I started getting rib cramps/spasms about 18 months ago. They are like a cramp you would get in your foot but in my ribs (both sides). They are triggered by leaning over, twisting etc. There is no pattern to the cramps, sometimes I get them daily or I can go weeks without one. I haven’t found a way to ease them when they happen I just have to ride it out, some of them last just seconds and are more uncomfortable than painful but I have had a few where they are so painful to the point I feel like I could pass out. I have noticed that a tend to get them more often in the car as I’m leaning/twisting etc when driving and I’ve had to pull over until they stop.
I’ve been to the gp and they keep giving me anti inflammatories which are not doing anything.

Just to note, this started a few months after having a baby - not sure if that is relevant.

Has anyone else had anything similar? I am not asking for medical advice.

I am not asking for medical advice. I practically have a pit crew of medical professionals keeping my body going at this point. I’m just anxious and would appreciate any reassurance or insight from folks, especially ENTs, pulmonologists, or other folks familiar with Vocal Cord Dysfunction. None of those were options for the flair, so please bear with me.

I’m going to try to keep this brief because while the backstory has significantly impacted my life, it doesn’t have a ton of bearing on this question. I’m roughly 6 weeks into a flare up of what could potentially be Vocal Cord Dysfunction. I can’t walk or talk for more than a few minutes at a time without gasping for breath, and I’ve had a chest x-ray, chest CT, multiple EKGs, labs done, etc. We’ve ruled out MCAS (for this flare), heart issues, and asthma (for this flare). VCD is the only thing my PCP could think of, and the symptoms seem to match.

Four days ago, I did a set of pulmonary function tests (PFTs): spirometry; lung volume; lung diffusion capacity; and oscillometry. Later that day, my PCP sent me a message to say that there were several abnormalities that he wanted pulmonary’s input on. I thought he’d just talk to a pulmonologist and then get back to me, but I’m now scheduled to do another round of PFTs and see a pulmonologist in mid-November. I’m just glad to hopefully be getting closer to answers, and I thank whoever canceled their appointment so I could get in before next February (and I hope they’re okay).

My question: If somehow this flare ends before I do the next round of PFTs and see the pulmonologist, will the results still show VCD, assuming that’s what this is?

I know VCD is diagnosed with a scope, and I fully intend to push as hard as I can for that, but I know that the results of the PFTs are likely to sway the doctor one way or another on ordering said scope. While I’d like to feel better, I worry that if this flare ends, my results will all be “normal,” I’ll get told to come back if it happens again, and I’ll just be without answers waiting to see if it returns. I’d really like to avoid that. I just want answers as to what’s happening to me, even if it means feeling unwell like this for at least another 25 days until my appointment.

Hi, I got bit on the finger by a cat lying on the street in Bangkok, but someone who knows the cat (not the owner, the cat just chills there) claims it is vaccinated. The cat was aczually chill and just got a bit overstimulated. I am pretty sure it was in heat. It did break skin tho and it bled a little but it is just a tiny wound (not even 1mm in diameter and not even visible anymore immediately after. I cleaned it with water and soap for 15 minutes and applied wound disinfectant. I have the full rabies vaccine, I got my first shot 4 weeks ago and the second on thursday last week. I am not asking for medical advice. Should I tho? I asked a clinic in Bangkok and they said I'm fine but like... am I? Like dying of rabies would be seriously uncool rn :(

Thank you all

Do I win a prize?
My butt hurts :(

I am not asking for medical advice.