shoulders burned and my heart pounded as hot tears began to well up. I brought it down one final time narrowly avoiding the blessing box, and the stool broke in two. I hurled the pieces away from me, one slamming into the corner the other crashing through the window.
I leaned against the desk catching my breath as tears flowed freely. ‘Well that definitely showed them didn't it. Hey I got a great idea! Let's go break some more stuff, that will definitely make you feel better. Idiot!’ That internal voice said all coldness and bitterness. As I cried, the burning in my chest cooled, and I was filled with the same numbness as before. After a while my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten since yesterday. I moved sluggishly out of my bedroom and went straight to the kitchen, quickly grabbed some fruit and left to go and watch the view screen or something. The moment I entered the living room, memories came flooding back. Mom and Dad laughing, Naila sleeping peacefully, the lingering aroma of breakfast, and the warmth of our home. But now it was all gone and I was alone. For the first time in my life, I had no one to go to.
It was right then I realized I couldn't stay here anymore. This place felt like a tomb, all cold and filled with the memories of the dead. Besides, if I stayed here someone would eventually send the authorities to come and get me. Ship me off to an orphanage, foster care or maybe to my extended family back on Fahl. I balked at the idea of being forced to live with people I didn't know or trust. Memories of yesterday's stampede invaded my mind and I shuddered. I couldn't trust any of them not anymore. No, there was one person I could think of that maybe I could trust. Turning around I went back to my room, found my backpack and grabbed my holopad, the blessing box, the holo projector and my blanket stuffing it into my pack. Then I went to the kitchen and filled my pack up the rest of the way with dried fruit and vegetable snacks. With my backpack looking like it was going to burst I shouldered it and made my way to the front door. When I rested my scaly paw on the door handle I stopped and looked back at the place that was once my home. “Goodbye” I said in a shaky voice, knowing this would be the last time I would never set foot in this house. With my head low I opened the door and stepped out, into the dim light of a new unfamiliar world.

I developed this neck+ forward head posture, after an laparoscopic surgery where the gas had to escape over my shoulders (musculature), ever since all the muscles in the neck/trapezius area are cramped up with a bunch of infected lymph nodes all around, it has affected my life quality immensely, from aesthetic standpoint and physical and health problems, head aches, concentration problems, tmj problems, breathing issues, my mandible kinda dropped backwards and face got recessed and droopy, it sagged downwards. My scm’s are extremely compressed compact and tight. For the tension I’ve tried everything from Physio therapy, stretches, breathing, osteopathy, accupuncture, even muscle relaxants, payed money for this treatment and the cramping doesn’t go away. What can I do here, I been making sport trying to get my muscles “stronger” but it of course doesn’t help as it’s separate to the neck. I don’t know what to do anymore as I’ve tried everything, I got suicidal thoughts because of it 20m/ 150lb

patient is F28 about 5’3 maybe 150 pounds, will try to get med info in an edit asap. was a chronic smoker for several years before catching bad pneumonia
ok so this is incredibly important, we’re wondering if lipomas are the answer to my gf’s debilitating and undiagnosed chronic neck & back pain of 3+ years. would greatly appreciate anyone’s feedback. description of symptoms near the end if you wanna skip background.
my gf has one of the worst chronic back issues i’ve seen, and it’s completely undiagnosed. she had a scary severe case of covid pneumonia for several months and somewhere along the way developed chronic pain in her neck, iirc it was characterized by sharp severe pain where she could barely move her head left or right at all without major pain. that lasted two years with no solution/diagnosis to be found.
one night a year ago she was laying in bed and reached over to grab something and felt pain shoot down her back. can’t remember if it was the next morning or gradual over days/weeks but basically the pain ended up traveling almost entirely from her neck to her mid to lower back. she can now move her neck almost like normal with little pain, but her back is now an absolute nightmare. she can’t work, standing up and sitting down is a deliberate cautious affair, her entire life is centered around this and the debilitating 10/10 pain (she said 14/10 without meds, 9/10 with).
PRIMARY SYMPTOMS: -muscle spasms that travel (yesterday they were bad, she tried massaging herself and ended up “riddled” with spasms) and when i trace her back she can’t tell me exactly where the spasms are bc they move so much ig? she had trouble articulating what she felt and why i couldn’t pinpoint it. they’re less painful the more sleep she gets in a night -pressure pain the spasms are always “on,” the only slight relief she gets is when there’s no pressure on them. laying back in a seat is hell, she has a heat pad that left marks on her skin bc she had to use it so high and often to feel some relief (she now uses the lowest setting after discovering the skin thing)
big one: moveable lumps under skins i don’t know her history of how hard doctors looked into the lumps but she feels two noticeable ones right up against her spine in the center of where the pain and spasms usually gravitate. she can move them around without massive spikes in pain (possible these two aren’t relevant but smaller undetected ones are???)
somewhere along the way she was told or got the impression that those lumps weren’t related to her spasms or pain. however from what she’s told me no doctor has ever really looked at them more than cursory (which i asked several times for her to confirm cuz that sounds insane to me). she has had an insane amount of tests done (like, recently ruled out MS) including a full body MRI but it found nothing, and they weren’t looking specifically for lipomas.
No one has ever said the word lipomas to her. she randomly found the word a couple days ago and found some posts on the lipomas sub i think, one of which was another chronic back pain case and 100% relatable to her. she went on to find info about how these can be painful and hard to detect when they’re in muscle tissue and up against nerves or the spine.
but she’s nervous this isn’t the answer because she thinks they would have spotted this on the MRI.
would they have, if they didn’t know to look for these specifically? i see cases of people saying theirs got painful and doctors severely underestimated their size when they were removed.. i’m worried she has small ones all over her back and maybe even neck? i saw they have some kind of causal relationship with the severity of pneumonia so i’m wondering if tiny hard to detect ones are in her lungs too.
begging for any information/suggestions/insights. tears on my cheeks as i type this out at the possibility that this might finally, fiiiiiinally be the answer to chronic pain that has made her suicidal at times. thank you for reading, and especially thanks to those of you physicians who take time to reply. this sub seems incredibly valuable.

