Sore throat, cough, wheezing, headache, no chills

I am demoing a house built in the 1960’s, and ever since I started taking down the drywall (no mask) 2 weeks ago, I have had a sore throat and a cough. Is it possible that it is asbestos or am I freaking myself out?

i’ve been feeling sick since sunday, the cough has been getting worse but since it’s only been a few days maybe it’s not a big deal.. the cough is pretty dry, and it’s irritating my throat and chest. phlegm only comes out rarely and in small amounts if anything.
my sister got sick last week and when she went to the clinic i guess they tested her for strep, covid, and flu which all came back negative. assuming i got sick from her, but what could it be. i thought maybe it could still be covid just a different strain and maybe the emergency room or urgent care is better equipped than our clinic to see what the problem is? someone at work came back after a week long absence and said she had a lung infection, could that be going around?
starting yesterday early afternoon, i would experience a sharp pain in my left side whenever i tried to inhale so i could only breathe shallowly until a few minutes ago today. thankfully. i’d say it lasted about 24 hours. i’ve gotten that pain before in my side when inhaling but it usually goes away after a few minutes. i was gonna go to urgent care until that pain subsided just now. should i still go?
i have health anxiety so not sure if i’m overreacting but better safe than sorry i suppose… the problem is my family hates going to the doctors so i don’t want to start any problems if it’s not a good idea to go. no one else in our household feels sick yet but i do have asthma (and probably just a weak immune system as well) so i think this sickness is affecting me differently. she’s already back at school but i don’t wanna go back to work!
been taking mucinex and drinking water. i know seeing an actual doctor in person is probably a better idea than posting but i’m just hesitant. thoughts?
tldr: symptoms include cough, headache, sweating, chest discomfort, sharp pain when inhaling, runny/stuffy nose, loss of apetite, wheezing i have asthma and allergies as well. see a doctor or wait it out? advice on getting better at home?

Hello all, my girlfriend(20F) and I(20M) have been having protected regular sex for about 4 months now. She has a hormonal IUD implant, and has had it for a little more than a year before I met her. These past few days, I have become increasingly anxious about the possibility of her being pregnant. The main reasons I am anxious are that she has been very warm at night (although she claims she always gets warm when she sleeps) and I thought it appeared as if her breasts were slightly larger (although she has not claimed of any pain or uncomfortableness).
The past 2 nights she has been clearly ill (cough, congested, just not feeling “well”). No nausea or anything similar to morning sickness. She initially believed it to be allergies, but quickly became apparent it was not. I myself have even become even more congested than normal, developed a light cough, and sore throat. She believes that she has an ear infection and does not seem to be worried about the possibility of a pregnancy. Her period is due in roughly a week.
How do I calm myself down? We will have to wait about a week before we know if she gets her period or not. We also will not be able to see each other as we are moving and going long distance for the summer. Im worried that she will be pregnant and I will not be able to be there or do anything about it. What can I say / do?

So my seizures have been super well controlled for several years last year due to stress I had a full blown lose consciousness convulsive seizure. After that I worked on reducing stress etc taking all my meds etc and have been golden. Yesterday and today I started with partial seizures which I haven’t had in forever! My hand starts tingling for like 10 seconds then I get my usual “seizure” headache and nausea and my legs get weak. I haven’t noticed any changes the only thing is I had some type of cough and wheezing (no fever) and finished a course of antibiotics last Saturday could antibiotics or chest infection cause this? I’m back to feeling 100% in that regard though.

So I got rid of my old attachment, he definitely got more crazy at the end, but now that mf is back at his asylum. HOWEVER in my newest investigation I went to the woods around my home town (Stockbridge GA). Satanic rituals and beyond, caused the woods to be extremely active, so I thought it'd be a good idea to check it out. During my investigation I'm chilling on a slab using Spirit Talker, where I was sitting was a part of a pentagram that had old dry blood and some sort of black dust around the slab. I stood up and stepped on the actual line of the pentagram and immediately got chocked. It literally felt as if someone was actually there choking me. When I went to grab for my throat my arms would not move it felt as if they were tied down while. I couldn't breathe nor could I even say a single word. It also felt like somebody was trying to lift me off the ground by my throat. Eventually I feel weight leave my wrists and then I grab at my throat but before I even touched my neck I was able to breathe again I was no longer choking. I fell to my knees coughing and gagging ready to throw up I was so light-headed and yet my head also hurt. I've been physically attacked before I've been scratched bitten smacked punched pushed even tripped but I have never and I mean never been choked. I'm not sure exactly what it was but I've talked to some other people about it and I was told it's something called an elemental I tried to ask more about what an elemental was however I keep chalking it up to be a extremely powerful demon. Back on the story, I immediately left and when I got to my family's home I heard cackling behind me it honestly could have been somebody completely different however when I fell asleep that night I had the worst nightmares possible. I relived the worst parts of my life except they were way worse than what they actually were. I was up and down all night. It's now been a total of 12 days since I've been there and the nightmares will not stop they are getting way worse and now it literally feels like I'm having a battle to just even get a nap. I'm sleep deprived I'm sleepy I can't think straight I don't even want to do my paranormal investigations anymore because of this. What do I do and do I have attachment?

30M, 165lbs, no other medications, no other known medical conditions.
I start with what I believe to be viral cold / chest infection, symptoms sore throat (felt like I was swallowing glass) fever for 2 and half days, persistent cough and mucus and phlegm like no ones business fatigued ect.. I was ill for about 2 weeks then felt better for say 3 to 4 days (thought it was over) then I started to feel unwell again but this time just a bit of cough, persistent mucus like non-stop (constantly clearing my airways), very tired, sleeping all the time and just not feeling my usual self. So yesterday was week 4 of this horrible situation. I phoned the doctor, and he said I'm gonna put you on a course of antibiotics 3 × 500mg amoxicillin a day for 10 days. He thinks it's been a viral infection that when I recovered from the original viral thing, I picked up a bacterial infection whilst my immune system has been low, leading to another illness. Apparently, it's quite common. Anyway I've started to get a bit of sore throat again whilst starting this amoxicillin I'm on my second day and I'm not to sure if it's a side effect (which sore throat side affect for amoxicillin is supposedly a severe side effect, dunno if thats true though or what that even means) or the infection starting up again.
Can anyone advise me should I just ignore this sore throat starting up again, even if it is a side effect of amoxicillin and keep taking the antibiotics or phone my doctors?

So, mid April I had what I now think was influenza - and btw - not the sniffles. I can’t stand when people say “I have the flu!” when they have a cold or a stomach ache. I’ve had various strains of influenza multiple times throughout my life. Bad luck on my end. I had h1n1 (swine flu) way back in the day and what I had last week was literally akin to that nightmare.
I had full blown body aches, high fever, loss of voice, deeply hitting sore throat, fatigue, nightmares, nausea, no energy, it felt just like influenza but at the time, I assumed it was COVID. Husband ordered me a test on day 2 which came back negative. I only took 1 test and was too weak to do it again, no joke I was in bed for DAYS. So I assumed it was Covid, acted accordingly. I stayed home (I WFH luckily anyway) and did Walmart Plus delivery for my husband and I for the next week.
I start to feel better. Never re-test because we weren’t going anywhere the following weekend and I hadn’t left the house, and it had been 12 days since I got sick. BTW, 9 of those 12 days I was feeling bad…symptoms peaked on days 3-6. All along I figured it was for sure COVID. Then, day 12 post first symptom, as I’m feeling better, my husband starts getting symptoms. Great! We order a COVID test just to see, and he pops positive for COVID immediately. I was even more sure I gave him COVID & that’s what I had all along.
We stay home, AGAIN. Cooped up beyond belief. Oh well. Order more Walmart delivery and binge Lost.
5 days later, I start to feel sick again - this past Friday night. By this point I had been totally recovered from the original illness and had been for a while now. I wake up Saturday feeling AWFUL. I thought, no way. I GAVE him COVID. WTF is this! We order another test for same day delivery to be sure & so my husband could re-test for himself. Well, I IMMEDIATELY pop positive. Mega dye stealer. Needless to say, I’m so freaking sick. It’s been horrendous.
Anyone else experience this? Sick with the flu or something like it, and then get COVID literally right after? If so, what happened? Concerned this back to back stuff put me at risk for Long COVID. It’s been 5 days and my test tonight is still raging positive, and I feel awful still. Better than the weekend , but still no taste, congested, anxiety, horrible cough, ZERO energy, extreme fatigue, runny eyes….ugh. Not asking for medical advice. I’m just scared if long Covid and my doctors have not been at all reassuring, or mentioned anything of note to me.

