Runny nose, alot of mucus, sore throat, no temp.

(F19, 5’1, 135lbs) so about a week ago i came down with a cold. it wasn’t too bad at all and it was super short. it started with a sore throat then developed into a headache and a stuffy nose. i just overall felt sick. that only lasted for about 2 days and i was feeling almost 100% better. well, about 2 days after feeling perfectly fine, i’ve developed a deep chest pain (worsens when coughing and laughing), mucus in my throat that i have to constantly clear up, an occasional runny nose, and scratchy throat. i’m not having throat pain, chest tightness, wheezing, a fever, or a cough. did my cold develop into a chest cold or is it something more serious?

pic for reference 👀
24F, 5’6 100lbs, taking amox-clav, non-smoker
I get sick at least every month (lately every few weeks) for the past year with terrible cold and flu symptoms (productive cough, runny nose, sore throat, ear pain.) My mucus is blue every time. I have chronic shortness of breath the last year and a MicroGenX swab didn't show anything to indicate why my phlegm is blue. I'm on a second round of amoxicillin-clav per an allergist.
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing my terrible immune system, SOB, and blue mucus? Thank you so much.
https://ibb.co/gzrdn98

I am a 25 year old male. I am 6’2” tall and weight 185 lbs. I have a skinny athletic build. I do not smoke and I rarely drink. I do work around a lot of powders though.
I currently have what I believe to be a sinus infection. My mucus is currently clear, but at one point it was slightly a white color.
My symptoms are watery eyes, slight pain on my face where my nose meets my cheek, a stuffed up nose that can get runny, my ability to smell is impacted, and fatigue.
I have been experiencing this for just about three weeks. I have limited my exercise to light workouts or no workouts at all. I just started doing a nasal spray 24 hours ago, and I have a little vapor inhaler that I sniff when my nose gets stuffy.
What can I do to treat this? I am not a wealthy person and a doctors visit is expensive. Can I just buy over the counter medication?

About three or so weeks ago, one absolutely random night I suddenly felt irritation in my nose and throat as if I was smelling smoke even though there was none around me.
At the time I thought maybe smoke is coming from the outside so I wrote it off as a singular irritation.
However, from that night on I have been having a very congested nose, sometimes runny and a very dry chesty cough that follows for a day or two. It seems to flare up the most in the evenings, especially the cough, and nothing helps. I had periods of fatigue, dizziness, brain fog too, but not persistent.
My nose gets blocked and then unblocked on and off again depending on which environment I'm in or if I'm sitting or standing.
I've never had allergies in my life and this happened very out the blue with no further symptoms.
I went to see my GP as I was getting worried about the cough - however all vitals came back good. Just one thing - very swollen inside of the nose.
He advised it might be sinusitis and prescribed a Mometasone Furoate Nasal Spray (UK) and antibiotics. I've been using the spray (albeit incorrectly as I've just found out on this page lol) but haven't touched the antibiotics yet as I doubt it is actually sinusitis. I have no fever, no cheek, forehead or head pressure - nothing. Just a blocked, runny nose, sneezing and the dry cough. And my nose insides do feel swollen, irritated and dry at this point - probably from all the blowing and nasal sprays (which I didn't know can actually dry it out more)
I've been going a bit crazy trying to understand what the hell is up. Thought it might be heart related even - but then I came across the definition of Non-allergic rhinitis and it seems to be fitting my situation the most.
Could it be it and is there any good relief for it in UK?
P.S. I have undergone a rhinoplasty back in 2019. Not sure if that could relate to anything so far later..

26 female. Major diagnoses: congestive heart failure as a result of illness (covid) from 2022.
Smaller diagnoses: chronic migraines, some mental illness.
I take a slew of meds for heart failure and depression/anxiety; I’ll provide a list if someone thinks it’s relevant.
May 15th, I started a dry cough. Symptoms worsened over the next few days (the usual: runny nose, sore throat, coughing horribly, fever, shortness of breath) until I finally went to the ER on May 19th. They said I had pneumonia and told me to come back on a hair trigger if I felt like I was getting worse. They administered doxycycline via IV and gave me two azithromycin pills; sent me home with a prescription for six more azithromycin to be taken once a day, along with a script for an albuterol inhaler.
That said…my dad had a nebulizer breathing treatment machine thing and tubes of albuterol for it. He hasn’t used it in a while so he sterilized it and gave it to me because I was having such a bad time trying to breathe that first week. I’ve done 3?4? treatments with it, one or two that first week (not anymore because I just never felt like cleaning and setting it up each time, I felt that bad), and 2 in the last two days when my mom forced me to bc by the end of the day I’m still struggling to breathe.
I really should have gone back to the ER, because I DID get worse in those few days after leaving the ER, but I did not want to be admitted to the hospital after what happened last time. Looking back I wish I had; these last couple weeks have SUCKED.
I’ve since improved, but still been coughing pretty frequently and having a runny nose. This entire time I’ve been coughing up mucous that’s varied from clear to yellow. I’ve also been sneezing up very thick yellow or white mucous.
This morning, after doing an albuterol breathing treatment last night, I coughed up more mucous. For the most part it was clear, but I saw some flecks of blood, which was odd. A little bit later I coughed so more up and there was still some blood flecks. No big deal, whatever, I’ve been able to breathe pretty well today.
However, it’s late now and I just coughed up so more mucous with a significantly more prominent blood spot in it. The mucous is pretty obviously pinkish red with a couple of flecks of bright blood. It was significant enough that I could taste the iron when it came up.
Should I be worried or is this normal? The ER doc didn’t really tell me what to expect as far as recovery goes; I think he expected me to come back…

Context: Male, 19, 5’10” about 120lbs. I’ll preface that I just finished moving a week ago and have been sick with common cold like symptoms (cough, runny nose, slight sore throat), and I haven’t been good on exercising this past year or so, so my body is on the weaker side
About 2 or 3 days ago I started getting pains in my lower right abdomen that have lasted pretty consistently since then. They’re sharp, almost cramp like pains. I’ve dealt with abdominal pains for years so usually I think nothing of it when I do get pain, but i’ve always heard that pain in your bottom right abdomen is linked to appendicitis. It doesn’t make a difference when I walk, press down on the part where it hurts or when I press down on the other side, and I don’t have a fever, nausea/vomiting, or loss of appetite which I heard all were signs of appendicitis. There are some instances where i’ll be positioning myself though and it does hurt a tad more.
I’ve told my parents about my symptoms, and they’ve reassured there’s nothing wrong with me, but i’m a hypochondriac and can’t help but worry i’ve got some serious issue any-time I get a little bit of pain so I can’t help but ask for an outsider opinion.

I have an infant and have been really struggling since yesterday. Extreme headache and fever, chills, body aches. NO sore throat. NO stuffy/runny nose. What is going on with me? 😞 Tylenol and Theraflu have helped the fever but the headache persists. Any insight?

(F19, 5’1, 135lbs) so about a week ago i came down with a cold. it wasn’t too bad at all and it was super short. it started with a sore throat then developed into a headache and a stuffy nose. i just overall felt sick. that only lasted for about 2 days and i was feeling almost 100% better. well, about 2 days after feeling perfectly fine, i’ve developed a deep chest pain (worsens when coughing and laughing), mucus in my throat that i have to constantly clear up, an occasional runny nose, and scratchy throat. i’m not having throat pain, chest tightness, wheezing, a fever, or a cough. did my cold develop into a chest cold or is it something more serious?

