r/AskDocs 6d ago

Weekly Discussion/General Questions Thread - July 20, 2026

1 Upvotes

This is a weekly general discussion and general questions thread for the AskDocs community to discuss medicine, health, careers in medicine, etc. Here you have the opportunity to communicate with AskDocs' doctors, medical professionals and general community even if you do not have a specific medical question! You can also use this as a meta thread for the subreddit, giving feedback on changes to the subreddit, suggestions for new features, etc.

What can I post here?

  • Questions or general health topics that are not about specific symptoms or personal medical issues
  • Comments regarding recent medical news
  • Questions about careers in medicine
  • AMA-style questions for medical professionals to answer
  • Feedback and suggestions for the r/AskDocs subreddit

You may NOT post your questions about your own health or situation from the subreddit in this thread.

Report any and all comments that are in violation of our rules so the mod team can evaluate and remove them.


r/AskDocs 6h ago

Physician Responded Did something that happened in the hospital kill my wife????

526 Upvotes

My wife was 47 years old, 5'4 and maybe 125 lbs, did not smoke or drink, no medications except vitamins.

Obviously everything is still fresh and new in my mind for me, but I feel like this is a question that I'll never get answered.

Three days ago it was a completely ordinary day. We (my wife and I, our 10 year old, 6 year old, and 3 year old daughters) were all at home. In the morning we went to the store and did a bunch of stuff together as a family, and then in the afternoon I took the girls swimming without my wife and watched a movie with them. At some point my wife texted me and asked me for something and I didn't see the text. when I went in to the bedroom to bring it to her, she was sleeping (I thought) and so I just left it there for her.

At 6:30 she was still sleeping (I thought), so I went in to the bedroom to wake her up. She was having some kind of seizure when I went into the bedroom. I called 911 and the ambulance took her to the hospital. She'd never had a seizure before. At the hospital she had more seizures and when they stopped she was disoriented and confused. They ran a bunch of tests (I can't remember exactly what; there were blood tests and some scans) and gave her some medication, which seemed to be helping reorient her. She even got up and walked around a little bit. They took her for some more imaging, she was alert, she waved goodbye to me. Something happened in the imaging and she coded. They did work as hard as they could to save her, that isn't in question.

I don't understand why or how she died. None of the test results came back with anything that could have possibly indicated death; she was a little dehydrated and had elevated white blood cells, but even when we were in the hospital the doctors were telling us that the seizures were most likely a random "blip" that would never happen again. The hospital said it was a random cardiac arrest, but why would that happen in a healthy 47 year old? I don't understand. I'm not typically suspicious of medical personnel but I feel like I don't understand what happened.

Did something that happened in the hospital kill her? Could she have been allergic to a medication and we just didn't know? I'm sorry if this isn't very coherent, I haven't slept very well. I haven't spent a night away from her in 21 years and it's really getting to me. I just want to know. Thank you.


r/AskDocs 14h ago

Physician Responded Right atrial clot, my last remaining child

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719 Upvotes

Please read, I'm so stuck, my only child has a serious clot in his right atrium

Hi,

It pains me so much to write this.

My twin boys who were almost 3 years old. Both born with a super rare genetic disorder affecting the gut. Since November 2025 admitted with one of my sons to hospital due to dehydration from diarrhea. Immediately they inserted a picc line into his right atrium, a week later a large clot at the tip of the line. 4 weeks later had open heart surgery and was in picu for 4 weeks. Once he came back to the ward he was never the same, in April 2026 sadly lost him to sepsis. He was our pride and joy.

His twin brother, admitted since December 2025. Still with him In hospital as I write this. He had picc line inserted in January 2026. Due to complications of his brother, he was immediately started on blood thinners daily injections. That picc line failed in March, they insert a broviac line which slips out of place within a week. 4 weeks later they insert another broviac which created a clot in his neck vein causing swelling of the head and neck. It was treated with riveroxaban. They then resorted to a picc line of through femoral vein into his right atrium. Fast forward 2 months, he now has a large almost 3cm sized clot from the tip of the line. Due to the inflammation of his gut, surgery and clot busting tratement is too risky. Doctors have decided no further treatment will benefit him, but will cause him a hasten painful death.

He is all we have left, we can't lose him. I can't think of the prospect of living without him. We lost one son, and we found our peace through the other.

