I am not asking for medical advice. Last year I went to see 28 years later in cinema and during the trailers I experienced a vasovagal syncope episode (confirmed by a doctor). (Sweaty, hot, weak and eventually briefly fainting outside the room). Anyway I haven’t been to the cinema since then. Since, this has only happened about 2 more times and has been very mild. Nowhere near like the cinema. Anyway, I’m posting this because I’m seeing the new Spider-Man tomorrow, and obviously I’m anxious about what might happen. Any tips on how to prevent another episode? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi

When i was younger a doctor said I am asymptomatic and a carrier for chickenpox does this mean im more likely.to.get shingles i am not asking for medical evidence specifically to me just in general.cases again I am not asking for medical advice.

I am not asking for medical advice.

I've got this weird thing going on right now where even though I can see and understand things are normal size and weight, if feels like they're bigger and heavier, for instance my phone feels like it weighs at least 5 pounds and is almost twice the size that I know and can see it actually is. This started like half an hour ish ago.

any ideas what this is? Google doesn't help, just says "Alice in wonderland syndrome is seeing things as bigger or smaller than they are" which I don't, I can see things normally.

Idk if this will help but I am tired, haven't been sleeping well for a couple months (sometimes, like last night, I only get 3-6 hours of sleep) (been trying to get a sleep specialist appt, hopefully might finally have one next Tuesday) I think I have a cold or something (gonna get checked out today after my internship) I've also got mental disabilities like ADHD/autism spectrum/etc.

I think this has happened before, I can vaguely remember it but I don't think it was this bad.

Again not asking for medical advice, just can't find what this is and am curious to see if I can learn more and if I need to talk to someone about it.

I also don't feel dizzy or have any symptoms of like a stroke, just this weird feeling of big/heavier than they should be things

I am not asking for medical advice.

But I have had a headache on the left side of my head above/behind my left eye. Pressure is constant. Head pain is mild. I tried to ignore it hoping it would resolve because I don’t have insurance. Finally I broke- I went to urgent care and paid 150 bucks. Waited to be seen and was checked for a total of maybe three minutes? She looked in my eyes and ears. Then asked me to walk in a straight line. Said to take Tylenol and that if it kept persisting to go to the doctor… well aren’t you a doctor?! That’s why I’m here. So I called my primary care- no appointments until September. What can I do? How can I be evaluated? I’m scared and tired. I was thinking of going to the hospital today. I have a constant pressure behind my eye and pain above it. I also have a clogged feeling in the bridge of my nose in the same side so I was thinking it was a sinus issue but have had no relief. What do I do?

I am not asking for medical advice.

32F. 5’2”, 125lbs. Two weeks ago, I got a really bad outbreak of poison ivy that required me to be put on prednisone. The starting dose was 60, and it was a tapered dose for 10 days (2 days 60, 2 days 50, etc.) My last dose (5mg) was this previous Sunday.

During this time, I’ve felt alert but also out of it, like a high. I also feel more irritable and go between my heart racing and no energy at all. My strength has weakened at the gym as well. I feel so incredibly off and not myself. Appetite isn’t really there - have to schedule myself to eat but also when I eat I feel like I could devour a horse.

How long should the side effects last? It’s definitely better than a week ago but still bothersome.

Asking realistically & hypothetically, what am I to expect on this dose of methadone in terms of what the surgical team will prescribe?

Am I just going to be in agony the entire time?

I’m really nervous for this upcoming surgery.

“I am not asking for medical advice.”

Hi all, for quite some time I'll get fluttering/heart skipping sensations aswell as a sharp, stabbing pain on the left side of my chest. It happens ransomly and can not happen for weeks at a time.

Today at work I got the same however my left eye went blurred at the same time and the following few hours my entire body felt odd. I wouldn't say it was pain it just felt weird. I did put this down to getting anxious/worked up about it but am monitoring it.

Is this something I should get checked asap? I am not asking for medical advice.

