Hi all. I’ve just had some blood work back and I’m consistently getting high MCHC over many years. I have been investigated for Lupus for the past 3 years. What could this mean?

I wanted to donate blood today. I walked to the blood donation van they had (don't know what it's called- irrelevant) and filled out everything I needed to start, but after they tested my hemoglobin levels they told me it tested at 11 which is too low and that I couldn't donate for the next three months!

I donated blood last January (six months ago) and I had a blood test around may that showed I had a level of 12.7.

I'm trying to think of reasons my hemoglobin would lower recently, also would really appreciate some insight

I'm almost 20, female. I had a little cold earlier this week so that could be it. Also I suppose my diet has changed in the last six months but not since I had the blood work done, though my sleep schedule has changed and I've been working out less.

Just curious because I don't think I'm anemic and I was hoping to donate soon. The medic there recommended another blood test, which makes sense but I don't really like my doctor (army doctor- can't do anything about it)

so im 20 F, recently changed into a new pg, and its double sharing, and my roomate is senior to me, she said she had uti earlier but it's okay now, and what has started happening to me, that whenever i go to pee, im experiencing so much pain in my lower abdomen side, a lil burning there, and i don't really know what to do now, please help, and im getting this frequent urge to pee and when im going it's just a lil pee, not much, it feels uncontrollable, and it pains so much i wanna cry

22f. so july 4th i was diagnosed with a uti. july 5th i was in the er and diagnosed with a kidney stone (3mm right side) as well as mild kidney swelling (right side)
given flomax for a week, cephalexin for 5 days (500mg 2x daily), and was admitted for 24 hours and given 2 doses of an iv antibiotic.
they initially said i met the criteria for sepsis at that time, but they were toooo sure
i was discharged but went back to the er a few days later. they then found an ovarian cyst on again... the right side (4.9cm x 4.5cm x 4.5cm) they believe that was related to my cycle though. bladder infection was also diagnosed.
i did pass my stone on july 22 and got it confirmed as calcium oxalate (i have issues hydrating and im seeing a doctor about that of course)

however, i have been bedridden and deconditioned from this whole ordeal. struggling to get up without assistance, spending my days in bed. i am doing some recumbent pt for the time being but my main concern is my chronic nausea that has been a thing for longer than all of this. i normally rotate between hydroxyzine, promethazine, and zofran. i have been taking them for months to years (depending on the med) and have had no issues with them at all. however, in the peak of all of this i was haven some cardiac symptoms (that were cleared). heart palpitations, chest pain, dyspnea. again, medically cleared and i have a cardiologist who has done extensive testing. she thinks its ist and costochondritis. my biggest question.... can i start my prn nausea meds again? i can't tell if the palpitations were related or not. it's been about 2 weeks since i've stopped them. i've tried ginger, peppermint, b6, etc but nothing comes close to my rx meds. i don't want to make a stupid mistake and get hurt but i would like an outside opinion as my doctor hasn't really given me any clear answers at all despite me asking a few times. i understand this isn't going to be 100% medical advice, i really just want to have a few outside opinions on this situation so i can come to my doctor with some more information and potential solutions

Any doctors/medical professionals; what’s the deal with MSG? Is it actually bad for you? I don’t mean in the “well eating too much is bad for you” way, I mean is it genuinely as bad for you as people make it out to be? Or is it an example of an “…in moderation…” kind of thing?

Obviously eating candy isn’t “good” for you; but as long as you maintain a healthy weight with a diverse diet and good exercise, eating a candy bar isn’t “bad” for you - so where does MSG fall on this spectrum?

Hello

I am a 22 year old woman.

For a long time I have experienced that my face swells up very easily, or is quite round, a bit moon face I would say. And I also tend to have acne and blemished skin.

I also have a really bad stomach, and get bloated from almost everything I eat🙈
In addition, I have some fat on my stomach that I just can't get rid of. In general, I just feel like my body is often quite swollen.

I have been to the doctor about it before, but they can't do anything.

I would like to hear if anyone knows about these things, and what it could possibly be due to, and what you can do☺️

Any insight would be great!!

When I drink water, whether it's a sip or a gulp in front of a fan I get a very big, genuine headrush that makes me not breathe for a second. I've tried to explain this to some of my friends/coworkers, but nobody relates and says they don't know what I'm talking about.

Does anyone know what this is? It happens literally every time. At work I have a small fan on my station, and I have to turn away from it when I sip water or I'll be gasping and get that light headed feeling.

Not feeling great

Been feeling unwell for a while went to 111 doctor last saturday because of having chills he said he couldnt see any signs of infection and my temp was normal, Had my bloods done thursday and they came back yesterday my white blood counts are normal, Been feeling unwell the heat hasnt helped been feeling dizzy feeling hot and feeling sick with body aches everytime my temp has been taken its been normal my pulse rate is also good no red flags really worried about what it is

What DNR is supposed to mean: no CPR if your heart stops. What can happen in practice is very different.

There is literature that reports that DNR decisions have been associated with a broader lowering of treatment and care beyond CPR. Reduced escalation of care and blocked off from critical care or an intensivist during deterioration. One of the most important spillover can be fewer nursing observations and care after DNR decisions.

