Hey this will be a long one, I have had a year of constant debilitating nausea, retching, acid reflux, severe weight loss, diarrhoea and constipation
I will go into more detail of the symptoms after this explanation.
This all came on when I did a few night shifts, I assumed it was me messing up my sleep so went back to day shifts but the problems hung around, it's still here over a year later.
I was in the UK when it started and was tested by my GP for a full blood count, chrons, colitis, celiac, ibd. They then put me on a year long wait to see a gastro specialist and stuck me on cyclizine.
In the meantime they were sure it was GERD and tried me on many different medications for it. I tried Lansoprasole, Omeprazole, Famotidine, Gaviscon, Nizatidine. All with the same results (no change for around 5 days followed by horrendous stomach cramps to the point where I can't stand up straight or walk. That symptom always went away around 2 days after stopping each h2 or PPI.
So I took the initiative to go back to Australia (my home country) to see a specialist here as the wait was around a week, they ran more bloods, breath and stool samples and ruled out helibactor, parasites, all hormone levels are perfect, all vitamins and nutrients are perfect, liver, kidneys all good.
The specialist said I could have a backed up colon after an x-ray and put me 2 bowel preps, coloxyl with senna, magnesium and prucalopride. After a few weeks of pooing water nothing changed.
He then took me for a gastroscopy where he found my throat was slightly eroded, and where my stomach connects to my intestines is dilated slightly. He has given up at this point and has prescribed me Mirtazapine as he thinks it will help. I think this is a band-aid solution and want to know what is actually wrong. Im not in a position to take it for a few reasons anyway.
Figures for reference: 23 Year Old White Male Croatian, Kiwi, English background, born in Sydney Was 85kg before all these issues, now 65kg 185cm tall Ex Smoker (on and off for years) Do not drink alcohol Was vegan for 3 years, went pescatarian 6 months ago, didn't help the symptoms Was a firefighter before all this in very good shape 10% bodyfat
List of symptoms:
Nausea
Dry Mouth & Sore Throat
GERD-style symptoms (heartburn & tasting stomach acid)
Chest Pain
Tingly sensation in fingers and feet
Stomach Pain
Headaches
IBS-style symptoms (constipation & diarrhoea)
Thinning Hair
Weight Loss
Fatigue
IN DEPTH BELOW:
Nausea:
Debilitating nausea affects me every single day, I can feel a slight betterment to this symptom in the morning maybe for an hour or so and then it becomes worse throughout the day. For most nights I have been taking cyclizine to be able to try and get some hours of sleep, sleeping upright and waking up every few hours.
Dry Mouth & Sore Throat:
I wake up with both symptoms, and I've always and still drink 3L of water each day. It doesn't matter how much I drink I am constantly with a sore throat and dry mouth.
GERD Style Symptoms include heartburn and tastes of stomach acid.
I experience these alongside the nausea, I get heartburn and have to eat in small amounts. I am not hitting my calorie goals throughout the day, I think I am very malnourished and I constantly feel the need to burp but I can't. I also feel the acid come up my throat into my mouth - this happens with the burp too, if I am able to.
Chest Pain:
The chest pain feels like someone sitting on my chest, imagine your dog or child sitting on your chest, that's how I feel most points of the day. I feel short of breath and am almost trying to breathe more because I feel my lung capacity is reduced.
Tingling Sensations:
This doesn't happen every day but probably 3-4 times a week. It lasts for 30-minute bursts and comes along especially when the nausea is bad. It feels like "pins and needles" and comes along with shooting pains from my fingers up my arm. I also experience this in my feet and it goes into my shins.
Stomach Pain:
The stomach pain is in the top right corner, under my rib and it is a dull, intense pain that can last hours. I also get stomach pain in the lower left of my stomach which feels like a generic stomach ache that lasts for an hour or so at a time - this is random and does not correlate with exercise or food.
Headaches:
I have headaches on the left and right temple of my head and it feels like someone is pressing their thumb into my temple. Sometimes, this can feel like my head is being pushed forward from the highest point of the skull at the back of my head. These also travel into my eyebrow/eye area.
Constipation and Diarrhoea:
This is random, with no distinct cause or correlation. Sometimes it is constipation and diarrhoea in the same toilet run. This is ongoing throughout the night too, waking me up and not allowing me to sleep. The left lower side pain I feel (the stomach ache) also accompanies these symptoms. I have to constantly be near a toilet in case of this.
Thinning Hair:
I'm not sure if this is a coincidence but during this time period I have noticed more hair falling out and thinning hair.
Long Healing Times:
I've noticed bruises, cuts or anything else I seem to take a long time to recover whereas, I never used to bruise easily and if I had a cut it'd heal quickly.
Weight Loss:
I assume this is because I've not been able to keep any nutrients or energy in my system but I've lost about 20kg
Fatigue:
I wake up tired, I'm sleeping longer than I have before and wake up exhausted. I am tired throughout the day.
Anything anyone can suggest would be incredible. Or if anyone knows a good Gastro specialist, naturopath, whatever in the Sydney area that is keen to help, bulk billed or private I don't care I just don't want to keep suffering.
Cyclizine helps about 40% in the fact that it stops me gagging and retching but the nausea never goes. Ondansetron doesn't help and makes me feel out of it. Metoclopramide did nothing too with weird sides.

Hi, I’m 26F, approx 190lbs. I take minoxidil and spironactone for hair loss and acne. for the past 5 days my throats been so itchy and dry. I’m staying extra hydrated (in the past hour i’ve drank 5 bottles of water) and i’ve literally tried everything. Honey, tea, humidifier, cough drops, throat spray, allergy pills, even cough syrup! i’m literally so frustrated because i cannot fall asleep! and even when i do sleep it’s not very good sleep. It’s just a constant dry tickle that won’t go away. i have no idea what the problem could be, i haven’t been doing anything new to spark this random dry itch. No matter how much water i drink, my throat just stays dry on one side. It’s not even sore, just so dry. i have no other symptoms, im not congested or anything else. No fever. I just have a headache from coughing so much. I’m desperate for relief. Please help, i’m so frustrated! :(

44y/o white female. 5'6" and 288lbs. Only diagnosis is major depression. Was on Zoloft and Welbutrin for years until recently weaned off Zoloft onto Cymbalta. I try to exercise as much as I can, but it's hard with symptoms.
This has been going on for 12+years. Any time I have a busy day, get a lot of activity, spend time outside, etc. The next day I can barely get out of bed. I have body aches, swollen glands, sore throat, horrible fatigue, and just general overall malaise. The muscle aches are all over and aren't the good kind of ache after exercise. I basically feel like I have the flu. The only thing that helps is sleeping all day. It's almost like I have a latent infection or illness that fares up the next day with any kind of physical activity.
For example, yesterday I helped with some yard work outside, worked on my boat, went and saw friends, and did some housework. Today I could barely walk. My throat hurts, my glands are swollen, I feel inflammation everywhere, body aches, and I slept most of the day.
Even if it's not one of these "bad days" where I feel sick, I'm incredibly tired almost every day and could sleep all day if I allowed myself to.
Multiple blood tests over the past 12 years show consistently elevated platelets, white blood cells count, c reactive protein, and sometimes EFR. Everything else is normal. Normal glucose, hemoglobin, a1c, etc.
Ruled out: sleep apnea, RA, MS, lymes (I live in Wisconsin), ruled out all food intolerances, celiacs, allergies...
No medical provider has been able to give me a diagnosis or any idea what's going on. If anyone has any thoughts that might help, I would very much appreciate it.
Thank you so much.