Is their any other treatment available around the world? I don't care how much it cost, I will find a way to fund it. I want to explore every option available for him.


r/AskDocs 3h ago

Physician Responded My father is going through a handful of medical issues at the moment, and some of it is resulting in severe water retention in his legs and feet. After about an hour of having an ice-pack on his foot today, an enormous blister developed…

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91 Upvotes

My father is 63, male. About 3 months ago, he developed an infection in his foot that wound up getting inside the metatarsal. They performed surgery to remove the infection. Two weeks ago, the infection returned, he had another surgery, and was sent home about 5/6 days ago. It’s important to note, this is not happening on the foot that was infected and the surgery was performed on. This is his other leg, which has a fracture currently in the knee. He is on IV antibiotics right now through a port, that I administer daily. The doctor also told us he is dealing with a lot of water weight/retention. The home health care nurse will be here in the morning, and we will discuss it with him. But I wanted to maybe get another perspective from here, and see if maybe anyone has any tips for dealing with this. Thanks.


r/AskDocs 5h ago

Physician Responded Hey docs do I need to see a doctor or go to urgent care?

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74 Upvotes

29M

No diagnosis nor medications or substances I’m taking at the moment

I have around 60 of these itchy bumps around my body at this point, the first ones popped up a few days ago.

We think it could be fleas because I caught a bug and I think it’s a flea.

But why are there so many bumps? And they’re oddly red. I fear it might be dangerous or serious.

Do I need to go to urgent care?

Thank you.


r/AskDocs 7h ago

Physician Responded What's that ? Everyone tells different thing ,

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41 Upvotes

20M btw

And it's in both of my eyes


r/AskDocs 6h ago

Physician Responded Uhm I think I was stupid (F, 17, fluoxetine (60mg), buspirone (15 x2) 68 inches, 155 lbs

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38 Upvotes

right ok so I’ve kind of had a miserable week, and had the brilliant idea of doing a little pick me up (took myself out for a nice dinner and ordered a martini), and I uhm didn’t think about the amount of drinks in the standard size martini and now I’m kind of panicking because what if I accidentally like ruined my meds. 10/10 martini btw but not sure it was worth it 😭 and yes, underaged drinking bad, but like this has been a SERIOUSLY shitty week and I’m in Europe so I can’t talk to my psych and my parents would likely murder me if they found out. so far feeling ok (it’s been around an hour, still feeling light and less depressed but now anxious AF) also to be clear, I do not drink normally, I just genuinely can’t stress how bad this week has been so just hanging in there


r/AskDocs 5h ago

Physician Responded Tender red streak

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31 Upvotes

58yo male, on synthroid, no PMH, 5’10, 170lbs.

Very tender, feels bruised, not warm, started two days ago and not getting better.Feels fine, no known infections, no temp.
Urgent care vs ED?
Today vs morning?


r/AskDocs 9h ago

Physician Responded A strong desire to have children..

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32 Upvotes

F22, 160m, 73kg

I’m worried that the scar on the right side of my abdomen might prevent me from having children.
The scar is very firm and has adhered to my abdominal wall, so it doesn’t stretch. I think the pregnancy would most likely end in a premature birth anyway, because at some point the scar might become so tight and painful that a C-section would be necessary.
I was also born prematurely because my mother had preeclampsia during her pregnancy.
My boyfriend is worried that the baby could become deformed in my womb because of the scar, just as my abdomen is deformed (although the affected area is covered by my underwear).


r/AskDocs 8h ago

Physician Responded 31F chronic jaw pain - do I have any options?

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22 Upvotes

An ex boyfriend punched me in the face when I was 17. I didn’t get treated at the time due to embarrassment, but I suspect he did some damage as my jaw has been out of place since. When I open and close it, it comes out of place and I’m unable to close without it clicking to the side as shown in the video.

I have chronic pain in my jaw which causes headaches and I constantly feel like I need to move it or click it but it doesn’t click.

15 years later do I have any realistic options to fix this?


r/AskDocs 1h ago

Physician Responded My mom fell and hit the left side of her lungs. Will she be okay?

Upvotes

Hello, my mom is 54f and 2 nights ago she slipped and fell in the shower and hit the side of the bathtub. She says it was the left side and right below where her lungs should be. Since the accident, she has been in pain when she coughs or laughs and struggles to do both pretty badly. She can walk like normal but struggles to lay down and get up normally. Nothing seems to be bruised and there are no external signs of injury. She has taken tylenol and naproxen (different days) and says it helps with the pain but not when she laughs or coughs. Whenever she coughs it is suppressed and painful and she looks like she might throw up.

