I saw this weird redness on the back of my throat and I’m a little worried that it might be concerning. I have a history of vaping but I haven’t vaped in 4 years and I do smoke some Mary Jane somewhat often but have switched to edibles. I am deathly afraid of throat/mount cancer and my doctor didn’t seem to look very closely at my throat. Should I be worried? I also have terrible sinus drainage all the time in the summer especially. Is this my tonsil??? I have also had tonsillitis before but my throat has felt kind of tight lately and a little sore.

Got an upper right tooth extracted Friday (2 days ago) from an emergency dentist who said I had a small infection forming from a capped tooth. My regular dentist wasn’t able to get me in until Wednesday and the emergency dental place had amazing reviews.
I was a quick in an out case, initially he could not get the tooth out for a while, and I honestly felt like he was going to break my facial plates. He had to stop, step out of the room, and let the blood pool to help loosing the tooth.
Eventually, he gets it out, he doesn’t do any scraping to clean up the “infected” area which I assumed he would, but maybe it’s not necessary? He then proceeded to put in the bone graft and stitched me up.
Yesterday wasn’t terrible, I am on amoxicillin and ibuprofen. However, last night after rinsing with salt water, I got a weird, not terrible, taste from the socket, and it began hurting pretty badly for the remainder of the night. I woke up and that side of my face hurts + it hurt to open my jaw.
It’s been about nine hours, the pain isn’t terrible now, but obviously there is swelling on my pallet, cheek, gum, and weirdly enough. The socket doesn’t hurt, but all the teeth around it do.
My questions:

1. Is it normal for the area to hurt more 2+ days after the removal than it did the day immediately after the removal? Specifically my sinus and cheek area.
   
2. Do dentist typically “clean up” the site before bone graft or just shove the bone graft in after extraction (which is what happened in my case)?
   