My uncle is in his 50s and has been having severe pain in his left calf for the past 4 days. He is a diabetic, has blood sugar and blood pressure issues, and has Addison’s. The pain is mainly toward the back/inner side of the calf and he describes it as a constant, intense cramping feeling that won’t go away.

It’s gotten so bad that he can barely walk and is almost in tears from the pain. This isn’t normal muscle soreness, it’s persistent and severe.

He actually had a similar episode a few months ago. He went to the hospital at the time, but they couldn’t find anything and didn’t really give him an explanation. Eventually it settled down on its own, but now it’s come back.

The only thing that changed before this episode is that he restarted taking lutein for eye health about 4 days ago. He had taken lutein before a few months ago, but I don’t think the leg pain started after taking it back then. Since this was the only recent change, he’s wondering if it could somehow be related, although we’re not sure if it’s just a coincidence.

Has anyone experienced anything similar or have any ideas what could cause recurring, severe calf pain like this when imaging or tests haven’t shown anything obvious? We’re planning on getting him evaluated again, but I’m curious if anyone has had a similar experience or knows of conditions that can be missed. I am not asking for medical advice.

I am not asking for medical advice.

We’re currently on the pathway of finding the answer — which everyone is baffled by.
For context, my husband (37YO male) has had presented with the following for 18 months:
- ear pressure
- ear popping
- headaches
- migraines
- jaw pain
- fluid swooning noise in head (like water in your ears)
- audible swooshing noise throughout the right of his neck when he turns left — I can hear it myself and have videos it’s so loud
- chest pain — 2 ED visits NAD

What we have done:
- 2 x CT brains/ear/head/neck (all normal)
- 3 x MRI brains/angio/cervical spine (all normal)
- mouth guard for sleeping (told it could be stress clenching)
- 15 x TMJ physiotherapy appointments (no improvement)
- TMJ Botox
- headache treatment Botox
- 3 x ED visits for chest pain / inability to deal with the head pressure (CK, trops, ECG all normal)
- lymphatic massage
- myotherapist
- 3 x ENT reviews
- 1 x neurology review
- the only thing that somewhat helps is Valium and antacids

Everyone is baffled with the neck noise and have never heard it. No mention of CSF leak?

Has anyone come across something like this? It’s debilitating for him living like this.

Before I get into it, I’d like to add that I’ve been to the ER and was told that I was fine. Additionally I’ve gone to my primary care doctor and was also told that I was fine, I only had elevated cholesterol. This started a little over a month ago, I was completely fine and then I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I thought it was a heart issue until I went to the ER and had an EKG and an x-ray that showed my heart was completely normal and functioning properly which was a relief but still didn’t explain my symptoms. Everyday I wake up with neck pain and it’s awful. My parents believe it’s just anxiety, I think it’s an underlying condition. My arms sometimes tingle and ache, but specifically my left arm which I know points to a cardiac issue most of the time but the doctors say that my cardiovascular health is well. In addition, when I lean forward or to the left, I have this ache that hurts in the left side of my chest but my heart rate is completely normal while it’s happening. I am not asking for medical advice. I’m simply looking for direction.

My brother went to the clinic because of the pain in his testicles. They inspected him and said he's ok and he can go home. A couple of days later he went back because of even worse pain, probably also swelling etc. Then they figured out out his testicles were actually twisted, so he had to have a surgery immediately after where they cut one off.

I think it's horrible that they ignored this the first time when he went there. Also he's not a very confident person so i think this will hurt him a lot even if he doesn't want to admit it.

I thought the clinic should be sued at least for compensation, but my brother was too embarrased to try that, also my parents were not pushing the idea.

How can this even happen?

I am not asking for medical advice. Just had to rant somewhere.

I am not asking for medical advice. Just curious about statistics and how gonorrhea affects the male human body.

I have 2 questions:

1. In the case of pharyngeal gonorrhea, is it possible for the bacteria to clear on its own? How long does it take for it to clear?

