Let's play...DIAGNOSE! MY! ILLNESS!

Right now I'm wondering why I woke up at 3:30 am this morning with a massively upset stomach and a huge nosebleed. Both of which are now settled and gone.

Sexy W, the REALLY weird thing was that I had a scar on my back and there was a note in lipstick on the bathroom mirror that thanked me for the kidney and added "WELCOME TO THE AIDS, BITCH." But I paid that no mind.

I ended up getting a powdered steroid inhaler which really fucked me up like drinking 5 espressos a day might, but at least I stopped coughing already.

Last time I had bronchitis, I had to go to the emergency room. I seriously thought I was going to die.

Anyways my money is on lupus.

Do you have any fever?

is that why it's called mono?

Do you get a coughing attack if you breathe in deep Nick? Or if you take a big breath of cold air?

Haha Kelsey, I can't decide if asking a group of people to diagnose me would ease my hypochondria or just greatly exacerbate it!

Seriously though, have you had a thorough allergy test? I had a chronic cough with all of the other symptoms you describe for over a year & after countless doctor visits (and treatments for everything from bronchitis to post-nasal drip) it turned out I was just allergic to dust mites. I vaccum a bit more, use an air purifier & some special bedsheets & I'm fine. Just something to check out.

Pneumonia?

I'm not helping am I.

*sympathy nonetheless, I'm not that mean*

[Glandular seems to be going around Melbourne again.]

two months ago, at the gym, i noticed that the back of my left thigh was hurting (i was not doing anything leg-related at the time). it hurt not so much when moving the leg as when bending over. figured it was a hammy and would eventually go away.

it never did, and weirdly the pain from it, while not that great, seemed to move around -- sometimes up by my ass, sometimes closer to my knee.

eleven days ago i played basketball for the first time in a while. i felt extra sore all over for a day or two, but that went away.

seven days ago i woke up with pretty ferocious pain stretching from my lower back to my left foot. i couldn't walk or sit comfortably for about 36 hours.

the back pain went away, but my left leg is still acting weird. it feels sort of like back spasms (which i've had before) but in my leg. some days the pain is in my thigh, some days in my calf. the bottom of my left foot has had diminished sensation for a week, like it's constantly on the verge of falling asleep. same thing for the skin just behind my knee.

none of this is unmanageable, but it doesn't seem to be going away, either. have i pinched a nerve or something? i don't understand the variability.

i don't have health insurance or much money. so i don't want to go to a doctor and be told 'oh, just keep off it for a while.'

diagnose me plz

Options:

Lupus

Tennis Elbow

Hangnail

Q Fever

Spontaneous pregnancy

sciatica

try a full day of bed rest and NSAIDs (aspirin works for me).

pretty sure i'm not preggo

Sciatica comes from what, Jaq?

compression or irritation of one of the 5 sciatic nerve roots, which run from the sacral spine across through your hip and down your leg.

It gets me every time I do a specific set of motions, somehow associated with weeding - sort of turning to the side, then pulling something diagonally across and up.

I AM NOT A DOCTOR AND THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE

the back pain went away, but my left leg is still acting weird. it feels sort of like back spasms (which i've had before) but in my leg. some days the pain is in my thigh, some days in my calf. the bottom of my left foot has had diminished sensation for a week, like it's constantly on the verge of falling asleep. same thing for the skin just behind my knee.

shooting pain from yr back all the way down your leg is commonly associated with "sciatica" (which is a set of symptoms, not a diagnosis). numbness behind the knee and on the bottom of the foot suggests to me (off the cuff here, and w/o my anatomy atlas) an impingement somewhere around L5/S1. could be a herniated disc?

i'd strongly recommend a visit to an actual doctor, though my guess is that they'll want to do some imaging studies, which might get pricey. They'll probably do this, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_leg_raise

I AM NOT A DOCTOR AND THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE

haha thanks dudes

when will you be a doctor, gbx?

sorry yr hurting btw and hope it resolves soon. Something like 90% are relieved by rest alone.

2-3 more years, basically. then it's residency yay

but anyway: hie thee to a physician. if they feel comfortable diagnosing it clinically (ie - w/o a CT or MRI), then it might not be too expensive. once they start taking pictures, though, watch out.

i think the general consensus right now is that nonoperative management is OK for most patients (v. a diskectomy), but do not quote me on anything, ever.

Symptoms:

* Mostly this painful erection. It's not constant, but when I do cough it sprays my lungs and chest. I guess you could call it a productive cough.
* No energy.

GO FOR IT!

WAHT

cronenberg sleazy

Let me get this straight. Your painful erection is spraying your chest.

you have makeshitupitis

you have lonely bone syndrome

you should go see that new movie, the lonely bones

My painful erection is spraying my chest.