Hi there. I was wondering if anyone went through a similar situation that I did! I had no prior “warning” symptoms (besides digestive issues that had been ongoing for months) for MS, which is what had my doctors SO confused for so long. And occasional migraines I had under control but overall, my health was okay. And suddenly, I got sick.
Worst sickness of my life and before you know it. Three weeks of sore throat, excruciating/dry chest pain, fatigue, chills, body pain. Urgent care ran the casual flu, covid, and strep tests. And did a chest x-ray and settled on ‘sinusitis’ sent me home with amoxicillin and steroids and that was that. i knew that wasn’t the case but I shrugged it off and knew id get better eventually so thought it was whatever.
Ended up going to the ER after a week because of the chest pain working and the amoxicillin definitely wasn’t helping at all. (of the three) They told me I had a mildly enlarged spleen but a ‘sinus infection’ diagnosis sounded “about right” without running any more tests. I told my friends about this and one of them who was a nurse in training was like dude. I’m almost positive you have mono. Which I never though much of, so I was actually relieved to hear. Ha.
Ever since that month aside the flulike part of those symptoms residing I had not had a pain free week (and since this month, a pain free day, now FINALLY diagnosed with MS) since then. I’m not going to start on how much of a medical nightmare my journey has (I could write a book called ER nightmares & Embarassments) been but It has been scary and confusing. Ive seen people talk about how they had mono/EBV and then years later get diagnosed. But so soon after I get sick, with I’m not even sure with what was Mono but sounds a lot like it, my MS symptoms just hit so full force? My neurologist is actually super interested in my progression but theres always some internal worry inside of me.
Ive also read about illnesses causing a relapse when it comes to symptoms but nothing really similar to this I guess? Thank you guys. All the love. I’m only 25 and it’s all very new and nervewrecking to me. (Nervewrecking, literally.) 😉

I’m scared I contracted oral herpes because my lymph nodes are swollen and I had a sore throat/cough, slight chills but no sores on my mouth I performed oral on a girl 3-4 days ago

Day1: I went to an asian massage place and got a handjob from the masseuse. I confirmed my penis and my body have no cuts before visiting.
Day2: I felt sharp pain and burning sensation in my urethra.
Day3: Woke up in the middle of night(raining) and felt cold, sore throat, dry cough.
Day4: Woke up with night sweat. Went to the ER for all kinds of STD tests. They found nothing but my UTI was abnormal. Doc explained a bunch of numbers and medical terms that I didnt't really understand, but basically said that I'm fine.
Now on my Day6, flu symptoms went down a lot. Do you guys think that I'm at risk for HIV and STD based on the symptoms that I got? Plz help me out, I'm very anxious.

For context, check my recent post. Not super relevant but may provide info. Are symptoms such as burning/pain constant or can they come and go by the day? I am no longer peeing constantly or having tingling, but I did have diarrhea, sore throat this morning and a headache tonight. Am I looking too hard into everything im feeling?

