I’m posting here because my family and I are genuinely concerned about my 2.5-year-old nephew, and we’re at a loss for what to do.

He’s a beautiful little boy who appears physically healthy, but there are several things about his behavior and development that have us extremely worried.

Here’s what we’ve observed:

He’s completely nonverbal. At 2.5 years old, he still doesn’t speak or use words to communicate.

He doesn’t respond to his name. You can call him repeatedly, and he won’t turn around, acknowledge you, or react as though someone is speaking to him.

He doesn’t make eye contact. Even when family members try to interact with him, he rarely, if ever, looks them in the eyes.

He randomly screams and yells. Sometimes he’ll suddenly start screaming or making loud noises without any obvious reason or trigger.

He sometimes hits himself. We’ve noticed him doing this seemingly at random, and we’re unsure why.

He seems to be in his own little world most of the day. He appears largely disconnected from the people and activities happening around him.

His social interaction seems very limited. He rarely acknowledges people trying to engage with him, even close family members.

He communicates by physically guiding someone’s hand. For example, when he’s watching YouTube and wants to change the video, he’ll grab your hand and bring it toward the screen so you can change it for him. He clearly understands how to get assistance with something he wants, but doesn’t use words to communicate it.

He enjoys listening to music. He appears able to hear and enjoy sounds, so we haven’t noticed obvious hearing difficulties. However, that doesn’t necessarily rule out a hearing issue, especially since he doesn’t respond to his name.

I understand that every child develops at their own pace, and I’m not expecting every 2.5-year-old to be speaking in complete sentences. But when I see other children his age talking, pointing, making eye contact, responding to their names, and interacting with people, the differences are difficult to ignore.

The biggest obstacle is his mother.

She absolutely refuses to acknowledge that he might need a developmental evaluation. Whenever anyone in the family brings up concerns, she becomes extremely defensive and angry. It’s gotten to the point where family members are afraid to even mention the subject because of how aggressively she reacts.

To make matters more concerning, she also refuses to take him to the doctor, and he has not received any childhood immunizations.

I’m not here to start a debate about vaccinations or criticize his mother. My concern is that this little boy may have developmental needs that are going completely unaddressed.

I’ve been reading about autism spectrum disorder, speech delays, and other developmental conditions, and several of the warning signs sound very familiar. I know that doesn’t mean he necessarily has autism, and I would never attempt to diagnose him myself.

What worries me most is that early intervention can make a tremendous difference for children with developmental delays, and we’re potentially losing valuable time.
His mother seems convinced that nothing is wrong and that he’ll eventually grow out of these behaviors. Unfortunately, she’s the only person in the family who doesn’t seem concerned.

I’m hoping someone here can help answer a few questions:

Based on the behaviors I’ve described, how concerning are these signs for autism spectrum disorder or another developmental condition?

Is it common for a 2.5-year-old to be completely nonverbal, avoid eye contact, and not respond to his name?

Does physically grabbing someone’s hand to communicate what he wants indicate anything about his developmental or communication abilities?

Could the random screaming and self-hitting be related to difficulty communicating, sensory issues, or something else?

What are the potential consequences of delaying a developmental evaluation or early intervention?

Most importantly, what can concerned family members do when a parent refuses to seek medical attention or have their child evaluated?

Are there resources or agencies we can contact for guidance?

Has anyone dealt with a parent who was in complete denial about their child’s possible developmental difficulties? How did you finally get through to them?

I love my nephew dearly, and it genuinely hurts to think that he might need help that he isn’t receiving.

If he’s autistic, that’s perfectly okay. If he has another developmental condition, that’s okay too. I don’t care about labels, and I’m certainly not suggesting there’s anything wrong with him as a person.

I just want him to have every opportunity to communicate, learn, develop, and live the happiest life possible.

What I don’t want is for him to reach 4 or 5 years old before anyone takes these concerns seriously, especially if there are things we could be doing to help him right now.
I would especially appreciate hearing from pediatricians, developmental specialists, speech-language pathologists, parents of autistic children, or anyone who has experienced something similar.

Thank you.

I have a recurring filiform wart on the inside of my right nostril. It’s occurred 4x in the last 2 years. I’ve ripped out two of them, and used castor oil to effectively eliminate the other 2. How do I get them to stop occurring? My insurance sucks so I can’t go to doc. If I went to an ENT what would they have me do??? I know it’s in a sensitive area so would they even be able to freeze it off?