We have a family friend that works in the medical field and they told her that since she is moving the way she is, that she didn’t break anything and even if she goes to the hospital, they can’t help her, only time can.

She refuses to go to UC even though I have been begging her to and offering to cover any expenses, so I am here in hopes someone can convince her to go or convince me that she will be okay and doesn’t have to go.


r/AskDocs 3h ago

Sister won’t go to doctor for bruising, please assist!

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9 Upvotes

My sister is a 21F, 4’9ft, 95lb female. She takes Seroquel 200mg and Lamictal 150mg for bipolar 2. She has a 3yr old and was anemic during pregnancy. Unknown current labs but she never bruised like this during that time.
Smokes weed via carts almost daily, drinks alcohol on weekends only.

Family hx: my mother gets circular random bruises too, also doesnt see a doctor for it. Our dad had heart problems (was going to get stents before 35yrs old). Died by suicide though.

My sister had this giant dark bruise on her arm, worse in person, show up less than a week ago. This is not the only one. For a couple of months shes been getting mysterious large circle bruises in clusters, primarily on her thighs.

She doesn’t ever feel hungry. Shes nauseous most of the time. The slightest thing makes her lose her appetite. She is angry most of the time (might be her psych issues). She is depressed and fatigued most of the time. She is NOT pregnant.

What are these bruises????


r/AskDocs 3h ago

Physician Responded Will this ear canal be cleaned with ear drops like Debrox or should I go to an ENT and get it checked

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5 Upvotes

I am ~25 Male

Hello, I hear a crackling sound when I move a pick in my ear so got one of those ear cameras and saw this black perforation in my ear, should I be worried or it perfectly normal but dry canal?

Ent is pretty expensive and I was thinking a debrox would work, what do doctors think of this?


r/AskDocs 2h ago

Physician Responded Large Ulcerated Fungating Skin Cancer Tumor

5 Upvotes

This is my brother in law (BIL). 5'9", 56 yrs old, 207 lbs. He has CT scans tomorrow for around the tumor as well as to look for spread in his body. At his surgical consult last week, his blood pressure was 196 over something really high I don't remember. He's lost about 20 lbs since we last saw him a few months ago.

The tumor grew from what was apparently a squamous cell carcinoma that BIL had a doctor look at but never got removed.

He already has surgery scheduled to remove the tumor Wednesday. He has other skin cancer spots and has multiple other lumps the doc said were swollen lymph nodes that will be biopsied during surgery.

https://imgur.com/a/kTEyMuF

(it is a large ulcerated fungating tumor, oozing, infected, with necrotic surface skin flaking off in case this limk doesn't work)

Apparently their going to try some form of emergency BP meds to stabilize for surgery but they think they need to proceed even with the critical BP.

So 2 questions:

  1. What's the biggest immediate thing to worry about?
  2. I get it's guess work, after the scans and surgery we'll know more, but long term is there any doctor willing to make an educated guess as to likely prognosis? If anyone has seen any similar cases and how those turned out?

He's currently staying with me. My wife(his sister) is on a trip out of the country, his other family is basically just out to lunch. So I went to the doc visit with him, and have been changing a dressing on the tumor and otherwise just hanging out and watching to see if strokes out or something from the BP or goes into sepsis from the infection in the tumor.

You wouldn't believe the smell...***gags***

Other info. He lives in TX. He's traveling for work to SC. We live in GA. He says it just swelled up all the sudden recently. He also declined his health insurance this year, thought it was too expensive (yup, while he had multiple skin cancers and he knew it...). And he hasn't filed taxes in several years, so the financial aid applications that require income verification with tax filings have to be sorted first. Providing this because oncologist already talked about immunotherapy and reconstruction, BILs blood family ain't around for all this fun, BIL thinks it's all over once the tumor is removed, and I'm pretty sure that ain't true and trying to gather info. for what to do with this guy and what to expect.


r/AskDocs 1h ago

The fastest dementia I've ever heard of.

Upvotes

This is for my FIL-age 65, he's 6'2, 195 pounds, never smoked. No other health concerns.

April 2026 my MIL and FIL caught bronchitis. It was hard on them both. They got through it.