34F, 5'4, 180 lbs (working on weight loss, so diet is good), no medications other than SSRI.
I am planning on seeing my doctor in a couple of weeks but I'm just wondering what types of tests I should ensure get ordered.
I randomly developed these "episodes" where I get severely nauseous, I can't talk, I can't move, it's just extreme nausea. Eventually I end up projectile vomiting very forcefully and uncontrollably (most recently I pulled the muscles on my rib cage from one of these episodes) until it stops.
It used to happen in the shower and at the time I brought it up the doctor thought it was a vasovagal thing and didn't seem too concerned. The first couple times this happened I was also fainting immediately after the extreme nausea and so I think that's why he thought it was vasovagal. Since the first couple times though i havent fainted, I just get hit with the severe nausea/vomiting. I've just been living with it because I was told it was nothing serious, however a couple of nights ago it hit me when I was lying in bed, which is a deviation from how it typically occurs.
Typically I vomit for maybe 5-10 mins or so straight and then not again. This last time I thought to check my BP afterwards and it was 140/96 and my heart rate was 113. I'm not sure if that's due to the event or if it's a symptom of whatever is causing it.
Any ideas are very much appreciated.

Hi all,
I've had costo for just under a year, I was a frequent gym goer and I believe bad posture + bench press overuse gave me costo. I went through a few months of not doing anything other than rest due to the discomfort, and then I finally stumbled upon the backpod. I've been using it once every evening for around 3 months now, my condition has somewhat improved. I can go through a day with barely any pain, only when I engage the area do I experience a tension/soreness. My chest still pops sometimes but a lot less than it did initially. I've been able to run 2x a week for the last 1.5 months, and haven't had any problems with that. I still struggled with reflux, even though I quit gluten and cleaned my diet up.
Overall, I think I've made progress and I'm eager to get back in the gym and lifting weights. I've seen a few posts suggesting you can start light resistance training once everything is unlocked, so my question is, how do I know if I'm unlocked?
For anyone wondering my overall symptoms:

• Sternum tension/soreness right in the centre of my chest.
  
• Reflux/burping whenever I consume fatty meals or foods containing grains.
  
• Neck pain on my left side, I've tried Steve's suggested neck exercise in the leaflet, it feels very relieving but hasn't helped overall.
  

I'm waiting for my Vitamin D3 + K2 to arrive, as it's a long shot but I have a feeling I'm deficient.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I just applied my 2nd dose of T gel and I’m just curious what everyone’s first few weeks were like? My muscles have been sore all day (like 75% of what I felt like after the Covid vaccine), I’ve been so freaking hungry, and I’ve had headaches on and off all day. I didn’t expect to actually feel anything so soon and even though being hungry and sore isn’t exactly fun, I’ve been so euphoric and happy for the past 24 hours knowing that I’m finally transitioning

Our 17 month old rescue dog was diagnosed with lyme disease 3 days ago and she's been very sick since. Our normally very energetic pup has been sleeping a good portion of the day and acting like a geriatric dog, walking extremely slowly, standing and staring at seemingly nothing. She also has a very sore and stiff neck and yelps if she moves it the wrong way. We're quite concerned about her, as she's been on antibiotics and 2 different painkillers the last few days but we haven't noticed much of a difference. We received her blood test results last night from the Lyme Quant C6 antibody test and it showed she scored 322. I've read that most dogs are much better between 2-3 days, due to the amount of lyme she has in her body, would it take longer for us to notice a difference? She is still eating, but less than usual and she is still drinking, as well as pooping and peeing outside. Thanks for your help.

Hi! Glad I found this thread, it’s already been very useful in not feeling as alone. Has anyone had success recovering from c diff and chronic norovirus?
I tested positive (toxin positive) for c diff and Norovirus together last August.
Did: - Vanco to no change, but did get thrush and mouth sores from Vanco (I get thrush almost every time I take an antibiotic) - tried Cholestyramine to help GI symptoms, went terribly - finally got Dificid approved months later - didn’t notice a huge change, but maybe around December my stool consistency, color and smell finally started to change - symptoms still persist with loose stools 3-6x/day, sometimes Zofran will back me up and then I’ll return to regular loose stools once that clears - in February or March I finally had a negative toxin c diff test, but my Norovirus was still positive - switched GIs who still only recommends fiber and Imodium - got a PCP referral to infectious disease for the chronic norovirus - he was great and we tried an antiviral that maybe helped more formed stools, but still many a day and limited appetite + nausea - my IgA levels were moderately low and right at the cutoff for secondary deficiency but it’s common and doesn’t fully explain everything
My main question is: where is the best course to go next? Is it nutritionist/dietician for help with finding food I can eat? Is it firing my GI and trying a third one? ID has me waiting a bit before we re-test for noro, but his role is limited even though he was great.
I have a genetic disorder, and have had mild GI issues related to it my entire life, so I think this post-infectious change just keeps getting brushed off as back to my baseline.
I’m going to add Florastor based on this group, but figured I’d see if anyone else had experience with this fun double combo or other advice.
Thanks!