I was hoping to talk to people who have had thyroiditis to see if my symptoms match. I do have an appointment to see my nurse practitioner but that’s not for a couple of weeks and I want to ensure i ask the right questions and ask for the right tests.
I have been dealing with symptoms for over a month and I am driving myself mad not knowing what’s going on.
Background: Feb/March 2024: dealt with two stints of severe throat infections, one of which was treated with antibiotics and steroids (due to swelling in the neck)
Since March/ April 2024: developed symptoms: -feeling of fullness in neck, especially sides and front -constant swollen sublingual and cervical lymph nodes -front of neck (thyroid) feels swollen -fatigue -neck feels swollen after long period of speaking -neck and lymph nodes feel very swollen after exercising
Has anyone else experienced something similar? What has helped ease symptoms? How were you diagnosed? What tests should i request?
Many thanks!

I posted in this sub a few months ago after being newly diagnosed, and I wanted to come back post-op to share my experience so far. I feel like a lot of the posts I had read were dissimilar to what actually happened with me, so I'm hoping this will help someone else out there!
Most folks I had read stories from had a nodule on either the right or left side of their thyroid, and therefore had half or all of their thyroid removed. Mine happened to be smack dab in the center on the isthmus, which confused and worried me because it didn't seem common. If this also is you, don't fret! My surgeon was able to remove a small portion of my isthmus, leaving the vast majority of my thyroid untouched. This meant I didn't need to worry about my parathyroids or other nearby nerves being impacted by surgery, and as of now I won't need medication to replace my thyroid hormones.
As far as post-op recovery has gone (it's been 4 days), I definitely recommend taking a full two weeks off of work/school if possible. The thought of going back to work in 2 days sounds nearly impossible for me right now. If you have a WFH job that requires minimal talking, you could probably swing it with one week off. Currently, I have the surgical tape still on my neck, a scratchy/hoarse throat, and a fair bit of stiffness. I can turn my head slightly, but not enough to safely drive yet. Washing and/or putting up my hair is also not so fun. I can talk, but not loudly, and coughing/sneezing is a dreadful experience. I'm quite exhausted still, and have been taking naps mid-day, but I've been able to get out of the house for fresh air every day since surgery. I ate soup on the first day, but haven't been restricted on food since then. I HIGHLY recommend an ice BAG (not a hard ice pack) for recovery! It's nice to nestle it under my chin when i'm laying down. Also, definitely get a wedge pillow to sleep on!
Happy to answer any questions about surgery and post-op life. It was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated, so hopefully this helps bring some calmness to anyone who may be spiraling about imminent surgery!

Hi all, I am very new to sinus issues. About 2 months ago I had a very minor cold where I ended up coughing up green phlegm for weeks after, but the phlegm was definitely coming from post nasal drip. I went to the doctor thinking maybe I have a sinus infection as I was getting headaches as well and she gave me reactin and looked in my nose/throat and told me it didn’t look bacterial so to proceed with antihistamines and netti pot rinses. Then about a week after this appointment, I got a horrible cold again with fever, sore throat, congestion the whole 9 yards. This was 2 weeks ago now, and I’m left with the worst post nasal drip i’ve ever had, horcking up loads of green phlegm and sinus pressure in my forehead and behind my eyes. Not much actual congestion though or any runny nose. Horrible fatigue though. I just got some Xlear nasal spray today and am going to try some oil of oregano steam inhalation in the next few days.. I really want to avoid antibiotics if I can, but how long can I try these natural remedies safely? I’ve heard of infection spreading to your brain and becoming life threatening and i’m terrified. How long can you safely see if you can ride out an infection with at home remedies? Is two weeks after a cold too long? Please help if you have any other advise for flushing this thing out of my system.

For about 3 weeks I've had a sore /swollen lymph node on one side of my neck and throat. About a week ago I started getting ear pain / pressure on that same side and it's gotten worse since. Went to see my primary and he had no idea, offered a bunch of guesses and script for azithromicin just in case and sent me on my way. Did say lymph node was definitely swollen but was in normal reactive range. Looked at my ears quickly and nothing jumped out.
Curious what this could be, and what my next step is.
Should I follow back up with same GP, try to see an ENT doctor?