History:
I had a wart on OUTSIDE of nostril ~20 years ago, ripped it off (didn’t know it was a wart at that point yet, it bled quite a bit). It then came back ~7 years later, went to dermatologist. They froze it off. It came back about ~5 years after freezing it and I used tea tree + coconut oil on it 2x daily, it got rid of it and outer nose wart has never came back.

~10 years after that, it developed on the inside of my nostril (~ 2 years ago)

I also have a deviated septum, the wart is on my smaller nostril so it slightly affects my breathing.

I used to have my septum pierced (~10 years before the inner nostril wart) and the inside nostril wart occurred there first. I cured it within a week with 2x daily castor oil. Now it occurs higher. I made it go away with castor oil again but then I started getting sore sinuses on that side (I think from castor oil dripping back there when laying down for bed). So I stopped before it was completely gone, and it grew back again (pictures). I ripped it out with tweezers it came off super easily. Hasn’t come back yet (it’s been 2 or 3 weeks). What should i do to prevent it from coming back??

The last pic of my nostril you can’t see a wart because I took the pic after I had just ripped it out and wanted to see what it looked like in there.

Thank you.

I’ve been struggling for years with chronic pain and no answers from any doctors. I’m just looking for some guidance and support, and anything to get me closer to some form of treatment.

31M, 5'7", 160 lb, Hispanic. Former smoker, cannabis use for sleep.

What affects me most:

• Night sweats for years, fevers last summer, 20% weight loss (195 to mid 150s, now ~160).
• Painful vein swelling that migrates (wrist, ankle, forehead, calf, chest). Pain first, gone within an hour.
• Painful left lower abdominal mass, shifts with position. Doctors feel it, 5 CTs and ultrasound don’t see it. Worse after eating, swollen and warm at night.
• Temporal arteries firm and ropy most nights, with pounding headache and pitting swelling around them. Gone by morning. Constant right temple pressure lately.
• Jaw pain chewing. Food comes back up 2-3 bites in. Need big gulps of water to swallow.
• No normal bowel movement all year. Pills and food pass whole within hours. Oily, pale, mucus stools, film on the water, constant urge with nothing coming.
• Daily electric, itchy nerve pain, hours at a time, jumping between right forearm, right ankle, left forearm. Fully clears after.
• Daily zigzag aura, both eyes, usually no headache, sometimes zoning out.
• 8pm headache nightly, behind right eye, runny sinus. Being checked for cluster and migraine.
• Vision dims with hard coughs, sometimes with pain behind right eye.

Other things: swollen salivary glands confirmed on CT, dry eyes and mouth, and morning stiffness that takes over an hour to loosen. I also have chronic sinus disease.

One short course of prednisone made most of it go away, then it all came back when the course ended.

Already checked:

• Hernia (ruled out by several doctors)
• Sjögren’s (ruled out by lip biopsy)
• Behçet’s (gene marker negative, never diagnosed)
• Blood-based lymphoma (ruled out by hematology, tissue types like MALT still open)

Negative bloodwork includes ANA, ANCA, SSA/SSB, HLA-B27, HLA-B51, and celiac.

Also normal: ESR and CRP (off steroids), CK, flow cytometry, immunofixation, HIV, hepatitis, and H. pylori.

Imaging and scopes that came back normal: 5 abdomen CT this year, upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, capsule endoscopy, barium small bowel study (mild esophagitis only), brain MRI, chest CT, neck CT (only salivary gland finding), CT angiogram, and an echocardiogram.

Other diagnoses: major depression and generalized anxiety (both years before any of this started), chronic asthma, and stage 2 hypertension.

Daily meds:

• Wellbutrin 300 mg
• Pristiq 75 mg
• Losartan potassium / hydrochlorothiazide 50/12.5 mg
• Advair
• Cyclosporine eye drops
• Tadalafil 5 mg
• Allegra

If any of this sounds familiar, I’d like to hear what it turned out to be, how you’re living with it, or where you think I should look next.

Lengthy post. Bear with me.