Hello everyone,
Hope you are all doing well,
Male, 33 yrs, overweight (135kg), height 177cm.
I am overweight, and i have a spinal cord injury since childhood (they call it spinal cord injury its more like a genetic condition that causes severe muscle spasms). Everyday a different part of my body really hurts, sometimes more than one part together, for example legs and neck become very stiff to the point that i can’t move anymore, next day its my whole back really painful and i cant move, some days there is absolutely no problem or pain at all.
I do everything all of you guys do, i don’t let it stop me from anything for example hiking, play fighting, move around all day, i do all these things, but when its too much i sit down.
I started fasting to start losing weight, losing weight really helps with my condition,
This is my history, so now i want to learn how to fight, i want to be in a position that if i am attacked by anyone for any reason (i know it does not happen much), i want to be able to destroy him. On the inside i feel very weak and that anyone can beat me up (that is not the case).
I want to know where to start ? What to start with ? I want to become strong i want to be able to fight. Is it too late now at 33 ? Do i have to loose weight first to learn how to fight ? Are there people with disabilities that are strong and that can fight ? Or is it by default that we will be weaker than everyone because of our disability ? How can i pracitce without destroying my face ?
Thanks a lot guys for all the help 🙏🙏

Hi everyone.
Some backstory: (28F)
I became vegan about six years ago due to having a chronic headache diagnosis along with severe neck pain. I used to be a power lifter. And when my symptoms started , my doctors kept saying to eliminate everything until I had nothing left but veganism.
Since about 2019, I’ve been completely vegan that is until the last month or so. I started eating eggs again and I’ve tried chicken. More details to come:
2020-2023: got severe Covid twice. Doctors kept saying and encouraging me to stop lifting and relax. My body went into “shock”(my term) and basically I became a lazy fuck , which exasperated my symptoms . Weight gain of 20 lbs and a huge gut now which I can’t get rid of. Prior had almost no stomach fat when working out in 2017-2019.
Current symptoms. ; SEVERE exhaustion, chronic headaches from when I wake up to sleep, can’t sleep much , always feeling like I’m slumped over, restless, tight muscles , dizziness, loss of strength (can’t even do a body weight squat) , weight gain, sinus pressure, god the list goes on ..,
Doctors; started seeing a new physical therapist who said my vegan diet was what could be making me extremely worse. All of my bloodwork test, MRIs, etc. come back fine. Doctors get just give me the I don’t know what’s going on with you ,
Ex vegan: I can’t have dairy due to intolerance. . I started introducing eggs and have a decent time eating those, but when it comes to chicken, I find myself gagging at the though started seeing a new physical therapist who said my vegan diet was what could be making me extremely worse. I started introducing eggs and have a decent time eating those, but when it comes to chicken, I find myself gagging at the taste of chicken.. I have no problems eating meat, but I think the taste puts me off now. I can eat chicken nuggets, but unfortunately, I can’t get myself to eat o I can eat chicken nuggets, but unfortunately, I can’t get myself to eat a chicken breast. I don’t like the smell of fish in my apartment all day for seafood options. I think I can tolerate beef if I make it into like taco meat or a burger or something.
My main question is has anyone have any feedback for me? Or experience with a similar background?

Hello! After a lot of research and comparisons, I settled on Try Eden. I ordered it on Sunday 4/14 and received the package on 4/18 - a four day turnover between communicating with the doctor and receiving the medicine from the pharmacy (Precision Pharmacy in Bellmore, NY).
It came in a well insulated envelope and packaged with a coldpack. It arrived with everything, including instructions. I did the initial 10 units (.1mL) and will titrate up each month as recommended by the doctor. It wasn't as painful, I placed it into my lower right belly region. My next follow-up is on 5/9. I intend on doing updates on this thread.!
To ensure the compounding pharmacy is licensed without issue in your state or elsewhere you can go here: FDA BeSafeRx Lookup Portal
I'm on the 31G 5/16 1mL Schedule:
Acclimation Phase (Month 1 - April start) Commonly Prescribed Dosage: Semaglutide 2.5 mg / Methylcobalamin 100 mcg/mL - 0.1 mL per dose - (0.25mg/0.1mg) - injection 10IU
Titration Phase (Months 2-3) Dosage: Gradual increase as determined by doctor.
Reduction Phase (Months 4-5) Dosage: Further dose escalation as outlined by doctor.
Normalization Phase (Post Month 5) Dosage: Maintenance or as advised by doctor.
5'5F SW: 178lbs GW: ~135lbs (will also go by how my clothes fit overall but will also monitor my weight to give myself and others an idea of scale progress.)
Weight Log (Using Etekcity Body Scale which is HSA eligible)
4/18 178 SW (Injection day 10iu - right belly)
4/20 176.4 -1.6lb
4/25 176.4 same (Injection day 10iu - right thigh)
4/27 175.2 -1.2lb
5/01 174.2 -1lb
5/02 174 (Injection day 10iu - left thigh)
5/03 173.4
5/09 173 (Injection day 10iu - right thigh)
5/17 173 (Injection day 20iu - right thigh)
4/18 Week 1 Day 1: I felt slightly nauseous approximately 5 hours after the injection but dissipated after I ate dinner. No additional symptoms to report.
4/20 Week 1 Day 3: Down to 176.4lbs. Can most likely be equated to water weight fluctuation. No side effects to report. My appetite especially cravings are blunted.
4/25 Week 2 Day 1: Almost 2 lbs down. Injected in my right thigh. No nausea today, but a bit of acid reflux upon taking the shot. Slight sore throat, which may be due to the acid reflux. Protein and fiber intake is high and haven't had many side effects besides some headaches here and there. Nothing thar couldn't be solved with electrolytes and some advil.
4/26 Week 2 Day 2: Woke up with a headache and has been lingering. Took in fluids, ate, and finally some advil. I'll be supplementing with Sublingual B12 Drops for added energy, Electrolytes , and a Liquid Multivitamin which helps a great deal. I bought this Soda Stream to help ease any stomach wooziness throughout the day. For some reason it the cold fizzles just helps calm my stomach and feels better. If anyone has any insight as to why I'd love to know!
4/27 Week 2 Day 3: Down to 175.2. 2.8lbs overall. No side effects to report and appetite is suppressed. I've been getting in over 100g of protein everyday (1g for every pound of lean mass). I supplement with Optimum Nutrition Protein and Isopure Clear Whey Protein (tastes like juice and has 20g of protein). I've been getting in as close to 1800 a day as possible per my TDEE calculations.
5/2 Week 3 Day 1: Down to 174lbs. 4lbs overall. No side effects to report. The last three weeks headaches were overall the main side effect I experienced, which lingered for about 36hrs or so. Appetite was suppressed all week and I wasn't really fatigued compared to the first shot. No naps needed, yay! Maintaining an easy to sustain diet with high protein and adjust as necessary.
5/9 Week 4 Day 1: Down to 173lbs. 5lbs overall. Aside from a headache, there are no other symptoms to report. My headaches go away within 36hrs or so. I keep up my workouts and proper nutrition/protein intake. Appetite is suppressed and I tend not to finish my meals, leaving it for later these days.
5/17 Week 5 Day 1: Officially still down 5lbs at 173lbs. First week moving up to 20iu and no side effects whatsoever. Although I'm down 5lbs, I do feel my clothes fitting better and working out with maintaining proper nutrition is still a part of my daily schedule. Will be updated every month from here on out.