This is a warning. Don't take things that aren't yours. My mistake as a teenager has ruined my life.
At the age of sixteen moved into a new house with my family since my father was offered a new job that payed him much more than what he was making before. We had been in poverty for years so when the pipeline company called him.. he instantly accepted.
Two weeks later we moved from my home town in Georgia. I will admit. It was really difficult saying goodbye to the friends I basically grew up with since birth. Mother reassured me it was better this way so I finally loaded my belongings into the moving truck. Our new home was about two hours away from our original location, so this meant I'd have to get used to a new remote place. I teared up as I saw the towns greeting sign. "Welcome to Clamville! Where memories are made." How ironic, I never knew this place would be my first week in hell. I knew then, I'd miss my original house every day. My hometown was all I ever knew.
All I could see was nothing but dirt roads and old homes, it felt like a ghost town. But hey, what did I know? Maybe I'd love the new place. My poor naive self..
The house we moved into wasn't much to look at. The outside was painted crimson with a black roof and a black door to match. The inside had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and everything a house usually would. A few days after living there I realized we had an attic because of a chain hanging from the washroom. Me being excited, I immediately told my mother. I was always curious in my youth. She tilted her head in confusion and said "The owner never mentioned that."
My father always had ladders because of his previous job with the logging company so we searched the truck and found one in the back. My father had taken the pipeline work vehicle that day so it was never unusual for his beat up red truck to be in the driveway. My mother set up the ladder, began to walk on it, but then stopped half way in pulling the chain.
"Ma what are you doing? Pull it down so I can see what's in there-"
"I don't feel like this is safe, the previous home owner obviously didn't tell us it was there for a reason. Maybe it has some safety hazards-"
"He might've left old things up there. Like antiques or something."
She inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh. "Fine, but if you get hurt you'll never be allowed up there again. I mean it" She said sternly as she walked back down the ladder.
In my excitement I rushed and pulled the rusty chain so that the entrance was fully exposed. A cloud of faintly grey dust hit me in the face and I coughed. My mother complained about the mess but that was the least of my worries. I climbed myself the rest of the way in. The atmosphere felt eerie.
"Do you see anything?" Mother hollered. "Ma I haven't even turned on the light yet." I yelled in response. I felt around the attic and flicked a light switch and, the attic lit up. The floral wall paper in the room was peeling off and the floor was in need for a sweeping. Other than that, it seemed in fairly good condition. In my surprise nothing much was there besides a few boxes of porcelain plates, tea cups, and occasional old frilly dresses in piles on the floor.
Everything was caked in grey dust. From the looks of it, no one had been up here for years. My mother yelled once again and it caused me to jump "Everything okay?" She yelled. "Yes ma, I promise. There isn't much up here." I yelled back with a slight tone of annoyance, she always worried too much I thought. I paced up and down the floor to examine my findings and that's when I saw it in the corner. A beautiful antique mirror with bright gold edges, it resembled a magic mirror from all of those cheesy Disney movies I loved as a little girl. I grabbed it immediately, I just couldn't stop myself. It wasn't mine but I needed it. It's looks lured me in.
I admired the gold and beautiful shape, I wanted it. The owner left it so it WAS technically mine right? It was the size of my torso so it was easy to carry. I grabbed the mirror, turned off the light, and with caution, headed back down the ladder while clinging to it. Mother met me at the last step.
"What's that?" She asked. "Its an old mirror, and it's beautiful. I really want to put it in my new room" I said with joy. She examined it. "It needs some cleaning but.. sure I guess so. But just remember we don't know whose it is." She said. As soon as mother finished her sentence I squealed with excitement, even in my teen years, the littlest things brought me happiness as if I was four. "I told you there was atleast something up there Ma!" I ran to the bathroom with the mirror in hand to find Windex to clean it. As I was grabbing the cleaner from under the sink I felt an extremely cold presence behind me. I wrote it off as 'the house was old and probably needed some insulation work done'.
I headed to the kitchen table and began scrubbing the glass, the smudges just weren't coming up. I began to get aggravated and used different cleaning chemicals. Dawn dish soap, Windex, vinegar, ajax, and even baby wipes. It refused to come up from the glass and my excitement faded slightly. I went to mother's bedroom to go find her and ask her for more solutions.
"Ma. The finger prints won't come up" I said defeated. "Well it IS really old honey. It could be staining from inside of it." She explained looking up from her book. She was always seen with some type of novel in her hand. I sighed.
"Well..should I just hang it up as it is?"
"I don't see why not. It's clean now."
"Alright then." I closed the door as I left. I felt my gut twist and turn as I turned my rooms door knob. Little did I know then, it was my subconscious warning me for what was to come.
I headed to my room and decided to hang it up over my bed. I sat on the end of my mattress and admired it once more, even though it has a few smudges, it was still glimmering and shiny. I loved it.
I even looked at it as I fell asleep that night. To my dismay, I had my first nightmare of a criptid crawling out from the walls and grabbing my throat. The hands burnt as soon as it touched my skin. I couldn't scream. I was paralyzed. The figure was cloudy grey and had such dark eyes. As it's eyes met mine I finally woke up in a panic. The smell of the 'thing' is forever burned into my nose. I was covered in sweat and my hair was matted against my face. I went to the bathroom and immediately took a hot shower. I always hated how sweat felt. I didn't go back to bed that night, stayed up and drew in my sketchbook the whole time. I didn't want to ever have that nightmare again and I thought it would pass. I even prayed.
I checked my dimlight computer screen and it read 8:00 AM. I got up and made myself some fried eggs. Mother woke up from the smell and sleepily walked into the kitchen "You're awake early" she yawned. "Haha yeah, I was hungry" I decided not to tell her about my nightmare. Knowing her, she'd blame it on the YouTube videos I watch. The eggs were done and I grabbed two plates.
"Is father already gone? I didn't hear him leave."
"Yeah, you know how his job is.."
"I miss him Ma"
"I know. I do too."
We ate at the kitchen table without saying a word to each other. The move was impacting us both. Father came home at eleven at night now and always left at seven in the morning, while I was sleeping. He had weekends off but when he had spare time, he'd usually rest since his job was hard on his back. I knew I'd been enrolled into a new highschool in a few months after the summer was over and I was scared to leave mother all alone. She didn't do well when she was stir crazy.
The past few days after felt like a fever dream. I spent less and less time in my room, as a teenager that's never a bad thing but, I noticed anytime I was in there. I'd catch myself zoning off, looking at the mirror.
I kept having the same nightmare. It was repetitive nightly and it began to drive me crazy, I was desperate enough to begin asking for help on reddit, discord, online chat rooms, you name it. They all asked me a recurring question.. "Do you have any mirrors in your room?" At the time I thought it was such a stupid and irrelevant question. I eventually sent someone a picture of it in a private chat and they told me I needed to burn it and began rambling about 'negative attachments' I nervously laughed at the text. Burn? A mirror?.. that sounded ridiculous.
I laughed to myself and picked up the gorgeous mirror from my light brown wall. I gazed at it to see if this person was truly crazy and that's when it hit me. The smudges look like it's on the inside. I was in shock. I had so many questions running through my head like a fight or flight response. There was no way finger prints could be INSIDE a mirror.. right? I kept reassuring my mind and told myself I was over thinking it. I surely had to be paranoid from the lack of sleep. I went to bed and the dream repeated itself once again. The 'thing' completely devouring me.
I woke up. I had enough and cracked. I told my mother everything, she didn't believe a word I said. Though, in her defense, she never was the one to believe in negative energies or anything paranormal. Her denying it was anything to do with ghosts kind of eazed my fears. Though the nightmares continued, I was finally able to get more sleep. I became numb to it as I knew what would happen.
One night in particular I awoke from the same dream and my throat was dry as if it was caked with flour. I brushed my teeth to get the sensation off my tongue and I spit out pure black. I opened my mouth wide enough to see every tooth and saw it. To my horror, my mouth had a thin layer of dust on the tops of my gums.. the people warning me where right. It had to be evil.
I rinsed out my mouth and cried on the bathroom floor for what it felt like, hours. Something was wrong, so very wrong. Mother kept denying my claims and father was never at home to give me comfort. I picked myself up and decided then and there..I had to get rid of the mirror. I was going to smash it into a million peices, it's gorgeous petite shape was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
I sat in the living room and watched an old Looney tunes re run untill I fell asleep. Not long enough to have the dream of course because I woke up to the sound of someone in the kitchen. It was my father, I stood up from the couch.
"Can I hug you before you go to work?"
"You know I'd never deny one of your hugs kiddo, but why did you sleep on the couch?" he said as he wrapped me in a bear hug. I smelled the old spice on his clothes. I haven't had one of those embraces since we moved. I always adored my father growing up. I ignored his question about why I was sleeping in the living room.
"Have a good day at work. I was just tired." I didn't want him to worry or feel like this was his fault. He was trying his best for us and I knew that.
"Thank you kid." He said with a smile. He then walked out the front door. I'm glad I finally saw his face, it felt like ages. It was one of these moments I wished he had his old job again. Then I remembered all the times we had no money for food or water. 'It was better this way' I kept telling myself.
I finally walked back to my bed room and seeing the mirror flooded me with absolute rage. I grabbed the damn thing off my wall. I walked out into the front yard and I smashed it, picked it up and kept throwing it on the gravel. I hated it, I now hated how it looked, the pain it caused me, and the nightmares it brought. I beat it untill it was just the gold lining. I left it on the dirt ground and stared at it, I knew I'd have alot of explaining to do to my mother.
In that split moment I felt a weight being lifted off my shoulders. It was over. I could be joyful once more and enjoy my new home with my mother. With relief, I walked back into the living room. Examining my hands I found that there was a glass shard so I brought myself to the sink and washed my hands. I took a deep breath and stepped back into my bedroom. My once know sanctuary.
But there it was again.. the mirror. Back into it's original form on the wall. I couldn't believe it. I ran back outside and saw that even the shards of glass in the grass were gone. Since that day it's followed me everywhere along with the nightmares. Every house I've moved to since adult hood. It's been there despite me purposely leaving it. I regret finding it so beautiful and wanting it to be mine. I just can't escape it. Growing up since that, my mother never believed me when I'd cry to her about the dreadful thing. It was hard making friends in my new town because I was scared of having anyone come over to my house.. I feared the mirror would follow them too. I stayed to myself and would look for any reason to stay away from home. I believe this dreaded curse may follow me past death. The worst part of this experience is the feeling of pure insanity. Everyone telling me I'm crazy. I live everyday wondering if I've lost my mind. It tortures me mentally and I feel so alone. All I have now, is my reflection in that fucking mirror.
So take my warning and remember.. curiousity killed the cat.