When I was ten, I formed a junior detective squad.
Mom bought me the entire box set of What's New Scooby Doo, and I was inspired to start my very own detective gang. I held auditions outside the gymnasium at recess (serious enquiries only) after a number of kids tried to apply for the role of Scooby Doo despite me reiterating I was not interested in playing make believe.
When I was laughed at in class, I made posters strictly asking for SERIOUS wannabe detectives, even going as far as using my Mom’s printer to make flyers, sticking them all over the school.
Auditions were simple. I asked them to solve a simple riddle.
Whoever impressed me got to sign their name down, and I’d get back to them.
I spent three days sifting through kids who definitely had charm, but they lacked the intelligence of a junior detective. Most kids were only auditioning to make fun of me, anyway.
Still, though, I didn't give up.
My flyers had five requirements:
1). You had to be smart.
2). You were not allowed to be a scaredy cat.
3). You had to accept your inevitable death at the hands of our town’s evil villains.
4). You had to have a fully registered driving licence (I quickly changed this to a bike).
5). You cannot have a criminal record.
(I later scribbled this one out, writing over it. *“You cannot have any tardies.”
Narrowing the applicants down to three kids, all of whom failed to share my enthusiasm for solving cases. The kids I picked didn't even know how to make plans, and when I invited them to my house, they stole my Mom’s necklace.
I didn't even need to solve the mystery of who stole Mom’s necklace. The girl was wearing it at school. I punched her in the face, and was immediately sent to the principal’s office. When I was being given the mother all lectures, the door quietly opened, a head peeking through.
It was Ben Callows, a freckly kid with overgrown brown hair hanging in his eyes. Ben really needed a haircut.
He was always wearing the exact same baseball cap, and I found myself wondering if it was permanently glued to his head, stuck on top of unruly brown curls practically matted to his forehead.
In class, Ben was also known as Bloody Ben. In the second grade, the boy had a nosebleed in the middle of a spelling test, bleeding all over his paper.
It's not like he didn't try and detach himself from the name.
Ben brought in Digimon cards, so kids would call him Digimon Ben instead.
Then he “accidentally” spilled yoghurt down his shirt in hopes we would call him Yoghurt Ben. But no. The kids in our class were relentless in reminding him of his name. No matter what he did, he was still Bloody Ben, and when anything related to blood came up in class, fifteen pairs of eyes would swivel to him, like he had invented the concept of bleeding.
I feared the nickname would follow him to junior high.
Ben didn't wait to be let in. He didn't even knock, striding in with his arms folded. Over the years, Bloody Ben, had definitely soured his personality.
He smiled rarely, and when he did smile, someone was falling over or hurting themselves.
Which definitely strengthened the claims of him being a sociopath.
The rumor mill was churning, with the latest claiming Bloody Ben killed his cat. That wasn't true. Ben’s cat was seventeen with cancer, and that was why he was sobbing all the way through reading time.
According to Ellie Daly, however, Ben had killed and dissected his kitty, and buried her in his Mom’s flowers.
Now, my principal did not like being interrupted, especially when she was in the middle of screaming at me.
Principal Marrow was old old (like, thirty, in my ten year old mind) stick thin like a pencil, and always wore the same stained sweater.
She used to be pretty, but I was convinced she had kissed a frog and been cursed. After our old principal suffered a stroke, she stepped in as a temporary replacement, and since becoming principal, had banned my favorite book series, colored shoe laces, and hamburger helper, even officiating a uniform.
(vomit green shorts and a tee, and plain white sneakers).
Kids were convinced she was a witch, and I kind of believed it.
Principal Marrow’s whole existence was built on sucking the fun out of school.
I was already reprimanded for my mystery gang flyers.
Her office smelled of peppermint and she was definitely sneaking sips of whisky in her coffee cup. I could see the bottle sticking out of the trash.
She straightened up, folding her arms across her chest, squinty eyes narrowing at the boy. I had spent the whole time she was lecturing me trying not to cry, my fists bunched in my lap.
I took the distraction as the perfect opportunity to swipe at my eyes, allowing myself to breathe.
Ben Callows was her victim now.
I was right. The woman's voice was like a thunderclap in my ears.
“You better have a good reason for not knocking, young man.”
Ben wasn't fazed by her tone. “You took my Switch two weeks ago,” he said, “I want it back, or I’m telling my Mom.”
At first, I thought I'd misheard him.
No, I was pretty sure he'd threatened our principal.
I swore I heard all of the breath sucked from the room.
“I'm sorry,” Principal Marrow cleared her throat. Her soft tone was dangerous.
She wasn't being nice. The lady was about to explode.
I could see visible veins straining in her temples, her right eye twitching.
It was straight out of a cartoon.
“Did you forget something, Ben?”
Ben sighed, like she was inconveniencing him.
He held out his hand. “Please can I have my Switch back? It counts as stolen property. Give it back, or I'm telling my Mom.”
The kid put so much emphasis on the word please, I couldn't resist a smile.
I think our principal was too shocked to get angry.
“Get out.” She said, firmly. “I don't have your gaming device.”
“It's in your drawer.” Ben nodded to her desk, “Under your divorce papers and the restraining order ordered by Jake Willow, the seventeen year old boy you've been having math ‘tutoring sessions’ with.” He quoted the air, his gaze lazily rolling to me. “Tutoring”
Principal Marrow went deathly pale, her eyes darkening.
“Benjamin Callows–”
“The school already knows about the restraining order, but your uncle is the head of the Board of Education, so all you get is a slap on the wrist and a warning to leave the boy alone."
Ben continued, and I found myself mesmerised by his words. He was a natural, his expression stoic, mouth curved with satisfaction that wasn't quite a smile. “However.” He held up his phone, pulling it away at the exact moment the teacher attempted to grab it. “You were outside Jake Willow’s house at 6:12am, drunk, and trying to climb through his window, which, I think violates the restraining order, does it not?”
Ben pretended to think real hard, his gaze flicking to the ceiling.
“I mean, I'm just a kid, right?” His mouth curled into the hint of a smirk
“What do I know, huh?”
Principal Marrow’s expression twisted, her lip wobbling.
“Mr Callows, remove yourself from my office, or I am calling your father.”
Leaning comfortably against the door, Ben’s lip twitched.
“Why? Are you planning on telling my Dad about your relations with a teenage boy, or will I have to tell him instead?”
I was enthralled, and fully disgusted, making a move to inch away from the woman.
“But it doesn't end there.” Ben continued. He straightened up, taking slow, intimidating steps towards the woman's desk. “You don't even want Jake, do you? Because, once upon a time, you were in love with his father. Jason Willow. You despised him for rejecting you, so you decided to defile his son.” Ben leaned over the principal’s desk, slipping his hand into the drawer, and pulling out his switch.
Painfully slowly.
She stood there, speechless, her shoulders trembling.
Ben smiled, and I found myself liking it.
“Thank you!” He said, waving the console in her face. Ben mimed locking his mouth and throwing away the key.
“My lips are sealed.”
Ben’s half lidded eyes found mine. “Are ya coming, Panda?”
I forgot my own nickname.
Panda.
I wore my Mom’s eyeliner because I thought it looked cool.
It did not.
Finding my breath, I snapped out of it.
Jumping up, I followed him out of the office, and when the two of us were safely on the hallway, I burst into hysterical giggles. “How did you know all of that?!” I whisper- shrieked.
Ben surprised me with a splutter. “Wait. You believed me?”
Something very cold trickled down my spine.
I stopped walking. “You lied?”
He shrugged. “I had a dig around her office before she caught me a few days ago,” Ben swung his arms, a smile curling on his mouth. “There's no restraining order, but there is prescription anti-psychosis medicine, and an extremely detailed story on her laptop about a teachestudent romance, which I presume is a self insert.”
Ben shot me a sickly grin. “The school refused to make her condition public.”
He prodded at his own cotton shirt embroidered with the school emblem.
“Why do you think she's made all these dumb rules? The woman is a certified Looney Tune.”
I nodded slowly. “Wait. What about Jake and his dad?”
“I made them up.”
I choked out a laugh. “And… the video?”
Ben walked faster, pulling out his phone and shoving it in my face. The video was real. Principal Marrow was walking around in circles, draped in her nightgown. “It's her own house,” he explained. “She locked herself out.”
Nodding slowly, I was in awe. Bloody Ben was kind of fucking amazing.
“But the restraining order isn't real.”
Ben raised a brow, coming to an abrupt halt. It was his smile that cemented his place in my gang. His lack of empathy for a woman he had gaslit into being a disgusting human being. Ben Callows wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but he fascinated me. Maybe for the wrong reasons. “Her filing cabinets are filled with tinned cat food, Panda,” he said with an exaggerated sigh, “I’m not psychic, but I thiiiiink we’ll be okay.”
I turned to him, unable to stop myself jumping up and down with excitement.
“Will you be my first?!”
Ben inclined his head. “Will I be your what?”
I shook my head. “Sorry. I mean, will you join my mystery gang?”
The boy’s eyes lit up, and I shoved him playfully.
“To solve real cases,” I corrected myself. “Not make them up.”
Ben wore a real, proper smile. But there was something in his eyes, a darkness that was so hollow and polluted and wrong, I pretended not to see it for the sake of his smarts and intellect. “Well, if you insist, sure!” Ben held out his hand, and I shook it. I'll be your first.”
We found our second member, who was, ironically, looking for her glasses under the table in class. Lucy Prescott, the quiet girl, was born to be with us.
The class eraser went missing, and she found it in the blink of an eye.
When questioned, Lucy’s face turned as red as her hair. “I asked everyone in the class and followed the clues to the last person who had it,” she pointed to Chase Simpson. “Which was Chase, who was throwing it at Marcus Calvin.”
Twisting around in my chair, I aimed to get Ben’s attention. But he was already looking at me, chin resting on his fist, eyes ignited with excitement.
The two of us cornered Lucy after class, and when she motioned for us to get back, I dragged Ben (who was a little too excited) to my side.
Lucy looked mildly horrified when I said, dangerous cases, though her expression pricked with intrigue.
She agreed, her gaze lingering on Ben, cheeks smouldering.
Our last two members were a surprise.
Violet Evergreen was what you would call popular on the middle school hierarchy. Not just because her mother was the mayor, but because Violet could get away with murder. The girl refused to wear the school uniform, coloring a single purple streak in her hair to cement herself as the it girl.
She was also one of the girls who started the Bloody Ben rumor.
Ben, Lucy, and I were sitting on the grass during recess, trying to come up with a name for our detective service, when Violet came storming over, hands planted on her hips. She was copying how her mother held herself during town meetings.
“What are you doing?” Violet demanded.
Lucy opened her mouth to answer, Ben nudging her to shut up.
“Making a mystery gang.” I told her. “Why?”
Violet inclined her head. “Oh.” She folded her arms. “Well, can I join?”
Ben stood up, stepping in front of the girl. Violet didn't move, stubbornly standing her ground. “Sure.” Ben flashed a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. He stepped closer to her, his smile widening. “If you can pass the test.”
Violet’s lip curled. She took a single step back. “What kind of test?”
Ben nodded to me. “Meet us at the swimming pool at 8pm.”
To my surprise, Violet nodded. “Do I need to bring anything?”
“Nope!”
8pm. The four of us met outside the local swimming pool.
Violet was already on the other side of the fence, waving.
“Hey guys!”
I noticed Ben’s expression, his eyes darkening, lip curling.
Still though, he maintained positivity, vaulting over the fence.
“You made it!”
I followed him, helping Lucy, who was immediately freaking out. I didn't blame her. The pool looked cold and dark, a hollow oblivion carved into the ground.
Ben and Violet stood on the edge, the two of them shoulder to shoulder.
Violet Evergreen was braver than I thought.
Standing with her arms at her sides, Violet's hands clenched into fists.
“What's the test?” Violet said, her gaze glued to bleeding black depths.
“I don't know,” Ben murmured, his voice teetering on a giggle. He leaned forwards, arms spread out. “I didn't think you'd actually come meet us.”
Violet hummed, stretching out her leg, teasing it across the surface. “Was that the test?”
The boy leaned back. I caught the glint of a grin under the floodlights. “Nah.”
Before I knew what was happening, he shoved Violet into the pool. The girl didn't scream or shriek, she just hit the surface, sinking into pitch dark nothing.
“Sink or swim,” Ben said in a low murmur, when Violet’s head bobbed under water. I could see her shadow under the surface, imagining the freezing cold depths pulling her down.
“Drown, and you can't join us.”
It was so quiet, suddenly. The three of us staring into rippling water.
A minute passed, and my tummy started to twist.
“Fuck.” Ben’s expression stayed stoic. I wasn't expecting him to say a bad word.
He cocked his head. “I thought she could swim.”
I hit him, holding in a cry. “You need to get our parents!”
But he didn't listen to me, taking a single step, and dropping into the pool.
I fell to my knees, scanning the water.
Lucy was crying. “Are they dead?!” she shrieked.
“Shhh!” I was watching two shadows lingering under the water.
Violet broke through. I expected her to be crying, but her expression was unwavering. She was silent. I thought the splashing underneath her was her legs trying and struggling to tread water, before Lucy shoved me. Hard.
“Panda! What do we do?!”
Looking closer, Violet was perfectly still, her gaze on the sky.
While she shoved Ben under the water, drowning him.
Violet’s eyes sparkled, and somehow, I knew she belonged in my gang.
Her gaze found mine, glinting with that darkness, that poisonous streak I found myself drawn to. It was a starving, insatiable need to understand a fractured mind. Know your enemy.
“Do you want to see if Ben’s a witch?” Violet asked me, her tone something else entirely. This girl did not make sense, using barely her finger to drown Ben Callows. I knew she was wrong.
I knew there was something loose, something unlocked and unbridled and drowning inside her mind and heart.
But I wanted more of her. I wanted Violet Evergreen in my detective gang.
I think that is why I stood there, frozen.
When the thrashing stopped, Ben broke through.
He wasn't coughing or spluttering, his head inclined. “You didn't drown.”
Violet climbed out of the pool, offering her hand. “And you're not a witch.”
He declined her hand, taking the steps instead.
I asked Violet in a shaky voice. I was trembling with terror, but I was excited.
Exhilarated.
“Violet, will you join my gang?”
She didn't answer me until we were sharing hot cocoa in my house.
I told Mom we fell in the pool, and she believed me. I should have told her that my friends were sociopaths, and I was kind of maybe in love. Violet sipped her cocoa, nodding with a smile I didn't recognise. Violet never smiled at school.
Well, she did. But it was always the prick of a cruel smirk.
I don't think her smile was genuine, but she was definitely enjoying herself.
Our last member came to us, instead of finding him.
Jules Howell, a straggly brunette pushed his way in front of me in the lunch line. I didn't really know the kid.