Sorry if this is a bit disjointed and long, there's a TL;DR at the end. I just had my LEEP on Thursday and wanted to share my experience. Hopefully this soothes a fellow over-thinker.
Background: 30 yr old female, 130 lbs, 5'2". No moderate, severe or chronic health conditions.
I was diagnosed with high-risk (HR) HPV with LSIL/abnormal cells in February of this year. Not 16/18, but another HR strain. I got at least one shot of the HPV vaccine before I turned 26 so I was really shocked at this. I had a complete emotional breakdown because of the connection to HPV and cervical cancer, plus I just felt....dirty. I've gone through my sexually active years without getting as much as a yeast infection, and now I had just been hit with an STI, and the one that causes cancer. I went into a pretty deep depression and honestly I'm still in that depression zone but not nearly as much. I did a ton of research and my findings told me that even if it was cancer, it's one of the most curable ones especially given my age, health, etc.
My primary doctor referred me to a gyno's office connected to the hospital I go to, and I scheduled an appointment for March 1st. Gyno (who was actually not an OBGYN but an APRN/midwife?) basically did a slightly more advanced exam/questionnaire then I got another referral to an actual OBGYN for a colposcopy and scheduled it for April 1st. I thought I would have the colpo/biopsy with the APRN during my March appointment but I guess that's just a "yeah your primary is right you need a colpo" step. Idk, very confusing.
April 1st comes, the doctor that was available for that date (I wanted to get this done asap) had some less than favorable reviews on the internet so that made me a little uneasy. Between each appointment I was spending hours researching, redditing, googling, youtubing etc. so I wouldn't go into this completely ignorant and hopefully minimize the chance of any BS being pulled.
My doctor was, to my surprise, very chill, professional and knowledgeable. Took time to answer all my questions, we even had some laughs. Please ladies, find a doctor that makes you feel comfortable if you can. No question is a silly question and no doctor or nurse should make you feel like you're stupid for raising concerns or asking a lot of questions. If you feel something is off or a doc is being an a-hole, that's your sign to GTFO and find another doctor. Pleasant staff make this experience so much better.
The colpo: wasn't that bad. They crack you open like a pistachio with a speculum (like they would use for pap smear) and take a look at your cervix with this scope. A vinegar solution is applied to highlight the abnormal cells. My doc's colpo machine did have a screen that could show me what he was seeing, although it wasn't working and honestly I'm glad. I think seeing what was going on inside of me would make me worry more. So I just had to take my doctor's word for it when he said the area of abnormal cells was small.
I had a punch biopsy done during my colpo and oh man. It hurt. I wasn't instructed to take ibuprofen beforehand. I'm not sure if they didn't think I would need a biopsy or what but holy crap. 2 samples were taken, at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock on my cervix, and I received a curettage as well. The curettage didn't hurt or was minor in comparison to the biopsy. After the biopsy, a "liquid bandage" was applied, this bandage is called Monsel's solution I believe. It's a mustard yellow paste.
The biopsy caused immediate moderate cramping and pain. The "6 o'clock" one, which was a larger sample, made me flinch and let out a little yelp. 6 o'clock hurt a lot. I will say that my doctor talked about what he was going to do before doing or as he was doing it so it's not like I was taken entirely by surprise. However, you don't realize how sensitive your cervix is until a chunk is taken from it.
After the biopsy, I felt this dull pain, nausea and cramping and apparently had excessive bleeding. Dribbles of blood were present on the procedure chair and floor, some of which had been cleaned up by the nurse/assistant prior to me sitting up so who knows how much was there. Doc confirmed this excessive bleeding in my after visit summary, but it wasn't so much so that it warranted some kind of emergency. I experienced some spotting for about 2 to 3 days after. I expected more blood in my pads but that never happened. I think seeing all this blood, knowing where it came from and why it was there made me even more nauseous.
The nausea and...weakness after the biopsy really had me messed up. I could barely focus as my doctor went into detail about what to possibly expect afterwards, what he saw (he even drew a little picture of my cervix), answered any questions I had. We said our goodbyes, I got dressed and made a mad dash to the waiting area's water cooler. I figured some cool water would calm my nerves and my stomach. I stupidly walked home after the procedure (I live in Chicago, very close to my doc's office). Nothing terrible happened but in hindsight, what if I passed out in the office, in the street? If you can ladies, have someone with you to get you home safely and for support. Or, at the very least, take an uber after.
After getting home I checked my pad, everything was good although I did have some "coffee grounds" in my pad from the Monsel's solution. The doc warned me about this and to expect it for a few days. I crashed on my couch for a little nap before going to a concert later that evening because I don't know how to take a day off.
The next month following my biopsy was largely uneventful, I did have intercourse about 2.5 weeks post-biopsy with no issues or pain, although the thought of infection and the whole process made it hard to enjoy sex (I healed up just fine so this was more unnecessary worrying). I didn't experience any pain, fever, or excessive bleeding, only some mild discomfort/cramping/lethargy (likely due to mentally stressing myself out) on day 2. I did however, experience one moment that freaked me out:
Day 3 post-biopsy: I got home from after work (my job requires me to be on my feet most of the day) and felt something in my vagina. It felt like a freshly inserted, regular sized tampon. I went to the bathroom, washed my hands and reached down to feel something coming out of me. Something was crowning and breaching my labial gates. I reached back down and slowly pulled out whatever object was in me. It felt like a horror movie. I knew I had inserted nothing.
Based on the feeling of said object, I thought my cervix was falling out of my body. I started panicking a bit. Panicking intensified after pulling out this...sac.
It looked alien. It was this membrane sac, about the size of a pitted date when rolled up. Within the sac contained those "coffee grounds." I knew it was the Monsel's solution and likely I had shed the liquid bandage. That logical thought didn't stop me from freaking out and gently wrapping my alien sac Starbucks trash baby in a piece of toilet paper and further sealing this HPV caused abomination into a Ziploc bag. My plan was to run to the ER and show them the freak I had given birth to.
Problem is, I had just lost my is insurance and was in process of getting a new plan, so a costly trip to the ER, waiting for hours for them to likely tell me I'm a panicky idiot wasn't really in the cards. So what does any overly anxious patient do? Turn to Dr. Google of course! I found a couple of reddit posts from women who had experienced the same thing but there wasn't much information on what had just slithered out of me. I found one of those "pay $5 for any kind of advice: legal, medical etc! Chat with an expert today!" sites that seemed legit enough. I got in chat with a doc quickly after some AI pre-chat prompts and he confirmed my suspicions: it was the Monsel's solution that I had expelled from my body. I was told this wasn't unusual and so long as I don't have an excessive bleeding, fever, pain, blah blah, I should be fine.
And I was fine. If you experience this and don't have any accompanying complications, you should be fine too. It is weird when it happens though.
My results came back about 2 weeks later. What was initially thought to be LSIL turned out to be HSIL/CIN-III, and my OBGYN told me I needed a LEEP sooner than later. My appointment was scheduled for next month and I still didn't have insurance. These month long waits between appointments were anxiety ridden depression fests, fueled by junk food and further exacerbated by internet research. The LEEP posts on Reddit had me so concerned, I reached out to my doctor to see if I could be put under general anesthesia for my LEEP, instead of receiving local anesthesia. Women on here described LEEPs as painful and traumatic. Just awful stuff. If you're reading this you've likely read those too. They described leg shaking after the shots, crying, etc. My doctor left me a detailed voice message and responded to my concerns with: "most women tolerate it well but if you're uncomfortable we'll send you to the hospital and put you under monitored sedation/anesthesia." I was still worried but was willing to see how I felt after local anesthesia. I was pleased he was open to working with me and my comfort level.
Fast forward to Wednesday last week:
The night before my LEEP, I got maybe an hour of sleep. I couldn't turn my mind off. My heart started racing an hour before my procedure and I had weird heart palpitations/irregular heart beat. I showered to calm myself down and be clean for my appointment, took 600 mg of ibuprofen as instructed, then headed out. Got a little snack from Starbucks (croissant for before since I was walking to my doc and some madeleines for after to help offset some potential nausea). For my LEEP I wore a big comfy sweater, some "period" leggings (leggings that aren't too tight and I don't care if they get blood on them) and brought a pad with me just in case. They should provide one for you but I'd rather be prepared. Got to the office, checked in, did the pregnancy urine test, got called in quickly, went through the whole height/weight/med history routine. About 5 mins later I sat down in my OBGYN's office. He described the lab findings (CIN-III), detailed the procedure, the tools and supplies they would use, aftercare and answered any questions I had. He then led me into a procedure room (pretty sure it was the same one I had my bloody biopsy in). I got undressed from the waist down like a pap, sat in the procedure chair, draped a little paper blanket over my bare bits and waited. The doctor came in with his nurse and went to work.
They again cracked me open with a speculum, this time it was rubberized on some parts. This is so your vagina doesn't get fried from the electrical current, otherwise your pubes and vulva will look like Marv in Home Alone. They also slapped a little rubber pad on my thigh to "ground" me like I'm some kind heavy duty machinery. Colpo machine comes forward so the doc can zoom in on your cervix. He applied 2 types of solution if I recall correctly: the normal vinegar solution to highlight abnormal cells and an iodine solution to highlight normal cells. Someone can correct me if that's wrong. The solutions and their uses were the least of my concerns.
He then went in with 4 lidocaine injections to numb the area, total of about 1 ml of lido I think. He used a very small needle and upon insertion, it felt like a little pinch. Now, for those afraid of needles, it is a long ish needle but the actual poke is minimal. Although some women report that the inject was the worst part. That was not the case here but the visual can be a bit alarming. After the first injection, I didn't feel the other 3. I felt comfortable going forward with the procedure, and my doc kept checking in with me to make sure I was ok. I did feel an increase in my heart rate post-lidocaine, but it wasn't concerning. I wasn't sure if this was from the "holy shit he's about to start zapping" or as a side effect of the lidocaine. Regardless, my heart rate came back down to a reasonable level given the circumstances in a few minutes. I was actually so comfortable at this point, I managed to relax my asscheeks after they were clamped together like a vise grip from the moment my derriere hit the chair.
I'm not really sure what happened after the injections, I knew he was using the LEEP machine but I don't know how long that lasted and when the wound was being created vs. cauterized as I didn't feel anything except some mild cramping/discomfort. I didn't flinch like I did with the biopsy. When the doc was finished, he applied a little bit of Monsel's, described how much he removed, went over aftercare again, we said our thank yous and goodbyes. I got dressed and went on my way, snacking on my madeleines on my way home (I walked again lol). I felt well post-procedure and even stopped at Target to do some shopping and smell some summer collection candles. I did feel myself bleeding but when I got home and checked the pad, there was a minimal amount of blood. Some women here have reported a distinct burning smell during their LEEP, I didn't smell anything but I also have sinus issues soooo maybe I just didn't pick up on it? My appointment was at 9 a.m. and I was out by 9:32.
When I got home I had some orange juice, water then slept for about 8 to 9 hours. I did have little cry sessions here and there after my procedure. But I was also sleep deprived and know I tend to get emotional. Regardless, take some time off after a LEEP, stay home around your own germs if possible. Get some of your favorite snacks, a face mask and a Nintendo switch or something. This is a good time for some self-care and rest, girlies.
Friday, day after LEEP: no bleeding, minor cramping/discomfort.
Saturday: Usual morning pee met with some blood in the toilet paper. Nothing in my pad though. Throughout the day I slept on and off, I've been more tired than usual. My body and mind has gone through some shit so I'm not mad at myself for being sleepy. I did experience some heavier bleeding throughout the day that was mostly dark colored. The blood level was about the same if not less than what I'd experience with a period. No unusual smell. I did shed the liquid bandage. Did have some mild cramping at certain points during the day but not debilitating or worth taking ibuprofen over.
Sunday: Energy levels finally back up to something normal, don't feel as tired. Still bleeding dark red blood/brown discharge but it's minor. Ran some errands today, I figured gravity would cause me to bleed more but it's about the same as yesterday if not less.
If there's interest, I'll check in at maybe the 2 week and 4 week mark, or whenever I remember since this is my throwaway account.
Overall the LEEP was way better than the biopsy in my experience. Reddit had me freaking out. I know I'm lucky, and this post isn't to dismiss any terrible or painful experience other women have had. I want to share my 'positive' experience, since most of my mental state surrounding my diagnosis, fears, the upgrade from LSIL to HSIL, has been negative.
Oh and I did get insurance literally a week before my LEEP, thank God.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask them below!
TL;DR: -Colpo: easy -Biopsy: sucks. Most pain I've ever felt and felt nauseous/uneasy after. Ask your doctor if you can take ibuprofen prior to a biopsy. Monsel's solution/liquid bandaid came out in sac-like alien baby about 36 to 48 hours later. Was able to have intercourse 2-2.5 weeks post-biopsy. No insertion of anything for about 3 days after. -LEEP: easy-ish? 600 mg ibuprofen 1 hour before procedure. Anxiety inducing but once I was numbed with local anesthesia, I felt nothing except some mild cramping. The injection didn't hurt and caused no serious side effects. No smell. No excessive bleeding. Felt fine post-LEEP but did experience some bleeding. It's been less than a week so I'll update if anything spooky happens, if no updates then expect everything went fine. No intercourse/tampons/etc for 3 to 6 weeks.
Tips: -Prioritize self care throughout this experience especially. It'll help you stay calm and heal. -Dress comfy for procedures -Take some snacks and water to your appointments for post-procedure ick -Do your research. Knowledge is power even if it makes you uncomfortable. Youtube was a great resource for me, I like to see what's going to happen before it does. Just try not to get worked up like I did. -Ask questions. If a doctor makes you feel stupid, see another doctor if possible. -Have someone with you for support and to make sure you get home ok -If you experience fever, intense pain, soaking through pads, or notice any weird smell: GO TO A DOCTOR