My name is James, 30 years old, height 184, weight 77.
I feel a little tight on the left side of my throat. There is a symptom of swallowing food and water and feeling pain on the left side of the throat. (Symptoms that hurt when swallowing have been on and off for almost 2 years.) Some days I feel like eating greasy food, such as fried chicken, and there is no pain when swallowing. I used to treat acid reflux disease. I had a throat exam, and I have had a colonoscopy, both small and large, but did not find anything abnormal.
My symptoms are chronic and come and go.
I have noticed that sometimes when I have little rest for 3-4 days, I have a sore throat when I swallow.
But sometimes, after a little rest, there are no symptoms, no symptoms of swallowing and a sore throat.
So I'm not sure about taking a break as well. Because I rested a lot, I still had pain when swallowing and the left side of my throat hurt.
Most recently, at the end of last year, I had a CT scan of my throat, and nothing abnormal was found. At the end of last year, I also had tonsil surgery.
I still feel a slight tightness on the left side of my throat and can swallow normally. But there are still the same symptoms of swallowing and pain on the left side of my throat. Swallowing saliva and water still causes pain on the left side of my neck. Now, if I make a sound in my throat and tilt my head to the left, I feel pain when I make noise.
How should I go about getting treatment? I have always been treated by an ENT doctor (ear, nose and throat specialist).
Now I don't know what kind of treatment to take next. I'm very stressed.

For context, it's a somewhat mild cold but still has all the fun of a rough/sore throat and fatigue. My husband is worse off than I am and also has a runny nose. We had made plans, before we got sick, to fly out tonight to look at a few houses to potentially buy and move to out of state because we hate where we currently are. We've already got stuff set up with the realtor to go looking this weekend. We love one of the homes we were looking at and it's in a market where that type of home may not stay on the market long. We're torn between putting the whole thing off a week, having just me go, or both of us just toughing it out. We'll be wearing masks and doing everything we can to avoid spreading, and both of us should already be out of our most contagious periods. I'm honestly so on the fence here I'm not sure what the right way to go is.