I’m moving back in with my parents to make things a little easier for myself (and for them since I’ll be paying them rent and they won’t have to drive to help me with things when needed.) I’m insanely lucky that my family is supportive, even if they don’t fully understand.
Unfortunately, moving is brutal and I overexerted myself yesterday. I woke up at 5am this morning with nausea, chills, aches, and a sore throat. Today my family is doing the moving and I’m laying down and just watching. I want to help, I feel so guilty just laying here while they do all the work, but I feel awful.
Honestly I started feeling like I was starting to heal from ME since it’s been a while since I’ve had a crash, but I guess I just have a relatively high threshold and have been doing well pacing myself. I work full time and don’t really do anything else anymore in order to stay within my limits.
Just a rant. This illness takes away a lot of physical abilities but it really messes with your mind, too.

Hi, I'm a 14 year old female and I've been dealing with a wide variety of weird symptoms for around 2 years, but some of my symptoms have recently appeared. I'm diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disc disease, vocal cord dysfunction, polycystic ovarian syndrome, asthma, mitral valve prolapse, paraspinal muscular atrophy, and innapropriate sinus tachycardia so im not sure if any of my symptoms could be related to these conditions. I got told by my orthopedist that he thinks I have an autoimmune condition so I have an appointment with a rheumatologist in 6 months, I have family history of lupus and sarcoidosis so I was thinking maybe I had the neuropsychiatric version of it. my symptom list is:
Constant muscle jerks mostly in my arms, legs, neck, toes, and my torso. They are kind of like very short spasms which will move my limbs. Extremely annoying.
Numbness and tingling in ring and pinky finger on both hands, tingling and numbness in toes
Joint pain
Radiating arm and leg pain (I think this is due to my DDD though)
Bladder Leaking a lot during the day and when I pee I feel like I can't get all the urine out, so I will have to strain
Joint and muscle pain
Pinpricks/itching/tingling feeling near ribs and spine
Memory problems
I have problems with speaking sometimes and will speak in gramatically uncorrect sentences and I will involuntarily pronounce words wrong kind of like im slurring my speech
Severe chest pain, I've been diagnosed with pleurisy a few times and have been to the er because of it
Very sensitive to cold
Vertigo, dizziness and feeling like I'm floating when lying down
Very clumsy, bumping into things and dropping stuff.
Is there anyone who experiences anything similar? I'm going to my neurologist in 3 days to see what she thinks. Any advice would be appreciated and i hope everyone is doing well!!🙏 I have had a clean brain mri 2 years ago when I only had the jerks as a symptom
I also have a positive rombergs test

