Sore throat, cough, headache and sore stomach

On days 1-3 my throat was very sore and I was exhausted. On days 4-5 my nose was running constantly and I was still exhausted. On day 6 my nose and throat are mostly fine but I am still exhausted and I have a fever of 99.9. Some chills.
I thought it was a cold at first but I never had a cold like this where the fever didn’t develop until six days in. Trying to figure how much longer I’ll be like this.

Male 25/ 158lbs/ 5'11", Hey hoping anyone might have some insight or recommendations for me as I'm at a loss here. I've been having a lot of health issues over the past 3 weeks.
It initially started as some breathlessness every now and then (feeling like there's negative pressure in my lungs), especially with light exertion, something I've never had before. Then a few days later I also started getting some tightness in my chest, alongside what feels like fluctuations in heart/blood flow, anything from it getting faster and harder when sitting up/laying down to randomly, I can almost visibly see my heartbeat go down to my abdomen (gets worse throughout the day). Around this same time I started getting a lot of bloating in my abdomen, alongside an increase in flatulence, and lots of noises made especially when trying to lay down in any position, alongside an uncomfortable feeling (no pain) this has caused trouble sleeping sometimes.
Since then I've had a lot of other things come and go, unsure if related but no obvious cause, including headaches, dizziness, small muscle spams and twitches, joint soreness and extreme erections whenever waking up in the night (not normal for me usually). Something I also had a couple of times is some major muscle spams around my inner chest which I found to co-inside with the last point, it would last for a couple of minutes and it felt like all the muscles inside my chest would spam, no breathing or heartbeat noticeably affected or pain.
Initially I went to the doctors for the breathing issues and had an x-ray to check for fluid in the lungs however that came back clear. We have a blood pressure monitor at home that I have tested regularly with however always comes back perfect. Afterwards I was sent for an ecg then echocardiogram (no physical exertion), which also came back perfect. However as the issue is on and off wondering if it would show up when not happening? Lastly my doctor had a blood test for celiac as it has been known to run in my family, however this has also come back clear. At this point he has just recommended me to check if eating anything particular causes any issues, which I have been trying to do (haven't noticed anything in particular).
For some background info I live a very sedentary lifestyle, suffer with a lot of anxiety, get almost no sun, work at a computer and spend the vast majority of my other time also at a computer, I would however say I am still average+ fitness. I do go to the gym for weight training twice a week however have stopped since developing these symptoms. Around 5 months ago I started bulking, just upped my current diet, which is relatively good (maybe a tiny bit lacking in vegetables). I started cutting around a week before I noticed these symptoms, I stopped immediately (was at around 2,100 kcals for a 2.5k basal rate.) One thing I did notice a couple of months ago was a weird feeling right near the front of my lower stomach, a very small amount of tenderness and a weird feeling like something running their finger down my stomach, very minor and barely noticed it when it happened, may be entirely unrelated.
I also went to the hospital a year back for a pinched nerve in lower back, had some pain which went away, however had a very similar feeling in stomach, intestines and troubles sleeping due to it being uncomfortable (haven't noticed anything directly in back now however).
Lastly a few days before I noticed the lung issues initially I had a really intense cardio workout for the first time in years which is initially what I thought might be connected to the breathlessness, not sure if that's feasible but it's where my mind went.
Apologies for the wall of test just wanted to get all the information across as there's a lot to it, this is severely impacting me as I can barely concentrate enough for work, thankyou!

So I’ve had a minor sore throat for id say the past 3-4 days constant. It’s a sore feeling by the back of my tounge that I notice when I swallow. Not super painful or anything just feels like a sore throat on the side where I had the impacted tooth. Not sure if it’s for concern or what cause the socket itself doesn’t really hurt it’s just sore by the site. I went thru a dental school (professional surgeon) but they are closed for like a week, so I can’t get ahold of them. Just wondering if this is normal and should give it a couple more days or if I should get in contact with a different office and get it checked out? Just worried about maybe having an infection but I know that’s usually really painful which this isn’t.