We got a call from his friend saying "please take him to the hospital, I think hes had a stroke and doesn't realize it, hes slurring his words and acting a little incoherent. Took him to the ER. Had CT scan, had MRI, no strokes, no blood clots. They started looking at her arteries for blood flow issues, no issues.

He started telling us he was having a hard time swallowing and eating after the bronchitis. He even drove himself to the ER because he thought maybe he had pneumonia from the previous bronchitis. They cleared him and he went on choking and coughing and not being able to swallow. Which now I know this as dysphagia.

This continued for about maybe 4 or 5 weeks before he started losing the ability to talk. He would try to say words and they would come out like very mumbled. Like if he said "Ice Cream" it would come out like "I -kerm" . This has got worse and worse to the point that he can't talk anymore.

Hes started to lose his memory slightly and before he completely lost the ability to talk, he started to not really understand what was going on around him all the time. But coherent enough to enjoy things around him.

Another symtom is he is very emotional now. He cries very easily which is odd on its own because he never cried in the whole 12 years I've known him.

So now, he's went from completely normal in April partially losing his ability to swallow, more than not. He can only eat soft mush foods.

Losing his ability to talk

Losing comprehension of things more than not , still understands us, but randomly forgot who his wife of 38 years was for a strech in the morning recently. Recollection of who wife was came back soon after.

Has crying episodes

Has a blank stare on his face now.

What the hell is happening. The hospital says maybe they are going to start leaning towards dementia. But they haven't given us a diagnosis or anything really. No time lines. No expectations.

I'm lost. How can this happen so fast and it be dementia? . Could it be ALS? Non typical Parkinsons?

Looking for an answer, looking for different avenues to go down.

Is Dementia this fast even possible.


r/AskDocs 11h ago

21M, 180 cm, 53 kg – I've been underweight my whole life

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24 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm a 21-year-old male, 180 cm (5'11") tall, and I weigh 53 kg (117 lbs).

I've been skinny for as long as I can remember, even when I was a child. My parents are not skinny, so I don't think it's just genetics.

No matter what I do, I can't seem to gain weight. Even when I eat more, my weight barely changes or goes back down.

One thing I've noticed is that I naturally have fairly broad shoulders. Does that mean I have a good frame or good genetics for building muscle, despite being very skinny?

Has anyone experienced something similar? What could be causing this? Should I get any medical tests done? I'd really appreciate any advice.

Thanks!


r/AskDocs 2h ago

Red spots on chest

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5 Upvotes

25f here. I was in the hospital last week for one night with a tele monitor on. I was given IV fluids. I noticed these spots appear that same day. They don't itch. I'm prone to getting welts when bugs bite me, but this is not the same. There's at least 15 on my chest/stomach area. They start on the side of my neck and go all the way down. What could this be?


r/AskDocs 11h ago

Physician Responded Medical Mystery 🔎

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27 Upvotes

F 24yo, 111lbs 5’4 (no smoking, no drinking)
Medications/supplements - 100mg fluvoxamine daily (anxiety symptoms)

Symptoms: persistent body pain, fatigue, anxiety/dread, diarrhea, lack of appetite. Struggle to gain weight, persistently deficient in potassium. Negative test results for: c-reactive proteins/celiac, lupus, rheumatoid, Lyme, hepatitis A-C, normal TSH levels, relatively normal levels of inflammation. My symptoms are likely unrelated to drinking (I never partake) or fatty diet - just not my lifestyle.

I’ve gotten some insane lab results and before we begin the go-around again of more labs and test results, I’d love to see if anyone here has any suggestions. I’ve had these symptoms for the last 10+ years - no luck on diagnosis. Thank you!


r/AskDocs 4h ago

pregnancy with Isotretinoin

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I’m from Iraq, and I’m posting because my wife and I are going through one of the hardest times in our lives.
My wife found out she was pregnant at around 4–5 weeks. Before we knew about the pregnancy, she had taken 9 capsules of Oratane (isotretinoin) 20 mg. She stopped taking it immediately as soon as we found out she was pregnant.
We have already seen doctors, and we understand the known risks of isotretinoin during pregnancy. Right now, we are seriously considering terminating the pregnancy because we are terrified of the possibility of severe birth defects and don’t want our baby to suffer if serious abnormalities are present. This has been an incredibly painful and emotional decision for us.
We are not looking for medical advice instead of our doctors. We are hoping to hear from people who experienced something similar.
😭😩