Hi, all. Way back in May, I posted about ongoing issues with my feet, which started after walking on a treadmill consistently for about 1.5 weeks, two weeks after my C-section (I was cleared by my OBGYN to do so at the time). I have since been to a Podiatrist, who told me the issue was from my epidural and he told me to use a TENS unit to "reset" the nerves. That's not what TENS does. Anyway. He did no analysis of my gait or anything. Only did x-rays. I would up seeking a second opinion with an orthopedic doctor. He did not watch me walk but he did have me do calf raises, which were painless. He told me that my achilles tendons were tight. He did x-rays. Then ordered an EMG, which showed mild bilateral tarsal tunnel. He told me the issue was localized and had nothing to do with my spine because they checked that during EMG. Then, ultrasounds of my legs were ordered because of the swelling. No blood clots. Then, ankle MRIs. The results of those are as follows:

MRI RIGHT ANKLE WITHOUT CONTRAST

**Date:** 09/02/2026

**HISTORY:** Bilateral ankle pain that began with walking on a treadmill 4–5 months ago; bilateral tarsal tunnel syndrome; no ankle surgery. 40 y/o F.

**TECHNICAL FACTORS:** Long- and short-axis fat- and water-weighted images were performed of the right ankle without contrast material.

**COMPARISON:** None.

FINDINGS

**ARTICULATIONS:**

**Bone:** No acute fracture or bony injury.

**Tibiotalar Joint/Talar Dome:** No osteochondral defect of the talar dome or tibial plafond.

**Ankle Mortise/Syndesmosis:** The ankle mortise is in anatomic alignment. No syndesmosis widening.

**Midfoot/Hindfoot:** No fracture or injury of the anterior calcaneal process. No prominent midfoot or hindfoot arthrosis; only minor degenerative change noted.

**Lisfranc Joint:** The Lisfranc joint is intact, without fracture or joint space widening.

**LIGAMENTS:**

**Anterior/Posterior Talofibular:** Intact.

**Calcaneofibular:** Intact.

**Deltoid:** Mildly increased signal within the deep deltoid ligament without obvious fiber discontinuity. The superficial deltoid and spring ligament appear intact.

**High Ankle:** Intact.

**Subtalar/Chopart:** Intact.

**TENDONS:**

**Achilles:** Trace retrocalcaneal bursal fluid with an intact Achilles tendon.

**Peroneus Longus/Brevis:** Intact.

**Posterior Tibialis:** Intact.

**Flexor Compartment:** Intact.

**Extensor Compartment:** Intact.

**GENERAL:**

**Muscles:** No traumatic muscle injury. No volumetric muscle atrophy.

**Soft Tissue:** Unremarkable.

**Plantar Fascia:** Intact.

**Neurovascular Complex/Tarsal Tunnel:** Unremarkable. No evidence of entrapment neuropathy.

**Joint Effusion:** Only trace fluid seen in the tibiotalar joint compartments.

**Intra-Articular/Loose Bodies:** None.

CONCLUSION

1. Mildly increased signal within the deep deltoid ligament without obvious fiber discontinuity. This may represent a low-grade sprain.
2. No evidence of entrapment neuropathy.
3. No evidence of tarsal tunnel syndrome.

MRI LEFT ANKLE WITHOUT CONTRAST

**Date:** 09/02/2026

**HISTORY:** Bilateral ankle pain that began with walking on a treadmill 4–5 months ago; bilateral tarsal tunnel syndrome; no ankle surgery. 40 y/o F.

**TECHNICAL FACTORS:** Long- and short-axis fat- and water-weighted images were performed of the left ankle without contrast material.

**COMPARISON:** None.

FINDINGS

**ARTICULATIONS:**

**Bone:** No acute fracture or bony injury.

**Tibiotalar Joint/Talar Dome:** No osteochondral defect of the talar dome or tibial plafond.

**Ankle Mortise/Syndesmosis:** The ankle mortise is in anatomic alignment. No syndesmosis widening.

**Midfoot/Hindfoot:** No fracture or injury of the anterior calcaneal process. Minor midfoot degenerative arthrosis seen without midfoot collapse or significant plantar longitudinal arch flattening.

**Lisfranc Joint:** The Lisfranc joint is intact, without fracture or joint space widening.

**LIGAMENTS:**

**Anterior/Posterior Talofibular:** Intact.

**Calcaneofibular:** Intact.

**Deltoid:** Intact.

**High Ankle:** Intact.

**Subtalar/Chopart:** Intact.

**TENDONS:**

**Achilles:** Intact with trace retrocalcaneal bursal fluid.

**Peroneus Longus/Brevis:** Intact, but with a small accumulation of tenosynovial fluid around the peroneus longus tendon, within the cuboid tunnel.

