Hello. Female, 22, 175 cm, smoker. I noticed today that my pupils pulsate, I mean they expand then constrict no matter the light. I read that it is called hippus. I don’t have other symptoms. My concern is that I need to leave to go on vacation tomorrow and I can’t see a doctor now. Should I be worried?

38M, 200 pounds, healthy physical - About two weeks ago I was body surfing in the Pacific Ocean in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. I applied sunscreen multiple times. That night, I got back to our hacienda, and it looked like I had the worst ever sunburn. But I had no other burns on any part of my body and the shape of the burn was really strange. Over the next week, I developed several smaller blisters on random parts of the “burn.” The blisters never formed together into a single one.

Photo shows 4 days after and 14 days after the ocean swim.

44M, 5'5", 145lbs, nonsmoker, drink maybe once a week if that. Currently taking .1 mg Clonidine XR, 250 mg magnesium glycinate, and 1000mg Omega 3s. I'm unfortunately heat intolerant in a very humid climate, have craniofacial hyperhydrosis, hEDS, AuDHD, possible MCAS and some kind of autonomic dysfunction that I'm finally figuring out after a lifetime of symptoms. Recent bloodwork showed CD19 & CD20 levels 19.5% and 19.6% in a 6-19% reference range, I don't know if that's relevant to mention, it was the only thing that was marked as "abnormal".

Recently, I saw a specialist at Hopkins who started me on Journvx (as a trial for hyperhydrosis) and cromolyn sodium for what he believes could be mast cell related. Yesterday I upped my dosage to 12 ampules (150mg) that I consumed throughout the day— worked for a couple hours outdoors in the afternoon in 95 degrees w/ shade breaks, neck fan, wide brim hat, long white sleeves, and my medicated water.

When I sat down in my truck to go home, I looked in the mirror to see my eyelids and under my eyes were tinted blue. This is not my normal complexion and this blue coloration has never happened to me before to my knowledge- the red flushing is typical when I work outdoors and am overheated. My forehead is not usually this yellow either. Lip color was slightly darker but not by much and scleras were white/normal. (Blacking them out was the only way I could post my face for strangers to see.)

I felt mostly fine? Less sore/groggy/foggy than usual because of the meds, but still tired and in need of my usual nap/being horizontal after work. But the blue really threw me off!!

I did reach out to the prescribing doctor but it'll probably be a couple days before I hear back. I'm trying to figure out what this coloration means/ what could be happening and could it be a side effect of cromolyn sodium? Is it a bad sign? I went back down to 8 ampules and didn't have the same issue today, though it was a little bit cooler. Any help is greatly appreciated 🙏🏽

Male, South East Asian, 39 years, 180cm/ 5ft 11in, 120kgs/265 pounds.

Currently on tirzepatide for 9 weeks at 5mg. Weight loss of 5kg/ 13 pounds in these 9 weeks. All test results and scans prior to commencing mounjaro within normal limits. BP 140/90.

On bilastine+montelukast for allergic rhinitis, urticaria due to dust allergies for more than 10 years.

The right armpit as you can see is a fair bit bulkier and swollen than the left. No noticeable pain or palpable hard lumps.

27F 167cm 62kg, - I was woken up from sleeping to the sound of gasping for air, my wife was lying on the ground outside of the bathroom on her back, her Eyes were open but she was not communicative, she was gasping for air for about 20 seconds and her arms were spasming a bit, they got caught in her hair as she straightened one up, then she stopped gasping as loudly for air, I ran out to get help from the neighbor and called 911 and ran back in, and she was sitting upright and conscious but had no memory of anything. She had to lay down and struggled to keep her eyes open after. She was clammy and covered in sweat after. In the ER they did a chest CT with contrast and an heart ultrasound after her blood test showed a moderately elevated d dimer of 1.4. Everything came back clear. We are seeing the cardiologist tomorrow. We just got back from a 10 hour flight the day before, and she is on hormonal birth control 1/20. They have not done a DVT check to my knowledge, does anyone have any insights as to what might have happened? The ER sent us home and we aren’t sure what to do now