Read PART 1 here
 
Erik only emerged from his room at around noon the next day with puffy eyes and red marks and bruises on his face. He dragged his legs and hung his head as he moved.
Once he’d gotten something to eat, I waved him into my room and closed the door.
“Erik, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Why did you barricade your window with a table, chair, and wardrobe?”
“Uh, never mind that. This Old Henriksen guy. Did he get eaten by the Great Eel God in the past?”
“Nick, I really don’t want to talk about that right now. I don’t even want to think about Storålens natt anymore.” He sighed.
“I know, Erik, I’m really sorry. I just need to know this.”
“He got regurgitated during the festival, but that was a long time ago. Maybe before I was born, or at least when I was still a baby.”
“Did you see him before he stopped showing up in Maelstrom?”
“I barely remember. Think so. Lots of unkempt hair. Kept scratching himself.”
“Right, thank you.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Pay him a visit.” I slung my bag onto my shoulders.
“You can’t be serious. He’s…probably dead or something.” Erik shook his head in disbelief.
“Won’t know until we actually look.”
“It could be dangerous, especially for a newcomer. You could get stopped.”
“Then come with me.”
He looked down at the floor.
“Erik, this is our chance to really uproot all this. Expose Storålens natt.”
He shook his head. “This festival has been running every year for centuries, ever since my ancestors first settled here. It’s not being stopped anytime soon.”
“We can just take the first step. Just visit Old Henriksen. Will you come with me?”
He placed his face into his hand, pacing in a circle. Then, he looked up and sighed. “You have a way with words, Nick. Let’s go.”
Heading out his door, we quickly headed up the terraces, Erik leading and allowing us to avoid anyone who would stop me. Several people watched us from windows, but nobody actually approached us.
It took a while, but we finally arrived at the top of the hill.
“Goddamn, I’d never leave my home either if this was the climb back.” I said, panting hard and wiping buckets worth of sweat off my forehead. I looked out over the rest of the village, at the completed festival square and the boats out on the calm blue water. For a second, I saw a massive snaking shape under the surface, just like I had on my arrival, but it vanished in the next moment. Was that the fabled Great Eel God?
Rubbing my eyes, I turned my attention back to Old Henriksen’s place. This house was old. The red paint was flaking off, the windows were boarded up, and the doorknob was entirely rusted. I tried it. Locked.
“If we kick it down, people will hear and tell the village chief.” I said.
“Don’t worry, I know a little trick.” He gave me a sly grin and pulled what looked to be a piece of metal wire, which he inserted into the keyhole.
“Is that a lockpicking wire? Erik, you’re naughtier than I thought.”
“Don’t tell anyone.” He giggled and worked away at the door. After about a minute of finicking and under the breath curses, I heard one final click and Erik turned the doorknob.
An overwhelming smell hit us immediately upon entry. I’d been in old buildings before, slept in them even. They have a strong musty stale smell to them. Old Henriksen’s house was on another level entirely. It was putrid rot that wormed its way down my throat. I gagged, as did Erik, as we tried to hold in our vomit. The rancid stench was unbelievable.
All the furniture were still in their proper places, untouched by any signs of struggle or human inhabitation. A thick layer of dust covered everything from the plates to the floor, which etched our shoeprints as we walked.
Erik put a handkerchief to his nose and I made do with the sleeve of my arm. Peeking into the lone bedroom, his bed was unmade, and a hole in the roof had been letting in rainwater, turning it into a grimy brown sponge for filthy water. Whatever the case, Old Henriksen had not been in this room in a long, long time.
“Nick, come here.” I followed Erik back out into the main room, where he pointed at a trapdoor in the corner. He leaned down and pulled it open. Unlocked. A ladder led down into darkness. We looked at each other.
“I have to go down to check.” I quickly said before he could express any doubts. “You can stay up here if you want.”
“I’m coming with you.”
The ladder shook and creaked with each step down I took, but it didn’t go down very far at all. I stepped on the dirt floor, putting my hands on my knees and gagging in a desperate attempt not to vomit. The revolting odour was even worse down here, packed into this small underground space and crowding out the breathable air.
I heard Erik come down behind me. He lit a candle, illuminating a small portion of the musty basement. We crept forward into the main room, lined with old shelves filled with various tools and cans. The ground was sticky with something. Our shoes squelched with each step.
A strange hissing groan came from just ahead, making both of us jump. I could hear something shifting, grinding against the ground. We stepped closer into the centre of the room, and that was when we saw it.
There was something long on the ground about the width of a large plastic bottle, occasionally squirming as we got closer.
“Oh my god.” I muttered.
“What is it?” Erik’s hands were shaking in terror.
“Find one end.” We followed it carefully as it snaked across to one end of the basement, and there we saw what it looked like at one end.
It was Old Henriksen, there was no doubt. He become long enough to stretch like rope across the basement. His skin was loose like torn clothes, covered in thousands of massive rotting ulcers and black sores, oozing fetid necrotic fluid onto the basement floor and coating it in a thin layer.
The top part of him ended in his oblong skull, but his skin had gotten so loose that his face had entirely detached, lying in a messy heap half a metre away. One eye on the side of his face not lying in his own rotting flesh goop looked up at us. He had no iris, just a small black pupil in his white beady eyes. He opened his mouth, where his few remaining teeth had turned razor sharp, and made the same hissing groan we heard moments earlier.
I felt something slowly wrap around my calf and let out a high-pitched shriek, leaping up and stomping on it. Old Henriksen hissed at me, and I looked down to see pencil-thin rubbery fingers as long as my legs retreating, attached to arms similarly disproportionately long. They were coiled all round the room, one even pooled in a corner like a heap of rope.
“Where’s his other end?” I asked. Erik nodded and we went along by his candlelight, following his sore-filled body with skin pooling off, until we reached the opposite corner of it. A shelf filled with heavy paint cans had toppled and practically shattered his legs. What was left was actively decomposing while he was alive, releasing even more of the septic stench. As much as his long eel-like body squirmed, the heavy shelf remained pinned over him.
“He must have gotten trapped down here and just kept growing and growing.”
“For…my whole life?” Erik gasped in horror. “How’s he not died of thirst yet?”
We walked back across to his head, where I had Erik lift the candle as high as he could. The ceiling was cracked in placed, and even know, the filth-water from his bedroom was slowly leaking through the cracks and dripping down into the basement, right into his open mouth.
“I-I can’t believe it.” Erik gripped onto one shoulder to support as he held his head in the other. “I’m getting lightheaded.”
“Alright, we’re getting out of here.” As Erik turned, I noticed Old Henriksen’s mouth moving. It sounded like a word.
“Henriksen? Did you say something?”
“Eeeee…” He groaned.
“Yes?”
“Itchy…” He scratched at a black wound the size of a basketball, fingernails digging into the rotting flesh and ripping it up.
“Yeah, sorry.”
“Hungry…” I felt his other hand suddenly grab me and shove me towards him.
“Erik!” I cried out. I violently wrenched at Henriksen’s fingers, but despite his thin limbs, he was freakishly strong. He yanked me towards his face, where his mouth hung open. Erik rushed over, pulling at Old Henriksen’s arm, but he couldn’t overpower him either.
“My bag! Take his photo!”
“Now?”
“Just do it!” I screamed, shoving a shoe into his mouth and stomping on his loose skin. Erik unzipped my backpack and pulled my camera free.
“This button?”
Old Henriksen sunk his teeth into my sole, and I could feel the very tip of his fangs stab into my socks.
“Yes!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “Now!”
Erik took aim and clicked, briefly engulfing Old Henriksen and me in a blinding flash. His pupil constricted immediately and he let go, letting out an unholy half-hiss, half-shriek as he raked at his eyeballs with his fingers. Erik grabbed me by the hand, and we bolted towards the ladder, scrambling up it as fast as our bodies allowed us to. We slammed the trapdoor shut and rushed out of the house, coughing the last of the awful fumes out.
Fresh sea air filled our lungs again and it was like ambrosia to us. We gasped and took deep inhales, clearly any dizziness we had. Breathing heavily, we sat down on the front steps of the house, trying to wrap our heads around what the hell we just saw.
“Old Henriksen. He…he’s what people who got regurgitated are turning into?” Erik asked, incredulity in his voice as he passed my camera back to me.
“They’re not just growing taller. They’re turning into human eels.” Erik buried his face in his hands, trying to make sense of it all. “They never told us anything about that.”
“What do you think happens to those the Great Eel God swallows?”
He didn’t reply.
“I’m going to get evidence about the festival.” I told him. “You can join me if you like.”
“I’m going home.”
“Erik…”
“You saw it yourself. My mom either gets eaten or she starts turning into one of those things. I don’t want to think about this anymore.” Erik got up and trudged off slowly back down the hill.
It didn’t matter. I’d do it with or without him.
 