He sat at the back of the classroom and slept through most of class. I did like his accent though.
Jules had moved from Melbourne in the second grade. He didn't talk much.
When he did, I found myself enveloped in his voice, which sounded like water to me, a bleeding cadence to his tone.
Jules piled his plate with fries, smiling widely at the lunch ladies.
“I saw you last night.” He murmured through that perfectly moulded grin.
“Saw me where?”
“At the pool,” Jules said. “You, Bloody Ben, Violet Evergreen, and that Lucy girl. You were doing a suiciding pact.”
“That's not what we were doing.” I said, “What's a suiciding pact?”
“When you kill yourself together.” Jules said. “I saw it in a scary movie my Mom was watching.”
I grabbed a fork. “We weren't doing that.”
His eyes were strange when I took the time to notice them. The excited gleam had fizzled out. Jules’s hands tightened around his tray. “Then what were you doing?”
I didn't reply, making my way over to our usual table. Ben was already waving me over, Violet and Lucy holding up the flyers we were making.
THE REDBLOOD DETECTIVES.”
Do YOU need our help? We can find/solve anything! Contact us on the number below. (We take donations!)
When I bothered turning around, Jules was lost in the crowd of kids.
We were on our first official case, searching for Mrs Lake’s missing mail, when Jules appeared seemingly out of nowhere. And with him, a golden retriever puppy he introduced as Arlo.
It took a dog jumping up at them for Violet and Ben to find their real smiles, their real selves slowly seeping through these facades they had built around themselves. Ben dropped to a crouch, ruffling the dog's ears, his smile faint.
“Who's a good boy?” He chuckled.
Arlo didn't move, tail wagging, eyes bright.
Ben motioned the dog towards him, but Arlo stayed put.
Jules joined us…quietly.
I don't remember asking him, or even him asking me.
He just became part of us, side by side with Arlo.
We soon came to quickly realize that our town was boring.
There were no monsters or thieves, or soul sucking demons. No criminals or serial killers. Not even one missing person. We did, however, get calls about missing cats. I turned eleven years old, patiently waiting for a murder or a kid going missing. But there was nothing.
All we did was chase cats, and the occasional dog. Maybe a budgie if we were lucky. Twelve years old, our detective club became a joke.
The five of us (and Arlo hiding under the table) were trying to pinpoint Mrs Tracy's lost hamster, when three girls came over, dumping their soda all over us.
We watched crime shows for inspiration on catching killers.
Ben’s favorite crime was one that happened in the 80’s in our town.
2 girls murdered.
Their intestines stuffed into envelopes and mailed to family members.
“That's what we should be solving,” he told me one night, “Not missing cats.”
Thirteen years old, we lay in Violet’s backyard under the cruel glare of the summer sun. We called it working and didn't like to admit it was hanging out, or that we were even friends. However.
That didn't stop us growing closer.
Even if it wasn't quite the way I’d expected.
I proposed a plan, standing up, wobbling a little off balance.
“I've got it.” I said, my voice kinda slurry from Violet’s special summer cocktail, which was just random alcoholic beverages we found, thrown into a blender, and diluted with water.
The town wasn't taking us seriously.
So, we were going to make our own mysteries.
I ordered a full-scale assault on our small town. One that they could not ignore. Ben stamped on Mrs Mason’s flowers, and Lucy threw mud pies at people's cars. Jules trashed the high school gym, and Violet and I spray painted threats and warnings on every store window. Now, this did cause panic, but also an official curfew.
Thirty minutes before curfew, we met in our usual spot, deep in the forest near the lake. Ben yelled at me when I was three minutes late. He was real passionate about finding a real mystery.
“You're late.” Ben was sitting on a rock waving a stick in Arlo’s face.
The dog still wasn't going near him, whining softly.
I took my place, muttering an apology. “I had to lie to my Mom.”
Violet, sitting with her legs crossed, idly digging her manicure into the dirt, suggested we buy mannequins and masquerade them as dead bodies, hanging them from the school rafters.
Lucy, who had slowly grown out of her shell, becoming a lot more outspoken, nudged her. “That's a stupid idea.”
The girl groaned, leaning into her. “Urgh. You're right.”
Jules was the only energetic one, standing on the tireswing.
He jumped down, definitely twisting his ankle.
But his smile only widened, kind of like he enjoyed being in pain.
“Why don't we pretend to be kidnapped?” He said, pulling the hood of his sweatshirt over blondish curls growing out. Jules did a dramatic spin, his eyes shining. “We can ‘go missing’ for like a week, and then when our parents are really scared, we can turn up, and tell them we escaped a kidnapping.” His lips split into a grin.
“And then we solve our own kidnapping!”
Ben awkwardly patted Arlos head, only for the dog to pull away with a snort.
“I like it,” he murmured. “I'm in.”
Jules’s idea was stupid.
But.
It was worth a shot.
The five of us agreed to meet the morning after with enough food and supplies for a week. Then we were going to hike to the next town, and hide out for a week. It was an almost perfect plan, using ourselves as victims of our own mystery.
Packing as much as I could, I kissed my mother goodbye (I told her my pack was for a picnic) and set off to the rendezvous we agreed on.
When I arrived, I was the first one there. I checked and re-checked my pack.
I waited ten minutes, unable to contain my excitement.
Then 20 minutes.
It was getting kind of cold.
One hour.
I sat on a rock for enough time to watch the sky change color.
When the clouds were orange, I stood up and stumbled back home. They had gone without me. Mom lectured me when I got home, and I stuck to the plan of pretending my friends had gone missing, even if I they had betrayed me.
Ben said he'd text me when he arrived at the redervous. I at least expected him to text an explanation, but there was nothing. I was in the dark, and after three days of nothing, our town finally began to take us seriously.
“Our children have been kidnapped!” The adults were screaming.
Mom was crying in the kitchen, praying to a god I knew she didn't believe in that I wasn't taken next. I was interviewed and stuck with the exact same story I came up with when I was with the others. Our plan was to return after a week, claiming to be locked up in a dark room with a masked man.
I told my Mother and the other parents that I didn't know where my friends were, repeating the same thing over and over again until I was tongue tied.
“I saw them the day before they went missing, and… yes, everything seemed okay.” I slowly sipped my glass of milk provided, looking the sheriff directly in the eyes.
“No, I didn't notice anything suspicious, sheriff. Yes, I'm sure, sir. No, they didn't tell me anything.”
It was Ben’s mother who shattered my mask.
“Did I know about… what?” I whispered.
Something warm filled the back of my mouth, foul tasting milk erupting up my throat. I leaned forward, trying to look Mrs Callows in the eye. “No, I… I didn't know about Ben’s…condition.”
Mrs Callows was screaming at me about her son’s troubled past when I barfed all over myself, my eyes burning.
In the privacy of my own room, I sobbed until I couldn't breathe.
I tried to tell Mom, but we had come so close.
One more day, and the others would be back.
But that day came. I sat cross legged at our usual spot, which was now covered in police tape. I waited for their thudding footsteps, their laughter congratulating each other for coming up with a great plan. I waited, my face buried in my knees, for my friends.
It was dark when my phone vibrated, and I'd fallen asleep.
I wasn't scared, forcing myself to my feet.
“Where are you?” Mom yelled down the phone.
“Coming home now.” I muttered.
“Sorry.” I paused, holding my breath against a cry. “Mom.” I broke down, forcing my fist into my mouth to hide my squeak. “Mommy, did they come back?”
Mom didn't reply for a moment.
“I'm so sorry, baby.” She whispered, ending the call.
I took my time walking home that night.
There were no stars in the sky.
When a hand clamped over my mouth, I could smell him.
When he dragged me back, stabbing a kitchen knife into my throat, I stared at the sky and looked for stars. His arms were warm around me, violently pulling me into the back of a pickup truck. The pickup truck he'd said he was bringing.
It was his grandfather's, and he could just about drive it.
Hitting the backseat, my body was numb, my thoughts in a whirlwind.
The pickup flew forwards, and I remembered how to move.
I rolled off the seat, my hands pinned behind my back.
Twisting around, blinking in the dim, I could feel something warm, something seeping across upholstery seats. Blood.
It was everywhere, sticky on my hands and wet on my face when I struggled to get up. I was lying in someone's blood.
A scream clawed its way out of my throat.
The pickup flew over a pothole, and something dropped off the seat.
Arlo’s leash.
I screamed again, this time his name gritted between my teeth.
I didn't stop screaming until the jerking movement stopped. The doors opened, pale light hitting me in the face.
Flashlight. Warm arms wrapped around me, pulling me from the car, and then, pulling me by my hair, into our old tree house. It was always our secret place, our saving grace on the edge of town.
The flickering candlelight caught me off guard, illuminating my surroundings.
Two bodies slumped over each other, lying in stemming red.
I felt suffocated, like I was going to die. I screamed, and that warm hand cradled my mouth again, gagging my cries.
Violet and Jules.
There was something wrong with them. And it was only when I forced myself to look closer, when I realized their insides had been carved out, heart, stomach, everything, pulled out.
There was paper on the floor.
No, not paper. Envelopes.
Envelopes stuffed with gore, bright red leaking through white.
Shuffling back, my brain was too slow to react, while my body was trying to vault to my feet, only to be violently pulled back by my ponytail.
I felt his fingers twining around my hair, revelling in my screams.
With another tug, my head was forced forwards.
Orange candlelight felt almost homely, this time lighting up a third body.
Lying on their back, curled up, pooling scarlet dried into the floorboards, their wrists restricted with duct-tape.
I could feel blood underneath me, sticky, a congealing paste.
“Do you know what happened on October 3rd, 1987, in our town?”
Lucy Prescott stood over me, her arms folded across her chest.
I managed to shake my head, when she grabbed Ben’s legs, dragging him under the candlelight. I dazedly watched her stroke the blade of a carving knife, the teeth already stained scarlet. “The intestine murders.” Lucy hummed, tracing the knife down the floorboards.
“A man murdered two high school girls, carving out their insides and sending their pieces to their loved ones.”
Lucy's eyes found mine, ignited in a familiar gleam. I saw it in Principal Marrow’s office. Then the swimming pool. The cafeteria. “It was the sheriff's only murder case, Panda. Ever since then, our town has been boring. There's no mysteries to solve. Nothing to find.”
The girl jumped to her feet, retrieving a blood stained envelope.
She held it up, a smile curved on her lips. The girl turned around, and I heard a horrific squelching sound. Lucy held up a bright red sausage, ripped into it, and slipped it into the white paper.
“But I can change that.” she said, in a giggle.
“I can create a real serial killer, who we can hunt down together.”
Lucy stabbed the blade into the floor, laughing.
“Or! I can bring a fan-favorite back! I can bring the intestine killer back from the dead!”
Her gaze flicked to the others. “There are casualties, of course. The story is, I was kidnapped with Ben, Violet, and Jules. The scary intestine killer killed them, and I managed to get away.”
Lucy shuffled over to me, her eyes wide. “Then! He came back and struck again!”
With those words, she shoved me onto my back.
“First he took Violet,” Lucy hummed, tracing the blade down my shirt.
“Then… Jules.” I squeezed my eyes shut, pulling at the restraints around my wrists. “Then Ben.” her breath tickled my cheek. “And finally… Panda.”
Lucy lifted the knife, and I accepted my death.
Until a low rumble in my ears.
Shouting.
Thundering footsteps, followed by the pitter-patter of paws.
“Lucy!” The sheriff was screaming, and the girl stumbled to her feet, the knife slipping from her fingers. Lucy stumbled, tripping over Ben’s body.
“He got away!” she shrieked. “He…he killed them! Oh, god, please help me!”
I don't think Lucy even realised the traces she'd left behind.
The blood slick on her fingers, her manic, grinning smile full of mania.
I was looking for stars when an officer crouched over me.
I couldn't understand what she was saying.
Her voice was white noise.
“Rachel? Hey, try and sit up, honey. You Mom is on her way.”
Instead of listening to her, I curled into myself.
My gaze found Arlo sticking his nose in Ben’s hair, trying to nudge the boy awake.
I didn't fully register the next few days.
They went by in a confusing blur.
Part of me tried to eat, and spent hours with my head pressed against the toilet seat.
I could still see the slithering, scarlet remains of my friends every time I closed my eyes. There was so much red, soaked in that hunting orange light.
Blood that I could still see, a starless sky that stretched on forever.
Weeks went by.
Then months.
I think I turned 14. I wasn't sure. I didn't feel alive anymore.
I stood at my friend’s funerals with a single rose I dropped into their casket.
Violet’s mother was quick to cover the whole thing up.
Lucy's plan didn't work after all.
Our town’s murder cases stayed stagnant at one.
It's been four years since my friends were murdered by our ’Velma’.
Now, at seventeen, Mom asked if I wanted to visit Lucy in juvie.
I'm not even upset or angry anymore.
I want to know why.
Ben picked me up. Arlo was at his side, wagging his tail.
Ben was…different. He'd dumped his baseball cap and gotten a haircut, swapping his old wardrobe of drab colors for an attempt at changing style.
That day, he looked awkward in a short sleeved tee and shorts.
At school, Ben is no longer Bloody Ben.
Now, he is Survivor Ben.
I’m still Panda.
Every time I was with him, I felt like my soul was being sucked out.
Guilt so deep, so fucking painful, I lost my breath.
I live knowing that I immediately assumed it was him that day.
Ben was barely alive when I found him. Lucy had started to carve into him before remembering she needed me.
After admitting it to him, his lips formed a small smile.
“Can I tell you a secret?” He said to me, at sixteen.
"Yeah?"
Whatever he was going to say, Ben never told me.
Presently, I nodded at the dog’s new collar.
“Peppa Pig themed?”
The boy shrugged, ruffling Arlo’s ears. “FYI, he chose it.”
“It's cute.” I said. “Very… chic.”
We didn't speak the whole ride, but Ben did entangle his hand in mine.
We spent half an hour outside the detention centre. I was panicking, and Ben was trying to hide that he was panicking. In the end, we joined hands, and strode through the doors together.
Lucy greeted us with a wide smile. Just as psychotic.
The orange jumpsuit suited her, though I had zero idea why.
“Hey Arlo!” she giggled at the dog, and Ben pulled the pup onto his lap.
“Ben.” She sighed. “I wish I got to finish you. I would have loved to solve the mystery of your gutted corpse.”
Ben’s smile was wry. “Nice to see you too.”
Behind a glass screen, I asked Lucy one simple question.
“Why?”
Lucy didn't reply. Or she did, but it was just nonsensical bullshit.
But there was one thing she said has stuck with me, chilling me to the core.
I am fucking terrified of Lucy. Of what's she's done, and what she's capable of doing.
It was a throwaway line, and I don't even think Ben noticed.
Or he did, and was in denial.
Lucy's smile was wide, her eyes empty pools of nothing.
The exact same glint in Ben’s eyes.
Jules’s eyes.
Violet’s eyes.
Like something was gnawing away at their psyche, twisting and contorting it, filling them with darkness, poison, that was so vast, so endless, I had craved it as a child. I still don't know what it is.
But I'm going to find it.
Lucy's laugh was shrill, and next to me, Ben didn't move a muscle.
“I don't even wear glasses!”