There's someone's new display name, right there.

you have makeshitupitis

I believe this may be it. A pronounced inflammation of the making up of shit? Yeah, that's the one.

sore throat
runny nose
mild headache
brain not working good
temperature: 96.4º

sounds terminal

you have lonely bone syndrome

― jazzgasms (Mr. Que), Thursday, December 10, 2009 4:23 PM (1 week ago)

another symptom is this made me literally lol

just a cold i think? did symptoms start quickly or gradually?

I'm going to guess "testicular elephantiasis"

they started gradually which i think means i don't have a flu. but i am kinda paranoid about it. i never get sick and i didn't get a shot and i gotta ride a train on saturday.

my testicles are normal

yeah--flu symptoms onset rapidly. and sore throat/runny nose are cold symptoms.

Do you smoke cigarettes?

new email user my mom emailed me a list of cold vs. flu symptoms a couple weeks ago.

no ma'am but i spent some time around smokers this wkend and that's when the sore throat started. must be a coincidence though, smoke doesn't give u a cold. xpost

and i spent a looooooooong time outside in the cold yesterday but that can't give you a cold either, ftr. it did give me dry skin.

sounds like a case of herbes

herbes hancock

xp A+ username

gentle herbes

herbes fully loaded

harbl, that sounds like a possible sinus infection to me. The low temp doesn't quite fit the profile of a bacterial infection, but a sinus infection can mope along for a while without always causing a fever.

It could also be just a garden variety upper respiratory viral infection (head cold), but the headache doesn't quite fit that profile especially well.

Then again, "mildly flu-like symptoms" can be about 10,000 things, counting conservatively.

Any odds, it sounds like a job for a bit of extra rest, some nice hot tea and a couple of aspirin. At least, for now.

i will probably be fine i'm just SO annoyed. i took some placebo emergen-c.

http://login.npwebsiteservices.com/The_Foundation_for_AIDS_IsraelMKEPKF/images/We%20all%20have%20AIDs%20pic.jpg

last wednesday night started feeling flushed with stomach ache, felt like i was going to be sick. wasn't though.

since then i've now got intermittent stomach cramp and very mild hot flushes. not extremely painful, but annoying and has now been seven days of!

not 'number twoed' since saturday, altho not eaten a great deal. no probs with number ones.

going docs tomorrow, but what do ilx think?

when i say cramp, it's generally more of an unsettled feeling

my guess is "constipation + gas"

parasite?

alien

see what concerns me is that i've had it for so long, i thought that constipation would only last a few days at the most.

Might have them check your gall bladder? Is it a low belly pain or is it just below your sternum?

more low belly

ever had an appendectomy

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/viral-gastroenteritis/DS00085

could be a mild case, but since you are going about your daily life instead of resting, you haven't kicked it yet?

maybe colitis?

The constipation itself could cause the pain you mention, but the hot flushes indicate the possibility of infection. The mentions of colitis and appendicitis are both seem reasonable. It could also conceivably be a mild case of diverticulitis.

Iow, there are enough serious possibilities that I'm glad you are going to see a doctor.

the doc just gave me stuff to ease the constipation, and pills for the stomach. if that doesn't fix things by the weekend i'm to go back.

sore throat
runny nose
mild headache
brain not working good

-> I have had this since july. i know what it is: sleep deprivation and sinus. only mild headache is on good days, exploding head on bad days.

honestly, i feel crap. this night we were awoken about five times by our kids. i wanted to throw'em out. (just kidding) at one point i said: "TWO KIDS ARGHHHH!!!!! DONT EVEN FUCKING MENTION A THIRD KID ANYMORE"

tbh i always think of ronan when i feel this crap. he had it as well for some time. and still? anyway i hate suffering from migraines, sleep dep and sinus.

Our Amber had a spate of waking up early.

We eventually found it was a hunger thing.

How late (i.e. before bed) do they get their last meal?

Just a possible suggestion, not a rule. (I know that's obvious, but there are many people who will say "What you must do is" so etc)

They are two and four. Trust me, food ain't the problem. They woke up around ten pm, 11 pm, 2 pm and 4 pm. Elisabeth always had a problem with waking up and doing a bit of a screamfest. These days it's bad, but the first 14 months it was PURE FUCKING HELL (waking up every hour or other hour). Around the age of 3 Ophelia, who was a fantastic sleeper, started waking up intermittently. Last night was hellish, usually it's only two times. But y'know this waking up, even half-awake, fucks you up. Esp if it's for the past two years. I hate complaining because, fuck, they are healthy. But my body and mind are fucked. I never feel completely awake znf can only do so much work. Thank god we run my parents' shop and they understand.

BTW they have a snack about half an hour before going to bed. A good meal about 1,5 hour before? Something like that. They never complain about hunger/food. I also hate my parents in law for giving a portable lamp (?). It shines so bright. Esp when she points it straight in your face when you're sleeping. FIrst time she stood at our bed at 3 am, I wanted to jump out of bed. lol

btw, i was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. It's been a pretty 'interesting' few months lets just say that. my symptoms (not all the time fank god) are pains in the stomach and a bloaty feeling further down, drinking water helps but also immediately makes me want the loo.

i was slowly getting used to it about a month ago and then all of a sudden suffered enormous anxiety issues, which i saw a therapist about. changed my diet, started regular exercising, generally keeping active a lot more lately.

the i.b.s comes and goes, and I think i'm learning how to deal with the anxiety.

overall, my life seems really fucking different now but also i have to say for the better in most ways.