Hello, everyone. 35M with Chiari 1 of “only” 3-4mm diagnosed at 17 years old with MRI due to headaches that later resolved. Subsequent scans in 2022 and 2024 revealed that the size has remained constant. Throughout the years, I literally forgot I had it due to a lack of symptoms and/or conflating the symptoms with Bipolar 1/ADHD and treatment side effects. In 2022, I had an onset of neuropathy with a job I took that had me bending over repeatedly. I remembered the Chiari at that time and got referred all the way to neurosurgery but was never able to go due to a move. Symptoms subsided again. I was on lithium, which I later learned increases ICP. I had jumpy vision (I described it as fast-forward vision) which was terrifying and for which I suspected mania, not knowing it has to do with Chiari. I had some photophobia that mostly occurred at night when seeing police lights and I assumed it was perhaps epileptiform activity, still knowing essentially nothing about Chiari. Went to a NUCCA chiropractor, at which point the photophobia became severe and permanent and I no longer drive, except on totally cloudy days, and even then with great difficulty. My symptom is silent headaches with immediate onset of dysphagia that goes away when I force myself to swallow and remove the trigger. It is still extremely debilitating and causes a panic attack basically every time because despite having never had a seizure except ECT, I still assume that that’s what’s going on and that I have to quickly to prevent it. When I finally got an EEG to try to rule out epileptiform activity it came back normal with no epileptiform activity, but admittedly, I was on a low dose of 300 mg of lithium (an anti-epileptic) because it seemed to help the headaches I was having at the time so I’d like to discuss whether that could’ve thrown the test with a medical provider.
I stay in dark rooms and get motion sick from the motion of tree shadows coming through the window (the intermittence of tree shadows and sunlight driving is my main photophobia trigger driving), screens in general, especially TV flashes on the walls. I’ve been unable to comply with CPAP therapy due to it making my wooishng tinnitus worse and me waking with a jerk right as I’m falling sleep, but I’m going to try harder to push through the waking reactions despite needing Seroquel nightly for sleep. I was already facing functional or total disability because of the Bipolar but now hopefully Chiari is some of the picture and I can regain some function. Phone calls, Zoom, especially speaker phone are difficult too. Because of pitch-dependent noise sensitivity. Car motors and other repetitive and high-pitched sounds are also instant triggers. At the peak, was having bad phonophobia with onset of panic and weakness that felt like a blood sugar crash when planes and big trucks would pass, and only after hearing them consciously after the initial reaction did I understand what was going on.
I’m coming to the end of a course of physical therapy (with an emphasis on longer-term posture correction) with dry needling that definitely helped, and the one night that I was able to sleep with the CPAP seem to clear up a lot of the headache symptoms and some of the photophobia as well. The sudden onset of the photophobia has me concerned and I don’t want it to be permanent or worsen and I’d like to drive again. Also off of all meds, including psych meds because everything seems to cause me this silent headache, which is basically overwhelm and worse, severe dissociation (Lithium and Depakote did this, to my recollection, though they initially helped pain when I had that and I only tried a crumb—as is now typical—of Topamax with the same result of severe dissociation and panic. Admittedly, my problems with these panic attacks started when I had too much cannabis one time without prior experience but now Chiari seems to be a complicating factor and it’s hard to know whether ICP and Chiari stuff or panic is at work in these reactions definitively, but I also tried Gabapentin recently and it didn’t cause dissociation just some calm with a reduction of muscle pain but an increase in Chiari symptoms on at least one occasion besides messing up the functioning of my sleep meds). I was adjusting my meds pretty frequently at one point and suspected them in the photophobia for a long time as well, but I’ve been off of all meds for probably four months now. I also have visual snow and nystagmus at night, when reading and I just catch it general when I’m outside—my eyes don’t know what to focus on and jump around and are taking longer to focus the last several days.
I’m trying to get a neurosurgery appointment with Dr. Judy Huang at John Hopkins, besides trying to get CPAP to work and I’m curious about mild traction. It seems to help me when done rightly, but I know there are conflicting reports here about it and that it’s pretty individualized. Sometimes when therapies I try seem to be going poorly, perhaps I quit it too soon, but sometimes I gaslight myself and tell myself to try harder and push through bad reactions. There’s only so much I can do about severe dissociation and panic attacks and no one around me gets it but thankfully, my providers are fairly understanding.
There’s definitely a strong positional component to symptoms. I’m normally intracranially hypertensive but tried Prilosec in two cases and a pinch of baking soda in water in others and they send things hypotensive, likely due to poor flow. Drinking water and using the restroom both seem to instantly affect pressure in head too so it seems to very much be Chiari. I don’t know my tolerance or the merits of trying other migraine medications and treatment, for example. Ibuprofen helps as has sipping caffeine, though it’s a mania trigger. I’ve also tried eye drops, glasses, biofeedback and neurofeedback for headaches as well as specialized glasses for light sensitivity and I think I’ve ruled out green light therapy with a dimmer at this point having tried it, but I understand there may be some more specialized eye exams to try. I know I have Chiari and had mild photophobia but then it got worse very quickly. Don’t know if adjusting meds or NUCCA adjustment or other traction, exercises or poor posture were to blame or this is just the progression of Chiari or the onset of a migraine component alongside all these symptoms above which are largely new. Differential diagnosis between Chiari and migraine seems to be a special challenge. CPAP and rolling my neck seemed to also help my debilitating OCD but lately rolling my neck has become irritating. I also have worsening brain fog which I forgot to mention until the very end.
Thanks for listening to the rant.
Please weigh in if it connects with your experience!
TL;DR Tried chiropractic, including NUCCA over the years and have since discontinued due to onset of photophobia after NUCCA. Did physical therapy with dry needling, tried soft collar, CPAP (still trying to get it to work—helped the one time I could sleep with it, biofeedback, neurofeedback, eyeglasses and eyedrops for photophobia which is my main concern for which I’m seeking consultation for surgery (it’s so bad, I often wear sunglasses indoors and have cover my eyes totally by hand—even stray light through a thick eye shade is an instant trigger) but what else should I try?

Hi All!
I am 36 y/o female 130 lbs and 5'4". I recently had and ultrasound done that showed my gallbladder being distended 9cm and a common bile duct dilation. I have constant dull paim/tenderness in my mid right abdomen that has been going on for quite some time now that never goes away. As of today I have had a constant headache, upper back and neck pain as well as slight off and on nausea all day. I have an appointment coming up at the end of this week with a GI doctor. What I am wondering is if this is something that could possibly be an emergency or can it wait almost a week for me to see and speak with the doctor?