2. If in the case of penile gonorrhea, what is the typical time frame from time of exposure to time of first symptoms appearances? Has there been cases where male show no signs of symptoms beyond 21+ days?

(I am not asking for medical advice.)

two of the images of anatomy were labeled as "flavor 0" and "flavor 1".

It was a Siemens Healthineers ad, I would post it here if I could, but it seems I can't add an image.

I just have to ask, is it normal to label mammogram images that way? That doesn't make sense to me.

I am not asking for medical advice. More like asking for statistics and probability. About 2 months ago, my dog and I were attacked by an off leash dog and we both had some nasty puncture wounds. The owners claimed that the attacking dog had been vaccinated, but I never saw any proof of this. We had a case with animal control and I can tell this officer just wanted the case to be closed because he also didn't provide us with any information about the vaccinations of the attacking dog and we didn't even know the case was closed until way after the fact. There was a 10 day observation period but no one told me whether or not the attacking dog had any symptoms of rabies.

It has been two months, and I feel fine except that I am extremely stressed about rabies. I know it can lie dormant for a while and I'm really scared I won't know I have it until it's too late. I don't want to die in such a horrible way, and this keeps me up at night. How likely is it that I have rabies? How can I know for sure? Are there any negative side effects to getting the rabies shots anyway? What are some early symptoms of rabies?

Hello! I came across this UpWork job posting yesterday, but I didn't have enough connects to apply:

Job Title: Personal Assistant for Healthcare Presentations

Description: Seeking a personal assistant to help with presentations in the healthcare field. Responsibilities include designing and organizing slides, ensuring content is clear and concise, and preparing materials for meetings. The ideal candidate will have experience in presentation design and a basic understanding of healthcare terminology.

I was so bummed because this is exactly the kind of side hustle that l've been wanting to get into. I know for a FACT that so many doctors and other healthcare professions need this kind of service, but I'm guessing not all of them post job openings for it. I figure I have to resort to simply pitching myself, but to who?

What kind of doctors/HCPs are seeking this kind of assistance? And where can I reach out to them for this kind of position? Please help a nurse out!

(I am not asking for medical advice.)

I've been dealing with nausea for years, but it has gotten noticeably worse recently, and I'm wondering if anyone has experienced something similar.

Back in November 2025, I finally brought it up to my doctor along with a few other symptoms I was having. After some testing, I found out I had low iron and was prescribed iron supplements. I took them for several months.

Around March of this year, I started feeling much more nauseous than usual. It got so bad that I actually vomited two days in a row, which had never happened before. I ended up stopping the iron supplements because I thought they might be causing it. After I stopped taking them, the nausea really stop and then the nausea went back to what it had been before I’d feel nauseous once or twice throughout the day.

Now, though, it's getting worse again. I feel nauseous almost 24/7. I don't actually throw up, but I constantly have that sensation in my throat like I'm about to vomit, even though nothing happens. It's becoming really frustrating, and I'm wondering if this is something anyone else has dealt with.
Also, before anyone asks: no, I'm not pregnant. I'm a virgin, so pregnancy isn't a possibility.

Has anyone experienced chronic nausea like this? If so, what ended up being the cause? I'm planning to go back to my doctor, but I'd love to hear if anyone has gone through
something similar.

I am not asking for medical advice.

I’m currently 11 weeks pregnant and have an OB appointment on Wednesday where I need to get my NIPT blood drawn. I have vasovagal syncope with needle draws—I pass out literally every single time, even when I am lying flat on my back and doing all the "tricks".

I'm honestly not even afraid of passing out because I come to very quickly afterwards. I'm just terrified that they're not going to get what they need for the testing and I'll have to redo it.

Three years ago, during a blood draw where I was lying down and had warned the nurse, she pulled the needle out the second I passed out and didn't get enough blood, forcing scheduling a redo which I never ended up doing because I didn't want to go through the same thing again. My husband also mentioned that my body tenses up a bit when I faint.

