Earache, dizziness, chills

CHAPTER ONE
Tim was a very sad 8 year old child growing up.His friend,Jay with him.He had a poor school environment and a traumatic domestic surroundings-his parents' presence were never there for him.He had brothers who molested him most nights in the other room,and physically abused him for the merest mistakes.His school had students who bullied him.
The issue was that Tim looked more feminine that other boys,hence the bullying and abuse struggles.
At the age of fourteen,Tim escaped from his abusers,and stayed with his friend,Jay.Later on,he worked a job at an expensive dinner as a waiter,earning 50,000 a week and living in a simple apartment. But after the department of living the living hell ,he grappled with anxiety and ever lasting depression. The medication didn't seem to help his depression or PTSD.
At eighteen,he studied at the university of architeture in Cambodia with Jay. He looked like a happy life from the outside,but people don't know how tortured and black his soul is. It is the like the hidden sight of him.
Until,the trauma reactivated back to his life.
CHAPTER TWO
Tim was chilling in the living room,watching his stand-comedy show. "Hey,Tim! You are looking fresh",Jay complemented. "Yeah-first time",Tim smiled lowering his sleepy eyes. "I know that you are troubled deeply inside-I can feel it",Jay looked down poignantly. "I wish".Tim got turned to the TV screen,swigging on the juice.
Jay got wore an excited face expression and put his hands on Tim's shoulders. "I'm throwing a party-just you,Samantha and I-it's gonna be fun",Jay said smirking. "It's been a while since I haven't thrown a party-let's freaking do this!".Tim raised both of his arms straight and and positioned his middle and ring fingers down while holding the rest of the fingers sticked out,making the rock hand gesture.Blinded in excitement,that he did gave a thought about his health conditions and in which ways the drinks was gonna help him.
Setting up the dinning table and ordering pizza while talking about their plans and seeing the future of the party.After that,Sam was knocking on their door.Jay opened the door and kissed Sam on the lips(they are in a relationship). "Hey,babe.Hi,Tim",Sam greeted both of them with a smile.
The young adults started off by watching some randy movies with bottles of alcohol to keep them energized for the fun.Then,they turned on some music and danced to their hearts.
Heavily drinking,the memories flashed in his eyes like light beaming disturbingly in his eyes. Shaking it off,he continued drinking.That's when he started feeling dizzy and extremely angry in such a way that he yelled.The couple snapped from their romance. Throwing and cutting himself,Tim pulled his hair in distress. "TIMMMM!".
He yelled and ran over to stop Tim.He pushed him and knocked the door,rolling to the ground. "Hey!".A farmiliar voiced sneered.When Tim saw the guy,his heart sank as his eyes widened in shock. It was Arson.

I knew it would happen at some point, but the timing actually could not be worse, lol. I suppose there's never a good time. Some backstory: I'm 38 y/o F with a very prevalent family history of aggressive cancer (breast, colon, cervical, skin). I had a very large fibroid removed when I was 19. Was no big deal and very clearly a fibroid. I'm generally pretty healthy despite previous diagnoses of lupus and scleroderma (not showing symptoms). Anyhow, I've been feeling pretty rough these last few months. Lethargy, just feeling off, dizzy, high blood pressure, swelling in fingers, and my intuition has been screaming that something isn't right. You just know when something is off. I really thought it was my ADHD medication, so my MD and I made the decision to take me off of it.
Now... I started having big time night sweats about a month ago. Also, chills during the day without fever. A couple of weeks ago, I had my arms up brushing my hair and noticed that my left underarm looked swollen. I palpated and felt no pain, lumps, or discomfort. Didn't really give it much thought after that. Flash forward to last Friday. I was having a terrible health day. I'm just feeling really off for no reason. I crawled into bed and rolled over to my left side only to feel the most intense pain shoot from my nipple up into my collar bone and back into my shoulder blade. I palpated around my nipple and there it was... A hard, grape sized lump.
It doesn't move at all. It literally feels anchored to my nipple and I can feel it pulling down on it. It's like it just suddenly popped up. I hadn't had any pain at all prior. In hindsight, I have had some itching there for a few months. My first thought was a clogged duct or a cyst, so I wasn't worried. I woke up this morning, and it's tripled in size, I now have a dimple just under my nipple and it's trying to invert. I have a massive vein bulging into it as well that I've certainly never seen before. The lymph nodes in my armpit are swollen and so so painful. I literally couldn't even wear a bra to work today. It just feels like a 24/7 titty twister. I work for a husband and wife MD who consulted with me regarding this, and they seemed pretty concerned. I called the breast center, and they were also very concerned. They have me coming in Wednesday for imaging (ultrasound and MRI), then results Thursday with probable mammo.
I have a long history of pretty extreme health anxiety, so my head is absolutely spinning right now. Still no fever or other signs of infection. I'm hoping it's something simple as it's happening so quickly, but everyone is taking it pretty seriously. Let's hope it's nothing cause ain't nobody got time for this shit.