24F
A few days ago on Friday, I noticed I had a pressure headache and pain in my neck. I thought it was due to the way I was laying on my neck in bed in an improper position, so I thought nothing of it. The next day, I noticed the headache was on and off, but I mainly noticed it standing up after sitting for a prolonged period of time. I woke up drenched in sweat late at night Friday night-Sunday night. On Monday night, i woke up a tad drenched, but not too much. On Sunday, I took my temp and had a fever of 101 with chills. I took Covid/flu test, they said it was negative but I’m not sure if it was false negative. My fever went away after taking theraflu starting Sunday.
Today is Tuesday, I no longer have a fever, at least I don’t think so. I took my temp and it says 100 but that could be false given I just came in the house from outside (it’s hot out) and I was chewing gum. So I’ll take my temp again in about 30 mins. My lymph nodes hurt moreso on the right side under neck, I noticed I have red spots on the roof of my mouth, doesn’t hurt when I swallow only my lymph node hurts when I swallow, I also had a bit of eye pain in my right eye but it surprisingly just disappeared. I also have an on and off pressure headache. What could this be? I know this was long so I’m so sorry. The urgent care doc told me to just let it pass because it’s most likely a virus and it didn’t make sense to come in and get retested :/ should I be concerned? How long should I wait to go to a different doc for testing if symptoms continue to persist? I saw people speaking about lymphoma. I don’t feel ill whatsoever. I just have a headache, sore lymph nodes with mild ear pain that comes and goes every now & again.
**Edit: I’m not sure if this info is necessary, but I haven’t been drinking as much water as I should so I’ve been dehydrated (I started drinking water again on Friday though). I’ve also been REALLY stressed beyond measure with just work, trying to save up money with my move in the next month, stressing about a potential career transition, stability, etc. just a lot of stress. I even picked up a second job and yeah, that’s been real stressful too. So I’m not sure if this is impacting me or something else.

