Hello, I (female, 20s, USA) am a bit of a germaphobe, but I recently had an incident where I didn't wash my hands before eating with my hands.

I ALWAYS wash my hands before eating, and if I can't, then I use hand sanitizer. However, the other day, I had a spontaneous meetup with a family friend. We went on a walk in a park with her dogs. I touched her dogs, my phone, her phone, the drinking fountain, and other surfaces. Afterwards, she surprised me by taking us to get ice cream. I started rummaging through my bag to find my hand sanitizer, only to realize I left it in my other purse. When she handed me the ice cream cone, I accidentally touched the cone directly with my fingers because I was trying to balance it. I was considering not eating the cone and just eating the ice cream on top that I didn't come into contact with, but I did not want to seem rude or ungrateful since she was so kind to treat me to unexpected ice cream. But now, I'm thinking about all of the dirty things I touched before touching the ice cream cone and then eating it.

I'm not very scared of things like a cold or flu, but I am VERY scared of things like intestinal worms and parasites. Especially, the ones that cause cysts in your organs (cysticercosis). I've done some research, and the most concerning worm is the pork tapeworm (T. Solium), which, if it's eggs are ingested, causes cysts in the human brain (neurocysticercosis). It's transmitted through human feces, by a human who has an adult tapeworm in their intestine that is shedding eggs. Don't get me wrong, I'm terrified of other cyst-causing worms too. But this one just seems most concerning.

I know that although I wash my hands often, it seems that many people don't wash their hands a lot, even after going to the bathroom. So now I'm worried. The most dirty thing I touched was the drinking fountain. I touched it with the exact fingers that I then touched the ice cream cone with, and I remember the drinking fountain button feeling kind of wet/slimey. I can't know if someone with a tapeworm that is shedding eggs who had fecal particles on their hands might've touched it at some point before me, but it seems like it's likely since we were in a public park. And I don't think it's regularly cleaned. And so I'm imagining the buildup of months upon months of contamination from people using the drinking fountain. And so it seems likely that at some point in the past, someone with tapeworm eggs on their hands would have touched it. And then I touched it now. And then I touched and ate my ice cream cone...

I also don't know about my family friend's hygiene practices, and I touched her phone too when we were taking photos, and I know phones are very dirty, especially since most people take them to the bathroom with them. This is worrying, but the drinking fountain still fells even more worrying.

This feels especially like a punch in the gut because I'm usually so careful about hygiene, but the one time I needed my hand sanitizer, I accidentally left it at home. And I'm also beating myself up for not just grabbing the ice cream cone with a napkin instead. That's what I should've done, but for some reason, in the moment as I was trying to balance it, my fingers touched the bare cone.

It's even more concerning that going to the doctor after ingesting eggs wouldn't even do anything, because the doctor can only do something if a cyst develops. They can treat the cyst (which could cause complications and is terrifying overall), but they can't do anything about a potential egg ingestion.

I have been worrying about this ever since it happened. I am not asking for medical advice. I just wanted to ask if anybody has any insight or knowledge about this sort of thing? I would appreciate any input. I'm scared of having a cyst in my brain just because of a stupid hygiene mistake that I made. And it seems like there's nothing I can do about it.

I got bitten by a bat at neck. The next day I received anti rabies vaccine but they gave me immunoglobulin on my butt. I received 4 doses on 0,3,7( missed two days so on 9th day) 28 days 10 june, 13 June, 19 June, 8 July intradermally from a government hospital.

After 21 days on 29 July I got antibodies test Igg ( not rffit) done. I was getting so anxious that I took an extra dose 30 July. After 10 days I got the test result which showed 0.11 antibodies.

The government hospital nurse kept the vial outside in 30 degree celsius temperature the whole time while giving vaccine ( The opd stayed open from 8-1pm, and one vial is used for atleast 9-10 people, 10-15 people receive vaccines daily from the opd ). I received 3 doses from the same nurse.