I don’t know what I should do. I am a mother with multiple disabilities. Legally blind, moderately hard of hearing, balance issues, autism and epilepsy.
My son is am8, also autistic. When I set boundaries, he refuses to listen. I enforce them, and he physically strikes out; punching, kicking, and pushing, knowing it could be a source of great injury. I’ve tried grounding him from gaming/tv, first off asking him to do things like cleaning his room, helping out with puppy pads if I’m too dizzy to do it. Otherwise, there’s not much he needs to be doing. I try explaining to him the reasons why he must do these things, as we’re both very logical creatures, and he just completely ignores everything. He does not act like this ANYWHERE else, even with me when we’re at the store, at his dad’s for visits/ at school or anywhere but at home. I just want him to be the kind kiddo I know he is and it hurts because he is never this way with ANYONE but me. I’ve talked to the counselor and vice principal at school whose son also has autism and I’ve tried everything I know to do. They say he is taking advantage of my situation and the fact that I get no support from his Nana and am told by his aunt not to take it personally, but it is very much so. I’ve told him if he keeps his things put away after he’s done it doesn’t become overwhelming and nothing I say matters at all. I don’t understand it and I don’t know how to fix it. He isn’t a bad kid at all. He used to want to help, to want to just chill without trying to run everything, but he is literally probably maybe 7 or so inches below me in height and is strong enough to knock me down quite easily and has done so. It’s like I feel like I’m always bracing for an attack every time I say anything he does not agree with. I don’t have a way to take him to therapy because we live out in the middle of nowhere and though his Nana is 50 feet, and aunt and her kids are literally maybe 15 feet away, I’m basically just told I’m doing everything wrong. His Nana has literally told me how I’m not doing this and this to her specifications, making him clean his room, wipe up his spills, rinse his dish out so it can be washed, putting his clothes that he wore that day into the washer, etc. I am told that is my responsibility even though these are simple things that not only were expected of my sister and I before his age, but my sister’s children also. I just am not sure how to fix it.

Hey, y'all. Tomorrow morning I'm starting my treatment. I was given Metronidazole (e/8hrs), Clarithromycin (e/12hrs), Amoxiciline (e/12hrs), and Omeprazole (e/12hrs). I also bought Probiotics with 5B+ bacteria in them for once a day.
How is this for a meds schedule?:
---AM--- 7:00 Metronidazole + Omeprazole 8:00 Breakfast with Probiotics right before 9:00 Amoxiciline 10:00 Clarithromycin
----PM---- 3:00 Metronidazole 7:00 Omeprazole 9:00 Amoxiciline 10:00 Clarithromycin 11:00 Metronidazole
Also, feel free to express your comments, opinions, concerns, conspiracy theories, thoughts and prayers, etc on my proposed treatment.
*Other things to consider for my individual case: -Exactly 2 weeks ago I got a surgery for an inguinal hernia. I'm off all of those meds already, and my stools have already been ok at this point. -My colon and stools have all been fine throughout the many months (probably under a year) that I've likely had the H. Pylori. All of the problems had only caused gastritis and esophagitis at a relatively mild degree. -I have barely taken antibiotics in my life. Maybe once or twice after being sick, and probably given antibiotics through the IV after my 2 surgeries. Never felt anything bad with them. -My symptoms while having H. Pylori, however, have been bad and of many kinds. Nausea, chills, dizziness, extreme acid reflux, disgust to eat, extreme discomfort, but never stomach aches, never actually vomiting (but always "almost"), and never diarrhea except for a couple of times with very specific meals (probably other bacteria and not Pylori related).

I’m a 24F with PMHx of Narcolepsy, Psoriatic Arthritis/Ankylosing Spondylitis, probable Sjogren’s (dry eyes/mouth but seronegative), GAD, MDD. About 3 years ago, I started showing symptoms such as joint/soinal pain, heart palpitations, chest pain, pressure in chest/head, nosebleeds/bloody post nasal drip, random bp spikes, facial flushing, fevers/chills. I was put on Humira for PsA which made all of the symptoms go away and I chalked it up to just being random autoimmune symptoms.
I have been on Humira for a little over two years and it’s beginning to be less effective. As it began wearing off, I started noticing the systemic symptoms coming back intermittently and when I tried to switch medications, I got extremely sick and ended up in the ER multiple times due to the cardiac issues. I’ve seen been put back on it but my rheumatologist isn’t convinced any of the systemic issues are related. I’m also in the process of switching doctors as she is about to retire. One of the most concerning symptoms is that my pulse and blood pressure are often very different depending on which side of my body is being checked. My right side tends to be much higher and my left much lower to the point of sometimes not even being able to find a pulse/bp. I’ve had countless EKGs and chest X-rays which are all normal. I also had a CTA of my head and neck which was normal. I’m concerned it is a type of vasculitis and have tried to speak with my rheum about it, but was immediately blown off.
I’m currently on a short course of steroids (10 mg for a week, then 5 mg for a week) and back taking Humira weekly. The symptoms have improved slightly but I’m concerned they will return as I go off the steroids. I had lab work done last week to test for a few types of vasculitis but have not received the results yet. Current symptoms are: lack of appetite/weight loss, fevers/chills, heart palpitations, bp spikes/crashes, chest pain, severe pressure in head/sinuses, strong “pulsing” on right side of neck/carotid where it feels like I’ve been running, limb pain, shortness of breath, dizziness.
I am seeing a cardiologist this Wednesday and I’m trying to get in with a new rheum asap but struggling to find one who doesn’t have a waiting list of several months. Please let me know if you have any questions. Any thoughts or perspective on this would be greatly appreciated!