I’m having a sore throat and white bumps on the bottom of my tongue and mouth

Data-Miner Gego stared at the results of the analysis, still in disbelief that this wild theory had borne fruit and stood up to scrutiny again and again. But now, here before him in data as clear as even the youngest apprentice could see, was evidence, clear and unshakable:
Humans were not what they promised themselves to be.
Feeling slightly nauseous with anxiety, he keyed in a request to meet with the diplomat’s office as soon as possible.
As the diplomat looked over his latest treaty proposal, there was a faint sound of horns in harmonious blaring, signifying someone had requested permission to enter. Glad for any distraction from the monotonous paperwork, he activated the intercom, saying “You are recognized and accepted. Please enter.”
As the crouched and scrabbling shape stepped into the doorway, diplomat Hale-he mused again how interesting it would be if the if their ancestors could have heard such a magnificent call for a mere diplomat. Previously, such a grand instrumentation would have been reserved for a high chieftain or king, and yet here was Hale-he, a diplomat to be sure, but certainly no ruler of any stripe, heralded by a song that would bring envy even to high lords and minor rulers in ages past.
The individual sat before him, and Hale-he could tell by their coloration and the shape of their antenna they were a scientist or engineer, someone likely far more familiar with numbers than he was. Hale-he, while now taking on the rich purple hues of a diplomat, had the underlying color of brilliant crimson, a mark of his near-decade of study as a historical scholar and graduate before his appointment into diplomacy.
“What do you have for me? Gego, I believe?”
The other individual nodded, crossing his pinchers in a sign of deference and respect. “I am sorry to disturb your appointment, but I have important information regarding humans.”
“Ah yes, humans,” said Hale-he, feeling a degree of relaxation and comfort at the mention of the gregarious and affable people.
Humans had taken quite some time in venturing out to the stars, but their planet was located such that a number of major trade routes passed quite near to their system. Several species had reported contact with them before humans had in turn reached out and started to make contact of their own. But from all reports, they were kind, clever, and selfless to a fault, with no recent instances of conflict despite a very violent early history. They were renowned for having an impeccable record of interspecies relations.
“I'm actually in the process of framing a new trade treaty with some of their inner-system human colonies. I believe the primary planet in question is called Mars, but they also have gas refineries and extractors above their gas giants, and several mining operations set up on a number of moons and their asteroid belt.”
“Yes, I have seen the newscast about how much this treaty is expected to aid both species,” said Gego. There was an odd note of apprehension Hale-he could detect in their chittering voice. “There is some invaluable context that I believe needs to be put to light.”
“Context? What do you mean, ‘context?’”
“Well, you are aware that we, the Civicor, first met humanity when a trade ship fell off course and crashed upon Earth?”
“It is a well-known accident. Some manner of navigational mishap; Thankfully, our propulsion systems are far more accurate today.”
“This is true, but are you also aware the Bayons have a remarkably-similar story related to their first contact with humanity as well? A military scout vessel, intending to regroup with the bulk of their fleet and engaging the Dendite menace, and they were likewise drawn off course, spiraling to crash onto Earth as well.”
“I remember the stories that time hypothesized that it was Dendite sabotage, even though it was unlikely for such a minor and inconsequential vessel,” said Hale-he. “Other than that, I’m unfortunately not familiar with their own reports on it.”
“But our two species are but a few from over a dozen first-contact reports with humanity. All stemming from engine failures, navigation failures, and crashes or forced landings of ships that lost control and arrived on Earth.”
“Well,” said the diplomat, starting to see the shape of the data-miner’s point, “Warpspace travel.has always been an inexact science at times, and was even less accurate decades ago. It's possible you are reading too much into a handful of coincidences.”
The data-miner rubbed their eyestalks, feeling exhaustion creeping in for how much frantic effort they had put in over the past three-day cycle. “Yes, but to borrow an idiom for the humans, ‘Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times is a pattern,’ let alone a solid dozen instances within barely a fifty-year timespan. Even the most heavily-trafficked routes past the most dense or erratic planetoids have only achieved a third of that number.”
“You're asking me to disrupt peaceful and productive diplomatic ties with humans by suggesting they were responsible for these instances. Are you truly suggesting that this was intentional from humanity's part?”
“I am.”
“That may be, but we will require more proof than mere happenstance, unlikely though it may be.”
“I have additional data as well.” Gego was the most proud of this next part, and he carefully pulled up the diagrams and charting maps. A vibrant animation appeared onscreen of what appeared to be a rainbow-colored and spiked disc, surging and shaking on the screen. “This is the analysis of the gravitational field irregularities within a quarter of a solar year of Earth's primary star.”
The diplomat looked nonplussed at the diagram. “I would assume the fluctuations here are not ideal?”
“No indeed. They could be likened to a reef within a shallow sea, permitting transit in the calm regions but damaging and disrupting ships passing through a rough space. I have reached out to several of the shipping guilds for more details, but initial reports back support this theory, with several commenting that the route passing near to Earth is highly undesirable amongst experienced pilots due to the rough effects it has on engine stability and wear and tear.”
The diplomat looked over the diagram further before attempting to wave it away dismissively. “But who’s to say that this isn't a natural phenomena of Earth’s system? There are many regions of space that are disruptive or dangerous to travel through in warpspace, so what would make Earth's patch of turbulence unique?”
“The fact that they can turn it on and off at will.”
The diplomat coughed violently as the surprise dislodged the piece of fruit pulp he was eating out of his primary digestion sack and instead into the top of his gas exchange organ. “What in the three spheres do you mean they can turn it off?”
Gego grimaced this time as he keyed in some commands to the report. This time the disc figure that was pulled was much grainier and blocky, fine measurements now showing as wide swaths. “This was reverse-calculated from a series of gravimetric scans done across that entire arm of the galaxy.”
Even with the poor resolution, the diplomat could still see that this was a wildly chaotic and dangerous gravitational field. “It looks the same.”
The data-miner nodded. “Yes, but watch here: It's hard to tell, but this readout is actually playing in reverse, stepping backwards through time. We're about to hit 76 years ago.”
“What's so important about 76-” The diplomat cut off, words caught like fruit pulp in his throat as the image abruptly stilled. The disc depicting the gravitational field was now still and smooth as a windless pond.
“So it just started one day?”
“Indeed, Diplomat Hale-he. And furthermore, this beginning of the turbulence was a mere month before the first vessel lost controlI and was forced to make an emergency landing on Earth.”
The possibilities were rapidly narrowing, but Hale-he was still in favor of exploring whatever possible shred he could find to avoid confronting the dawning reality about humans.
“Well, while things of this nature are highly irregular, I presume, I'm still not convinced that this shows they can activate it at will.”
“I know, Gego said, “Which is why I wanted to show you that data before I show you this.”
The gravitational field display became the ragged tumultuous ocean of currents and surges, and this time in the higher detail that told Hale-he this was more recent readings. “I'm sure you saw the announcements a fortnight ago that humanity had tested their first faster than light engine they had made themselves, rather than trading for, and successfully made a jaunt out to the furthest planetoid in their star system and back without incident?”
“Yes?” the diplomat said cautiously.
“I received this data from a colleague, who was concerned there may have been an instrument malfunction to produce such data as I’m about to show you. She checked and validated it herself. It was fully accurate and reliable, which makes it all the more troubling. I don't think she realized the cause of what she was seeing, but unfortunately the timing of it adds up too perfectly.”
The data-miner continued quietly recalling “I believe at this point we're at 30 seconds to launch the human’s test flight.”
Hale-he let out an involuntary gasp of breath as the gravity field abruptly stilled again, perfectly smooth simultaneously across the entire spread of it.
Grimly, the data-miner said “Here we had the jump,” and after a short pause continued “-and the return.” A few seconds later and the field abruptly resumed its turbulence.
The diplomat was still in shock, staring at the gravimetric readout, when Gego said “That's also not the most concerning part, either. This was supposed to be humanity's first faster-than-light capability of their own they were testing here; Isn't that right?”
“Well of course,” replied Hale-he. “It was on all the new stations. A great achievement for a species that had been slow to achieve that milestone.”
“I would remind you then that the readout here is half a light-year in diameter.”
The diplomat scrunched his eyestalks in confused concentration, trying to understand what the other alien was implying, when suddenly it hit him. “Yet they were able to disrupt such a large region simultaneously, and stop it equally quickly?”
Gego nodded. “Whatever means they have at causing such a disruption is certainly faster-than-light, and immensely wide-ranging. If it was slower and confined to a small area, I might have some theories as to how it could be accomplished, but this size, this scale and the speed? I have no idea. It is beyond anything our sciences and technology can produce, or that of any other known species.”
The diplomat sat back, stunned. “By the Spheres.” He glanced up at Gego. “What do you propose we do with this information?”
The data-miner waved an arm. “Perhaps we can get to the bottom of this: Go to humanity with the information we have. Tell them we want the secrets of this technology and the power sources that feed it, as it far eclipses anything we can currently achieve. Tell them that we will expose these findings to the rest of the space-faring civilizations of the galaxy if they continue to hold back.”
The diplomat’s eyes widened, before after a long moment he said “I see. Well, I still need to get to my duties and figure out how to handle this. You are excused, and a reminder to keep the strictly confidential while I inform the appropriate other parties.”
Gego bowed in deference before leaving the office. After he left, Hale-he leaned back in his saddle chair and groaned. The idiot had uncovered humanity possessed the capability of affecting a wide chunk of space at a power and complexity unheard of among any other known species, and his first suggestion was to blackmail them? The diplomat rubbed his head trying to make the sudden headache go away.
A few thoughts were coming to mind, snippets that had been dismissed in the moment, but now he couldn't shake them as he was reminded of the first species that had ever encountered humanity, and the comments by their scientists. They had said that humans were curiously disinterested in their warpspace drivers, despite not having faster-than-light capabilities already.
Then the second species that encountered humanity had mentioned that a child of one of the diplomatic party had become separated from the group, and accidentally come in contact with and ingested some Earth flora. It wasn't something toxic or dangerous to humans, but the physiological makeup of that species reacted poorly with alkaloids in the flora and would have resulted in a swift and painful death if left untreated. But instead, the humans had administered a series of emetics and alkaloid-binding treatments, something they said was common in the case of an accidental poison ingestion, The diplomat remembered reading a footnote from the inhuman physician at the time that this particular blend of neutralizing agents was not something commonly found in human medical kits, and in fact was uniquely suited to their own species’ biology.
Both had been written off as flukes, interesting anecdotes at most, but now the diplomat began to see the greater shape of it, as a species that cared not for faster-than-light travel, for they'd doubtless already achieved it, mastered it, and discarded it as uninteresting at some point before. A species, who upon supposed first contact, had comprehensive medical and anatomical knowledge of their guests sufficient enough to save a child in mere minutes from otherwise certain death.
All this from a species that had befriended and gregariously hosted every alien ship that had come astray upon their planet, and offered nothing but support and friendship to both waylaid travelers and their subsequent diplomatic summits, despite seeming to lack the ability to travel outside of their own star system. A species that was confident, at a basal level that Hale-he was only just now beginning to truly understand.
He opened a communications missive, addressed to all the other diplomats of similar station amongst the other species humanity had made contact with.
”Greetings to my fellow ambassadors. * *I come bearing difficult news regarding humanity: * *They are not what they appear to be. * *Yet, I believe it is of the utmost importance that we continue to pretend that they are, * *For fear that otherwise, we will learn who, or what, they truly are…”
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Would love to hear your journey to get a DX and treatment and how it worked for you.
My longer story:
I am legitimately accident prone. In 2018 was in a car accident and lost against the steering wheel.
Approximately where your gallbladder is started experiencing sharp pains. Also rotator cuff damage on that side.
I had my gallbladder taken out on the chance it was that. No HIDA scan necessary, they saw an incidental gallstone on us like a year prior. Never had issues and it wasn't what we were looking for at the time.
I also had shoulder surgery, they suspected a SLAP tear based on my symptoms and pain location (pain starts in the front and wraps around into my scapular area. Although it was hard to tell where it started until recently)
No slap tear confirmed via scope
At this point I'm told intercostal neuralgia, modify my life style.
So I stop using my abs and let my body develop compensations.
Never using my core resulted in liveable pain levels (but still present)
Enter 2022. I break my knee and do something to my thigh/hip
Finally in 2024 after failing numerous regular PTs I'm put into Pelvic Floor PT.
Last week she starts assigning core exercises.
As soon as I activate my deep abdominal muscles the pain climbs and hasn't left since.
And it's pain, not soreness from something new.
Now I can't sleep cough or laugh.
Pacing seems to help.
So anyway I had a light bulb moment when that happened and am thinking I don't have intercostal neuralgia, but possibly ACNES still don't think that does anything to HELP me..
But if you do have this how did you get over it? I need to heal my core to heal my leg to have some sort of life.