TW: Contains possible sensitive info in second paragraph, I don’t know how to blur words on here or if it does it automatically.
I don’t know how to start this or what to say. My childhood cat of 17 years (got him when I was like 4, 20yr old F now.), had to be put to sleep yesterday. My parent and I don’t have a lot of money by any means and we could not afford to take him to the vet to find out what was wrong, or to do anything. We are also without transportation. Over time he just got worse and worse, could only eat liquid foods, had some type of a canceinfection in his mouth that caused his tooth to fall out. Constantly sneezing and secreting this pus and blood mixture. It was horrible to watch and not be able to do anything, I can’t begin to imagine the pain he was in.
We kept praying for help and posting online asking if anyone could help and then a gift from god popped up that offered to pay for the entire thing, for him to put down and be cremated. At that point that was the only option, he was asking to go, he was ready.
I can’t speak to how my parent is dealing with it but I have been crying since yesterday. I was with him for over an hour after he died. I cradled him in my arms for the first time yesterday in 17 years as I carried him out of the house for the last time. He was the boss of the house, the big tiger, he would never have let do something so unseemly as cradle him if he were alive lol. I even held his hand.
I feel guilty and the worst kind of sadness and pain just deep in my chest and gut. I don’t know what to do. Part of me is glad he is no longer suffering and in pain. Another selfish part of him just wants him back. I’m not necessarily a religious person anymore, used to be Christian but I’m not particularly in any faith anymore, I don’t know who to pray to, I don’t know who to talk to. I just feel so alone, and I want him back. I want my baby back.
His name was Forest. He was so brave and strong. A fighter until the end. I wish I could attach a picture, he was just the most handsome fella around.
Thanks for reading, just needed a place to talk about this, feeling very numb. Sending love to all the fur babies and their owners out there.