Started feeling achy last night. Symptoms are:

• full body aches
• cough with some phlegm
• Awesome Headache
• Out of breath
• slightly sore throat.
• Hard to think

So far sinuses are ok but I think that’s coming next.
Edit: Got tested, and as some suggested it is Covid. Lovely.

The other day I had tried to set up an AC unit filled with mold in my room- I have a severe mold allergy due to living in a moldy room growing up. My dad said it was clean, and it probably looked clean. I turned it on and had trouble breathing and it progressed into Anaphylaxis. I asked my mom to check if the room smelled, because I was having trouble breathing, and she yelled at me that she doesn't care- fine. I went back and got it out of my room myself but the anaphylaxis continued.
We had no allergy pills. I asked her to go out and buy some the next day because I could breathe at like 50% capacity, (I can't drive, I am disabled, she usually agrees to take me places I need to go like this). She screams at me the entire time and keeps telling me I'm lying about the AC, I am making this all up and is hell bent on that.
Well, 4 days later- I'm still having major trouble breathing. I asked her if she could make an appt for me because I could not breathe well and she usually offers to call the doctor for me. She blows up on me and tells me again that she thinks I'm completely lying and blowing this out of proportion- I'm not. I'm coughing and wheezing, my chest and throat hurt and I can't stop crying and it's harder to breathe now on top of that because she has been screaming at me for a good 20 minutes straight.
I actually went to my narc dad- who literally couldn't care less about me, he doesn't even know my full name, scapegoated me, and he was kind to me and believed me. He offered to take me to a hospital tomorrow. My mom caught me talking to him and now she's PISSED- because I have confided in her hating him a lot. Yeah, I do hate him, but I need help, and I can't believe he's actually providing me help and she is not. I would do anything for my mom and have been doing anything for her my whole life. My mom now thinks I'm "trying to be like my older sister" who was the golden child, because I'm "kissing up to" my dad, but in reality, I just need help so badly. I have no intentions of keeping that horrible dynamic alive.
I don't know what I want, can someone just talk me through this? I'm not crazy for being so hurt by her behavior? I'm so damn confused right now- I didn't do anything wrong. I feel like the thing I did wrong, was need help!!

For starters I am on the autism spectrum. I also have a masters in biotechnology and work in clinical research. I am in NO WAY qualified to practice medicine, but I’m literate in some things and not completely ignorant. Also am aware I need to advocate for myself and my health which is what I attempted to do today (and got shut down).
I’ve been sick for 3ish weeks. Started as a typical cold, then progressed to low grade fevers. Sore throat, cough with nasty green mucus, sinus pain and headache that comes and goes.
I am also constantly EXHAUSTED. I’d sleep 12+hrs a day if I could.
Now, this has happened to me 2 times in the past 5 years. Each time it was walking pneumonia. Each time I supposedly had clear lung sounds but after failing to improve it was caught on the chest cray.
My regular NP wasn’t available short notice so I went to the other one in the practice. She said my lungs were clear and it was allergies.
I asked if I could have a chest xray to rule out pneumonia. Explained I have walking pneumonia present like this commonly. She said no because “my lungs were clear” and she didn’t see any suggestion of it.
I asked if she could look at my chart and see my records- how I’ve had pneumonia twice in the past 5 years that presented like this.
She said that her clinical findings didn’t support an cray and it would be “unsafe” to expose me to radiation that can “increase the risk of blood cancers” by doing a chest X-ray (which in my opinion is total bullshit. You sign an informed consent for a reason X-rays are safe. It sounded like a scare tactic to me).
She said to take 40mg prednisone daily for 5 days plus Allegra for my “allergies” that I now suddenly have and if that doesn’t work come back in a week and she’s going to give me an inhaler?
I’m over it. I have to be miserable for the next week now. I hope the prednisone works, but my hopes aren’t high. I just feel so gaslit.
I coughed so hard I peed myself yesterday. I have so much green mucus and I’m miserable.
Was I out of line asking for a chest X-ray given my medical history of walking pneumonia? I just want to get back to feeling good again I’ve been sick for 3 weeks and miserable.