Previous chapter
“I hate it.”
Mareus slapped his mouth and bit down on his lips in a futile attempt to capture his half-asleep words. His body tensed while listening for any signs of the stranger, bracing himself for some monster of a person to come rushing from the dark to finish him off.
Though, it didn’t matter in the end if they were paying attention to him or not. They clearly already knew where he was and, for some reason, chose to leave him alone after pulling him from the rubble and treating his injuries.
He clutched at his stomach, his hunger pangs goading him to push aside the anxiety and crawl his way towards the bowl still waiting patiently for him. There were no signs of it being changed or infested by any of the creatures hiding away, in fact, a gentle warmth still radiated from it. A pleasant aroma floated through the still air as if it had a will of its own, enticing him like some carnivorous flower lying in wait.
Mareus ignored his pain and fatigue as he absentmindedly made his way closer to the beckoning meal. What was he so worried about? If the stranger hadn’t done anything yet, then they probably weren’t going to from the start. It wasn’t like he was in any state to resist them anyway.
That’s right. He justified. It’s just sitting there, waiting for me.
The bowl was only a breath away now. Mareus stretched against his bandages enough for the wrappings around his fingers to brush the rim before the markings let out a faint light and constricted his body. He was almost there and wouldn’t give up, one more time he resisted their binding and was able to hook his finger on the inside of the rim.
Putting all the strength he had into the one finger he fought against the rough, uneven ground to reel in his catch. A faint glow lit up the black stone and his heart stopped before his restraints forced his arm back. Spilling his only food in a mocking halo as the bowl rolled on its side.
That was it, his only food mixed in with the wet dirt of the cave floor. He almost dove at it before realizing the intense hunger and drive he had was now fading away. His hunger was still there to some degree, but now it was more like an emptiness scratching at the back of his stomach. The overwhelming desire to eat was almost entirely gone.
A faint breeze brought his attention back to the bowl and he watched as markings like the ones on his bandages let out one last dim breath of light. When they went dark his hunger returned to the back of his mind.
After crawling back into his hole, the cave was filled with the sounds of hundreds of insects rushing over and feasting on the spilled meal. The echoes of chitin tapping on stone and trudging through the mush assaulting his ears. Covering his ears only replaced their frenzy with the sound of his blood flowing through his ears.
Mareus alternated between listening to the rhythmic thumps lulling him to sleep and the chittering that convinced him, more than once, that the insects had crawled in his ears. The minutes drawing into hours, maybe even days, as reason began slipping away.
A gentle clack of wood being placed on stone silenced the world.
He carefully rolled over and saw another bowl, the insects were gone, the mess was cleaned. It was like everything that happened was a dream, only this time he didn’t have this unnatural drive compelling him to reach the bowl.
Whatever the markings were meant to do, this one didn’t seem to have them. He watched as the cave life made their way back to his food. They didn’t attack it right away this time, instead they circled their prey waiting for the right time. Mareus closed his eyes and focused on listening for their movements when he heard a damp thud that must have been one of them falling in the food.
That sound must have been the signal the rest were waiting for because they converged on the meal and devoured with a gluttony he didn’t know they were capable of. Despite the gut churning sounds, he focused on every bit as he counted his heart beat.
Two thousand four hundred and twenty…seven.
The cave had finally settled down again as the insects returned to their hiding places. Mareus kept counting though, he had to stay focused so he could figure out how to tell when the stranger was coming. He had no idea how often they came by but he needed to learn anything he could if he wanted to make it back home.
Twenty-eight thousand seven hundred and ninety-five.
Muffled steps approached the bowl and wordlessly replaced it with another, the gentle clank dancing around the cave walls. Words wanted to leave his mouth, to ask the stranger questions, to make demands. But, what would he say, what could he say?
Mareus’ chest tightened as he tried to find the words, his mind struggling with the growing distraction of the empty feeling in his stomach. They were gone as silently as they arrived.
He started counting again. Using the hunger pangs to fight his body’s cries for sleep he waited out another four or five changes of the bowl. He couldn’t remember exactly anymore as his guard lightened and the exhaustion wrapped around him like a warm blanket. Against his best effort sleep finally took him.
The elders were watching over the younger generations going about their routines. The whole village was in the middle of doing their morning exercises with the sunrise, the bigger clans and families had their yards filled with people flowing from stance to stance, while the smaller families gathered in front of the Elder’s Hall or practiced in their gardens.
Before he knew it, Mareus was running errands and was racing pass villagers tending to fields of medicinal herbs and vegetables while guards kept their eyes on the edge of the forest for any signs of wild beasts.
Then one day a doctor from some big sect visited them and told him that he had the cure to his diverted meridians. The village elders held a big celebration in front of their hall and they had a special ceremony where Granny Hua accepted him as a disciple. When he looked out to the crowd, the sun shone on hundreds of smiling faces.
Tears ran down his face as he smiled and waved at everyone. The salty taste made the world shimmer like a painting being washed away.
Please don’t go. He thought.
The infection of reality found its way into his heart and the dream continued to shimmer before warping and twisting the scene from before.
Mountains of rubble replaced the beautiful homes that stood for generations. One after another the people fell while letting out muted screams. Smoke began to fill the air like some ghostly fog and ash painted the now faceless bodies strewn everywhere. Bodiless cries fought with one another to be helped.
Mareus fell to his knees at the center of the destruction while pleading. “Please, don’t do this. Don’t take them from me again.”
The one eyed man towered over him, tall enough for his hair to brush the clouds. The evil in his clenched grin poured out like a thick miasma that choked him as he watched Sister Mai rushing over.
He tried to scream at her to stay away but his voice was now completely cut off. Mareus now stood over himself watching the helpless child he truly was, he followed his own pleading gaze and turned to watch a young woman he recognized but couldn’t place at the moment.
She picked up a piece of a wooden beam and charged at him, her tears turning to blood as she let out a voiceless scream.
Mareus quickly searched the sky for his enemy, Where are they? Why is it so quiet?
When he looked back down his arm was through the back of the woman and he finally recognized the angry face staring daggers at him as the light left her eyes.
He watched as the giant man turned back to him and let Mai’s lifeless body fall to the ground. The crimson drenching the monster’s hand leaking and painting his own with the blood of the woman he called his big sister.
The one eyed man shot into the air and the force of the impact shook him awake.
It was easier to fight his exhaustion this time as he waited for the stranger to replace the bowl. When they replaced it this time, they lingered as if they wanted to say something. This time the anger and pain he felt didn’t let him hesitate.
“Wh-“ His dry unused voice turned into a breath. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Why…”
The effort of forcing that whisper was already difficult, he wanted to say so much more. He couldn’t tell if they were still waiting in the dark, or if they were even willing to listen. His voice was clawing to get out, he was tired of waiting.
His skin buzzed as he waited and moistened his throat. The question was out there now, at least the most important part. ‘Why?’ There was so much more racing through his mind that he could add while the presence remained silent.
Why me? What made you save me? Why didn’t you leave me with them? Why do I have to be alone?
An unseen pressure grew in the dark as his question went unanswered. It was like the chill he would get coming back late at night and he felt like something was watching him from the forest, waiting to pounce. It kept growing sharper until a sudden cool warmth touched the nape of his neck and gingerly ran down the length of his back.
A cold, yet familiar feeling voice finally broke the silence. “It would be a waste. Letting such a potential vanish from this world.”
The stranger brushed the matted hair from his neck. Their simple and straightforward gesture giving off the feeling of a beast playing with its catch knowing it could kill it at anytime.
“I feel for your loss, truly. My heart aches for the ill fate that placed those ‘experts’ in your home. I couldn’t allow your path to end because of a game between mere children.” Their voice danced between compassionate and venomous.
The gentle pressure of them rubbing his back relaxed him and Mareus became even more aware of how tired and sore his body was. Although, as they continued it felt like everything faded away. Not so much as if he was being relieved of everything, it was more like everything was being taken away and swallowed by a void that wouldn’t make him take it back.
Mareus sat up slowly and with a hoarse voice he asked. “What makes me so special?” He inhaled, “Why didn’t you stop them?!” His scream tore into his lungs and filled his throat with the taste of iron.
Water filled his eyes as he faced the disembodied presence.
The stranger gently embraced him, their cool robes enveloping him. “Poor child.”
“You could have saved all of th-em.” His trembling voice couldn’t hide the pain any longer. Still, Mareus stared through blurry eyes and did his best to look them in the face.
A thin hand brushed away his tears. “My sweet boy, I’m sorry I couldn’t be there sooner. Their battle had already moved south, and what they left behind…” They trailed off.
While wrapped in their arms he listened to the grief in their voice. Unsure of what to think anymore. Why did they wait so long? Why did they leave me here in the dark? Were they hurt too? Mareus found himself wondering if he was being selfish.
“Before I could chase after them, I sensed the faint trace of your life clinging on to any shred of hope. After digging you out and applying some emergency medicine I lost track of their energies. Instead of searching for them I made the decision to at least make sure you survived.”
Mareus realized that there was something ethereal in the way they talked. Their tone wasn’t distant, but at the same time it felt like they were a world away from him. The image of a mother apologizing for something she wasn’t responsible for popped in his mind.
His body began to feel lighter than it had been since he woke up in the cave. “Thank you.” He relented.
He gingerly wiped away his tears as if testing if his body would suddenly start listening to him. When he opened them again, the dark world that surrounded him expanded and he could now see all the way to the other wall of the cave.
Am I really not in the afterlife? He thought.
The formless shadow of his savior was replaced with a celestial fairy that stepped out from one of Elder Guo’s stories and descended into this pit to comfort him. She wore a snow white hanfu with a wide sash that hugged tightly against her. The sleeves and hem were far longer than normal like if the seamstress forgot to remove the excess material.
Her otherworldly appearance stood out against the darkness with her iridescent skin illuminating the cave. Her shadow like hair, even darker than the surroundings blackness. She looked like a master craftsman had picked the most exquisite material to craft a lifelike doll that would shatter if you looked at it the wrong way. Only to the fill that doll with the essence of deepest parts of the night sky.
Mareus completely forgot his fatigue as he collapsed into a bow and laid his head to the floor. In an attempt to imitate the older members of his village when speaking to the elders, he said. “I apologize for being so disrespectful. I humbly want to thank the generous immortal for saving this life.”
His body trembled from the effort of supporting his weight, but he continued to wait as sweat formed on the back of his neck and ran down his face. Unsure of what this heaven-like being would do to him if he had disrespected her further.
Next chapter