Hello
Quick Story of current situation, i had wisdom teeth removed Dec 2023, early this month around (May 5th or so) i had starting having a throbbing sensation in my top left furthest back molar when i drink hot liquids that would go away shortly after. A few days later the the pain (hard to describe as it doesnt feel like a cavity more like nerve pain or inflamation of the nerve another description is maybe feeling like the early stages of an abcess) would persist at all times even while not drinking. its also causing a shocking nerve type pain that shoots down the side of my face/neck if i turn my head at the wrong way or at the wrong angle. anyways i also had a similar pains in my top right furthest back molar, but its about 50% less worse then the left side however this tooth has no sensation to hot liquids it just had nerve pains randomly. Anyways i went to the dentist she took xrays of these 2 teeth, she told me the teeth do not have cavitys or anything visably wrong in them that she can see. She tells me i have almost full bone loss on the left molar behind the tooth, and the right molar has like 50% bone loss behind in, which descrbes the pain i feel in them exactly. she reffered me to see perodontist for potential gum disease and sent me home with about 10 days worth of amoxicillin. (i was kinda upset she couldnt help me with the pain then as i dont want to live with it the way it is.)
I am almost certain the nerve in the top left tooth is damanged inflammed past reversal. And im concerened the periodontist will not address the pain im in since the dentist says the tooth looks healthy besides the bone, is it possible to request a tooth removal or extraction even if there is no visable problem with a painful tooth? im scared he will not take it out and just expect me to live with it the way it is. the anti-biotics have not really helped the pain that much im about 6 days into them.
so the main question is even if a tooth is not visably bad would a dentist refuse the request of removal if i just want to be done with this? based on him seeing no problem with the tooth itself.

I had an extraction surgury because I went through domestic violence resulting in tooth loss and then tooth decay I got sepsis several.times and absusses frequently my jaw bone shattered in places and my sinuses opened and.closed back up again resulting in me not being able to eat anything or hardly drink due to pain I was on oramorph and naproxine and omiprazole only despite going to the doctors and dentist complaining about not being able to eat they did not help I lost alot of weight ended up with sepsis again and still recieved no help around Feb 2023 I was put on ensure plus 300cal a day intill November 2023 when they put me on 600cal a day despite numerous visits me saying I couldn't eat I was told the nhs was.in crisis and to blend food I can not as I have texture issues noted before my surgury...they said they could save a few of my teeth but that would just mostbprobably lead to more problems down the line so was advised it was my choice but was convinced I would have teeth they made them for me to take with me for reassurance I wouldn't be left like this if I did have them all removed for my own health...they left me starving for months and.months despite them preforming this surgury I'm still on a liquid diet in march I saw a dietitian who gave me fresubin and was.shocked as i was.aroind.48-50kg and 180 cm tall Ive just had my drinks put up by a dietitian to 5 a day last week and currently awaing them.I litrally moved house because I needed support with my children as I had no energy nothing I was litrally kept alive on 300 cal and multivitamins for a whole year basically. I have ptsd and the doctors surgury did not take adequate medical.notes and I'm having to be reassessed.again for all my mental health requirements even though I have proof via sick notes that I do have ptsd sicknotes dated in 2022 from the surgury itself though theres no medical notes...everything I went through is gone and I have to drag it all back up again I'm currently under the.mental health team...I have so much stress going on in my life and I'm having to recieve so much support and I've even had to move house in order to recieve more support whereupon I found my medical notes where.gone...this is.driving me insane and I need answers as why this is happening and has happened to me I thought I could trust the nhs and they were.one of the last professionals I did trust and know this has happened and its breaking me...I'm at the end of my will.begging for help I need this procedure so badly I don't know hoe much more of this I can take