What meds are not that strong for anxiety? Been dealing with this for a while and finally get to see my doctor tomorrow. My Symptoms: dizziness more like unsteady feeling, chills, tight stomach, and just utter freak out at times. Worse in the morning
I’ve been working all this time but it gets exhausting.
Thanks

DNF'd on Hackney Half yesterday just after mile 7. Was pushing for a PB, which in hindsight I shouldn't have given the heat and that most of my training runs were in cool / mild weather. Heat exhaustion started setting in as early as mile 3-4. I kept stopping because I felt so dizzy and tried to push on numerous times. I then started getting chills and my mind was spiralling. Knowing I still had another 6 miles I just knew my body and mind were not in a place to finish the race. Super gutted and beating myself up today so if anyone has any words of wisdom I would be hugely appreciative :)

idk ever since i was a kid id have horrible unexplained stomach pains to the point of like crying or temper tantrums , right before school usally or during , drs couldn’t tell me what it was and my mom is a nurse , she never figured it out either. when i hit high school i noticed when things seemed to make me nervous i would have to throw up this would go on for months at a time every day. about a year ago i had a break up and i couldn’t eat for three days because my stomach hurt so bad , i couldn’t eat but i wanted to , its not like an eating disorder type of thing, i wanted to eat so bad i started break down crying,the past few days since i came home from a stressful year at college i haven’t been able to eat and ive been throwing up i even had a fever and chills a few nights in a row . my friends know i think more about this anxiety stress problem than i do because they keep making remarks about how it’s all in my head and that im stressed out but they don’t help or seem to care they just want me to stop complaining. idk what to do im so tired of shaking, having chills, being dizzy and nauseous all day long over silly things that idek how to fix or what they are , im so lost and i feel so horrible and hopeless idk what to do anymore i feel like nobody sees me

Been on 200mg for 3 months now as the 400 gave me insanely high blood pressure & horrible headaches/vomiting & mood swings. 200 is more bearable but I still find myself projectile vomiting often because I get dizzy/hot & I have night sweats and chills that go on and off every night. Thinking of calling it quits now and trying Strattera as the next recommendation from my psychiatrist. Has anyone had any experience with both or switching from qelbree?

Context: 31M, life long runner, long-term goal sub 3.
1st Marathon 8 years ago-20 mpw training casually: Result 4:30 on relatively flat course. From mile 15 on- experiences of leg muscle cramping and jolts of pain in feet and entire leg muscles. Walk/shuffle in. Aerobically fine, muscular endurance and tolerance to pounding = 0/10. Figured this was from a lack of serious training and miles. Pain filled experience.
Proceed to exercise aerobically (run, bike, swim) with limited structure 5-7 times per week for years on end. Fast forward to summer 2023- complete a Full IM.
Commit seriously to training for the Austin half marathon for February 2024 with a focus on not getting injured- 8 week average around 40 mpw running 5 days per week, with the other two days doing a recovery spin (30min-1hr) on zwift after either long run day or threshold/intervals day. Race result= ~1:24 half. Contemplate the possibility of sub 3.
Sign up for Ogden Marathon May 18th. Dedicate myself to training. 10 week mpw average before race of 49.3, peaking at 64 miles 3 weeks out (with some recovery spins sprinkled in). Training approach- consume content regarding various philosophies/experiences and then decide the common denominator is one LR and one threshold/interval session per week with the rest easy miles. LRs 14-20 miles per week (most weeks closer to 16, with one LR at 18, and one at 20). Some miles during LRs at overly optimistic MP pace (~7 min pace), but no dedicated LR MP finishing workouts. Most LRs run on flat dirt trail rather than asphalt around 8min to 8:30 pace. Little downhill work. Weekly threshold sessions were things like 4x1.5 mi at 6:10 pace with 2 min walk recovery, or 5.5mi continuous at 6:15 pace. 3 week taper with last hard session 10 days out- 3x mi at 5:48 with 3 min jog recovery. Time to roll the dice.
Ogden Marathon Race Day. Context- downhill race starting at 5k ft, ends at 4k ft. The course offers gorgeous views of the surrounding landscape/mountains, highly recommend if that appeals. Weather 40 degrees at start, 70 degrees at finish. Nutrition- 5 Maarten 100 gels and salt pills, every 4 miles. Race mentality- anything sub 3:15 I'd be happy with, but in my heart of hearts am curious how close I can get to sub 3. First mile 6:40 downhill. Holy shnikes, too hot. Settle in roughly 7 min pace thereafter. Go through half at 1:32 feeling decent, although stomach feels full. At mile 16 need the porta john. Lose 3 minutes. Try to get back up to speed- experience throbbing hip flexor pain on both sides. Can no longer hold 7 min miles, pace immediately jumps to 8:30 with poor form. Mile 18- quad pain comes on strong and is relentless to the finish, regardless of grade. The entire rest of the race becomes a test of pain tolerance, at times dizzying. At my pain threshold I can hold 10 minute miles, and become proud of myself for having not resigned to a walk even though that would have been sweet relief. I get flashbacks to my first marathon, and am baffled at how similar this experience feels- utterly painful. It seems my 50 mpw avg. prepared me so little for this specific race. Finishing time 3:33 (glass half full- huge PR!!).
Post race- migrane, fever, chills, and quad pain. Not sure what any of it means besides the DOMS. All goes away after a goodnight's rest, except the DOMS.
What do I have to do differently to get my marathon time more in line with half VDOT? Is it just get in MP LRs? I'm pretty sure my biggest obstacle is harding the legs for the pounding of the second half of the race. How to best do this in training while balancing out the risk for injury? Or, if you think it could be something else- please do share.