I confirmed I have herpes. Now who gave it to me.
F22 with a new partner M23.
Funny thing is I posted this a couple days ago
HSV 1 was 33.6
HSV. 2 <0.9
I am devastated, crying my eyes out and damn near suicidal
Recently I’ve had a new sexual partner for a couple months now. I’ve tested negative for everything the only issue is they have never tested me for herpes. Ever since I’ve met him I’ve been getting sick every couple of weeks (could be a coincidence) and i just noticed that I’ve had a recurrent mouth ulcer? At the roof of my mouth. The last time I was sick last month for a week with a sore throat and I got the canker sore at the roof of my mouth again, usually very painful, one huge spot and white all over the spot. I got sick again on Sunday, sore throat, congested, fever and now its Thursday and I’m feeling another sore on in the roof of my mouth except in two different places. I’m worried sick, my partner is amazing, yes he is my boyfriend so I’m wondering if I have herpes? Is this a sign?
Also i would also like to note a week or so after my first sore appeared he seemed to have the same one around the same spot (upper gums)
Before I got tested I asked him if he gets sores like mine a lot and he said yes but they’re nothing to be worried about. Now I’ve confirmed I have HSV 1 I don’t think he even understands what I mean and now I think I sound very accusatory because now Im begging him to get tested. Now I’m worried that I probably gave it to him because we kissed a couple days ago when I had just started getting sick. He’s not my first partner but he’s the only person I’ve been with since I started getting sick and sores in my mouth. I hope I didn’t give it to him.

F22 with a new partner M23.
Funny thing is I posted this a couple days ago
HSV 1 was 33.6
HSV. 2 <0.9
I am devastated, crying my eyes out and damn near suicidal
Recently I’ve had a new sexual partner for a couple months now. I’ve tested negative for everything the only issue is they have never tested me for herpes. Ever since I’ve met him I’ve been getting sick every couple of weeks (could be a coincidence) and i just noticed that I’ve had a recurrent mouth ulcer? At the roof of my mouth. The last time I was sick last month for a week with a sore throat and I got the canker sore at the roof of my mouth again, usually very painful, one huge spot and white all over the spot. I got sick again on Sunday, sore throat, congested, fever and now its Thursday and I’m feeling another sore on in the roof of my mouth except in two different places. I’m worried sick, my partner is amazing, yes he is my boyfriend so I’m wondering if I have herpes? Is this a sign?
Also i would also like to note a week or so after my first sore appeared he seemed to have the same one around the same spot (upper gums)
Before I got tested I asked him if he gets sores like mine a lot and he said yes but they’re nothing to be worried about. Now I’ve confirmed I have HSV 1 I don’t think he even understands what I mean and now I think I sound very accusatory because now Im begging him to get tested. Now I’m worried that I probably gave it to him because we kissed a couple days ago when I had just started getting sick. He’s not my first partner but he’s the only person I’ve been with since I started getting sick and sores in my mouth. I hope I didn’t give it to him.

Summer 2022 I developed long covid symptoms after sleeping with a new partner. I had a lot of the classic symptoms on here from heart changes to fatigue. The worst symptom though is what I described as a 24/7 drug feeling. It feels like you are on drugs but not in a good way. Like you aren’t centered, vision seems “off”, reality is subtly distorted, etc
I tried a lot of different remedies and honestly I feel like over time it just slowly went away. Until around a year later I finally felt normal again.
That is until a month ago I made out with a new partner and woke up the next morning with fatigue and the same annoying “drug feeling”, heaviness in my eyes, distorted vision, etc
I asked her if she was sick and she said a week before she had a “sore throat”. I can’t believe I’m back in this situation but the 24/7 drug feeling is absolutely terrible.
How common is it to relapse after recovering from long covid symptoms?
And what is the latest and greatest about this “drug feeling”? Why is that happening and what can I do to help it?

I haven’t had a period in a year. But every month at the same time I get brown discharge and extreme fatigue and sore throat at the same time that last a couple days. It’s not enough to need a pad or tampon. Do you think this is hormone related? It’s so bad that I have to take off work because I sleep non stop.

Race information

* **What?** Colfax Half Marathon
* **When?** May 19th, 2024
* **How far?** 13.1miles
* **Where?** Denver, CO
* **Website:** [https://www.runcolfax.org/races/half-marathon/\](https://www.runcolfax.org/races/half-marathon/)
* **Finish time:** DNF

Goals

Goal Description Completed?
-------------------------------
A 2:30 *No*
B Finish better than last year *No*

Splits

Mile Time
------------
1 12:12
2 12:40
3 13:18
4 12:47
5 13:54
6 13:37
7 14:43

Training

For this year, I really wanted to do better than I did last year, so I switched training plans from 80/20 to Coach Jenny's Advanced Half Marathon. I ended up doing most of the training despite having to deal with a current legal matter in relation to a family member's passing. It has been my sanity while dealing with lawyers and the courts.
I ended up running a total of 339.37 miles in preparation for this race and I cross trained with Pilates 2x a week. I mostly stuck to Zone 2 training and I started out the year running 14:26/mi in Zone 2 to my last run before this race at 12:16/mi, so I can tell you that Zone 2 training really does work. Just got to be patient, put in the miles, put your ego to the side, and stick with it.

Pre-race

I had been struggling with a sore throat since Friday afternoon, and I tried to brush it off thinking it might be allergies. The sore throat turned into nasal congestion on my right side over Saturday. I took NyQuil to try and get some sleep Saturday night since I was already nervous about doing the race and trying for a better time. Only ended up getting about 3-4 hours of sleep.
I also did Featherstone Nuitrition's carb loading protocol of loading up of 700 grams of carbs from Thursday - Saturday in preparation for the race.
I woke up at 3 a.m. to do my routine of getting my last carb load in of some Tailwind and a couple of slices of bread and some massage gun work on my calves. My throat was still bothering me and I was still dealing with the congestion. I figured at that point that I was going to at least try and run this race since I trained up for it.
Got to the race around 5:30, and did the usual routine of going to the porta potties, warming up, and stretching while having some conversations with people around me.
Then it was time to line up and then get the race going.