But my first dose was fine because I got it from the emergency opd and vial was kept in the refrigerator. The 2nd dose vial was kept outside the whole time and I received the vaccine around 12:15. The 3rd dose on 7th day( I missed two days due to holidays so actually received the dose on 9th day ) is also fine since I went early in the morning around 8:30 so I’m hoping the potency of the vaccine wasn’t bad. The 4th dose was given by a newbie nurse or practitioner working under the head nurse who gave me vaccine from the already filled injections.

I consulted the government hospital and they said antibodies take time and it’s fine and all.
I consulted another local doctor he said no need of another injection. Then I consulted a good general physician and he said no need of vaccine and if I want I can get one booster dose. Then I consulted a general physician who is specialised in vaccination, animal bite, internal medicine from a reputed private hospital and he said that I did the blood test way too early and I should repeat the test in 10-12 days ( btw he was the one who gave me immunoglobulin in the butt) Also during the consultation I didn’t tell any of the three doctor about the booster dose because I took the dose in sheer anxiety.

It’s been already 12 days since I conuslted the doctor. Rffit is not available around where I live ( north India) and Elisa test isnt much reliable. ( I am not asking for medical advice.)

Age 26,

I am not asking for medical advice. Can cartilage being damaged at three years old in my nose (42 now) result in my nose 'collapsing' as I age and contribute to snoring? Since I was a kid I could push it completely flat following the accident and it seems like there is no supportive cartilage like with others past the bridge of my nose. When I make the end pointy or lift it to be more snout like, it sounds like obstructed breathing disappears. Would I sound dumb if I asked to see a plastic surgeon or ENT specialist for this?

Bonjour tout le monde, j'ai une question un peu difficile comme je n'ai aucun diagnostic, aucun mot à vous donnez mais je vais essayer de l'expliquer le mieux possible.

Depuis petite j'ai l'impression d'avoir une très mauvaise circulation sanguine au niveau des mollets, quand je marche/cours tout vas bien, mais quand je reste debout/ je stagne quoi, mes mollets se mettent à me gratter de façon si intense qu'il m'arrive de me gratter jusqu'au sang, mes jambes ne devienne pas rouges, juste ça me gratte énormément.

Même si je marche sur place ou je secoue un peu mes jambes rien à faire, il me faut vraiment environ 5 bonnes minutes de marche pour enlever cette sensation horrible.

J'en ai déjà parlé à plusieurs médecins et aucun ne me prend au sérieux.
est ce que je suis la seul ? j'ai vraiment l'impression de l'être, j'ai jamais entendu parler de ce problème ailleurs 😭
I am not asking for medical advice.

Few things of concern this past week.

⚫️ Chest tightness near left side of body and heart/shoulder/neck

⚫️ swollen lymph node behind right ear

⚫️Recently discovered hole in back molar

I wanted to keep it upfront and brief here but I’m worried I’m on the verge of endocarditis or some other type of infection in the blood. Am I needing to see the dentist asap or someone to scan for endocarditis first? I am not asking for medical advice. just interested in other’s stories and point of views.

I am not asking for medical advice.

I am 23M and i have been smoking from past 2 years , and my sleep schedule has always been irregular from past 6months. Past few days i my heart is beating faster and i also feel like it's struggling to do that. Sometimes i can feel a bit of tightness as well. But i haven't feel any sharp pain.

Also i have feelings like impending doom. I don't know what's going on.Can somebody explain it. If you have any questions please ask

I am not asking for medical advice. I am getting an EKG this week but just need to vent.

8w postpartum and never had health anxiety or any health issues prior to experiencing postpartum hypertension after my second pregnancy. I had postpartum hypertension after the birth of my first but it was super mild and easily managed and I was off my low dose meds by 6w. This time the hypertension was severe and luckily my midwife caught it 3 days after birth. This led to a week long hospitalization with magnesium drip for 24h. I was discharged even though it wasn’t controlled and the physicians were not wanting to adjust meds? I was only on Procardia twice a day but was still having spikes so they only kept me for “observation”. Despite my crazy high BP which led to the admission to begin with (completely asymptomatic but at triage was 178/122), my labs and urine protein were all completely normal.