I was raised around military men, and was a military wife. I grew up around assholes being mansplain-y and irritating. I used to be good at hiding my annoyance because these dudes carry on with this nonsense just to get a rise out of me, and much like how I don't respond to tantrum throwing toddlers, I don't respond to attention-seeking men.
But lately, I flush instantly. My face is hot, my head throbs, and I feel my blood pressure pumping those forehead vessels. I feel dizzy and shaky. I don't want to stroke out over some dumb ass comments and I genuinely don't feel that upset by it, but my body is reacting. I especially don't want some asshole to think he succeeded in some prank or gotcha.
How the hell do I stop this? What's your favorite 'chill pill' supplement? I feel like physical violence when this happens, like all my fight or flight is screaming to FIGHT.

Hello everyone. Little bit of back ground. 39 yr old male with a decent health history. 4/23 I had bariatric surgery. October of 23 I ended up with my first sinus infection and then in November I got covid. December I had another surgery and in Feb 24 I had another sinus infection. The beginning of March I noticed I was constantly dizzy upon standing. On day at work(EMT) I got up and got really dizzy, my partner says maybe you have POTS. I never heard of this. Started googling shit and yep. Damned if I don’t have text book symptoms. Tachycardia when I stand, dizzy af, headaches, blurry vision, brain fog, low BP when I stand,facial pain. Went to cardiologist in April and he diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension. Symptoms keep getting worse. Went to a different cardiologist and he can see the symptoms. He refuses to put me on anything to help me with the symptoms. Gave me a holtor monitor for a week(waiting on results from last week). My PCP gave me 20mg nadalol But told me to cut it in half and just do 10mg which is helping a little bit but the dizziness, brain fog and fatigue is what’s really bothering me. I do see the POTS specialist in July and I dk if I can wait that long. PCP has sent me for every test and doesn’t know what else to do. He sending me to an endocrinologist in 2nd week of june. I’m at my wits end feeling like shit all the time. I just want to feel normal again. If I cannot do my job as an EMT anymore I have no idea what else I could do. And I’d hate to give it up since I’m a county employee with great pay and benefits.
Also, I’ve started to up salt intake along with more water and wear compression socks when working. I just want the fatigue to chill. I mow my yard and I’m dead for like 2-3 days after. The leg and arm weakness is tremendous as well. Just want my old self back.
Any suggestions would be more than grateful! Tyia.

I know Reddit isn’t the doctor, but can anyone help Me? First off I’m gonna say I was diagnosed with anxiety about 2 months ago. I’m a 21 year old female who is mainly healthy for the most part. Of course I eat junk sometimes and drink soda as anyone else does, but I try to keep my health up to date, being a hypochondriac that is… anyway For the past couple days I’ve been feeling lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous, and my left arm suddenly gets very weak and restless only during night time… i also have other symptoms such as a weird feeling in my head kinda like chills shooting through my head. I don’t have pain in my middle chest which is confusing me as to what it may be… Tonight was terrible, i contemplated calling the ambulance but without having insurance I just can’t afford it right now. What I’m trying to say is, has anyone around my age felt this way before ? Could it be symptoms of my Anxiety or should I be worried about heart problems? It usually subsides within a few hours so I can eventually fall asleep… but the next day it happens all over again. I have an appointment coming up soon to get checked , but I just need some assurance or just someone that knows what I am going through. It is very scary. The thought of just randomly having a heart attack is the worst, I’d be all alone and probably die before someone could help me. I’ve learned that heart problems don’t spare anyone no matter the age.

I’m on a 24 hour prescription for my acid reflux, but last night I was dumb and ate Indian food for dinner which always causes me to wake up in the middle of the night with stomach acid filling my mouth.
So I thought I’d try and take Pepcid right before bed to stop it from happening, on top of my prescription med. well it still happened extremely badly and so I took another Pepcid, which didn’t help. And then so i decided to take a third one.
After that I got so ill. Vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, body aches, dizziness.
It’s been 12 hours now and I’m still so sick.
Has everyone else ever had this happen?

So, 2 weeks ago I was super sick. Thought it was the flu, tested for covid and was positive. Started w the chills, fever, then had stuffy nose & sore throat. I was also superrr dizzy and my left ear felt plugged & full of pressure, so i went to urgent care where they said I had an ear infection. Been taking antibiotics for that.
I was FINALLY feeling better until yesterday I woke up with the EXACT same symptoms that I had 2 weeks ago - insane chills, headache, sore throat (feels like im swallowing knives) and heart palpiltations. I decided to test again to see if it was Covid, and it was negative?
Is this common? Or normal? I just want this to go away😫😫 any advice or any relating stories will Help ease my mind. I’m Anxious!

