Fungal rash on nose

Long story…I can answer any questions but I don’t have the energy to even type everything🤔. I’ll post some pics or a video if I can and hopefully someone can identify…been dealing with SO MANY issues I’ve never dealt with in my life. I started expelling these after all the herbal protocols and oils, pinworm prescription for 3mg ivermectin and pairing it with Reese’s pinworm banana shot…in my nose, lips , nails, etc…seemed to also be fungal and Candida/biofilm stuff. Been doing enemas with tons of ingredients that thin out and pull the stuck things out. Just started passing what I assume to be flukes but have no idea about the worms this is so embarrassing and I keep trying to not give up…I’m so done you guys.. - the biggest things and worms were taken recently, smaller ones happened over the months, I do have pets and believe it started from my feet as I get “athletes foot “ and the symptoms just worsen. -spreading rashes, sores or weird marks, scar tissue inflaming, etc.,

I truly wouldn’t wish this on my own worst enemy and I don’t even have any enemies. My child is going to graduate HS next month and I can’t even bear to go, because I know my oder is going to be a distraction.(and that’s not including the immense anxiety I developed with this) I just know I’m breaking his heart and it’s breaking mines in return. I had to quit my job, because I literally had to hype myself up to get on public transportation. Then wasted money on cabs home. I’m in debt and on the verge of eviction, because I can’t get a wfh job to save my life even though I’m qualified. I’ve tried sports betting and I’m embarrassed to say how much money I’ve lost doing that.
My BB story is different than others on here. My situation did not start until about six years ago.I started getting extreme heartburn, and would vomit everyday after every meal no matter what I ate. I was in and out of different doctor’s offices everyday. After about four months I was diagnosed with H pylori and gerd, around this time I also found out I had an immuneefficiency disorder(which made sense because I’m always sick, even as a child) I was prescribed AMX, MET, multivitamins and iron to help with the immunity. The meds honestly did not feel like they were working. About two months after that I lost my mother(who had no life insurance, plz y’all get life insurance) abruptly and had to take on the responsibility of raising my little sister on top of being a single father to my own child. All of that put me in a downward spiral of anxiety and depression, so I turned to weed to help numb some of my pain. I then lost my job four months before the pandemic started. Thank goodness I had some money saved and unemployment was approved. A year later I found a job and stopped smoking, but I started to hear whispers around the office about me having bb 5 months in, I assumed it was because I still was experiencing GERD. At this point chewing a piece of gum every few hours was saving me. Three months after that I contracted three bacterial infections(from tacobell) and was on three different antibiotics to help cure that. I lost that job because I literally could not move out of bathroom. A few months later I was able to get another job at the start of the following year, but was already extremely paranoid about my bb. After nine months there I was finally told my breath does in fact smell from here to there, but not all the time. I took a short leave of absence to try and resolve the issue. I completely changed my diet to vegan and started taking apple cider gummies, also come to find out I’m allergic to something in the multivitamins. After my month was up I completely lost confidence in myself, because I knew I still had bb. I truly tried my best to work through it because I had mouths to feed. On New Year’s day 2023 I became sick with Covid for the first time. That’s when everything changed. My bb became room filling to the point where I could hear ppl coughing and sneezing, and see them covering their noses, because of this horrid smell emitting from my body. I was able to take another loa, because my boss over heard me tell my sister I was going to kms. I went to a IG and had an upper endoscopy done. “Everything was fine” and he could not smell anything. I want to a dentist(Dr. Fox) that claimed he specialized in bad breath disorders and could cure me after paying $3500 it failed. So here we are now a year later trying hundreds of different probiotics, anti fungal, toothpaste, mouthwashes, tongue scrapers. Just scraping by, broke, jobless and almost homeless. What a life!

Hello all. FTM to an almost 4 month old baby boy. I am waiting on a call back from the pediatrician but figured I would post here to see if I’m overreacting 🫠
Baby was born a month early. Since he’s been born he’s had pretty bad congestion on and off. A couple weeks after he was born he ended up in the hospital with bronchiolitis.
I reached out to the doctor last week because it was getting worse when he wakes up and he sounds like he’s sniffling a lot and seems like there’s a lot in his nose but when I look I don’t see anything so assuming more in the chest. They saw him and he tested negative for Covid, Flu and RSV and they said probably just a cold.
Cut to today. The congestion is just getting worse, he is coughing a good amount, doesn’t seem to have a fever but feels slightly sweaty, sneezing and has been having diarrhea minus one diaper that had one solid part and the rest liquid yesterday and his voice sounds a little hoarse and he cries some when he coughs. He also has a minor diaper rash.
We have a humidifier going 24/7, took him in the steamy bathroom, gave him a warm bath and put baby Vicks on his feet and chest. He just is fussy and miserable.
The one good thing is he still has the same appetite and is eating 5.5-6 oz of formula every 3-3.5 hours but he is needing to take a lot of breaks to catch his breath.
Could this just be a cold running its course? Is there anything that can be done to help break up chest congestion besides what I’ve been doing? Am I just worrying for nothing? It’s so hard because I wish he could just tell me what’s wrong.

About 4 weeks after I had my son (giant 12 pounder via c section) I had a really hot shower and became flushed on cheeks.
Persistent- never not there it’s NEVER GONE AWAY. Not for an hour a minute nothing always there
I can manage it by keeping core temperature down but that’s about it. It gets worse or better throughout the day I can’t really tell why. Possibly worse in morning from being warm during bedtime.
I didn’t get my period until 8 weeks and after being on progesterone for several days . It was light and I dunno maybe not even a period. .
Wondering if anyone has ever experienced this? Persistent dry flushing no sweating just never goes away on my HEAD CHEST FOREHEAD CHEEKS SHOULDERS BACK OF NECK CHEEKS NOSE.
Doesn’t look like a rash doesn’t itch doesn’t feel like anything except hot to touch red all over face.
I’m going crazy with the heat. It gives me anxiety which in turn increases my core temperature and makes me more flushed lol
Every doctor I’ve seen now (3 including a functional health doctor) has done TONS of tests for different things and falls back to thinking it’s hormone related because it’s persistent
I am doing MCAS and HIT testing that’s available (Jesus expensive pee test) my functional doctor has suspected HIT for awhile and I take DAO and I’m on amitriptyline at night for postpartum depression and neither have helped flushing. Pepcid doesn’t either.
But wanted to hear if anyone else has experienced or if maybe it really is my hormones out of whack (I know related)

Hello,
I could really use some advice, because I’m not too sure what to do at this point in treatment and feeling a bit hopeless.
Quick backstory, I’m a 23 M about 175 pounds. My acne was never bad, but I suffered from constant whiteheads, inflammed bumps, and the occasional cyst since 15. I truly fit the “recurrent and unresponsive to other treatments” reason for prescribing Accutane. I started in December 2023 and dosage (mg) to date has been 40:60:80:80:80:60. The drop from 80 to 60 is why I’m posting.
The Accutane worked instantly at 40; within a week all my acne disappeared and I didn’t get another pimple until halfway through 60. It was magical. Of course I had dry skin, lips, eyes, but nothing even close to outweighing the benefits or what I had heard from others’ experiences. First month on 80 was when everything changed. I got 3 cysts in a matter of a month, facial skin got extremely dry, rashes on hands and arms, skin started peeling off toes and bleeding (especially when working out), back pain, nose bleeds, beard hairs/follicles bleeding etc — the works. I kept pushing but eventually enough was enough and I reached out to my dermatologist who prescribed me a month of Prednisone. I had never taken a steroid in my life up to that point, but instantly 95% of the side effects subsided and all inflammation from the cysts disappeared.
Fast forward to last month, I ran out of my Prednisone and most side effects came back, and even more intense. But to my surprise, after my first time shaving my beard (I use straight razor, 2 blade, shaving cream, with grain, once weekly) I got the worst razor burn and bumps. I tried OTC Hydrocortisone and Aloe, but it didn’t work. I gave it a week, but no relief. I reached out to my dermatologist who prescribed Triamcinolone Acetate (topical steroid cream). Again, weeks of application and some relief, but still noticeable irritation.
What’s bothering me now, is my beard is so painful. I try to let it grow and not touch it, and it’s almost as if Eczema is occurring underneath and the beard hairs feel like needles; but if I do shave, the “Eczema” subsides but the bumps become more obvious (pictures 24 hours ago).
I feel like a shell of myself. My acne is flawless. I haven’t had a pimple in months and it’s obvious the medicine has done a fantastic job.. but possibly too well.
Any advice? I plan to reach out to my dermatologist tomorrow. I want to quit the Accutane early, but I’m scared of relapsing. I’m tracked for 9 months and have almost completed 6. The decrease to 60 was my request, and I don’t know when/if I’ll see a difference in the side effects. I can handle almost all the side effects throw my way so far, but the beard crossed the line.