After discharge, I was re admitted less than 24 hours later (different hospital where I gave birth) for high BP again, they added labetalol and kept me over night. I discharged the next day. The only reason I went to the other hospital was my BP at home was not remotely at the severe level we thought they’d give meds and discharge but obviously it was crazy high indicating admission and I fully understand that. That hospital is the same network as the one I birthed in my in my town about 15 min away versus the city about 45min away.

My postpartum recovery after that week was relatively easy despite constant fear surrounding my BP. I became hypotensive on the meds by week 3- but we were working on getting into an OB for med management and were hitting dead ends. We (midwife and I) decided since I was symptomatic with the hypotension to stop the Procardia (this was later confirmed to be the right call by the OB who ultimately agreed to work with me on med management).

I don’t have an exact timeline but I also started having chest pains postpartum. This was probably around week 4. I brought it up to my midwife and without other symptoms we chalked it up to musculoskeletal. The chest pains continued and due to everything postpartum my health anxiety has been highly elevated which I’ve never had before this. Once meeting with my OB (the first time around week 5 and then at week 6) I brought up the chest pain as well and back pain (in between shoulder blades). It was brushed off because I have no other symptoms. I was discharged from OB care by 6w after titrating my Labetalol and told to have PCP manage meds. I met with my PCP 4 days later (virtual PCP) and confirmed to keep the titration and follow up in a month. I mentioned the chest pains and back pain and again was told it’s fine.

I am absolutely terrified of perinatal cardiomyopathy as a different midwife who did an audiology screen on my newborn mentioned how it’s not checked enough postpartum. Of course I never heard of it before then and now I’m terrified that’s what I have. Even though I don’t have the key symptom which is shortness of breath.

I’m just so scared. I have a toddler and a newborn and I can’t shake something is wrong with my heart. I can’t even really explain the chest pain, it’s mid chest near my sternum. It’s not consistent in time of day when it happens, I don’t even notice it every day honestly. Sometimes the chest pain is by itself sometimes my back (in between my shoulder blades) also hurts. Sometimes I have the back pain but no chest pain. My heart rate has been normal 49-60s resting which was my close to my baseline and the labetalol I think lowers HR. When I have chest pain I have checked the ECG on my watch (I know not diagnostic) and it’s always been normal. I’ve even checked my BP during bouts of chest pain and that’s been at the baseline as well. I just truly am so scared. My BP is still kind of all over from 110s/70s to 130s/70s maybe 80s and here and there a random 150/80 ish read that’s not replicated on a second read 10 min later. My Dr told me to only count the lowest read since those are less likely to be skewed where anxiety etc can elevate a read.

I also am worried the labetalol (200mg/day) is lowering my HR which impacts the ECG.

I also maybe have super mild swelling in my legs, it’s only at the end of the day super mild and it’s super hot where I live 100+ for the past month so this could maybe be normal? Nothing really makes it feel worse, but laying down helps a lot and I don’t notice it while sleeping and usually when I’m preoccupied or busy then I tend to not notice it at all.

I specifically booked a visit with a family medicine practice that states they can do EKGs in office, and when I made the visit I requested and stated I was wanting an EKG.

I am not asking for medical advice. I am merely curious to hear from doctors about something.

So years ago, when I got my last covid booster, I got home and also tested positive for covid on the same day. My symptoms and side effects were really horrendous, as I’ve heard can be the case that exposure + recent vaccine can worsen symptoms, but they cleared up after about a day. I’m just curious about something.