For anyone who doesn’t know, there is a procedure some ENTs do called laser cryptolosis, where you get numbed with local anesthesia and the doctor takes a small laser to burn away the crypts and pockets of your tonsil tissue. It isn’t effective for everyone, but I figured it was worth a shot before I went for a full tonsillectomy. The recovery time is much shorter and easier. I was searching endlessly for people’s experiences with this before my procedure, so I figured I’d make a post detailing it.
I had the procedure at 1:00. When I first went in my doctor put numbing gel on my tonsils. Most doctors from what I’ve read use a numbing spray to numb the area, but my doctor used needles after the gel, like what you’d get at the dentist. Didn’t feel much of the needles, just a pinch.
He let me sit for a few minutes then came back in and had me hold a vacuum suction for the smoke. He then got the laser ready. As he was going over spots, I did feel it, and there were a few spots that were a bit painful, but it was overall bearable. He stopped every minute or so to let me swallow and make sure I was okay.
Then that was it! I was good to go. He gave me a lollipop to get rid of the weird taste in my mouth, and I was out the door. The entire appointment took about half an hour.
It’s been a few hours since now, and my throat is sore, but nothing awful. I haven’t tried to eat much yet, but I feel like I’d be able to eat anything beside something very spicy or crunchy. I took some ibuprofen and plan to stay on top of it for the next couple of days. I have no idea what the crypts look like since it’s hard to see anything beside a sorta singed area, but I plan to keep an update going as things heal. Hopefully this procedure will work!
(Also realize the after tonsillectomy tag isn’t quite right, but wasn’t sure what else to list this as)

Just got my 24hr PH results. Normal acid reflux levels.
1 acid reflux event 21 weakly acid events
Dr conclusion was normal, no explanation for my severe throat pain.
I suspect I have weakly acidic reflux because I have low stomach acid. Would this make sense?
Symptoms are: Severe throat burn 24/7 no matter what i eat Voice problems/throat clearing Constant burping belching all day (Mayne brining Pepsi) Indigestion and bloating. Mucas (doesn't bother me so much)
I never had any of these issues until 24hrs after I took the PPI (for an unrelated cough 😤)
I suspect Low Stomach Acid and possibly bacterial overgrowth from the PPI. I was on PPIs for 2 months and I've been off for 3 months but my stomach is still wrecked.
I did AWD for 5 months with zero improvement. 3 weeks into the Fast Tract Diet now and belching has reduced a small amount, but no improvement in other symptoms. Throat burn is brutal.
No HH, barium swallow was OK, no H-p.
Lost tons of weight. Severely under weight now. Struggle to work or socialize. Can't exercise as it makes things worse (I just walk).
Soon gonna start HCL but worried because I'm in severe throat pain now. Can barely work as is... If it gets worse I'm in trouble.
Anyone's LPR improve after they fixed their stomach?

Three weeks ago, I thought I was dying. I was so sick, for three hellish weeks. The first week I was waiting for it to go away, then I got to a point I could barely breathe. So I went to the hospital where they horribly mistreated me and I left without treatment. Another week later and I had to suck it up and take the bus to the ER where they said I had pneumonia and a lung abscess.
About 12 days ago, a new depression medication I had been taking for a week prior caused me to experience horrific auditory hallucinations. This was the first time in my life I had experienced this, and it was so real, that after a week of torture, no sleep, all while not knowing it was the med causing it, I broke and called the police to go help my elderly neighbor who I was 100% convinced was being tortured in their apartment that’s connected to mine.
I had no idea I had a year old warrant from the girl my supposed former partner had been living with for two of the four years he said we were together. So the police checked on my neighbor, who was fine, and then came and arrested me.
While in jail for 8 days, I was not given any of my medications. Including the one causing the auditory hallucinations, which after two days they all stopped and that’s when I figured out that it had been the med that whole time.
While in jail, the sadistic sick guards put me with 14 other women in one small cell intended to hold 8, for almost 36 hours. They didn’t even give us water that entire duration. Two of the girls sitting next to me were complaining of sore throats. Yesterday I woke up with a cough, and today I’m coughing up green and grey yet again. I feel flat out like walking death.
When I got out of jail, which I had never been to before, nobody told me I needed to go directly to the bondsman and sign paperwork. So they called me last night and said if I don’t come in they will revoke my bond. They are in a city two hours away and I do not drive due to massive amounts of head trauma which caused a balance disorder.
Now I have to get two bus tickets, a Lyft to and from the bondsman, and only have $60 to do all that with. The woman that the SSA put in charge of my money at first, did not pay all of my rent last month, so I had to give my landlord $120 when I got out of jail, after finding an eviction notice warning letter on my coffee table when I got home.
I am in the middle of trying to pull together a move to NC after receiving a letter one week before I was arrested, saying that I had finally come up on the waitlist for Section 8 out there after years of waiting.
Today I had to make the decision on the lawyer I wanted to hire to help me with my trial since I am clueless about anything to do with law and don’t want to go back to jail.
I have a billion things to do this week still, including spending however many hours at the SSA tomorrow so I can get enough $ released early to pay my attorney fee so she can begin working on my case before the trial next month. I can barely stand up at this point, this just hit so hard so fast.
I’m so overwhelmed and none of this can be put off even a week. I haven’t eaten since I got out of jail 4 days ago cause all my food went bad and I have to give and save every dime now, part went to my landlord and the rest I need to get to the city my bondsman is in and make it home.
I cannot even believe this fucking shit.

Hey guys, I couldn’t bare to eat meat anymore, I didn’t like the taste of it, this was 2 weeks and a half of strict carnivore.
So I decided to take a break, 2 days into the break today I ate a pizza and tonight some European buffet with plenty of carbs, well, tonight I can’t sleep!
I got a sore throat appearing and pretty back lower back pain, since I stopped. The worst is that my resting BPM is pretty high (94BPM) not at all time but specially tonight.
Did anyone else had those types of symptoms appearing on a break ? I feel worried, but ChatGPT doc reassured me that it is normal when changing diet specially from a zero carb one abruptly.