***Lily***
“Quite. While magic is Heavily reliant on imagination, it works both ways. While you can imagine something amazing or beautiful, you could easily imagine something horrifying and terrible. It’s fascinating.” She says.
I look across the hallway as I think, an over-active imagination is like a double-edged sword huh? I guess I can see that.
“Come on dear, let’s get this to your friend now, shall we?” Silkie says as she starts walking down the hallway.
I snap out of it and start chasing after her. We start to hear a racket from down the stairs. She picks up the pace, almost leaving me in the dust. We get back to the cafeteria and there is a crowd of people gathered for some reason where we left John and Minos.
“Your extrapolated stories of your so-called “tales” are a stain on the intelligence of any bystander as you disgrace the profession of sea venturers!” We hear someone yell in an angry posh voice.
“Yargh! I, as a mighty man of the sea, refuse to let that insult slide!” We hear yell back.
As Silkie pushes people aside to get through the crowd, I follow behind her. As we reach the center, we see both Minos and John, shirtless, locking horns and hands. It seems that they engaged in a macho man wrestling match and have already overturned a couple of tables.
Silkie yells, “WHAT IS GOING ON!” They ignore her as they both try to wrestle the other to the ground. In response, she webs them both to the point that they both end up on their knees. It was still a surprising amount of webbing though. “What happened? I left you for an hour and This happened?” Silkie says as she walks over the currency on the floor.
I look over and I see some people yelling at an ogre in suspenders holding a bag about, “What do you mean we lost the bet!” I hear them shout at him. He then tries to make a break for it as he says, “So long suckers!”
“Yargh, he insulted the men of the sea!” John claims.
“I did no such thing you buffoon! I insinuated that your pathetic tales lessen those of the sea lifestyle!” Minos claims.
“I Don’t Care! You save this kind of behavior for OUTSIDE this establishment. We provide a sense of safety for our clientele here. How can they feel safe when a fight breaks out between the staff and a customer?” Silkie demands, using what I could guess is her mom voice.
They both look down and start mumbling.
She sighs and says, “Sorry my good man, I apologize for my fellow employees’ behavior. While he is exceptional amongst his species, he still retains their short temper. As such, we of the Red-Skinned Temptress Entertainment Inn would like to extend to you a free week here at any time of your choosing to enjoy our services and facilities.” She then bows as she says, “I sincerely apologize.”
“A WHOLE WEEK! I WOULD LOSE MY…” Minos starts to say.
Silkie shoots him a terrifying glance. I imagine he knows he is in a lot of trouble as he just stares at the ground.
“Well, yargh. That is generous. I’ll forgive ye’s if Fancy pants here apologizes as well.” John says.
A moment passes.
Silkie lets out a very loud click that sends a chill down everyone’s spine. Minos especially.
“I… I apologize for my shameful behavior sir. I recognize that I still have some work to compensate for my temper.” He says dejectedly.
Silkie then turns around and says, “Alright now, break it up. The situation has been dealt with and there is nothing left to see. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
There is some mumbling, but the crowd eventually disperses.
As they disperse, Silkie gets them out of the webbing.
As John gets up, he says, “While ye were annoying with ye fancy big words, I would look forward to having a right good old sparring match with ye in the future. Yargh.”
As Minos stands up, he says, “Well, quite. I must admit, while your mental faculties are wanting, you do make a worthy adversary that few provide.”
I hear Silkie sigh as she asks, “Do you Want me to web you up again?”
John then starts laughing.
Minos coughs and then says, “Well then, while you take care of business here, I shall seek to reacquire my garments and proceed with my duties.” He then walks off with his hands behind his back.
Silkie sighs and turns back to John and says, “Oh well. Regardless, here is that leather armor I told you about.” She then hands him the box.
He opens the box and says, “Yargh, let’s see. We got some gauntlets, shin-guards, and… Wow, I can already tell I will have to work on downsizing this here breastplate.”
I look down at my flat chest and sigh.
At that point, I hear Mr. Doe go, “YOW!”
I look up and see Silkie pinching his shoulder. She then says, “Now now. It’s unbecoming of a gentleman to comment on women’s chest size.”
As he is taken to his knees again, he tries to apologize amongst the yows of pain.
As Silkie lets go, he says “Yargh. Ye is more terrifying than any sea creature Madame.”
She just clicks for a bit and says, “Well, I’ll take that as a compliment. So, how long will it take?”
He looks at me and then the armor. He walks over to me and has me try it all on. The gloves fit pretty ok, the shin-guards are a close fit but, the breastplate is as he says, really loose. I let out a sigh.
“Yargh, with this, I should be able to figure out how much work needs to be done. Shouldn’t be too long, yargh.” He explains. He then takes it off me again and walks off.
“Light green…” I mumble to myself.
“What dearie?” Silkie asks.
“That armor, it was light green.” I point out.
“Yes. Believe it or not, next to black, green is a pretty good color to use to hide yourself.” She explains.
Light green… What a coincidence.
“Hey, Silkie?” I say.
“Hmm? Yes, dearie?” She responds.
“Do you have any hair dye remover?” I ask.
“Why, yes. Why dearie?” She asks.
“I would like to apply it.” I answer.
She looks at me and makes a couple of clicks. She then says, “Interesting… Very well. Follow me.” She then starts walking back up the stairs.
I sigh as this will be the third or fifth time going up and down these stairs.
We get to a door and she unlocks it with her keys. We step in and, I gotta say, I was quite surprised.
She turns to me and says, “Not what you were expecting, were you?”
“Not really. It’s all so… Pink. And fluffy. And a surprising number of plush animals. Whose room is it?” I ask.
“Why, it is mine sweetie.” She answers with.
“What!?” I blurt out.
“Is it so strange? I enjoy pink and fuzzy things are quite comfortable. I would wear it but, it clashes with my abdomen. Oh well, at least I get to enjoy it here.” She explains.
“And the plush animals?” I ask.
“Mementos of my babies from when they were little. Some wanted them and now that they have outgrown them, I just can’t part with them. And they are all also SO cute!” She says.
I want to ask her how old she is now. But I know that is rude.
We get to the bathroom and she grabs a bottle and says, “Here it is. Go ahead and pull up a seat and I’ll apply it.” She says.
I go back and grab a seat from the other room and pull it up to the sink. I then remove the mask and the symbol Wabbajack gave me. While I am doing that, she starts up the sink. I walk back in and she says, “Go ahead and dip your head and I’ll take it from there, okay?”
I nod and dip my head under the faucet. She then begins applying it. As she is doing that, I hear her say, “My! I certainly didn’t expect that.”
Truth be told, I had forgotten about it myself till recently.
After a while, she says, “All done. I gotta say, it looks better this way.”
I look in the mirror and I see my old silver hair. The hair my sister hated and dyed brown so long ago. It really feels like I am seeing myself for the first time. It almost seems alien. Again.
At that moment, we hear a loud slam and someone yell, “I MESSED UP! IRIS! I NEED YOUR HELP!”
I recognize that voice. I run towards the stairs to see Wabbajack appearing and disappearing from spot to spot looking for somebody. Iris I imagine.
“I LOST HER! I MADE HER MAD OR SOMETHING! I CAN’T FIND HER! SOMETHING COULD BE HAPPENING TO HER RIGHT NOW! I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!” He continues to scream.
“Calm down Wabbajack! Take a breath.” Silkie says coming up from behind me.
“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND! SHE COULD BE IN DANGER!” he yells. He then stops still as he looks up. “Lily?” I hear him ask.
I walk down the stairs as I say, “Yes. It’s me. Listen, I just want to say…”
As I reach the last step, I stop as I see him slide on his knees up to me and spreads his hands out on the floor before me. He then slams his head so hard on the floor making a loud, thick noise as his hat flies off. “I’M SO SORRY! I WASN’T TRYING TO GET RID OF YOU! I SWEAR! EVEN IF WE FOUND YOU A HOUSE, I WOULD HAVE PROMISED TO VISIT WHENEVER I GOT THE CHANCE! I… I just wanted to make sure you were happy and safe. Even if it meant that I couldn’t see you again…” He says, finally calming down enough to lower his voice from the frantic yelling to almost a whisper.
I am slightly stunned. This guy who always seemed to have everything planned out and always seemed on top of everything, was full on bowing in front of me after losing his cool, worried about me. He really is this weird guy that would give the shirt off his back to help someone. In the weirdest way possible. I take the last step and kneel down in front of him and say, “Wabbajack, get up.”
He shakes his head and says, “No! I messed up! I’m sorry! I would understand if you never wanted to see me again.”
I sigh and say, “Wabbajack, please. Sit up.”
He slowly sits up while doing his best to keep his eyes on the floor. As soon as he is fully sitting up, I then give him a hug.
“What’s happening? What are you doing? Are you trying to throw me?” he asks confused, arms sticking out, unsure what to make of me.
I lean back, arms fully extended and hands on his shoulders, and say, “No! It’s a hug.” Unable to keep the smile out of my voice.
“Oh. OH.” Shifting awkwardly, he cleared his throat and tried again. “Sorry, of course. I just don’t usually get hugged much so it caught me off guard,” shrugging sheepishly, he avoided my eyes. Clearly embarrassed by his outburst and my display of affection.
If Wabbajack had been able to blush, I would swear he’d be beet red right now.
Even those he considers family keep a certain distance from him as well. That’s… that’s not fair. If they have seen the things I have seen him do, then they would understand that he does those things for a reason. As terrible as they can be. I want to ask if anyone has hugged him just because. I don’t think now is a good time. If I try to push it, he would just try to deflect the question anyways. I thought I had it bad with Lilith but he’s never really experienced letting someone truly care for him. How awful. Before I let myself spiral too much thinking about it all, I go back to hugging him. At this point I think I might need it just as much as he does.
A moment passes.
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I apologize in advance for being long winded and rambling - I'm just so emotionally and mentally exhausted, and upset for my SS. Here goes:
We have SS12 and his brothers EOWE. After leaving our house two weeks ago, the following Monday SS was out of school due to "illness". We thought nothing of it, as HCBM often likes to let them play hooky after weekends with us so she can be the "cool fun mom". But SS missed the next day, then another day, and then one more - 4 days out sick in a row. DH tried to call SS every day to see how we was doing, but as usual the phone was "lost", or "SS was just in the bathroom every single time you called, you just have really bad luck!" - DH messaged HCBM to ask what was going on and if SS had been to the doctor. She told him it was just a little sore throat, same thing the other boys had earlier in the month and nothing to worry about. DH asked if she'd checked his tonsils for paleness or spots since his sore throat was lasting so long. She insisted she checked them and they were fine, and that he was on the mend and good to go to school Friday.
Sure enough, he went to school Friday. He went to school the whole next week too, so while we were frustrated she didn't take him to a doctor after presumably being sick enough to stay home from school four days in a row, we assumed he was in fact better. At pickup however, DH found SS barely able to speak, lethargic, coughing constantly, and with oozing cold sores all around his mouth. He was clearly miserable. I'm shocked the school allowed him to attend in this condition. HCBM tried to tell DH "it's just a really lingering sore throat, it will go away soon" and that the cold sores were just "acne that flared up from his fever". Poor SS believed her in all this, because in his mind she's his mom and why would she lie? She made him cover his face in Band-Aids while at school, and told faculty there it was just bad acne and nothing to worry about.
After pick up, SS kept insisting he'd be fine and not to worry about him. (Poor SS clearly sees himself as a burden at times, which HCBM essentially told him he was - she told him and his brothers during the divorce that DH "left" because the boys were too much for him and he didn't want to be their dad anymore. They were all very young and impressionable, SS12 being barely 6 at the time. She has done everything she can to alienate them and plant false stories in their head. We have of course done everything we can to show this is not the case, that we love them and want to spend time with them but we have HCBM fighting us every step we take). We told him that it was alright, taking him to the doctor was no problem and that he really should have gone a week ago, so it was especially important we go now. When DH asked SS if he's had any additional symptoms to what we could see, and explained that he knows HCBM already checked his tonsils but we should check again, SS and his bothers all gave puzzled looks and said "mom has never checked our tonsils before". She didn't even do the bare minimum this whole time.
DH sent a message to HCBM notifying her we were taking SS to urgent care and requested insurance information (which she was supposed to provide us long ago per the parenting plan, since she refuses to let us get them off her state insurance and onto our private insurance, but that's one of many other issues). Of course the doctor took one look at SS and identified the cold sores as cold sores, not acne. And after a look at his throat and a positive test, confirmed it was strep throat. He confirmed that it would require treatment or only continue to get worse, and prescribed the appropriate medication. Poor SS was visibly upset when he realized his mom had neglected him. DH sent another message to HCBM, confirming it was strep and cold sores, informing her he would send home copies of all the paperwork and the medication, and again asking for insurance info. Both messages to her went unread all weekend. (Usually if one of the boys has even a little cough while with us she is blowing DH up with messages asking how her precious babies are so this was odd to us). At pick up, DH informed her of the situation and again asked for insurance information to be sent. Her reaction was the most over the top, bad acted "Whaaaat?! I don't understand how!! I checked his tonsils and they looked fine!! And his face looked just like mine when I was getting puberty acne so I didn't think it was anything to worry about! Thank you soooo much for taking him in!!" She lied again about checking the tonsils, and we saw SS wince at the lie. She responded to the messages later on, shockingly giving us his insurance info (of course just his, even though we asked for the others in case we ever need it) so we're thankful for that at least. In her message she suggested next time we call or text her outside the parenting app, because she "didn't get an app notification and should have been informed" - always trying to paint us the bad guy. She has not acknowledged that SS has medication that he needs to continue to take. We have to hope she does the right thing and stays on top of it.
Monday rolls around, and we get a notice that the youngest SS - SS8 - is out of school for the day with the reason given being "ear ache, doctor's appointment". Each boy has missed about 20 days of school this year, and she has NEVER put "doctor's appointment" in her reason why prior to this. SS8 was just with us and showing no signs of an ear ache. I'm not saying it's impossible, but the timing is suspicious. This looks to us like she's trying to cover her butt and show that she takes the boys to the doctor when they need. We're not worried about that aspect of it, she always has and always will be about making sure she *appears* to be a "good mom". My frustration is what message is she sending SS12?! He was so incredibly sick for two weeks - clearly very uncomfortable at best and in pain and miserable at his worst. And she did NOTHING except gaslight him into believing he was just a little sick, it would go away soon, that's just acne, it's no big deal. Now SS8 allegedly has an ear ache and she IMMEDIATELY takes him to a doctor the very same morning. SS12 at the very least has to be wondering why he wasn't worth her effort or her time when he was sick. She's probably working over time on damage control and telling him every possible excuse, she just didn't know, she really thought it was just a little cold, she just loves him so much and feels so very bad etc. (She loves to guilt them and make them put her before themselves, make them feel bad about how SHE feels instead of acknowledge she did something wrong or let them feel their own feelings, good or bad). I'm just so frustrated that he had to go through all the physical and emotional pain and discomfort while sick, and now even though he's getting better, he still has to deal with so much more emotional and mental pain and stress. My heart hurts for him and his brothers. I wish they could have the life DH and I want so badly to give them. I'm struggling with how little control we have and how little we can do.
Thank you for reading. This was more of a vent than anything. Friends and family just don't get the challenges and difficulties of stepmom life so I don't really have anyone to share this with to get it off my chest. I will probably delete later.
TLDR - HCBM let SS12 suffer for two weeks with strep throat and oozing cold sores, lied about checking his symptoms even in front of SS12, and after all this immediately took younger SS8 to the doctor after an "ear ache" suddenly appeared the moment he left our care leaving SS12 wondering why she didn't get him help when he needed it but will help younger SS right away.