Race

The start of the race was a little chilly since there was cloud cover. I knew it was going to be hot because it was supposed to be in the 70s by 8 o'clock according to the forecast. Being that this is my third go-around on this, I knew how hot I was going to get on the ashphalt and I was starting to worry a little between being sick and the heat what this race was going to be like.
Mile 1 was okay, but I knew I was going way too fast and the pacer I was trying to follow was also going way too fast. I felt okay for the most part. The clouds broke apart and the sun came out and started warming things up.
Mile 2 was also okay even though there was that incline that went past the high school and there was at least shade from the trees.
Mile 3 was when I started feeling more sick as I went up the hill to the zoo and the heat started to get to me.
Mile 4 - 5 was the zoo, and it was cool seeing the animals but I was starting to get on the struggle bus to make it through. I was starting to feel crappy and my gels that I normally take without any issue were beginning to make me a bit nauseous. I was starting to pour cups of water on me at aid stations to try and cool me off.
Mile 6 was when the thought of DNF started to come up as I ran past the museum and started back up the hill past the high school. The heat plus I started to really feel sick was making me crack.
Mile 7 was when I ended up calling it after I got caught up with a run/walk group that was running for one minute and walking for one minute. I figured I would try to power through the race with them, and I just couldn't keep up. I really started to feel like poo at that point, and I decided that it was best for my health to bow out.

Post-race

I am pretty sad about how things went since I trained and improved so much for this race and that my longest training run was 15 miles, so I know I am capable of running this distance.
At the same time, I know that I could possibly have screwed myself up pretty bad if I kept on powering through just to say I finished.
I ended up having my husband pick me up from where I bowed out of the race, got breakfast, and then took some more NyQuil to crash three hours. I'm not much better since I still have the sore throat and congestion. We're supposed to go on a vacation tomorrow, but I don't know if that is going to be happening either. :(
I can at least say that I tried and I went over halfway point of the half-marathon. Personally, I think I should have not have started and just admitted to myself that I am sick and that today was not going to be a good race day.
Not sure if I am going to get on this horse again, but I have until January next year to think about it. I did finish the two previous times although with what I would consider crappy times.
I do feel that this race at times is cursed for me in some ways since it seems like I'm dealing with major life events while trying to train for this race. I might do the 5k if I sign up for anything Colfax related next year. We'll see depending upon my life circumstances, but I know I'm a stubborn person and I really do want to conquer this race at some point in my life.
I think if I do end up signing up for this race again next year that I am going to do way more hill training and figure out way to simulate the heat on asphalt during the winter since that is the part of the race that has nearly broken me the last two times I ran this race.
I really wanted to make this race my best HM yet, but I know we all can't anticipate getting sick before a race. These things just happen, and unfortunately today wasn't my day.
Hope that others who did run today had an awesome race and congrats to everyone who finished or at least tried.

Hi,
Title. Especially when I take pseudoedepherine it can go down to 90/60 and causes tightness on the chest. Which doesn't make any sense because normally this medicine should increase the blood pressure. But while I was under antidepressant last year I didn't have the low blood pressure even when I took the maximum daily dosage of pseudoedepherine.
Anyways I'm 29M, EU, GAD and IBS/reflux sufferer whole my life but last two years symptoms turned into more physical. At least escitalopram and psychotherapy helped with managing many symptoms but I still have these below last two years which never gave me a break if you can relate:

• Nasal inflammation from inside the nose. No infection or mucus, no polyps, no deviation. Nostrils just becomes enflamed and no air goes through. ENT doctor couldn't find anything, allergy test didn't show anything but I will be seeing an allergist itself on July. My symptoms actually went really bad when I moved into an apartment with underfloor heating two years ago. There is a whole different thread about that if you are curious https://www.reddit.com/Sinusitis/s/ooSgICdkju
• Aching and unstoppable stiffness from under the chin to tip of fingers. Throbbing pulsation and muscle soreness on the neck, rarely on the limbs.
• Increase on IBS and reflux symptoms. I had them since 14 but last 3 years they are crazy most likely since I gained a lot of weight that my BMI was almost 30 but luckily losing weight since last year.
• Not everyday but every couple of days a month burning eyes with teardrops especially laying down in the mornings or evenings.

Thanks.

About five weeks ago I picked up a mild cold mainly with a sore throat, no fatigue, no cough and pink eye towards the end. Lasted 5-7 days at most, and really didn’t impact my ability to do anything. It resolved and I thought nothing of it (95% recovered at this point over three years in).
A few days after acute symptoms resolved I started getting insomnia, then exercise intolerance restarted with neuropsychiatric symptoms after exercise lasting 48-72 hours (intrusive thoughts, obsessive thinking, extreme insomnia). These are symptoms I have not had for some time.
I got an antibody test (because I didn’t do a lateral flow during the acute infection) showing antibodies above 2,500 U/ml indicating a recent infection.
I’ve had to restart H1/H2 blockers which I will take for a month and then try and titrate off. I’ve been off these for some time so it’s a bit annoying to go back on, but they significantly help my insomnia, psychiatric symptoms and exercise intolerance.
I’ve been working on gut dysbiosis and unfortunately I had a big regression in early 2024 which may have made me more vulnerable. I’m working again to get butyrate producers back up to ensure my immune response is better regulated. In addition I’ve restarted the Safe and Sound Protocol to regulate autonomic nervous system function.
The positive out of this is that reinfection seem to be manageable, and long covid issues are nowhere near as bad as the first infection.

I've heard of quite a few bugs going around the past few months, and I'm just curious if anyone has been going through a similar thing I have because it's beginning to feel a bit worrisome.
A month ago I got hit with what I thought was a cold. Symptoms were a sore throat, cough, and bad fatigue. I still managed to get through the work week though.
Fast forward a month later, and my work days usually end with me napping for a couple hours, or feeling fine, until random waves of fatigue hit throughout the week. My recovery from the gym became so bad that I've had to stop going.
I've been avoiding seeing a doctor, as I haven't seen one since getting in a walk-ins has become impossible, and I know I'm not dying, so I'd more than likely just be told to get some rest.
Hopefully this doesn't come off like I'm looking for a diagnosis. I'm mostly just curious if this is a strain of cold/flu that is somewhat common at the moment, which will give me a better idea of what to do in the following month or so.
Thanks!

Hi I’m new here, I live in Indiana, may 3rd my family and I went on a hike in a marsh area, and we walked into a giant tick mess. I’ve never seen a tick in my life before this, even being an outdoors person. We had hundreds on us, from head to toe, and we were miles away from our car. We stripped down and got as many off of us as we could find, when we got home, I had two attached to me, one deep enough that it stung when we got it off. But no rashes or anything followed. Except days later, I started getting more tired, didn’t put two and two together and honestly completely forgot about the whole situation. It was harder for me to wake in the morning, and I was just more fatigued during the day, I workout 6 days a week and found it harder to workout. About 2 weeks go by, and my fatigue is out of this world. I can fall asleep any second, I struggle to even move. A few days ago, I started getting severe muscle fatigue, like my arms feel like I’m carrying weights, definitely something I’ve never experienced before, I decided to see my dr and bring up the ticks, she immediately thought I have Lyme, she said this is too much of a coincidence to not be. I’m waiting blood tests but I’m feeling worse each day, now my body aches, and my neck is stiff and hurts, my stomach is constantly hurting. I feel like I have motion sickness 24/7, like that weakness and nausea that comes with motion sickness, that exact feeling. I’m just questioning everything though, what are the odds that a tick on me probably less than 2 hours gave me Lyme? Unless I missed one and it stayed attached longer than that, which could be a possibly having so many on us. I’m hoping this is just a bug of some sort, and so does my dr. My other blood work looks great, so no signs of infection or anything. My ast has doubled (still in normal range though) than what it was 6 months ago, it went from 15 to 32, which is the highest it’s ever been for me personally. That’s the only thing that stuck out to me that’s different on my blood work. I was prescribed doxycycline on Friday, went to pick it up and was informed that it’s not safe to take while breastfeeding and I nurse my son. I’m calling tomorrow to ask to be put on something safe, because it would take to long to wean and I want to be treated asap. Thank you for taking the time to read.