Killer Grips: Anne Maria, Brick, Jasmine, Justin, Millie
Screaming Gaffers: Chase, Izzy, MK, Ripper, Scott
Episode 8: One Flu Over the Cuckoos
"Last time, on Total Drama Action! Imprisoned in a world they didn't create. Forced to ingest deadly foods, and even to taste them twice!"
"Nonetheless, the two courageous teams clawed their way to freedom! And... a lonely Chef made a new friend."
"But prison is no place for law abiding citizens. Even athletic ones. So at the end of the day, it was goodbye, Sky, hello... Izzy?" The camera panned back to show Chris lounging in the control tent. "Yeah. Izzy. That girl is eight shades of nutty. Will she drive everyone else crazy too?"
The scene flashed to a close-up of Chris standing in front of the cast trailers, the camera pulling back with each word of the show's title. "Find out now, on Total! Drama! Action!"
(Theme Song)
The scene faded in to a shot of an owl hooting on a tree branch at night until a few sparks erupted from it and its head popped off on a spring. The camera panned down and to the left, catching the castmates as they made their way back to their trailers; the Gaffers were in front, and the Grips were in the back, though Brick was noticeably absent.
“Everything is so much smaller than I remembered!” Izzy said while looking around.
"I can't believe that you guys eliminated Sky," Chase said as the camera focused on the Gaffers. "She would have continued to help carry us to victory if she was still here."
“I remember that bush! I remember that tree!” Izzy continued to observe her surroundings until she tripped onto the floor, only to get back up. “Oh, I remember that rock! Hey rock!”
“You know,” Scott spoke up, “with Sky gone and Izzy being back, it's like we didn't lose a player.”
“That may be because the teams are still evenly matched,” MK claimed.
"Good night everybody," Millie told the contestants in a tired tone as she took the steps up to the girls' trailer. "I really need to get some rest." She grabbed the door handle and habitually moved to open it, but it didn't budge and she slammed face-first into it.
"First they lock us in," Ripper said as the camera cut over to him pulling on the door handle of the guys' trailer, "and now they're locking us out!" He grunted as he kept trying to open it, but he failed to move it at all.
"Wait, wait," Izzy said from off-screen, "let me try it!" Ripper quickly stepped aside just as Izzy rammed the door and bounced off of it without making a dent.
A loud siren started up as tense music began to play in the background.
“Cops!!!” Izzy panicked soon after getting up and ducked out of the way.
Seconds later, an ambulance drove past, stopping in front of them just long enough for the back doors to open and a covered stretcher to fall out. Siren still blaring, the ambulance drove off and the castmates hesitantly approached its former cargo.
"What is that? A dead body?" Anne Maria asked nervously.
"Or an undead body," Ripper guessed.
Whatever was on the stretcher sat up, and the cover fell away to reveal Chris McLean lying on a colorful stack of books. The castmates gasped and murmured at the dazed-looking host. "...Boo!" the handsome man said suddenly, earning a blank look from MK.
The host then cleared his throat. "Calm yourselves. No one's dead yet," he said with a smile, holding up one of the books. "I'm here to prep you plucky ducks for our most awesome challenge yet! These textbooks hold the sum total of eight years of med school, and each one of you gets one," he explained before tossing the book in his hand to Anne Maria who raised an eyebrow once she caught it, "cause tomorrow, we're gonna play Doctor!" A few deep and tense notes played as Anne Maria rolled her eyes.
Confessional: Anne Maria
"I don't have anything against doctors," Anne Maria confessed. "It is their job to put scalpers and needles onto people, and give advice like “Don't break your leg because you were out late skateboarding,” but playing doctor isn't really in my wheelhouse.”
Confessional: Brick
"If I wanted to, I could be a doctor," Brick explained to the camera. "I've been to the doctor's office countless times because of my many injuries, like a twisted wrist, a joint thumb, bruised ribs, or even my leg getting bit by a dog." He shuddered. “Don't ask. But the military is my top priority.”
Confessionals End
"To win this challenge," Chris said as the footage cut back to him and the castmates, each of whom now held a textbook, "you're gonna want to memorize the entire contents of these textbooks. By morning."
"But it's already late," Millie protested.
"You got that right," Chris answered as a golf cart drove up with a giant pizza slice on the roof and a large stack of pizza boxes in the back. The driver was Chef, who had a pizza delivery hat on. As soon as the cart stopped, Chef got out and carried the comically large stack of pizzas over to Chase. "What med school all-nighter would be complete without pizza?" Chris asked.
Chase was shown dropping his textbook as he accepted the stack in awe, and a harp played in the background as he and Izzy gave it a sniff. He let out an approving sigh as Izzy smiled happily. "Pizza," the daredevil said.
"This has to be a trick," Millie said.
"More like method acting," Chris told them as he walked over to the golf cart and hopped onto the back. "Med school interns consume 850% more pizza than the average human. So, dig in! Cause there's plenty more where that came from!" The cart sputtered away, leaving the castmates by themselves.
Jasmine opened the top box and took out a slice. "Looks okay, smells okay," she said before finally taking a bite. "Tastes...great!"
"How is that even possible?" Anne Maria asked.
The scene flashed over to an unfinished pizza getting tossed into the air, the camera following it as it fell into Brick's hands. The table he was standing at already had four other pizzas on it, and they looked to be complete.
The camera panned right over to Chef with four cooked pizzas at his table as he held a can of parmesan. "Keep 'em comin'," Chef ordered. "I'll add the final cheesy touch," he said deviously while sprinkling the can on one of the pizzas.
"I'm pretty sure my team is going to question where I am," Brick complained.
"Not as long as they're eating, they won't!" Chef got up in Brick's face. "So hush up and spin that dough. Spin like the wind." As Chef went back to his station, the camera zoomed in on Brick's worried face.
The scene flashed to the five Gaffers sitting in chairs by a fire in front of the cast trailers, eating pizza and reading textbooks. The camera focused in on Izzy and Ripper, who were in the two leftmost seats.
"Y'know," Ripper said, "one time me and my brothers ordered ten boxes of pizza in order to see who can eat the most without using their hands." He chuckled. “You should've been there watching us splatter sauce on each other.”
“Let's pretend I was!” Izzy tossed away her book. “Here!” She sprung off her chair, landed next to the pizza box in front of the team, and began to scarf on the pizza without using her hands.
“My three brothers would be jealous to see you do this quicker than them,” Ripper commented.
Grabbing a pizza with her teeth, Izzy started to shake it around like a rabid animal, splattering sauce onto everybody.
“My hat!” MK exclaimed.
“My shirt!” Scott shouted.
“My pizza!” Chase cried out dramatically.
Confessional: Izzy
“I am so glad to be back,” Izzy said. “I was top of my pre-med class before the RCMP started chasing me, so this should be a snap! On the other hand, I'll tone down my impressions since it bothered Ripper the last time I was here, and he's my friend so I'll try to put his feelings into consideration.”
Confessional: Ripper
“It's amazing that Izzy is back in the game, and unlike the first time it happened, I'm around to witness it,” Ripper chimed. “She better not make us call her E-Scope though. That was really bugging me out.”
Confessionals End
The scene moved to the inside of the craft services tent, where four of the Killer Grips were studying at one of the tables. Millie and Anne Maria were on one side of the table, with Justin opposite them and Jasmine standing away from them.
Justin noticed Jasmine's unhappy expression and decided to go over and press the matter. “Is something wrong?” the eye candy asked.
Jasmine was startled by the question and regained her composure. “I'm completely fine. Nothing's bringing me down.”
“Just tell me. I don't blab about secrets,” Justin continued.
“If you must know, Brick's been spending less time with us lately,” Jasmine confessed. “Usually before the challenge, we never even see him.”
“I've noticed as well,” Justin nodded. “And this is bringing you down because?”
“Me and him have a special bond going, and it may lead into something more than that, but how are we supposed to know each other more if he's avoiding us?” Jasmine wondered.
“Brick'll probably explain what's going on to us, but don't badger him,” Justin advised. “It'll most likely cause him to lie.”
“That's a good idea. If there's one thing I do not like, it's when someone is lying to me,” Jasmine admitted.
“Interesting…” Justin mused to himself.
Confessional: Justin
“Jasmine's concern plus Brick's disappearances equals an opportunity for me to cause a little bit of turmoil between them,” Justin calculated. “That way, I could get one of them eliminated with Anne Maria and Millie's help.”
Confessional Ends
"Man, is this pizza delicious or what?" Anne Maria said as she took a bite out of the slice she was holding. "I wish Chef could cook more food like this for us every day."
Jasmine took a bite of her slice and saw Millie focused on reading rather than eating. "Are you not going to nibble at least one slice, Millie?"
Millie looked up from the book she'd been studying and blinked.
Confessional: Millie
"With the challenge that we're going to get, I have to focus on studying all the contexts of that textbook so I won't forget a single detail," Millie told the camera. "And plus, I'm not really a big fan of pizza."
Confessional Ends
A close-up of an open pizza box was shown as Justin reached in to grab one of the last remaining pieces. "If you don't want any pizza, then that means there's more for us," he said.
“Hold on. Brick hasn't had any,” Jasmine interrupted.
"Where is he anyway?" Anne Maria asked.
Brick then peeked out of the counter, and he ducked down, crawled under the table, and popped up in order to act like he just arrived. "Sorry I'm late. I had an urgent bathroom emergency," he said.
"Here's your pizza," Jasmine slid the open box to the end of the table.
Brick picked up a slice, took a bite, and smiled as he chewed it. "My cooking skills are great!"
"I'm stuffed," Anne Maria said as she stood up. "And with tomorrow being a reward challenge and all, I can just go back to my trailer. Good night!" She began to leave.
"I study better when I'm by myself. Nothing personal," Millie told the team and left the tent as well.
Confessional: Jasmine
"I could make them stay," Jasmine said in the make-up trailer, "but there's no point in doing so. Millie is already educated enough to not read the textbook, and Anne Maria is as tough as an untamed crocodile when it comes to talking with her."
Confessional Ends