I waited until the Sun vanished behind the western hill and darkness slowly fell onto Maelstrom once more.
Yet this time, it wasn’t the same omnipresent blanket of night. The festival square lit up, lanterns blazing, bonfires in braziers lining the sides of the square. Blazing torches adorned the open-air towers, each with one particularly tall villager standing there beating a drum. It lit up like a sole beacon in the darkness of Maelstrom and the surrounding forests.
Processions of villagers began to drift towards the festival square like moths to a flame. They mostly wore their usual clothes, but each carried a light source – handheld lanterns, fiery torches, the odd flashlight. Other villagers watched from the same or higher terraces.
I spotted the village chief standing before the raised platform. The tall man was dressed in a purple robe that glinted in the light of the flames around him. Before long a crowd had gathered, and the chief started talking to them, though I couldn’t make out the words from where I was standing.
A loud, deep, groaning call came from the sea, shaking the foundations of the village houses and vibrating my very bones. Maelstrom fell dead silent, all eyes staring at the coast.
Seawater began creeping in, slowly turning from abnormal tide into a full-scale of the coastal region. Everything not nailed down was swept away as water rushed down every street and alley. Then, something absolutely gargantuan emerged from the sea. I could see only its silhouette from here but it dwarfed the houses around it. Not caring about them, the giant eel pushed itself onto land, scraping across the slightly flooded ground and smashing straight through the first house it touched.
I could feel my hands trembling in sheer amazement at what I was witnessing. It continued dragging itself for a while, crushing houses and shoving the debris aside until there was practically a wall of smashed furniture and devastated walls surrounding it. With a great groan, the eel lifted its front section up and flopped forward, crossing half the coastal town in one move.
It landed with a massive crashing noise, shaking the ground beneath my feet. Hundreds of houses crumbled apart like a house of cards, crushed beneath its massive weight. It began its climb up the side of the hill towards the terrace. The entire place shook. Rocks dislodged and tumbled down the slope. Even as it continued pushing up the terrain, more and more of its massive, elongated body slithered out of the water. It must have been well over a hundred metres long.
At last, it reached the festival square. It rested its head onto the velvet-covered platform, fit rather snugly with the wooden roof above it and bent, angular pillars all around. Finally, it stopped moving and all was still in Maelstrom.
Taking the opportunity, I began to descend the terrace layers, running down the steep staircases. I could see the village chief and several other abnormally tall villagers approached it, splashing it with buckets of water. Other villagers began to dance and wave banners before it, casting shadows onto the eyes of the silent god-beast.
Finally, I arrived at the terrace where Erik’s home was located, one step up from the festival square. Finally close enough, I could get a good look at this eel god. It appeared to have…human skin? Pale, loose, wet skin hung from its body and pooled on the edges of the platform. It was absolutely covered in massive rotting wounds and sores. It opened its mouth wide, and from within I could spot more putrid oozing ulcers and disgusting gums lined with sharp fangs.
One of the chief’s tall assistants nodded and walked straight into its mouth, taking care to avoid the teeth. I thought he was about to stroll right down its throat too, but the eel god lifted its tongue and flung him off his feet. With a gulp, he vanished right down the monster’s throat without a sound.
The village chief made another call, and this time a regular-looking woman climbed in and was practically swallowed immediately too.
This was it. What I needed. I slung my bag onto one shoulder and pulled the camera out. Zooming in, I waited for the next person. In came a tall woman, who bowed to the Great Eel God before stepping in.
No, I had to get a photo with a regular-looking person or someone could get suspicious about fakery.
Footsteps and talking spectators began to approach me.
Shit. Hurry up!
One man, dressed in rags and with a white bandana around his head, carefully took his clothes off and handed them to one of the village chief’s assistant before he stepped into its mouth.
The footsteps closed in.
I clicked the button.
The bright flash enveloped the entire festival square.
The Great Eel God’s pupils immediately constricted.
Dozens of heads turned to look straight at me.
I felt my blood run cold.
The eel let out a deafening hissing call of pain and smashed its jaws shut. I heard the sound of screaming and snapping bones as it swallowed its prey. The village chief backed off in surprise as the furious eel god flung its head upwards, smashing the wooden roof above it into a million splinters that came raining down. Screeching ever louder, it pushed itself forward, opened its mouth, and enveloped three of the nearest villagers in one gulp, shredding one of them on its teeth. Blood spewed from its mouth as it swallowed them.
It swiped its head to one side, flinging several people off the square and sending the fiery braziers toppling off. Then it appeared to tense up and cracked its own body like a whip. Its lower half swept across half the coastal village in seconds. Houses were ripped off their foundations and broke to pieces. A tsunami of debris and the eel’s body tore through streets and boats alike. Dozens of people tried to flee before being enveloped and vanishing into the carnage.
Debris flung high into the air. Chunks crashed into the hillside. One massive metal piece landed on Old Henriksen’s house and collapsed it down into the basement.
At the square, the eel god continued its feast, snatching up villagers and devouring them. Yet they didn’t flee. Instead, they bowed, clasping their hands, and silently awaited their turn.
But not all. The village chief glared straight at me and broke into a run, scaling up the terrace steps with frightening speed. I felt my entire body freeze instantly as the tall man approached me with nothing but murder in his eyes, but I pried myself from my spot and broke into a run.
I could hear his footsteps. He was closing in. Closer and closer.
Thud!
I heard him cry out in pain and fall. Turning my head, I saw the chief lying on the dirt path, one hand on his bloodied head and a large sharp rock lying beside him. Another rock cracked him on the chin, and I looked up to see Sigrid on the next terrace up with an armful of stones as ammo, hurling them at him.
“Go, run!” She yelled at me.
“Sigrid!” He roared, getting to his feet and running up after her. Tucking my camera into my bag, I continued to sprint away as well, pushing past a woman in my way. I barely made it much further before I collided straight into Erik. We both fell to the ground, groaning.
“Nick! W-what’s happening?”
“Your god’s pissed off! It’s eating everyone!” I pointed over, where the eel had coiled around the entire festival square and was picking through the last of the villagers awaiting their eternal prize.
“My mom!” He screamed, pointing behind me. I turned round to see the woman who had just gone past me, currently scampering at full speed towards the festival square. “Stop her!”
Both of us scrambled up, chasing after her. She ran and ran, darting across the wooden boards that led to the now-abandoned open-air towers. Picking up a drumstick, she beat on the drums, yelling down inaudibly at the Great Eel God.
Erik pulled ahead of me and ran over onto the tower as well, grabbing onto his mother’s arm.
“Mom, stop it! Please!” He screamed. She yelled back, tugging away from him and slapping at his face. As I started crossing over the wooden board, I looked down to see the eel god bringing its head back and swinging it like a bat. One pillar snapped with a thunderous cracking noise. The tower violently leaned onto an angle, sending Erik’s mother tumbling over the side.
Erik leapt right off as fast as lightning, one arm grabbing onto the wooden railing and the other clutching her forearm tightly as she dangled over the festival square. He caught his foot on the edge of the railing on the way down and I heard an audible crack and an agonized cry from him.
The eel god pulled back once more and slammed into the tower again. Erik’s fingers slipped and he fell. Literally throwing myself forward, I slammed into the railing and caught his hand with my right, both of us clutching tightly. Pain immediately ripped through my shoulder in protest from the sheer weight dangling from it.
Down below, the eel god opened its massive bloody maw. Its loose skin rippled as it roared, waiting for its sacrifices. Dangling several metres up, Erik’s mother struggled to land in it, but he wouldn’t let go.
“Erik! Let go of me, now!” She screamed.
“No! I’m not going to!”
“Let go!”
“Mom! Stop this. Just come back home with me.” He pleaded.
“He’ll will take me to his eternal kingdom.”
“You don’t know that!”
“Let go of me, Erik.”
“Please.” Tears were streaming down his face. “Don’t abandon me too. Don’t leave me alone. Please don’t leave me alone!”
“Erik…”
“I’ll have no one left if you go! Don’t leave me too!” He screamed from the very bottom of his heart.
“Erik!” I cried out. I could feel his fingers slipping from my grip. My shoulder screamed in sheer white-hot agony. “I…can’t hold on much longer.”
The eel god snapped its jaws impatiently, waiting for its food.
“I’m not letting go!” He shouted.
“Erik,” his mother said gently, a calm look on her face, “it’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t.” He desperately shook his head.
“Listen. You still have your life ahead of you. It’s okay.”
“I’m not letting you go, mom!” Erik wailed, his voice going hoarse from the strain.
“Erik. I’m just going to see your father again. I’ve missed him so much.”
“Erik, please!” I begged, clinging onto him with the tip of my fingers, the two positioned right above the snapping jaws of the eel.
“…goodbye.” Erik whimpered.
“I love you.” She smiled.
And he let go.
She fell for just a second, and then she was gone, engulfed by the Great Eel God.
With the weight lessened, he gripped my hand with his other arm, and I pulled harder than I ever had in my life until we both collapsed on the floor of the precariously leaning tower.
“Is the god going to puke them out now?” I asked.
“He should.”
We watched as the Great Eel God raised its head and screeched one last time, and it turned and began slithering sideways through the wrecked village back into the sea without regurgitating a single person.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He wiped his tear-stained face. “I don’t think I can stand.”
I looked down to see his right leg had swollen considerably and turned black-blue with massive bruising.
“Alright, careful.” I wrapped one arm of him over my shoulders and we very carefully clambered up the sloped tower floor and onto the terrace.
Before us stood the village chief, blood profusely leaking from his forehead. He stared daggers at us and in his massive hands he held a huge woodcutter’s axe.
He opened his mouth to speak or snarl or maybe curse us before he hacked us to death, but I interrupted him before he could.
“Chief. Are you going to keep your god waiting?”
His head turned, watching the Great Eel God crawling halfway to the sea, sweeping houses and bloodied corpses with it.
The village chief dropped his axe with a metallic clatter and ran off into the ruined village after it.
 