Throwaway account because I don’t want my family members on Reddit worrying
Female 33 years old 5’2” 130lbs Physically active and working at a physically demanding job.
Medical Hx: Genetic Torsion Dystonia (dyt1 mutation), Stevens Johnson Syndrome (2005), cholecystectomy (2008), IVF treatments (2020), Pregnancy w/out complications 2020-4/2021 but prolonged labor and c-section, COVID-19 (December 2021), 4 total COVID vaccines. I was prone to UTI as a child and as an adult I’m prone to sinus infection and chronic cough after respiratory illnesses.
Current medications: Levocetirizine (seasonal allergies), Vitamin 2 (2000 iu/daily), Fish oil daily, fiber capsules daily (as recommended by her GI), medical cannabis for dystonia pain (less than weekly, and sometimes less than monthly).
Recent Hx and concerns:
In Fall 2021, I began experiencing epigastric pain/pressure unrelated to food consumption. The sensation also occasionally was uncomfortable enough to make breathing difficult. Doctors suggested heartburn. An upper GI fluoroscopy did not indicate reflux, chest x-ray was normal.
I tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-December 2021. My symptoms were considered “mild-moderate” though I was out of work for 3 weeks. I continued to have a persistent cough requiring multiple courses of antibiotics and inhaled steroids to clear. I also continued to experience sharp and sudden headaches for a few seconds at a time, chronic fatigue, and blurry vision. Ophthalmologist exam was normal. Around that time I began to experience pain on the outer edge of my left breast. Ultrasound was normal.
In August 2022, I began experiencing frequent (monthly) migraine headaches with aura. I have only experienced a handful of such migraines over my lifetime prior to this. I was prescribed Sumatriptan, which was ineffective. Was then given Ubrelvey (ineffective) and later (2023) Relpax and Fioricet (Relpax dulls the migraine, but does not take it away. Fioricet was ineffective) as well as Nurtec (i had an allergic reaction–hives). In winter 2022, I had a couple of instances of sudden nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. My PCP ordered abdominal and pelvic ultrasounds, all of which were normal.
In the summer of 2023, migraines became more extreme and more frequent (only a week or 2 in between). I began experiencing jaw and tongue pain, light sensitivity (not previously experienced with migraines), tingling in the left hand, dry mouth, and sensitivity to touch and temperature sensations during migraine episodes. Medications continued to be ineffective. In August 2023, I also began experiencing dizziness/unsteadiness when moving quickly or turning, worsening fatigue with need to nap regularly, mental fog and forgetfulness, inability to focus. A sleep study was ordered and results were normal. I underwent a neuropsychological evaluation, the results of which were similar to my previous assessment 5 years prior.
In November 2023, the I began experiencing frequent sudden onset of sweating/chills and racing heart followed by diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes lasting hours. These episodes would then be followed by up to 2 weeks of constipation and sharp abdominal pains, sometimes severe enough to make breathing difficult. The pain was being similar to gallstones. I received an abdominal x-ray after an episode, which showed significant bowel buildup but not in the colon, and constipation was alleviated naturally later that day. These episodes appeared to be in connection with my menstrual cycle (onset and conclusion, or sometimes ovulation). Hormone panels were normal as were stool and urine. After consult with a gastroenterologist and an upper endoscopy, my GI system appeared normal, though with mild inflammation from the vomiting. I was prescribed a 2-month course of Pepcid to assist with the inflammation. In considering the GI exam and migraine history, I was diagnosed with abdominal migraines. I continue to experience epigastric pain with some regularity, and sometimes quite intensely.
Due to migraine severity and frequency, my neurologist ordered a brain MRI w/o contrast in early January 2024, which showed sinus swelling (I came down with a cold later that day) and no other concerns. During the month leading up to this MRI, I had a persistent sinus infection and had been on repeated courses of antibiotics and steroids. The neurologist prescribed daily Topiramate with a tapering up dose. I was only able to taper up to 50mg each night and developed the following side effects before stopping the medication after 6 weeks: significant lapses in memory, worsening fatigue and inability to stay awake, rapid weight loss, tingling in the hands, menstrual irregularity, worsening brain fog, difficulty breathing, and low stamina. An EKG and chest CT w/ and w/o were ordered and were normal. I continued to get migraines on this medication. Difficulty breathing and all other side effects were alleviated after the medication was stopped. The neurologist then prescribed nortriptyline, which the patient responded better to, and migraine frequency decreased. However, after a month, my heart rate was consistently elevated, so the medication was stopped.
CBC in early January was normal except for: WBC 11.6 (high) HCT 45.4 (high) MCHC 32.4 (low)
In late January 2024, I began to notice a squeezing sensation in both knees when I stood from sitting, and a similar sensation around the waist when she was getting dressed or undressed, or in the shower. The squeezing sensations increased in frequency and severity, but are not painful. In February, I noticed numbness in the left-most toes of my left foot while in the shower and within a month was also experiencing it in my right foot. These sensations come and go, but happen daily/near daily and throughout the day. I also now experience occasional numbness along the left side of my left hand, and occasional shooting electric sensations in the same spot. I continue to have brain fog, fatigue with the need for regular naps, blurry vision (worse after exercise/exertion, with fatigue, or with stress), squeezing sensations in my legs/knees and waist, and the numbness sensations in both feet, occasionally my knees, and left hand. I also notice I sometimes stumbles over my own feet, my legs feel heavy often and sometimes weak, and I am quick to lose stamina.
I met with a second neurologist who ordered cervical and thoracic spine MRIs w/ and w/o contrast, which appear normal. Blood panels for STDs, autoimmune diseases, vitamin deficiencies have all been ordered and are unremarkable.
I consulted with a long-Covid clinic, which does not feel my symptoms are related to long-covid except possibly the blurry vision, fatigue, and foggy headedness, based on symptom onset compared to last known infection. They prescribed speech therapy, which I will start in June at a rehabilitation center. They also suggested amantadine for the fatigue, but I haven’t started it. A nerve conduction test was mentioned as a possibility, but was not recommended as the doctor did not feel it would be accurate or beneficial.
Since March 1, 2024, I have been getting weekly acupuncture, and have been on a gluten and dairy free diet. I limit caffeine intake to only decaf coffee or tea infrequently (less than weekly), and has not consumed alcohol since the onset of the abdominal migraines in November 2023. On one occasion, I was unable to avoid gluten and dairy, and the following day experienced severe leg pain, though it could have been weather related as well.