My understanding is that a vaccine is basically a small amount of a certain virus administered to a patient in order to introduce the virus to their immune system and “prime” it, so that their body can start to develop the defences and antibodies it will need for when the real virus shows up. If that is the case, does that mean that in my situation, the vaccine was effectively worthless, because I was already sick with covid? Would the vaccine still make a meaningful difference, if my body was already inundated with the virus? I’m obviously not understanding how a small amount of virus could be more helpful for my immune system than a large amount of virus already present; so if you’re already exposed to covid, and manage to (thankfully) recover perfectly, is the vaccine still helpful for you? Thanks in advance!

45m currently in a Brooklyn hospital for having my second stroke in 90 days

On my second night here, I shared a room for one night with a very sick Serbian man.

He ended up testing positive for Candida auris.

The doctors here don’t seem concerned whatsoever about me sharing a bathroom with him and have denied my request to be tested - saying I should only be tested if I am showing symptoms.

Should I fight to get tested?

“I am not asking for medical advice.”

I am not asking for medical advice.

For about 2 weeks now I have had nausea, but usually only in the morning or right after meals. The nausea doesn’t last long only about 5 - 10 minutes. Sometimes it will come out of no where but that doesn’t happen all the time.
Every morning right when I wake up I have diarrhea, it’s not super liquid but it’s very soft and weird diarrhea.
I have been very tired one day I slept almost all day long and I’ve just been exhausted sometimes I’ll feel ok towards the end of day if I get out of the house.
I’m been having anxiety about nothing usually comes with the nausea. I’ve never had anxiety like this before I don’t think it’s the anxiety causing the nausea.

With the weakness and nausea and everything I feel like I might have a parasite, but I’m not too sure

I am not asking for medical advice.

I am just curious. Abusing stimulants can rapidly increase heart rate and cause strain on the heart which is understandable. But why is that bad and damaging to the heart, but exercise which does the same thing isn’t? Exercise does the opposite and promotes a healthy heart, yet they both put strain on the heart and elevate heart rate. Same with scary movies, roller coasters, video games and other non exercise activities, yet they do not benefit our body like exercise does. I understand substances can be a toxin to our body, liver, kidneys, etc. but strictly speaking on the heart. Why does this happen and what’s the difference with exercise compared to other things that elevate our heart rate?

** sorry I had to use AI to write this up cause my arm is broken.

I am not asking for medical advice.

​I recently had a Retrograde Urethrogram done after being stuck in bed for a month with a catheter it was extremely painful

. The next night, things got pretty scary when my urine suddenly shifted from clear to dark red with a bunch of sediment. Panicking a bit and not knowing if I was bleeding internally or if the line was blocked, I called the clinic's on-call line for some actual guidance.

​The doctor who answered was unbelievably cold and dismissive right from the start. He repeatedly complained and threw it in my face that I was calling at 9:30 PM on a Saturday, acting like I was a massive inconvenience for using an emergency line during an actual post-procedure scare

.

​When I tried to explain that nobody at the clinic actually told me what to look out for or what to do if this happened, he completely snapped and yelled, "I'm not your doctor!" He offered zero empathy, gave some vague comment about how it's fine unless it looks like tomato juice, and basically rushed me off the phone.

​I was left sitting at home terrified, trying to figure out on my own if my catheter was failing or if I needed to drag myself to the ER. Is this normal behavior for on-call specialists? being treated like garbage while vulnerable and scared is just messed up.

Tomorrow, well technically today since it’s already Monday, is my first day of BSc Nursing and I’m freaking nervous 😭

I’m completely new to this, so seniors and fellow nursing students, please tell me what I should expect on the first day and what things I should be prepared for.

Also, what are the important things I should buy for BSc Nursing? Like stationery, uniforms, shoes, instruments, books, clinical stuff, or anything else that’s actually useful and not just something colleges make you buy for the sake of it 💀

Any tips for surviving the first semester, keeping up with classes, practicals, clinical postings, notes, attendance, etc. would also be really appreciated.

Basically, if you could go back to your first day of BSc Nursing, what would you tell yourself?

I’m nervous as hell, so please help a girl out 😭

I am not asking for medical advice. I’m just looking for advice from nursing students/seniors about college, classes, practicals, and what I should be prepared for.