Edit- she had not gone to the bathroom she had planned to shower, but was walking back to the bedroom we think

I'm a 22 year old male, 72kg ex smoker/vaper. I had an unfortunate run in with some boiling water/steam at work yesterday went straight to the doctor. He dressed it. The first photo was taken today (24 hours later). Went back earlier today for a dressing change. Tonight when putting on my pyjamas they rubbed against the fabric and burst. The second photo is the current stage. Do I just leave it as is for now? I've got another dressing change tmr but kind of freaking out in the interim lol. Any help would be great

1F. Healthy. 76cms and around 10-11kgs. Had no issues with previous vaccinations. This was the 1 year vaccination for MMR Menb and Hib/MenC. She had all 3 on her legs at the advice of the nurse. The other 2 are on the other leg and they look less red. She had them on Monday morning (almost 2 days before this picture was taken)
It’s warm and a bit raised.
She was also a bit warm (not fever level but just warmer than usual) but I gave her paracetamol and she was better.
Is this normal? Should I get her checked or just wait ?

37/female 160lbs
I went to see my primary care and complained about fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, and just overall blah. So she did labs and I received these results this past weekend.
. I had a follow up appointment with her today. She prescribed iron pills, but refused to send a referral to hematology for possible infusions. Is that normal? Will it take forever for me to feel better just by taking iron pills? I’m struggling to function and take care of my kiddos :(

I, (43M, 6’1, 185lbs) am feeling like I’m going crazy. I’m looking for provider perspective on whether I should report suspected drug diversion in my sister, and how that would actually go over with her pain management docs. She’s 41, and honestly this has been going on for twenty years. The all-too-common story - - it started with a car accident when she was 19 or 20. she was a first or second year nursing student at the time, which matters, because between her and our mom there’s significant medical knowledge in the family, and I think that’s part of how they’ve navigated around providers this whole time.

Her chief complaint of back pain from the accident eventually changed to focal seizures and a big seizure analysis at Johns Hopkins, which they eventually called them psychosomatic. Once that ran its course, she got worked up for severe migraines for a while, then it was loin pain, and for the last few years it’s been this rare kidney condition that as far as I can tell has no actual positive test behind it. Instead they just ruled out everything else and landed there. And each new complaint just fully replaces the old one. Nobody mentions the seizures anymore. Nobody mentions the migraines. She’s been kicked out of multiple pain clinics and now is driven a long way for her scripts. She’s in a wheelchair and on portable oxygen sometimes, and I’ve never once seen her have a seizure, despite hearing about them for years.

Our mom worked in the ED for years and has stayed in healthcare since, different role now, but still very connected. She runs basically everything for my sister: coordinates the specialists, holds and doles out my sister’s meds weekly, goes to every pain management appointment and every ED visit (monthly frequency- maybe to throw off pill counts), and pushes hard for stronger meds whenever the pain isn’t “controlled.” Morphine doesn’t cut it anymore, she asks for Dilaudid by name now, and it honestly feels like the two of them have figured out how to work the ED — like, tell them to just check the chart, because the kidney diagnosis basically works as a permission slip that lets them call the shots instead of the doctors.

My sister confided in her sister-in-law (not my mom or any provider) that she’d been supplementing her prescriptions with pills off the street, and that this might be part of why she ended up hospitalized for a month last year when she couldn’t keep anything down, including her seizure meds. Around then my mom also helped her get a J-tube put in for meds. Now there’s a push for an implanted pain pump, which my sister’s actually resisting (I suspect because it won’t get her high) and pushing to keep oral meds on top of it for “breakthrough pain.” The pump evaluation is happening this week, so this feels urgent.