Credit to u/SpacePaladin15 for the NOP Universe.
Hey, I hope everyone's doing well!
Today we return to the namesake of this fic, an actual lesson about animals. This one focuses on Koalas! One of Australia's most recognisable critters. I hope you enjoy.
It's hardly worth mentioning, seeing as I'm an infrequent poster at the best of times, but I'll not have another chapter out for a few weeks due to limited free time and devoting most of my writing time to an upcoming ficnapping. Be sure to look out for that!
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Memory transcription subject: Rysel, Venlil Environmental Researcher
Date [Standardised human time]: 8th September 2136
“Koalas!”
Bernard’s energised voice boomed through the air as the classroom's monitor flickered into life, images of this paws lecture topic popping up one after the other until the entire screen was filled with a collage of furry quadrupeds.
Squee! I’ll never get tired of this, it’s all so cool!
As usual the sight of something new stirred immediate discussion, hushed murmurs swelling into vibrant discourse in little more than a heartbeat. Most of the class swiftly huddled together into small herds to bounce ideas around while the rest opted to stick to the solace of their own thoughts as they took in the display.
I’d be quite happy in either situation, though seeing as Sandi had already sunk into deep concentration and Kailo had peeled off to talk with Ennerif and Solenk, it seemed the decision had been made for me on this occasion. Wasting no more time on idle inspection of the people around me, I focused my full attention forward, eager to form first impressions before the lesson began in earnest.
Now then, time to make some educated guesses. What traits does this animal have? I wonder if I’ll get any right this paw?
Professional assumptions went paw-in-paw with the lectures, examining and coming up with hypotheses about the specimens was only natural. Recently however, I’d started to make a little game of it to make things even more interesting than usual. A veritable bonfire of ideas had been set ablaze within me, fueled by my newfound knowledge of Earthen wildlife. Every flash and spark of the flame was a fresh theory I could try to apply to the lectures. It was an invigorating exercise that further stoked my unceasing wonderment.
So far I’d only done this once during the previous class and, to my disappointment, I’d not done too well.
I was right when I guessed that chickens were omnivores, but wrong in my assumption that they could fly. And that red thing on their head, the um… what was it called? The comb! Yes, the comb. I thought that was to attract mates, but it regulates body heat instead. It’s fascinating. Oh! Stars damn it I’m rambling!
I bapped my tail against my leg, the soft thud being just enough to snap me back from my runaway thoughts before I went completely wall-eyed. I was becoming more and more accustomed to getting lost in my own head while remaining conscious of the fact; it was happening so frequently now that it was pretty much impossible not to. Now I was able to pull myself back to the world around me without having to rely on someone else shaking me out of it. Most of the time anyway.
Sandi still keeps an eye on me, and Kailo even decided to help out once without being too snide about it. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, Koalas.
Glancing at the furred animals, two things immediately stood out. Firstly, their eyes were in a more central position on their face. And second, all the images showed them being on or close to trees. There were other noteworthy observations of course, such as the Koala’s prominent nose and rounded features, but they fell to the wayside as I honed in on these points first.
Hmmm… ok. I already know to discount the idea that they’re predators just from eye position, so let’s get that thought out of here. Maybe omnivorous? Herbivore? Agh no, I can’t just guess that for the sake of guessing, that’s the same problem! Hrm, it’s tough making these assumptions now that everything I thought I knew has been turned on its head.
Nevermind, I’ll focus on the other thing. All the trees make me think they’re arboreal, that seems to be a reasonable assumption. I wonder what else they-
Clearing his throat, Bernard broke my concentration, his call for attention silencing the murmuring conversation and redirecting everyone's focus to the lecturer's podium.
His gaze panned across the room as he waited for everyone to settle, a beaming smile lighting up his face, “As ever I’m delighted to see you all get so into the subject matter from the get go. I’m looking forward to hearing what you were discussing should you wish to share. For now though, how about we get started, hm?”
A chorus of merry bleats rang out from across the audience, ears and tails flicking happily in agreement. Bernard's grin grew in tandem with the class's fervour, clasping his hands together enthusiastically as he launched into the lesson, “Excellent! Then let’s get started.”
The pictures on screen dissolved away until only one remained, enlarging to cover the entire monitor with the fluffy grey face of a Koala peacefully reclining in the crook of a tree.
“Ah, there we are,” Bernard’s baritone timbre drifted through the room as he looked up at the image, his own tone reflecting the relaxed attitude of the animal on screen, “He looks so comfortable doesn’t he? Perfectly at peace with the world, not too surprising considering they sleep almost 20 hours a day. A full paw!”
A wave of beeps and gasps rippled through the herd, punctuated by a single yawn-dressed comment from Rova, “A full paw? Hwuuu… jealous.”
Her drowsy remark elicited several whistling giggles from the herd, Bernard's own jovial chortle joining them as he turned to face her, “Late evening Rova?”
I twisted a little in my seat, panning an eye in Rova’s direction just in time to see her bleary eyes bulge open and her ears shoot up, now intensely aware of the fact she hadn’t been as quiet as she thought she had.
Sitting up abruptly, she hastily tapped down errant tufts of wool that’d flared in surprise as she composed herself, though her nervousness at becoming the centre of the class's attention was still plain for all to hear, “Uh- I um… achem, a little bit yes, um- …sorry. Lokki dragged me out to a movie viewing in the rec centre. It went on pretty late.”
A melodramatic bray from the other side of the room drew everyone's ears away from Rova to the now aghast Lokki, paw splayed across his chest in faux indignation, “Dragged you? Well excuse me for trying to broaden your horizons with human movies. That’ll be the list time I- …Ahaaaa…”
Lokki’s theatrics were cut short by a heavy yawn of his own, a swell of whistling laughter rolling through the herd as vibrant bloom lit up his snout, a sight that elicited a particularly amused bleat from Rova.
Turning away from the duo I looked back at Bernard, pleased to see that he was chuckling along with us. Behaviour like Lokki’s would never have been tolerated in my school and university days but, in stark contrast, Bernard revelled in it, the liveliness of his students fueling his own bombastic style of teaching. It was a pleasant change of pace having a teacher who let us all be ourselves in class; provided we weren’t too disruptive to the lesson plan.
Speaking of which.
His laughter still rumbling through the air, Bernard clapped his hands to pull everyone's focus back to him, “Ok, ok, let’s get back to it then shall we? Rova. Lokki. Hopefully the two of you can stay awake long enough until you can grab yourselves a coffee.”
As the class settled down and the last few giggling beeps petered out, Benard pointed a hand to the screen, “So, the Koala. Let’s start simple shall we? They are herbivorous marsupials native to the eastern and southern coasts of Australia. Easily recognised the world over, they are a well known and beloved symbol of their homeland, along with other animals such as the Kangaroo and the Emu. The former of which you might remember from one of our earlier lectures.”
Indeed I did remember, along with how angry Bernard had gotten after some speh-head had derided the Yotul after he explained how he held specific disdain for such attitudes.
Uuuggghh… I never want to see him angry again. So chilling.
I shook my ears in an effort to dismiss the unpleasant memory, panning my eyes back to the monitor to try and distract myself by inspecting the Koala’s physical appearance once more. Thankfully, by some Star's blessed intervention, Bernard had the exact same idea.
“Koala’s are rather squat in stature, ranging around sixty to eighty-five centimetres in length and weighing little more than fifteen to sixteen kilograms at their full size. As you can see, the fur of this fellow before you is a lovely silvery grey, but their fur can also sport a chocolaty brown hue as well. Arguably the most distinctive part of their appearance is their head, being rather large for their body size and having rounded ears, a large nose, and a pair of small eyes. These are often brown but variations do occur.”
It didn’t slip past my notice that Bernard didn’t bother to point out that the Koala’s eyes were forward facing. I didn’t think he’d simply forgotten, so perhaps he just felt it wasn’t necessary given that he’d already stated it was herbivorous. Either way, no one stuck up a paw or tail to question him.
“Now this will hardly be surprising considering how long they sleep, but Koala’s are largely sedentary and it’s rather easy to see why when you have a look into the contents of their diet.”
With the press of a button the Koala on screen was replaced by images of vibrant green vegetation. Soaring trees and flowering shrubbery weaved together across landscape framed pictures pulled admiring trills from the herd, the diversity of the plant life being shown standing as a reminder that it wasn’t only animal life that flourished on Earth.
After giving everyone the chance to take in the picturesque scenes, Bernard casually hammered that point home, “This is eucalyptus or, more accurately, a choice selection of more than 700 plants belonging to the eucalyptus genus, though the Koala itself favours 30 of them in particular.”
700!? Stars…
Realising that my ears had drooped in my momentary awe, I twisted them back to tune into the lesson, only for them to splay out in shock at the next words to come out of Bernard's mouth.
“The leaves of these plants are the primary food source of the Koala and there are a couple things worth mentioning when talking about these plants. For starters they do not have much nutritional or caloric value, leading to the Koala’s low-energy lifestyle. Additionally, they contain toxic compounds.”
A shiver instantly ran through the herd, ears flicking rapidly in confusion and alarm followed by a few quizzical whispers. It didn’t take long for someone to decide to give a proper voice to the murmuring.
“Excuse me Doctor. Did we hear that right? Their diet is made up of toxic flora?” Vlek’s grumbling incredulity cut through the herd's mutterings with ease. Until Kailo’s recent change of heart, the fifty something rotation old blonde Venlil had been a close second in terms of scepticism. Mercifully his rebuttals had always been relevant questions as opposed to ranting diatribes, so he at least remained on topic if nothing else.
Bernard nodded in confirmation, smiling back at Vlek while absentmindedly twirling the end of his moustache, “You heard me right, they do indeed consume plants that are toxic. Just not to them.”
Any worry or uncertainty still clinging to the herd was swept away by the provision of the glaringly obvious answer, leaving me chuckling inwardly at the oversight.