Dawn broke on a brand-new day for Maelstrom.
Erik and I sat wrapped in a blanket, him leaning into my shoulder, softly crying at the utter carnage that had ensued in his hometown. Different emotions swept across me. Guilt, relief, despondence. I really felt like I had to do it. To finally expose the cultish religion that had seized hold of the town for the past few hundred years. I’d never expected such devastation to occur.
Local country police officers swept through the town, while paramedics and firefighters worked to help survivors and find anyone buried in the rubble. The flashing red and blue lights alarmed me at first, but nothing emerged from the sea after us.
A paramedic had applied a splint to Erik’s fractured shin, and I’d told disbelieving police officers to get divers or a submarine to look into what was underwater. Right now, I could spot people in wetsuits wading out of the water after a dive.
Elsewhere, I could see Sigrid embracing her family as they were taken out on stretchers, hurt but alive.
“Erik.”
“Nick…I don’t know what to do now.”
“You could come with me.”
“With you?”
“If you don’t want to stay here, that is. I don’t know what Maelstrom’s future holds, but me and Addison, we’ll be going upstate. And what I’m saying is, I’d be happy to have you join me. Join us.”
He was quiet.
“It’s up to you.”
“I think…I just want to sleep for now.” He lay his head fully on my shoulder, and I carefully wrapped a hand around his.
A police detective came up to me, dressed in a drenched coat. All colour had drained from his face.
“You’re the one who called us to check under the water?”
“Yeah. What did your divers see under there?”
His teeth were chattering. “This information will go nowhere. You’re not to speak about this to anyone.”
“What did you see? What’s inside the water?”
But he didn’t answer. He walked away, shaking his head and staring at the sky, as if asking the heavens for an explanation.
Holding onto Erik even tighter, I could only wonder what had become of those eaten by the Great Eel God.
   
Author's note: IceOriental123 here! Hope you enjoyed this kaiju story!
This turned out to be my longest short story yet, and definitely took a lot of work.
You can check out my other stories in my subreddit at this link.
The subreddit's still WIP but the story list in the link is updated.
Thanks for reading!

I arrived at Bako Friday morning and left Monday morning; started feeling fatigued late Tuesday. Woke up Wednesday with congestion, sore throat, itchy eyes and occassional cold sweats. No coughing, no runny nose. Tested negative for covid each of the last 3 days. Woke up this morning feeling noticeably better. Improved energy levels, no sore throat. I reckon i will be even better tomorrow. While at Bako, I was quite diligent about masking and using nasal sprays and hand sanitizers but still felt the constant sensation of sand in my airways.
My guess is my body has been flushing out toxins the last few days; something that requires a great deal of work, hence the fatigue. 5 days sounds about right (from my previous non-camping festival experience) to get back to top shape.
I wish everyone, who’s feeling down, a speedy recovery.

Toddler will be turning 3 Monday (so not ready). Toddlers birthday party is supposed to be Sunday late afternoon. One of our guests is a friend who is moving to Australia on Friday.
The problem:
Toddler woke up Monday with a stuffy/runny nose and then developed a cough. Wednesday morning he woke up with a fever. Yesterday he had really, really watery eyes with one having a very small amount of greenish discharge. Today he woke up with both eyelids matted together. Temp is averaging 99.5 ish but he does usually run a little warm.
We have a doctor appointment this afternoon and would hopefully be able to start eye drops/ointment tonight. So roughly 36 hours of treatment before party.
Would you cancel/reschedule? I want to wait til tomorrow morning and see if the stuffiness and warmth has cleared but I’m worried I won’t be able to get his cupcakes rescheduled. Husband thinks we should just cancel now but the little HAS to be almost over this… right? 😭
(Hubs and I have no overt signs of illness yet)