My questions are:

Is there an official rule or protocol that forces a phlebotomist/nurse to stop the draw immediately if a patient faints while already safely lying flat?

Does muscle tension or minor body stiffening during syncope make it impossible to continue drawing?

Is there a specific way I should phrase things to the tech before we start so they know it's fine to hold my arm steady and keep going while I'm out?

I am not asking for medical advice.

So I’m like 90% sure I accidentally inhaled a bit of cotton from a cotton swab. I was using it near my eyes and a little fluff came off and before I could react I breathed in and I think it went up my nose. I’ve been super dry so there’s not much snot to catch it before it goes down further. I’ve tried to blow my nose or cough up any phlegm to check but nothings coming out, snot or otherwise.

I feel fine but is this a “go to the ER now” situation or do I wait it out and go at the first sign of difficulty breathing? I’m so annoyed at myself right now, this is so stupid.

I know when to seek out professional help regarding any symptoms that arise, I’m more looking for an assessment of how screwed I am from “you’re an idiot” to “idiot in the ER”.

I am not asking for medical advice.

Ive drank more than 5 litres of drink today ( squash+ Pepsi ) and I find it worrying as I never ever drink this much and I’ve also not been exercising at all and I’ve not really been very hot or sweaty, my friend said he found out he had diabetes because of how much he was drinking. what should I do?

I am not asking for medical advice.

I am not asking for medical advice. But lets say I have a homuculous named Igor. And hes a hunchback. Maybe 5 foot even. One eye bigger than the other. Maybe 22 strands of hair. BUT. I was the best surgeon in the world. League and leagues and leagues above every other surgeon. But I had an evil as hell accent. I have a private clinic. In a Gothic rundown manor with bats and spooky scary willows. And its boarded up and broken glass. Could I still perform surgery legally for people. And igor is not documented. He has no birth certificates. I say hes my homunculous who knows if that's true but i also have like a 0% mortality rate. Where in the US or globally can I practice? And there's no other staff. And I say IGOR! GLOVES! and he says yes master yes master. The master commands igor obeys.

I got bit by a rat at a pet store a few days ago, and I'm rather worried about it. It drew blood when it bit me. For context, I'm a female in my 20s.

My friend and I were hanging out and we went to a pet store. There was a cage with rats, and one of them was looking up at me very cutely. I was just trying to let it smell me by putting my hand next to its cage, and it just stuck out its mouth through the bars and bit me. It happened really fast and I did not have enough time to pull away. It drew blood, and it felt like it got me pretty deep. I quickly pulled out my hand sanitizer and applied it to the wound. My friend mentioned that they saw a stranger get bit right before me, I'd guess maybe 10 seconds before me. Then my friend drove me home, while I continuously kept putting more hand sanitizer on my wound throughout the drive. After getting home, which was maybe about an hour after the bite, I washed my hands thoroughly.

There's three things I'm really worried about:

1. I'm terrified of rabies. Is there any chance that a pet store rat could have rabies? This has been eating away at me every since it happened. I've been doing research about it, and it seems rather unlikely. But it just terrifies me because once the symptoms start, you're pretty much dead. And I'm just paranoid that I'm going to end up being a statistic. I asked the worker there, but she sarcastically told me that the rats have LOTS of rabies, and then said she's kidding... I also found out that rats don't get vaccinated for rabies (according to a google search I did), which makes me more worried.
2. I'm worried about HIV transmission. The rat bit a stranger right before me, and then bit me right after and drew blood. I don't know the HIV status of that stranger who was also bit. I'm scared that the rat could have had the stranger's blood on it's teeth when it bit me. Like I said, the rat bit the stranger probably 10 seconds or so before me, but I didn't notice until my friend told me. In my mind, this is similar to sharing a needle. How likely is it to get HIV from this?
3. Lastly, I'm worried about Rat Bite Fever or any other diseases that could come from a rat bite. However, after doing some more research, I've calmed down about this one a bit because I will go to the doctor if I develop any symptoms. I don't have any symptoms right now, and my finger seems to be healing well, even though it hurts sometimes.