The scene moved to Anne Maria and Millie as they walked through the film lot to get to their trailer.
"I thought you'd still be studying back at the tent," Anne Maria casted a suspicious look at her teammate. “Why are you following me?”
"I still want to read the textbook. I just want to do it someplace quiet," Millie replied. “What about you?”
“Like I said, I'm going to sleep,” Anne Maria said. “There's no need to give it my all if the challenge won't have an elimination.”
“You may be wrong about that. Chris is very unpredictable when it comes to episodes having eliminations or not,” Millie argued. “Did you at least read some pages of the textbook?”
“Yeah, and I don't want my head to be egg headed like yours is, brainiac,” Anne Maria claimed.
This got a glare from Millie. “Hey, just because I'm smart, doesn't mean I don't have any more depth to me,” the writer scolded.
“If all we're gonna do is argue, then let's keep to ourselves for the rest of the night,” Anne Maria rebutted.
“That's fine by me,” Millie agreed with the tanned girl.
The scene faded forward into a shot of the numbered studios the following day. The camera cut inside, showing the ten castmates lined up in a small room facing a double door, all but Millie and Anne Maria looking exhausted.
"So tired," Jasmine groaned.
"My brain has never been this full," Ripper mumbled.
"You guys should've turned in for the night like I did if you didn't wanna look like zombies," Anne Maria stated, making the others groan at her.
"Morning, competitors!" Chris said in a chipper tone as he slid in through the door. "Or should I say...DOCTORS!" He pulled out a large gun from behind his back, eliciting a gasp from the teens as he pointed it at them. He fired it at them starting with the Gaffers, and the camera focused on Izzy and Scott at the far end of the line as stethoscopes and reflector headband landed on them. Chase, MK, and Ripper were the next to get hit and MK fell to the ground after impact. Brick and Millie followed, then Anne Maria, Jasmine, and Justin.
"Ready for today's big challenge?" Chris asked them with a smile.
“We pulled an all-nighter studying for this," Scott grunted. "Why wouldn't we all be?"
"If only teenagers were as dedicated to their studies as you guys are!" Chris said with a light laugh. "Let's take it inside." He started backing into the room he'd come out of, the castmates following after him.
The camera cut to a close-up of a large compound stage light before zooming out to show the cast assembled in a large room, each team standing by a large green vat of bubbling slime, a ladder leading up to a high dive, and a sort of slanted platform with a person-shaped indent in it.
"Today's challenge is called," Chris said as the background music became low and tense, "Visiting Hours. And only one member of the winning team will get to enjoy the reward." A few drum beats played, and the camera panned over to the Grips on the left.
"Hold up," Anne Maria asked. "Why're we doing this in teams if only one of us gets to win?"
"I guess it's one for all and all for one this time," Jasmine said.
"But who gets to be the one?" Brick wondered aloud.
"Let's leave it to the one who contributes the most," Millie told them.
Confessional: Millie
"Which will likely be me," Millie added in the confessional trailer.
Confessional Ends
"So what is the reward, Chris?" Chase asked.
"You're very perceptive, Chase," Chris told him. "Let's see if that helps you and your team assemble a CADAVER!" A game show jingle played as he made the announcement.
"You're talking about a dead body, right?" Izzy asked.
"No," Chris corrected as the game show jingle played again, "I'm talking about a giant dead body!" The shot zoomed out further than it had before, revealing that the slanted platforms were attached to chains leading up to a reel in the ceiling and two strange devices on mounted either side just below.
"These tanks contain the dismembered parts of two identical cadavers," he explained over an elevator music-like tune. "Each player will climb their respective team ladder, strap on the bungee cord," the shot cut from his close-up to a bungee harness dangling in front of the Gaffers' diving board, "and jump into the tank with hopes of retrieving a body part." The camera panned down to the tank, then over to the slanted platform. "Any parts you find will be snapped in place on the platforms. Use those chains to raise them all the way to the roof," he continued as the camera followed the chain up to the strange device on either side of the gap in the ceiling as a jolt of electricity stream between them, "where they'll be reanimated by a blast of lightning!"
"First team to bring a Franken-Chris back to life wins," the host told them. "First crack goes to the team who can tell me how to treat someone with a bean stuck up their nose." He tapped his nose, and the camera panned over to the Gaffers.
MK was the first to open her mouth. "Administer two ccs of pain meds and probe the affected area with a sterile swab."
"Correctomundo!" Chris said, giving her a pair of finger pistols.
"Yes!" MK cheered.
The footage flashed forward to the AV girl on top of her team's diving board, the bungee harness already secured. She jumped off with a scream and plunged into the vat, popping back up a moment later as she was electrocuted by the electric eel she was now holding. She let the fish go at the peak of her trip back up, and grabbed on to the edge of the diving board. "What the heck was that?!" she asked in shock.
"Oh yeah," Chris said, "I forgot to mention the electric eels. Three zaps for each turn and you're out!"
With a hesitant look on her face, MK allowed herself to drop back into the vat. She emerged holding a grayish and slime-covered leg. "Got it!" she called as the camera cut to Ripper who was standing by the Gaffers' platform with his arms out to catch. He caught the limb, then turned around and fit it into place.
"Okay, next question!" Chris announced. "Your patient has an itchy red inflammation on their butt! Diagnosis?"
"Diaper rash," Brick spoke up first. "Apply salve repeatedly to achieve humectant dispersion."
"Yes!" Chris said, and Brick smiled.
The footage cut forward to him diving off the board and into the vat. He sprung back out holding an eel, and it shocked him. "Sorry!" he said before plunging back down. He came back up a second time, now holding two eels. "Sorry again!" he told them, falling once more after getting shocked. He popped out holding a hand, which he quickly tossed to his team.
"Don't let it touch my hair!" Justin fumbled with the hand a few times before tossing it over to Jasmine, who rolled her eyes and put it in the right-hand slot.
"Next question!" Chris said. "Your patient's got a white tongue, red eyes, and they're oozing gooey crud! Diagnosis?"
"If I'm not wrong, that should be Pinkus Eyeicus," Chase answered. "Treat with two rounds of floppity jibbits."
"Absolutely correct!" Chris told him. The camera zoomed in on him as he slyly added "I messed around with some of the terms in the textbook."
Chase looked down at the vat, then jumped. He fell without a sound, but when he came back up with an eel in each hand, he shrieked and got electrocuted. He plunged back down, and this time came up with another leg. "Hey, I got one this time!" he said with a smile before tossing the limb over to Scott.
Scott jumped for it, then turned around and slammed it into place.
"Smells like ear wax?" Chris asked next, rushing up to Jasmine with a grin on his face.
"Pineapple-itis," Jasmine answered before low-fiving the host.
Jasmine was shown jumping down, and sprung back up to diving board-level seconds later with three eels on her body; she screamed as she was shocked.
"Fur between the toes?" Chris asked, bending down to point at his bare feet, one of which had a tuft of brown hair growing out of it.
"Stick two horse feathers up the whizzbang!" Izzy answered when the host turned to her.
Izzy was shown dropping into the vat and coming back up with a torso and a smile on her face.
A montage of parts getting added was shown next. Millie was first, putting a leg into her team's platform. Second was Chase, slotting one of his team's arms in. Brick added a waist for the Grips, and the clips transitioned to other parts of the challenge.
"Waka-waka two-by-four!" Scott answered.
Anne Maria was shown listening to Chris's chest with her stethoscope before enthusiastically saying "Sissypants McGee!" to the host's brief approval and sudden discomfort.
Ripper was shown trying to strangle one of the eels as it shocked him, then Justin was shown being electrocuted thrice by the eels before eventually holding up a Chris head. He tossed it to Anne Maria, who was sitting on Jasmine's shoulders, and the two turned around to put the piece in – all they were missing now was the left arm and hand.
"The Grips ahead by...a head!" Chris announced, the camera cutting over to the Gaffers' platform and the five teens giving it nervous, annoyed, and uncertain looks – aside from the head, all they were missing was the right arm and hand.
"Alright Gaffers, next question!" the host said as he slid over to the other team. "Your patient's feeling tired, has spongy gums, and a bunch of spots on their thighs. Diagnosis?"
"Scurvy," Ripper said. "Treated with an increase of dietary vitamin C."
"Correct!" Chris announced excitedly.
The footage cut forward, focusing on the Gaffers' vat as Ripper dived into it. He emerged moments later with his team's hand, and threw it over to Izzy who quickly put it into place.
Confessional: Ripper
“I'm not sure if what we studied are actually real life symptoms and diagnoses, but who am I to know?” Ripper shrugged uncaringly. “I'm not one to study for this sort of stuff unless there's a million dollars on the line.”
Confessional Ends
Another skip forward showed Millie plunging into the vat and coming back out with the arm. "Alright, last piece coming your way!" she said excitedly before tossing it to her off-screen teammates.
It was Justin who caught the piece and put it into the only remaining indentation on the platform. "The Grips have their cadaver!" Chris announced in a close-up. "Time to start yanking some chain, and be quick about it 'cause the Gaffers are right behind you!"
Jasmine and Brick began to pull on their team's chain while Anne Maria moved the slanted scaffold out from under the platform and Justin and Millie watched in anticipation as the cadaver-containing platform was rising quickly.
The camera cut over to the Gaffers as Izzy dangled from the bungee harness covered in slime. “I got it! I got it!” She tossed the Chris head over to MK.
MK stopped in front of the platform and drew back her arm, tossing it up to Chase who had climbed the back of the platform in preparation. The daredevil caught it and slotted the part in, then dropped to the ground.
"Now we pull!" MK ordered as Chase joined Ripper and Scott at the chain.
"Heave!" Ripper said as the three started to pull in rhythm. "Ho! Heave!"
"The Gaffers are still in this," Chris told the camera in a close-up. "Whose cadaver will hit the roof first?" he asked with a shrug. "Make sure you come back for all the Total! Drama! Action!" he finished excitedly.
(Commercial Break)