hi all!!
i was just recently diagnosed audhd after suspecting for a couple of years (yay?). i feel as though i have been in some sort of burnout for at least the last year, if not longer. i don’t think i knew what to call it earlier so i just dismissed it.
i work full time and i am looking to go back to school full time in september, and work part time as well. i am worried this will surely kill me but i really don’t know what else to do given this has been my plan for so long and i really dislike the job i work now. and i need to pay for rent and food lol
i currently have atleast 1 meltdown every 2 days. when too much is going on or i am particularly depressed i can have 3 in one day while im working (from home). i usually deal with them and then keep on working, i only have so much sick time and i really can’t take half days 3x a week after sobbing at my desk. they absolutely exhaust me and take a while to recover from usually.
unfortunately i worry i am slowly killing myself. i have gotten “the flu” like 4 times in the past 2.5 months. it’s always the same sore throat, cough, runny nose with extreme body aches and chills and it is always accompanied by a heavy brain fog that stops me from doing literally anything.
i was having a horrible week the last week; waking up depressed which usually doesn’t happen unless i’m really low and struggling to eat very much. lo and behold tuesday afternoon/evening i am running a fever. this is of course the day after i’m pushing myself at work to meet productivity. i don’t even go out?? is it even possible to get the flu this often??
i spoke to an NP and she advised me to get blood tests done but i feel like this must be associated to my mental health somehow? obviously there is still a chance that it could be something medical, and i will go get everything checked out asap (when i have the spoons to call my doctor) but if it is burnout-related, is there any way to prove it???
i’m just wondering if anyone has any experience getting time off work for burnout. i will definitely meet the diagnostic criteria for depression if i’m tested, so that might be enough to get me out of there but i am struggling to see a long term solution and that’s the only way my brain works.
has anyone had a similar experience and was successful getting approved for disability/time off work??? i worry that if i’m honest with my depression symptoms i may be admitted, but idk how to stress how much i’m struggling without being 100% honest…if that makes sense.
thanks in advance :)))) hope everyone has a good start to pride month <3

So. My best friend has this huge surgery next week and is now at risk of postponing it because of me and I feel so bad I don’t know what to say to her.
I have had chronic sinusitis for about 2 years now and know my episodes. I had a pretty bad one about two weeks ago and was on antibiotics until the day before yesterday. I was done with my treatment and went to see her bc I wanted to see her before the surgery. I was still coughing and brought a mask, which I used the entire time (except for a second where I had a runny nose but I was away from her and near a window).
Today she woke up with a runny nose and a sore throat and she thinks I infected her and she won’t be able to do the surgery. I feel so bad because I genuinely thought I couldn’t infect her anymore. I love her so much and don’t know how to come back from this.
I don’t think I did infect her. It would have been too quick of an infection and her dad is also with the flu. She lives with him. But she is mad at me for going either way. What else should I do? I just feel so stupid and guilty

About 5 minutes after I wake up at anytime even if it's 2,5,8 am my nose and eyes start itching so so bad and my nose gets very runny and congested. It can last at least 30 minutes and then it goes away for the rest of the day. I've suffered this for decades. I used to get a bad sore throat too but luckily this went away after my pregnancies is seems. Once I was told I have a light dust mite allergy and thought this might be the culprit but I never asked the doctor again or followed up because I was just an used to it. I took a Claritin pill before bed but after waking up at 6:30 in the morning, those symptoms were there again. Even while I'm sleeping I have a very very light nasal dripping but this I don't feel in my nose it happens close to my throat and a bit of it goes to my throat and just sits there and that has been causing me to snore. So now seeing that Claritin did nothing to stop it this morning makes me think that this is nonallergic?

Hi everyone,
Firstly, I’d like to thank everyone in this community who’s shared their experiences on this sub, before and after photos and pre/post-op advice which really helped me prepare for my uplift (Mastopexy) surgery. In particular, I loved reading people’s positive experiences and recaps of their surgery day.
I am around 7 weeks post op now and wanted to share my surgery day experience too in case there’s people out there who have pre-op nerves.
Night before prep:
My surgeon didn’t specifically ask me to do this but from reading advice on here I showered with Hibiclens antibacterial soap the night before. I didn’t moisturise my chest/torso area as this was specifically advised against in my hospital admission notes.
Surgery day:
On the morning of surgery, I woke up at around 6am, showered with the Hibiclens again (no moisturiser on my chest or torso) and then put my hair in a braid. Said a few prayers and then got dressed in a baggy zip-up tracksuit top, matching bottoms with a light vest underneath and no bra. I also made sure my post-op compression bra was packed in my bag as my surgeon’s PA had reminded me a million times.
Arrived at the hospital at my admission time (9am on the dot) and checked in. Filled out some admission papers regarding my personal details and then was given a menu to choose my post-op meal (I went for tomato soup, brioche bread roll and pineapple juice, which turned out to be really yummy! I was expecting bland hospital food but was pleasantly surprised).
I was then taken to my personal room for the day, my friend set up camp in the corner of the room on a sofa chair as I got undressed into my hospital gown, slippers, robe etc. and then provided a pee sample for my nurse to run a pregnancy test on. Also worth mentioning I was on my period so was given a large maternity pad to put inside my disposal underwear, so no worries with leakage.
My nurse came back in to talk me through more admission notes, check my weight, blood pressure, temperature and then answer any other questions I had. She left and then shortly after my surgeon arrived and ran through my consultation notes, re-iterated some potential risks and post-op instructions (he said that if he told me after the surgery I probably wouldn’t remember due to being out of it from the anaesthesia haha). I then signed a consent form and he proceeded to draw the line markings on my breasts in preparation for the surgery. I reiterated that I want my boobs LIFTED and that I wanted a areola stencil used to cut my areolas symmetrically as I know my surgeon prefers to hand cut his nipple shapes which I wasn’t entirely a fan of.
After the markings were done he left to begin a breast augmentation surgery for the patient who was ahead of me and I was left in the room for another hour and a half or so. The nurse popped in to check on me and my friend a few times and then eventually my Anaesthetist came into to run through some questions about me such as allergies, whether i’m on any medication etc. I made a point of telling him I get nauseous easily and he said he’d ensure I was given anti-nausea meds via my IV as well. I would recommend saying this even if you don’t get sick easily just to prevent potential sickness. Vomiting and putting that harsh gagging pressure on your chest after surgery is not ideal.
My anaesthetist left the room and literally five minutes later his assistant came to take me downstairs and it was go time! Gave my friend a quick hug, held back a brief spell of tears and followed him to the OR. It was around 11am when I finally went down.
Once on the table I was surprisingly quite relaxed. I was reciting prayers in my head as my anaesthetist put the cannulas in my arm and that was surprisingly not as painful as I expected and I’m an absolute baby when it comes to needles. I was then given oxygen to breathe in and was told they were going to inject a painkiller that was about to make me feel lightheaded and that I’ll be asleep shortly after. I remember feeling light headed/tension in my head and a sharp tingly pain in my groin (weirdly) and honestly after that I don’t remember anything. I don’t even remember my eyes closing or falling asleep!
Post surgery:
All I remember next was opening my eyes in what appeared to be a similar room but much smaller than the actual OR. I was in my compression bra but I briefly remember thinking ‘have they still not put me to sleep yet?’ I turned and asked the nurse in the room with me and she let me know the surgery was over. I asked her if everything went okay and she told me it all went well, no issues whatsoever and that I can go back to my room in the next 10 minutes! I was so relieved it was all over. I was in mild pain and told the nurse. She gave me pain meds through my cannula straight away. I asked a few more questions but I can’t remember what now haha I just wanted to talk so I didn’t feel as groggy. My anaesthetist came into check on me and cleared me to return to my room. I was wheeled back upstairs where my friend was still there waiting for me (apparently my surgeon had already come in to tell her the surgery was over and I was fine) and was assisted in to my bed.
I was given water which I drank LOTS of even though my nurse told me to take it easy with small sips haha. I think it’s because I had a weird chemical taste in my mouth which my nurse suggested was probably the anaesthesia or the breathing tube. Surprisingly, I didn’t have a sore throat from the tube at all, and I had specifically brought throat lozenges as people on this sub had warned of this.
I was really alert and talkative after surgery which my nurse and surgeon commented on a few times when seeing me as they usually expect patients to be really slow and groggy after going under. I did have a slight dizzy spell when getting up to go to the toilet for the first time but overall I felt fine. Pain was at a minimum and I was able to drink my soup and eat fruit within the next hour. My nurse checked my blood pressure frequently and noted it was consistent and within normal range and overall I felt like myself, which was a worry of mine as I had never gone under GA before and didn’t know what to expect.
Was given my medications and discharged around 5pm but was allowed to stay until 7:30pm to avoid the evening traffic going home. My friend helped me back into my tracksuit and left me to wait while she brought her car around to the hospital entrance. She had my car seat reclined for me with a neck pillow and blanket. I put the seatbelt on but under my arm so it wasn’t strapped across my chest.
Got back home around 8:30pm, the pain was still mild and stayed more or less the same - i’d say a 2/10 generally and maybe a 3 at worst. I was only using codeine at night because I found thats when I’d be my sorest first thing in the morning after lying in the same position all night.
Overall looking back my experience was amazing and relatively smooth sailing and I can’t thank God and my surgeon/anaesthetist enough. Nerves are normal but I hope my experience can assure someone that not all experiences are negative and its easy to see a skewed perspective on this sub where people predominantly post here to seek advice on negative outcomes or medical issues, which is understandable. Just know theres both the good and the bad, however alot of people still say this is one of the best decisions they ever made.
Hope this helps calm anyone’s anxiety about the procedure and any questions please let me know!