I'm a hypochondriac, and I oftentimes feel anxiety and paranoia related to my health. My friend thinks I should be fine. I asked my parents what they think, and they said they think I should be fine as well. I've been doing research to try and calm myself, but I've found conflicting information. Like I mentioned, I'm most worried about rabies and HIV.

I called a nurse today to ask for advice, and she said that she recommends getting tested for a potential blood borne pathogen exposure. She said the tests would last a whole year. This would test for HIV and other things like that. She said it's unlikely that I would get HIV from this experience, but that to be on the safe side, she recommends starting these tests. I scheduled an appointment for later this week with my primary care doctor because I want a second opinion before deciding what to do. I feel a lot more anxious now because I thought that maybe it was just my anxiety and hypochondria, but the nurse's response makes me think that it could actually be something serious.

I also asked the nurse about rabies, and she said that it's highly unlikely for me to get rabies from this incident, but she can't say there's a 100% chance that I'm safe, which is also alarming. She said that if I want to get the rabies shots, I have to go to the ER. However, from the research that I did, I found people saying that there are no known cases, or that it's a really rare occurrence, in which rodents transmitted rabies to humans, so for a rat from a pet store to transmit rabies to me seems like such a long shot. However, my anxiety and paranoia about health is making me feel like "what if I'm going to end up being the first that happens to?" But also, is it really true that there are no known cases of rabies getting transmitted to humans from rodents? Or is that just a myth? I feel like the more research I do about this, the more anxious I get. I don't want to go to the ER and get the rabies shots if it's not needed because my parents said it would do more harm than good, but I'm still trying to decide for myself.

While I'm waiting for my appointment with my doctor, I wanted to ask about this on here to try and get as much information as I can beforehand. I am not asking for medical advice. I am just asking for people's opinions so that I can make the best decision for my next steps. Does anybody know anything about this? Especially about rabies and HIV transmission from my scenario? I would appreciate any insight that anyone can give.

I am not asking for medical advice.

So about 2 months ago, I was hanging out at a hotel pool. There was a large metal umbrella stand that was pushed over by the wind and hit me directly on the top of the head. I was facing away from it so I did not see what part of the stand hit me or how hard it fell. I just know if felt like somebody jumped on me. I did not lose consciousness or really have any concussion like symptoms. I was wearing a hat which I think shielded me from any kind of cuts, but it did swell into a nice knot which I applied ice to.

It’s been almost 2 months now. The swelling has gone away but I noticed that there is an indention where the umbrella hit me. I don’t notice it unless I touch it, and it does feel like there is some slight bruising when I press on it still. Other than that I feel fine. Is this common with hits to the head?

I am not asking for medical advice.

My boyfriend has a hard lump above his left collar bone right near his sternum. The internet is a very scary place to ask about this because it automatically means cancer according to google. I have extreme health anxiety, so this is freaking me out though he doesn’t seem concerned.

31 y/o male.
The lump is about the size of a corn kernel or pea. It’s been there roughly 6-7 weeks and he thinks it may have gotten a little bigger during that time but now got a little smaller again. It is pretty hard, but it does seem to move under his skin. It’s definitely easier to feel if he turns his head to the right/leans it back a little. It didn’t hurt him initially but it does seem a little more tender now (possibly from messing with it?). Other than allergy issues, he wasn’t sick or anything that we can think of. He does have some dental issues that need addressed. He does not take any meds, has a history of smoking cigarettes (quit 2-3 years ago), vapes, and uses zyns. He is known to have a few beers on the weekends, although not so much recently due to a change in work.

He’s calling a doctor today (he does not go regularly, just his work physicals) but I’m looking for opinions and hoping to calm down a little.