Thanks for taking the time to read! Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I bolted upright, my heart racing as I backed away from the window. The doppelgänger’s eyes followed my every movement, its smile widening in a grotesque parody of my own. Trembling, I reached for my phone and dialed Sarah’s number, my fingers fumbling over the keys.
She picked up after the third ring, her voice groggy and confused. "Jack? What's going on? It's the middle of the night."
"It's here," I whispered, my voice shaking. "It's right outside my window. The doppelgänger."
There was a brief pause, and then Sarah's voice came back, more alert and panicked. "What? Are you sure? Did you call the police?"
"I don't think the police can help with this," I replied, glancing back at the window. The figure was gone, leaving only the empty night behind. "I... I think it wants something from us."
Before Sarah could respond, a loud crash came from the living room. My heart skipped a beat, and I slowly crept towards the sound, the phone still pressed to my ear. "Sarah, stay on the line. Something's in my house."
I heard her gasp on the other end. "Jack, be careful!"
I edged towards the living room, every shadow seeming to writhe and twist with malevolent intent. As I rounded the corner, I saw the front door swinging open, the lock splintered and broken. My breath caught in my throat.
"It's inside," I whispered.
Then, a wave of dizziness hit me hard, twisting my whole world. I couldn't hold the phone in my hand anymore. Desperate to grab onto something, I collapsed, and my vision grew dark.
I was back in the forest, the fire crackling softly beside me. My friends were there, their faces lit by the flickering flames, but something was different. They looked at me with a mixture of fear and suspicion.
"Jack, are you okay?" Sarah asked, her voice trembling.
I nodded slowly, trying to piece together what had happened. "I think so. What about you guys?"
"We're fine," Mark replied, his eyes darting to the shadows around us. "But we need to get out of here. Now."
As we hurriedly packed up our things, a sense of déjà vu washed over me. The events of the night seemed to loop in my mind, each memory bleeding into the next. We stumbled through the dark woods, the path seeming to twist and change beneath our feet.
When we finally reached the edge of the forest, our cars were waiting, just as before. We piled in, desperate to escape, but as we sped away, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was still wrong.
In the rearview mirror, I saw them again—our doppelgängers, standing at the edge of the woods, watching us with those cold, empty eyes. They smiled, their expressions filled with a promise of return.
We didn't speak much on the drive back. The silence was heavy, each of us lost in our thoughts, haunted by the events of the night. When we finally parted ways, I knew things would never be the same.
Then, the twisted dream changed to my bedroom, watching my double at the window. The doppelgänger tilted its head, the smile never faltering. "We want you to remember," it whispered, the sound slipping through the glass like a cold breeze. "Remember what you saw. What you did."
The words sent a shiver down my spine. "I don't understand. What did we do?"
It placed a hand against the window, and the glass began to frost over, intricate patterns of ice spreading out from its touch. "You will," it said. "Soon."
The frost on the window thickened, and through the icy veil, I saw other figures emerging from the darkness. They were all there—Sarah, Mark, Tom, each one accompanied by their doppelgänger. They surrounded my house, their faces eerily calm, their eyes locked onto mine.
Panic surged through me, and I grabbed my phone, dialing Mark's number this time. It rang and rang, but there was no answer. Desperate, I tried Tom next, but the result was the same. My friends were unreachable, and I was alone.
A soft tapping came from behind me, and I spun around to see another doppelgänger standing in the doorway of my bedroom. This one was different, though. It was me, but not the same twisted version from outside. This one looked exactly like me, down to the clothes I was wearing.
"Jack," it said, its voice a perfect echo of mine. "It's time to remember."
My head spun with a torrent of memories, fragments of the night in the woods, pieces that didn't fit together. Images of the fire, the shadows, the feeling of being chased. But also, flashes of something else, something I had buried deep in my mind—a ritual, ancient symbols drawn in the dirt, and us, my friends and I, standing in a circle, chanting words we didn't understand.
"What did we do?" I whispered, the realization dawning on me.
"You called us," the doppelgänger replied, its eyes boring into mine. "You brought us here. And now, we are part of you."
"No," I said, backing away. "That's not true. We didn't mean to—"
"It doesn't matter," it interrupted, stepping closer. "What matters is that we are here, and we will never leave."
I tried to run, but the room seemed to twist and warp around me, the walls closing in. The last thing I saw was my own terrified face staring back at me, a mirror of my fear and regret.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the forest, the fire crackling softly beside me. My friends were there, but something was different. They looked at me with a mixture of fear and suspicion, their eyes glinting with an unsettling darkness.
"Jack, are you okay?" Sarah asked, her voice trembling.
I nodded slowly, trying to piece together what had happened. "I think so. What about you guys?"
"We're fine," Mark replied, his eyes darting to the shadows around us. "But we need to get out of here. Now."
As we hurriedly packed up our things, a sense of déjà vu washed over me. The events of the night seemed to loop in my mind, each memory bleeding into the next. We stumbled through the dark woods, the path seeming to twist and change beneath our feet.
When we finally reached the edge of the forest, our cars were waiting, just as before. We piled in, desperate to escape, but as we sped away, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was still wrong.
In the rearview mirror, I saw them again—our doppelgängers, standing at the edge of the woods, watching us with those cold, empty eyes. They smiled, their expressions filled with a promise of return.
We didn't speak much on the drive back. The silence was heavy, each of us lost in our thoughts, haunted by the events of the night. When we finally parted ways, I knew things would never be the same.
That night, as I lay in bed, I heard the knock at my window again. My heart pounded as I turned to look, and there it was—the doppelgänger, its expression blank, its eyes empty.
It smiled, a twisted reflection of my own face, and mouthed the words: "Some of us remember. And now, you're one of us."
The realization hit me like a cold wave. I wasn't just a target—I was becoming one of them. And as I stared into those empty eyes, I knew there was no escape from the darkness that had claimed us all. The doppelgänger pressed its hand against the glass, and the frost began to spread again, intricate patterns of ice crawling across the windowpane.