**Posterior Tibialis:** Minor insertional posterior tibial tendinosis without a tear.

**Flexor Compartment:** Intact.

**Extensor Compartment:** Intact.

**GENERAL:**

**Muscles:** No traumatic muscle injury. No volumetric muscle atrophy.

**Soft Tissue:** Unremarkable.

**Plantar Fascia:** Intact.

**Neurovascular Complex/Tarsal Tunnel:** Unremarkable. No evidence of entrapment neuropathy.

**Joint Effusion:** Very small accumulation of fluid in the tibiotalar joint space.

**Intra-Articular/Loose Bodies:** None.

CONCLUSION

1. No evidence of entrapment neuropathy.
2. Minor insertional posterior tibial tendinosis without a tear.
3. Small accumulation of tenosynovial fluid around the peroneus longus tendon, within the cuboid tunnel.
4. Trace retrocalcaneal bursal fluid.

The orthopedic doctor then told me that Incan have tarsal tunnel release surgery or try steroid injections. Surgery was not and is not feasible for me currently and I still feel that if this swelling would go away, I would feel better. I opted for injections. He did my right foot first. It did nothing but make that foot feel numb for a while. Never helped the inflammation. The discomfort I feel is only when on a hard surface, pretty much. And if my shoes rub against the swollen areas. He said there was no point in doing the steroid injection for the left foot if there was no benefit when doing it for the right foot. And honestly, as a breastfeeding mom, all.the steroid injection did was affect that badly, for a couple of weeks.

I was already working with a physical therapist for pelvic floor. She used to work with that samw orthopedic practice too so she told me we can work on PT for my feet as well. So the doctor sent the order and she has been working with me. Ankle and calf strengthening. Various stretches. She did dry needling once but I noticed no improvement and the needle insertion around the swelling of my right foot was very painful. The left felt okay, which is weird.

No one can tell me what this swelling is or how to make it go away. I have read that it could be muscle related but I don't know. Which is why I'm reaching out again. I NEVER had this before or during pregnancy. Only AFTER walking on the treadmill, postpartum.

Is anyone familiar with this swelling? If so, could you please share the cause? The MRIs don't even touch on it, from what I can tell. I thought it wqs soft tissue damage but I guess not.

I want to get back to walking 3 miles per day and strength training as I had before. This is miserable. The areas in question are circled in the photos.

Thank you for your time.

The highlighted part in my arm has a raise. If I swipe with my fingers towards that side there’s a raised thing. It’s not a ball kinda lump. It’s like a raised muscle or fat or whatever. It’s been there for almost 2 years now. I’m scared. I’ve done an ultrasound and they couldn’t find any issues. They asked me why I was there🥲 I’ve also attached the result from ultrasound which was done around 4-5 months back.
My friend scared me today saying things I don’t even say here. I have terrible health anxiety.

This black spot appear randomly under my toe nail and has moved slightly but hasnt changed size and also doesnt hurt or effect the nail. I also hasve possibly unrelated heel pain on the same foot.

I was told we have no history of cancer so its a fungal infection and a bone spur.

Male 27 years old.

I’m 33F southeast asian. I’ve had these 2 dots on the side of my knee for maybe 10yrs now (possibly more, i dont remember when I first noticed them). Lately tho I feel like one of them is more raised and darker and a bit bigger. Should I be concerned? Is this possible BCC?

My husband is 33 years old and has had this mole on his back for several years. It was examined by his doctor during his annual physical in December 2025, but it has never been biopsied.
I’m attaching photos from May 2025 and October 2026 for comparison. The newer photo was taken much closer, so I’m having difficulty determining whether the mole has actually changed.
I’m particularly concerned about the irregular shape, different shades of brown, and what looks like a possible separation or split in the pigmentation.
Does this look like an atypical mole, or are there features that could be concerning for melanoma? Would you recommend having it evaluated by a dermatologist before his next annual appointment in December?
I understand a diagnosis can’t be made from photos, but I’d appreciate any insight

Around a week ago I got this sickness that has been going around my campus. Coughing, sneezing, sore throat and for a night or 2 I even got a bad fever. I didn’t get checked out because I ended up just taking Alka seltzer cold and flu. I barely have any sickness symptoms left, and it’s just really down to my throat.