Get your request in for part 2 right now. Because I will not do every single villain.
Joker: Wow, you're so cool and quirky and different, no one else on this planet is like you…
Harley Quinn: Hello LGBTQ community, this is not the last time we will meet!
Catwoman: Your not that picky about women, you just want them to step on your neck!
Man-Bat: You are not fighting the furry allegations. This is literally if Batman's fursona was finally given physical form.
Scarecrow: You know that stereotype of autistic boys are obsessed with trains? Well here's the trains of DC, your welcome.
Bane: God, do you guys like to be choked.
Killer Croc: “Oh I already know; this is for people with anger issues.” WRONG! Croc is for the people who's neutral state is crying.
Mad Hatter: Prison, for multiple reasons…
Poison Ivy: We reach our entry of “Please, oh please, for the love of God, keep it in yer pants”!
Deadshot: Your interpretation of this man has been permanently warped by Suicide Squad (2016)
Deathstroke: There are people who are attracted to daddy's and then there's you, people who are attracted to fathers
Twoface: Crippling gambling addiction “I don't have a problem, I can stop whenever I want!” Shut up and go to therapy
Ra's al ghul: Your friends think that you are a happy person. Your best friends know that you are a sentient sad clown painting…
Riddler: Hello LGBTQ community, you've been caught in 4K
The Penguin: Given that Batman doesn't have any elderly villains, I get that you'll take what you can get. Also yer probably gay
Kiteman: Your definitely gay
Mr. Freeze: There's 2 options: either you haven't gotten over your EX or you just like Shakespeare. There's no in between
Nora Freeze: You saw Frozen all the way back in 2014 and you have annoyed your friends by making it your personality ever since.
Victor Zsasz: For the love of God, murderers are not “cute little beans deserve the world,” THEY ARE VILE PEOPLE!!!
Baby Doll: Prison, I don't need to explain…
Baby Face: What right do you have being the first one threatening violence when you look like some sleeping hamster?!
Polka-dot Man: You just want that one villain to do something, but they always manage to disappoint you
Red Hood: I'm gonna go out on a limb and say “you do not have a good relationship with your father…
Music Meister: Your a theater kid, and I do mean that in the most insulting way possible
Black Mask: You were that one kid in middle school who constantly screamed about being in gangs, but was the first one to run away when someone checked you for it.
Clock king: In every friend group there is someone with one of these character traits: the meme lord who can't be taken to public places anymore, the STEM major who is desperate for a new family, or the gay one.
Sweet Tooth: Hello LGBTQ community, specifically the members who's sinuses have been permanently destroyed by party drugs
The ventriloquist: Your parents owned the most creepy ass dolls and you have yet to get over this Crippling fear
Hugo Strange: You put on a different character for everyone you're around and that is a problem and you need help…
Hush: You and your childhood friend had a fall out when you were teens and they definitely held a grudge. Or you're holding the grudge and in that case, seek help
Firefly: Hello LGBTQ community, specifically the ones with an obsession with pyromania and the 4th of July!
Condiment King: Hello LGBTQ community, specifically everyone with a food addiction! By the way; get help for that…

I'm 35 and over the course of my 20s I was fighting cancer and gave up on a lot of things which resulted in neglect of my teeth during severe depression, drinking everything and paired with treatment wiping my system of everything good.. my teeth have degraded.
My molars are toast and I just snapped my latteral incisor eating which freaked me out. I have insurance and kept my bad habbits over the years.
Is there a certain type of dentist I should be looking at for the restoration side? As most can assume it's pretty embarassing as my first "visual" tooth has become noticable.

About two months ago I had my upper left molar and my one and only left upper wisdom tooth extracted. About a week after the extraction, I was swishing Chlorhexidine and it started coming out of my left nostril. I called my dentist and came back in to get the holes packed with a medicine and sutured along with a week of antibiotics. Now two months later when I’m at work, I taste salty thin fluid still coming out of the extraction site. When I spit, it’s mostly clear with a tinge of yellow. It doesn’t usually happen at home, but more so at the hospital where I work and I’m walking around all night. If I yell, I still get a pop of pressure which is air going through the extraction hole and into the sinus cavity. There’s no pain, but a couple small bumps on the sides of the gum that can ache if pressed on. This is beyond frustrating and I’m wondering how long am I going to deal with this for? And with it still being somewhat exposed to the sinuses, how long do I have to worry about infections or something bacterial entering and making a whole different kind of shit show?

So I’m getting a root canal in a few days.
Backstory: I saw the dentist about a month ago after noticing tooth pain and he prescribed me a round of antibiotics. At the same time, I had a sinus infection and sore throat. I thought it was a virus at first, but it cleared up shortly after starting the antibiotics. I asked the dentist about this and he said it’s possible the tooth infection spread to my throat and sinuses.
I unfortunately had to wait a month to get the procedure because he was all booked out, and the infection came back. Once again, it spread to my sinuses and throat. He prescribed me another round of antibiotics and once again, it cleared up, though not as well as the first time. I just finished this second course and, like I said, my root canal is in a few days.
My question is: if the infection comes back in these few days and spreads to my throat and sinuses again, will the root canal help that infection clear out too? Considering the infection is coming from the tooth. This whole process is frustrating as I’m a voice actor by trade and I’ve missed several recording days as a result of this sinus infection.
I’m a non-smoker who drinks very rarely and has no other physical health problems. Though I do suffer from dry mouth due to ADHD medication (Vyvanse).