I think I just need to vent this somewhere.
I have dinner plans tonight with a group of women, most from an online group and a couple I’ve met in person.
I feel sick to my stomach about going and on top of that, I have some symptoms lingering from a recent concussion and now I’m stressing and fearing these symptoms are something else or worse.
I don’t drive (because of multiple concussions) so I would drive to the restaurant with one of them. That really freaks me out too since I feel a huge loss of control, I do feel safe with the arrangement.
I don’t know if I should cancel and rest and take care of my physical symptoms or push through the discomfort and pain and try and go.
It’s very far from my town and I can’t Uber back home so I would be stuck there even if my symptoms worsen. Currently I still get headaches, dizziness and nausea from the concussion and I have extreme nerve pain on my left side, specifically neck and ear (these are the symptoms I’m also stressing about).
I’ve written out all my worries and countered them with solutions but I still feel I overwhelmed.
I used to be a social person until I immigrated 8 years ago and I’ve struggled to make friends in the new country ever since so I rarely see anyone but my partner and mostly only leave the house for medical appointments. (I’ve had an unfortunate 5 years filled with 3 accidents and also have a bunch of illnesses that makes life in general more painful and difficult for me.)
I desire more than anything to be social and build a larger group of friends but I’m so scared if I go out the loud area might damage the ear that’s already in a lot of pain and not sure if it’s more than just nerve pain or I’ll have a panic attack or get a migraine and be stuck in an unfamiliar place. (There’s no taxi services to my town so I’m reliant on the other person when they leave or my partner to get me but my partner is working a double shift)
I’m also not sure if the physical symptoms are just that or if the anxiety is making it way worse than it is.
TLDR: extremely anxious about going out tonight and also feel physically sick, and I really want to build a social circle but too scared to go

Background:
29/F
I’ve had PCOS for 12 years now, my periods were inconsistent, sometimes a year or more would go by before getting one.
Jan 1st 2024, I decided to go on the AIP diet, I have Hashimoto’s as well. Since then I’ve lost between 15-20lbs. I had a regular period January, February and March. I was supposed to get my period the last couple days of April. It didn’t happen.
From the end of April to Today (I finally started my period today), these were my symptoms
*Bloated *Constipation *Diarrhea *Feeling hot constantly, not like a hot flash *Headache *Intense joint/muscle pain *Cramping *Depression *Anxiety *Random crying *Feeling on edge *Mood swings-short tempered. *Nausea *Tender breast *Brain fog *Slow reaction time
It was horrible, I have had cramping in the past, bloated and being irritable. But this was a whole new level. I had to leave work early yesterday from the muscle/joint pain. In the world of PCOS is this normal? Could it be PMDD?
Ty.