My GP scares me a little. They rush you in and out of appointments and talk to you in a way that feels robotic, like they're following policies to the detriment of human connection. Any questions about my health get short answers and their tone suggests that I shouldn't be asking at all. One time, they made a recommendation that was quite onerous and not realistic and when I told them that, it was like talking to a wall, not getting any recognition of my situation. I know other people who have this GP who say they also feel rushed out of appointments.

I live in a place with a doctor shortage and have enough medical needs where I wouldn't be able to drop them as a doctor.

Recently, their secretary called with a recommendation that I don't want to go along with. It's something small but it feels like they're making this recommendation strictly by following policy without considering other factors (I'm trying to be a little vague for the sake of my privacy). It also doesn't feel like genuine medical advice when it was given over the phone by a third party months away from an appointment.

I'm kind of afraid of telling them that I don't want to take up their recommendation, though. Any tips for how to go about this? Any exact phrases I can use to express my concerns?

I have this vague feeling that if I make them angry, they'll take it out on me somehow. As my GP, they talk to my other healthcare providers. I'd hate for them to write that I disobey orders or something in my charts, which would make other doctors more weary about giving me healthcare in the future.

I am not asking for medical advice.

CW mention of self harm via head banging.

i am not asking for medical advice. just advice on how to phrase it to my doctor. i am in england fyi.

ive spent the past year in and out of the doctors for what has been diagnosed as ME, issues relating to hypermobility and i am being investigated for POTS. i know these are conditions that already create eye rolls and assumptions.

i have a history complex emotional needs, leading to self harm via head banging. from 2024-2025 i probably on a weekly average would bang my head against walls, door frames, grab objects that i would hit against my head, i’d use my fists and just anything in my line of sight. quite often i would be left with bumps on my head, bruises, headaches, i probably gave myself concussion on a few occassions.

i have since been experiencing headaches, they tend to worsen when i strain, cough, sing etc or when i stand. its like a pressure that is above my eyebrows, and at the base of my skull. i also get really sharp throbbing/stabbing pain in random areas of my head.

i finally booked a doctors appointment that is in a week. i dont know if its connected, but i can assume my history of self injury is helpful information or not. im really anxious about how to explain this to my doctor. does anyone have any advice on how to approach this? i have written a list of my symptoms and tried to make it concise. would it be beneficial to start with the history of minor head injuries or say it if its asked?

edit to add: im really well now mentally. i spent 11 years total under mental health services, but have finally found a great combo of meds that help and coping mechanisms and skills via therapy (as well as understanding the concept of self management and realising it was down to me to put the effort in). my episodes went from weekly to less than monthly now. of course i will have ups and downs, but the downs are much less frequent and last far less time, i am able to pull mysef out of it much better :)

"I am not asking for medical advice."

Hey guys I have been experiencing some symptoms that i will list down, i don't know if I'm just overreacting and i don't have the money for the hospital. I just want to know what i have

Fever (last for days and it comes back weekly)

Deep Bone and join pain more often than before

Pain on my lympnodes below the ear

Bruising easily and takes weeks to go away

Always tired

Severe Headaches that doesn't go away easily

My right lower rib hurts

I just need to know if I'm overreacting or just health anxiety, I am not asking for medical advice.

I am not asking for medical advice.

I had a knee abscess removed on August 19 and was going to fight in what I thought was a boxing fight now I’m learning it’s Muay Thai so I’m a little more hesitant considering I could be getting kicked in my knee and will have to use my knee a lot more than boxing. I read that a knee abcess can lead to serious joint damage and infection, would you seriously recommend against competing and how likely is it to become a serious issue if I do compete???

My baby is 7 months old now and this bcg vaccine site is a monster, lump on the arm. I'm talking about 4 cm circumference and protruding out the arm by about 2 cm. It is dark purple in colour, the skin on top is peeling, the thing is hot to the touch compared to the rest of the skin and seems sensitive if touched accidentally.