Ah of course! The plant might be poisonous but they’ll have evolved to deal with that. Stars… I’m so used to expecting the unexpected with Earth that I didn’t even consider the simplest solution.
“I see, thank you Doctor,” Vlek replied, a tinge of interest still audible in his tone, “I assume they’ve developed some adaptation to become immune to the harmful effects?”
The question immediately evoked a smirk from our teacher, but he hurriedly suppressed it while bobbing his head, “They have indeed. There are several factors that aid in their digestion of eucalyptus leaves without succumbing to the plant's baleful properties. The first is a part of the intestinal tract called the cecum. It contains a microbiome that allows the Koala to digest the eucalyptus. Coupled with this is an enzyme in the Koala’s liver that helps them break down the toxins. They are also capable of sniffing out the plants with the least amount of toxins, ensuring that they ingest as little as possible.”
Pausing for a breath Bernard looked back at the screen before turning to face us, another grin curling at the edges of his mouth as he continued with his explanation, “This is mostly for adult Koala’s, because while their young also possess these same adaptations, they don’t just go straight to munching through foliage right after being born. No, they need a little help making that jump and getting a stomach full of all that good gut bacteria. It’s nothing bad, but those of a sensitive stomach may wish to prepare themselves for this next part.”
Bernard’s assurances did little to assuage the concern that his warning had foisted upon us. Having been exposed to so much of the weirdness Earth had to offer everyone always ended up on edge whenever Bernard gave advice like this, even if he did say it in jest.
What strange nonsense thing do Koala pups do then? Judging by the way he’s acting it probably isn’t something as simple as drinking milk from the mother. Hmmm…
“So,” Bernard began, snapping us from our pensive stupor, “Young Koala’s, known as joeys, have a gestation period of thirty-five days on average, which is approximately forty-two paws. Once born they travel from the birth canal to a pouch in their mother so that they can continue to develop and grow. In the pouch the joey finds and latches onto one of two teats and these provide the newborn with a steady stream of nourishing milk. It spends the next six to seven months growing in the pouch, its eyes, ears, and fur all developing as time goes on.”
Okay, interesting. But this is exactly how I thought it’d go. What’s different?
The unexpected normalcy of the Koala’s birth and growth cycle had calmed everyone's nerves, only to be replaced with an air of suspicion as we waited with rapt attention for Bernard to drop the other claw and upend our expectations like he always did.
Not wanting to keep us in further suspense he forged ahead, the tempo of his voice picking up as the smile started to crease his face once more, “Now to make the switch from milk to eucalyptus, the mother also feeds the joey a substance called pap. It comes from the cecum I mentioned earlier, and contains all the gut bacteria required to help the young Koala in making the switch to eucalyptus.”
He stopped and looked around, searching us for a reaction to what I felt was a rather bland statement of fact. What was it he was saying without actually saying? Koala pups drink milk to mature and then include this pap substance so that they can start eating plants. I don’t see what-
The cecum is part of the intestine.
I blinked.
I blinked again, the intrusive interruption scouring my brain clean of any other thought bar the one it’d just implanted itself in the forefront of my mind.
Oh stars. They-
“They eat their own poop!?”
The shocked bleat shattered the peace of the room to reveal that most if not all of us had come to the same tail curling conclusion. As the hall filled with unrestrained vocalisations of disgust, an ‘Ugh’ over here and a ‘Blegh’ over there, Bernard’s own bellowing laughter joined the throng of voices.
“Ha! Everytime! Each and every time. Clearly it doesn’t matter if my students are Human or Venlil. Whenever someone learns about the Koala’s dietary development the reaction is the same!”
Pleased with himself beyond reason, Bernard chuckled away while the rest of us grappled with this ghastly reality. While there were plenty of animals that feasted on things that ranged from simply unappealing all the way to the stomach churningly grotesque, I’d never heard of an animal that actively consumed the excrement of its own species. Benefits aside, the prospect of having to do that to survive to adulthood sent a shiver of revulsion down my spine.
Ewww… Stars, I hope I forget this feeling by 2nd meal. They’re serving sturen and magamroot stew later. I was really looking forward to it.
With the herds mood beginning to temper Bernard tapped the podiums controls, removing the verdant collage of eucalyptus to display several similar yet distinct environments, still chortling merrily to himself in the process, “Ok then, with that little foray into their diet complete, why don’t we look at their habitat in more detail? As you might imagine given their diet and arboreal nature, Koala’s live in forested regions, and can be found in tropical and temperate zones. About a century ago they were classed as a vulnerable species, however efforts were made to turn this around and increase their numbers. Sadly the largest factor in their decline was human activity, as the fertile lands that gave rise to their bountiful forests were coveted farm land for our settlements.”
It was strange to hear Bernard so matter of factly admit to humanity's negative impacts on other species. He’d alluded to such things in the past but always with an air of caution, carefully pawing the line between honestly answering a question while not painting humanity as uncaring and destructive. AKA, the ‘predators’ we’d all initially expected them to be.
Perhaps his comfort in making such admissions was a reflection of the class's comfort with him, for no one so much as batted an ear. Even Kailo, who I would’ve expected to jump at the chance to use this as a prime example of predatory danger, only flicked an ear in stern yet silent concern.
A cough from Bernard drew my attention back, a new picture on screen that showed a forest from a bird's-eye view. Drawn across the image were around a dozen ringed areas, some bordering one another while others overlapped to some degree. It took me a moment, but I soon recognised that what I was looking at was a map, the rings representing what I assumed to be territories. And it didn’t take much effort to guess who each one belonged to.
“From habitats we move onto behaviours, so let’s start with territories. Koala’s are solitary animals. Yes, despite being herbivores. Considering they’re only awake for roughly four hours of the day I can hardly blame them. Lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. Jokes aside, once they mature they are quite independent, carving out a little slice of land for themselves, as displayed in this example, called a Home Range. That is not to say they go it alone and leave everything else behind however. Rather, as shown in the map behind me, they live in their own space while still being part of a larger social group.”
With another press of his pad the picture was updated to show one of two symbols in each segment, along with a key to the side of the map displayed in helpful Venlang. A quick glance told me that the symbols were representing whether the territory belonged to a male or female of the species.
“As you can see there is quite a bit of overlap between different Koala’s territories. It is in these areas that most of the socialising takes place between neighbours. The trees in these locations represent the few areas where intrusion across territories is acceptable for the sake of social interaction. Outside of that the Koala’s stick to their own territories for the most part, with the exceptions of Koala’s who are passing through, attempting to become part of the social group themselves, or dominant males who sometimes go off into another Koala’s range. But how do they know where one range begins and another range ends you might ask? Well, this brings us onto the next part of the lecture. How do Koala’s communicate?”
Wiping away the map from the monitor, Bernard loaded up a video of a Koala sitting in a tree and pressed play. Head held high, the Koala’s body shook as it belted out a reverberating call into the wilderness that could only be described as a garbled combination of a car engine failing to turn over mixed with the hiccups of someone with a particularly sore throat.
That’s how they sound? Oof that must be rough on the lungs.
I clearly wasn’t the only one to share such a thought, because I clocked Sandi tracing a paw along her neck as the noise went on, ears fluttering in discomfort at the noise.
Bernard himself cleared his own throat as the video came to an end, minimising it and replacing it with another image of a tree with a Koala rubbing up against the bark, “I think they’ve got me beat on who’s got the deeper voice!”
His joke garnered several amused beeps, a rare reaction that caused a beaming smile to shine across his face at lighting speed, “Oh you’re too kind. I’ll be here all week. Now where were we? Oh yes! Communication. As you’ve just heard, Koala’s are capable of loud low pitched bellows that can carry over vast distances. These express everything from ‘Hello I’m over here’ to ‘This is my turf, stay away’. Bellowing is more common in the males than the females, opting for shouting matches as opposed to outright fights when it comes to asserting dominance. Other vocal expressions include grunts, wails, and snarls if they’re acting particularly angsty. Mother and joey pairs also communicate through gentle clicking, squeaking, and murmuring sounds. And there’s one more thing worth mentioning. Something they have in common with Humans and Venlil when it comes to emoting.”
Really? They do something we do?
Curious, I pressed myself against the desk, straining as close as I could to once more scrutinise the Koala’s features. Not a lot stood out to me at first, the grey marsupial not sharing many similarities with a Venlil that I could identify.
Ok think. We show emotion with our ears, tails, and our wool on occasion. They don’t have tails so it’s obviously not that. Wool standing on end is more a reaction than a conscious expression. So it must be the ears then.
To my quiet satisfaction, my hunch was soon validated by Bernard, “As well as their vocalisations, Koala’s are very emotive through their facial features. Just like humans, they use their mouths and lips to show how they feel, but these tend more towards the aggressive side of the scale than what you might see on a human. Regarding yourselves however, Koala’s utilise their ears in tandem with their mouth movements when showing strong emotion.”
I was delighted to hear that my assumption was correct, a little happy flick twisting out through my tail and bapping against my chair with a muted thump against the plastic.
Hehe yes! Got one right!
“Now then, we are getting close to lunchtime so I’ll finish this segment off with something I think you’ll find particularly interesting. Diplomacy.”
Perplexed mutterings followed in the wake of the bizarre inclusion to the lecture, my own thoughts being dominated by bewilderment as I tried and failed to make sense of how the two could possibly be related.
Why would Koala’s, or any animal for that matter, be linked to diplomacy? Hmmm...