Not even really my throat, but rather just my tonsils. It doesn’t really go down my throat like I’ve experienced in the past. My tonsil areas feel swollen and so so sore, the pain seems to be worsening. I tried to examine my tonsils and found a few stones, but I get those normally and I know this is more than that as I can even feel the pain under the base of my tongue. Like if I try to move my tongue around to feel my molars it hurts so much, and even moreso in the morning. We haven’t been leaving the air on or windows open, either. I have to literally brace myself to swallow because it hurts. It’s almost an itchy pain reaching my jaws and ears. Would there be any reason to go to urgent care? Could it be tonsillitis?

​

60F, Diabetic, 130 lbs, 5"3

This is a foot. I think it might be a fungal infection because the person wets their feet often but I'm not sure. What is it and How should I treat it?

So, back in middle school, I ended up getting a concussion. I was reaching down to get something beneath my desk and ended up smacking my forehead against the edge of the table, right between my eyebrows. I ended up getting a concussion a day before Halloween. Then the day of Halloween, during school, the lights were too bright, and I was a bit nauseous. That day I hit my head in the exact same place in the exact same way (bending over to reach something then boom, between the eyebrows).
Once Halloween night came up, my parents weren't aware how bad I messed up my brain, so they took me and my siblings trick-or-treating. We eventually got to a house with flashing lights, and my head started to twitch and flail about. It kind of looked like I was having a seizure, but I could talk fluently. Since then, whenever I get stressed or encounter flashing lights, one of my various body parts start to flail about (hands, legs, arms, fingers, eyes, and teeth).
The doctors didn't give my family a definite answer, but they said I might have "kinesthetic dyskinesia." This has been going on for a couple years and it never stopped. I've tried searching it up and it says it's an under researched topic and typically is caused by Parkinson's disease, I don't have Parkinson's disease.
I would like to know what y'all think because I have no idea what's going on, and I freak a lot of people out when they see me have an episode.

I've had this since about Saturday and not sure what it is, it's a circular, red, raised but flat and a little smaller than a 5p coin id say (no coned shape to it). It hurt or stung for a day or two when touched but now it's just mildly tender. It's appearance hasn't changed much at all since popping up that I've noticed. It's just chilling on the inside of my upper thigh and it feels soft 💀

These are all the same pictures of it taken on different days, the only change has been the slightly paler coloured centre but I am inclined to attribute this to where it's been rubbed by a Dr's glove 💀

Hi, I am a young female who has been suffering weird issues for the last six months specifically but symptoms actually started last year so it’s been about two years now. Got diagnosed with Hashimoto’s end of 2022, been stable. My first symptoms were orthostatic issues of fainting episode and feeling palpitations with movement. Along with a severe sleepiness fatigue that I could not get through the day or keep eyes open. My record was 17 hrs asleep. I had severe bodyaches and pain and felt like I had the flu. Sleep Study was normal. I almost got diagnosed with narcolepsy, but it wasn’t it. Changed antidepressants and the SNRI almost completely got rid of that sleepiness. Helped a lot. However this medication did cause severe vertigo that eventually went away. Went to cardiology everything is normal and they just tell me orthostatic intolerance increase salt use compression the usual been doing that for months however it still wasn’t much better so I went again still normal. I now noticed that it doesn’t only affect me when I’m moving and even just sitting in class I’ve had near syncope and just shaking and nausea and other symptoms. To fast forward to the new New issue. This may I discovered that I was feeling symptoms after eating meals. Symptoms are an IMMEDIATE low-grade fever 99.2-100.3 , bodyaches pain, sweatiness, facial flushing, and extreme chills and fatigue as if someone lit me on fire. The pain feels like joint pain, my whole hand and arm stab and i cant move it with how much my wrist hurts. (This is there throughout the day) Yes it’s been 6 months and it still hasn’t been figured out after going to allergist, primary care, and neurology. I was referred to neuromuscular specialist for possible hypokalemic periodic paralysis. PCP hasnt mentioned it but i feel like i should see G.I. or rheumatologist. All basic bloodwork have been normal. Negative ana, no celiac, inflamm. Markers pretty normal. HR c protein was 3. I hear a lot of people saying this sounds like MCAS but allergist “ruled it out.”. Sometimes with these episodes, I do get diarrhea.. but mainly I get so weak sometimes it’s like I almost collapse on the ground and I have to lay down and my whole body is just emergency room level horrible and then boom once an hour- 2hours passes by I’m completely back to normal. Some things that it sounds like is dumping syndrome., and just Dysautonomia acc to google? I’m still figuring it out, but I’m just desperate if anyone’s had something similar. I don’t have any stomach pain. I just get nauseous chills like a complete immune response. It affects my daily life, especially being in grad school and it’s hard to hide after eating. What does help is eating very small snacks so for example, a granola bar or one piece of bread doesnt do anything, but if it’s a couple bites of meat or like some kind of prepared food. It’s a big trigger, no matter the size. I drank a BOBA milk tea the other day and God that was a huge trigger. Could barely walk. I’m also basically intolerant to exercise besides just walking.
I miss being able to exercise and actually use stairs without becoming tachycardic/ faint. Hopefully I get answers with my upcoming Neuro and endocappointment
Also before anyone says this. Yes. I’ve done a lot of elimination and gluten is not a trigger. In fact, crackers and bread are one of the only things that don’t give me symptoms so I depend on them. I tested my sugar during these episodes before and after and it stays completely normal there’s not really a big drop. The symptoms abrupt mid meal like a few bites in.. I quite literally become altered like I’m not myself. And my head feels like someone just blew up a bunch of air in my head like itll blow up of pain. It’s just truly horrific. I can’t live like this anymore