I woke up startled, and realized I'd been laying unconscious on the living room floor, my front door wide open, revealing the cold night.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed on the floor, startling me. I grabbed it, seeing a text from Sarah: "Are you seeing this too?"
I quickly replied, my fingers trembling: "Yes. We need to talk. Now. I had the weirdest dream, a continuous loop of us going back to the forest and running away."
Her response came almost immediately: "Meet at the diner in 20 minutes. Bring Mark and Tom."
I nodded to myself, feeling a sliver of hope. Maybe together, we could figure out what was happening, find a way to stop it. I grabbed my jacket and keys, casting one last glance at the window. The doppelgänger was gone, but the frost remained, a chilling reminder of the nightmare that was far from over.
As I stepped outside, the cold night air bit into my skin. I hurried to my car, my breath visible in the frigid air. The drive to the diner was a blur, my mind racing with fear and uncertainty. What had we unleashed? And how could we stop it?
When I arrived, Sarah, Mark, and Tom were already there, their faces pale and drawn. We exchanged brief, grim nods and sat down at a corner booth, away from the few other late-night patrons.
"We need to figure out what we did," Mark said, his voice urgent. "And how to undo it."
Tom nodded, his eyes dark with worry. "I remember something about a ritual. Symbols in the dirt, chanting. We must have called them."
Sarah shivered. "But how do we send them back?"
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "We need to retrace our steps, remember exactly what we did. Maybe we can find a way to reverse it."
While we were talking, Mark kept his eyes fixated on the window behind me. I was too afraid to ask him what he was seeing.
"Why would we even start this ritual?" Sarah asked.
As we huddled together in the dimly lit diner, the memories of that fateful night came rushing back, sharp and vivid. "We did it to bring someone back," I began, my voice barely above a whisper. My friends leaned in closer, the tension palpable. "We found that old book in the abandoned cabin, the one with the ritual to resurrect the dead. We were desperate. The ritual seemed like our only hope. We drew the symbols in the dirt, chanted the incantations under the full moon, and waited."
Sarah's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. "Wait, are you saying we...?"
"Yes," I interrupted, nodding. "We performed a resurrection ritual. But something went wrong. We didn't just bring one soul back—we opened a door."
Tom's face paled, his hands shaking. "What door, Jack? What did we do?"
I took a deep breath, the weight of the truth pressing down on me. "We brought back... others. Dark, twisted echoes of ourselves. And now, they're haunting us as doppelgängers."
A tense silence fell over the table, each of us grappling with the horrifying revelation. The flickering neon light outside cast eerie shadows across our faces, amplifying the fear in our eyes.
Mark, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, finally spoke, his voice trembling. "But why? Why are they haunting us?"
Before I could answer, the door to the diner creaked open, and a gust of cold wind swept in, sending shivers down our spines. I turned to see a shadowy figure standing in the doorway, its features obscured by the darkness. The figure stepped into the light, revealing a face that was both familiar and foreign—my own doppelgänger.
"We remember," it said, its voice a chilling echo of my own. "And now, you will too."
My friends gasped, their eyes wide with terror. The doppelgänger's smile widened, a twisted reflection of my own fear. "It's time to face what you've done," it continued, stepping closer.
I felt a surge of panic, my mind racing. "We have to get out of here," I whispered urgently to my friends.
We scrambled to our feet, the chairs clattering to the floor. As we rushed to the exit, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being herded, driven towards something inevitable.
We burst out of the diner and into the cold night, the doppelgängers following us with unnerving precision. The streets were empty, the town eerily silent as we sprinted towards our cars.
"Where do we go?" Sarah cried, her voice filled with desperation.
"We need to go back," I said, the words spilling out before I could stop them. "Back to the woods. Back to where it all started."
"But why?" Tom protested, his eyes wide with fear. "Why would we go back there?"
"Because," I replied, my voice steady despite the fear coursing through me. "We need to find a way to close the door. To end this."
Mark's face twisted in confusion and fear, but he nodded. "Let's go."
We piled into our cars, the engines roaring to life as we sped towards the woods. The drive was a blur, the road twisting and turning under the pale moonlight. My mind raced with fragments of memories, the ritual replaying over and over in my head.
As we neared the edge of the forest, the sense of dread grew stronger. We parked and stepped out into the night, the towering trees looming over us like silent sentinels.
"We have to find the exact spot," I said, my voice barely audible over the rustling leaves. "The clearing where we performed the ritual."
The path was barely visible, the forest a maze of shadows and whispers. We stumbled through the undergrowth, our flashlights casting eerie beams of light that danced across the gnarled trees.
Finally, we reached the clearing. The symbols we had drawn were still faintly visible in the dirt, the remnants of our desperate attempt to cheat death.
"We need to reverse it," I said, my voice trembling. "Somehow, we need to close the door we opened."
Sarah knelt beside the symbols, her fingers tracing the lines in the dirt. "How do we do that?"
Before I could answer, Mark's voice cut through the darkness. "There's something you need to know," he said, his tone filled with a strange mix of fear and resignation.
I knew what he was going to say. Deep down, I had always known, but I never wanted to admit it.
"It's ok." I said.
"What? What are you talking about?" Sarah whispered.
"The ritual. Do you remember the start of our trip?"
"Yeah."
"How many of us were there?"
"Four."
"No," Tom interrupted. Mark wasn't with us.
Confusion swept over Sarah's face, which turned into frustration. "Are you saying..."
"Yes. You all went to my funeral. I'm sorry. You tried to bring me back now, and it backfired. It's all my fault." Mark nodded, tears glistening in his eyes.
"It's not your fault. It was my idea."
Before we could react, the air around us grew colder, and the shadows deepened.
The answer lay in the ritual, in the words we had chanted under the full moon. We had to find a way to reverse them, to undo what we had done.
As we discussed our plan, the feeling of being watched never left me.
We had started something we didn't understand, something ancient and powerful. And now, we had to finish it, or be consumed by it.
The night stretched on, the shadows deepening, and as we left the diner to face whatever awaited us, a sense of dread settled over us like a suffocating shroud. The answers we sought lay somewhere in the darkness, but so did the creatures we had brought into our world.
And as we ventured back into the woods, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were walking into a trap.