For starters im 19 M and recently going through my freshman year of college I’ve began to smoke weed a lot more than I did in highschool. In the second semester of school it became almost an everyday habit. I thought I would add that in the beginning just to see if anyone else smoked and to narrow down if that could be an issue, anyways…
About a year ago I got my first and my worst sinus infection ever. My head and cavities were in the worst pain I’ve ever had and the doctor gave me a z pack. After about a week of heat presses, advil, antibiotics, etc, it finally went away. Since then I always noticed my sinus cavities still tender to the touch, and still producing pain whenever pressed on. I carried on and tried not to get too worried. The pain for the months to follow wasn’t extreme enough to give me any concern, yet I did notice some mornings it would hurt more than others. In the months following the first infection I’d say I’ve probably had about 5-6 other infections on a smaller scale. While they aren’t as bad as they first were, I know that getting that many infections can’t be normal.
I kept going to doctors at school and even at home during breaks and they would just prescribe me amoxicillin or some other antibiotic and stereoid. Sure they did temporality relieve my issues, but the pain when I pressed on my cavities never went away, and I still would get reoccurring ones. After becoming paranoid and worried with my health anxiety I am now worried this is cancer or something more serious. Now that I’m home I’m trying to schedule an appointment with an ENT but my doctor (the same one who prescribed my antibiotics twice and dismissed my chronic pain) is now making the process much harder and taking days to even answer the phone.
The pain isn’t so unbearable to the point of ruining my life, but it’s a growing concern I’ve had for the last few months and I just want to go back to normal. It’s gotten to the point where I feel like it’ll never be fixed, or it’s to the point of no return. To be fair the other posts on this sub have assured me because it seems like I don’t have it nearly as bad as others. My first guess is nasal polyps.
If you have any advice please respond, and thank you for reading.

TLDR: How do you keep searching for answers when docs given up on you? Where to go to, what to do. Or am i supposed to really accept CFS at this point?
I been here a year ago, and sadly im here again. With no new answers just more questions. What im hoping is that given the journey others surely have had, they may be able tohelp me navigate my situation.
In short... i feel a little lost and by lost i mean that docs kinda are giving up on me, and i dont know what to do next.
Below i will go through the very nicely put together "what docs have to rule out first", and this is one of my issues alrady.
If i go to my GP and other docs and they tell me "its time to accept its probably CFS" "Its CFS, im gonna pin it down" and "dont let people get into your head, you re done, your journey ends here" And even further my doctor told me "dont worry there is a lot of new research on CFS, with a better perspective then it was before". Im really curious if ya all know what the hell he was talking about???
What i feel is that they got fed up with me trying to get better and trying to find out answers. I feel alone because no one seems to take me seriously, or well they do. But they just want to give me a diagnosis and shoo me away.
But well, i ll backup for a second. Since 2016 i been gaining weight, since 2018 i started blacking out, then my stamina decreased over time to the point that i now have actual PEM for a bit over a year. At first i was "just" blacking out during exercise, then during everyday life shit. I also gotten more migraines. And now i have seriously absurdly intense muscle ache, even shaking of my muscles when i use them prolonged. I also get a headache if i move around too much. I cant even do everyday things without massive muscular pain the next day. I live off ibuprofen, and every doctor just tells me to exercise (as if i could) and take more painmedication. I already am taking the most of ibuprofen i can to sleep / function. Exercise is not even on the table. I still work fulltime because luckily i still can, but im getting to my limit. I am literally messed up if i cant park right in front of my clients and have to walk for a bit.
So looking at the rule out pdf (again lovely thank you) Its like a game of bingo, where doctors cant seem to agree. Here goes from left to right, top to bottom.

• Adrenals are fine
• Hypercortisolism - yep but they dont know why (and only elevated in serum and no its not stress or sleep)
• Hypothyroidism - yes but "latent" they wont give me the diagnosis or medication, even tho thats a bit confusing to me. Its only TSH thats off, and even tho the guideline says i could try medication docs disagree
• Diabetes - no but insuline resistance, maybe? I say maybe as other docs said the test was done during my vitamin D deficiency, which can mess with the results). My blood sugar is fine at all times.
• My Vitamin D seems to be flip flopping other things are fine. Also my brain and spine are fine. They didnt drill into my head yet or tested my spinal fluid - im trying to kinda avoid this if not needed.
• I also have iron deficiency defined as "anemia of chronic disease" with elevated erythrocytes and some other stuff. But my doctors are literally arguing in their letters if i do or do not have anemia. Some say "no her hemoglobin is fine!" and other say "yea but her transferrin saturation is 4%" So like I DONT KNOW! Im finally getting iron infusions next week after literally begging, but if this doesnt help me, i dont know what else to freaking do
• As mentioned i have high inflammatory markers of unknown origin. Not rheumatological it seems, no clue if potentially Polymyositis but so far they told me no. Tests of my muscles were normal. All tests for infectious diseases or bacterial infections were so far negative. I seen like every expert i could think of already. They are waiting for insurance to permit a PETscan, as our last resort here.
• Sleep issues were ruled out
• Of course doctors claim im depressed or anxious, but thats just my XY chromosomes not actual facts
• GI is normal, no findings, several tests and also experimentations showed no improvement
• My heart is fine even tho i do have I got sinus tachycardia during "exercise" but its not any form of dysautonomia. To me it was explained as probably linked to my "thick blood" (iron deficiency), the chronic inflammation. And its not linked to my issues nor is it super severe. Its something i keep an eye on tho. My blood pressure is great tho and constant.
• I dont think its heavy metals or what not, i moved 3x since my issues started and from all the tests they did i dont see an indication. I cant say they ruled it out because i never was explicitly told.
• So far no cancer was found, but who knows. I sure as heck dont want a mystery one. The bloodwork didnt indicate cancer
• Severe Obesity (BMI > 40) - yes thanks to this illness!!!! Like i know why this is on the chart but like this is making me gain weight, i really wish it wouldnt disqualify me from finally getting a diagnosis. I doubled in weight since 2016 this isnt funny anymore.
• Overwork, Athletic Overtraining - i definitelly did that in the past, but its been years since i tuned it down so doubt. Going to docs is currently the most annoying thing on my schedule.
• I do have allergic light asthma but i got medication for if i need it, and i can tell with 100% certainty that my lungs are not the issue. They were before when i could still run a marathon. My lungs were on fire back then, and now thanks to the medication i can breath freely. Hence i guarantee my lungs aint the issue here.