Thank you for all the posts. I went to the doctor and they said it’s shingles. Crazy to hear, but they are giving me antivirals. Said it would have spread around my hip if I didn’t come. Thanks again everyone.
https://postimg.cc/VJvVz03y
https://imgur.com/gallery/s0Yk5ya
29YO M
About a week ago the area with the rash started really hurting / burning. Kept looking for a rash/ reason but nothing was there. 3-4 days ago the rash in the link showed up. Was about half the size at first, but started satelliting off. Next couple of days most of it joined together. It hurts less now that the rash is there, but is still fairly painful. At this point I'm feeling kind of hot and have a stomach bug, not sure if it's related. Having a really bad time and would appreciate any help... Only places I've gone is the gym and work. Couple times I walked outside on a slightly overgrown path. I've tried an anti fungal over the counter and some left over muperacin cream, but nothing is helping.
No meds
Other demographics per requirement. 6ft tall. 180, in shape. (I did recently gain weight intentionally and things aren’t fitting as well). I do not smoke or do drugs.
Edited to make link work, had some trouble but works now

Hello everyone! I am a 25 y/o male.
Background
4 weeks ago i had a frottage session with a male masseuse (M2M) at a dodgy place. I ejaculated, he did not. 1 week after exposure i noticed my tongue is white. Because i have health anxiety. I was a nervous wreck. At 2 weeks, i did a full std panel and a dna qualitative per for HIV. The results were negative for all. The doctor said my result was conclusive. I am waiting for the 6th week mark to retest.
A week after that i started to feel like there was a lump in my throat. I went to the doctor, he said that my throat and nose are a little inflamed and i have a slightly swollen glands on my neck. Not visible with naked eyes tho. He gave me antibiotics. The sore throat and stuffy nose went away. But till this day i still have some phelgm built up in my throat. Sometimes it comes out green/yellow but mostly it comes out clear.
The white tongue still persist to this day. I can't scrape the whiteness off. Haven't gone to the doctor since it doesn't hurt and does not affect my taste. Since i was thinking this could be thrush, i bought some dequalinium cloride candy since this does not need prescription and from what i read it helps with bacterial and fungal infections. This did not help at all and just make my tongue blue from the coloring. I've been drinking a lot of water too but this does not improve my condition much
Ps: Last year i also had an HIV scare, and my tongue was also white. But i forgot whether this time is a different kind of white or not.
Below i present some pictures and some context to help:
Before: an hour after eating rice with chicken and vegetables.
After: after i gargled salt water, brush my teeth and tongue, and using listerine.
I've been drinking a lot of coconut water too. I am lactose intolerant and have a sensitive stomach since i was a child. Had a reccuring loose stool and sometimes diarrhea.
Pictures : https://www.reddit.comDramatic-vampire1234/s/M2DkF6lAO3
Any idea what this is and how i can fix this issue? Thank you in advance