Around Thanksgiving last year, my 22 year old daughter Izzy started complaining about her back hurting. We just assumed she pulled a muscle or had a pinched nerve. After a couple weeks, the pain seemed to be getting worse. She went to urgent care on a Friday and they confirmed she probably had a pinched nerve. They gave her some meds. That following Monday (Dec. 18) she was in a lot of pain, so I rushed her to the hospital. It was her back and her left arm now bothering her. They blew her off and said that she was fine. I insisted that she get an MRI or cat scan done. Finally at my request they did a cat scan on her back and said they didn't see anything wrong. They said it's probably a pinched nerve, gave her more meds and sent us home.
The week of Christmas everything changed. She woke up each night covered in sweat. On the 28th, her heart was beating fast, she was extremely pale, and had two knots appear on the left side of her neck and one under her left underarm. I brought her to a different hospital.
When we got to the ER, they immediately took her to a room. Her vitals were extremely high (170 heart rate) from the pain she was in. They were considering that she could have meningitis or mono. They wanted to get tests ran right away. They admitted her, and did a spinal tap and MRI. 2 days later (Saturday) the doc said they found a large tumor on her spine. Can't say if it's cancer yet, she would need a biopsy first. They informed us that she would be moved that day to their sister hospital that specializes in cancer.
When we arrived, she was put on the neurology ward in a regular room. They immediately put her on a lot of meds. She was on so many pain drugs, (Oxy, Dilaudid, muscle relaxers, Morphine, Xanax, etc.) that I kept asking, "Is this end of life? Can she overdose from all these drugs?" They would respond with, "no, it's just to keep her comfortable and we're trying to get her heart rate down." On New years day they gave her Ativan. She responded horribly to it. It was a rough day. She was hallucinating and freaking out all day and night. The next day she told them to NEVER give her that again. They told her when we first arrived that anything she didn't want to take, they would respect and not put it in her charts to receive. They would put it under allergies. We assumed they would do so as they said they would.
They finally did the biopsy on Wednesday the 3rd. When she came back from surgery, she wouldn't wake up. She slept all day Wednesday and most of Thursday. I was really concerned.They kept adding more pain meds to her chart. I again was scared she would forget to breathe. That night she wasn't breathing properly and her vitals were going down. She had to be rushed to NeuroICU. They got her stable and explained it was from all the different drugs. They explained that it's trial and error. They're trying to figure out what works for her and they decided to put her on a drip line of Dilaudid. They still gave her other drugs but Dilaudid seemed to help her pain somewhat. They also said she had a spot on her lungs what looked like pneumonia starting.
All week she was constantly telling us that she was losing feeling in her legs and her left arm. By Saturday of that week she was paralyzed. They finally took her for an MRI and saw that the tumor had spread up and down her spine and to her ovaries, and it was stealing her blood supply. She would need emergency surgery asap. They of course came to explain what was happening and the surgeon informed me that Ativan would be used during surgery. I immediately told him no, and that she is allergic to it and it was supposed to be on her allergy list. I explained to him what happened when she received it before. On Sunday they rushed her into surgery and cut the blood supply to the tumor. It was too dangerous to try and remove any of the tumor. They didn't know if the paralysis was permanent, but they were hopeful that the surgery would work. It didn't we would later find out.
When she returned from surgery, she was out of control. She was violent and cursing at me. In 22 years I had never heard her curse, but she was fluent! She was hallucinating bad and kept freaking out. It was scary to watch. They decided to give her some meds to make her to sleep, to help her heal. For 2 straight days my baby screamed blood curdling screams, she would cry out "mommy, mommy" while she slept. She screamed so much and so loud that anyone in ear shot were questioning what was going on. It was heartbreaking to witness. I thought she was having a bad reaction to the anesthesia. I later found out that they were giving her Ativan anyway. They NEVER put it in her chart as an allergy the week before, and the doctor disregarded what I said about not giving her that. They had other options they could have used but he still chose to do what he wanted. I only found out because the nurse mentioned that she would be right back with her Ativan. The nurse had no knowledge that my daughter refused that medication previously. I informed her not to give that drug to her. She went and spoke with the attending physician who changed it to haldol and ketemine. That was Monday night. By Wednesday she finally calmed down from screaming, so they decided to try and wake her up.
When she woke up she could no longer speak properly, use her left arm, or move her legs. Her fingers and toes were turning black. They said it was from a certain med she was on. That it's normal. A lay person could see something was horribly wrong.
Everyday we would see up to 30 doctors. I say we, because I never left her side. One would say one thing while another would say something else. It was confusing and scary. We still didn't have a diagnosis. We just knew she had cancer. They suspected stage 4 but couldn't say until pathology came back. It was traumatic and a nightmare. It went from a diagnosis of a pinched nerve to stage 4 cancer in a matter of a week. WTF?
We finally got the diagnosis on Tuesday the 9th.. Stage 4 anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Very rare and aggressive. They said they were starting chemo immediately. They gave her the first dose that Wednesday night. We had hope. It was a rollercoaster of terror, but the doctors kept saying that she could beat this. I googled everything I could and prayed for a miracle. It's always been my girl and I, so I was desperate for her to live through this. She wasn't just my daughter, she was literally my everything.
By week 2, she needed blood on a daily basis. She couldn't eat or drink. She couldn't relieve herself. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak clearly to explain her needs or wants. Her breathing was shallow. Her vitals were not normal. They would go down and then jump extremely high. She was so out of it, that they had to come to me concerning everything. Her oxygen was dropping significantly and they had to keep changing out the masks and oxygen levels to help her breathe. They kept changing her meds and she had multiple complications from that. They couldn't find any good spots on her arms to put her IVs anymore, and her legs were so swollen that they couldn't locate a useable spot anywhere. They put it on her right side of the neck. During all this she had multiple medical emergencies. One example is they said that spot on her lungs wasn't pneumonia but they now suspected a small blood clot. That medicine she was given would hopefully help, the only problem was that medication was causing problems for her back surgery. A few days later we found out it was blood and it was completely filled up in her chest. She was drowning in her own blood. They couldn't do surgery right away because she would bleed out since her platelets were so low even while receiving blood transfusions. That blood was somehow going into her lungs. I was floored. Everyday I would ask about it and I was told it was getting better, nothing to worry about. In fact the doctor said that very morning it had cleared up significantly. Imagine my shock when the critical team comes rushing in that evening to do ultrasounds on her and tells me they suspect it's why her breathing was going downhill.
On Monday she was transferred to a MICU room on a different floor. This floor felt uneasy to me. There was death all around and you could see it. They said that this floor was where her main doctors were, so that she would get the best care. Now they introduce fentanyl to her med regimen. They explained it that it would help with her pain. She would be allowed so much every hour if needed.
The next day they decided to do the surgery to put a tube in her chest to drain the blood. She now had an extremely dangerous back surgery, staples running up her entire back with tubes, a huge scar under her arm from the biopsy with tubes, and now a huge tube coming out her chest. Her fingers and toes at this point were in a stage of necropsy. But they couldn't do anything about it. They would just have to fall off in time. It was devastating. My daughter was a trooper through out this whole time. She never complained or was negative. She was just scared when she understood what was going on. Honestly I've never seen so much courage in my life.