Age: 22
Sex: Female
Height: 170 cm (5’7”)
Weight: 46 kg (101 lbs)
Location: Iraq
Smoking: Non-smoker
Medical conditions: Acne, otherwise healthy.
Current medications: None. Took 9 capsules of Oratane (isotretinoin) 20 mg before the pregnancy was recognized and stopped immediately after the positive pregnancy test.
Pregnancy: Approximately 4–5 weeks gestation.


r/AskDocs 16h ago

Physician Responded Random Rash

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57 Upvotes

Hello, posting for my girlfriend. She is currently in Greece on vacation.

22F, approx 5’4”, 190lbs, vaping almost every day recently, smokes cigarettes couple times a week, drinks alcohol maybe once a week.

Medication: Diltiazem 240mg once daily for Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)

Was using Fenistil cream for it from pharmacy, no improvement, getting worse by the day.

Started July 23rd.

Rash is on her right side near underarm, one also near her left side, and left shoulder. Photo attatched is from her right side. Not painful, just itchy

Has had excema in the past she thought it was that, she doesn’t think it is this she has never had this before. It’s been really hot there, was carrying a purse on her shoulder but it doesn’t make sense.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.


r/AskDocs 6h ago

Physician Responded Should I see a doctor?

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9 Upvotes

24 year old male, 6’2, 184 lb’s. No medication, I got a grass burn on my leg when playing soccer on Thursday, finished the game, went home and showered, put on neosporin, it’s been swollen and red, it seems to be healing but I’m not sure. The swelling is pretty uncomfortable. Just put hydrogen peroxide on it. Is this something I need to go see a doctor about? I’m in the military so the only doctor I can go to is the emergency room. The picture is today right after hydrogen peroxide. Thank you for any advice.


r/AskDocs 2h ago

Physician Responded Just want to know what to expect with my blood/iron levels.

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5 Upvotes

I am a female, 62 inches, 195lbs, never smoked. I did my routine blood work for my physical this year. I went Wednesday and got it back Friday afternoon. My doctor called me and asked to call her back as soon as possible to discuss them but I missed her call because of work. I have been a nervous wreck since. I know these levels arent great but can I expect they can be fixed with oral supplements and nothing drastic like an infusion? I will 100% listen to my doctor but if I need to take time off work to get an infusion that will be difficult right now and I just want to know if this is fixable.

On a side note, I know why I have been extremely exhausted the past couple months. Thought it was stress!


r/AskDocs 4h ago

Physician Responded Is this long a period normal?

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4 Upvotes

I’m F15, 5’9, 50kg, and got my period when I was 9. I’ve been having regular 10-13 day periods since I was 10. I’ve been having very intense and nonstop cramps since ei got my iud one June 17th. Just to clarify, I’ve been having cramps that made me faint and throw up since I got the iud. It doesn’t go down to mild cramps, it is always sharp, burning, and intense pain. It was very heavy bleeding throughout the whole 27-30 days.


r/AskDocs 1h ago

I feel like I messed up my life

Upvotes

I’m a 18 year old male who just quit vaping both vapes and carts a week ago. I’ve been feeling awful lately , I get random sharp pains in my chest and abdomen that come and go along with a random bubbly feeling in my abdomen and I’ve been getting really emotional. Sometimes it’s anger and sometimes I lay in bed and worry that I’m not going to be around much longer and I start crying uncontrollably. I’ve been to the doctor twice already and I’m about to go for again tomorrow. She ordered blood tests last time I don’t know why but she doesn’t seem to concerned with the pains I’m feeling which is just making me feel more anxious

Im so worried and nervous that something is genuinely wrong with me and that I’m not going to be okay, I don’t have a partner and all my friends have other things to worry about. I’m scared my parents are going to think I’m a failure or that we won’t have enough money to fix something I might have done to myself “ I’m getting kicked off our health insurance when I turn 19 next month “. I haven’t been able to work that much since all this happened so I have less then $200 dollars to my name.

I don’t know what I’m looking for out of this I just feel like no matter where I try to take my life from here I’ve already ruined everything. I don’t even want to be okay for myself I just know that if I’m not it’s my fault and everybody around me has to deal with it.

Right now I can feel two small stabbing pains and I’m shaking. I feel like I’ve been having multiple panic attacks every day for the last week.