My question is mostly WHAT the hell do i do in terms of doctors? Yes i changed my GP several times. Yes i seen experts. Im not giving up. But im left with weird bloodwork and no real diagnosises. Sure i will try iron infusions (the oral iron helped raise hemoglobin but not the other parameters all that much), but the CRP and inflammation is still there. If my insurance turns down the PET Scan or if the PET scan doesnt show anything. What else is there?
Can my GP really diagnose me as CFS and call it a day given the above? Im not gonna say "CFS is the worst i dont want it", but if its a misdiagnosis i would be deeply upset. I dont want him to push me into a box, only so he can be done with me. But im slowly at my wits end here in terms of tests and what not.
Suggestions?

Hello,
I took a 5 day course of antibiotics 500mg amoxicillin 3 times daily, as after getting my wisdoms removed one of the extraction sites got infected, presumably because they had to leave some of the root of the tooth left because apparently it was too difficult to remove/ fused to the jaw and too close to the sinus or something. Anyway my entire gum for like 2 inches from the tooth is just all red and swollen and while the 5 day course did help take away a lot of the pain, it’s still there.
Keep in mind this is 15 days now since the teeth were extracted.
I saw a doctor who told me to take a 5 day cause of augmentin, which I’m skeptical to do because the side effects from amoxicillin were so intense with the feelings of depression and fatigue that they have made me borderline suicidal. I’m scared that augmentin will be even worse. I’m really at a loss here. I don’t understand why my immune system is struggling so much with this, im literally an ultramarathon runner. I’m so over this. Has anyone had a similar experience ??

Anyone has sinus issues post op? I'm nearly 2 years post and I had a chronic sinus infection 2 months ago and believe I'm heading into round 2 now.
I was also told it looks like one of my top teeth are dying every single tooth has been sensitive since surgery I'm having a check up soon about it.
I had double jaw surgery FYI with rotation

Hi Dentists
28m, I don’t use any form of tobacco or nicotine and have no health issues. tldr: Will I regret extracting tooth 14 due to infection and skipping the implant or bridge? How long could I wait before having that done? This will create a space as I still have 13 and 15.
I had a root canal on number 14 in December 2023. Temporary crown in February 2024, permanent placed in March 2024. When my dentist removed the temporary crown, she pulled down on it HARD, causing some pain, then said “that’s not going to work, I need to cut it off”. Since then, I’ve had mild pain on and off. Over the last week (it’s now mid May 2024) it’s gotten severe. I went back to her and she grinded down the crown and the bottom tooth even though she wasn’t seeing much on the little contact paper she had me tap my teeth on.
I went to a new dentist for a second opinion, he examined, did some test and took x-rays but didn’t see anything immediately alarming but sent me to an endodontist
Endodontist took CT scans, did some tests and evaluated. He confirmed I have an infection he can see in the sinus cavity and I need retreatment. He gave me amoxicillin to help alleviate the pain until I can have permanent treatment done and to give me time to make a decision. I brux my teeth BAD, I do wear a little cheap bite mold mouth guard while sleeping. I’ll have a permanent night guard made once all my work is done. The concern is I could have a crack he won’t be able to see until he gets into the tooth. I am really leaning towards an extraction. My dental benefits are maxed out for the year and I’m already $1,500 out of pocket on this tooth. I’m not liking the 75-80% success rate with the amount of additional money I’d have to come out of pocket on this. If I extract 14 and leave a gap, will I regret not having a bridge or implant done? How long could I wait for those? How long can I wait to have the extraction done? If these are very case-specific questions I will reach back out to my dentist and endodontist, just want to have a little more info and some additional opinions. Thank y’all so much for an advice you have!

Hi Dentists
28m, I don’t use any form of tobacco or nicotine, drink the equivalent of 1 beer most weeks and have no health issues. tldr: Will I regret extracting tooth 14 due to infection and skipping the implant or bridge? How long could I wait before having that done? This will create a space as I still have 13 and 15.
I had a root canal on number 14 in December 2023. Temporary crown in February 2024, permanent placed in March 2024. When my dentist removed the temporary crown, she pulled down on it HARD, causing some pain, then said “that’s not going to work, I need to cut it off”. Since then, I’ve had mild pain on and off. Over the last week (it’s now mid May 2024) it’s gotten severe. I went back to her and she grinded down the crown and the bottom tooth even though she wasn’t seeing much on the little contact paper she had me tap my teeth on.
I went to a new dentist for a second opinion, he examined, did some tests and took x-rays but didn’t see anything immediately alarming but sent me to an endodontist
Endodontist took CT scans, did some tests and evaluated. He confirmed I have an infection he can see in the sinus cavity and I need retreatment. He gave me amoxicillin to help alleviate the pain until I can have permanent treatment done and to give me time to make a decision. I brux my teeth BAD, I do wear a little cheap bite mold mouth guard while sleeping. I’ll have a permanent night guard made once all my work is done. The concern is I could have a crack he won’t be able to see until he gets into the tooth. I am really leaning towards an extraction. My dental benefits are maxed out for the year and I’m already $1,500 out of pocket on this tooth. I’m not liking the 75-80% success rate with the amount of additional money I’d have to come out of pocket on this. If I extract 14 and leave a gap, will I regret not having a bridge or implant done? How long could I wait for those? How long can I wait to have the extraction done? Would a bridge be worth it to save money over an implant? If these are very case-specific questions I will reach back out to my dentist and endodontist, just want to have a little more info and some additional opinions. Thank y’all so much for an advice you have!