When it came to her pain meds she was only on fentanyl and Dilaudid drip. She would only receive it when she asked. That was her rule. She was scared she would overdose or become hooked on it and didn't want that monster on her back. She would be in so much pain but would just sit through it. Her vitals were better, but when the pain would become to much to bare, her heart rate would go into the 150 to 170 range. As soon as she got some meds it would go down to the teens to low twenty's.
On Thursday night she had a new nurse. He would administer pain meds even when she didn't request it. I saw him give her shot when she was sleeping. I walked in on him. I asked him if she requested it as I saw she was asleep and he said no. He stated he was trying to keep her comfortable. I asked him not to unless she asks. He didn't listen.Throughout the night as we slept, he would give her meds that she didn't even need. He gave her haldol. She only received that for two days after her back surgery. No one had given her that since. He would give her a shot of fentanyl behind it. I later found this out while talking with her doctors and from her records.
That Friday morning she started having these weird episodes, what later looked like seizures to me. Her vitals would drop and she would go into a deep stare. They blamed the meds. It was constant apologies for her being over medicated again. Even the doctor didn't understand why he gave her so much.She had 4 separate episodes before they (at my constant request) sent her to get a MRI done.
She had a blood clot in her brain. Again they said nothing to worry about. But after experiencing what we went through already, I was highly concerned. As I should have been. They kept apologizing and said they would change her medication up again. I told them it wasn't the medicine it was the nurse. I couldn't understand why he would give her two doses of haldol when she didn't need it. The nurse said my daughter was anxious and thought it would help. My daughter was sleeping so how could she have been anxious. I went off. Something in my spirit was telling me to get her out of there. But how could I when she was hooked up to all these tubes. She was suffering and I couldn't help her. The only thing I could do was use my voice to try and protect her and be her advocate. The next day Jan. 20th, I woke up after a couple hours of sleep, and I knew something was wrong. She was awake and trying to talk. Her vitals were back at a steady 170 with high blood pressure and a low oxygen number so I knew she was in pain. I could feel it in every bone of my body something was different that day. I felt my baby didn't have long as I thought cancer was winning. I called all of our family to come see her. I can't explain it. At one point I pulled one of her doctors out of her room and begged him to tell me what was happening. Shoot it to me straight. He kept saying she's always been critical but she would pull through. He had so much hope.
They gave her some meds to help bring her vitals down and it started to work again. Her vitals started going from 160 to 150. At this point she was having a brain scan done in her room to see what the episodes were exactly. She was awake but could no longer move from her neck down. Which had just started the 2 days before. She had a blood infection and they had to move the pic line from the right side of her neck to the left side but we're unsuccessful because she had obstructions there (2 huge tumors) They had to put the new line back on the right side in the back of the neck. I don't know what happened since I wasn't allowed in the room. I do know my daughter said after they finished, she wasn't able to feel anything but her face. She never turned her head again.
During that day she kept having flem and spit from the congestion she had due to the chest infection and surgery. I would sit there and suck it out for her. No problem, I had been doing it for days with no complaints on my end. The doctors were coming in and out constantly all day to check her brain test and at one point the doctor seeing me and my nephew take shifts suctioning her out said he wanted to try a new medicine she had never received. My daughters nurse interrupted him and said that she didn't think that it was a good idea. They went back and forth for a few minutes and I stepped in and said, it was fine, I would sit there and suction out forever if I had to. Something felt different in this exchange as well. In all of 24 days of being in the hospital, I never saw a nurse challenge a doctor. I immediately went to the computer, where the nurse had typed in the order for this drug, and googled it. The first thing that popped up, was not to give this drug to someone with high blood pressure or high heart rate. It causes a person's heart rate to shoot up high quickly. It was too late. They already administered it to her. Since her heart rate was already high it caused her to go into cardiac arrest. I just stood there in shock screaming is she in cardiac arrest? To which the doctor finally responded "I'm sorry, yes"
They ushered me and my nephew out of the room so they could work on her. After about 30 minutes they called my phone and told me she flatlined but they got her heart beating again. I went flying back in that room screaming at them. I refused to leave the room. She was now on life support, but there was no hope for her to ever wake up again. After consulting with my family and her doctors, and looking at where her vitals were, I decided to pull the plug. She passed within seconds. I feel like the doctor should have listened to the nurse, but his ego would not allow him to. I feel like he's somehow responsible, but at the same time I saw what was happening to her on a daily basis and what cancer was doing to her body. I also witnessed a lot of negligence too on their part. I've been going back and forth since January 20th, about contacting an attorney and seeing if I have a case. I requested an autopsy to be performed, because I wanted to know what all was wrong with her. They informed me they normally don't do that because of the cancer. I argued with them and said I wanted one anyway. I wanted to know what happened. I was trying to understand this whole situation. 25 days prior it was just supposed to be a pinched nerve, but it wasn't. They explained I would have to pay for the autopsy, and I was okay with that. The next day after she passed away, I received the phone call to give my permission for an autopsy. They said it would take a couple days and would let me know when it was finished so the funeral home could pick up her body.
I've been calling for months about the autopsy report with no luck. Here we are in May, I go to the hospital to get the autopsy results and it's all of five pages. It's not even an autopsy report. It doesn't even state her cause of death. It's just bullshit paperwork. All it mentions is the necropsy to her fingers and toes and her basic info like height and weight. I'm so angry right now. I have her medical records, and I noticed on the 19th of January they finally put she was allergic to Ativan. There's a lot wrong with this situation. I even asked for a CD of all her images, from pathology. What I received only two images come up. Everything else is blocked from opening. I know my daughter took multiple MRIs, ultrasounds,and CAT scans in those three and a half weeks. There's no way it's only two images.
I counted all the times the nurse gave my daughter pain meds that Thursday night and it was double what any other nurse had given her at any other time plus with other drugs she didn't need at that time. I found out that haldol and fentanyl is something they give to patients that's in end of life care. Which I was constantly told my daughter was not. Her death certificate states she passed from lymphoma related cardiac arrest. I'm just so confused on what to do. I feel like I'm letting my daughter down if I don't look into this further.
I'm sorry this a novel. I couldn't just ask a simple question with out the back story for you to understand. It was so much more believe me, this was the short version!
Do I have a case or should I just move on and accept my daughter died from cancer related complications? Thank you....

Hi guys, i went to the gym for the first time around 6-7 days ago. It was some experience(genuinely felt like a headless chicken and out of place lol) even though i was sore as hell afterwards for 3-4 days.
my question is as someone who is overweight (84kg and 167cm tall and i think bare minimum muscle) is it adviced to take creatine as a supplement? I know that my aim weight will be around 60kg over the course of this year (Not sure if thats reasonable).
and a question about soreness i understand that its normal but i want to take this very serious, but the day after the gym i even had ached in my arm when trying to lift it to put on my coat. is this normal? and if so do i just go to the gym the next day again and lift, im not sure if i can do the same output.
i also want to apologize for my writing my english isnt first language and i have autism so my structuring might be painful for you guys too read. <3 thanks for anybody answering in advance i would appreciate it alot eevn if u can answer a bit.