Cervical cancer? Symptoms?
My husband recently went on deployment and ever since then I didn't have sex but I mean this problem was still there. Dunno if it sounds weird but I check my cervix by feeling it. Google says it sound feel hard and smooth like a ball or the tip of ur nose; that's what it feels like but there's like one or two small bump/lump on the side... is that cancerous?maybe cervical cancer??? I got my HPV vaccines when I was younger and I get std checked every 6 months. Stds all negative. I'm all healthy but the bump on the side of my cervix has been there for a couple months now...could it maybe be cervical cancer? What are the signs cuz the only possible sign would probably be recurrent yeast infections, my discharge looking dry yellow on my underwear when it's dry, sometimes uti infections, and vulgar rashes when I have recurrent yeast infections but those have been cured or me. I'm 21 and I've never done a pap smear before but my worst fear is hearing that I have cancer from my doctor if that ever happens.. I'd also get irregular periods but it's not like I missed my period for like a month or two. It varies by at most a week or a couple days but that's it. Are those symptoms of cervical cancer??? Anyways, the most concerning part is the small bump on the side of my cervix.. like what is that? (Also of I get tested for cervical cancer through a pap smear, wouldn't it come out as abnormal anyway cuz they'd have abnormal cells due to me having a yeast infection?)

My husband recently went on deployment and ever since then I didn't have sex but I mean this problem was still there. Dunno if it sounds weird but I check my cervix by feeling it. Google says it sound feel hard and smooth like a ball or the tip of ur nose; that's what it feels like but there's like one or two small bump/lump on the side... is that cancerous?maybe cervical cancer??? I got my HPV vaccines when I was younger and I get std checked every 6 months. Stds all negative. I'm all healthy but the bump on the side of my cervix has been there for a couple months now...could it maybe be cervical cancer? What are the signs cuz the only possible sign would probably be recurrent yeast infections, my discharge looking dry yellow on my underwear when it's dry, sometimes uti infections, and vulgar rashes when I have recurrent yeast infections but those have been cured or me. I'm 21 and I've never done a pap smear before but my worst fear is hearing that I have cancer from my doctor if that ever happens.. I'd also get irregular periods but it's not like I missed my period for like a month or two. It varies by at most a week or a couple days but that's it. Are those symptoms of cervical cancer??? Anyways, the most concerning part is the small bump on the side of my cervix.. like what is that? (Also of I get tested for cervical cancer through a pap smear, wouldn't it come out as abnormal anyway cuz they'd have abnormal cells due to me having a yeast infection?)

Species: Dog Age: 5mo Sex/Neuter status: Male, not neutered Body weight: 12.5lbs History: Labored breathing and a rash on his belly came on very suddenly last weekend. We brought him to the emergency vet and they said his heart and lungs sounded normal, but we insisted there was a breathing issue at home so they did chest radiographs/xray. That showed signs consistent with aspiration pneumonia (multiple lobes with bronchointerstitial pattern coalescing to aveolar pattern in one), potentially of a severe irritant given his rash. He has been on clavamox twice a day for 5 days. Clinical signs: 2 days after his initial symptoms, he developed a deep cough. We think it is productive. Also sneezing and runny nose - clear discharge. Energy levels are good, readily drinks at regular intervals, very excited to eat food. Normal urination/bowel movements Duration: 1 week since initial signs General location: Midwest
6 days since his initial symptoms, we have done recheck radiographs (the ones in this post). Here: https://imgur.com/gallery/TJBnzVD
Our vet said things look improved lung wise which is great! she did pointed our 1) she thought the lower part of his heart might have fluid? But I don't see anything seeming strange in his heart. And 2) she said his shoulders have 'hooks' she wouldn't expect.
We trust our vet and are going to go forward with whatever treatments they recommend but I was interested if others also saw these two extraneous findings/had experience seeing these. Particularly, is the hook shape of his shoulder potentially a dachshund thing? Given their extreme skeletal structures for the long spine, do they have other extreme skeletal features like this? And for his heart, does it actually look abnormal to you? (VHS was 10)
Thanks!

I am very confused by this situation and am hoping to get some opinions on it. 6 days ago, I noticed my 3 month old kitten was sneezing excessively in random spurts. I thought maybe it was a kitty cold, or allergies, so I monitored his breathing and checked his eyes and nose for any discharge. 2 days later I return from work and he is a completely different cat. His breathing is labored, he's lethargic, not eating dinner, not drinking water. So, I took him to the vet hospital. They took him right back and put him in oxygen until they could collect blood and do X-Rays (I do not have copies of the X-rays unfortunately). He came back negative for all infections diseases, including a fungal infection. His X-ray was showing inflammation in his lungs, on the X-ray it looked like a white cloud of smoke almost. The next day, they took an X-ray again and the cloud had dispersed throughout his lungs. He is obviously improving, but only in the oxygen. There is a decline in his breathing when he is out of it, he starts breathing harder and faster. When he is in the oxygen he acts like himself, a crazy little kitten. I feel like we've hit a dead end with this, his vets keep telling me he has to rely on the oxygen. His respiratory rate started at 120 when I took him in, and has dropped to 60 as of today. Any thoughts on what this could be? I'm hoping it isn't pulmonary fibrosis, I can't lose him this soon. Thanks in advance

Hello everyone I am 29 and have had problems with my face for about 7 years. Started with red cheeks and eyebrows. According to several doctors I have rosacea on my cheeks and nose and Seb Derm on my eyebrows. Now hair loss followed for a few years on the eyebrows and also on the beard on the chin. According to the doctors, however, supposedly not scarred.
I'm desperate because it's getting worse and worse and I've tried so much. Fungal creams, rosacea creams, cortisone, niacinamide, azelain ..... and and and
I just want to find a solution and a proper diagnosis. Can anyone give me a tip I would be very grateful for anything.
Ps I have shaved the hair on the outside short so that the skin can be seen better. Bet as you can see the eyebrows are not very dense.

Hello everyone I am 29 and have had problems with my face for about 7 years. Started with red cheeks and eyebrows. According to several doctors I have rosacea on my cheeks and nose and Seb Derm on my eyebrows. Now hair loss followed for a few years on the eyebrows and also on the beard on the chin. According to the doctors, however, supposedly not scarred.
I'm desperate because it's getting worse and worse and I've tried so much. Fungal creams, rosacea creams, cortisone, niacinamide, azelain ..... and and and
I just want to find a solution and a proper diagnosis. Can anyone give me a tip I would be very grateful for anything.
Ps I have shaved the hair on the outside short so that the skin can be seen better. Bet as you can see the eyebrows are not very dense.