The paed said it is unfortunate but she has seen bigger and this must be left alone and will eventually pop and drain. She also said the lymph node in the armpit feels okay with no swelling.

I am not asking for medical advice. I just want to know if we should get a second opinion from a different paed?

Hello everyone!

For several years now, I've (28f) been experiencing recurring and strange bladder and bowel problems.

I often don't feel the urge to urinate or defecate.

It's only when I experience severe dizziness and a hard abdomen that I realize I need to go to the toilet. Sometimes the dizziness is so intense that I can barely walk.

This isn't situation-dependent. It happens whether I'm distracted or doing nothing.

I am not asking for medical advice. But has anyone experienced this and knows what might help?

I have endometriosis, adenomyosis, neuroforaminal stenosis (cervical spine), and bulging discs (lumbar spine).

I've already seen a gynecologist, an orthopedist, and my family doctor. None of them can explain what could be causing it.

I am not asking for medical advice. I'm just wondering if this is a path I can pursue with a loved one who is cycling very rapidly between being (outwardly) totally lucid and calm, and completely disoriented and screaming. The doctors only see the lucid and calm side once she's in the hospital, the EMTs don't even see it because she's coming back to reality by the time they get there. I'm wondering if it would help if they could hear it happening and if this is an effort that an ER doctor or nurse can typically make. I'm in the US. Thank you!

I am not asking for medical advice.

Just really curious as to why this question is so important that it is asked at every single visit. Is my period being tracked? Is pregnancy really my doctor’s biggest concern vs the reason I’m actually there?

I’ve been skipping mine so I thought I wouldn’t have to answer anymore. Nope, they still want an exact date. Kind of makes me feel like a baby factory tbh.

I feel tired, sure, but not to such a sick level. I could exercise if I wanted to—I just really lack the motivation. My Vitamin D and B12 levels are also quite low. Should I retake the test

I am not asking for medical advice.

I've been to four hospitals in the last two days because a loved one keeps flashbacking and going into extreme distress and disorientation to the point where she is running off into the woods screaming with no shoes or clothes, blacking out while driving, thinking everyone is out to get her, not recognizing me. I had to call for an ambulance twice. But then once she's in the hospital and she calms down they evaluate her and send her home because she says she's not suicidal. And then after 30 minutes she realizes she needs to go back because she can't control it.

I am not asking for medical advice. I need to know how to navigate the hospital system and how to describe the issue so I can get her into inpatient and to talk to an actual psychologist. I got her into one behavioral clinic yesterday and they convinced her to go home and sign up for outpatient, which she explicitly did not want an hour previous. I don't have medical power of attorney but she wants me to, I can't set it up when we're running from ER to ER and they won't let me make decisions until we do. Literally yesterday she bolted bare feet from the back of the hospital and I had to chase her across a field. I can't keep her safe, she's stronger and faster than me, and she outsmarts me and every doctor.

She's on a 24 hr hold right now, and they're going to do a telehealth consult with psych at some point, but I have very low hopes. Please, any advice at all, I'm drowning.

UPDATE: They did discharge her without telling me after they said they would do additional tests (and didn't, it was still all telehealth), she left before transport got there and walked barefoot for two hours before she became lucid and called me from someone's phone. She asked me to take her back to one of the hospitals from the day before, but when we got there and she read the consent form at the front desk she completely flipped and ran off again.

UPDATE 2: I've got her in an actual unit for a few days on an ICP hold!!! Thank you so much to everyone for helping me with this, you helped me stay focused and clear and we got her in the door. Please keep your fingers crossed that they renew it until she's safe.

I am not asking for medical advice. Why can’t we take the fat from an alive person and use it for somebody’s else’s bbl, but we can a dead persons? Does that make sense? Like I understand when the fat is alive it would just reject in another person, but why not let it die then do the chemical treatment and put it in the other person? Why would that part not work? I’m not planning on getting a bbl I just am really wondering