I could understand dispatching exterminators to deal with a predator issue as a show of goodwill, that at least includes animals, but Humans aren’t like that so I think I can safely scratch that off the list.
Maybe the humans who live in that region benefited from Koala’s in some way. Could they have gotten something from them? But what?
Hopefully not what the pups get from their mothers.
Agh no! Begone awful intrusive thoughts. Blegh! I don’t need that in my head.
As I wrestled with the short-lived revulsion inflicted upon me by my Star's damned subconscious, Bernard placed a new image on screen, one that was decidedly different from all that had preceded it.
On screen were more than a couple dozen pictures of humans. Some were pictured alone while others congregated in large groups while cameras surrounded them from all angles. Across all the images, I noted two common themes. First of all, a solid majority of the humans were wearing formal wear similar to what I’d seen worn by UN representatives on TV. If the gaggle of journalists in the background of the photos didn’t already confirm my suspicions, then it was this similarity which made me conclude they were all people of some importance. Likely politicians judging from context clues.
Secondly, each of the individuals was interacting with a Koala in some form. Some cradled one against their chests while others were feeding it eucalyptus leaves or pellets of some kind. One of the assumed politicians had become an impromptu bed for a snoozing bundle of fur, a gleeful smile spread across their face as they lovingly gazed down at the sleeping Koala in their lap.
As I continued to stare at the assorted photos something clicked into place, a sudden spark flickering into life. A burgeoning light of comprehension that flared and swelled with every wide-eyed breath I took. Some things still escaped me, things I hoped would soon be explained, but in staring at all of the humans happy smiling faces, I was struck with an instant of pure understanding.
If someone, say a Nevok for instance, offered to gift me a creature that was common to them but which might exotic and breathtaking to a Venlil, how could my feelings not be swayed? How could I walk away from that encounter and not have grown closer to them as a result?
“Koala diplomacy,” Bernard waved his hand up at the monitor, a slight reverence in his tone, “My favourite kind of soft power diplomacy. Where political leaders take photo ops with Koala’s and, on occasion, the Australian government loans Koala’s to other nations for a time to bolster positive relations. It certainly helps that Koala’s are a beloved animal worldwide, drawing large crowds and revenue for countries fortunate enough to host the adorable critters.”
The truly alien concept predictably sparked instant discussion in the herd, two polar opposite schools of thought swiftly cementing themselves as the most popular opinions. Simultaneously, I heard one voice trill excitedly while another scoffed at what they clearly saw as a ridiculous and offensive notion.
“Squee! That’d be so cool! I’d love to get the chance to see a Liri from Coila. Remember the Rainbow Boa? Think of that shimmering effect and colour but put it on a bird! Ah! I’ve only heard their song on video. It’d be a treat to hear it in person!”
Ooo! I’ve read about them! I’d love to get up close to one.
“Loaning. As if animals are property to be hoarded and traded? Pugh! Another predatory trait the humans don’t want to acknowledge for what it is.”
Ugh, typical. Jump right to the worst possible option.
However, despite my dismissal of their disparaging fumings, an uncomfortable thought pressed upon my mind. While it was plain to see how much humans cared for the Koala, it didn’t change the fact that humans did keep animals as property just as the scornful herd member had said.
This begged a rather important, disquieting question. Aside from keeping some animals as cattle, a stomach tightening minefield I had no desire to step a claw onto right now, how else did humans keep other creatures. And how did they treat them?
Before I was fully conscious of doing it my paw was in the air, the question primed on my tongue.
Noticing my elevated paw Bernard pointed at me, smiling warmly, “Yes Rysel? What’s on your mind?”
Sorry Bernard. I hope this one’s not too awkward for you to answer.
Flicking my ear in appreciation, and waiting for everyone to settle enough so that I could be heard, I voiced my concerns as neutrally as possible, “Thank you Doctor. I uh, just had a thought. We know that humans keep certain animals for… particular reasons, and we know why. From how you’ve spoken about Koala’s I think it's fair to say that the same cannot be said for them. However, this makes me wonder, what other reasons do humans have for keeping animals and how do you treat them?”
A flash of surprise blinked across Bernard's eyes but vanished so quickly that it felt like I’d imagined it. Had he not expected such a question? Maybe he was just shocked that it’d been me who’d ended up asking it?
Stars, am I so predictable that no one expects me to ask difficult questions?
Unfortunately, a quick glance at my deskmates seemed to prove that to be the case, as both Sandi and Kailo were looking at me with differing degrees of astonishment flapping in their ears.
Well speh.
“A very good point Rysel, certainly one that’s worth raising. Yet another example of you all anticipating what I have to say before I can bring it up myself.” Bernard tapped the podium, switching off the monitor before returning his focus to me, “We won’t be needing that. I’ve nothing prepared that I can show you and we’re heading to lunch in a few minutes anyway. Still, that’s plenty of time to give you a bit of an answer.”
A bit? What does he mean just a bit?
Made even more curious by Bernard's preempted admission that he wasn’t going to fully answer my query, I dialled both my ears on him, fixing him with an inquisitive stare as he started to explain with a tone that was noticeably more nonchalant than any of his previous explanations.
“So, animals in captivity for reasons other than what you already know. Honestly I would love to delve into other reasons regarding why we keep animals. However, I have a lesson plan in the works that I hope to share with you all in the not too distant future. Some of it touches upon this very topic and I’d quite like to bundle it all together. That said, I can tell you how animals in captivity are treated. In short, the answer is very well. There are a mountain of laws both on private and public interests that govern the standards and ethical treatment of animals, and breaches of these laws are quite severe even for relatively minor infractions.”
While I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed by the vague answer to what was really the bulk of my question, I was at least satisfied by Bernard’s assurances that animals in captivity, such as the Koala, were well looked after. Considering the barely subdued grumbling coming from some corners of the audience it was clear that several of the herd didn’t believe Bernard outright, but I trusted him to be honest. Additionally, the mention of an upcoming lecture focused on humans keeping animals caused quite the buzz.
I felt a mix of excitement and trepidation at exploring the topic further. He’d pretty much confirmed we wouldn’t be talking about cattle farms, for which I was relieved, but that still left a huge amount of uncertainty in what was to come.
Humans keeping animals as cattle was a forgone conclusion. As horrifying as that reality was, it was one I could understand from a detached and strictly clinical point of view. Being predators they ate meat and therefore they kept cattle. But the concept of keeping animals for any other reason baffled me.
What could be the purpose? The diplomacy thing makes sense now that I have context, but what other reasons could they have.
The class's discussions were interrupted by the recognisable ring of the break bell, the shift in attention eliciting a change in conversation from confused hypotheses to peppy conversation on how everyone was planning to spend their break and what they had in mind for 2nd meal.
“Well I can see everyone’s excited for lunch, and who am I to disappoint,” chuckling Bernard waved us all up from our seats, pocketing his pad from the podium and heading to open the classroom door for us, “Enjoy your break, get a good rest along with a hearty meal, and I’ll see you all back here at the usual time.”
As everyone else filed out I stayed behind, waving at Sandi and Kailo as they left, and pawing over to Bernard once he and I were the only ones left in the room.
Ears folded down and with an apologetic tinge in my voice I greeted him as I sidled up to him, “Hey Bernard, I uh… sorry if that last question was unexpected.”
Chortling in reply, Bernard waved a hand through the air in a sign I’d come to understand meant ‘not a problem’.
“No need to apologise Rysel. It was a good question and most certainly not a problem.”
Heh, called it.
I sighed, allowing tension I didn’t realise I’d been holding to relax itself from my shoulders, “Phew, that’s a relief. I’m glad. I’m curious to hear what this new lesson is you’ve got in store for us by the way.”
Bernard wagged a finger at me, throwing up his eyebrows in mock amazement, “Oh are you now? Well I’m afraid you’ll have to remain curious for the time being. It’s going to be quite the surprise if all goes to plan. But…”
He trailed off, glancing at me before looking to the door like he was making sure no one else was around.
Wait, is he going to tell me? Oh please yes let me know now!
Stopping myself from jumping on the spot in excited anticipation, and trying my damndest to stop my tail from wagging in equal measure, I stared up at Bernard as he stewed in his thoughts before turning back to face me.
“I can’t tell you the specifics, but I’m working with Alejandro and Tolim to get something together. A trip that’s not a trip as it were. And when it happens, I’m going to need a few of the more accepting members of the class to lend me a hand. I’m hoping you and a couple others will be able to help with that?”
A trip that’s not a trip? What does that mean? Agh who cares about that right now! Bernard’s relying on me to help out!
Still trying not to keep myself from bouncing around with pup like glee I swished my tail and nodded my head in joint agreement, happy to help with whatever Bernard had in store for us, “Of course! Anything you need I’ll be there to lend a paw. You can count on me!”
A broad warm smile lit up Bernard's face, a hand patting me on the shoulder in appreciation, “Thank you Rysel. I knew I could rely on you but it still warms my heart to hear it. And, as thanks for this and for the many times you’ve shown your support, the surprise includes a little something special I think you’d appreciate the most.”
If my earlier enthusiasm had been at a nine, then the implication of a supposed gift sent it rocketing all the way to a hundred in a heartbeat.
“Wait… WHAT!? What do you mean? What are you doing?”
As impossible as it seemed, Bernard's grin grew even wider as I almost lost myself in wool shaking exhilaration, “Call it my own form of Koala diplomacy. But I’m afraid that’s all I can say for now. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise even for you!”
“Oh you ass!” Whistling jovially I bapped my tail against Bernard’s leg in fake indignation, evoking a barking bellowing laugh from the man himself.
Still laughing, the two of us departed the class and made for the canteen, my rumbling stomach leading me on while my mind spun with fantastical thoughts as to what Bernard had prepared for us.
And what specifically he had in store for me.