(and was posting that just to see if any other ilxors have this, and how they're coping)

every now and again, and for only brief moments, i seem to get a big rash and a blister right in the middle of my chest. it tends to go within an hour, have no idea whats causing it.

u need more love in your life

that is actually true

it just appeared again, after eating my dinner. it's almost gone again.

booking doc appointment, sigh.

some weird allergic reaction to something your eating?

Does it itch? My bf used to get this in the evening after dinner. He was convinced it was a rx'n to preservatives or allergens in foods, but it never struck during the day...?? Has almost completely gone now which suggests a psychosomatic/anxiety problem, among other possibilities.

Haha xp

this sounds like hives - or uh one hive, which i guess is possible. they're usually caused by an allergic reaction but (having suffered from them) they can be caused by pretty much everything (inc stress), and in many cases the cause is never discovered. they mostly seem to go away by themselves, but often they don't. antihistamines can keep them under control (as well as a variety of home remedies that you can google for), though sometimes they don't. it's not a very helpful condition to treat really.

He was convinced it was a rx'n to preservatives or allergens in foods, but it never struck during the day...??

apparently hives only coming out at night is really common - the body naturally produces some sort of antihistamine chemical during the day, and the levels of this fall at night.

i had my first attack a couple of years ago - cause never determined. scared me a bit as i had no idea wtf it was, doctor gave me cetirizine tablets, they didn't really help but the hives went away of their own accord.

have been suffering second attack on and off for a few weeks now and it's much much worse, still can't determine cause, have actually just been to doctor to pick up a different type of medicine given that the last lot had no real effect.

thanks for the info

i did have, twice this year, a larger outbreak of them - mainly the chest but some on the thighs and sides of face. now i only ever get just one, or sometimes two. Mainly now just appearing on middle of chest.

i have had anxiety/stress this year as well. I'm hoping thats the cause, and not some food alergy (can't match up any particular foods or different foods when i get them)

i probly wouldn't be too worried if it was just red blotch, it's the fact that they turn into a blister like raised lump that i don't like

does it itch? if yes, then it's definitely hives. (and afaik it's basically harmless unless it's accompanied by breathing difficulties.)

every time i get an outbreak it's in a different place and different quantity. it might not even be stress or allergy - when i googled around i found that a huge proportion of hives have unknown causes. i'd start off with basic over-the-counter cetirizine antihistamines to see if that helps; there are a number of other things that the internet says can help (inc rooibos tea, which i now just drink cuz it's nice) if you google, too.

shiver attack won't stop shivering drowned in gold :(

is this panic? is it my body saying no to me?

i already have flu/cold btw

fever?

no headache, slightly raised temp

shiver attack abating now. was horrendous. isitnormal.com suspects panic attack or dehydration

but i don't panic :(

get yerself some fluids and lots of them and that's an order

done. dark days

chin up, tiger

i've got that too... thought it was the early stages of flu but it's strung me along all week. dull headache, muscle fatigue, and yeah periodic spells of the uncontrollable fevershivs

idk, if it is flu it's probably the least debilitating i've ever had so musnt grumble i guess

it's the new contagion, the populace was getting complacent

gotta get our respective strengths up before coming to physical blows on SA Road in just under 2 months obv

You've got rigors.

If they come back you should go to ER/A&E and get a chest X-ray and blood cultures done, could be pneumonia or early sepsis even without much of a fever yet.

(I'm a doctor btw)

oh shit, I did have pains in my lungs the other day when breathing

WHY DID I READ THAT

you have SARS

Recent foreign travel.

in which I spent a lot of time in the sea

let's face it, I'm fucked

had these shakes before, v scary.

at the moment i am waiting to see an ent about my sinuses, i basically feel like total shit every day. it's incredibly annoying trying to have a life.

xpost it was nice knowing you.

thanks Plasmon btw, probably don't come off very grateful there do I

i doubt you have SARS

more worried about pneumonia/meningitis tbh

SARS was rubbish anyway iirc

hmm. luckily enough i still have some flucloxacillin lying around from an infected bite the other week, we'll see about this bacterial infection

dr plasmon is an excellent dr name btw

- staffordshire bull terrier on wormwood scrubs common
- fight club
- feral yeovil fan
- kinky lass

place your bets now

If you don't have a headache and you're still alive it's not bacterial meningitis. You don't have SARS either, or malaria.

If you have some pleuritic chest pain you very well could have pneumonia.

In any case, blood cultures are indicated for rigors. Most docs would give you a script for an antibiotic with that story.

Is it possible to have all four of the Cluster B personality disorders at the same time, if literally all of the diagnostic criteria (per the DSM IV-TR) apply? Asking for a friend.