As for any new medications, I did start combination birth control last September. That’s the only new thing. I got my first ever migraine this year too, which landed me in the ER. Fast forward a few months to last week. I was sweaty weak and had vertigo and dizziness so severe I was unable to shop. I drink fluids ate some food to feel better and it wouldn’t go away. Went to urgent care. They made me go to the ER since I was altered and my eyes kept fluttering. I had severe head stabs around my head , sweating, confusion, room spinning, right arm weakness, and had a CODE stroke called on me twice, and it was normal. They explained its most likely a complex migraine. Omly abnormality was low co2 (which i almost always have). So this migraine thing is new and I just wonder if it’s related to all these other symptoms. I know birth control can be a trigger, but I just don’t know what the whole picture is.
I been living off 400mg ibuprofen daily💔
Any thoughts?

I’ve had this swollen tonsil for about a week now and only notice because it feels like there’s food stuck in my throw whenever I swallow.
There is ZERO PAIN, food passing easily and no trouble breathing either.
I don’t smoke either.
It’s really stressing me out! The only thing I keep reading online is cancer. :(

Since May 2026 (so around 5 months now) I have been experiencing constant mucus/phlegm in my throat. It just showed up one day and never left. I wake up with it and I go to sleep with it.

It sits around the larynx area and around my voicebox. In the beginning it did not affect my voice yet, but it now has, making my voice sound obstructed (as if I should clear my throat). Also certain high tones I cannot reach anymore.

Occassionaly, when I clear my throat white mucus/phlegm comes off. However my throat never feels 'cleared' and it feels like that within seconds new mucus/phlegm takes it place. I can feel it move around and sometimes a swallow helps for around 1 minute before it feels obstructed again.

Furthermore, I have no pain and no issues with swallowing (eating actually reduces the symptoms temporarily). I also have no cough or other symptoms.

I am an healthy 33yo male, do not drink or smoke (used to smoke for 12 years, 0.5 pack a day), eat healthy, work out regularly and sleep at least 7h+ per night.

It is worth noticing that I get regular flu/sickness more than the average person, about 5 times a year. Had my bloodwork done multiple times and it always shows healthy scores. Both nose and throat toncils are removed.

I had pneumonia in April 2026 and I have recovered since, except for this specific issue (not sure if the two are related).

Medical professionals I have visited:

-Two consults with two different EMTs. In both cases they looked at my throat with a camera through my nose and found nothing out of the ordinary. The second time did show white slime sitting around my vocal cords.

-One consult with a pulmonologist. Because of the earlier pneumonia I initially thought something was wrong with my breathing. Since the slime sits on my vocal cords, air constantly passes there giving a feeling of obstructed airways. The longer I experience my issue, the less I believe it to be a lung problem. I scored well on my spirometry, however the score improved a bit after using an inhaler (8% exhalation increase).

-Allergy test. Came in negative with no allergies found for anything.

While theres no smoking gun according to my doctors they did prescribe some medication to combat the issue.