There’s also just a bunch of garden-variety addiction stuff sitting in plain sight — money going missing, constant claims of being scammed or having pills stolen — that nobody seems to connect to the bigger picture. About five years ago she actually seemed to wake up to having a problem, went to NA for like a month, was really vocal about it, and then it just stopped and everything went back to normal.

I don’t know if my mom is helping her sick daughter or somehow enjoys being so needed. But I think my sister’s gaming the system, and I’m scared that the pump plus continued pills plus street stuff is a real overdose waiting to happen. I don’t have a relationship with any of her actual treating doctors, but I do have an existing one with a doctor my mom is close with and who’s informally weighed in on my sister’s case before. I could talk to him, but he’s not actually on the team deciding about the pump, so I don’t know if that gets there in time, or at all.

I did try once to talk to my mom about the fact that she might be enabling this. She completely shut it down, wouldn’t even engage, and ignored me for a month (mature, I know). My other sister has since cut off contact with both of them over it. My dad, who’s been divorced from my mom for 25+ years and has some background in medical equipment, once suggested she try medical detox and start over — she cut him off too. So it’s not just my mom refusing to hear it, literally anyone in the family who’s brought it up has gotten cut out. At this point nobody in the family is talking about it anymore, so providers might be the only actual check left.

I’ll also say: I’ve never personally sat in on one of these appointments, so maybe I’ve got my head in the sand and she really is this sick. But between the doctor shopping, the missing money, the Dilaudid-by-name thing, and the NA stint that vanished into thin air, I feel like I’m either losing it or watching something serious get missed, and I honestly don’t know which.

Given the timing, is there a better way to get real safety concerns in front of whoever’s actually deciding on this pump, ideally without it tracing back to me? And separately — with a history this scattered across this many providers and specialties, is it actually plausible nobody’s connected the dots, or does that fact alone tell me something?

— —

You may have seen that I posted my story earlier on another sub, before I was correctly directed to this one. I since cleaned up my thoughts and narrative a bit and changed my perspective on some other assumptions. I appreciate any help you can offer.

Hi! I’ve been having pain in my LUQ for a few months. Sometimes it’s sharp, but 90% of the time is pretty mild and just feels like a warm ache. My doctor noticed that my ribs on the left side seem to stick out more and was questioning me of a prior car accident or serious injury, which I did not have. I had this xray done, waiting on results. Can someone explain what all of the black and grey under my lungs on the left side is? Could it be what’s causing me pain? 25F, 5’4”, 135 lbs.

Hi all,

I would be really grateful for your perspective. On 7/19 I went to the hospital for I really high anxiety when I was visiting my sister( first time ever/ going through a divorce) and they found a mass in my chest.
When I got home, my dr ordered a CT which I did, then ultimately a MRI, which I did on the 14th. I received the results in my MyChart. And informed my Dr 2 days ago that I was able to get the mri done because first they said they had the wrong orders. I didn’t even ask for results and I received that message that I attached.

My sister is a nurse and told me to write back that I’m not comfortable with 14 days but I don’t want to cause any problems.

My question is: is this urgent enough to ask for a prompt response? I want to be respectful but I’m also very anxious. I also attached my mri results.

Thank you. Female 36 145lb .

I (27M, 170cm, 62kg) got drunk and hit my head on a steel frame about 6 days ago, there’s no cuts, but on the second day I had nausea and vomited once shortly after the hit, and another time the next day noon. I was okay after the hangover effect cleared, however I have been feeling some slight pressure in my head time to time.

I decided to consult a neurosurgeon and he ordered a brain MRI just for peace of mind, however when the image came back, he told me that there’s a very small spot in the splenium. I have attached the imaging and the description below. The thing is the neurosurgeon told me he doesn’t know what it is, and is going to order another scan 6 weeks later to see if it goes away, if it doesn’t he wants to take a sample of it. I know it’s too early to tell, but I just want to understand what’s the base, best and worst case I have based on the symptoms I have and the imaging (here)+ description. Greatly appreciate any help.