Over the last 10 years, I have gotten very slowly better and better from the most shitty state you can imagine. After 10 years I can at least work full-time, but still, I can't exercise, and eat a lot, so I could gain proper weight.
I'm experimenting with myself with everything I can find and the next in the line is dental probiotics with a lot of S. salivarius because my chronic fatigue and easily becoming throat sick comes from immunity overload located in my neck, probably tonsils (incl. stones). It's every time a breathing system problem. Starts every time in the throat.
Since I started to get some good money now, I'm not waiting for anything and I already ordered AHCC. I hope this will have some observational effect to extremely boost my immunity to kill and overpower the shit I'm fighting with.
Since the immunity system is the most energy-demanding system in our body, then immunity overload can cause chronic fatigue and lack of defenses against more immunity challenges like colds. I consider this as a huge problem which I've been trying to slowly solved last 10 years.
I feel my body fighting every day with it and I learned that quality sleep and a healthy gut are significant things for health.
So circadian rhythm and leaky gut protocols were a huge help in the past, which gave me a baseline to keep mysefl healthy. At least if I didn't overload myself. I still had very low energy but at least I had some and I can do little physical activities and I will not get sick after one normal physical sport or game. I still get sick after one and half months of light gym exercise. And then I'm like half sick for months. So it's still bad.
Because I realized that regeneration is a countermeasure to my illness I need to increase regeneration. I found that the liver is responsible, so NAC was really, really, really good help as well. And I'm not leaving it. Moreover, I still need more regeneration. If the AHCC immunity boost will not work to kill even ATB resistance bacteria which I think are the problem causing inflammation in my body. Then I'm going to increase regeneration with peptides.
When I discovered BPC157, it was a no brainer for me to not test it. It was pretty solid!
My regeneration drastically improved and I was able to 1) work the same with less sleep or 2) work more with the same sleep. Now I'm going to test even more of regeneration boost, because the BPC157 pills didn't solve the problem, It was just a another boost or help.
I ordered BPC157+BP500 aka Wolverine regeneration peptide combo. I ordered two packages. First, just for a normal injection and second for a tonsile injection. I think there may be a solution, tonsile regeneration. Maybe it can heal the gabs/holes in my tonsiles where are the tonsile stones created. Maybe the ATB resisntent bacterias having cap there.
I pull out a small number of tonsile stones every month or two. As a first immunity battlefield of our body, most of the infections start in the tonsile. So if the bacteria are stuck there, it is also weakened by normal body function (internal system against environment) in this case breathing.
I breathe through my mouth a lot. Nose breathing is just not enough oxygen for me. Also, 10y ago i had stones a lot, every week I need to pull some out otherwise I would become sick. Pulling stones out was also a big pressure on my immunityso many times I got sick just from that too.
And I can share with you some other things that helped me fucking a lot and I will be buying them in the future for sure.
-> More supplements for the liver. It can be milk thistle (standardized to 80%) which is good on paper, but currently testing the Kalmegh herb pills. I had something similar in the past. It was call Kalamegha tea and it was very helpful. Very slow but it was helping every two months. I got a bit better overall energy with that. It took like a half year to see significant progress. So I could start doing university homeworks and didn't need to sleep every afternoon to gain a bit more energy for a day.
-> HCL, so I can eat a lot without draining my body of too much energy from digestion.
-> Trace mineral drops. I was probably very drained from minerals. Because it was soooo energetic for me to drink it before sleep. Every morning I got a lot of energy. I mean compared to how bad I was feeling.
-> Ginseng because if you are like me you live on hormones. You can be addicted to hormones and maybe you drain your body out of adrenaline too. So Korean Ginseng extracts 6 years old, may be a good option for a supplement too.
There was also one magic happening last year. I found these bonbons called Mentolina with Tirotricina. It's a substance produced by bacteria and it behaves as a surface antibiotic. At the beginning, it was wonderful. I even thought I would be so healthy that I would exercise. After a few months of experimenting, it seems that the effect is over. It's not as powerful anymore. I even bought tirotricina in a bottle from Spain so I can put it on my tonsils and in my nose too. Because I expect I have bacteria in my nouse too. Will test it a bit longer because It's almost newly arrived. One of idea is to put tirotricina into difuser and difuse it during the night when I sleep with open mouth. And my throat illness mostly startingafter sleep. Mostly I wake up and I just feel that immunity wokring too much or I'm became sick.
After Tirotrine bonbons I became able to drink milk in bulk. Even 1l of milk per day without diarrhea. It helped me to gain a little bit of weight finally.
Also, I would like to mention some basic supplements for those who are at the beginning, like bis-glycinate Zink, bis-glycinate Magnesium, D3, and omega-3 in liquid fish oil form. The capsules oxidize too fast. Not worth it.
If anyone experienced read it till this point. If you can add some more value and recommendation... I'm also looking for what next I can do.