“You’re fired.”
Those two dreaded words are the last thing anyone wants to hear. As the manager of a small coffee shop, they’re the last words I ever wanted to say. But, unfortunately, I did have to say them, and the employee on the receiving end was less than pleased.
“Seriously, Calla? Robby comes in twenty minutes late every shift, and I’m the one getting canned? It’s not fair. I won’t accept that.”
“Claire, Robby has one leg. He gets a pass. You took cash from the register. That’s not something we can turn a blind eye to,” I said, crossing my arms.
Claire pursed her lips, shifting her gaze to the ground momentarily, before scowling at me once again. “It was only fifty bucks. I needed the money for rent, and I said I’d pay it back! Please, Calla. I need this job. I’ll put a hundred dollars back in the register on pay day. Just give me a second chance.”
I let out a deep sigh. She wasn’t taking this well. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. Aftermath has a zero-tolerance policy for theft. Even if you were to pay it back, the big boss still wouldn’t excuse it. I would be putting my own job in jeopardy by looking the other way, and that’s just not something I can afford to do. Your actions have consequences, Claire. You brought this on yourself.”
She glanced up at me with teary eyes. Though Claire was entirely in the wrong, my heart shattered for her all the same. She was a good kid. Just a little misguided… Or so I thought.
“I won’t forget this, Calla. Mark my words, I will make you pay,” she spat, before dramatically stomping out the door.
My eyes grew wide, and my heart began to race. If any normal human being had said that, I would have blown it off entirely. But, there’s a little oddity about my job that I may have (purposely) forgotten to mention. You see, I’m a clairvoyant of sorts. I work at a coffee shop for the dead - And they tend to take things a lot more personally than the living.
A gruff-looking man with a leather jacket and ripped jeans leaned against the counter, snapping my attention away from the door. He had an unkept beard and a nasty road rash seared into his face. The shades obscuring his eyes exuded an air of confidence that he had no business possessing. Even so, his appearance didn’t intimidate me in the slightest.
“Don’t worry about her, Calla. She’s talking out her ass.”
“I appreciate the reassurance, Frank. I know she probably just needs to blow off some steam, but it always freaks me out when shit like that happens. No offense to all you dead folk, but I don’t wanna kick the bucket any time soon, ya know?”
“That’s fair. Purgatory ain’t that bad, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the land of the living. By the way, if you get a chance, can you whip me up my regular? I could use a boost.”
“Sure thing. Coming right up. Is there anything else I can get for y-” I tried my best to stop myself, but it was too late. I knew better than to ask that question to Frank.
“Yeah,” he grinned, leaning in closer.
“Don’t you say it. Frank, I swear, if you-”
“I’ll take your soul!”
I glowered at him as he roared with laughter. “Come on, Calla. Have a sense of humor!” he wheezed, tears welling in his eyes.
“Frank. You have told me that same joke every chance you get for the entire time I’ve been working here. It wasn’t funny the first time you said it, and it’s definitely not funny now. I oughta charge you double every time you tell it.”
He frowned at me, before turning to his normal booth. “Geez, would it kill ya to lighten up a bit? Buzzkill…”
As I was beginning to prepare Frank’s blonde espresso, I heard the familiar chime of the door opening. A kid with disheveled blonde hair and scratches across his face hobbled inside, leaning on a crutch.
“Hey Robby! Nice of you to show up,” I beamed, flashing him a warm smile. I glanced down at my watch. Twenty minutes late, right on the nose.
“Always gotta give me shit, huh Mrs. Calla? You try hoppin’ to work one day, then we’ll talk,” he quipped, returning a grin.
“Ya know what? Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer. I do-” I froze, mid-sentence. All the color drained from my face, and I suddenly found myself unable to speak. I clutched at my side, barely able to breathe. A random, searing pain shot through my torso. I felt like I was going to pass out.
“Calla? Calla, are you okay? Say something.” Robby rushed over to me, his face contorted with worry. I weakly returned his gaze. The agony was beyond anything I had ever felt before. It was as if someone had stabbed me with a white-hot fire poker and decided to twist it a couple times for good measure. Excruciating was an understatement.
Just as my vision was starting to go fuzzy, the pain began to dissipate. I gasped for air, leaning heavily on the counter for support. What the hell was that?
“I’m all right,” I said, turning my head. Frank had joined Robby behind the counter. The pair of them both had a look of deep concern etched into their features. If I wasn’t dying, I probably would have found it endearing.
“Are you sure? You look like shit, Calla.”
That’s it. I’m definitely charging him double.
“Gee, thanks a lot, Frank. You’re such a gentleman.”
“Don’t mention it,” he said, never giving any indication that he was joking. Robby and I both glared at him.
“Go sit down, Frank. You too, Mrs. Calla. You should probably take the rest of the day off. Don’t worry, I can handle the shop,” Robby said, helping me to a chair.
“You know what? I think you’re right. I could go for a nap.”
After resting for a little while longer, I went home. Robby wasn’t a professional by any means, but I trusted him to keep Aftermath running smoothly, at least until I recovered. He really was a good kid. I always thought it was such a shame that he’d died in such a tragic manner. IEDs are no joke.
I made sure to take it easy and get plenty of rest. I didn’t experience any more phantom pains for the remainder of the day, but I knew that I would need to get a good night’s sleep. With Claire gone, I’d be stuck on opening shifts for the foreseeable future. Yuck.
I was almost done running through my tasks for the morning, when it happened. A man approached the counter, his face obscured by a brown fedora. A sickly, yellowing newspaper was tucked beneath his arm as he placed a gloved hand onto the countertop. His aura alone was sinister enough to make me want to turn and run.
Beware.
His gravelly voice sounded like his diet consisted solely of rusty nails and asphalt. I’d only heard that voice a handful of times before. And each instance made me sick to my stomach.
“Wh-why? What’s coming?”
The girl.
With no further elaboration, he turned and reclaimed his regular seat at the back of the shop.
I was shaking in my boots. Why, you might ask? Well, I told you a little white lie earlier. That thing that approached the counter is no man. He’s been coming in nearly every day for as long as anyone can remember, but that’s about all we know about him. No one knows what he is. No one knows how, or if, he died. No one even knows his name.
We call him Nona (short for no name), and the only things I’m completely certain of in regards to him are: one - that he’s benevolent towards the employees of Aftermath and its patrons. And two - that whenever he decides to speak, a terrible tragedy usually follows. There’s no denying it. Nona is a bonafide, real-deal harbinger of death.
I locked eyes with Frank, who wore the same bewildered expression that I did. His pallid features and wide eyes mirrored exactly how I felt in that moment.
“What do you think he meant by that?” Frank murmured, never breaking eye contact.
“I don’t know. But whatever it is, it can’t be good.”
“You got that right. Maybe it’d be safer to call in some backup on this one. I know Ivan’s hopping between a couple different locations after landing the regional manager gig, but he’d be here at the drop of a hat if he caught wind of this, right?”
“Yeah… Normally, I’d try to avoid getting Ivan involved, but I think this is warranted. You remember what happened last time Nona spoke,” I said, a shiver rippling down my spine.
Frank averted his gaze, the corners of his lips drooping into a frown. “I wish I could forget. That whole ordeal sent- Calla? Calla, are you okay??”
It had returned tenfold. My lower back throbbed with intense, pounding pain. It felt as if someone was hacking away at my spinal column with an ice pick. I was paralyzed. If I moved even an inch, I would be met with another agonizing shockwave of hurt searing through my system. This time was even worse than before.
Before I could even grasp what was going on, everything started to get fuzzy around the edges of my vision. I could feel myself fading, and fast. The last thing I could remember before losing consciousness was Frank’s husky voice shouting for someone to call for help. Then, my mental fortitude finally crumbled, sending me spiraling into an inky, black void.
I awoke in a hospital bed. Frank was snoozing in a chair beside a burly, hulking figure. I was so shocked that I had to do a double take.
Ivan’s chair looked comically small beneath his gargantuan frame. Those things were not made to accommodate seven-foot-tall giants like him. I honestly hadn’t expected him to show up. Commuting is a bit more of a hassle for the dead, after all. But whatever the case, Ivan’s eyes lit up upon noticing that I was awake.
“Calla, you are okay, yes? I made trip as soon as possible,” Ivan said, shuffling up to my bedside. I couldn’t help but smile. He might’ve looked intimidating, but at heart, Ivan was just a big, Russian teddy bear.
“Yeah, I think I’m fine now. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I keep getting this really strong, crippling pain out of nowhere. Thanks for coming. But… How did you get here so fast? It’s only been a few hours.”
A devious grin crept across Ivan’s face. I pursed my lips. I knew that look. “I hitch ride on top of car. Is efficient way to travel.”
My mouth fell open. Ivan’s bulky ass clinging to the roof of a speeding car going God knows how far over the legal limit? That’s something I’d pay to see.
“Uh, do you get everywhere like that?”
“Everywhere subway does not go, yes.”
I opened my mouth, ready to scold him for being reckless, but thought better of it. Ivan was already dead. It’s not like he could die again.
“Okay Evel Knievel, let’s step outside for a smoke break and let Calla grab a nurse, yeah? We want to get her back on her feet as soon as possible,” Frank intervened, appearing at the foot on my bed. Ivan’s mountainous body was so large that I hadn’t even noticed him wake up.
“Yes. You have cigarette?” Ivan asked, that mischievous grin returning to his lips.
“Yep. Got one calling your name, buddy. Calla, we’ll be back in a few minutes, okay? I’d offer to catch someone’s attention for you, but ya know. Kinda hard when no one can see us,” Frank said, ushering Ivan out the door.
“That’s very thoughtful. I should be able to manage. Don’t take too long out there,” I replied, flashing the pair of them a weak smile as they disappeared from view.
I collapsed back into my bed. Why was this happening? I was beginning to think that I had pissed off some ancient, forlorn deity, when the dots suddenly connected. How had I not realized it sooner? The person responsible for all this was… standing in the doorway?
All the color drained from my face, and my eyes grew wide as saucers. With a slight tremble in my voice, I called out to her. “Claire?”
The pale girl with jet-black hair loitering in the entryway smiled. A wicked, demented smile that I can’t erase from my nightmares. In addition, she was carrying a voodoo doll. One that looked eerily similar to me.
“Miss me yet?” Claire asked, slinking closer.
“Of course! Claire, you know that I had no other option. It was-”
“SHUT. UP,” she shouted, producing a scalpel from her pocket and holding it to the doll’s neck. It was there. I could feel the cold metal blade against my flesh. Claire wasn’t playing around.
“I don’t want to hear your excuses, Calla. You had your chance,” she said, playfully wisping the scalpel back and forth. I wanted to scream. It was as if tiny razor blades were dancing across my throat.
“When you kicked me to the curb, you told me that my actions had consequences. Well, so do yours,” Claire spat, leering down at me. This was it. I was convinced that I was going to die.
“Don’t worry,” she said, her enraged demeanor shifting, “I’m not going to kill you yet. No, I just wanted to fill you in on what’s to come. I’m going to stay true to my word, Calla. I’ll make you pay for what you did to me for a long, long time.”
Claire giggled, removing the blade from the doll’s throat. I gasped for air, coming to the realization that I’d been stifling my breathing. I trembled, turning to my psychotic ex-employee. She was smiling wider than ever.
“I really must be going now. It was great to see you again! Oh, and remember, I’ll be watching you,” Claire said, punctuating her statement by plunging the blade into the doll’s leg, before skipping out the door.
I shrieked in agony, desperately clutching at my throbbing calf. A couple of nurses rushed in and calmed me down, assuring me that everything would be okay. But honestly, I don’t know if it will be. Because Claire is still out there. And she knows how to hold a grudge.
NS Post