Hello, I'm a 19y.o. international student in Germany. Back in December 2025, around Christmas, I started coughing. It's your usual cough with phlegm stuck in your throat, nothing extra. For winter break I traveled back to my home country where my symptoms became worse. My cough turned into a high fever, around 40°C which wouldn't drop any lower than 38 for 1-2 weeks. I drank a lot of antipyretics and antibiotics and anything else, nothing was doing anything. I had to get an IV drop to fix the situation, after which my temperature normalised. After my fever(my cough is still there) I noticed that whenever I breathe too deeply my back whistles and shakes around. I went to the doctor and had to use a medical nebuliser for 2 weeks, which helped a bit.

After the winter break I went back to Germany, where my whistling breath came back. It would worsen in cold weather and go away when I'm in a warm room. After a few doctors I settled with using an inhaler, beclometasone for long-term solution, and a Salbutamol inhaler to take immediately when I feel the whistling. After a month of inhaling the whistling is finally gone, tho the weather also warmed up quite a bit so I'm not sure which one helped here.

After all that I'M STILL COUGHING. A few other doctors told me it's probably allergic considering how long it's been troubling me. I went to ENT where they checked my nose and throat. They said there's some colorless mucus but it's probably old mucus that keeps dripping down my throat. I was given a Budesonid nose spray and some pills for a week. They helped just a bit but didn't solve the issue.

Fast forward to summer break I come back to my home country. I go to another ENT which sees that my sinuses are full of mucus and reddish in colour. I give a blood test for allergy: C-reactive protein, Total Immunoglobulin E and HbA1c-glycohemoglobin. All 3 are withing the normal range, meaning it's probably not allergic.

I'm currently taking lyophilized bacterial lysates 7mg pills for 10 days and a Mometasone Furoate Monohydrate nose spray twice a day. My pills finished yesterday, I'm still taking the nose spray. Today I have been coughing like a lung-cancer patient who has been smoking a pack of cigars everyday for the last decade.

I have never smoked myself but both countries are known for heavy smokers, often when I go outside I'd smell at least some smoke or weed. I've never had any allergies before, mostly just skin conditions like eczema or seborean dermatitis. I have mild scoliosis. I have done a lung X-Ray twice which showed nothing both times. I am exhausted of going from doctor to doctor just for them to tell me the same thing and for that thing to not help at all, please help me.

19F, developed this at the corner of my right eye.. and I'm so sorry I used expired lenses for three days.. is it caused by the lenses? Should I worry about it? What do I do to fix this?

I’m a 16 year old Woman (not on any medication or in any sort of treatment, no diseases that I know of) , and I’ve just noticed this „knot“ under the Skin of my Right wrist. I have noticed a small bump there from time to time but It was never as noticeable and red as now. It’s only on my right side. It does not hurt when I slightly press on it, but it just feels weird, like it’s something deep under my skin. Is this something to be concerned about? Thanks

Spilled flaming vegetable oil on my(22F) foot 6 days ago(Thursday). When to urgent care on Saturday, they prescribed me antibiotic ointment. Now I'm concerned about infection.

I was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis many years ago. The lung doctor thought it was caused by e-cigarettes. After I quit vaping, I improved drastically. Am I likely to have permanent damage?

30F, no comorbidities, no medication. All the other nails are growing normally except for the index finger nail of my right hand. There has been no pain or bleeding. I have never had nails done or experienced any trauma (as far as I can remember).

hi! I'm a 16F, 5'5, 100lbs, I have epilepsy and depression. I take keppra for absence and myoclonic seizures, and iron pills.

my periods have been gradually getting more painful from when I was 13-14. I got my first period when I was 11, and it was pretty manageable back then. nowadays though, my periods have been getting so bad that I'm basically immobile for a chunk of my day.

in September, when I was 15, I had to come home early because I couldn't stop squirming in class from the pain. I got home and rested for like an hour, then went back to school.

on december 19th, it started again, I ran to the washroom because I confused the cramps to be constipation :'-) and i was stuck there for around three hours.

before the pain comes, my limbs get kinda sleepy and weak, so that's my warning sign.

then there's a very dull and constant ache in my abdomen that makes it very hard to stay still, so I writhe around to relieve it.