I've been considering a TT/MMO for years but have some questions I'm not really finding answers to?
1) I know you're hurting and sore and everything. How long til you can go back to regular activities, and additionally, how long til you can have sex post op?
2) no matter what surgeon website I go on they don't give me very much information. How much does one usually cost? 5k? 10k? 15?
3) Where do you find photos of a surgeons work when they don't have it on their website?
4) has anyone here gotten a TT with an umbilical hernia and damaged stomach muscles? How bad was it? Did it really fix it?

A friend of mine has come down with a case of mono, and I've offered to cook for him. His throat is sore enough that he can't eat solid food. Are there any nutritious foods I can make/get for him? I've already got ingredients for chicken soup on my grocery list for tonight, and he has a ton of pedialyte at his house. Energy level for cooking is not an issue, as I will be cooking them, but I do work full time at odd hours so something that reheats well that I can make in advance is ideal. Thanks!

I don't know why I'm posting this except for maybe commiseration/reassurance. I've been a lurker here for several years after being misdiagnosed with anxiety only to finally have a specialist confirm my asthma - which, I admit, presents very weird; it's more cough than wheeze, and it's triggered by pollution, chemicals, and strong smells but not allergies, and I can't even remember the last time I had a stuffy nose, let alone any chest congestion. But my mom and grandpa both have asthma, and theirs is weird just like mine, so I honestly should have known.
At first, I ended up changing my whole lifestyle - no longer wearing perfume at all, buying only fragrance-free cleaning products and cosmetics, paying attention to the air quality forecast and not really going out unless necessary on yellow days - and I was basically able to forget about my asthma for a while. I would occasionally get stuck behind a semi on the highway or be around smokers and have to take my rescue, but mostly it was fine. I had one really bad attack after helping a neighbor clean an extremely dusty house, but it was the only scary attack in 5-6 years.
Until I moved further north 2 years ago and started having to contend with the summer wildfire woes. I basically put myself under house arrest last year after taking the trash out during wildfire haze gave me a weeklong flare-up, but I must be getting too old for this stuff, because I couldn't do it this year. Ended up at my doctor's office in tears because even though I was using my rescue on cooldown for the past week, I've been miserable. My back is sore from breathing too hard, my chest has been tight, I've been coughing my head off, and even though I usually don't wheeze, I started getting a little whistle at the end of every exhale. She gave me montelukast and Advair, which is what my mom takes. I'm hoping it will help, but I'm just feeling so stupid for ignoring these problems last year. I was in denial. I have family with this issue, and I have no excuse.
Forgive my pity party folks, I'm just feeling blue.