“You’re fired.”
Those two dreaded words are the last thing anyone wants to hear. As the manager of a small coffee shop, they’re the last words I ever wanted to say. But, unfortunately, I did have to say them, and the employee on the receiving end was less than pleased.
“Seriously, Calla? Robby comes in twenty minutes late every shift, and I’m the one getting canned? It’s not fair. I won’t accept that.”
“Claire, Robby has one leg. He gets a pass. You took cash from the register. That’s not something we can turn a blind eye to,” I said, crossing my arms.
Claire pursed her lips, shifting her gaze to the ground momentarily, before scowling at me once again. “It was only fifty bucks. I needed the money for rent, and I said I’d pay it back! Please, Calla. I need this job. I’ll put a hundred dollars back in the register on pay day. Just give me a second chance.”
I let out a deep sigh. She wasn’t taking this well. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. Aftermath has a zero-tolerance policy for theft. Even if you were to pay it back, the big boss still wouldn’t excuse it. I would be putting my own job in jeopardy by looking the other way, and that’s just not something I can afford to do. Your actions have consequences, Claire. You brought this on yourself.”
She glanced up at me with teary eyes. Though Claire was entirely in the wrong, my heart shattered for her all the same. She was a good kid. Just a little misguided… Or so I thought.
“I won’t forget this, Calla. Mark my words, I will make you pay,” she spat, before dramatically stomping out the door.
My eyes grew wide, and my heart began to race. If any normal human being had said that, I would have blown it off entirely. But, there’s a little oddity about my job that I may have (purposely) forgotten to mention. You see, I’m a clairvoyant of sorts. I work at a coffee shop for the dead - And they tend to take things a lot more personally than the living.
A gruff-looking man with a leather jacket and ripped jeans leaned against the counter, snapping my attention away from the door. He had an unkept beard and a nasty road rash seared into his face. The shades obscuring his eyes exuded an air of confidence that he had no business possessing. Even so, his appearance didn’t intimidate me in the slightest.
“Don’t worry about her, Calla. She’s talking out her ass.”
“I appreciate the reassurance, Frank. I know she probably just needs to blow off some steam, but it always freaks me out when shit like that happens. No offense to all you dead folk, but I don’t wanna kick the bucket any time soon, ya know?”
“That’s fair. Purgatory ain’t that bad, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the land of the living. By the way, if you get a chance, can you whip me up my regular? I could use a boost.”
“Sure thing. Coming right up. Is there anything else I can get for y-” I tried my best to stop myself, but it was too late. I knew better than to ask that question to Frank.
“Yeah,” he grinned, leaning in closer.
“Don’t you say it. Frank, I swear, if you-”
“I’ll take your soul!”
I glowered at him as he roared with laughter. “Come on, Calla. Have a sense of humor!” he wheezed, tears welling in his eyes.
“Frank. You have told me that same joke every chance you get for the entire time I’ve been working here. It wasn’t funny the first time you said it, and it’s definitely not funny now. I oughta charge you double every time you tell it.”
He frowned at me, before turning to his normal booth. “Geez, would it kill ya to lighten up a bit? Buzzkill…”
As I was beginning to prepare Frank’s blonde espresso, I heard the familiar chime of the door opening. A kid with disheveled blonde hair and scratches across his face hobbled inside, leaning on a crutch.
“Hey Robby! Nice of you to show up,” I beamed, flashing him a warm smile. I glanced down at my watch. Twenty minutes late, right on the nose.
“Always gotta give me shit, huh Mrs. Calla? You try hoppin’ to work one day, then we’ll talk,” he quipped, returning a grin.
“Ya know what? Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer. I do-” I froze, mid-sentence. All the color drained from my face, and I suddenly found myself unable to speak. I clutched at my side, barely able to breathe. A random, searing pain shot through my torso. I felt like I was going to pass out.
“Calla? Calla, are you okay? Say something.” Robby rushed over to me, his face contorted with worry. I weakly returned his gaze. The agony was beyond anything I had ever felt before. It was as if someone had stabbed me with a white-hot fire poker and decided to twist it a couple times for good measure. Excruciating was an understatement.
Just as my vision was starting to go fuzzy, the pain began to dissipate. I gasped for air, leaning heavily on the counter for support. What the hell was that?
“I’m all right,” I said, turning my head. Frank had joined Robby behind the counter. The pair of them both had a look of deep concern etched into their features. If I wasn’t dying, I probably would have found it endearing.
“Are you sure? You look like shit, Calla.”
That’s it. I’m definitely charging him double.
“Gee, thanks a lot, Frank. You’re such a gentleman.”
“Don’t mention it,” he said, never giving any indication that he was joking. Robby and I both glared at him.
“Go sit down, Frank. You too, Mrs. Calla. You should probably take the rest of the day off. Don’t worry, I can handle the shop,” Robby said, helping me to a chair.
“You know what? I think you’re right. I could go for a nap.”
After resting for a little while longer, I went home. Robby wasn’t a professional by any means, but I trusted him to keep Aftermath running smoothly, at least until I recovered. He really was a good kid. I always thought it was such a shame that he’d died in such a tragic manner. IEDs are no joke.
I made sure to take it easy and get plenty of rest. I didn’t experience any more phantom pains for the remainder of the day, but I knew that I would need to get a good night’s sleep. With Claire gone, I’d be stuck on opening shifts for the foreseeable future. Yuck.
I was almost done running through my tasks for the morning, when it happened. A man approached the counter, his face obscured by a brown fedora. A sickly, yellowing newspaper was tucked beneath his arm as he placed a gloved hand onto the countertop. His aura alone was sinister enough to make me want to turn and run.
Beware.
His gravelly voice sounded like his diet consisted solely of rusty nails and asphalt. I’d only heard that voice a handful of times before. And each instance made me sick to my stomach.
“Wh-why? What’s coming?”
The girl.
With no further elaboration, he turned and reclaimed his regular seat at the back of the shop.
I was shaking in my boots. Why, you might ask? Well, I told you a little white lie earlier. That thing that approached the counter is no man. He’s been coming in nearly every day for as long as anyone can remember, but that’s about all we know about him. No one knows what he is. No one knows how, or if, he died. No one even knows his name.
We call him Nona (short for no name), and the only things I’m completely certain of in regard to him are: one - that he’s benevolent towards the employees of Aftermath and its patrons. And two - that whenever he decides to speak, a terrible tragedy usually follows. There’s no denying it. Nona is a bonafide, real-deal harbinger of death.
I locked eyes with Frank, who wore the same bewildered expression that I did. His pallid features and wide eyes mirrored exactly how I felt in that moment.
“What do you think he meant by that?” Frank murmured, never breaking eye contact.
“I don’t know. But whatever it is, it can’t be good.”
“You got that right. Maybe it’d be safer to call in some backup on this one. I know Ivan’s hopping between a couple different locations after landing the regional manager gig, but he’d be here at the drop of a hat if he caught wind of this, right?”
“Yeah… Normally, I’d try to avoid getting Ivan involved, but I think this is warranted. You remember what happened last time Nona spoke,” I said, a shiver rippling down my spine.
Frank averted his gaze, the corners of his lips drooping into a frown. “I wish I could forget. That whole ordeal sent- Calla? Calla, are you okay??”
It had returned tenfold. My lower back throbbed with intense, pounding pain. It felt as if someone was hacking away at my spinal column with an ice pick. I was paralyzed. If I moved even an inch, I would be met with another agonizing shockwave of hurt searing through my system. This time was even worse than before.
Before I could even grasp what was going on, everything started to get fuzzy around the edges of my vision. I could feel myself fading, and fast. The last thing I could remember before losing consciousness was Frank’s husky voice shouting for someone to call for help. Then, my mental fortitude finally crumbled, sending me spiraling into an inky, black void.
I awoke in a hospital bed. Frank was snoozing in a chair beside a burly, hulking figure. I was so shocked that I had to do a double take.
Ivan’s chair looked comically small beneath his gargantuan frame. Those things were not made to accommodate seven-foot-tall giants like him. I honestly hadn’t expected him to show up. Commuting is a bit more of a hassle for the dead, after all. But whatever the case, Ivan’s eyes lit up upon noticing that I was awake.
“Calla, you are okay, yes? I made trip as soon as possible,” Ivan said, shuffling up to my bedside. I couldn’t help but smile. He might’ve looked intimidating, but at heart, Ivan was just a big, Russian teddy bear.
“Yeah, I think I’m fine now. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I keep getting this really strong, crippling pain out of nowhere. Thanks for coming. But… How did you get here so fast? It’s only been a few hours.”
A devious grin crept across Ivan’s face. I pursed my lips. I knew that look. “I hitch ride on top of car. Is efficient way to travel.”
My mouth fell open. Ivan’s bulky ass clinging to the roof of a speeding car going God knows how far over the legal limit? That’s something I’d pay to see.
“Uh, do you get everywhere like that?”
“Everywhere subway does not go, yes.”
I opened my mouth, ready to scold him for being reckless, but thought better of it. Ivan was already dead. It’s not like he could die again.
“Okay Evel Knievel, let’s step outside for a smoke break and let Calla grab a nurse, yeah? We want to get her back on her feet as soon as possible,” Frank intervened, appearing at the foot on my bed. Ivan’s mountainous body was so large that I hadn’t even noticed him wake up.
“Yes. You have cigarette?” Ivan asked, that mischievous grin returning to his lips.
“Yep. Got one calling your name, buddy. Calla, we’ll be back in a few minutes, okay? I’d offer to catch someone’s attention for you, but ya know. Kinda hard when no one can see us,” Frank said, ushering Ivan out the door.
“That’s very thoughtful. I should be able to manage. Don’t take too long out there,” I replied, flashing the pair of them a weak smile as they disappeared from view.
I collapsed back into my bed. Why was this happening? I was beginning to think that I had pissed off some ancient, forlorn deity, when the dots suddenly connected. How had I not realized it sooner? The person responsible for all this was… standing in the doorway?
All the color drained from my face, and my eyes grew wide as saucers. With a slight tremble in my voice, I called out to her. “Claire?”
The pale girl with jet-black hair loitering in the entryway smiled. A wicked, demented smile that I can’t erase from my nightmares. In addition, she was carrying a voodoo doll. One that looked eerily similar to me.
“Miss me yet?” Claire asked, slinking closer.
“Of course! Claire, you know that I had no other option. It was-”
“SHUT. UP,” she shouted, producing a scalpel from her pocket and holding it to the doll’s neck. It was there. I could feel the cold metal blade against my flesh. Claire wasn’t playing around.
“I don’t want to hear your excuses, Calla. You had your chance,” she said, playfully wisping the scalpel back and forth. I wanted to scream. It was as if tiny razor blades were dancing across my throat.
“When you kicked me to the curb, you told me that my actions had consequences. Well, so do yours,” Claire spat, leering down at me. This was it. I was convinced that I was going to die.
“Don’t worry,” she said, her enraged demeanor shifting, “I’m not going to kill you yet. No, I just wanted to fill you in on what’s to come. I’m going to stay true to my word, Calla. I’ll make you pay for what you did to me for a long, long time.”
Claire giggled, removing the blade from the doll’s throat. I gasped for air, coming to the realization that I’d been stifling my breathing. I trembled, turning to my psychotic ex-employee. She was smiling wider than ever.
“I really must be going now. It was great to see you again! Oh, and remember, I’ll be watching you,” Claire said, punctuating her statement by plunging the blade into the doll’s leg, before skipping out the door.
I shrieked in agony, desperately clutching at my throbbing calf. A couple of nurses rushed in and calmed me down, assuring me that everything would be okay. But honestly, I don’t know if it will be. Because Claire is still out there. And she knows how to hold a grudge.