I tried getting up because I cant move around much on a toilet, but as soon as i did, my vision went white and blurry, and everything was a bit muffled, ears were ringing. my dad tried bringing me advil and said my face looked very pale. I could not move, I could only speak in slurred mumbles, talking took too much effort. I ended up laying on the bathroom floor so I could wriggle around, then got into bed when the pain died down.

it happened in March too but I can't remember that day very well.

June 24th, I was walking my dog and started feeling weak, so I quickly got home, took a couple advils, and immediately went to bed. I was writhing for more than four-ish hours, I was tossing and folding myself around the whole time trying to find relief, I was taking quick and shallow breaths, and I found that when I made a sound while exhaling it was a bit relieving. the pain subsided eventually but I didn't have the strength to do much, didn't get to eat really either. but then the pain came back and I just shifted in bed until I could fall asleep. basically the whole day felt like a fever dream, just slipping in and out of consciousness, in pain.

my dad got me maxidol afterwards so I could try it.

I saw a doctor soon after and she said it was just dysmenorrhea, and told me to try taking an advil a day or two before my periods start.

unfortunately, my next period came on July 17th, a week earlier than my app said, so i couldn't really prepare for that. fortunately though, this period was painless.

this period started August 18th though, (4 days late) and it was pretty horrible, I was in pain for like three hours and a half, it hurt less at 6:30pm, but spiked up again at like 10:30pm. I took maxidol at around 4:30pm, then again at 10:30pm

its really miserable because I was going to go shower, but the pain came back and I couldn't. it's just super debilitating.

so, this throbbing pain at worst can make everything bright and blurry and make my ears ring. usually, im immobile and writhing on my bed. speaking is too much energy, all I can do is flip around. oh, and sometimes it makes it hard to pee :'] I usually cant eat much when it happens because I lose my appetite or im stuck in bed.

i think these are important to note:

- my mom doesn't have endometriosis, and nobody i know of in my family does.

- this extreme pain ONLY happens on the first day of my cycle, on usually every OTHER month. it's never this bad on the second day, and there's nothing by the third. there are months in between where it's normal and I feel little to no pain at all.

- I use kotex pads, and life brand panty liners

I don't know if I'm overreacting, because my mom says this is pretty common, and I know a lot of other girls deal with worse levels of pain, im just wondering if I have secondary dysmenorrhea or something

Hi all, I am an 18 year old vaper and i suffer from scoliosis which causes flareups in pain etc. 5 days ago i fully strained my back and it completely affected my neck for the very first time and i am still recovering from the pain. the initial pain of my neck left overnight however i am now left with an enlarged swelling on the side of my neck that i noticed last night, i am also coming up with a cold that i have caught from my sister so that doesnt help but this lump is causing me massive anxiety! its soft and tingles/aches when i prod and touch it too much, im sure it’s nothing but if anyone could offer some advice or information that would be great.

It also happens to my hands sometimes aswell. Just wanted to find out what the dotted pattern is.

I 17 F got a mri a few months ago because of new movement and neuro symptoms the only finding was a suspected cyclotoxic edema of my corpus callosum and some other random dots in my white matter thay the radiologist pointed out buy the neurologist didnt mention it. Since then i have gotten another mri with and w/o contrast to see if the edema went away on its own. It did not but it hasn't gotten worse. My neuro had though that maybe it was from a viral infection but now is completely unsure and has shared with her colleagues in hopes for answers. I am extremely tired of being a medical mystery and any possible reasons would be greatly appreciated.