I’ve been lurking in this sub for a minute. The posts and comments relating to people’s experiences getting the endoscopy were very helpful and reassuring for me, as I was pretty anxious about getting one done. I wanted to share my experience of having the procedure today in case it would help anyone else who has been putting it off, or worried about the prospect of having an endoscopy.
The procedure (with sedation) was super quick and easy. No pain, no discomfort. The anticipation was way worse than the event. Honestly, as I’ve read so many times on here, it really was a non event. The sedative goes in, next thing you know, it’s over and you’re in recovery feeling great, a bit sleepy and relaxed, with little to no recollection of the procedure. You get the feedback from the doctor straight away (except for biopsy results that will come a bit later). In comparison, getting a filling at the dentist is worse.
I couldn’t eat ~6 hours before the procedure, and no liquid ~3.5 hours before the procedure. I was in the hospital for about 2 hours total. I was there for about 45 mins before the procedure, had the cannula put in (didn’t hurt), signing consent forms, waiting etc. Then I was into the endoscopy room, and got on the bed. They gave me the numbing throat spray, two lots of about 8 sprays each time. “It tastes like wasabi vodka and banana” the nurse told me! It tasted a bit weird but fine, you swallow it and makes your mouth and throat numb, but it’s totally fine. I then had to lie in the recovery position and put a mouth guard in, then they adminstered the sedation. They did the endoscopy procedure and it took about 5 mins, I don’t really remember any of it. The next thing I know, I’m in the recovery bay. I wait here whilst the sedative and numbing throat spray wear off. The nurses continued to monitor my heart rate / blood pressure / pulse rate. After about an hour they brought me biscuits, water, and green tea, and told me to phone my partner to come get me. The doctor comes and explains what he’s seen inside, and tells me it will be 7-14 days for the biopsy results. The nurse takes me out to reception where my partner is waiting, and the nurse explains a few things to my partner in case I forget due to the sedative (results, don’t leave me alone for 24 hours, don’t let me drive / drink alcohol, don’t work tomorrow, rest and drink lots of water).
I’m in the UK, and had it done at a private hospital. As I understand you’re usually not offered a sedative by the NHS. The sedative was Midazolam (Versed). The doc took 10 biopsies. The doc said everything looked healthy and normal which was reassuring, but doesn’t help explain my acid reflux symptoms. Some redness on the right hand side of my throat where it’s been sore.
I’d have no hesitation doing it again with the sedation, as it took all the anxiety out of it. Others I know who had it without the sedation said it was a bit strange but not too bad.
My symptoms prior to getting the endoscope were bouts of acid reflux, water brash / sour taste in mouth, difficulty swallowing, sore throat etc. PPIs (Lansoprazole 30mg) helped, along side cleaning up my diet and sleeping on a wedge pillow.
My friend told me to get the endoscopy even if PPIs helped after his dad was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. I probably wouldn’t have got the endoscopy if he’d not told me that as I was anxious about doing it, but the reassurance or some sort of diagnosis are better than burying your head in the sand.
Hard decisions = easy life
Easy decisions = hard life

I’m not currently diagnosed with MCAS but strongly suspect I have it. OTC Anti-histamines and stabilizers have helped me a lot but I still wish I could get a proper test done. I’ve heard about cromolyn and feel something like that beneficial assuming I actually have MCAS. The OTCs are helpful but the breakthroughs are still very much there. I have days where I can feel the tingling, sinus issues, GI distress, nausea, muscle soreness, etc. Days lost to 4-5 hour long naps and fatigue. I feel as though my psychiatric issues could be improved as well. My anxiety and mood disorder seem a little more under control these days but I think as long as I have inflammation the fluctuations in mental health are still pretty unstable. On my physically clear days I notice I have a measurable difference in cognition and psychiatric health. It’s great to not feel like my body is under complete siege 24/7 but not enough.
I went to the ER during a a evere episode about 6 months back. I had one doctor look and confirm that my throat was swollen and red but since all the bloodwork they did turned up normal i got sent home, only to have to figure out what OTC treatment to use (thank god for this community) so I wouldn’t have to call out of work all the time and feel like I was dying. I just have this feeling that if I were put on a strong prescription medication my life could be different.
I have an allergist who did a panel on me a while back but I almost want to call again and request a test for MCAS. I don’t know if an allergist would have a test for MCAS or if I should ask for an immunologist. I don’t even know how to ask for this. I’m used to having my concerns brushed aside so I never even brought up the idea of MCAS.

Keep in mind that I live in a country with a good universal health care system, but in my opinion the administrative part works poorly, and as I think this is taking too long, I have come here to ask for help. Also, they have changed my doctor in the middle of the process, which has slowed everything down. (English is my third language, I'm sorry for my mistakes, or if my expressions are not correct).
28F, 1,61m (5'3''), 57kg (125lbs), I take one pill a month of vitamin D, I don't smoke, I drink very very rarely and I don't do drugs.
I first went to the doctor in mid-January for digestive problems. I have always been prone to diarrhea, but the last few weeks it had been worse than usual. A week later I had blood drawn and gave a stool sample. The blood was fine, but I tested positive for Helicobacter Pylori.
10 days of Pylera medication (120 pills) and 2 gastric protectors per day. I had some discomfort but within normal side effects. I was told that I had to wait a month from the end of the treatment until I was tested again to see if we had killed the bacteria. Two weeks after finishing the treatment I started bleeding every time I went to the bathroom. It wasn't red blood, but it wasn't black either. A dark maroon maybe (?) and with small clots. I called the clinic and they told me that unless it got worse I should wait and that at the test they would do at the end of the one month period they would also do a stool blood test. I bled for a week and a half and by the time the test came back it stopped. Obviously I was negative for blood in stool. Also negative for Helicobacter. But less than a week later I bled intermittently again for a couple of weeks.
Since then I have not bled anymore, but my digestion is bad, different from when I first arrived, but bad. I have the feeling that the medication has spoiled me more than helped.
I have a lot of gas. I have never burped unless it was from drinking a lot of carbonated drinks, but now I am burping a lot every day. My stomach is making noises almost every day. I wake up in the middle of the night with a very sore stomach and when I go to the bathroom it's just to fart, I can sit for half an hour waiting for it to pass. I can't go for a run, a quarter of the times I would go to the gym I cancel because I don't feel well or I do an exercise and I feel dizzy. I don't do abdominal exercises because I feel like everything gets too shaken up. Going out with friends has also reduced. I haven't found an eating pattern that feels bad for me, but I have a very varied diet. It's like until I eat I don't know how I'm going to feel that day.
After many appointments with my family doctor I have finally been given an appointment with the specialist, but it is for a month and a bit from now. June 28th (the appointment request was made on May 1st). I started with this in January, I know I don't need to go to the ER, but I'm tired and I want to get back to normal life without worrying if my stomach will react well that day.
Any help would be appreciated.

Kindling is when you go through one withdrawal and each subsequent withdrawal is easier to achieve and also more severe.
I stopped drinking a few months ago after being a pretty bad "alcoholic" for only a few months, possibly having mild withdrawal symptoms. Saturday night I had about 8 drinks. Woke up horribly hungover, way more than usual, and started to develop cold symptoms over the next few days. Today is Tuesday Morning and I feel like absolute shit, like I have the flu, coughing, feeling weak, runny nose, sore throat, no significant shaking though. Is it possible that this is withdrawal all over again or am I being paranoid and probably just have some bad cold?
Please don't tell me to go to the doctor that is not a choice right now. I will simply detox safely by myself if it is believed that this is withdrawal.

Kindling is when you go through one withdrawal and each subsequent withdrawal is easier to achieve and also more severe.
I stopped drinking a few months ago after being a pretty bad "alcoholic" for only a few months, possibly having mild withdrawal symptoms. Saturday night I had about 8 drinks. Woke up horribly hungover, way more than usual, and started to develop cold symptoms over the next few days. Today is Tuesday Morning and I feel like absolute shit, like I have the flu, coughing, feeling weak, sore throat runny nose, no significant shaking though. Is it possible that this is withdrawal all over again or am I being paranoid and probably just have some bad cold?
Please don't tell me to go to the doctor that is not a choice right now. I will simply detox safely by myself if it is believed that this is withdrawal.

today marks 100 days since I've really dived into this work. Now, I know I still have along way to go, but last night was one of my most successful meditations, BOTEC 1. I realized I have to work my way up through the next few originally because i skipped around and it was so intense for me, I felt like I need to really master 1 before i move forward. and Boy oh Boy, did last night really feel excellent! I felt "IT" if you've tapped into the Divine you know What I mean. and I felt time slow waaaayyyy down. Sometimes while I'm meditating i sway a little bit, felt my whole body freeze up and when i would sway so slowly. I felt so good afterwards, I didn't need anything, I went blissfully to sleep. been feeling sick, been feeling sore, turned 36 on May 5th and just caught strep throat, i think covid too, and just been no energy, and last night was a great reawakening. I know this works, I know it, I just have to stick to it!

23M about 175lb 5”11 I moved last week and was carrying a lot of boxes. For the last few days I have had some soreness and pain in my right upper rib cage, almost under my armpit. It is particularly painful when I look down and to the left and in some seated positions. Is this just muscular? I have no pain when I cough and the pain only presents itself with certain movements or positions. Any advice would be great.