Has anyone else gone through this? I'm sort of self-diagnosing based on my research, but last night my throat felt terrible after eating. I couldn't even sleep, and now everything hurts today. My digestive issues have been really bad since starting recovery, even though I eat very nutrient-dense foods. Today's pain is the worst ever; last night when I went to bed, my throat and stomach felt incredibly congested, and today I have a headache, sore throat, and stomach problems. There's no bloating, just a lot of pain. Recovery is tough when dealing with these new developments. Will this eventually improve?

My mother (62F) has been ill for 4 days now. She started with sore throat, cough (some secretions though not much) and a low grade fever. She was seen 2 days ago at an urgent care and they tested her for Covid/Flu and both came back negative. She did test positive for UTI. She did do spirometry while there. Also had BP of 142/82. HR was normal. Temp 99.9 (which only goes down due to 500mg tylenol). Prescribed cefdinir 300mg twice daily for 10 days. She declined steroids (prednisone). She has consistently had no appetite. She continues to test neg for Covid. So far little to no improvement. Could this be pneumonia? RSV? How long should she wait until seeking further treatment? Anything helps, thanks!

This was taken down due to lack of demographics so re-submitting
37F, 5’3”, 140, Asian Am with persistent Sore throat for five days. Probably caught from 2yo toddler in daycare who had one day of high fever and no other symptoms
Five days ago I started getting a tingly scratchy feeling in my throat. The day after I was sick-fever, body aches, chills, sore throat was worse. The third day was the worst-more intense body aches and chills. Sore throat was so bad could barely eat and drink. When I did eat, the pain was so bad I was sweating (also sweating from fever breaking.) never developed a cough or congestion. Fourth day was slightly better, sore throat still felt embedded with small shards of glass while swallowing. Yesterday went to urgent care, no more fever or body aches or chills, sore throat remains, not as bad as the third day but still 5 or 6/10 pain when not taking OTC meds. Got negative on both rapid and PCR Covid, flu, strep, and RSV.
What could this be? It’s driving me crazy. The NP/PA at the urgent care say it’s viral and I just have to ride it out. Pain is slightly less but comparable to when I got strep last year (I’d say that was 8/10 but it only lasted two days before I got antibiotics), but I’m going mad with the consistent pain. It feels like there is a line of pain down the left side of my throat that’s an open wound. Even with meds its like a constant buzzing of painful itchiness and stabbing pinpricks of hurt. It gets so bad at night that I wake up with radiating muscle-like aching through my jaw and the back of my mouth. Its painful to eat or drink anything that’s not water. Im so hungry but I can just barely wash down apple sauce and soup with water. Even eating ice cream is painful, feels like a burning in the back of my throat. I’m drooling because I’m avoiding swallowing. I’m alternating Tylenol and Advil and sucking on Halls lozenges. I’m doing salt water gargles. I was using Chloraseptic throat spray but I woke up with a tingly and swollen top lip that is still persisting so I have decided to stop taking that. Any other remedies? How much longer can this last? The urgent care said they can prescribe antibiotics but I turned it down since they said it’s not recommended and they think it’s viral. Should I just take it?
Any existing relevant medical issues None
Current medications none

Hello, I hope someone can shed some light. I (35F) occasionally - maybe once every 3-6 months max) will lurch up in the middle of the night wheezing and struggling for breath, my throat feels like it's closed to a tiny pin hole I can suck air through. I cough a lot after each breath, and I drink a lot of water, which seems to help. I have to do this teeny breath- cough- water loop for a good few minutes before it feels like I've returned to anything like normal breath.
Someone recently observed it happening, and she thought my throat was closing up like I was going into a terrible allergic reaction or asthma attack and nearly called the hotel reception for medical help because it took long enough for me to be able to breath again.
I've tried to look into this before, but I don't think its sleep apnoea because a major feature feels like the difficulty breathing is caused by my throat being so incredibly dry. I've had on going allergy issues that no doctor has ever figured out, which means I do end up breathing through my mouth a lot when my nose is blocked. I've wondered if my mouth and throat just dries up too much, or is that nonsense?
Is this more likely part and parcel of allergies or something like sleep apnoea?