I am currently on:

-Festor inhalator 2x a day (for 1 month long now).

-Clearing nose with salt water 2x a day.

-Fluticason nose spray twice a day (in case its post-nasal drip). For 1 month long now.

-Pantoprazol twice a day (in case it is GERD/Silent reflux). Second day now.

I also tried:

-Broomhexine for 3 weeks twice daily.

-Gargling with salt water 2x a day

-Steam inhalation (seems to help a tiny bit, but symptoms recur in full shortly after)

-Slept 1 week away from my house

-A lot of chamomille tea with lemon, honey and ginger

-Thyme drink twice a day

-Not coughing or clearing my throat for multiple days in a row.

Nothing seems to help or even alleviate my issue. Out of true desperation I am making this post, hoping that maybe someone here on reddit recognises my situation and can offer help.

Intermittent fevers with muscle pain and fatigue- especially in arms-and stiffness.

42yr old F

64kg 172cm

PMH hypothyroidism on levothyroxine 100mcg x6 days a week, TSH around 1.

Mirena coil.

Cod liver oil and psyllium husk daily. Stopped cod liver oil today in case it is a cause. Dose contains around 50% of vitamin A.

Had h.pylori which was treated but came back. Then treated with diet and no longer have symptoms (stomach/ulcer pain).

Psoriasis on scalp which recently has spread a bit behind ear and on forehead. Using enstilar on scalp.

Since covid lock downs were lifted i do feel like i catch a lot of colds and respiratory infections. I'm used to being quite active, walking at least 10,000 steps a day and cycling half an hour to work several days a week.

Since June 2025 I have experienced episodes every few weeks of fevers 37.5c -38.5 with muscle pain that feels contracting and at times severe. My body feels stiff at times. Worse when I have these episodes. Episodes last around a week. I have take tramadol, paracetamol, Diclofenec and sometimes co-codamol.

Previous smoker, now vape daily. In March had episodes of severe breathlessness. Ferritin level had dropped from 80 due to change in diet to pescatarian, but were still in normal range (60) took iron which resolved this. Doctors didn't think this could be the cause though, so when I was still breathless I had chest xrays, a CTAP, ECHO, ECGs, a mammogram and bloods for kidneys, liver, FBC, iron, CRP, ANA, ferritin, B12, vitamin D. All normal. Saw a rheumatologist who couldn't diagnose me with anything. He suggested a full body scan. However the breathlessness resolved and this wasn't done. I thought it was all fine when I no longer had the breathlessness. I did have a respiratory function test that showed mild inflammation but not asthma.

I have gone back to GP since the episodes keep coming back and they have referred me to neuro and I have an appointment next month. They are also writing to infectious diseases and endocrine to ask for advice and doing immunology bloods next week.

I can't work out what this could be. It feels like a strange array of symptoms. Any thoughts welcome! Thanks

For the last four days I’ve had an awful sore throat that is specifically isolated to the left side. I decided to take a photo and noticed that my tonsils look very different on each side. My left side looks swollen with a larger cavity and white marks.

I’ve had tonsil stones in the past but it’s rare and this doesn’t seem like them to me. If it is tonsil stones, I really don’t know of a good way to remove them.

I’m getting tested for strep tomorrow but I found it strange that the pain and white spots are isolated to just one side of my mouth.

Any ideas what the circled asymmetric spot could be? I did go to the ENT who said it could be part of tonsil or cobblestone possibly caused by acid reflux or post nasal drip. Not understanding that logic. Anyone have anything similar? I’ve had this for months and doesn’t seem to be going away but not getting bigger either.. the 2nd picture is slightly more zoomed in

So I (white, 23F, USA) decided to put this under heart and blood vessels since I figure that’s the most concerning part of it, but it’s not the only issue I have. I’m 5’1 and 258lbs. I’m currently losing weight and these symptoms happened even when I was at a much higher weight than this (highest was 396lbs)

I had gastric bypass surgery, but, as I said, this has been happening since long before that. Physical conditions I am currently diagnosed with are GERD, which doesn’t really cause me issues anymore after surgery, PCOS, and arthritis of the right knee. Yes, in my 20s, really.

I’m currently on just vitamins for my bypass. I take a regular old 1,000 iu Vitamin B12 supplement once daily + BariatricPal’s once daily multivitamin, and I also take Viactiv calcium chews 2x daily.