So I, 27F, 163cm, 58kg, have recently been having some unexplained symptoms. It started one weekend when I finished work on a Friday and didn’t wake up until the Sunday lunch time. I slept for 37 hours, no food, fluids, urinating etc. On Monday I went back to work and became extremely hot and light headed. I called the GP surgery and they fit me in to see a nurse that afternoon. Nurse did blood pressure, pulse, blood oxygen, listened to my chest and back, looked in my ears, throat, nose & eyes. She told me I probably had labrynthitis, (despite me having no symptoms and she said my ears looked fine) and it should go away on its own. I had some blood tests the following week, the results came back that I was borderline low in a couple of things so they gave me medication. Fast forward to now, (a further 2 weeks). I have the same hot, light headed spells continuously throughout the day. I am still sleeping ALOT. I have completely lost my appetite and don’t feel hungry at all, and am managing to eat maybe a cereal bar or a piece of fruit each day. On Sunday, I ate a half a pasta dish. Around 6 hours later, I vomited it back up, whole pieces of pasta and mushrooms. I have been having some between my rib cage, from my sternum straight down the middle of my abdomen. I feel constantly exhausted, too hot and sweating but with FREEZING hands and feet, light headed, nauseous, etc. I am staying hydrated, trying to eat little and often, still working Mon-Fri but on reduced hours. I am currently on sickness management at work due to the time I have had to take off over the last 5 weeks. Doctors/nurses tell me it will clear up on its own, but it only seems to be getting worse. I have another GP appt in 2 weeks. In the mean time, does anyone know what it could be? Or how I can help myself feel better? Thankyou!

So I, 27F, have recently been having some unexplained symptoms. It started one weekend when I finished work on a Friday and didn’t wake up until the Sunday lunch time. I slept for 37 hours, no food, fluids, urinating etc. On Monday I went back to work and became extremely hot and light headed. I called the GP surgery and they fit me in to see a nurse that afternoon. Nurse did blood pressure, pulse, blood oxygen, listened to my chest and back, looked in my ears, throat, nose & eyes. She told me I probably had labrynthitis, (despite me having no symptoms and she said my ears looked fine) and it should go away on its own. I had some blood tests the following week, the results came back that I was borderline low in a couple of things so they gave me medication. Fast forward to now, (a further 2 weeks). I have the same hot, light headed spells continuously throughout the day. I am still sleeping ALOT. I have completely lost my appetite and don’t feel hungry at all, and am managing to eat maybe a cereal bar or a piece of fruit each day. On Sunday, I ate a half a pasta dish. Around 6 hours later, I vomited it back up, whole pieces of pasta and mushrooms. I have been having some between my rib cage, from my sternum straight down the middle of my abdomen. I feel constantly exhausted, too hot and sweating but with FREEZING hands and feet, light headed, nauseous, etc. I am staying hydrated, trying to eat little and often, still working Mon-Fri but on reduced hours. I am currently on sickness management at work due to the time I have had to take off over the last 5 weeks. Doctors/nurses tell me it will clear up on its own, but it only seems to be getting worse. I have another GP appt in 2 weeks. In the mean time, does anyone know what it could be? Or how I can help myself feel better? Thankyou!

I'll try keep this quick and short as possible.
I did keto in my early 20s with outstanding results particularly mental clarity, I fell back into SAD diet, then I came across vegan diet it sounded sexy and considering my knowledge of how much diet affects use I tried it out (I didn't do it for the animals.) I did vegan for 3 years no gluten but extreme amount of oxalates, long story short my mental health, my health and cognition went to the absolute dumpster on vegan.
2 months ago I started developing a rash it, started in my left armpit then went into my other armpit, onto my chest, my scalp now my face, during this time my mental clarity is tanking, I'm always cold, I can barely read and write or retain information when spoken to, I have constant mucus in my nose, hard and yellow kind, my throat feels inflamed, I wake up with gunk around my lips and teeth, I'm tired and my sleep is the worst.
What I noticed, my rash would always get far more itchy when I consumed a lot of fat, I tested this multiple times and sure enough that's what seems to be causing the itchy skin.
What I have done is quit smoking and coffee when this rash first started to months ago with no improvement, I tried drinking black tea for the oxalates and avocadoes, no improvment.
Yesterday I decided to do a Gallbladder flush(I passed a fair amount of gallstones), I did this to improve my liver and bile function which obviously helps digest the fats, The gallbladder flush requires you to fast for the day, post flush it is recommended to consume only fruit or fruit juice, during the fast and the cleanse no itching of the rash in fact it was healing.
funnily enough Paul Saladinos "why I quit carnivore" popped up on YouTube and he eats carbs mainly fruit juice, after the gallbladder cleanse I drank 1liter of watermelon juice and ate a couple of bananas, still not itching, my mental clarity is the best it's been I since being carnivore, then I had some lamb chops for dinner and the itching started again.
I'm at a loss on what to do here, please help, am I allergic to red meat? I always ate it growing up.

For 5 days I’ve been sick in bed with sinusitis. Yesterday I felt a lot better and thought “yes, finally this is the end of it” but today I’m worse again. Painful sinuses, yellow mucus, feeling dreadful.
I have the feeling that this setback may be related to my CPAP. My throat and nose felt ridiculously dry this morning. And after taking off my mask, a little while later, it’s nothing but snot. My theory is that the CPAP is making the sinusitis worse by drying out the sinuses at night, so the body can’t do its job (viruses and bacteria thrive when there is no saliva or mucus, I’ve heard)
Long story short, I feel like I need a night or two without my CPAP to shake off this infection. Any thoughts / advice? Thanks