Four weeks ago (April 23), I (37 Female) suddenly noticed my neck was swelling and hurts on the left side in the submandibular, upper, and mid jugular areas, with no clear cause. Not really a lump, just all around swelling, and it's not super visible in pictures. My throat and jaw feel heavy, and occasionally I feel a sharp pain in a spot in the jugular area (happens randomly and severely once during a sneeze). On bad days, the left side of my face feels completely numb but retains normal function. I occasionally feel sharp pain in my upper chest as well, and in the past week I feel pain near my spleen on my left side lower ribcage, but I'm not sure if that's related. (last year I had an ekg and heart testing for chest pain and was all clear).

• Height/weight: 5'5" / 190lb. No kids. Non smoker, but I smoked a few cigarettes a day for about six months over 15 years ago. Alcohol drinking effectively stopped since 2020. Once a month I might have a couple drinks (not lately though).
• Ultrasound found no node swelling or thyroid issues. Ultrasound tech said it's maybe tissue swelling but said it all looked fine to her.
• Blood tests came back normal, except I have had consistely high white blood counts (11.8 th/mm3 now, but seemingly healthy tests since 2017 ranged between 9.1 and 12.8, with a 15 anomoly after mono in 2020).
• High cholesterol that I'm working on
• Insulin resistant PCOS but no signs of diabetes or prediabetes.
• Covid test negative
• Throat culture negative
• Voice is fairly normal. Sometimes there's sight pressure when swallowing but not pain. Throat seems OK.
• Tylonol helps with the pain. Ibuprofen does nothing.
• Lots of dental fillings in late 2023 and cleanings in March. One filling was redone on the right side on April 30. No tooth pain on the left side.
• Take daily vitamin D, fish oil, myo and d chiro inositol, and antihistamines. Stopped when starting steroids.

My doctor thinks that because my blood tests are consistent and normal, it's not cancer. She believes she ruled out most serious illnesses and prescribed methylprednisolone to focus on reducing symptoms. I finished the first day of meds yesterday and I feel no better (possibly worse?). Also this morning I suddenly have a new sharp pain in my left inside knee (the elbow of the knee), but I'm not sure if this is related (I'm scared it's a blood clot from the drugs but I'm getting nervous about everything because this is such a mystery - should I contact my doc about this?).
My doctor is generally willing to work with me when I talk to her in person but getting appointments is difficult and the mychart messages haven't answered my questions. I want to better understand what this could be so my conversations with her can be more efficient and effective. If it's not lymph nodes, what could cause swelling in my neck? When these steroids are done and the pain is not gone, any ideas on next steps that I can suggest to my doctor to guide this investigation and find the cause? Antibiotics? More tests?

24M, What I want to mention first that I was abusing cocaine from my 21 till like the end of my 21s, I wasn't a heavy user at all it was like once or twice in a month, sometimes i would go 3-4 months without using, I was a smoker till like 3 months ago, and I didn't had very much problems with my teeth, maybe some moderate gum disease. I remember like 2 years ago after a night of coke I had a lot of blood in my mucus, I'm talking about 15-20 times i had to go to bathroom to flush my sinuses
I'm working as a welder, I don't like to wear any respirator, maybe some mask for breathing here and there but I don't like that, my nose is always stuffed with black stuff (metal and fumes from welding and grinding). I think my problem originates way back 4 years ago because i was experimenting with water fasting, all of this mentioned above helped me ruin my sinuses even more but even as a teenager I was feeling sick all the time and had congested and runny nose, but what exacerbated my problems was the last fast I did after which I got sick, I was fasting for religious reasons didn't eat meat and stuff and wanted to lose some weight so I started fasting after what I got sick and felt better after few days which is the time when problems got worse.
I went to a dentist first because I thought it was it was my teeth that are in pain at first, he said everything looks good and that I have no teeth issues (had a small cavity on my incisor which is the tooth that pain is kind of coming from. After that I went to otorinolaringologist, she said I have a bit of inflammation in my left nostril, I have a bit of hearing loss in my left ear and got prescribed: 1. Corticosteroid nasal spray 2. Tuaminoheptane-acetylcysteine nasal spray 3. Amoxicillin. I haven't started taking any of these meds cuz i think it will worsen my symptoms and pain. The doctor told me to return in 2 weeks after I do my treatment.
Did i do damage to my sinuses, are my teeth the cause of the pain, dentist said no.
I don't wanna lose my teeth, this whole situation is driving me insane, I'm not taking any meds or nasal sprays because I'm afraid of starting antibiotics treatment i think it will get worse with it, i just don't know what to do.