hi, i’m 34 years old and i have had an awful rash in different parts of my body since getting covid back in may 2023.
when i first got covid the rash had started in my groin, moved up to my entire torso and neck. i saw someone and she prescribed me a bunch of steroid creams and prednisone which did help the giant rash however i have now developed a rash on my eyelids.
i recently saw a dermatologist and he did some type of slide test where he just scraped the dead skin off my eyelids and ran it under the microscope and said i have a fungal overgrowth.
he prescribed me pulse dosages of diflucan which i havent taken yet because i wanna make sure im doing this right.
ive been using ketoconzole on my lids which seems to be helping, and i tend to eat very clean so i dont normally eat breads or sweets (i have pots and ive noticed not eating clean makes my symptoms worse) and recently i’ve been noticing there has been like green mucus in my stool so im not sure if its die off but im not really doing anything to make myself have die off?
so im just trying to figure out what to do. other than my rash and pots i feel totally fine. i will be starting on vit d pills because my level is at 6. im already eating healthy and i tend to have bad reactions to meds and supplements because of my pots, so do i need to take other things like biofilm busters and binders? or maybe this candida infection is something that can be cured with just diet and anti fungal alone?

Husband diagnosed Eoe with endoscopy and prescribed duplixent shot weekly.
He had covid in September and not sure if related but since covid and taking this shot, his face that was usually clear no issues suddenly has very dry, rash , flaking patches on sides if nose and on cheeks
Any ideas??