Spring had finally begun to fully settle over Casterly Rock, and the early season showers had slowly given way to serene, sunny afternoons. Joanna kept the windows cast open as often as she could, especially in the nursery. The children would need the fresh sea air to preserve their health, what with so much travelling ahead of them.
Daena most of all, blessed creature.
Joanna had perched herself on the edge of Daena’s bed, running a comb through the princess’ tangled tresses. Daena was doing her utmost not to fidget from her place on the horsehair bench, and failing.
“It hurts,” she reported, though Joanna had taken care to be generous with the oil she put on the comb.
“I know, precious, but this is why you ought to let me braid your hair before you venture into the brambles.”
She hummed a tune from a play they’d seen the evening prior, which distracted Daena for a good while until the Princess started squirming once more.
“I made you something,” she said after a time.
“Oh?”
“By myself, with my needles.”
Without turning round, Daena stuck a hand under the waist of her skirt to rummage through her pockets, eventually producing a small wad of cloth.
Joanna couldn’t determine what it was with any certainty, but she inspected it with awe nonetheless.
“Such fine craftsmanship! Show me how to use it properly.”
“You do it like this,” Daena said, dabbing the cloth against her face. “But with water.”
A washcloth, Joanna realised.
“Oh, how thoughtful of you. I’ll treasure it always. Thank you, sweetling.”
Daena settled then for a while, it seemed, listening patiently to Joanna’s humming. It was a play about the trials of a young shepherd. Willem had spent much of his time since imitating the sheep, bleating at his siblings while they broke their fast. It caught her by surprise when Daena spoke next.
“I wish you were my mother.”
Joanna paused, halfway through a tangle. She set the brush aside, leaning down to envelop Daena in an embrace.
“I would be so honoured to have a daughter like you, but we ought not to discuss such things.”
“Why not?”
“Because it would make your mother sad. We can be something else, if you want. Something special, but different.”
Daena was content with that for only a moment. Joanna hadn’t even begun to tackle the next knot when a small hand closed around hers. Daena had twisted in her seat to look up at her.
“My mother won’t be sad. She’s never sad.”
“I had a lovely little girl much like you, once. I know it would have made me sad.”
That was enough new information for her to ponder in silence. Daena resumed her obedient position between Joanna’s knees and let her finish her work on her hair. It shone in the firelight, a molten mix of silver and gold. Joanna weaved it into two neat plaits before pinning them, one overtop the other, to form a crown at the top of her head.
“There we are. You look lovely, Princess.”
“Are we going sailing today?”
Joanna wished that Damon had neglected the topic entirely, but he’d slipped, mentioning their plans to the children over breakfast. While Desmond was entirely uninterested– or perhaps more excited to have the opportunity to get up to mischief without them– Daena was less than thrilled at the idea that she was not invited.
“Another day, perhaps. It’ll just be me and your father, I’m afraid.”
“Can’t I go with you?”
“Not this time.”
“I never get sick on the boat.”
“I’ve never been afraid of that.”
“I don’t understand. Why do you have to be alone?”
“Because, little dove, people who love one another want to spend time together.”
“You love him?”
“What do you think?”
Joanna squished Daena’s cheeks between her hands just to watch her squirm before sending her off with a kiss.
She met Damon at the docks before the sun had sunk below the horizon, casting its light in shades of red, orange, pink and purple all across the sky. She wondered if she ought to have been worried by the invitation, given his sudden morbid fascination with an untimely death, but the evening was too lovely to squander contemplating such matters.
“A thousand apologies for the delay, Your Grace. Your daughter’s hair was beyond saving.”
“A family trait, I’m afraid,” Damon said with a smile, and he extended a hand to help her onto The Maid of the Mist.
She rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek once safely on board.
The Maid of the Mist was one of the few places where both she and he could truly be alone – no Kingsguard, no city watch, no advisors… just the two of them. Oftentimes, they’d retreat into themselves, Damon focused entirely on the sails, the rudder, the horizon, herself daydreaming of what could have been.
Being alone together was something they both cherished and had unfortunately found little time for in recent weeks. Joanna’s residual anger aside, Damon had been too preoccupied with the Great Council to escape. Once again, they were left to pretend that things were simpler, and that they’d never ceased taking the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company in contented silence.
Once Casterly Rock was far enough behind them and Damon had set the sails, they found each other. Damon had kicked off his boots and sat himself by the rudder, leaving a place for Joanna to sidle up against him. It was quiet, save for the lapping of the waves, and slowly she could feel the tension they’d boarded with melting away.
“My sister will be arriving soon.” It was Damon who broke the silence after a time.
“I have everything in hand. You needn’t worry.”
“I’m worrying about the things that cannot be in hand. Such as my sister herself.”
“I think you forget how well I know your sister.”
“Knew my sister.” He looked down at her, nestled in the crook of his arm, and raised an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten the reception she gave you in Oldtown?”
“I had other things on my mind. Seeing you again, mainly. Besides, we’ve always had that sort of relationship. The push and pull.”
“Another thing about women I suppose I’ll never understand.”
She looked up to see him smiling; she hated that she could forgive that sort of grin so readily. Doubly so now that their son shared one that looked much the same. She swatted him before settling back into his arm.
“Don’t spoil the moment, Damon Lannister.”
He squeezed her tighter to himself.
“I’m glad we have this moment.”
Her throat suddenly felt unbearably tight. Every conversation they’d had as of late had been tinged with a sense of foreboding, as though a fortune teller had promised Damon that his death waited just around the corner.
“The children are displeased with their new wardrobes.”
“Oh?”
“Well, Willem didn’t fuss at least, and Daena is positively delighted we’ll match. Desmond, however… was very unhappy. Especially about the stiffness of his shirt collars.”
“Hm. There will be more than just the children unhappy with a matching ensemble.”
“I don’t mean to offend. In truth, if I thought it bothered you, I never would have suggested it.”
Damon pulled away to look her in the eyes. “No, it doesn’t bother me. Quite the opposite, in fact. It brings me great pleasure to see our family presented as it ought to be.” He leaned back into their embrace. “It’s only my sister I was thinking of,” he explained. “Though nothing will be able to appease Ashara in this regard, and so half measures are whole wastes of our time.”
“Ashara is hardly the sort to be unhappy without reason.”
“I don’t mean to say she hasn’t her reasons, only that those reasons needn’t beckon me to action. I cannot fix the world’s unhappiness, Joanna, but I can try to make my children happy. I can try to make you happy. Tell me how I can make you happy.”
“I am the most happy.”
“Hm. And yet not the most believable.”
She scowled at him then, though it was only half meant, and quickly soothed when he offered her an apology kiss in turn.
“I have something for you.”
“I’ve heard that from one Lannister already today.”
“Oh?”
“Daena made me a washcloth.”
“Ah, is that what that was?”
“As though you could ever present a gift even half as worthy – handmade, thoughtful.”
Damon raised an eyebrow playfully. “What I have for you is handmade, just… Well, not by my own hands, necessarily. And thoughtful? I hope so. A great deal of thought went into it. All the thoughts I have, in fact.”
“Well, not to be greedy but get on with it then.”
“Wait here.” He got up, taking care not to disturb her, and moved to the cabin.
Joanna pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin atop them. The breeze off the Sunset Sea was warm. Spring has truly settled in and she decided that should summer never come, that would be fine enough. This was fine enough – for both of them.
When Damon returned he was carrying a small leather pouch in his hands, which he held with care as he took his seat back beside her on the deck.
“I hope it isn’t another washcloth, darling, because I already have a favourite.”
“Here, see for yourself.” He gingerly passed her the bag, not being able to contain a final, “careful,” as he did so.
Joanna opened the bag carefully to find a set of jewels– necklace, earrings, bracelet and small sunburst tiara, all in the most dazzling matching rubies.
“These are Lannister jewels.”
“They’re your jewels.”
“No, they’re–”
“They’re yours, Joanna. For decades now, they’ve been set aside for you.”
Joanna felt almost afraid to touch them, still holding the open satchel and staring at the treasure within. When she reached a hand forward, her fingers were trembling and she could not bring herself to continue.
“Put them on,” Damon insisted.
“No, you put them on me.”
He obeyed, taking back the satchel and then sitting up properly to clasp the necklace around her throat, the earrings on her ears, the teeth of the tiara’s comb in her hair, the bracelet around her slender wrist. The last she could see glittering in the sun reflected off the Sunset Sea.
She wished she could see the rest of them.
“Well, how do I look? Like the Lady of the Rock?” It felt strange to say out loud. They’d been dancing around the subject for so long.
“You’ve always looked like the Lady of the Rock, Joanna. Now you look like my wife.”
He had always been the only one who could make her blush.
“I’d say to never take them off, but you do have to sleep, I suppose.”
She laughed, feeling light and breathless as she tilted her wrist to watch the gold of her bracelet catch the gold of sunlight.
“I wonder,” Damon said, “how it would be for you to do so in my bed once more.”
“I have been sleeping in your bed, Damon.” Joanna refused to let him be coy. “Are you asking me to bed you properly?”
If he were embarrassed, he was trying not to let it show and Joanna delighted in that.
“I am the Lord of the Rock, am I not? What am I to do with its Lady?”
“I think you’ll be disappointed when you find that this lady does as she pleases.”
As if he’d taken it for a challenge, Damon leaned over to slide an arm around her waist, pressing his forehead against hers. She could feel her hair brush the floorboards of the deck, and at once wanted to feel them under her back.
“You’re my wife, Joanna,” he said, murmuring the words as he buried his face in her neck, the heavy gold and ruby earrings becoming tangled in his windswept curls. “I want to have another child with you – I want to have seven children with you. It’s a holy number, Joanna, don’t you see?”
“Well, I do believe we made our last on this boat…” With his lips against her throat she found it harder to come up with the right words – the sensible word – no. That no, it was too risky, that no, they had gone far too far already, that no, to push even further now would be taunting the very gods themselves with–
“Six more to go, then.”
“Damon…”
“If my life were to end tomorrow, my only regret would be that I didn't spend more of it with you, Joanna, that I didn't leave this world without leaving more of you and I together in it.”
“Don’t talk like that, you aren’t–”
“But we can fix that – we can fix something at least, right now.”
Joanna slid her fingers into his messy hair, the golden bracelet disappearing into golden curls. She knew what was sensible, but The Maid of the Mist was hardly a place to be sensible. It was home, after all. For all of them.