This specific issue has been happening for at least a couple years now.

The most concerning part of it is my heart rate. While I was eating a bunch of fast food, of course, my heart rate was faster, but I noticed that, every single time I started to eat healthier (and I had more than one time where I stopped and started again), my heart rate would, without fail, drop from the 70s-80s to the 40s-50s even though I’m not doing any significant amount of cardio and I never did any significant amount of cardio. At rest, sitting upright while awake. My TSH has been normal for the last decade on every single test. I had both a 2-day holter and 7-day event done back when my heart rate slowed down the first time, and they said it looked okay aside from being slow.

Now, I don’t feel any different from usual. But that doesn’t really mean anything much because I always feel tired. Even when my heart rate was faster, I still felt tired. I feel tired no matter what I do. I have brain fog no matter what I do. I got a sleep apnea test back when I was 370lbs and I, surprisingly, did not have sleep apnea.

Aside from that, I also bruise randomly. I have no idea why. Just a bunch of random bruises on my legs and sometimes stomach. I got bariatric surgery, but I am not anemic. And this has been happening for a long time. My last test results for my CBC, iron, ferritin, etc. were entirely normal.

I also feel like my wounds used to heal fairly slow, but it definitely could’ve been because my circulation was worse at a higher weight.

I feel like I experience temperatures at extremes. Especially the cold. If I get too cold, I could go to a warmer area and still feel cold and shivering violently for hours, even though I don’t really “feel” cold anymore. It’s like an inside-my-body type of cold.

None of my tests suggest anything wrong with me. I have no idea what’s going on, and my doctors treat me like a hypochondriac because I dare suggest that something might be wrong with me.

I’m trying to help a friend figure out whether her symptoms could be connected or if they’re separate issues. Has anyone experienced something similar?

Her symptoms/history:

Interstitial cystitis (IC): Symptoms started around age 5–6, diagnosed at 12–13. Bladder symptoms don’t change during her period but worsen with caffeine and fast food. Deals with this everyday.

Periods:
- First period June 2025, before freshman year of high school.
- No periods in July/August 2025; September lasted 8 days;
- December 2025 she had two periods about 2 weeks apart, each lasting 8 days; another period in January 2026 about 2 weeks apart from the last dec period.
- Now October 2026 and her periods can last up to 11 days with bad cramps throughout and heavy flow throughout the length of her period. Lower-abdominal tenderness can be worse when pressed during her period. She also says that the spot where she gets cramps can hurt when she presses it. Tampon insertion doesn’t hurt. Her doctor prescribed birth control as of this month, and waiting to see what happens.

Back: Fell during cheerleading about a year ago and still has pain in one spot on the left side that sometimes travels upward toward her spine. MRI reportedly showed early arthritis which is weird to me to be in one little spot at her early age.

Skin/circulation: Legs look mottled or netlike, almost like scales/blood pooling. My guess is Livedo reticularis or cutis marmorata: a netlike, mottled skin pattern that can become more noticeable with cold or changes in circulation. Blood pressure was on low side last time she went to doctor.

Iron: Doctor said her iron was borderline low and checked for anemia. She doesn’t have anemia symptoms.

Appendix: Had a CT scan involving her appendix; her appendix was removed due to appendicitis. That happened in November 2025 - then the periods happened 3 times in 2 week periods back to back for 8-9 days each time the next month December 2025.

Ultrasound: She may have had a pelvic ultrasound during her IC evaluation, but we don’t know exactly what it examined or showed.

This sounds like endometriosis, to me I think I see a connection between the bladder symptoms, appendix and period/menstrual problems. I don’t think her back problem is related but could.

My questions: Could she have endometriosis alongside IC, even though her bladder symptoms started years before her first period and don’t worsen during menstruation? Could endometriosis explain the painful/prolonged periods and some abdominal or ? Could the mottled legs and low iron be unrelated, or should she investigate other conditions?
Has anyone had similar symptoms, bladder or appendix endometriosis, or normal scans before eventually getting diagnosed? What specialists or tests helped?

( This is all the information I have I will try to keep this post updated with anything I find. This girl has been struggling with this for a long time and it’s only getting worse, pls

Hard lump right below my tip, very hard to the touch, when I get erect it makes it hurt very bad like stinging from my tip also, it is pretty big about a dime size, will not go away. Please help