Hello. I’m on my third week of ozempic trial. My first two were .25 and third was .5
I am having no fun this week. I’m dizzy often. Having headaches. Yesterday my hands were shaky. This morning I woke up with slight chills and nauseous. Are these serious? Are these common? What did you do to combat this. Google of course tells me I have 16 different kinds of cancer when I google this so…. Yesterday when my hands were shaky I thought maybe my blood sugar was low so I had something with sugar in it.

Hello. I’m on my third week of ozempic trial. My first two were .25 and third was .5
I am having no fun this week. I’m dizzy often. Having headaches. Yesterday my hands were shaky. This morning I woke up with slight chills and nauseous. Are these serious? Are these common? What did you do to combat this. Google of course tells me I have 16 different kinds of cancer when I google this so….

Question: What discoveries/products, no matter how unconventional, ease your autism especially meltdowns?
Last night my mom installed a metal, oscillating table fan. I’ve never owned a fan before since it’s quite uncommon given I live in the north. WHAT A RELIEF! I wasn’t even aware that I was overheating in my bedroom. The cool air is so soothing. I am so grateful and wonder if I could have gone another day without it (next paragraph is summary of what I’ve been through recently — I separated because I wasn’t sure if it could be triggering). Now I’m chilling (literally) under my weighted blanket, listening to deep brown noise, fan blowing in my face, about to journal 💨 🛌 ☁️
The last 72 hours have been so rough. Yesterday, from the moment I woke up at 8 until 3pm I was in consecutive meltdowns so severe I couldn’t even sit up due to exhaustion and dizziness. The day before was even worse as I had a huge meltdown after coming home from my day program, collapsed, took a bath, collapsed again, and woke up to on the floor to my neighbors and ambulance breaking in to help me. That was somewhat traumatic in and of itself.