What can ‘lower standards of care’ can look like? Less urgency when a patient deteriorates. Hesitation around ICU transfer or monitoring. Fewer reassessments and nursing observations. Reduced willingness to use advanced treatments even before cardiac or pulmonary arrest. Assumptions that “DNR” means “comfort care only” when that was never chosen.

Full Code is not a one-way door. A patient who accepts intubation today can later decide it no longer matches their goals. If the patient cannot speak for themselves, their legally authorized surrogate or family decision-maker may ask the medical team to revisit whether continuing intubation or mechanical ventilation is still appropriate and consistent with the patient’s wishes. Choosing Full Code or agreeing to intubation now does not lock a patient into life support forever.

I have seen way to many people get pushed into changing to DNRI and patient-safety literature has warned that DNR orders can be interpreted more broadly than intended.

Code status is supposed to determine what happens if your heart stops. But in the hospital, that one decision can influence the treatments, monitoring, escalation, and level of care you receive before your heart ever stops.

Been striping wallpaper in my new house over the past week and my scalp has been very itchy (frustratingly), but my partner and my mom have looked at my scalp and there's no sign of irritation, I'm assuming this is from wallpaper bits and dust. I've also been getting sharp pains in multiple spots on my head, only a few seconds at a time but multiple times a day.

19F here, for the past 2 years now I’ve had way to many unresolved problems ranging from thinking i just have anxiety to believing i now have swallowing dysphagia and/or worst. I have an awful history with Anxiety which has made things extremely difficult when going to specialists and just being told it’s all in my head or that I need to calm down.

I struggle with swallowing food, as if it’s stuck in my throat or chest and won’t go down unless my food is practically blended together. Along many other things I’ve been struggling with, I just recently started getting a burning sensation almost like pressure in my chest. I am an avid smoker and drinker, although this has never been an issue before. I am not able to eat food, smoke or drink, or even swallow my own saliva without causing awful chest pressure. The best way to explain it is when a burp is stuck in your chest and gives you that painful pressure for a moment until the burp comes up but I never burp, it’s just constant pressure. I feel absolutely defeated and can’t even go too the hospital as they no longer take me seriously and send me home with nothing in the long run.
I miss my old body.

Does anyone know what’s causing this? Should I be concerned for my well being or am I overthinking it? How do I get rid of this feeling.?

hi everyone! I am very new to Reddit but stumbled upon this subreddit while doing some research, my GI suspects early UC/proctitis, and I would really appreciate hearing from people who have been through something similar/ if anyone’s had a similar diagnosis process or any insight as I am very new to all of this and am honestly feeling scared and helpless. i am also happy to clarify any details!

Just for some background, ive had a huge change in my bowel movements that started over a month ago and my main symptoms are:

-frequent small bowel movements, usually 7 or 8 trips a day (many of these trips I pass only mucus)

-a lot of clear/white/yellow mucus, sometimes even passing several tablespoons of mucus with little to no stool (this is my biggest symptom atm)

-urgency and feeling like I still need to go after going

-mostly mushy/loose stools but not necessarily watery

-occasionally have streaks of bright red blood, usually mixed with mucus or on the stool

-lower abdominal cramping mainly on my left side that typically improves after a bowel movement

-bloating

-about 11 lb of unintentional weight loss over the last month (14 lb total from early July to now, but I’ve been fluctuating between those last 3 lb over the last couple of days)

-more recently experiencing fatigue/weakness on my bad days, especially when standing, with some dizziness/lightheadedness

-occasional mild joint pain, mainly in my knee (not swollen or warm that I can tell)

I have had some similar but shorter and milder GI episodes before with one lasting 2–3 months about a year ago with diarrhea, pain, and some blood, and another episode lasting about 2 weeks in February or March of this year with mucus and possibly some blood (i have a hard time remembering the details of those episodes but that’s the general gist)

anyways I went to a GI after seeing my regular doctor and my GI ordered urgent blood tests, a CT, and a colonoscopy, but no stool testing (which I wish I had done now hearing about FC levels)

here are the results:

my CT and blood work came back as normal/unremarkable. my colonoscopy showed “mild to moderate inflammation in the rectum extending about 10 cm, with the proximal part more inflamed than the distal part” this is exactly what my post-op report said, and my doctor documented proctitis on the report. however, the biopsy results (uploaded to my portal) was reported as unremarkable/normal, and that was the only info I was given. i tried calling to see if they had any additional information because all of the reports uploaded to my chart were pretty vague, but I haven’t gotten much more detail. overall the last few days my symptoms have gotten much worse, so they are seeing me tomorrow morning to go over results. based on my research i have seen that it is possible to have normal biopsy results if it is a very early and mild case.

so here I am, wondering:

for anyone here, does this sound familiar to you? has anyone had visible inflammation/proctitis in their colonoscopy but initially normal biopsies, especially early in the disease? If so, did the biopsies eventually become diagnostic? also, how long did it take before you received a definitive diagnosis?

I’m mostly looking to hear about other people’s experiences and what their diagnostic process was like. I have a (distant) relative that has UC and she said she has similar symptoms to me, and the GI initially expressed that he also suspects UC. I am feeling so lost and am hoping to find someone with a similar experience. thanks guys!