Im 26 year old female. 165 cm (5’5) and 51 kg (112 lbs). I don’t smoke or drink and don’t take any medication. I’ve never had any serious conditions(if we exclude two pneumonias as a kid) and don’t have any potential genetic disease. I’ve been vaccined for covid 2 years ago. For the past 3 weeks i’ve been occasionally feeling some strange kind of feeling in my left side of chest and left arm. It wasn’t unbearable pain but enough to worry me. I’ve also noticed some feelings in my body that i could describe as a sensation that suddenly appears in my muscles and travels through it, like i’ve noticed it in both arms and foot. 3 weeks earlier prior to these symptoms i had what i thought was heart attack except my symptoms increased when i started overthinking and googling what might be the case. I got tingles in my left arm and sudden flash of cold sweat followed up with nausea and i almost blacked out. I haven’t went to the ER but week after i got sick (constant low grade fever, sore throat, hot flashes in my cheeks, neck and chest, muscle pain) so i went to the doctor and explained my symptoms. We did ecg, blood tests and and blood pressure but all the results came back normal (except lower ALT and GGT on the blood panel and my throat was inflamed). I also got scheduled for cardiologist in 3 weeks but until then i wanted to ask if anyone has experienced anything similar or has any advice/idea what it could be? Could it really be anxiety or should i keep worrying? I’ve stressed out so much in these past few weeks i feel like it took off few years of my life.
Also wanna add im still experiencing hot flushes during the night ever since i got sick, which was this week(i just finished with antibiotics 2 days ago). Although i dont have a fever i wake up feeling like im burning cause my neck and cheeks would feel like they’re on fire. Not sure if theres any correlation between the two problems but i’ve been trying to connect the dots. On top of that i’ve noticed symptoms of pressure/sensation in my chest came back today after i’ve walked outside for 20 minutes. So it seems to be better once im resting and worse when im moving.

Had a reaction 15 minutes into infusion. Face tightening. Worked its way down to bottom of jaw. Face and throat flushing. Paused for Benadryl to take effect 30 minutes. Temp went from 98 to 98.5. Started back at 60. happened again at increase from 60 to 90. Turned it back to 60. Started to happen off and on as they gradually increased the flow to 120. After leaving face was flushing again. 20 minutes later the pain and weakness started. Muscle and joint paint all over. Lower back pain like kidney infection. Fatigue. Headache,. Neck pain. Evening of day 2 right hand swelled up, and right wrist looked bruised for a while but then wen back to normal after Benadryl. About to hit 72 hours with little improvement in side effects. Joints hurt bad when I move. Using a walker to get around. Currently, staying hydrated. Benadryl\Percocet\Advil\Muscle Relaxers. Does anyone have any suggestions on easing these side effects?

What will happen if he refuses care?
Sorta related to the subject but different point of view.. i am the full time caregiver of My boyfriend is 25 and a quadriplegic for the past 5 years since breaking his neck diving into a lake. We have been together almost 10 years. After the second year of him realizing he wont be gaining any function back. He’s paralyzed from the chest down, and cannot grip his hands or fingers. Hes lost a ton of weight and refuses to get out of bed. I mean he’s mean and has physically hit me when ive tried to get him to do his stretches and simple bathing. He says everything hurts and hes rather just stay in his comfortable position and watch tv and be on his phone and eat food he likes which is all horrible fast food, until he ends up dying from his injuries. I have literally cried on my knees begging him to let me at least bathe him or make sure that he is t getting bed sores and he doesn’t tell me when he’s got something wrong like a UTI or anything he says he hopes it will get him to die sooner. I am aware hes sucidal, ive asked him to talk to a therapist but hes gotten so bad now he literally cant get out of bed his knees are stiff. I have told his family parents, my family and parents im afraid of getting in trouble if he does actually die. Hes asked me to help him with suicide. Or just let him die and I’ve seriously driven myself crazy with the guilt of not being able to fix his problems because he was such a totally different person than this before. He would even say he is against suicide years ago But now hes in such bad shape, i will find pressure sores and he will literally be saying hes got nothing there but im worried he will get an infection and die. My question is not really what should i do? Ive had that conversation a million times, the reality is that he wont do anything he doesnt want to do. So im asking, if he or when he passes away, will i be in trouble like can i be held responsib What will happen if he refuses care?
Sorta related to the subject but different point of view.. i am the full time caregiver of My boyfriend is 25 and a quadriplegic for the past 5 years since breaking his neck diving into a lake. We have been together almost 10 years. After the second year of him realizing he wont be gaining any function back. He’s paralyzed from the chest down, and cannot grip his hands or fingers. Hes lost a ton of weight and refuses to get out of bed. I mean he’s mean and has physically hit me when ive tried to get him to do his stretches and simple bathing. He says everything hurts and hes rather just stay in his comfortable position and watch tv and be on his phone and eat food he likes which is all horrible fast food, until he ends up dying from his injuries. I have literally cried on my knees begging him to let me at least bathe him or make sure that he is t getting bed sores and he doesn’t tell me when he’s got something wrong like a UTI or anything he says he hopes it will get him to die sooner. I am aware hes sucidal, ive asked him to talk to a therapist but hes gotten so bad now he literally cant get out of bed his knees are stiff. I have told his family parents, my family and parents im afraid of getting in trouble if he does actually die. Hes asked me to help him with suicide. Or just let him die and I’ve seriously driven myself crazy with the guilt of not being able to fix his problems because he was such a totally different person than this before. He would even say he is against suicide years ago But now hes in such bad shape, i will find pressure sores and he will literally be saying hes got nothing there but im worried he will get an infection and die. My question is not really what should i do? Ive had that conversation a million times, the reality is that he wont do anything he doesnt want to do. So im asking, if he or when he passes away, will i be in trouble like can i be held responsible if i have told everyone I know over time what ive been dealing with this whole time with his extreme stubbornness and self sabotage like kinda so I have witnesses or people who can back me up so that im not responsible